Author: John Paulsen (Page 757 of 937)

Once news broke that Elton Brand would miss most of the season with an Achilles injury, everyone (including myself) pretty much wrote the Clippers off. But after four games, the team is undefeated and is sitting alone in first place in the Pacific division.

How is this happening?

Well, for one, Corey Maggette is fulfilling expectations, averaging 19.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists, while shooting 50% from long range. Chris Kaman is having a career year, posting 16.8 points, 16.5 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game. I thought he’d step his game up, but I wasn’t expecting him to step it up like that.

Cuttino Mobley and Tim Thomas are both providing scoring – 18.3 and 16.0 ppg, respectively – while Sam Cassell is leading the team as only he can.

Lastly, the competition hasn’t been all that good. When removing the losses to the Clippers, their opponents are a combined 4-11. The Clippers visit Detroit tonight and host the Cavs on Sunday, so it will be quite the feat if they’re still perfect on Monday morning.

Give these guys a look if you need help at SG or SF:

Kelenna Azubuike, Warriors
Golden State has started the season 0-5, but it’s not Azubuike’s fault. He usurped Matt Barnes as the starting small forward and is averaging 18.8 points and 5.2 rebounds in 35 minutes per game. Moreover, he’s shooting 53% from the field and is knocking down 1.4 threes per game. He’s no slouch on defense, either, as he’s averaging 1.0 steal per game thus far this season.

Greg Buckner, Timberwolves
With Rashad McCants out with an ankle injury, Buckner took over starting off guard duties and posted 18 points, three rebounds and three assists in 39 minutes. Even though he came off the bench in the first two games, he has played at least 25 minutes and made two threes in every game this season.

It’s fun to speculate, and let’s face it: at this point, all Kobe Bryant trade talk is pure speculation. In my latest column, I propose a few potential Kobe trade scenarios, including hypothetical deals involving Shawn Marion, Tracy McGrady, Michael Redd and Gilbert Arenas.