[Izulde]

I've decided to try seeing if this'll run on my laptop, even if I'm stuck with Vista. So here goes...

Gorgeous opening game by Mateen Yeaton with 37 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds, 3 blocks and 5 steals and Kirk Hinrich had 14 points and 11 assists off the bench, but the rest of the team was horrid and the Lakers topped us 118-109. The Purple and Gold may not have Kobe Bryant anymore, but they're a much deeper, more balanced team and Kyle Hoiberg will ensure they don't miss Kobe too much.

Mateen Yeaton carries the team again with 38 points and 10 rebounds and this time he gets enough help from Kirk Hinrich (15 points) and Eddy Curry (14 points), to thrash the Timberwolves 111-85. Our front court is really looking anemic in terms of its offense in the early going.

Heartbreaking 94-92 loss to the Jazz follows. Nobody broke 20 points for us, though Ron McPherson had 15 points off the bench and I'm wondering when he's going to start in place of Phillip Gill, who's looked terrible in a starting role. The real donkeypuncher in this one was Andris Biedrins, who I cast off so soon, ripping us for 17 points, 21 rebounds and 6 blocks.

A doubleheader's up next and we kick things off by avenging ourselves in a big way against the Jazz, as in a 121-77 asskicking. Larry Brown has a new lineup of PG Brooks/SG Hinrich/SF Yeaton/PF Okafor/C Jacobson, banishing Phillip Gill to the bench. It pays off beautifully here as Kirk Hinrich scores 26, Brandon Brooks adds 22 points and Dan Jacobson has 11 points and 15 rebounds. Our bench was amazing with 10 points from Ron McPherson, 15 from Thabo Sefolosha and a near double-double of 12 points and 9 rebounds from Eddy Curry. Unfortunately, we blow it the next night, losing 105-100 to the Sonics, despite 11 points and 14 rebounds from Emeka Okafor, 15 points and 14 assists from Brandon Brooks and 19 bench points from Ron McPherson. I'm just about on the point of trading Phillip Gill for something, I think.

A 90-81 loss to the Pistons really has me thinking hard about this team. Yes, Mateen Yeaton is suffering from back spasms and yes Emeka Okafor doubled with 17 points and 17 rebounds, but we're really looking out of sync here and not at all explosive like I expected us to be.

I'll give it a couple more games, but I'm getting the urge to make a move.

Larry Brown gets drunk the night before the Kings game and submits a lineup of PG Brooks/SG Hinrich/SF Gill/PF Curry/C Jacobson. Kirk Hinrich scores 22, Brandon Brooks has 11 points and 11 assists and Dan Jacobson is everywhere with 12 points and 21 rebounds, but it still translates into a 96-91 loss to Sacramento, our third straight defeat.

The lineup shuffle goes back to Brooks/Yeaton/Gill/Okafor/Jacobson and as a result, we net a stunningly easy 100-88 victory over the Raptors to snap the slump. Seven Nuggets in double-digit scoring, highlighted by double-doubles of 12 points and 12 assists from Brandon Brooks, 14 points and 10 rebounds from Dan Jacobson and 11 points and 10 rebounds from Emeka Okafor. Our bench showed firepower, as you might expect, with Eddy Curry scoring 12 points, Ron McPherson 14 points.

Another night, another lineup change. This time we have Hinrich/Yeaton/Gill/Curry/Jacobson and we lose 112-100 to the Bulls because we have no damned consistency. Eddy Curry scores 30, Dan Jacobson gets 10 points and 11 rebounds and Ron McPherson scores 15 off the bench, but we still look ridiculous out there. Particularly when Charles Seegars tees off us on for a triple-double of 27 points, 10 assists, 10 rebounds, 4 blocks and a steal.

So I've had it. Phillip Gill must go. He's screwing with our universe.

And the trade is a stunner.

Denver Nuggets receive
C Tim Davis
PG Zelipe Gama
SF Antwan Jamison

Detroit Pistons receive
C Dan Jacobson
C Phillip Gill
PG Shaun Livingston
C Eddy Curry

What this means for the Nuggets
GM Jestor strikes again, cutting off a major blockbuster with the defending champion Detroit Pistons after the Nuggets poor play infuriated him. Davis has the best inside shot in the game and is averaging 20 points so far. He's got exceptional defense, great ballhandling skills for a C and is working on developing his rebounding game. He's also an extremely hard-working fan favorite, especially after breaking out in last year's championship run. He'll take Jacobson's place in the rotation. Gama is as gifted a passer as Brandon Brooks and he'll start at the point while Brooks recovers from a nagging arm injury. It'll be interesting to see how the 24 year old Spainard reacts to the increased playing time he'll get in Denver, as he hasn't been a full-time starter since 2012 with the Spurs. Jamison is a $6.5, $7 mill dead weight for the next two seasons. Phillip Gill's departure also means that Jestor's wishes will be fulfilled and Ron McPherson becomes Denver's new starting SF.

What this means for the Pistons
Jacobson may not have the offensive firepower that Davis does, but he's a far, far better rebounder, something Detroit needed. Davis's point total can be more than made up for by Curry, who still brings terrific offensive game and becomes the new starting PF in addition to his lovely $9.9 million expiring contract. Gill, whose potential everyone still swears by, slides in as the starting SF. Livingston's an end of the bench player.

Advantage: Detroit
The Pistons shed a bad contract and pick up three brand-new starters, all of whom combined are an upgrade over what they had previously. Jestor's desparation really cost him here and it may have handed Detroit the keys to the first repeat champion since the Raffle GM entered the league.

Heh. Fine. Hate on my deal. I still like it for us, though.

We withstand a torrid 26 points and 25 rebounds from Jonte Jones to steal away a 109-103 victory over the Mavericks in our first new-look game. Mateen Yeaton leads us in scoring with 26 points and we have great debuts from Tim Davis (23 points) and Zelipe Gama (15 points, 12 assists).

It's a sweet feeling to have our first win streak of the year as we cut down the Nets 109-98. Another lineup's in place, this one of Gama/Brooks/Yeaton/Okafor/Davis and Mateen Yeaton finally looks comfortable in scoring 22 points, but it was Zelipe Gama who led us in points with a stunning 29. Kirk Hinrich added 10 points off the bench and Chris Washington contributed 11 rebounds with the second team. This is turning to one interesting team.

Back-to-backs always make me nervous, especially when our team is in a fragile state like it is right now. But we whip San Antonio 124-81 as Kirk Hinrich scores 23 starting at SG, Zelipe Gama adds 21 points and Ron McPherson and Chris Washington each score 17 off the bench. We complete the sweep by edging the Rockets 106-94 in Houston behind 23 points from still starting SG Kirk Hinrich, 19 points and 12 rebounds from Tim Davis, 14 reserve points from Ron McPherson and a surprising double-double off the bench of 10 points, 10 rebounds from Chris Washington.

The wins keep coming as we beat the Hornets 95-84, Emeka Okafor a shocking lead scorer with 22 points. Tim Davis was second with 21 points and Zelipe Gama doubled with 14 points and 10 assists. Ron McPherson carried the second team with a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds. I can't wait until he becomes a starter. He's really been a key part of this team so far. Incidentally, Patrick Pastner scored 23 points on us and is loving it in New Orleans. Through 13 games, he's averaging a career-high 19.1 points. Good to see him have some more success.

November closes out with a dominanting 115-89 victory over the Cavs, enginereed by the unlikeliest of heroes. Chris Washington came to the rescue after Tim Davis got in major foul trouble, dazzling the home crowd with 26 points and 14 rebounds en route to Player of the Game. Brandon Brooks took over the starting SG job and scored 22, while former starter Kirk Hinrich added 12 points off the bench.

So after our early struggles and the blockbuster trade, we've reversed our fortunes and stand at 9-6 after the first month of play, a half-game behind the Northwest leaders.

Who's leading the divison, you ask?

The Portland Traiblazers. Yeah, them. It's still far too early yet to predict anything, though.

On the other hand, the Lakers are again way out in front at 12-4, with the second place team 6-10. They're a sure bet to run away with it again.

The Raptors (13-4), 76ers (10-4), Pistons (11-3) and Pacers (10-5) are all looking pretty good in the East right now.

I'm not going to do a Yeaton/Buboltz comparison, simply because things have been so screwy with all the lineup changes. On the other hand, Mateen's been pretty quiet at SF, though some of it is attributable to a calf injury he's battling through.

It's going to be an interesting year, that's for sure.