Player of the week
Rodney Stuckey, G, Detroit Pistons
Prior to a loss at Houston on Tuesday, Stuckey had lifted Detroit to five straight wins — including a 98-94 victory over Washington — which had pushed the Pistons to within one game of .500. In four of those victories, he had at least 25 points, including a win over Western Conference power Denver. Stuckey, who is averaging 22.7 points and 5.4 assists this month, has been a bright spot in a city where according to reports, gate receipts are down 42 percent from the same point last season. Who knows how much it will take, or if Stuckey and his team can get fans back in the seats.
Story lines
1. McGrady’s return » A surprising ovation greeted the return of Tracy McGrady to the Toyota Center court for the Houston Rockets on Tuesday, proof that whatever frustration and venom the crowd has been known to feel — such as booing when he’s featured in the team’s pregame highlight video — quickly subsides when face-to-face with the franchise’s biggest star. McGrady, who didn’t know when he would make his season debut after nine months out following season-ending surgery last spring, made one of two shots and played just eight minutes. He’s also pledged himself to the Rockets, but reports are swirling that the Heat are among teams that are interested in dealing for him.
2. Time to trade » With Dec. 15 having passed, NBA teams now are also free to trade free agents that they signed over the summer. Combined with the passage of the quarter pole, it may be just a matter of time before trades start to happen. Among the possibilities of a move, Portland point guard Steve Blake, who sank into a reserve role for the first time Tuesday in favor of Andre Miller, who has had trouble developing chemistry with the Blazers since signing a $21 million deal during the summer. Blake’s expiring deal is likely more valuable on the open market.
3. Comic relief » Ron Artest continues to deliver NBA comedy relief, and it’s certainly no distraction in Los Angeles, where the Lakers have hardly broken a sweat en route to the best record in the Western Conference (we’ll see if it stays that way once they play a road game or two). After appearing on Jimmy Kimmel Live in only a pair of shorts and admitting that he’s drunk Hennessey at halftime, this week Artest — who clearly isn’t held to the same standard as Brendan Haywood, who ditched his blog last weekend — wrote an open letter on his blog to Tiger Woods in which he talked of his own infidelities and said, “You have been the perfect role model for me and my sons for longer than anyone I have known.”.
Key game
Jazz at Hawks, Friday, 7:30 p.m., SportSouth
The Jazz have been surprisingly fallible at home thus far, already losing four games — which matches their total two seasons ago and is halfway to last year’s eight home defeats — so it’s crucial that they make the most of a five-game road swing this week. Last year, Joe Johnson scored 31 as the Hawks won this encounter, snapping a 13-game Utah winning streak in the process.
Examiner Power Rankings
Pack begins to separate
Welcome to The Examiner’s NBA power poll, which can be nicely divided into thirds as teams approach the quarter pole. There were 11 truly elite teams at the top just a few weeks ago — with the Lakers and Celtics distancing themselves at the top — before Dwyane Wade realized that he’d need help to keep the Heat rolling, and so the top tier has been reduced to 10. The middle tier of 12-14 teams is where the Wizards would settle for being found, except there’s no better place for them than to be only a sniff from worst in the league. As Gilbert Arenas said, “We’re bottom feeders until we prove otherwise.”
*records through 12/15.
| No. | Team (Record) | Comment | Pvs. |
| 1 | Celtics (20-4) | Lately, they get stiff competition, then win anyway | 2 |
| 2 | Lakers (19-4) | 20 points in first 13 minutes for Kobe at Chicago on Tues. | 3 |
| 3 | Hawks (17-6) | Also third in NBA in scoring differential (+8.39) | 5 |
| 4 | Magic (18-6) | Pacers go UFC on Howard; he still gets season-high 23 boards | 7 |
| 5 | Nuggets (18-7) | Own second best record in NBA at home (11-1) | 6 |
| 6 | Cavaliers (18-7) | Delonte West inactive again Tues. after playing nine straight | 10 |
| 7 | Mavericks (18-7) | Winning pace matches record season in 2006-07 | 8 |
| 8 | Suns (17-8) | Channing Frye (.449 3-pt pct.) was an offseason steal | 1 |
| 9 | Jazz (14-10) | Beat Lakers, Magic & Spurs then lose to T-Wolves? Yeesh | 17 |
| 10 | Spurs (12-10) | Only 2 of final 8 games in Dec. vs. winning teams | 9 |
| 11 | Rockets (14-10) | 20+ points for Brooks in 6 of last 8 | 11 |
| 12 | Heat (12-11) | And now back to a sulking Wade until Miami shells out $$$ | 4 |
| 13 | Thunder (12-11) | 25+ pts in nine straight for Durant, longest active streak | 14 |
| 14 | Pistons (11-13) | Hamilton impressed with Kuester’s coaching through injuries | 16 |
| 15 | Grizzlies (10-14) | Visit to Atlanta on Wed. could be a reality check | 27 |
| 16 | Trail Blazers (15-11) | Daunting holiday run-in: Suns, Magic, Heat, Mavs, Spurs | 13 |
| 17 | Raptors (11-16) | Season-low two rebounds for Bosh in loss to Miami | 15 |
| 18 | Kings (10-13) | 6th best shooting in NBA makes for surprising success | 26 |
| 19 | Hornets (10-13) | CP3: 70 assists in five games since return from injury | 19 |
| 20 | Bucks (11-11) | Jennings, welcome to the NBA: Lakers & Cavs this week | 20 |
| 21 | Bobcats (10-13) | Felton’s numbers up; Augustin on his way out? | 23 |
| 22 | Bulls (8-15) | Loss to Lakers wasn’t a blowout, a desperate silver lining | 12 |
| 23 | Pacers (8-14) | Dunleavy: 50 pts, .577 shooting pct in last two games | 21 |
| 24 | Clippers (10-13) | Six straight road games between now and Xmas | 25 |
| 25 | Wizards (7-15) | Will brass keep team together until Mike Miller returns? | 18 |
| 26 | Knicks (8-16) | Let’s not get delusional: NY won six of seven last Jan., too | 28 |
| 27 | 76ers (6-18) | Will Iverson go down in Philly as a hero, or like Jordan in D.C.? | 22 |
| 28 | Warriors (7-17) | Curry: don’t make same Twitter mistake as Terrence Williams | 24 |
| 29 | T-Wolves (4-21) | Loving the return of Love (13 ppg, 12 rpg) | 29 |
| 30 | Nets (2-23) | Joys of frustration: Devin Harris ejected in loss to Cleveland | 30 |
HEATING UP
Dallas
Mavericks had won six of their last eight entering Wednesday’s difficult tilt at Oklahoma City.
Also » Detroit, New York
COOLING DOWN
Chicago
Bulls coach Vinny Del Negro’s job security is a hot topic of conversation in the Windy City.
Also » Washington, Toronto
