NBA Weekly Dish: 11/3-11/9

Here's a look at everything in the NBA that I'm thinking about, reading about, hearing about, worrying about, writing about, obsessing about, and excited about with one week in the books.
 

Holy smokes, it's the Atlanta Hawks!

It looks like the Atlanta Hawks are showing that their performance against the Celtics in last year's playoffs (at least at home) wasn't totally a fluke and are emerging as one of the surprise teams of this early season.
 
They've opened the season 5-0 with wins over the Magic, 76ers, New Orleans, and the Raptors. Not exactly the weak sisters of the poor.
 
Joe Johnson is dominating games and taking his game to a new level, Bibby is controlling the offense, and Josh Smih (until he was injured) and Al Horford are handling all the side-scoring duty and giving the defense a presence on the other end. The entire team has fallen behind Johnson and Bibby and are playing with a confidence not seen since the days of 'Nique and Doc Rivers.
 
This team is playing like they think they're the ish.
 

"Hi, my name is Stephon Marbury and I am paid a lot of money to be a cheerleader."

In one of the more bizarre situations in this early season, the New York Knicks have benched Stephon Marbury.
 
He's currently paid $21 million to sit on the bench. It's gotten so bad, Starbury (doesn't quite have the same ring to it now, does it?) has considered practicing with his high school team. The Player's Association responded to that thought with a resounding, "No, that wouldn't be such a good idea."
 
So why keep such a pricey player on the bench when he probably has some value on the trade market?
 
Team president Donnie Walsh says, "He is a good player."
 
Okay, allow me to assume the voice of the unconsciousness of the New York Knicks for just a moment.
 
We are keeping Marbury around, for the drop in the bucket price of $21 million JUST IN CASE!!
 
Donnie Walsh is looking more and more like the Al Davis of the NBA. Need an example to prove this point?

This is the man that said Isiah Thomas "has a great basketball mind."
 

Time for a change...

Two games into the season and Detroit pulled off a major trade sending Billups and McDyess to Denver for Allen Iverson.
 
It's a bit of a curious trade for Detroit as you can't help but wonder how Iverson fits into the team chemistry that the Pistons have created.
 
At first glance, one can understand the move. Detroit's trying to get another play maker (but, for the record, Billups was no slouch) and allow second-year point guard Rodney Stuckey more time on the floor.
 
The only problem: Stuckey's young and inexperienced (a little too much to be running such a veteran play-off caliber team), Iverson's not your traditional point guard (something that a team like this DOES need), and A.I. and Rip Hamilton kind of play the same position.
 
We saw the beginning of this experiment on Friday night in the loss to the Nets.
 
Iverson and Stuckey shared point duties, but in the fourth quarter, it was Stuckey leading the offense and the team was worse off for it.
 
Leadership wise, the ball was in the hands of the least experienced player on the court and defensively Stuckey could do little to stop Devin Harris who scored 38 points.
 
After the game, Iverson said, "They told me 'Don't worry about fitting in here. Play your game. That's what you're here for.' And the only way I can help this team is to play my game."
 
It's a huge shift in philosophy in Detroit. They've always taught a team game and now they have a player in Iverson who is trying to play his own game. It's not a game that has fit with the Detroit of old. It's going to be interesting to watch the Piston make this work. It's going to take a little bit of practice (yes, A.I., practice.).

However, even with this "problem" they're still a playoff team in the East.
 

Some surprising losing records.

A couple of teams are performing below expectations, specifically the Spurs and Philly.
 
Philly, with their all-star lineup is sitting at 2-4. Their leading scorer is not Elton Brand or Andre Iguodala, it's second-year forward Thaddeus Young with 16 a game. The emergence of Young makes the Sixers all the more scary. The chemistry will come and this team will gel. They're still primed for a playoff run in the East.
 
The San Antonio Spurs, on the other hand, are 1-4 and fighting injuries and a bad case of the "we're old and we can't hide it" syndrome.
 
It's a bad sign that heading into Friday night, point guard Tony Parker was leading the league in scoring. It's an even worse sign that Parker was helped off the floor in the first quarter Friday night.
 
Parker's out two weeks (and maybe more) and Manu Ginobili is out until mid-December. Rookie George Hill (I'm not sure who he is either) and Jacque Vaughn take over at point guard. Michael Finley now comes off the bench, surrendering his sixth man role to start for Ginobili. So what does all this mean for the Spurs?
 
They now have a shallow bench, they're old, and inexperienced (ironic, isn't it?). Get ready for a loooong season down in San Anton'.
 

Hot Derrick Rose!

I saw this stat that made me roll my eyes, but also secretly take note: Derrick Rose scored 26 points in his third game of his NBA career. The last Bulls' rookie to do so: you guessed it—Jordan.
 
Rose is already a star and it's just a matter of time before he changes this entire Bulls team. Guys like Tyrus Thomas could benefit tremendously from a player like Rose.
 
While the scoring is there, this guy's still supposed to be a point guard too and that means more than just 26 a night. His last three games: seven, six, and nine assists respectively.
 
It's just a matter of time before there's a catchy slogan in Chicago for this kid.