Mike: Speaking of struggling teams turning things around, the Golden State Warriors are looking good this year but that might change with the injury to Jason Richardson. So my resolution for Golden State is to hang in there until Richardson comes back and to also win on the road where they're currently just 3-11. The only other team with less road wins are the Memphis Grizzlies at 2-16.
Dennis: Okay, let's bring it back up and I'll give the Phoenix Suns their resolution and it's "easy" - stay healthy. The rotation seems like it's set and there shouldn't be anymore tinkering going on. Amare Stoudemire has gotten into the flow of things and could become the pre-injured Amare the rest of the way, which is scary for the rest of the league. Steve Nash should have some serious competition for MVP votes from his own teammate. Unfortunately, Shawn Marion doesn't get his just due, but the Suns are winning and that's what matters most to everyone on the Suns.
Mike: ]If they can all stay healthy, this could be the Suns' year. But I'm not going to move away from my preseason champion selection, the Dallas Mavericks. So the Mavs resolution is also simple - Just win, and don't choke in the playoffs, again.
Dennis: And if the Mavs could give out resolutions, they'd give one to the refs - don't make ticky tack calls. Hahaha. Okay, next up for me are the Utah Jazz - Do not sit on your butts and enjoy the ride right now. The Jazz are undoubtedly one of the better surprises in the league and they're doing it with a below average Andrei Kirilenko performance from game-to-game. However, Carlos Boozer, Mehmut Okur, and especially Deron Williams have stepped up big. I'm pretty sure that head coach Jerry Sloan won't let the Northwest Division leading Jazz rest on their laurels. If AK-47 can ever turn it up a notch the way we all know, it'll be gravy on the meat.
Mike: Another pleasant surprise team are the Toronto Raptors. They're leading the Atlantic Division with a 13-18 record, and they've done it without Chris Bosh for much of the season. I'm not saying that a 13-18 record is good by any means, but if the Nets continue to drop, the Atlantic could be there for Toronto. So my resolution for the Raptors is to blow away the Atlantic once Bosh comes back and make a rare playoff appearance.
Dennis, what's your resolution for the entire division?
Dennis: Simple - don't stink. The TITANIC Division (thanks for the term, Ryan) is like the red-headed stepchild of the NBA. Can someone, anyone PLEASE step up your game and actually win the division with a record above .500? It's just straight up embarassing. Be it the Raptors, the Nets, heck even the Knicks, please lift the veil of stinkitude that surrounds the Atlantic!
Okay, enough with resolutions. How about some predictions, Mike. Which player do you think we as NBA fans need to look out for, moving forward in the 0-7? Who are you going to be following?
Mike: I'm going to keep an eye on the man who cuts his finger nails on the bench. The strange dude known as Mike Bibby. We all know Bibby can shoot, so why is he only connecting on 37 percent of his field goals, and even worse only 26 percent from beyond the arc? And this is his contract year. Aren't players supposed to play best when they know more is on the horizon? Maybe he should sit down and have a conversation with Erick Dampier. If Bibby can step it up and Ron Artest can stop complaining, I could see the Kings moving ahead of the Los Angeles Clippers and Warriors in the Pacific and making the playoffs as an eighth seed.
Dennis: Well, I'm staying out West with my player, in fact staying in the Pacific Division. If you know me well, you know my man-crush on Clippers point guard Shaun Livingston. Since Sam Cassell is suffering from plantar fasciitis, which is basically an inflamed heel and something that can be nagging for a basketball player, Livingston is getting his time to shine as a starter and lead a playoff ready team into the postseason as I believe Cassell will pretty much be hobbled the whole way by his heel. As a starter, the six-foot-seven lead guard is averaging 12.2 ppg, 4.1 rpg, and 6.3 apg, all very good numbers for a young 21-year old who has been compared to Magic Johnson for his vision on the court. Looking at his two month trend from November to December, Livingston has shown improvement and will get better as the season goes along. Look for Peoria's Finest to get finer than Scarlett Johansson in 2007.