From Dennis Velasco,
Your Guide to Basketball.
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2. Which team has been the most disappointing?

Chip: The most disappointing team has to be the Chicago Bulls. I thought this team had a chance to win the East and their start raises serious questions on Paxson's GM ability. He has amassed a lot of talent but the Ben Wallace signing and the inability to reach deals with Luol Deng and Ben Gordon has hurt the team.

Scott: Hands down, the Chicago Bulls. They’re simply a mess right now and do not show many signs of righting the ship. Luol Deng is a good player, but until this team gets its "stud," they aren’t getting to the next level. Kobe, anyone?

Nick: Currently, that’s a tight race between the Miami Heat and the Chicago Bulls. But, because of their preseason hype alone I am going to have to give it to the Bulls. Chicago is the most disappointing thus far because at 7-12 at the quarter-completion mark of the season, the 50-32 record of last season couldn’t be fainter of a memory. Ben Wallace isn’t even grabbing ten rebounds a game, Ben Gordon’s scoring average is down from last year’s career-high of 21.4 points to 18.1 points so far, and Kirk Hinrich has played like a shadow of his former self up to this point by only averaging ten points and five assists. Scott Skiles may want to get his resume revised if this kind of play continues in the Windy City.

Dennis: Thus far, there is no question it's the Chicago Bulls. However, if you look at history, the Bulls are notoriously slow starters. It's very possible they can turn it around and make the playoffs. Other than that, my Knicks have a knack for disappointing me lately.

3. Which team has been the most surprising?

Chip: The most surprising team has been the Orlando Magic. The loss of Darko Milicic and then the injury to Tony Battie left the team thin in the frontcourt but Stan Van Gundy has done a great job of melding the players into a cohesive unit and Dwight Howard's play has been incredible.

Austin: It's early, I know. Maybe it's late enough to begin distinguishing who is definitely out of the playoff picture, but it's definitely too early to start figuring out who is in. What's surprising enough is that it's nearly Christmas time, and the Atlanta Hawks haven't already slipped into that first category. The Hawks have virtually the same roster as last year, but with two bad-ass, potential-filled rookies, and the Hawks are perennial losers. In fact, name the last year the Hawks didn't have at least one bad-ass, potential-filled rookie. Call me crazy, but I'm sipping the Al Horford Kool-Aid... and the Acie Law Hi-C, oh, and while we're at it, anything Josh Smith is putting out this year. Maybe it's the new jerseys, or maybe the Hawks have finally stumbled upon the right pieces to the puzzle, it is, afterall, quarter-season and the lottery-loving birds are hovering around an impressing and indeed surprising .500. Maybe this will all end terribly soon, if that's the case, and I'm the one who jinxes them, then I apologize in advance. But until that happens there's finally more to Atlanta than peaches and airport transfers.

Scott: The New Orleans Hornets. You’re seeing what this team was missing when Chris Paul went down with his injury last season. This kid is playing out of his mind right now and is surrounded by the right guys at the right spots. David West is an efficient power forward, Tyson Chandler provides that Ben Wallace (circa 2003) presence, and even Peja Stojakovic has decided to join the party. While they probably won’t even come close to winning the West, they’ve been a great story thus far. A close runner-up would be the Hawks. A .500 record right now? No one saw this coming.

Nick: Hands down, the Orlando Magic. This is a team that didn’t even cut the .500 mark last year at 40-42, and now they are on pace to win something like 52 games this year with a 17-8 start. Dwight Howard’s physical gifts are something like a comic book hero’s and now having another All-Star like Rashard Lewis doesn’t hurt either. I really like the Orlando Magic thus far into the season and will go on record right now as saying they are the only team that can compete with the Celtics in the Eastern Conference.

Dennis: I'd go with the Orlando Magic. Really did anyone think they were going to be this good this fast? I mean, other than hopeful Magic personnel. Dwight Howard has been an absolute beast and overshadows the fact that Rashard Leis was overpaid. Sure, everyone is, but considering Shard's injury history, it was a definite gamble on the Magic's part to sign him to a long-term, big money contract. But let me stop sending negative vibes out there... the Magic are a great team right now and are proving able to win on the road and beating elite teams. That says a lot about the players, but mostly to me.... Stan Van Gundy. What a great second option after University of Florida coach Billy Donovan had second thoughts about being Magic coach this past summer.