30 things to be thankful for

30 things to be thankful for
By Royce Webb
ESPN.com

No matter who you root for, and no matter how many bad losses your favorite team has had the first three weeks, there are reasons to give thanks.
Don't believe it? OK, let's see ...

Utah (11-1): No, it's not that your new building is named for a nuclear waste company, as heartwarming (or something-warming) as that sounds. It's that super soph Deron Williams and rookie Paul "The Mailman Always Rings Twice" Millsap of La. Tech are evoking legitimate comparisons to Stockton and Malone ... and they might be only the fourth- and fifth-best players on the team.

San Antonio (10-2): 2007 is an odd number, after the title years of 1999, 2003 and 2005. And, what do you know, Fabio (Fabricio Oberto) can play a little.

L.A. Lakers (8-3): The Lake Show is running on more cylinders than anyone except diehards imagined, even with Kobe bent (but not broken). If Ronny can rub off on Kwame (or just steal his minutes), Shaq might have to hand the trophy back to his old pals.

Cleveland (8-4): The Cavs are winning big without big contributions from Hughes and Z. In November, that's something to be thankful for. In April, it will be something to be worried about.

Houston (8-4): They're a little dull, sure, but their stars are as likable as any group in the league -- Yao, a standard-bearer for a billion folks; Tracy, known as a good dude; and Shane, the ultimate glue guy. On top of that, they might even win a playoff series this year ... and give Clutch City fans reason to dream of more.

New Orleans/Oklahoma City (8-4): There is one man who keeps the Hornets from being the most nondescript and perhaps dismal team in the league. Thank you, CP3.

Orlando (8-4): They're well-positioned to inherit the Southeast Division from their downstate rivals, and they might just earn it. You know about Dwight Howard and Grant Hill, but it's also guys like Jameer Nelson, Carlos Arroyo, Darko Milicic and Trevor Ariza that make the Magic Bus go.

Dallas (7-4): Who has the longest winning streak in the NBA? The 0-4 start should live in the Mavs' memory long enough to keep them churning. When Josh Howard returns, expect them to join the juggernaut Jazz and steady Spurs in the West elite.

Denver (6-4): Chaos abounds, but at least part of it is intentional -- the Nuggets are playing an up-and-down brand of speedball not even the Suns and Warriors can touch, as their astounding Pace Factor shows.

L.A. Clippers (6-4): This star-crossed franchise is star-studded for a change, and starved Clippers fans deserve this feast of good play and good fortune. But a troublesome sign is that they also need to be thankful for home cookin' -- the Clips have played only three road games, with all six wins coming at home.

Detroit (7-5): The bad news is that the recently mighty Pistons have started slowly and still have no bench. The good news is that starting five have all outplayed Ben Wallace.

Golden State (7-5): Amazing buzz out of Oakland, considering the 12-year playoff drought. Why? Pick a reason for the season -- the return of Nellie Ball, the rebirth of Baron, the emergence of Pietrus, the competence of Dunleavy, the energy of Andris, the mighty mouse moxie of Monta.

Indiana (6-6): Pacers fans, battered by three seasons of surprises, never know what will happen next. Which also means, yes, that a dark horse this talented might continue to underachieve ... or race to the East title.

Sacramento (5-5): Short-term, Kings fans can be thankful their team has some nice pieces, they're contending for a playoff spot and Ron-Ron has remained sane. Long-term, local fans can be grateful David Stern appears to be sincere in his efforts to keep the Kings in Sacto.

Portland (6-7): As any Blazers fan will tell you, Portland has a great Rookie of the Year candidate. Turns out, though, that his last name isn't R-O-Y, it's A-L-D-R-I-D-G-E. That's LaMarcus to his mom.

Seattle (6-7): The Sonics are still here, so there's one blessing to count. Another is Luke Ridnour, who is rewarding the team's faith and contract extension with heady play.

New Jersey (5-6): Caught between the East title years and whatever is around the corner, fans need to enjoy the moment -- the genius of Kidd and Carter, the telecast team of Marv and Mark, and the hope that the Nets can catch fire and contend.

Phoenix (5-6): Let's see ... Amare is back (more or less), Diaw is looking better, Nash has returned from back spasms, Bell can only improve, Barbosa is still on the rise, the roster is deeper than ever, the schedule has been brutal, the losses have been close, and they've won four of five. In other words, the Suns should feel about as good as a sub-.500 team can feel.

Atlanta (4-5): Can't say enough about Joe, Josh, Josh and Zaza (and maybe Marvin). Shouldn't say much about the rest. As one who grew up a fan of the Hawks (Fast Eddie Johnson, Dan Roundfield, Dominique), I can only hope this Frustration Phase isn't forever.

Minnesota (4-6): Well, Kevin Garnett's trade value is higher than it will ever be again. So you have that going for you.

Boston (4-7): Celtics fans should just try to enjoy the ride, if they can stand the vertigo (maybe Doc Rivers can prescribe something for that) and ever-shifting rotations (for that, too). Really, does anyone know what to expect night to night from a team that in 11 games has had two three-game losing streaks and a three-game winning streak?

Philadelphia (4-7): If the Answer can keep his teeth in his mouth, and if Samuel Dalembert and Shavlik Randolph can continue making noise inside, maybe they can drown out Chris Webber's whining and keep the Sixers afloat in the Titanic Division.

Miami (4-7): Well, at least the weather is nice. As temperatures plummet across the nation, Miami will stay sunny and 75 for the next two months while Heat fans wait for Shaq to return from knee surgery. That's all we have to say about that.

Washington (4-7): We would talk about you-know-who, but he thrives on disrespect, so we'll throw him zero mentions. And we love the creativity of Antawn Jamison. But really Wiz nuts should be thankful for the apparent implosion of the Heat, allowing the Wizards to keep their Southeast dreams alive despite the rocky start.

Milwaukee (4-8): Michael Redd, Mo Williams, Andrew Bogut and company can really put on a show. And who cares about defense anyway?

New York (4-9): Isiah Thomas is in his final year, save a stay of execution from Knicks owner Jim Dolan. And Isiah's roster, while a mess, has tremendous role players, especially Nate Robinson and David Lee (the 10th most efficient player in the league so far). So count on some excitement ... and count the days until Zeke departs.

Charlotte (3-8): Can a player win Rookie of the Year and Comeback Player of the Year in just three seasons? The amazing Emeka Okafor is trying to find out. And 'Cats fans can hope that Wednesday's version of Adam Morrison (26, 4 and 2) was the real deal.

Chicago (3-8): The Bulls can be thankful for a very talented roster, their upcoming lottery pick from the Knicks and a 42-point blowout of the Heat. And that Tyson Chandler is outrebounding Ben Wallace. Oh, wait ...

Toronto (3-8): Canada's Thanksgiving was in October, when the Raptors were 7-1. So Rap fans should pray that the NBA allows them to count those Ws, because that might be the only way the team reaches 10 wins before Christmas. But if you're looking for light at the end of the tunnel, Wednesday's win over East-leading Cleveland was a move in the right direction. (And we do love Chris Bosh.)

Memphis (2-9): Only two categories of people aren't excited about dynamic youngsters Hakim Warrick, Lawrence Roberts, Rudy Gay and Kyle Lowry -- (1) people who aren't watching the Grizzlies play and (2) folks named Mike Fratello. The Memphis coach is wary of youngsters, wary of losing control and wary of losing, period. Which means he's more likely to coach his way (slowing the game down, keeping every game close) than to keep his job for much longer.

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