Pau’s back, the offense is clicking, and Shannon Brown has pogo-stick legs. It is beginning to look like Adam Morrison is going to be getting a lot of minutes, if you get my drift.

The NBA’s “biggest surprise” team isn’t surprising anyone anymore. Regardless of what happened in D’Antoni’s Revenge (great movie title), these guys are playing some of the best ball in the league.

Stan is a happy guy now? I don’t know how he couldn’t be. Somehow, the Magic have revitalized ghosts of NBA past with Carter and J-Will playing well below their age.

Rondo has finally stepped up as a clutch player down the stretch. Haters are saying Rasheed’s three points attempts are a problem, they won’t say that when he shoots himself out of the slump. And he will shoot himself out.

Carmelo Anthony has scored at least 20 points in all 18 games. Don’t expect that to slow down anytime soon. “My Name Is Earl” Smith back in the lineup, and the Nuggs are 11-2 when they break the century mark.

Everyone jumped on the Hawks bandwagon and they have started to play with less fire. I think they play much better with a chip on their shoulder.

Dallas Mavericks

I originally had this team ranked higher, then I looked at the average age of their starting lineup. No way they keep up this kind of heat deep into the season.

The home court advantage seems to be back. So is the ball movement. The Jazz are leading the league in assists again and AK47 may have settled on a hair-do.

We can add George Hill to the list of names that don’t match the person’s race. We can also add George Hill to the list of biggest surprises thusfar. His guard play in Parker and Ginobli’s absence has been one of the reasons the Spurs have stayed competitive.

Don’t look now, but Mario Chalmers and Michael Beasley might be maturing, and they might be really good. The Heat are facing a difficult West Coast swing, it will be a good test for the young Heat.

They looked awful against the Grizzlies and the Jazz. Brandon Roy’s unselfish play is killing this team.

Absolutely my favorite team in the NBA right now. Jeff Green is starting to step into an eerily Pippen-esque role. I’m not saying they are worthy of an early Bulls comparison yet, but Pippen ain’t easy.

Better without T-Mac? Probably. This rag-tag team has a Major League thing going on that makes me desperate to get some all access. But Spike Lee isn’t rushing to film these guys anytime soon.

Brandon Jennings has opened a huge debate on the relevance of college in a player’s development. He is quickly closing the debate on Rookie of the Year. Also, Hakim Warrick and Andrew Bogut playing on the same team make me think of the 2005 NCAA Tournament, which is still my favorite of the decade.

When Kevin Martin went out, Kings fans were cringing. When Kevin Martin comes back, he is returning to a budding young team with one of the best rookie tandems in the league. Omri and Tyreke…sounds like a sitcom!

Charlotte Bobcats

I hate to jinx it, I really do. But Stephen Jackson, maybe, just maybe, could be the difference maker to turn the Bobcats into a playoff team?

Knowing their luck, Chris Kaman and the Kamanites will play just well enough to put them right on the edge of the playoffs and at the bottom of the lottery. Misery ensues.

The talent is there, and they are still a playoff contender in the East. Their current five game losing streak is exposing the weaknesses in Vinny Del Negro’s coaching, which is his coaching.

Chris Paul being hurt has been great news for the development of the New Orleans rookies. But will it mean that they can make a miracle push when he comes back?

I predicted that Hedo would get fat and happy with his contract and under-perform. I had no idea that it would be this bad. The Raptors are making their front office look like a bunch of morons, and that is not a good way to try and keep Bosh in 2010.

Indiana is an optical illusion. Their record has them right around the middle of the Eastern Conference. But their wins include New York, New Jersey, Washington, Golden State, and the Clips. Not a sign of a good team.

You know when you take a few foods that you like and mix them together? It works a little less than half the time. Ladies and Gentlemen, the Washington Wizards.

Golden State Warriors

While Nellie is usually the Grim Reaper for young talent, he doesn’t have anyone else healthy. So I guess they are fun to watch?

One day – Hamilton, Prince, Gordon, Villanueva, and Wallace will be on the floor at the same time and the Pistons will have the talent to compete with about anyone. Of course, by then the season will be done and those five will most likely be completely out-of-sync on the court.

The local Memphis game promotions claim that “O.J. Mayo and the Grizzlies have the firepower to run and gun with anyone on the court.” This is a true statement. They forget to add that you have to play defense as well.

Monday cannot come soon enough. I spent the entire morning hitting “refresh” on the NBA Store to get my new Iverson jersey. Five days until we get The Answer. Seven to Ten until I get my jersey. Sounds like we all win.

Your team is in a sad state when you are saying “Hey, just wait until Kevin Love gets healthy.”

Will the Knicks be able to keep David Lee in their efforts to build this team for the future? Has Mike D’Antoni finally got this team of misfits running in his system? How long will Larry Hughes play well? I don’t foresee positive answers to any of these questions.

As Matt Anaya said, adding John Wall to this backcourt makes the 2010-2011 Nets especially scary.