Then & Now: Your Weekly NBA Digest, 3/9

Welcome to Then & Now, where Shoals sums up the week in NBA hoops and tells you what to look for. Find it here every Sunday (usually) evening.

Point Guards Are the Engine of the Future: Okay, the Jazz are still on fire. Eleven straight and counting. But in the tightly-packed West, the real news this week was the Hornets, who found out that nothing sets a team off like trying to trade a key piece. The Tyson Chandler trade got nixed by OKC's doctors, and Chandler promptly returned playing every game like it was his last. David West, whose second half has justified that All-Star appearance, followed a Player of the Week award with more strong play. And Chris Paul has just gone nuts. Finally, the team that broke out last year is back and making moves.

Rondo for President: The Celtics beat the Cavs without Kevin Garnett on Friday, making a convincing case for their depth, maturity and poise -- and the likelihood of their surviving this long-simmering stand-off at the top of the East. Then on Sunday, with Rondo and Big Baby on the bench, they were forced to start that rascal Stephon Marbury, and walked away from their home floor with a loss to the team that, since Jameer Nelson went down, has been seen as a distant third. No one's blaming Steph, or firing up the Marbury Doomsday Clock, but yet again, it shows how important Rondo is to that team. KG's absence, on the other hand, is probably making Boston stronger.

Shut Your Mouth; You're Talking About Shaq: You're excused for not knowing that, even with Nash now back, the Suns have now lost four straight and are slipping into the lottery. Shaquille O'Neal had a full-on revival this past week, piling up points in wins against the Raptors and Lakers, then grabbing attention by calling out former coach Stan Van Gundy for saying he'd flopped on Dwight Howard. Van Gundy and Chris Bosh, whom Shaq compared to RuPaul earlier in the week, brushed it off -- not without a little condescension -- but the press ate it up, and if you squinted, it was just like old times.

FILM CRITIC

No, this isn't a fluke. Watch enough of the Bobcats and you'll get used to the Boris Diaw/Emeka Okafor two-man game. Diaw's more complete, and aggressive, than he was in that Most Improved season under D'Antoni -- supposedly the coach whose system made him successful in the first place. And Okafor, while he's not Dwight Howard, is intimidating inside, the perfect match for the versatile Diaw. Worth noting that Marvin Williams also is coming into his own.

COMING ATTRACTIONS

-- Let's force the metaphor one more time: All eyes are on Detroit, as they count down the halcyon days until Allen Iverson returns and has to come off the bench. Basketball-wise, there's not much to worry about here; AI will provide instant offense and play in the fourth if he's really on fire. No one knows, though, what will happen when one of the league's most charismatic stars is thrust into a supporting role. Iverson's no Marbury, and will try to be a good soldier, but the question remains whether he's fundamentally incompatible with Dee-Troit Basketball.

-- Speaking of Iverson's old team, Denver's got to be the most schizophrenic show in town these days. They're still sixth, headed for the playoffs, and a more cohesive unit than in the past. Chauncey Billups has been everything the Nuggets possibly could've asked for. It's not even like they're in a slump. But Melo and Karl are feuding again, a distraction that not only gets in the way of the present -- it casts a pall of uncertainty over the future. Anthony's having his best overall season as a pro, but is still most valuable as a scorer. J.R. Smith could readily step into that number one option slot, everyone's looking to save money ... could Melo be headed to the Knicks, who have probably given up on Wade or Bron?

-- Ah, continuity: For MVP, it's Wade or Bron. Kobe's in the running, technically, but he got one last year. Wade has been absolutely scintillating as of late, while James has been content merely to lead a team that's finally back at full-strength (and beat the Heat twice this past week). Then again, the Heat have a shot at home court advantage, when few people pegged them as a playoff team heading into 2008-09. And they don't have the likes of Mo Williams to get their superstar's back. Expect LeBron to be rewarded for his team's success, but it will be a close vote if Wade continues this run.

This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.