Rondo Trade Puts More Burden on James Harden

Now that Dallas has made a blockbuster move to acquire Rajon Rondo, the pressure is all on James Harden. The man has been playing like the MVP of late, especially with Dwight Howard out with injury. Harden has almost single handedly kept the Houston Rockets at the top of the Western Conference standings. His play has been great, but with the Grizzlies, Spurs and Mavs all in their division (not to mention the Pelicans, currently the eighth seed), it will be tough going forward for the Rockets to grab home court advantage. Perhaps this move will spark the Rockets to counter with a trade of their own. Rondo was the target but maybe Houston can grab a Goran Dragic from Phoenix. The Rockets need an upgrade if they want to compete for a title this year.

Warriors Just Keep Winning

Golden State got another win last night over the Houston Rockets. That moves them to 19-2 on the young season, and still the best record in the NBA. The team is one of the best offensive and defensive teams in the league. Last nights win was especially impressive, because of the way they closed the game, leaving no doubt who was still the best team in the league. Now Houston did not have Dwight Howard, but Golden State did not have Bogut either. In the upcoming week the Warriors will be tested by some of the best in the west, including Oklahoma City, Dallas and Memphis. If the team is able to come out of this stretch will just two losses, I may be writing about how good this team could really be.

Russell Westbrook's Return Means Look Out Western Conference

Oklahoma City point guard Russell Westbrook returned last night, somewhat unexpectedly. It was believed that he would return more likely mid-way through December, but he played last night against the Knicks and was impressive. Not only the 32 points, seven rebounds and eight assists, but also the energy he provided for the home crowd. The Thunder were 4-12 going into last nights game and in need of a spark. Westbrook was that exact spark the team needed as they crushed the visiting New York Knicks with only 23 minutes from Westbrook. With their point guard back in the lineup the Thunder should be back to .500 in no time, and with a Kevin Durant return in the near future.......look out Golden State...Houston...Memphis...LA...San Antonio...the MVP is coming back.