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The NBA season is heating up now as we enter the middle of December. Its a bit early to know who will win the most games or the MVP or Rookie of the Year awards, but ideas are forming.

Three teams that are not doing well at all are Seattle, Sacramento, and Houston. All three teams were playoff teams last year, but have fallen greatly. Houston has an excuse due to the absence of Tracy McGrady, but none of the teams should be as bad as they are.

Several teams doing surprisingly well include Golden State, Milwaukee, and Memphis. Golden State didnt upgrade much this offseason, but has a young core. Milwaukee and Memphis both upgraded through trades to improve their weaknesses and are now playing strong.

There are three names being thrown around as Rookie of the Year candidates. Deron Williams is now starting for Utah at the point. Hes averaging about thirteen points and five assists per game. Another candidate, Channing Frye, is the sole bright spot on a dismal New York Knick team. Frye is averaging about fifteen points per game, second on the Knicks team. But the leading candidate is Chris Paul. Paul is averaging about seventeen points, six rebounds, and seven assists per game for the Hornets. The Hornets opened their season in Oklahoma with almost no hope. But now the Hornets are around .500. Paul is the glue that is keeping this young team together and could even make a case for MVP consideration if both Paul and the Hornets improve over the course of the season.

There are five key players that are in the running for MVP. Three of them however have arguments against them. Marcus Camby and Kobe Bryant are performing at a high level, but neither team is above .500 right now. LeBron James is doing fabulous, but his teams success can be attributed to the addition of Larry Hughes, Donyell Marshall, and Damon Jones.

The two top contenders are Elton Brand and Steve Nash. Both are performing well. Brands team, the Los Angeles Clippers, is surprisingly among the elite in the Western Conference this year. Meanwhile, Nashs value comes from his ability to make the players around him better. His new teammates are performing at career bests. Meanwhile, Quentin Richardson is a bust in New York.