Apologies all around for taking such a lengthy holiday hiatus. I just figure if Bill Simmons gets two weeks off I should too.

Every year people want to hear about surprises in the league, and this years surprises are clear cut. The Celtics are playing out of their minds, Portland is a legitimate team out west, and yes, Chris Paul wasn't a fluke.

What we're not talking about is the super talented league that we get to watch this year. Tell me a bad team and I'll tell you about the great young talent on board. Honestly, the Kings stink, but what about Francisco Garcia and John Salmons? The Clippers are bottom dwellers, but Chris Kaman is averaging 18 points and 14 rebounds. The lowly Timberwolves still have Al Jefferson, who does 21 and 12.

With all of this talent, more important than the inevitable All-Star Game snubs are the teams who are not going to the playoffs this year despite being really good teams.

I doubt that the Cavs will miss the playoffs. In the entire world, no one is as good at basketball as LeBron James. I had my doubts last season about Bron Bron, but in the series against the Pistons, he vaulted himself into the likes of Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Superman.

The Cavs currently sit two games below .500. If LeBron gets healthy and Verejao and Pavlovic get back in rhythm, they'll still make noise in the playoffs.

What a mess. I have never been in love with this Chicago squad. The team that couldn't score spent all of their money on one of the most overrated players of all time, Ben Wallace. Wallace is now not only a disgruntled and overpaid burden to the team, he's also predictably under producing. I'm glad I'm not taking over Scott Skiles job right now.

This team needs a trade quite badly. Ben Wallace, Ben Gordon and Joakim Noah for Al Jefferson would put them into contention. All you lose is two overrated defensive rebounder, and a streaky shooter who hasn't streaked enough lately. I doubt even McHale would take that bait, however.

A few teams ahead of Chicago: Philadelphia, Indiana, and Atlanta. People picked this team to win the title.

This is what life is like for Britney Spears. You sell your soul to win one Championship and then become an old pudgy version trying to relive your glory days, but in reality every one is looking at them with a "that's sad" face.

New York Knicks

I know everyone badmouths the poor Knicks, but they really deserve it. People have stopped being polite about it, and I don't mean just New Yorkers.

The truth is, Isiah Thomas is a jerk who has no clue what he's doing. He says that he wants to leave behind a legacy in New York, and that he will be part of a championship while he is still there. I'm not being funny, but that is a flat out lunatic talking there. Hall of Famer Larry Brown threw his hands in the air with that group, and things have only been worse since Thomas arrived. This team has no prayer.

Now, I did predict that this would happen. The Clippers had a similar run two years ago to the one the Jazz had last year and then fizzled out before the playoffs the year after. Utah will still probably make the playoffs, but there's a chance they still might not. Who honestly thought that Utah would be behind Golden State, Portland and New Orleans at this point?

Luckily for Jazz fans, GM Kevin O'Connor body slammed Philidelphia into giving them Kyle Korver for a disgruntled and hot tempered Gordon Girecek. Korver is a great fit for Utah and helps give them what Mehmet Okur had been sleeping through so far this year.

T-Mac is hurt. It's a familiar story, but there should have been enough help this year. Yao is healthy, Steve Francis and Mike James were going to score, and even Bonzi Wells was going to try for this coach. So far, none of that seems to be happening. Somewhere, Jeff Van Gundy is smiling. He's also been the best announcer this year.

Side Note: Why doesn't anyone acknowledge the fact that Kobe was a big fat whiner? He complained about the talent on the Lakers so bad last year, he had people writing (literally) that the Lakers without him could not even win the Pac-10. They would consume the Pac-10's All-Star team. With one trade and one free agent signing (which adds a total of 9.2 ppg between Fisher and Ariza) suddenly Kobe has the best bench in the NBA and a Western contender. The guy was just being a cry baby.

I think all the criticism made the other Lakers pretty bitter. It looks like they did something about it, too.