It’s SuperBowl Season, which means it’s halfway through the NBA Season. Which means it’s time to completely ignore all the fun and the hype of the NFL Championship Game, and spend a few minutes going around the NBA…

So far this season, only one head coach has been fired – Jeff Bzdelik in Denver. This writing was on the wall for a while, despite the tremendous job the formerly unknown coach had done in helping to turn around one of the league’s most laughable franchises, and all it took was some injuries and a (relatively) slow start; the Nuggets were 13-15 when Bzdelik got the pink slip for Christmas. Since George Karl has been revived and taken the reins from Michael Cooper (who took the reins from Bzdelik), the now 19-25 Nuggets have impressively won 2 in a row, at Milwaukee and Indiana, and are legitimately thinking about the playoffs once again.

The season’s first coaching change was – quite unexpectedly – in Memphis, where Hubie Brown stepped down for ‘personal reasons’ and has seen Mike Fratello continue his fine work at the helm of a deep Grizzlies lineup that is 25-20 and hanging tough in West. More recently, and less surprisingly, Lenny Wilkens decided to jump before he was pushed off Madison Square Garden’s 2nd tier. So far, interim Knicks coach Herb Williams has tried to look the part, but no matter who he installs on the sideline, Isiah Thomas’ flawed roster will ensure New York (currently 18-25) remain also rans in the tepid Atlantic Division.

Who’s next? Well, it’s an each-way bet between the man perennially on the hot seat – this time in New Orleans – Byron Scott and Golden State’s Mike Montgomery, whose team is stalled at a feeble 12-32.

Despite not existing 6 months ago and having only one solitary road win so far this season, it’s an impressive all-round effort for the Charlotte Bobcats to be anything other than dead last. This dubious honour is presently being held by Lord Byron’s 8-35 New Orleans Hornets (by a short-half-head from the 8-34 Atlanta Hawks). The Bobcats are a weak team, and they’d lost 10 straight games before upsetting Toronto at home last Friday, but the fact they’re a full 2 games up over the more talented (on-paper) Hawks is a testament to Emeka Okafor, Jason Hart and the overall attitude throughout the ballclub and their supporters in North Carolina. Okafor is leading the league in total offensive rebounds, which says as much about his prowess on the glass as it does about his teammates’ offensive struggles so far this season.

Of the 4 men in the league averaging 20-and-10, 3 of them are from the Western Conference, and the 4th is Shaquille O’Neal. Guessing that usual suspects Garnett (23 and 14) and Duncan (21½ and 12) are achieving this statistical milestone is quite straightforward, but it’s Dirk Nowitzki who has emerged as an all-round superstar in his own right over the first half of this season. Despite being without point guard mate Steve Nash for the first time in his NBA life, Nowitzki is pouring in 27 points (a career high), 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 1½ blocks and more than a steal per game, and is shooting 40% from the 3-point line and 85% from the stripe. Plus, his leadership of the 28-13 Mavericks has been first class. Although he’s never been much of an offensive rebounder, on-or-around one per game throughout his career, Dirk has stepped up his work on the boards this season, despite the unusual presence of what can be called an actual NBA Starting Center, Erick Dampier, alongside him.

Last Friday against the Celtics, Indiana welcomed back Stephen Jackson from his league-imposed vacation and are now as close to full strength and their team will be this (regular) season. Jackson, whose part in the Malice at the Palace was deemed to be worthy of a longer suspension than that handed out to Jermaine O’Neal by Commissioner David Stern, was back in the Gold and Blue just in time to meet the Pistons on Saturday. Which goes to show the Commish, contrary to popular opinion, does have a sense of humour. In the 3 games since his return, Jackson is averaging 14 points, but on just 33% shooting, as the Pacers have lost each time and are barely hanging onto the 8th Playoff seed, just ahead of the presently-Allen Iverson-less Philadelphia.

In spite of the refreshingly wonderful start to the 2004/05 campaign by the Phoenix Suns, everyone up to and including my girlfriend believes San Antonio are favourites to win it all this season. The Suns are playing basketball the way it’s meant to be played, are scoring an astonishing 109 points per game, and despite their run-and-gun style are first in the league in fewest fouls committed and 2nd in fewest turnovers. The Spurs, on the other hand, continue their mastery of boring but successful basketball, owning the league’s best record and lowest ranked defense. San Antonio is 23-1 at home this season, and it will be interesting to see how they fare in the standings with their next 7 games being played on the road.

Miami, at 32-13, remain firmly ensconced atop the Eastern Conference playoff picture, lead by the Dynamic Duo version III – Shaq and Dwyane Wade. Between them, the 2 certain all-stars are scoring the ball in all manner of ways, except from the 3-point line, where they’re a combined 3 from 12. In comprehending how difficult these two, very different, scorers are to defend, note that the entire New Orleans Hornets team has attempted fewer FT’s than Shaq and Wade put together. Despite his team leading the Division, and the Conference, by such a large margin (Washington are 5 games back, Cleveland 5½), Shaq is actually averaging career lows in points, rebounds and free throw percentage thus far this season.

An update in Boston, where whispers about Paul Pierce’s neck on the trading block continue to be heard. Yet this situation is quite different to when Danny Ainge shipped Antoine Walker out of Beantown, as none of trade rumours have been started by Ainge himself from the broadcast booth. In Chicago last night, Pierce was having a horror game, scoring his first point with 4:46 to go in the first half and missing his first 8 shots (going 2-12 overall). But despite leaving his jumper back in Boston alongside his snowboard, Pierce kept on attacking the rim, getting both Kirk Hinrich and Andres Nocioni fouled out, and hitting 13 of 17 free throws in what was ultimately a gutsy Boston victory. Pierce is averaging 7 boards a game this season, and on nights where things aren’t working offensively, he ups his effort on the boards; PP hauled down 15 rebounds last night, and what’s even more impressive is that none were from his own misses. With this win, the Celtics move to 21-23, and are back in first place in the Atlantic.

London-born rookie Ben Gordon is having a quality year off the bench for the Bulls, scoring 31 points in last night’s loss and averaging an impressive 13-plus ppg on the season. But, unbeknownst to everyone, including himself, he’s currently leading the league in turnovers per 48 minutes.