As we leave the first month of the new season, let’s look at which teams and players performed well enough to merit top honors. This is the first in a series of “Best of the Month” citations that will be based on the Efficiency Recap ratings on HoopStats.com. Team citations will be based on Efficiency Recap Difference (Team Efficiency – Opponents’ Efficiency), while Player citations will be based on Player Efficiency and his team’s Efficiency ranking. You can check out the Stats Glossary here.

Team Citations:

Best Backcourt: Los Angeles Clippers – 50.1ppg, 14.7apg, 9.6rpg, 5.5 spg, +15.4 DEFF
Chris Paul leads an awesome LA Clipper backcourt that also boasts of Jamal Crawford and Eric Bledsoe. And this is with Chauncey Billups playing just 1 game so far, too.

Best Frontcourt: Oklahoma City Thunder – 59.2ppg, 31.9rpg, 9.1apg, 7.2bpg, 3.9spg, +14.5 DEFF
With both Kevin Durant and Serge Ibaka flirting with double-doubles on a nightly basis, it’s no wonder Scott Brooks has the best frontline in the NBA. They manage to edge out the big three of Memphis (Gasol, Randolph, and Gay) by just a bit.

Best Bench: Milwaukee Bucks – 42.1ppg, 23.1rpg, 8.6apg, 4.9bpg, 3.6spg, +24.4 DEFF
Spurred by their big comeback over Chicago, the Bucks’ bench rose up to be the best in the league. Coach Scott Skiles’s bench mob is led by Mike Dunleavy, Jr., Larry Sanders, and Beno Udrih. This just goes to show that a team doesn’t need big names to have a big bench.

Best Starters: Oklahoma City Thunder – 74.1ppg, 30.8rpg, 16.9apg, 6.5bpg, 5.2spg, +24.4 DEFF
Despite not having Kevin Martin as a starter, the Thunder still have the best first five in the league. Durant, Ibaka, and Russell Westbrook have all been awesome, while Kendrick Perkins and Thabo Sefolosha have been solid role players.

Best East Team: Miami Heat – 104.8ppg, 39.4rpg, 23.4apg, 7.5spg, 4.9bpg, +13.5 DEFF
There is no questioning how Brooklyn and New York have risen to become powers in the East, but there’s also no questioning how Miami is still the best squad in the conference. Damn you, Ray Allen. Damn you.

Best West Team: Oklahoma City Thunder – 105.4ppg, 42.8rpg, 22.8apg, 7.8bpg, 7.6spg, +24.4 DEFF
The Thunder are tied for second in the West with San Antonio (both behind Memphis), but, at least in terms of Team Efficiency, which is what I consider when I try to see which team actually “played better,” Oklahoma is slightly better.

Player Citations:

Best Point Guard: Russell Westbrook (OKC) – 20.8ppg, 8.6apg, 5.1rpg, 2.0spg, 33.3 3pt%, 21.5 EFF
Westbrook is actually the PG with the third-best EFF, but he edges out both CP3 and Rajon Rondo because OKC has done better than both LAC and BOS. Team results factor in, remember?

Best Shooting Guard: Kobe Bryant (LAL) – 26.9ppg, 5.1rpg, 5.1apg, 1.6spg, 49.3 FG%, 40.5 3pt%, 24.4 EFF
After all the Lakers’ struggles, Kobe still, by far, comes out as the best SG out there. James Harden, Dwyane Wade, OJ Mayo and Tyreke Evans all close behind Kobe, but all their respective teams, even Wade’s, aren’t doing particularly well enough to put them past the Mamba.

Best Small Forward: Kevin Durant (OKC) – 26.5ppg, 8.8rpg, 4.4apg, 1.6spg, 1.6bpg, 51.0 FG%, 43.3 3pt%, 30.2 EFF
KD beats out LBJ ever so slightly (James’s EFF is 29.2) because of his scoring, blocks, and FT% (89.3 – LBJ’s shoots just 65.9% from the line). Also, OKC is doing better in terms of DEFF – Miami has the fifth-best DEFF in the whole league behind MEM, LAC, and SAS.

Best Power Forward: Tim Duncan (SAS) – 18.4ppg, 9.8rpg, 2.4bpg, 52.9 FG%, 25.0 EFF
Wow. Oldie but goodie TD is still taking names. His Spurs are also doing well. They have the fourth best DEFF out West, but that’s still better than the DEFF of best in the East (Miami).

Best Center: Marc Gasol (MEM) – 15.6ppg, 7.1rpg, 4.5apg, 1.4bpg, 49.0 FG%, 89.7FT%, 21.7 EFF
Anderson Varejao’s EFF is extremely high, but team is DEAD LAST in DEFF, and that coupled with Memphis edging out Miami in the DEFF rankings means Marc Gasol gets the nod as the best center of the season’s first month. Chris Bosh, Dwight Howard, and Joakim Noah all have better stats, but, again, the Grizz have reaped the benefits of having a great center the most.

Best East Rookie: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (CHA) – 10.9ppg, 6.5rpg, 1.3bpg, 1.2spg, 14.3 EFF
MKG is way down in terms of individual EFF (he’s #80 overall), but he still has the highest EFF among all East freshmen. He’s also a big reason why Charlotte is currently ahead of Orlando and Washington in the Southeast.

Best West Rookie: Anthony Davis (NOH) – 16.0ppg, 8.3rpg, 2.2bpg, 49.3 FG%, 20.0 EFF
The top overall pick still has the best EFF despite his injury woes and Portland PG Damian Lillard’s boom-bust cycle. Also, the Hornets are actually playing better than the Blazers (in terms of DEFF). Just don’t look at the W-L slates.

Best East Player: LeBron James (MIA) – 25.0ppg, 8.9rpg, 6.5apg, 1.1spg, 53.3 FG%, 43.5 3pt%, 29.2 EFF
The King (bleh) has been his all-around beastly self, and there are no signs of slowing down. The only other East guys on the Top 10 EFF list are his own teammate, Chris Bosh, and Boston’s Rajon Rondo.

Best West Player: Kevin Durant (OKC) – 26.5ppg, 8.8rpg, 4.4apg, 1.6spg, 1.6bpg, 51.0 FG%, 43.3 3pt%, 30.2 EFF
KD is my pick for the Best in the West. He’s the ONLY guy right now who has a 30+ EFF rating. Looks like he’s gunning for James’s MVP title. If he keeps this up, and the Thunder keep on winning, then an MVP trophy and another Finals berth might not be far off.

Game Recaps (courtesy of the Sports Network):
Philadelphia 104, Charlotte 98
Jason Richardson kept rising and firing from beyond the arc in the fourth quarter. Rarely did he misfire. Richardson nailed four of his six three-point attempts and netted 14 of his 22 points in the final frame as the Philadelphia 76ers tallied a 104-98 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats. Jrue Holiday recorded 13 points and a career-high 15 assists, while Evan Turner registered 25 points and 10 rebounds for Philadelphia, which has won three in a row and six of its last eight games. Ben Gordon had 19 points off the bench for the Bobcats, who have dropped their last three contests.

Brooklyn 98, Orlando 86
Joe Johnson swished home a game-high 22 points on 10-of-16 shooting as the Brooklyn Nets knocked off the Orlando Magic, 98-86, on Friday at Amway Center. Gerald Wallace buried five 3-pointers en route to 20 points and Andray Blatche added 14 points and nine rebounds for the streaking Nets, who have won five straight. Deron Williams gave 11 points and seven assists, while Kris Humphries donated 11 points and seven boards to the victory. Glen Davis scored a team-high 16 points and E'Tuwan Moore added 13 points on 6-of-10 from the floor for the Magic, who have lost three in a row on the heels of a two-game winning streak. Andrew Nicholson and Nikola Vucevic donated 12 points in the setback.

Toronto 101, Phoenix 97
DeMar DeRozan poured in a game-high 23 points and pulled down eight rebounds as the Toronto Raptors held on to beat the Phoenix Suns, 101-97, on Friday. Toronto led, 95-89, after Mickael Pietrus' 3- pointer at the 5:49 mark, but a Sebastian Telfair layup and a Jermaine O'Neal dunk pulled the Suns within 95-93. After Amir Johnson split a pair of free throws, Shannon Brown's layup pulled the Suns within 96-95 with 2 1/2 minutes to go. Kyle Lowry's pass sailed out of bounds and the Suns took over with 51.4 ticks left. Luis Scola missed a spinning hook shot and Marcin Gortat's tip-in rolled off the rim, but Phoenix was able to secure the rebound and quickly called a timeout with 33 seconds to play. Scola took the ball on the left wing and posted up Andrea Bargnani. Scola faked a spin to his left, took a dribble to his right and put up a leaning jumper that rimmed out. Scola appeared to be fouled on the play, but the whistles remained silent. Lowry was then fouled, but the Villanova product went just 1-for-2 from the line to give the Suns another chance. Brown took the ball at the top of the key, took a dribble to his left, then attacked the basket, but couldn't get the layup to go. A pair of Bargnani free throws sealed it for the Raptors.

Cleveland 113, Atlanta 111
Alonzo Gee scored on a putback of Dion Waiters' missed 3-pointer with three-tenths of a second remaining to give the Cleveland Cavaliers a 113-111 victory over the Atlanta Hawks. The rookie Waiters misfired from the top of the key, but Gee got position underneath the basket and muscled in a layup to snap the Cavaliers' road losing streak at eight games. They also posted their first win over the Hawks since April 2, 2010, ending a seven-game skid. Jeremy Pargo was one of three Cleveland starters to score 20-plus points, finishing with 22 on 9-of-13 shooting. Waiters registered 14 of his 21 points in the second quarter, while Anderson Varejao posted a double-double of 20 points and 18 rebounds. Josh Smith led six Atlanta players in double figures with a game-high 25 points. Reserve Lou Williams supplied 18, including a critical 3-pointer off an inbounds pass that tied the game at 111-111 with 13.6 seconds left. Al Horford had 15 points, 11 boards and five assists for the Hawks, who had won six straight.

Boston 96, Portland 78
The Boston Celtics did just fine in their first game without Rajon Rondo, with Jeff Green scoring a season-best 19 points off the bench to lead the way in a 96-78 rout of the cold-shooting Portland Trail Blazers at TD Garden. Jason Terry added 17 points as Boston easily overcame ...

About 6 months ago, the Nets were still pining for Dwight Howard to go their way and team up with Deron Williams to form one of the most star-powered lineups in the NBA. That, of course, didn’t happen.

Instead, Howard rambled on about loyalty and staying put in Orlando before finally getting shipped to Los Angeles to team up with Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, and Steve Nash. By doing this, Howard, indeed, became part of one of the most star-powered lineups in the NBA – only it wasn’t Brooklyn.

Fast forward to the 2012-2013 season.

The Nets improved on their roster by adding Joe Johnson and CJ Watson. Gerald Wallace and Kris Humphries stayed put. So did Deron Williams. Brooklyn is doing fine (better than fine, in fact), and probably the biggest reason is the improvement of the guy whom Howard was supposed to replace in the first place – Brook Lopez.

Lopez is back healthy, and playing magnificently, too. The seven-footer, who probably cheered for the Lakers in his youth since he grew up in Hollywood, is leading the Nets with an 18.9 EFF rating. Again, HE’s leading the Nets, NOT D-Will. Lopes is norming 18.5ppg and nearly 7 rebounds, while shooting better than 53% from the floor. Yes, yes, balk at the 7 boards. That’s paltry for a guy his size playing about 30 minutes per game, but REMEMBER that Humphries and Reggie Evans are down there in the trenches, too. Combined, those two average nearly 17 rebounds per game. They take care of cleaning the glass, while Lopez focuses on being the last line of defense.

Defense and Brook Lopez? Yes, those two terms can finally coexist in the same sentence. Lopez is averaging a career-high 2.5 rejections per game. TWO AND A HALF BLOCKS – this from a guy who blocked only 1.6 shots per game in his first four seasons. He is tied with Tim Duncan for fourth in the league in rejections, right behind, you guessed it, Dwight Howard.

Howard is actually doing not-so-badly in LA. He’s norming just under 18 points, more than 10 boards and blocking nearly 3 shots per game while shooting close to 60% from the field. He’s still, by far, the most dominant big man out there (or should be), but look at how Brooklyn and the Lakers are doing in terms of wins and losses.

The Nets are tied for second in the East with a 9-win, 4-loss slate – with Lopez at the slot. The Lakers are tied for ninth in the West with 7 wins against 8 defeats – with Howard playing as well as he can.

Of course, we can go on forever about how there are so many other reasons the Nets are winning and the Lakers are playing for crap, BUT one thing we should all agree on is this – nobody in Brooklyn is pining for the Big D anymore.

So, you tell me, who needs Howard now?

*It might be worth noting that the Lakers beat the Nets in their only meeting so far, 95-90, at the Staples Center last November 20, 2012 (USA time). That was Mike D’Antoni’s debut as head coach. Brooklyn controlled the tempo, but the Lakers rallied in the fourth to overhaul the deficit and eventually win. It is also worth noting, though, that the Lakers are 1-3 since that win. Yikes. Time to bring back Mike Brown?

Game Recaps (courtesy of the Associated Press):
NETS 95, CELTICS 83
Joe Johnson scored 18 points, Andray Blatche had 17 points and 13 rebounds, and the Brooklyn Nets beat the Boston Celtics 95-83 on Wednesday night after Rajon Rondo was ejected following a fight. The Celtics point guard was tossed after he shoved Kris Humphries to retaliate for the Nets forward's hard foul against Kevin Garnett. Humphries and Brooklyn forward Gerald Wallace were also ejected for their roles in the second-quarter skirmish. Garnett had 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Paul Pierce added 14 points for Boston. Rondo had three assists before he was kicked out, ending his streak at 37 games with double-digits. That is tied for second-longest in NBA history. The Nets led by 21 in the second half and never less than nine in the fourth quarter.

WIZARDS 84, TRAIL BLAZERS 82
Washington earned its first victory after starting the season with 12 straight losses, getting 19 points from Jordan Crawford to beat Portland. Washington survived a scoreless 6:47 in the fourth when Crawford hit on a 3-pointer with 2:06 to play, and the Wizards finally took the 84-82 lead on Emeka Okafor's two free throws with 39.1 seconds remaining. Damian Lillard was called for traveling with 28 seconds left. After Nene was called for an offensive foul, J.J. Hickson missed a jumper with 2.8 seconds to play. The Wizards lost the ball with 0.2 seconds to go, but held on to end the skid. Nine teams started the season 0-13, and the Wizards were tired of the ridicule they'd been subjected to — locally and nationally — as they crept toward the Nets' NBA record-worst start of 0-18.

THUNDER 120, ROCKETS 98
Kevin Durant matched his season high with 37 points, and Oklahoma City beat Houston in James Harden's first game back at Chesapeake Energy Arena since being traded by the Thunder before the season. Harden scored 17 points, but was limited to 3-for-16 shooting. He had six shots blocked by the Thunder. Patrick Patterson scored 27 points and Omer Asik had 17 points and 12 rebounds to lead the way for the Rockets, who began the day by attending the funeral of coach Kevin McHale's daughter in Minnesota. Harden missed his first nine shots, and by the time he made one, the Rockets were down by double digits in the second half. They never got closer than 10 after that.

BULLS 101, MAVERICKS 78
Luol Deng had 22 points and six rebounds to lead Chicago over Dallas. Five players scored at least 11 points to help the Bulls (7-7) beat the Mavericks for the fourth straight time. Nate Robinson added 14 points and six assists for Chicago, and fellow reserve Jimmy Butler scored a career-high 13, including 9-of-10 shooting from the free throw line. Joakim Noah chipped in 13 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and three blocks as Chicago avoided its first three-game losing streak at the United Center since dropping five straight in March 2010. Shawn Marion scored 18 points for Dallas, which shot just 35 percent to lose for the eighth time in 11 games. The Mavericks (7-9), who had won 21 of 27 against Chicago, dropped to 2-6 on the road.

GRIZZLIES 103, RAPTORS 82
Marreese Speights had 18 points and 12 rebounds to help Memphis beat Toronto for its third straight win. Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph finished with 17 points apiece, while Randolph added 13 rebounds and six assists. Mike Conley had 16 points, going 4 of 5 on 3-pointers, and Rudy Gay added 14 as the Grizzlies maintained the best record in the NBA (11-2). DeMar DeRozan led the Raptors with 16 points, while Kyle Lowry and Jose Calderon scored 12 apiece. Linas Kleiza added 11 points, but was 5 of 15 from the field, as Toronto lost its sixth straight. The Raptors played without Andrea Bargnani, their second-leading scorer, who sat out after hurting his left ankle in Tuesday night's loss at Houston.

KNICKS 102, BUCKS 88
Carmelo Anthony scored 29 points to lead New York past Milwaukee. Anthony, who sat out the fourth quarter, was 9 of 18 from the floor and also grabbed eight rebounds in 30 minutes. The second-leading scorer in the NBA has scored at least 29 points in his last four games, including 35 points and 13 rebounds in a 96-89 overtime loss at Brooklyn on Monday. New York's Steve Novak added 19 points and Tyson Chandler chipped in with 17 points and eight rebounds for the Knicks, who snapped a three-game road losing streak. Jason Kidd missed his second game in a row for New York with lower back spasms. Milwaukee's Brandon Jennings and Beno Udrih each scored 18 points. The Bucks have lost four of their last five.

CLIPPERS 101, TIMBERWOLVES 95
Chris Paul had 23 points and 11 assists, and Los Angeles welcomed Chauncey Billups back to the lineup for the first time this season. Billups had eight points and three assists in 20 minutes as the Clippers ended a four-game losing streak. The five-time All-Star, beginning his 16th NBA season, was sidelined for more than nine months after tearing his left Achilles' tendon on Feb. 6 in a 107-102 victory at Orlando. Blake Griffin, who had career lows in points (four) and field goals made (one) during Monday night's 105-98 home loss to New Orleans, had 18 points and six rebounds. Caron Butler, who scored 33 points in that game and set a franchise record with a career-high nine 3-point baskets, missed his first five shots and finished 1 for 8 with two points in 24 minutes. Kevin Love had 19 points and 12 rebounds for Minnesota and is averaging 23.0 points and 15.6 boards in five games since returning from a broken right hand he sustained in the preseason.

PISTONS 117, SUNS 77
Brandon Knight and Charlie Villanueva scored 19 points apiece, and Detroit routed Phoenix to win back-to-back games for the first time this season. Detroit is 5-3 since opening 0-8. The Pistons led 55-44 at halftime and then broke the game open when the Suns came unglued in the third quarter. Phoenix picked up four technical fouls in the third and trailed by as many as 44 in the fourth. Rodney Stuckey added 18 points for Detroit. Kyle Singler and Tayshaun Prince contributed 12 each, and Greg Monroe had nine points and eight rebounds. Luis Scola scored 11 points for the Suns. The Pistons avenged a 92-89 loss at Phoenix in early November.

HAWKS 94, BOBCATS 91
Al Horford scored 17 points and hit two clinching free throws to help Atlanta beat Charlotte for its sixth straight victory. Josh Smith and Lou Williams also had 17 points apiece for the Hawks. Ben Gordon finished with 26 points and Ramon Sessions had 18 to lead Charlotte, ...

Yesterday was a good day for NBA internationals. Goran Dragic had 19 points, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds in leading Phoenix to its seventh win, 91-78, at the expense of the Cavs. Brazilian Anderson Varejao continued his strong play, netting another impressive double-double line – 20 points and 18 rebounds – in the loss. Toronto’s Andrea Bargnani, meanwhile, led the Raptors with 21 points in a sorry loss to the grieving Houston Rockets, whose coach, Kevin McHale, recently lost his daughter to lupus. ☹

Dragic, Varejao, and Bargnani are three promising international talents in the NBA, but there are other foreign-bred, or born, guys who have been making waves in the first few weeks of the season. We’ll take a look at those guys today. The main basis for this compilation is the calculated NBA Efficiency rating of each international (based on HoopStats.com). I like this particular stat because of two things: 1) it’s quite simple to calculate and understand (no need for complicated formulas that leverage one or two stats over others – just straight up positives minus negatives), and 2) it measures WHAT REALLY HAPPENED on the court (i.e. aggregate contributions) as opposed to other metrics that calculate a player’s “potential” production – it’s just more “real” this way. Besides, this isn’t meant to predict who will be good in the future. Rather, it’s simply a list of those who’ve done really well in the past few weeks up to this point.

Also, only international players who have played for their “home countries” or “adopted countries” will be counted here, which means someone like Kyrie Irving, who is technically Australian-American, will not be included, since he played for the USA Junior Select and Youth teams before. All the following players have seen action for their respective national teams in FIBA-sanctioned events.

10. Pau Gasol (LA Lakers/Spain) – 17.6 EFF
At just 13.1ppg and 9.1rpg, the elder Gasol isn’t exactly having a banner season, but considering the quality of his frontline partner and the overall depth of the Lakers, these numbers aren’t too shabby. In my opinion, he’s still one of the top two overall natural centers in the league, though his numbers don’t show it. Given the Lakers’ inconsistent play, however, I won’t be surprised if we see Pau on another team before the holidays finish.

9. Tony Parker (San Antonio/France) – 17.6 EFF
The fiery Frenchman is norming better than 17 points and 7 assists so far this season. Those are a little lower than his averages last season, but he should continue his strong play as the Spurs remain top-level contenders in the West. What’s really impressive, though, is him shooting 48% from the field and 35% from beyond the arc.

8. Nicolas Batum (Portland/France) – 18.9 EFF
Parker’s teammate on the French NT is having his best season so far. He has the second-highest EFF on the Portland roster, and he’s improved on all major stat categories. If Batum plays his cards right, he might even be considered an All-Star early in 2013. It would help, of course, if the Blazers were winning more games.

7. Goran Dragic (Phoenix/Slovenia) – 19.1 EFF
The only Slovenian on this list is also enjoying a career season. He was good with Houston last year, but he’s been great for Phoenix this season. His contribution includes better than 16 points, 7 dimes, and 2 steals per outing, all of which make him the best player on the Suns’ lineup. He’s currently better than former Houston teammate Luis Scola (another international), the underperforming Michael Beasley, and the slumping (of late) Marcin Gortat (yet ANOTHER international).

6. Serge Ibaka (Oklahoma/Spain) – 19.2 EFF
This is how good Ibaka is – on a team with two Team USA stars (Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook), the Congo-born Spanish national (yes, try to wrap your head around that for a second) is currently carrying a 19.2 EFF rating. That kind of rating is good enough to lead some NBA teams, but on OKC, he’s just third-best. His career-highs in scoring, rebounding, FG shooting, and FT shooting offset his dip in the blocks category – if you can call 2.9bpg a dip at all.

5. Andrei Kirilenko (Minnesota/Russia) – 19.2 EFF
In his first NBA year NOT wearing a Utah Jazz jersey, the rompin’ Russian is enjoying one of his most productive seasons ever. Averaging 13.0ppg, 7.8rpg, 1.8bpg, and 1.5spg won’t make this his CAREER-BEST, but those numbers certainly improve upon his last few seasons in Salt Lake City. The T-Wolves are still struggling, but nobody can blame AK47 for that.

4. Al Horford (Atlanta/Dominican Republic) – 20.0 EFF
After a slight dip in production last year, Horford is back as the best player on the Hawks’ roster. His near-double-double nightly production is expected, and needed, as Atlanta continues to search for its identity in the post-Joe Johnson era. They’ll want Horford to remain consistent in putting up his 16 points and 9 boards per game. With Howard no longer in the same conference, and Andrew Bynum being, well, himself, it might also be quite reasonable to picture Horford as a reserve for the East All-Stars early next year.

3. Joakim Noah (Chicago/France) – 21.8 EFF
The third French guy on this list is the biggest and, so far, the best. He also possesses the fifth-highest EFF out East, behind Chris Bosh, Rajon Rondo, the #1 guy on this list, and, LeBron James. This means he, NOT Luol Deng, is the best Chicago Bull right now. His numbers aren’t astronomical – 13.4ppg, 9.7rpg, 4.0apg, 2.2bpg, and 1.5spg (heck, his FG%, at around 47%, leaves a lot to be desired), but what he lacks in explosiveness, he makes up for in spades with well-roundedness. He fills up the stat-sheet in FIVE CATEGORIES (the guy is the number one passing big man in the East)! He looks like a beast, and, well, he IS a beast.

2. Marc Gasol (Memphis/Spain) – 22.3 EFF
Perhaps for the first time ever, the younger Gasol brother is the better one. His EFF is good enough to place him in the league’s Top 10, and, of course, as Memphis’s top player so far. 15.3ppg, 6.9rpg, 4.8apg, and 1.3bpg while shooting 52% from the field and, get this, 91% from the stripe? WOW. Eat that, Pau. Eat that, Zach Randolph. Gasol is the King Grizzly Bear in Tennessee. He’s also the best center in the Western Conference BAR NONE (eat that, Dwight Howard, and, NO, Tim Duncan will never be a natural C in my book).

1. Anderson Varejao (Cleveland/Brazil) – 26.7 EFF
Ladies and gents, the NUMBER ONE international player in the NBA right now is not from Europe, is not from traditional South American powerhouse Argentina, and never figured in the same conversation as international luminaries Dirk Nowitzki and Manu Ginobili. I actually thought we had seen the best out of this guy in the LBJ years, but he’s turned into a really efficient workhorse for the Cavs, not to mention a great complement to Kyrie Irving. Look at the numbers he’s putting up – 14.5ppg, 14.9rpg (#1 in the league), 3.2apg, 1.2spg, and 52.5 FG%. With the exception of FG%, those are all career-highs. And, yeah, he also has a MUCH HIGHER EFF than Irving. The new King Cavalier and the best East big man, by far, is (I never thought I’d write this) Anderson Varejao.

Game Recaps (courtesy of the Sports Network):
Phoenix 91, Cleveland 78
Goran Dragic poured in 19 points and dished out seven assists to lead the Phoenix Suns past the Cleveland Cavaliers, 91-78, on Tuesday. Michael Beasley added 15 points and Luis Scola had 14 off the bench for the Suns, who have won three of their last four following a three-game skid. Anderson Varejao scored a game-high 20 points and pulled down 18 boards while Dion Waiters added 16 points and seven assists for the Cavaliers, who are just 1-4 since losing point guard Kyrie Irving to a finger injury, and 1-10 over their past 11 contests.

Philadelphia 100, Dallas 98
Evan Turner scored 22 points and the Philadelphia 76ers held off a late comeback attempt by the Dallas Mavericks to produce a 100-98 victory at the Wells Fargo Center. Thaddeus Young added 20 points and Jrue Holiday had 18 along with seven assists for Philadelphia, which put together a 10-0 run midway through the fourth quarter to break an 81-81 deadlock before staving off the hard-charging Mavericks down the stretch to record their fifth win in seven games. Dallas cut a 100-93 deficit with under two minutes left down to two on the strength of five straight points from Vince Carter, then had a chance to tie when O.J. Mayo was fouled going to the lane with 2.7 seconds to play. He missed both free throw tries, however, and Jae Crowder's desperation shot off the rebound missed the mark as time expired. Chris Kaman put up 20 points on 9-of-13 shooting and Shawn Marion finished with 17 in the loss, Dallas' second straight and seventh in its last 10 outings.

Houston 117, Toronto 101
Playing with heavy hearts, the Houston Rockets made their grieving head coach Kevin McHale proud in the team's first game since the death of his daughter. Jeremy Lin and James Harden combined for 40 points and 22 assists in the Rockets' 117-101 win over the Toronto Raptors. McHale's 23-year-old daughter Sasha passed away Saturday after a long battle with lupus, an auto-immune disease. She had been hospitalized with a related condition. The Rockets wore black badges on their jerseys to honor Sasha McHale. Lin, who has tallied nine assists and 12 turnovers over his last three games coming in, dished out 10 helpers to go along with 16 points and three giveaways in the win. Harden added 24 points and 12 assists for Houston, which has won three straight contests. Omer Asik had 13 points and 18 rebounds in the victory. Lin took ...

Here’s an awesome guest post from my good friend, Jay Santiago (he’s a lifelong San Antonio fan, but he was so impressed with Milwaukee’s Scott Skiles yesterday that he was just moved to write!). Check out how unorthodox, to say the least, Milwaukee rallied to beat Chicago – props to Skiles for the balls to make those tough choices in the second half!

Today’s NBA headline: Bucks rally to beat Bulls 93-92. Yes, on an 8-game night with the Nets edging out the Knicks in OT during NYC’s first battle of the boroughs and the Thunder obliterating the overachieving Bobcats with a 45-point win (down from 53 at one point), we focus on the Rose-less Bulls taking on Wisconsin’s third most popular pro sports team (next to the Packers and Brewers, if you’re wondering). I know, quite underwhelming. But it gets better from here.

In the first leg of a home-and-away series, Milwaukee lost to Chicago on its own floor two nights ago with lead star Brandon Jennings rolling his ankle late in the game. The Bulls were poised to get a two-game sweep of the Bucks tonight, and it looked in the bag shortly after halftime. The Chicago starters charged out of the gates to start the third, led by Richard Hamilton, who lit the board up for 30 points while being manned by Monta Ellis for much of three quarters. Chicago must have seen Ellis’ defensive ineptitude as a clear advantage; they continuously ran off-screen catch-and-shoot plays for Rip that had Ellis constantly a step late to challenge. The Bulls blew the game wide open, inflating a 10-point halftime lead to 27 with about 3 minute left in the third. At this point, Milwaukee coach Scott Skiles had seen enough, benching his dismal starters, who mustered a combined output of only 37 points by then.

Home team up 27 and road team fielding second stringers with a little over a quarter to play – it’s game over, right?

Couldn’t be more wrong.

That’s actually when the real game began – with great action all the way to the end. The Bucks bench quickly waxed hot with Benoh Udrih playmaking, and they made a 12-2 run to close the third. They were still down 17, but they continued to sizzle with a ridiculous 19-2 blitz in the first 5 minutes of the fourth.

That tied the game.

It was close the rest of the way, with both teams trading baskets relentlessly.

Down 2 with under 2 minutes to play, the Bucks isolate Mike Dunleavy on the right wing, and he drives hard against Luol Deng to draw a double from Joakim Noah, who leaves Ersan Ilyasova momentarily open underneath. Dunleavy dishes a perfect bounce pass inside to Ilyasova, who converts on an and-one play for 3 of his team-high 18 points, giving Milwaukee a 91-90 lead. Hamilton and second year forward Ekpe Udoh trade baskets in the ensuing possessesion to set up a must-score situation for Chicago with under a minute to go.

The Bulls go to Rip for a running jumper in the right lane, but he gets blocked by Udoh. Noah recovers for a put-back, but Udoh is there again for the stop! With 8.9 seconds left, the Bucks call timeout; it’s their game to win.

Then comes the best moment of the game – just right after the timeout. Needing a good inbound pass and dead-shot free throw shooters, Skiles makes a bold decision to NOT bring Jennings and Ellis, arguably his biggest offensive threats and best shooters, in the game, and keeps the same five that have played the entire fourth quarter to get them the win. It was a gutsy, admirable call, one that could easily be criticized in hindsight if they were to muff the incoming free throws should Chicago foul.

But it didn’t even come to that, with Chicago’s returning point guard Kirk Hinrich deflecting Dunleavy’s inbound pass to Udoh and giving possession back to the Bulls for the last shot. Hamilton gets the ball in the left corner, drives against unheralded rookie Doron Lamb for an inside jump shot, but Lamb stays close with in-your-face defense all the way, causing Rip to miss. Milwaukee pulls a rabbit out of the hat for the win!

In as much as the stats and the storylines would credit this one to the Bucks bench, hats off to Scott Skiles for getting Milwaukee the victory. He was a mentor out there, giving his Bucks, the Bulls, and all of us some tough lessons in the fourth, especially during that last timeout.

His lesson for the Bulls – to play for the entire 48 minutes because it ain’t over ‘til it’s over.

His lesson for his bench – that hard work pays off, and that they’ll get playing time so long as they put in the effort and leave it all out on the court.

And for his potential All-Stars – best player or not, they’ve got to earn the right to play just like everyone else with effort on both ends of the court.

This was a high-risk high-return move that can affect his standing in the locker room if egos get in the way of growth, and his message is not seen in the right light. If, however, they do get it and build on the learning, then each player in the Bucks roster can be so much better than they were before this game.

It’s a good thing, of course, Skiles and the Bucks actually WON the game; everything, after all, is always better, and easier to accept, with winning.


Game Recaps (courtesy of the Sports Network):
Brooklyn 96, New York 89 (OT)
The first round of the battle of New York turned out to be well worth the wait for the new kids on the block. Behind double-doubles from Brook Lopez and Deron Williams, the Brooklyn Nets handed the New York Knicks a 96-89 overtime loss at an energized Barclays Center to take the inaugural matchup between the city rivals since the Nets crossed the Hudson River into their new home. The highly anticipated matchup was delayed more than three weeks by Hurricane Sandy, and the final outcome would be as well after the Knicks rallied back from a five-point deficit late in regulation. However, Brooklyn put forth a pivotal 7-0 run during overtime to gain early bragging rights as well as record its third consecutive victory. Lopez finished with 22 points and 11 rebounds, while Williams racked up 16 points and 14 assists to help the Nets move to 7-1 at the first-year Barclays Center.

San Antonio 118, Washington 92
Boris Diaw led a balanced San Antonio attack with 16 points as the Spurs kept the Washington Wizards winless on the season with a 118-92 pounding at Verizon Center. Tiago Splitter added 15 points and 12 rebounds, while Tony Parker also netted 15 points. Tim Duncan had 14, Gary Neal poured in 13, Manu Ginobili scored 12 and Matt Bonner finished with 11 for the Spurs, who have won four straight. Jordan Crawford paced the Wizards with 19 points and Kevin Seraphin dropped in 18 as Washington fell to 0-12 on the season, adding to the worst start in franchise history.

Detroit 108, Portland 101
Brandon Knight scored 26 points and Greg Monroe netted 20 with 10 rebounds, as the Detroit Pistons downed the Portland Trail Blazers, 108-101, at the Palace of Auburn Hills. Kyle Singler totaled 16 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, and was one of seven Pistons scoring in double figures in their first win against a Western Conference opponent this season. Detroit has four victories in its last seven games following a brutal 0-8 start. LaMarcus Aldridge, who sat out Sunday's loss to the Nets with a stiff back, led Portland with 32 points and 10 boards. Damian Lillard missed his first 12 shots from the field and finished with 12 points and seven assists in defeat.

Milwaukee 93, Chicago 92
Ekpe Udoh's driving layup with 57.5 seconds remaining capped a furious second-half comeback that lifted the Milwaukee Bucks to a 93-92 decision over the Chicago Bulls at the United Center. Udoh finished with 11 points -- eight of which came after halftime -- while Ersan Ilyasova put up 17 of his team-best 18 points over the final two quarters to help the Bucks overcome a 27-point deficit late in the third period and end a string of nine consecutive losses to the Bulls. That included a 93-86 setback in Milwaukee in Saturday's opener of this home-and-home series. The Bucks trailed 78-51 with 2:50 remaining in the third quarter, then proceeded to outscore Chicago by a 42-14 count over the final 14-plus minutes. Richard Hamilton poured in 30 points and Carlos Boozer had 19 along with 11 rebounds for the Bulls, but Chicago shot a woeful 21.1 percent (4-for-19) in the fourth quarter to squander its sizeable lead.

Memphis 84, Cleveland 78
Zach Randolph posted 19 points and eight rebounds as the Memphis Grizzlies took an 84-78 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers. Marc Gasol added 19 points and six rebounds, while Rudy Gay gave 15 and six for the Grizzlies, who have won 10 of their past 11 games. Anderson Varejao had a double-double with 15 points and 22 rebounds, while Dion Waiters added 15 points for the Cavaliers, who went 0-3 on a short road trip.

Oklahoma City 114, Charlotte 69
Kevin Durant had 18 points, six rebounds and four assists in a little over two quarters of action as the Oklahoma City Thunder routed the Charlotte Bobcats, 114-69, at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Durant, along with the rest of the Thunder's starting lineup, sat out the majority of the second half after Oklahoma City had built an insurmountable lead. Thabo Sefolosha finished with 14 points and Russell Westbrook contributed 12 points and 11 assists before also exiting in the Thunder's second straight win. Hasheem Thabeet recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds in a mop-up effort. Jeff Taylor was the lone member of the Bobcats to score in double digits with 10 points in Charlotte's largest loss since ...