NBA Weekly: Jazz & Hornets Coming On Strong In The West, Drew Gooden To The Spurs, Charlotte Bobcats, & More

Utah Jazz & New Orleans Hornets: The Utah Jazz have been on fire lately and have won 8 straight games after starting the season slowly due to injuries. The Jazz are now just a game and a half behind division leading Denver, who has been just average as of late. If Utah can pass both Portland & Denver to win the division that would give them a home playoff series where they would be tough to beat. Meanwhile, the Hornets have won 5 straight games and have been playing a lot better lately since Tyson Chandler has made an energizing return to their team. They sit 3 games behind the division leading Spurs, but could still win the division or at least grab a home playoff series. It looks like the Lakers and Spurs finally have some company up at the top of the West to challenge for a Finals berth now that Jazz and Hornets are starting to put things together. I wouldn't count the Rockets out either, since they have been playing well of late, going 8-2 over their last 10 games.

Other NBA News:

- Drew Gooden signed with the Spurs and should be an excellent addition for them. A team like the Spurs doesn't need their role players to do too much in order for them to win, but to have someone with Gooden's size and talent as a role player only makes the Spurs stronger in the end. He could probably give the Spurs some quality minutes against someone like Pau Gasol or David West.

- The Cavs signed Joe Smith, who was with the team last year. Smith should provide some good minutes off the bench for Cleveland, especially with Ben Wallace out with a broken leg. I don't think this is a move that will win them a championship though, it pretty much just provides some depth.

- I mentioned a while back that I thought the Bobcats would end up grabbing the 8th playoff spot in the East. They were struggling for a while, but they now have won 4 straight games and are just 1 game behind 8th place Milwaukee in the loss column for the last playoff spot. Looks like they still have a chance to prove me right.

- Stromile Swift was cut by the Nets and will sign with the Suns. Swift was actually the 2nd pick in the NBA Draft in 2000, but he really has been a huge bust, averaging just 8.5 points and 4.7 rebounds throughout his 8 year career. Of course 2000 was probably the worst draft in the history of the NBA, producing just 3 future NBA All-Stars: Kenyon Martin, Jamal Magloire, & Michael Redd. Hedo Turkoglu & Jamal Crawford are the only other players drafted in 2000 that have been consistent starters throughout their careers.

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