A pessimist would say that the 2002-2003 NBA season is not off to a good start. The Lakers are below .500 and as of this writing, Memphis has yet to get in the win column. Only three teams are scoring over 100 points and the shooting percentages are horrific. That's not to say the games aren't good or that the league is suffering.  Let's face it; the NBA of old that once yielded electrifying games with scoring by both teams in the upper hundreds is over. The days of dominating and intimidating centers and unselfish playmaking point guards could be over. Unfortunately, today's game is defined by individuals more than it is by teamwork. Teams that find the perfect mix of superstars blending with their team like the Lakers and New Jersey are the ones that are succeeding, however teams like them are few and far between. On to some points:

The Lakers are under .500? They're done, right? Not even close. Phil Jackson expected this to happen. The Lakers had a rough early schedule filled with some tough road games. They also had to deal with the loss of their true leader, Shaq, due to injury, and Rick Fox, their enforcer, thanks to suspension. Kobe took 47 shots in an overtime loss to Boston and got tons of flack for it. Who else was going to take shots, Samaki Walker? Maybe Devean George? I don't think so. Kobe was expected to step up while Shaq was on the mend and he gets criticized because he did. Had he shot better than 17 of 47, this would not have even been an issue. It's nice to see that he's almost averaging a triple double. It's going to take a while and Shaquille's return is not going to turn things around immediately, but this team should have everything in place for their next championship run by April.

Teams that are supposed to be winning are. The Nets are atop their division. New Orleans, Dallas, and San Antonio are all off to good starts. Dallas is slowly learning how to play defense, limiting teams to around 90 a game, while scoring. Sound teams are playing sound basketball; I can't really argue against that.

Washington is no longer a joke. A whole column could be devoted to this. Michael Jordan has done it again. Enough talk about his legacy being diminished because he can't reach the level of play he once enjoyed. No one in the world will ever be able to reach that level. If anything, the fact that he has taken a scarred franchise like the Wizards and turned them around into a playoff contender adds more to his greatness. The days of the immortal athlete are gone. Let's all just enjoy the magic of the last of his kind.

The Knicks, Nuggets, and Grizzlies look horrible. I think the biggest story here is the Knicks' decline. Jeff Van Gundy saw that this ship was sinking and high-tailed it out of New York last season before it got ugly. Well, it's gotten ugly. Somehow, the Knicks got a win over the Kings and have not done anything else. There's been trade talk of sending Latrell Sprewell to the Bulls for Jalen Rose. Right now, Sprewell is not worth the trouble for a team as young and full of potential as Chicago.

Memphis may be the best 0-7 team ever. They've got Shane Battier coming off the bench to spark the second unit, last year's rookie of the year Pau Gasol in the top 20 in scoring, and Jason Williams among the top 10 leaders in assists. Rookie Drew Gooden is proving what we already knew: new Memphis GM Jerry West knows how to pick players. Gooden is off to a great start as one of the front runners for rookie of the year. The problem with this squad is coaching. Expect Coach Sidney Lowe to be gone before the New Year, or All-Star break at best. There's a surplus of available, good coaches that could step in and do a better job with this young talent.

With those points being made, maybe this new era isn't so bad. Jason Kidd of New Jersey exhibits an old-school/find-the-open-teammate attitude that is so lacking lately. Dallas and Sacramento can shoot the lights out on any given night and players like Allen Iverson and Kevin Garnett are superstars who draw fans like Magic Johnson and Dr. J used to. This new era of superstars will soon give way to a new era bigger, faster, and more selfish than the previous, so maybe we shouldn't worry. I'm looking at you, LeBron James.