PHOENIX - The NBA has packed up its gym bags and exited the Valley of the Sun, with guards, forwards and centers making way for pitchers and catchers. But, though it's good-bye Arizona, it's hello to what figures to be a very intriguing second half of the season.

And the No. 1 issue around the league these days: Who's the best? The question has been narrowed down to two clear candidates — the Lakers' Kobe Bryant and the Cavaliers' LeBron James, whose inter-conference rivalry was heated up by back-to-back games in New York in which Bryant scored 61 points and James countered with 52 points and a triple-double (though that was later rescinded on a technicality).

"They're both so much fun to watch," said Hall of Famer Clyde Drexler. "These kinds of debates, they're good for the league. We've been having them since Wilt Chamberlain vs. Bill Russell. But give me Kobe. He has the championship rings. The championship rings separate him."

The Sixers' Thaddeus Young offers a differing opinion. "It's funny, everyone is asking that," he said. "I lean to LeBron, because he can do different things. He can get a triple-double at any time. Kobe can score 60. LeBron will score 50 and get 10, 12 rebounds and assists."

Woe be to those of us who will vote on this year's MVP award. And, speaking of woe, there are plenty of other issues the league will be dealing with in the coming months:

2010, the economy and the trade deadline
Team execs are preparing for a, "nuclear winter," a period of time in which payrolls will be slashed, leaving many a traded or low-balled player disgruntled, and many fans confused.

For months, about half the league's teams have been slashing payroll to create cap space for the 2010 free-agent bonanza. Now, additional teams are trying to dump large salaries quickly in order to get their payrolls comfortably under the luxury tax threshold.

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Economic issues are driving teams like Phoenix to consider trading Amare Stoudemire, and New Jersey to consider trading Vince Carter. When the summer of '09 comes, it will be these issues that keep teams from signing big-name free agents.

S.O.S. (Save Our Season?)
A handful of teams expected to contend for a title have fallen flat in the early going and are looking to get things back on track quickly. The Suns have the most pressing issues, and reportedly could fire coach Terry Porter as soon as Monday and trade Stoudemire on Thursday.

In the East, the Pistons were hoping that trading for Allen Iverson would make them a contender, but, instead, they've gone 23-24 since making the deal. Now, they're dangling the expiring contract of power forward Rasheed Wallace in hopes of making another move.

The Sixers, meanwhile, hoped that Elton Brand would push them into the East elite, but he struggled to fit in with his new team. Now, Brand is out for the year, which isn't a terrible thing for the team. They've gone 14-11 without him.

Get well soon?
That's the hope for several star players. For the second time in two years, Lakers center Andrew Bynum injured a knee, but he hopes to return in time for the playoffs.

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Despite a rash of injuries, Utah is 30-23 and just six games behind the Nuggets in the Northwest Division, and Carlos Boozer hopes to return from knee surgery before the end of the month.

The Mavericks are looking forward to the return of top sixth man Jason Terry, who is averaging 19.9 points per game this year. Terry's hand injury is supposed to take as long as six weeks to heal, but he claims he could return this week.

Addition for the champs?
The defending-champion Celtics have looked outstanding this season, but, at times, they have shown a weakness: their bench is lacking depth. Gone are James Posey and P.J. Brown, important veteran contributors to last year's title run.

The Celtics have limited options when it comes to trades, so they'll keep their fingers crossed that they can come up with some veteran who's been bought out or released after the trading deadline.

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