Boost or bust? Young season offers insight

Boost: Erick Dampier
Take my Dampier, please. That used to be the joke in Dallas, as recently, in fact, as the end of the preseason. Yet there stands Dampier, making a significant difference off the bench for the Mavericks. He's rebounding. He's scoring. He's blocking shots. He's actually looking like a bona-fide NBA center. Who knew?

Bust: Samuel Dalembert
Take my Dalembert, please. That's the punch line these days in Philadelphia. Oh, he's still starting, but there is a significant disconnect with the team's approach. If anyone is willing to take on the contract, he's gone. With the emergence of Marreese Speights and the need to make things work with Elton Brand (they aren't right now), Dalembert is getting in the way of teammates more than he's impeding opposing shots.

Boost: Alvin Gentry
A return to offensive chaos has led to new-found stability in the Valley of the Sun. By getting Steve Nash back to his breakneck roots, Gentry has revitalized what Terry Porter and Shaquille O'Neal had slowed to a crawl. In response to the freedom, Gentry's players are actually rebounding and defending, as well. It has been a wonderful coach/player symbiosis.

Bust: Don Nelson
And then there is the utter chaos that eventually engulfs a Nelson-run production. The younger players don't know where they stand, veteran Stephen Jackson has found himself in a virtual standoff with his coach, and one of the most loyal fan bases in the NBA is left to stand in stunned silence. If you think two weeks is too early to make judgments, then you haven't witnessed the Warriors yet, even with their scoring free-for-all Monday against the Timberwolves.

Boost: Current Oklahoma City tenant
The kids are all right. No, the Thunder isn't likely to make the playoffs this season. But that's not what matters. What matters are prospects such as Kevin Durant, Jeff Green and Russell Westbrook being groomed into a team of the future. Sam Presti is incubating something special. First an at-the-buzzer loss to the Lakers, then a victory over the Magic. It's coming. It's coming.

Bust: Former Oklahoma City tenant
There is a tangible misery with the Hornets. Coach Byron Scott, who was fired Thursday, tried shaking up the lineup. Chris Paul has looked miserable at times. And David West isn't looking anything like David West. The rise for the Hornets was swift; the tumble just might be as rapid. Something just isn't right.

Boost: Regular referees
Perhaps it was the humility created by the lockout, or perhaps it merely was time needed to clear their heads, but the league's referees not only returned to quickly get the games in order, but there has been practically no confrontation with players or coaches. There is, in the end, a genuine respect in place.

Bust: Decorum police
The new rule this season is players must remain seated on the bench, so as not to block the view of those seated behind the bench. Heaven forbid we actually have players exhibiting enthusiasm on the sideline. So the egotistical coaches, who we don't pay to see, can stroll as they please, but the players whose passion we applaud, have to twiddle their thumbs?

Also on NBCSports.com Golf: Euphoric win for Mickelson, crushing defeat for Tiger Beyond the Arc: No. 11 Mich. St. takes big step forward Chandler: Jeremy Lin was special even in 8th grade What NFC teams need this offseason  |  And AFC Follow us on Twitter: @NBCSports  |  And Facebook

Ira Winderman writes regularly for NBCSports.com and covers the Heat and the NBA for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.