A month into the season, the NBA is shaping up for another exciting season. Before the season began, the Eastern Conference looked as if it would catch up to the West this year.

Kevin Garnett was finally traded and his zip code change made Paul Pierce happy and the Boston Celtics an instant contender.

Boston also added Ray Allen and instantly people were touting the Celtics as Eastern Conference Champion before the team stepped on the court.

Orlando figured to make noise as well. They signed Rashard Lewis, the league's hottest free agent and gave Dwight Howard a contract extension.

Howard is in his fourth year out of high school and gets better each season. Lewis has averaged at least 20 points in his last three seasons when he was playing for the Seattle Supersonics.

So far Boston and Orlando are the only two teams in the East to have at least 10 wins, while the Western Conference has had five teams reach the 10 win plateau.

San Antonio, Phoenix, Utah and Dallas are no surprises, but the New Orleans Hornets are one of the biggest surprises. They started off by going 9-2 before losing four out their last five.

The Chicago Bulls are shaping up to be one of the league's biggest disappointments. They were one of teams picked by many experts to win the East, but today they are the worst team in the conference at 3-10.

There are whispers that the Bulls aren't giving the effort night in and night out because they don't want to play for head coach Scott Skiles anymore.

At this point in the season I would like to see Phoenix or Houston against Boston or Orlando in the NBA Finals.

San Antonio will most likely represent the West, but no team has proven it can consistently beat the Spurs especially when it comes to the playoffs. The East changes each year but it will probably be Boston this year if they can get their chemistry down by the playoffs.

Rookie Watch

Kevin Durant and Greg Oden were the most hyped rookies coming out of college this year, but Oden is out for the season and Durant is learning on the fly in Seattle.

Juan Carlos Navarro of the Memphis Grizzlies has really impressed me lately. Memphis is 2-1 when Navarro starts. He is averaging 15.4 points in the last five games and is showing promise for the future.

Top 5:

1. Orlando

2. Boston

3. San Antonio

4. Phoenix

5. Utah

Orlando was the first team to beat the Celtics. They also have a 9-1 record on the road. You have to win on the road in the playoffs and they are doing a great job in the regular season by doing it now.The Celtics have the league's highest win percentage and are 8-0 at home. The San Antonio Spurs are 9-0 at home.

Bottom 5:

26. Philadelphia

27. Memphis

28. Minnesota

29. Seattle

30. Chicago

I had to make Chicago my last team because they have too much talent to be at the bottom of the East. Ben Gordon, Ben Wallace and Kirk Hinrich should be leading this team to more victories but it's just not getting done.

Seattle and Minnesota are two young teams that will find their niche eventually, but they will endure some bumps along the way this season. Philly and Memphis were expected to struggle, and it's no surprise they rank among the league's worst teams.