MVN: Most Valuable Network

Every week here at NBA Outsider we look at which teams and players are hot and who's not from the Association. Here's the contenders for the first week of 2009...

Rising:

Detroit Pistons - Rip Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace and Antonio McDyess have all missed time recently for Detroit, yet the Pistons have somehow found a way to win seven in a row. Their latest win came on Sunday night when a last-second Allen Iverson floater was goaltended by the Clippers' Al Thornton to give Detroit the 88-87 win. A big part of their success has been the play of Rodney Stuckey, who is averaging just under 23 points per game during their seven-game winning streak. The Pistons are 13-3 with Stuckey as the starting point guard, and it clearly seems obvious at this point that he'll be sticking around.

Kevin Martin (Kings) - Martin had missed 22 of Sacramento's first 24 games with a bad ankle, and non-coincidentally, the Kings started off a poor 7-24. On December 30 he finally returned, coming off the bench to score 20 points and give his team a much needed win. Since then he has played in two more games, as a reserve, yet has been getting starter's minutes and playing like the deadly, go-to guy he is for Sacramento. On Saturday in Indianapolis, Martin erupted for 45 points, yet couldn't lead his team to a win. Once he returns to the starting lineup and the rest of the team gets comfortable with him in there, expect the Kings to rack up wins at a much quicker pace.

Boris Diaw (Bobcats) - The Bobcats have won five of their last nine games (a nice stretch by Charlotte's standards), and Diaw's play has been a big reason why. In Saturday's win over the Bucks, Diaw had probably his best all-around game since being traded from Phoenix, scoring 21 points off 8-of-11 shooting with seven assists and six rebounds. The Bobcats may not be going anywhere this season, but at least Diaw has been one of the few bright spots for this franchise.

Falling:

Boston Celtics - We all knew this was coming, didn't we? Since beginning the season a torrid 27-2, Boston has cooled off considerably and lost four of their last six games, all on the road. Their most recent loss last night in Madison Square Garden was especially troubling, as they only could muster 88 points against the normally defense-averse New York Knicks. Their recent losses have led to talks that the Celtics don't have enough depth, and reports have even surfaced that they might be interested in bringing in beleaguered point guard Stephon Marbury. Yeah, it's that bad. Things won't be getting easier any time soon either, as Boston plays three of its next four games on the road, including a must-see matchup this Friday when they visit Cleveland.

Utah Jazz - Not only has Utah lost four of its last six games (including three in a row on the road, where they are 7-11) and fallen to ninth place in the West, but they recently got word that forward Carlos Boozer will require arthroscopic knee surgery on his bum leg, making it possible that the Jazz could be without their former All-Star forward for a few more weeks. Boozer has already missed 22 straight games, and Utah has gone a mediocre 11-11 during that span. Hopefully he'll return in time to keep the Jazz afloat in the increasingly competitive Western Conference.

Josh Howard (Mavericks) - In the 11 games that he has played in since returning from an ankle injury on December 15, Howard has reached or exceeded 50 percent shooting from the field only three times. He has had more games during that stretch of shooting under 40 percent than he has shooting over 50 percent. His only great game came about a week ago when Dirk Nowitzki was suspended and Howard was forced to carry the offensive load. In the Mavs' latest game, a 20-point loss the the Grizzlies, Howard finished with 12 points, two rebounds and one assist in 33 minutes, and he didn't even take a trip to the free throw line. Plus he got demolished on the other end by Rudy Gay. That's not what the Mavericks need from a guy who they consider to be their best overall defender and slasher.