Is there a more polarizing player in the NBA than Kobe Bryant? Within the past few weeks, he's been fined, suspended and, according to Phil Jackson, "witch hunt"-ed by the League for several elbows, all of which made contact with defenders' faces. On the heels of this controversy, Kobe scores 65 in an overtime thriller against the Trailblazers, prompting Zach Randolph to begrudgingly say, "If he would have missed one, it probably would have given us a chance."

The highlight of Kobe's performance was capped by a ridiculous fade-away three pointer from the corner against a double team trap. Did I mention that he faded-away by spinning to his unnatural side? It's a shot that kids in driveways will try to imitate, but turn cross-eyed in the process due to the shot's difficulty.

We've seen Kobe do this before, scoring 81 against the Raptors. But I'd like to talk about his elbows for now. On several radio talk-shows, commentators and callers alike could not seem to agree on whether Kobe had been intentionally elbowing his opponents. Was he flailing his elbows in an attempt to draw a foul? Is this simply an unnatural follow through that no one has noticed before? Or are his actions blatantly intentional, making his undoubtedly a dirty player? Kobe fans vehemently defended him, while Kobe haters attacked him. But it was apparent that no one really knows for certain.

I'd like to express my opinion. After watching these elbows several times, I've concluded that he had the intent to elbow his defenders. There are a number of incredible basketball attributes that Kobe has been blessed with. Among these include an uncanny ability to control his body, whether mid-air or on the floor. Not since Michael Jordan have I witnessed someone with better body control while scoring. He knows exactly what he's doing. This is my opinion, but it's clearly David Stern's too. The Commish couldn't hit five straight free throws to save his life, but he knows the personnel of his League better than anyone. That's why he probably spent hours and hours rewinding footage of Kobe's elbows before deciding that fines, a suspension and a lasting watchful eye was the correct punishment.

Enough about the mystery that is Kobe, and onto another mystery – these Hawks. How does a team struggling to find the winning edge with its one and only all-star, Joe Johnson, manage to win four straight, including a big one against a streaking Philly team, without him? And then, how do they have their streak snapped by losing to the Celtics? I can't figure us out. The only people more confused about the Hawks than I am might be Vegas lines-makers. So instead of trying to break down why the Hawks can look so good on certain nights and like a NDBL team the next, I'll simply give my observations.

Josh Smith will be a superstar one day. The kid (it's hard to believe he's only 21 years old) has shown the past few games that he's unafraid to take on the role as a team's leading scorer, play everything from off-guard to power forward, and take big shots down the stretch. Sometimes it takes an undesirable situation to bring out positives and that appears to be case here with Joe Johnson's injury. Josh has been forced to play a bigger role on the floor and his teammates clearly trust him to make plays. This isn't to say that he's done with his development. He still has a long way to go. One of my primary criticisms of Josh is that his body and hands are never in the "ready" position to shoot. He often looks like he's surprised when he catches the ball on the perimeter and his release is slowed by this. If only someone would help him with his shooting preparation, particularly with his footwork and hand-placement, I'm convinced that not only will he score more, but that he also will shoot at a higher percentage. I'll leave it at that for now.

The Hawks are still not out of it. With 15 games remaining, the East's bottom two playoff spots remain available for the taking. Both the NJ Nets and Orlando Magic only have 30 wins. It's not crazy to assume that 36 or 37 wins could get a team into the playoffs. It's a stretch, but it's certainly possible. So hopefully Joe's getting his well-deserved rest and he'll be available for the last few games of the season for one final push. Lets go Hawks!

Can the Hawks ditch their new uniforms and permanently go with the old-school "Pac-Man" uniforms like they did against the Suns? I forgot how much I liked those. But I have to be honest - the reason for my positive opinion could be solely due to association because, during those years, we had a winning ball club led by the Human Highlight Film, the one and only 'Nique.
Speaking of Pac-Man, how about this story.

Can someone please explain to me why anyone in their right mind would walk into a strip club in Las Vegas on All-Star Weekend with $81,000 in one dollar bills with the intention of creating a "cash-rain" effect? Who came up with this brilliant idea? Does he have a team of trusted advisors led by Stephen Jackson, Jamaal Tinsley and Charlie Sheen? Congrats Pac-Man - your "generosity" not only cost you $81,000, but probably several million dollars after legal fees and potential expulsion from the NFL.

Fortunately, for every mindless athlete, there's a classy veteran, one of which the Hawks acquired this past week. Welcome back Anthony Johnson. He must feel like he never left after putting on the retro uniform in his debut against the Suns. It's nice to see the Hawks make a move and add another veteran to the roster. Hopefully, Lorenzen Wright and AJ can teach these young Hawks a thing or two about being team players, winning and staying out of trouble like Mr. Pac-Man.

With the possibility of sounding disloyal, I have to admit that I'm jealous of Pheonix fans. There - I said it. I'm sorry. But imagine being guaranteed 41 home games (and double-digit playoff games), in most of which Nash, Amare, Marion, Barbosa and even Boris Diaw are running, running, dunking, running, running and dunking. Knowing how much of a basketball fan I am, I'd consider taking out a second mortgage to get decent season tickets to watch these guys play against NBDL squads. There have been better teams in the last ten or twenty years, but I can't think of a more entertaining team to watch in recent memory.

Other than the fact that Nash could go down as one of the five best point guards in the history of basketball - arguably, in the same ballpark as Magic, Cousy, Stockton, Isiah, Frazier - the athletes he has running with him make the game unfair for opponents. Between Amare and Marion, we're talking about a combined vertical leap of nearly 100 inches. Translation: for the average human, that's only accessible by a ladder. Of course, their athleticism alone isn't what makes Amare, Marion and the rest of the Suns entertaining to watch; they fills lanes, crash the offensive glass and even make back-door cuts once in a while, making their athleticism much more dangerous. And here's THE reason why the Suns are so fun to watch - they desire and allow their opponents to play an up-tempo game. In other words - the anti-Detroit Pistons. Instead of watching painful 85-79 games against defensive-minded Eastern Conference teams, the Suns play a type of game that allows an opposing team's athletes to display their athleticism, creating unmatched entertainment value for fans and players of both teams. It must be nice for D'Antoni and the rest of the Suns to not worry about playing much defense, at least not yet, when you can score 125 points at will.

With that said, the Hawks played with a lot of enthusiasm against a Suns team that I'm giddy to have in the NBA right now. I hope the Hawks can finish this up-and-down season with that sort of enthusiasm (and wearing those Pac-Man uniforms).

By going 8 and 7 this January, these young Hawks have earned their first winning month since April 2004. That's not a typo. It really has been that long. Without an abysmal December, we're talking about a team with a .500 record, sitting comfortably in the seventh spot in the Eastern Conference. And if that was the case, do you think the debate would be over whether Joe Johnson deserves a spot on this year's all-star team or is worthy of MVP consideration? Would the Hawks be playing in nationally televised games on TNT and ESPN? Would Josh Smith be the favorite for the NBA's Most-Improved Player award? Would the US Government hire Jack Bauer to find Osama Bin Laden? Would a Major League Soccer team pay one player $250 million … to play soccer?!?

Okay, I better calm down. These are of course all big what-ifs, except for what happened to Mr. Beckham, who currently is pulling his best Scrooge McDuck in "Duck Tales" by swimming in a piggy bank full of British pounds. But these scenarios aren't that far-fetched … are they? Without injuries to Josh Smith, Joe Johnson, Josh Childress, Tyronn Lue and Speedy Claxton, and coming out on the opposite end of a few close ball games, we're talking about a team that's contending for a playoff spot. I'm well aware that injuries are a part of life in the NBA, but the timing of these injuries is what truly hurt this team. After starting off on the right foot, and discovering winning team chemistry, the Hawks began to lose players to the I.R. like Michael Jackson's losing faces. And now that the Hawks are back at full strength, the evolution of this team is back on track.

Don't get me wrong - I'm not making excuses for where the Hawks stand today. But the Hawks are in a nice groove right now due to some minor tweaks with the lineup and the fact that virtually the entire roster is healthy. There's no doubt that Coach Woodson and the boys still need to find ways to execute down the stretch and pull out close games, and avoid ugly patches like the back-to-back losses against the Bobcats. But with several winnable games remaining before the all-star break, I'm hopeful we can carry that momentum into the second half of the season.

By the way, if you have not had the opportunity to listen to the tag-team of Steve Holman and 3-D (Dennis Scott) on 790 The Zone, you really should. These two are upbeat, always entertaining and are not afraid to point out what the Hawks are doing wrong. That sort of objective point of view sprinkled with heavy dosages of humor (and several indecipherable comments by 3-D) make for an entertaining listen.

Last, a quick suggestion for the people at Philips Arena who are responsible for the sound effects and in-game music - add the sound effect of Staples' "Easy Button." As part of its recent ad campaign, Staples is selling these plastic noise-making buttons, which, when pushed down, says in a loud, mechanical voice "THAT WAS EASY!" This sound effect could be made over the Philips Arena loud-speakers every time our MVP Joe Johnson scores a bucket. Imagine … Joe Johnson penetrates the lane, draws contact and drops in one of his signature floaters which tickles the net. This is followed by the crowd cheering, and a "THAT WAS EASY!" noise over the loud-speakers. I don't know about you, but I'd find that pretty funny. Of course, Philips and the Hawks would need Staples' permission for this, but how could they resist such a proposition? Joe's always good for about 26 a game, and I'd like for someone to point out another NBA player who makes the game look easier than Joe (except for Jesus Shuttlesworth, of course). Heck, Staples should pay the Hawks for this sort of exposure.

-- Skippy, The Fan Correspondent | 2:00 p.m. 02/01/07