It’s been awhile, so let’s take a look at the Northwest Division today. Here are the standings, with Seattle bringing up the rear. And we’ll take a look at a couple links on Seattle’s opponent tonight, the Los Angeles Lakers.

Los Angeles: All the talk in the papers down here in La La Land is what is wrong with the Lakers, after losing three straight games. Lamar Odom blames himself in this article from the Los Angeles Times and another one in the Los Angeles Daily News.

Check out video interviews with Odom and Los Angeles coach Phil Jackson here.

Seattle (2-12) – He’s only played 14 games, but already some NBA analysts are labeling Kevin Durant’s rookie season a disappointment so far, and I would say unfairly.

At 19-years old Durant is the No. 1 option offensively for Seattle, has no one to consistently get him the ball for easy buckets, and has no consistent inside presence to take some of the scoring pressure off of him.

Here are two of the critiques, one a Wages of Wins analysis and another by respected ESPN analyst John Hollinger. ESPN’s Ric Bucher comes to Durant’s defense here.

Utah (10-5) – The Jazz are 6-1 at home and lead the division by a half game over Denver. Utah forward Andrei Kirilenko told the New York media in this Salt Lake Tribune story that he is a changed man, and that led to some of his issues over the summer when he asked Utah to trade him. But now a solid contributor for the Jazz, Kirilenko is happy.

Denver (9-5) – Kenyon Martin only suffered a bone bruise on the same knee he had season-ending microfracture surgery on last season, which has Nugget fans breathing easier. Martin should only be out a few games according to this Denver Post report.

J.R. Smith wants to continue a tradition he started last season by throwing his jersey into the stands after each game. Problem is, all 82 jerseys haven’t been delivered yet.

Portland (5-9) – The Trail Blazers lost to Orlando 85-74 Monday night. The Magic will be in Seattle to take on the Sonics on Wednesday. The Blazers are going through an identity crisis. Near the bottom of the league in scoring at 92.2 points a game, Portland coach Nate McMillan wants his team to play up-tempo. But his players have not caught on to the new system.

Minnesota (2-10) – The T-Wolves snapped a five-game losing streak by beating New Orleans on the road. Minnesota center Theo Ratliff said he will probably have exploratory surgery on his injured right knee.