December is here. People are trying to get a Dwyane Wade-like first step on holiday shopping, and warm, sunny days are as common as a Nets victory. The quarter mark of the season is almost here, so it’s time to see which teams have gotten off to a good start, which players are MVP candidates and which coaches are going to be drinking a lot come New Year’s.

Starting with the locals … Lawrence Frank got an early holiday gift when the Nets let him walk away from the train wreck that is the team’s season so far. New Jersey has set an NBA record mark, going only as far as having a 1-19 record. They were only expected to be a rebuilding team anyway, but injuries and bad luck at the buzzer have left the Nets in great shape to get the No. 1 pick in next year’s draft. At least Brook Lopez is putting up nice numbers.

The Knicks are 6-15 — just the way they like it. This particular Knicks team isn’t created to make the playoffs. Their sole purpose is to get a good pick next year, groom their young talent (Danilo Gallinari), and clear cap space for next summer’s super free agent class. Gallinari has looked promising (leading the league in 3-point makes this year); Eddy Curry has looked bored while sitting on the bench. I think I could shoot better than starting point guard Chris Duhon (shooting less than 29 percent from the field).

The defending champion Los Angeles Lakers look better than ever (their 16-3 record is best in the NBA). 2009 Finals MVP Kobe Bryant is off to a stellar start, center Andrew Bynum has become a 20 point-10 rebound big man, Pau Gasol is back from injury, and Ron Artest is giving the Lakers a new, physical edge on defense. The only thing that can stop the Lakers is boredom of the regular season, but Lamar Odom’s new wife, drama queen Khloe Kardashian, should help liven things up in L.A.

Challenging the Lakers out west so far are Dallas, Phoenix and Denver. Dirk Nowitzki keeps doing his thing down in Big D, the Steve Nash/Amare Stoudemire pick n’ roll is still as lethal as ever for the Suns, and Carmelo Anthony is leading the league in scoring and is a legitimate MVP candidate for the Nuggets. Don’t worry about the Spurs 9-8 record. They are notorious for starting slow and then kicking it into gear after the All-Star break.

In the East, Boston’s old geezers are still playing great. The Cleveland Cavaliers are still incorporating Shaquille O’Neal into the lineup, and Lebron James is playing like the best player in the league. Down in Florida, Dwyane Wade and Dwight Howard are off to slow starts (Howard is fouling too much, Wade is shooting 3s too much). No biggie though, as Dwight’s Magic are atop the East and Wade’s Heat are playing well.

It looks like the Rookie of the Year award will be a two man race between Sacramento’s Tyreke Evans and Milwaukee’s Brandon Jennings. Evans looks like a franchise player for the Kings. Jennings is reminding me of a young Allen Iverson with a better jumper; I’d venture a guess and say he has slightly better practice habits than Iverson. Speaking of Iverson, it seems the Philadelphia 76ers believe that he is The Answer after point guard Louis Williams was injured. Iverson is a 76er legend — Philly is where he belongs.

I’m not a math major, but I think I have this proportion right; as the rate at which the Toronto Raptors give up points increases, the chances that free agent-to-be Chris Bosh re-signs with the team decreases. The defense is terrible — it yielded 146 to the Atlanta Hawks earlier last week — and the Raptors’ record shows it. Hey Chris, I’d like to welcome you back to the USA.

That’s the NBA season so far, and it only promises to get better. Have a great, basketball-filled holiday.