A Point Guard for the Nets to Ponder Gerald Wallace is a tenacious defender, a strong rebounder for his size and a known veteran quantity at forward. When the Nets acquired Wallace at the trading deadline last season, he was seen as a player capable of doing the dirty work that Brook Lopez and Kris Humphries were not known for. They will get a good look at the price they paid for his services, however, when the Portland Trail Blazers visit Brooklyn on Sunday. For Wallace, Portland received Mehmet Okur, Shawne Williams and a conditional first-round draft pick, which was protected from being in the top three. When the Nets ended up with the sixth pick, it was sent to the Trail Blazers, who used it to draft Damian Lillard, 22, a point guard from Weber State. Lillard was considered among the more polished prospects in the draft, but one without a high ceiling for improvement. Given his averages of 20.2 points and 6 assists a game through Friday, both of which easily led all rookies, it would be hard for Portland to ask for more. Although Lillard plays the same position as Deron Williams, the Nets' unquestioned leader and best player, his scoring ability combined with his age and salary would have been an enticing package for Brooklyn, especially with Wallace having struggled to recover from an ankle injury sustained in the team's first game. The deal will look far worse for the Nets if Wallace does not recapture the abilities that made him a star in Charlotte and Portland. Lillard is the latest N.B.A. point guard from an Oakland, Calif., fraternity that includes Jason Kidd and Gary Payton. Although many rookies would shy away from being compared with accomplished players, Lillard invited the comparison. "Being a basketball player from Oakland, especially a point guard, it comes with a standard," Lillard told The San Francisco Chronicle this year. You've got to be tough and you've got to do it all. It's a standard that I intend to live up to. James's Double-Doubles LeBron James may never average a triple-double for a season, as Oscar Robertson once did, but he may average a double-double for the first time in his career if his rebounding continues to improve. Entering Saturday's game against Cleveland, James had recorded double-digits in points and rebounds in 7 of 12 games, including a stretch of five consecutive games. During the streak he averaged 24.4 points, 10.8 rebounds and 6 assists a game. His average of 9.1 rebounds a game this season was leading the Heat. James's career-high average in rebounds is 7.9, set in 2007-8 and matched last season. His career high in assists per game was 8.6 in 2009-10. A Boost for Bobcats The Charlotte Bobcats won only seven games last season. This season they won six of their first 10. One of the biggest reasons has been Kemba Walker, an early contender for being named the N.B.A.'s most improved player. Walker, a second-year point guard out of Connecticut, has improved across the board, including having his scoring average shoot to 18.5 points from 12.1 through Friday. He has done it through quantity and quality, as his field-goal attempts and his free-throw attempts are up, as are his shooting percentages for each. Seen by many as an heir to Tim Hardaway's aggressive style of play for an undersized guard, Walker has improved defensively, averaging 2.4 steals a game after averaging 0.9 a game last season. Beating Kentucky? Replacing the Bobcats as the N.B.A.'s worst team are the Washington Wizards, who became the topic of an unflattering debate last season when the former Maryland coach Gary Williams said the University of Kentucky basketball team could beat them. Stan Van Gundy, Orlando's coach at the time, argued strongly that they could not, pointing out that Kentucky had a number of N.B.A. prospects but that the Wizards had an entire roster of N.B.A. players. The debate eventually turned into an online meme, with "But could they beat Kentucky?" being asked about teams of all shapes and sizes, not limited to basketball. The Wizards were 0-10 through Friday, and Kentucky had six players taken in the N.B.A. draft. But the answer to the question of which team would win is unknown. No exhibition was ever scheduled.