Quick. Which team is the hottest team in the NBA currently? Is it the Boston Celtics? Maybe the San Antonio Spurs? How about the Phoenix Suns or Dallas Mavericks?

The answer is none of the above.

Its the Portland Trail Blazers who have won 9 straight games. That's not a typo if you've been out of the loop for a while. Yes, the youngest team in all of the NBA has won 9 straight games and has done so by beating some quality teams - including Utah (twice), Denver, New Orleans and Toronto last night. The last time the team lost was December 2nd at San Antonio.

Many of my media co-horts are asking the question about whether or not guard Brandon Roy, who has been the catalyst for the Trail Blazers this season, should be an NBA All-Star this season.

I want to take things a step further.

I think we need to be asking the question as to whether or not Brandon Roy should be the league MVP. Don't laugh.

I know Kevin Garnett has the Celtics off to the best start since 1963-64. But if KG goes down, the C's still have Ray Allen and Paul Pierce to help guide them through a very weak Eastern Conference.

Dwight Howard has been a beast to this point in the season and has led the surprising Orlando Magic to an impressive start.

My man Steve Nash is putting up terrific numbers again in Phoenix this year and has handed out 14 or more assists in his last 8 games. We all know he's the engine that makes that high octane offense run.

And LeBron James is averaging a near triple-double every time he steps on the court for the Cavaliers and is truly CARRYING that team. The Cavs lost six straight games when James was out of the lineup with a finger injury. But the defending Eastern Conference champs are a disappointing 11-15 so far this season after last night's loss to the miserable Knicks.

But Brandon Roy has helped his team exceed expectations more than any other player in the NBA.

When the Trail Blazers shipped Zach Randolph to New York this offseason, team management essentially handed over the keys to the car to reigning NBA Rookie of the Year Brandon Roy. They told him this was HIS team now. Roy has responded to this responsibility in a BIG way.

Roy is leading the team in scoring (19.2 ppg) and assists (5.6 apg) but during December, Roy has been flat out MVP-esque. He's avergaing 24.2 ppg, 6.8 apg and 5.5 rpg while shooting nearly 50% from the field. And during his 38.1 minutes per night, he's taking and making the big shots when his team needs him most.

The Trail Blazers have one of the best home records in the NBA at 11-3 (very important for the confidence of the youngest team in the NBA to protect its home court). They have a better record than the Utah Jazz to this point in the season. And tomorrow night's game against the Denver Nuggets at the Rose Garden is for 1st place in the NBA's Northwest division.

When the season begin, did ANYONE predict the Blazers would win 9 straight games at any point during this season? Did anyone think the Oden-less Trail Blazers would be two games over .500 (14-12) this late in to the season? Most people had this team pegged for another lottery appearance and labeled this season a "rebuilding" season once Oden went down. But Roy wouldn't accept such moderate expectations for the team he is now in charge of.

And while we're talking about post-season awards, Blazers Head Coach Nate McMillan has to be the early season favorite for NBA Coach of the Year too. Again, there's nobody who has exceeded expecations like McMillan's Trail Blazers.

So next time you read a story asking whether or not Brandon Roy should be an NBA All-Star this season, remember this column and ask yourself whether or not Roy should be included in the conversation for NBA MVP. That's the real question. If Roy isn't on this year's All-Star squad, its a joke.

This move against Toronto is pretty convincing: