Richardson making presence felt in Heat's lineup

Quentin Richardson was easily the most well-traveled player of the summer, but he's found a niche with Dwyane Wade in Miami's starting lineup.

Over the summer, Richardson was traded from the Knicks to Memphis ... and then to the Clippers ... and then to Minnesota ... and finally to Miami in a deal for Mark Blount. Despite all the packing and unpacking, Richardson was determined not to be shipped off again once he made it to Miami, impressing coach Erik Spoelstra during training camp.

"We have a defensive drill and he took four charges in that drill," Spoelstra told the Sun-Sentinel. "As a staff, afterwards, we were thinking back on it and we were stunned by it because we don't remember any of our players ever getting four charges in the same drill before. When we saw Quentin after a week of camp, it was almost like this is where he was supposed to be."

Lest you forget, Richardson was once one of the rising stars of the league in the early 2000s with the Clippers and Suns. Though he played a crucial role in the Suns reaching the 2005 West finals, he was dealt to New York that summer for Kurt Thomas as Phoenix tried to beef up its middle to keep up with the Spurs of the world.

That trade (as well as a myriad of injuries and his being out of shape) seemed to rob Richardson of his enthusiasm during his five seasons with the Knicks. Yet in Miami, Richardson is reviving his career as a solid starter who has filled in nicely while Daequan Cook recovers from a shoulder injury.

Although Richardson is still mostly the same 3-point specialist he was during his days in New York and Phoenix, he's not just parking himself on the perimeter. Surprisingly, Richardson is Miami's third-best rebounder and has gained the confidence of Spoelstra, ranking third on the team in minutes played.

Richardson isn't the only older star making an early push at a comeback this year. Check out Ben Wallace's numbers and you'll feel like it's 2003 all over again. Big Ben is averaging 10.3 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game, his best numbers in either category since 2006-07, and is helping Detroit stay within striking distance in the fairly-weak Central Division.

PG. Beno Udrih, Kings

G	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	FG%	3P%	FT%
7	28.1	12.3	2.3	3.6	0.7	0.1	.515	.389	.818

Last Week's Rank -
You could make a case that Udrih, Andres Nocioni, Jason Thompson and just about any other Kings player in the non-Tyreke Evans division should be on our list. But we'll instead just focus on Beno. The man who the Kings paid a decent-sized contract to last year to be their starter (and who struggled with the job all season) has found a good niche playing alongside Evans. It doesn't hurt that leading scorer Kevin Martin's injury freed up minutes for Udrih and more-than-capable backup Sergio Rodriguez could possibly be doing what Udrih is if given the same opportunity. Regardless, Udrih thrived as a starter in coach Paul Westphal's system last week, nearly doubling his scoring average (9.7 ppg as reserve, 15.6 as starter) and feels like he's fitting in again. "The staff is making it easy," Udrih told the Sacramento Bee. "This year I'm getting an opportunity to be a point guard, to be a leader, to get the guys in the right positions. When we see a matchup situation, we take advantage of that. I'm just out there playing basketball and being a point guard this year."

SG. Jason Richardson, Suns

G	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	FG%	3P%	FT%
7	32.9	19.3	5.3	2.0	0.6	0.1	.552	.558	.625

Last Week's Rank -
Check out the stats above and they're a big jump from what Richardson was doing last season in Phoenix (16.4 ppg, 4.5 rpg, .488 FG pct., .383 3-pt FG pct.). The reason for the change? Richardson, who lost 10 pounds in the offseason, is in better shape to run the floor in the Suns' uptempo attack. It's he (not the headline-grabbing names of Nash and Stoudemire) who's leading the team in scoring and it's he who had 34 points in Boston as Phoenix handed Boston its first loss. After last week's win over the C's, Richardson said his two-game suspension for a DUI conviction and a scoreless night in Orlando fueled his outburst. "After the first quarter, they could see it in my eyes that I had the stroke and the hot hand," Richardson told the Arizona Republic. "It was a feel. Some nights are like that. You feel like everything you throw up is going to go in." Consider this, too: Richardson was ranked 81st in NBA.com's player efficiency ranking at the end of last season. This season, Richardson is 30th, ahead of Brandon Roy, Chauncey Billups and Joe Johnson.

C. Joakim Noah, Bulls

G	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	FG%	3P%	FT%
8	32.0	11.5	12.3	2.4	0.4	2.2	.574	---	.667

Last Week's Rank -
Noah -- aka Mr. Crazy Man to NBA TV's Dennis Scott -- is for once making noise with his offense. The defense is still there for Noah as the long-haired one has notched at least 10 rebounds in six of Chicago's seven games. The more surprising skill Noah has shown has been in the footwork and speed departments. Though Noah may never emerge as a go-to scorer in the post, we've seen some pretty fancy footwork from Noah this season. We've also been impressed by his calmer approach around the basket on offense. He's taking his time more to make his move and reading what the defense gives him. If the Bulls can stay among the elite in the East and Noah keeps up his all-around play, it'll be hard to deny him a spot at the All-Star Game in Dallas.

SF. Quentin Richardson, Heat

G	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	FG%	3P%	FT%
7	32.0	9.0	5.7	1.6	0.7	0.1	.463	.419	---

Last Week's Rank -
Richardson's day-to-day stat have been decent, especially if you toss out his five-foul, zero-point performance in Tuesday's win over Washington. Richardson played well in a Nov. 4 win in Washington (19 points, nine rebounds) and had a decent line against Denver at home two nights later (13 points, nine rebounds, two assists). Perhaps the best indication of Richardson's rise this week came not from what he did on the floor, but from an opposing coach. "The guy that's surprising me is Richardson," Nuggets coach George Karl told the Miami Herald. "I think he's having a scary year. Shooting over 50 percent from [three-point range], has the defensive maturity and rebounding maturity to him that I don't remember in his past years. He just seems like he's kind of recommitted, regrouped." We've noticed Richardson is making the most concerted effort of his career to actually try to guard his man, which is helping Miami maintain a surprising early-season lead in the Southeast Division.

PF. Carl Landry, Rockets

G	MPG	PPG	RPG	APG	SPG	BPG	FG%	3P%	FT%
8	25.1	15.6	5.4	0.5	0.5	1.1	.576	---	.871

Last Week's Rank -
We highlighted Trevor Ariza in this column last week for his ability to step into a scoring role for Houston (previously filled by Tracy McGrady and Ron Artest). Another overlooked part of the Rockets' solid start has been the third-year forward Landry. While Luis Scola is the starter, both he and Landry have played a crucial role as Houston tries to offset the frontcourt loss of Yao Ming on the glass. Last season, Yao and Scola were Houston's top two rebounders and averaged a combined 18.7 rpg. The Scola-Landry duo are combining for 14.7 rpg and are playing nearly identical minutes (28.9 mpg for Scola, 25.1 mpg for Landry). The biggest difference that isn't shown in the stats is Landry's ability to put it all together so far. He ranks in the top 70 in player efficiency (a 16.3 rating) and has impressed coach Rick Adelman with how well he's picked up the Rockets' up-tempo offense. "Carl has played extremely well," Adelman told the Houston Chronicle. "He's really consistent. He's someone the other team does have to worry about because he's really quick and explosive to the basket. ... If he runs the floor, he's going to get easier baskets."

The Next Five

C: Ben Wallace, Pistons -- As mentioned above, Wallace is having a throwback/career revival-type season just like Q-Rich. But who honestly thought when Wallace returned to Detroit that it was anything more than a nod to the Pistons' better days? Big Ben's play has even caught Joe Dumars -- the guy who signed him -- off guard.

F Jeff Green, Thunder -- While Thunder star Kevin Durant is busy getting used to the role as Oklahoma City's leader, Green is turning into a solid second option. The way he plays off Durant is drawing some comparisons to the Dwight Howard-Rashard Lewis combo in Orlando.

F: Ersan Ilyasova, Bucks -- With Michael Redd out the next few weeks, the Bucks have turned to a myriad of wings to fill the void, including the 6-foot-10 Ilyasova. Though he's been out of the league since 2007, Ilyasova had a nice 11-point in the Bucks' season-opening loss to the Sixers. He was quiet from there, but he stepped up in the Bucks' 108-102 upset of the Nuggets on Wednesday night, hitting a trio of 3-pointers.

G: Dahntay Jones, Pacers -- Jones made a real push to supplant Q-Rich in the Five on the Rise. We like his well-balanced scoring lines and how he's maintaining his defensive reputation, too. If the Pacers can get keep improving (as they did this week), he's got a spot in a future edition for sure.

G: Shannon Brown, Lakers -- Brown played a big role in the Lakers' win over the Hornets on Friday. His 15-point night was reminiscent of his play against Utah in the first round of last season's playoffs. He outplayed Chris Paul in spurts throughout the win and got the attention of coach Phil Jackson in the process.

NBA.com's Five on the Rise are just one man's opinion and are released every Thursday during the season. If you've got an issue with the names on this list, or have a question or comment for Jeff Case, send him an e-mail