Basketball is combat. You have to attack your man on both ends of the floor. That means pushing the ball on offense, taking it to the hole, being willing to draw contact and then fight through it to finish. It means attacking on defense. Getting position and maintaining that position. Taking the ball away and altering shots. And owning the glass – being relentless on both the offensive and defensive side.

Every Monday, a guard, a wing, and a big will be nominated as the Combat Players of the Week. The team that exemplifies what Combat is all about will be recognized, as well. Here are the players who were Prepared For Combat last week.

Guard: Tyreke Evans (Sacramento Kings)
The Rookie has put up some good numbers early on in Sacramento. And what's most impressive is how he's attacked on both ends of the floor, witnessed by his 6.4 trips to the line pre game (second among guards), and 1.4 steals (fifth among all guards). He's showing big growth, going for 23.8 points, 6.3 boards, and 5.3 assists over the last week.

Wing: Luol Deng (Chicago Bulls)
Deng's game has shown big growth this season – adding nearly 4 points and 4 boards to last season's numbers. On Saturday, he just missed his 3rd double-double of the season, finishing with 19 points and 9 rebounds. And back on the 3rd at Milwaukee, Luol put together an eye-popping line of 24 points and 20 boards.

Big: Greg Oden (Portland Trail Blazers)
On the season, Oden has added a point, a rebound, and a block over last year's numbers. And he was even bigger in three Portland wins lat week - check out these numbers: 14 points and 6 rebounds against Memphis, a season-high 18 points and 11 rebounds against Minnesota, and 8 points and 12 rebounds against New Orleans. Add in 2.5 blocks a game, and you get a sense for the continued evolution of the man in the middle in the Pacific Northwest.

Team: Atlanta Hawks
Atlanta's 8-2 record is fueled by playing aggressive and as a team. They've won their past 4, including big wins on the road in harsh environments of New York and Boston, followed by a home win over the Hornets. And they have a balanced attack, with 5 players averaging in double figures.

Who should be the Combat Player of the Week? Evans, Deng, or Oden?

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