Why Your Favorite NBA Team Won't Win the Title: December Edition
Last month, we picked apart every NBA team's case for title contention with the full force of a summer's worth of fresh snark. This time around, we're coming at that task not only with more evidence to back up those claims but also from a different angle.
There's no ignoring the news that Kobe Bryant is going to hang up his sneakers for good at the end of the 2015-16 season. His decorated and controversial career has inspired millions around the world—including this particular Los Angeles-based writer—over the past two decades.
And since everyone else is paying homage to the Black Mamba these days, why can't we? To do so, we've categorized all 30 of the Association's member squads by different eras in Kobe's career, according to how good they are and how close they are—in terms of individual talent and team performance on both ends of the floor—to bringing home a championship.
For the bottom feeders, there's the shell of a shell of a shell of the Mamba to whom we've had to bear witness over the past few years. For those scuffling but still promising teams, there's the afro'd No. 8 who arrived on the scene as a teen.
For those trying to compete while staving off the unfortunate end of a contender's life cycle, there's the post-championship, pre-injury Bryant. For teams on the up-and-up from one era to the next, there's the Mamba who went berserk on the league—and on the likes of Smush Parker and Chris Mihm.
And for all those that look like they could be serious threats come playoff time, there's the Bryant who played chief sidekick on a three-peat team (for the fringe contenders) and the one who was the alpha dog who won an MVP and consecutive titles (for the cream of the crop).
With that in mind, let's see how the NBA stacks up across Kobe's prolific life as a pro.
Twilight Mamba
Philadelphia 76ers
Forget winning a title. The Philadelphia 76ers have to win a game first.
They last emerged victorious seven months ago, when they beat the Denver Nuggets, 99-85, on March 25. Since then, they've lost 28 games in a row—a record not just in the NBA but across all major North American professional sports.
The Sixers' loss to the Memphis Grizzlies to end November tied the league low for the worst start to a season at 0-18.
On the bright side, Philadelphia should break through soon. For one, the Sixers have been playing more competitive ball of late. Their last five losses have all come by single digits, at an average of 4.8 points apiece.
"We have made progress," Philly head coach Brett Brown said after his team's latest defeat, per the Associated Press via ESPN.com. "It's not going to display itself on the win side of things, but the people that follow us will know that."
Everyone might get to see that Tuesday, when the Sixers host the 2-14 Los Angeles Lakers.
Los Angeles Lakers
Speaking of the Lakers, they own the NBA's worst record outside of the City of Brotherly Love. The team's most famous Philadelphian, Kobe Bryant, announced over the weekend that he'll retire at the end of the season. As he wrote—in rhyme, because he's Kobe—on the Players' Tribune:
"I'm ready to let you go.
"
I want you to know now
So we both can savor every moment we have left together.
The good and the bad.
The good? Making a desperation heave from deep to pull the Lakers to within a point of the Indiana Pacers on Sunday.
The bad? Missing a similar attempt (badly) on L.A.'s next possession to all but seal the team's sixth straight loss.
The Kobe Experience—get it while you can, for better or worse.
Brooklyn Nets
At least the Lakers can look forward to a brighter future, thanks to their incumbent youngsters and a prime pick in the 2016 draft, should it land among the top three.
The Nets, on the other hand, essentially owe their next three first-rounders to Boston and are practically devoid of young talent to groom going forward.
That is, except for Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. The rookie out of Arizona has started in Brooklyn's last 12 games, including a heartbreaking road loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers over Thanksgiving weekend.
Hollis-Jefferson doesn't project to be a franchise cornerstone in the NBA, but the 20-year-old does come equipped with a tireless work ethic, one inspired by his fellow Keystone State native.
"That's pretty much everyone's favorite player, but me, it's for different reasons," Hollis-Jefferson said of Bryant, via the Brooklyn Game's Devin Kharpertian. "Just watching him, how he works, how he looks at people, how he approaches the game of basketball. It's that aggression he has, that want and will that overpowers everyone, I love about him."
Denver Nuggets
The Nuggets' 92-81 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on the last Saturday of November was a fitting microcosm of how their season has gone so far.
Denver came out of the gates surprisingly strong, scoring the first seven points of the game and taking a 52-48 lead into the half. After the break, though, Dallas scored 16 straight and held the Nuggets to fewer points (five) than turnovers (seven) in a game-changing third quarter.
"You can't go on the road and beat yourself," Nuggets coach Michael Malone said, per the Associated Press via ESPN.com. "We talked about that at halftime. When you are struggling to score, you cannot beat yourself by turning the ball over that many times."
That's been a problem for the Nuggets, however predictable, all season. Emmanuel Mudiay, the No. 7 pick in the 2015 draft, has turned the ball over four times per game—more than all but Russell Westbrook, James Harden and John Wall. As a team, they've averaged 19 turnovers per game over their last five and, in turn, have seen their current skid stretch to seven games.
Sacramento Kings
One of these days, the Kings might finally launch under George Karl. That won't happen until all involved parties figure out how to keep DeMarcus Cousins on the court consistently.
Boogie missed eight of Sacramento's first 18 games of the season. Three of those absences came on account of Cousins' lower back strain—an injury (presumably) incurred from all the time and energy he's expended carrying the Kings on the court.
"I think he’s frustrated," said Karl, after Sacramento's 120-101 loss to the Golden State Warriors, which Cousins spent in street clothes, via the Sacramento Bee's Jason Jones.
Boogie has every right to be. He's yet to win more than 30 games in what is now his sixth NBA season.
That won't change unless he's healthy. The Kings went 1-7 through Cousins' eight early DNPs, as opposed to a respectable 5-5 when he played.
Teen Kobe
New Orleans Pelicans
Good news for the Pelicans: Anthony Davis hasn't missed a game since Nov. 18, despite a recent injury scare, and Tyreke Evans (New Orleans' top playmaker) and Norris Cole (Jrue Holiday's primary backup) could both be back in time to start December.
The bad news: At 4-13, they're already four games back of a playoff spot in the West, with seven straight games against incumbent playoff teams awaiting them.
Portland Trail Blazers
Here's a trivia question for you: Where was the last place Kobe played before announcing his retirement?
Answer: the Moda Center, where his Lakers lost to the Trail Blazers, 108-96. Among Portland's top contributors was C.J. McCollum, who poured in 28 points on 12-of-20 shooting during the game and spoke about Bryant afterward.
"I've really just studied him since I was younger," McCollum said, via the Oregonian's Mike Richman. "I've watched a lot of film on him. I watch a lot of other guys...but just his mannerisms, his approach, postgame interviews and stuff. Just understanding his mentality. He has a killer mentality and there's a reason why he's been successful."
That approach has helped to turn McCollum (19.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists, .449/.385/.873 shooting splits) into a reliable sidekick for Damian Lillard. Once the Blazers find some stronger running mates for their young backcourt, they should be back in the business of winning in short order.
Milwaukee Bucks
Rarely is team development a linear process in the NBA. Just because a squad improves from one year to the next doesn't mean that trend is going to continue unabated.
Just ask the Bucks. They went from 15 wins in 2013-14 to 41 wins last season but managed just six wins through their first 17 games of 2015-16.
The biggest culprit? Some serious defensive slippage, from second-best in 2014-15 to dead last through Sunday, per NBA.com.
That poor play has forced head coach Jason Kidd's hand. He started Jerryd Bayless and O.J. Mayo in place of Michael Carter-Williams and Jabari Parker in Charlotte, though it wasn't enough to stave off an 87-82 defeat.
"I think every player goes through a struggle during a season," Kidd explained, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Charles F. Gardner. "You just have to keep the course, keep fighting, keep playing hard and it will turn. You can't give in to it."
Minnesota Timberwolves
For all the talent, young and (really) old, that Minnesota has on hand, the Timberwolves can't seem to win without Ricky Rubio in the lineup. A 107-99 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers dropped the Wolves to 1-5 without the 25-year-old Spaniard, who injured an ankle just before Thanksgiving.
That doesn't say much for Minnesota's thus-far futile attempt to turn Zach LaVine into an NBA point guard. The UCLA product hasn't had any problems scoring as a starter:
Like most young guards, LaVine has run into problems on the defensive end. According to NBA.com, the Wolves have allowed 102 points per 100 possessions with LaVine on the floor, as opposed to just 91.7 with Rubio in the lineup.
Detroit Pistons
As Andre Drummond goes, so go the Pistons. Right now, neither player nor team is going so great.
Detroit had lost four of its last five games through Sunday. Over that same span, Drummond's production dropped to a more pedestrian 15.2 points on 46.6 percent shooting.
In the bespectacled eyes of head coach Stan Van Gundy, the big fella hasn't been bringing the noise or the funk as much of late.
"I didn't think he brought much energy to the Milwaukee game, and I didn't think he brought much energy tonight," Van Gundy said after a 16-point loss in Oklahoma City, per the Detroit Free Press' Vince Ellis. "Why that is, I don't know. But we need a lot more from him than we got tonight."
It probably doesn't help that through Sunday, Drummond was one of three starters, on a team with a terrible bench, to rank among the top 14 in the league in minutes per game.
Orlando Magic
So much for Victor Oladipo's being the new face of the Magic. Head coach Scott Skiles moved the former No. 2 pick to the bench just prior to Thanksgiving—for good reason, per Basketball Insiders' Steve Kyler: "As surprising as this move might seem from the outside, there has been a growing sense that Skiles was losing patience with the streaky shooting he was getting from his backcourt and the lack of a consistent three-point threat on the floor was making it unnecessarily hard."
Thus far, the move has paid off for Orlando. The Magic won their first three games with Oladipo as a reserve.
And Oladipo, for his part, has responded well, to the tune of 20 points, six rebounds and 5.7 assists across those three contests. Of course, if the Indiana product is better off as a reserve, the Magic will have to renew their search for both a backcourt buddy for Elfrid Payton and a player capable of cornerstone-caliber stardom.
No. 24, at the Tail End of His Prime
Los Angeles Clippers
Sunday's 107-99 win marked the first time all season the Clippers didn't lose the rebounding battle.
For the uninitiated, L.A.'s frontcourt sports the two-time defending rebounding champion (DeAndre Jordan) and a five-time All-Star (Blake Griffin) who started his career with back-to-back seasons averaging better than 20 points and 10 rebounds.
Remember Pat Riley's old truism, "No rebounds, no rings?" Well, according to NBA.com, the Clippers are the second-worst rebounding team in the league through Sunday, so Blake and DJ can (and probably should) steer clear of jewelry stores for the time being.
Houston Rockets
All it took was a 4-7 start—and five double-digit losses—for Kevin McHale to get the ax in Houston.
"It's not just 4-7," Rockets general manager Daryl Morey told NBA.com's David Aldridge after the ouster. "It's not just that we've been losing. It's how we're losing. We're losing by 10, 20 points to teams [we] have to beat at home in the Western Conference. We don't have time to wait. The defense just isn't there."
Not that the defense has gotten any better under interim coach J.B. Bickerstaff. In the first six games following McHale's firing, the Rockets held just one opponent (the Memphis Grizzlies and their bottom-10 offense) under 100 points and won three games, by a total of 12 points, against sub-.500 squads, including the winless Sixers by two.
Chances are, McHale wasn't the problem, but it's not as though the front office can fire the players for poor performance.
Memphis Grizzlies
Dave Joerger's head might have been on the chopping block by now, too, if not for Memphis' mini-shakeup to its roster. The Grizzlies won seven of their first nine games in which Mario Chalmers played while transforming into a far more respectable outfit on both ends:
Not that Joerger is out of the woods just yet. As NBA.com's David Aldridge pointed out, "Grizzlies are just 3-6 against upper-echelon teams (Golden State, San Antonio, Cleveland, OKC, Atlanta, Dallas, Clippers) so far this season."
That's not a good sign—for Joerger's job security or the Grizzlies' slim odds of title contention—if Basketball Insiders' Joel Brigham has it right: "For Joerger to have long-term security, however, will require a deeper playoff run. We'll see how Big Ball holds up in a conference full of Small Ballers once the postseason hits."
Dallas Mavericks
Think the Mavericks are ready to shock the basketball world and compete for a title this season? Think again.
Their sparkling 9-4 start lost a lot of its sheen during a recent three-game road trip. That'll happen when said swing includes stops in Oklahoma City, Memphis and San Antonio.
An upcoming stretch of games against sub-.500 squads should help to ease Dallas up the standings again. But if the Mavs can't compete with the West's non-Warriors contenders, what hope do they have of delivering Dirk Nowitzki to another title?
Washington Wizards
To paraphrase one Christopher Brian Bridges, "If you can't take the heat, get the heck out the kitchen."
The Wizards would do well to heed Luda's warning. According to Marcin Gortat, Washington's good vibes have been spoiled by lofty expectations—and the team's inability to meet them thus far.
"Everybody felt we were going to go high, we were going to go to the conference finals, stuff like that," Gortat said, according to the Washington Post's Jorge Castillo. "But we didn't make any particular trades or signings in the offseason so it’s not like we’re supposed to be a three times much better team this year."
Gortat should know. The Wizards' switch to a fast-paced, three-point-centric approach has exposed the Polish Hammer in the middle. His scoring, rebounding and shooting have slipped to their lowest levels since his days as Dwight Howard's backup in Orlando, despite having more of the middle to himself.
Solo Mamba
New York Knicks
The Kristappening can't Kristop the Porzing-Knicks from losing all on his own. New York dropped its last four games of November, despite squeezing 15.3 points, 11 rebounds and 3.3 blocks out of the lanky Latvian over that span.
Carmelo Anthony's recent illness didn't help. Neither did the Knicks' poor bench play during the recent swing through Florida.
New York has already come a long way since last season's 17-win disaster. Still, there's only so much even the Porzingawd can do on his own to keep the good times rolling at Madison Square Garden.
Phoenix Suns
You can excuse the Suns and their fans if they're wondering what could have been. Their 8-9 start through the end of November isn't bad, but their record would probably look a lot better if they'd hit on another of their free-agent targets.
No, not LaMarcus Aldridge, though he'd have been a great addition. I'm referring, instead, to DeMarre Carroll. Phoenix had its sights set on the University of Missouri product before Aldridge came into the picture.
Carroll explained to the Arizona Republic's Paul Coro:
"They (the Suns) were going to come visit me. It was going to be my third or fourth visit and they were going to come to my house but I ended up signing with Toronto.
LaMarcus had everybody held up. But I felt like Toronto was making me a priority and was a team that really wanted me. There were only a couple of those teams, outside of LaMarcus. Toronto was one of those teams. They chose me over LaMarcus so it made me feel wanted.
"
The fact that the Suns managed to beat the Raptors in Toronto, 107-102, doesn't negate their need for a wing like Carroll, given both P.J. Tucker's underwhelming play (6.2 points on 40 percent shooting) and the abundance of high-scoring wings out West.
Utah Jazz
So far, the Jazz are who we thought they were: a solid defensive team (seventh in defensive efficiency through Sunday, per NBA.com) that shoots poorly (20th in true shooting percentage) and, as a result, doesn't score a ton of points (19th in offensive efficiency).
That combination has been enough to keep Utah hovering right around the .500 mark through the team's first 15 games:
Injuries and absences—including those of Rodney Hood and Derrick Favors, respectively—have taken their toll. So has Rudy Gobert's clumsiness (h/t Bleacher Report's Andy Bailey):
A stretch of 13 out of 18 at home seems like a good time for the Jazz to get healthy and start stringing some wins together, even though they still have a long way to go before they can so much as sniff title contention.
Boston Celtics
Apparently, not everyone in Beantown is pleased with Brad Stevens' topsy-turvy rotations.
"We haven't built our identity yet as a unit," Celtics swingman Jae Crowder said after Boston's blowout loss to Orlando, per MassLive.com's Jay King. "Coaching staff hasn't figured it out yet. We don't have set rotations. We all want that. At the same time, [coaches are] trying to figure it out as well and so we've got to be patient with those guys."
That absence of consistency may have more to do with what the players are doing than any issues with the coaching staff. Without any dominant forces around which to organize their efforts, the C's have had to forge a collective identity in a star-driven game. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't.
"He's doing a great job," Isaiah Thomas said in praise of Stevens, per King. "Just as players, we've got to separate ourselves."
If Boston's own players can't create separation from one another, how are the Celtics supposed to get any, as a team, from the rest of the improving East?
Charlotte Hornets
What's more troubling: that Al Jefferson is hurt again, or that the Hornets have, statistically speaking, been better off with him on the bench?
According to the Charlotte Observer's Rick Bonnell, Jefferson originally injured his calf during an overtime win over the Kings but played through it against Washington and Cleveland before leaving early against Milwaukee in late November. The Hornets went on to beat the Bucks and, on the whole, have been 7.7 points per 100 possessions better when Big Al hasn't been on the floor, per NBA.com:
Kemba Walker and Nicolas Batum have played well enough this season to supplant Jefferson on Charlotte's web of its best players. Still, Jefferson remains an important piece of the puzzle in the Queen City. Whether he's limping around off the court or dragging down the Hornets on it, this can't be a good look for Michael Jordan's squad this season.
Three-Peat Kobe
Indiana Pacers
The transcendent play of Paul George, the newly christened Eastern Conference Player of the Week, may be surprising, given the leg injury he's come back from, but it's still well within the realm of plausibility. After all, he'd emerged as a franchise talent before suffering that gruesome tumble during a Team USA scrimmage and, at 25, is young enough to bounce back from that kind of freak occurrence.
What's freakier is how effective C.J. Miles has been on both ends of the floor. Offensively, he's posted career highs in points (15.4 per game) and three-point percentage (42.9 percent). Defensively, he's stood in (and taken a beating) at power forward, in a spot that George was once expected to fill.
It's entirely possible Miles has turned a corner in his career. But what are the chances that he keeps shooting the lights out on one end and locking down bigger, stronger foes on the other? As NBA.com's David Aldridge mused, "There's no way teams aren't going to challenge Miles' ability to handle bigger post players."
When that day comes, the Pacers' potential to contend in the East will really be put to the test.
Miami Heat
For all the big names the Heat have, and all the great defense they've played so far this season, there's still plenty of cause for pause on South Beach.
For one, it's a wonder how a team with so much scoring talent and a coach (Erik Spoelstra) who is so capable of maximizing it in a creative way could be merely middle-of-the pack in offensive efficiency, per NBA.com.
That may have something to do with the ages attached to the likes of Dwyane Wade (33), Chris Bosh (31), Luol Deng (30) and Goran Dragic (29). As Yahoo Sports' Michael Lee wrote:
"Wade and Bosh, neighbors and partners on two championship teams, are still capable of special nights but both are north of 30 and can no longer consistently carry teams as they have in the past. Dragic, whom Miami awarded with a five-year, $90 million extension last summer, is still navigating how to be aggressive while serving as the point guard on a team with multiple offensive options. Veteran Luol Deng, 30, has a resume that includes two all-star appearances, but Tom Thibodeau may have squeezed out the best years of his career in Chicago.
"
Youngsters such as Hassan Whiteside, Tyler Johnson and rookie Justise Winslow will help the Heat survive the long slog of the regular season. But this squad would be lucky to sniff the Larry O'Brien Trophy come spring if its older, more decorated constituents can't or don't hold up their end of the deal, due to declining health or general loss of basketball ability, when it matters most.
Toronto Raptors
No offense to Bismack Biyombo, who's been rebounding like a maniac (12.5 per game) since sliding into the Raptors starting lineup. But how in Aubrey Graham can Toronto hang with the beasts of the East without Jonas Valanciunas in the middle? The lithe Lithuanian fractured a bone in his left hand against the Lakers and is likely to miss another month or so of action as a result.
In the immediate term, that could take a significant toll on Toronto's success. According to NBA.com, Valanciunas' net rating is the second-best on the team—behind only James Johnson's—and far better than Biyombo's:
In the bigger picture, any lapses into the loss column could cost the Raptors dearly in both their pursuit of home-court advantage in the playoffs and, in turn, their attempt to get out of the first round for only the second time in franchise history.
Chicago Bulls
The hits just keep on coming in Chicago, and not in a good way. According to the Chicago Tribune's K.C. Johnson, Mike Dunleavy Jr. will be out at least another two weeks while consulting with specialists about his ailing back, Jimmy Butler has a bum heel, and Kirk Hinrich and Aaron Brooks are both battling injuries of their own.
Oh, and Derrick Rose still can't see—or shoot—straight as a result of his preseason injury. As Johnson detailed:
"At 36.3 percent, Rose is currently connecting at his second-lowest percentage of his career. He's 6-for-28 from 3-point range, a 21.4 percent that represents a career-low.
Perhaps more troubling, Rose is down to 40.7 percent shooting (24-for-59) in the restricted area, per advanced stats at nba.com. For perspective, Thunder star Russell Westbrook is shooting 56.5 percent in the restricted with more than double the attempts at 77-for-136.
"
If Chicago's recent history of health problems is any indication, these won't be the team's last bouts with the injury bug this season. And if that's the case, the Bulls might have a tough time finding a spot above the fray in the suddenly crowded Eastern Conference.
Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks are no longer fooling foes like they did last season. They're still a top-10 offensive outfit, but their defense has slipped to the middle of the pack, per NBA.com.
And in the improving East, any sort of slippage—especially one as dramatic as Atlanta's defensively—could mean the difference between sneaking back into the conference finals and getting knocked out in the first round of the playoffs.
Back-to-Back Mamba
San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs look like a powerhouse for the umpteenth year in a row. They've already strung together two separate winning streaks of at least five games, behind Kawhi Leonard's growth into an MVP-caliber cornerstone.
Trouble is, San Antonio has to get through Golden State if Tim Duncan is going to snag his sixth title. And if the Warriors' torrid start is any indication, the Spurs will have quite the wall to bust through come playoff time.
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder have the same Golden State problem the Spurs do: Namely, they'll have to overcome the Warriors if they're to bring a championship to OKC before Kevin Durant becomes a free agent.
Fortunately, Durant, the Western Conference Player of the Week, and Russell Westbrook have been dynamite together once again this season, per ESPN's Marc Stein:
Unfortunately for OKC, the Durant-Westbrook combination is only the team's third-most-used tandem so far, due in large part to KD's recent absences.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Players-only meetings are usually reserved for scuffling squads, not teams sitting atop the standings. Yet the Cavaliers held one of their own after a recent road loss to the Raptors dropped them to 11-4 on the young season.
"It's all mindset," LeBron James said after that defeat, per ESPN.com's Dave McMenamin. "It comes from within. I've always had it; my upbringing had me like that. It's either you got it or you don't."
Cleveland hasn't gotten the hint just yet. The Cavs needed a fourth-quarter bench comeback to fend off Charlotte on the road and a baby hook from Bron-Bron to beat Brooklyn at home.
And it's not as though the reinforcements are coming en masse. Timofey Mozgov returned from a shoulder injury against the Hornets, but the team still doesn't know when its starting backcourt (Kyrie Irving and Iman Shumpert) will be back.
Golden State Warriors
If the NBA awarded the Larry O'Brien Trophy in December, the Warriors would already have another piece of hardware to show off. Instead, they'll have to wait until April, May and June to defend their title.
In the meantime, Golden State is not going to remain undefeated forever, especially now that Harrison Barnes is out with a sprained ankle.
Then again, Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and company might have enough in the tank to hang tough without the Black Falcon, as they did in crushing the Kings and edging the Jazz to move to 19-0.
And, last anyone checked, there's leeway for a team to lose some games on the way to winning a title.
Stats are accurate as of games played on Nov. 29, 2015.
Josh Martin covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter.
