NBA Progress Report: A Review of Over/Unders, Pt. 2

Earlier I posted the first half of teams by predicted win total for preseason over/under purposes, along with analysis of how each one is measuing up so far. Now for the second half...

16. Hornets – Preseason Over/Under 40.5

18-13. Still well on pace for the Over. They’ve been slipping recently, but about half the Western Conference is pretty bad, so I think the Hornets can hang on to the Over. They went 5-6 in the last eighth.

17. Bobcats – 39.5

10-19. Falling further into the Under hole. If you bet the Under, I think you can safely assume the win. We may see a temporary Jason Garrett-like run with the coaching change, but the Bobcats are pretty bad and seemed poised to rebuild with the Wallace and Jackson trade rumors swirling around. Trading Augustin for Baron Davis, however, would be a giant mistake.

18. Grizzlies – 38.5

14-17. Slightly on pace for the Under. They’ve gone 6-3 this last eighth and confirmed my prediction from the 2/8ths post that this is a good team for a second half Over bet. They’re not entirely out of the playoff hunt, and the 7th and 8th seeds in the West are definitely reachable.

19. Clippers – 36.5

10-22. Way on pace for the Under. They’ve played better this last eighth including winning five of the last six. They’ve got Utah, Atlanta, Denver, Golden State, and Miami coming up in their homestand so we’ll see where the Clips stand.

T20. 76ers – 35.5

12-19. On pace for the Under. Another bad team playing slightly better. They’ve gone 5-5 this last eighth managing to care of business for the most part while losing to teams like the Celtics, Lakers and Bulls. They may be a sneaky play to reach the Over if they continue playing .500 and if they get anything out of Evan Turner.

T20. – Knicks – 35.5

18-12. Way on pace for the Over. Can’t believe them and the 76ers were given the same preseason over/under. In the 2/8ths post, I screamed: “DON’T BELIEVE THE HYPE!!!!!!!”

I’m mature enough to admit that perhaps I was wrong. The Knicks aren’t too bad. They beat the Thunder and the Bulls in their last two games, and also played the Celtics very tough in this last eighth. Not easy at all. But they now go on the road against Miami and Orlando. I still think that’s two losses.

T22. Wizards – 34.5

7-22. Way on pace for the Under. The Wizards got decimated with injuries (Wall), trades (Arenas), and fights (Blatche and McGee) this last eighth and only managed a single win going 1-9. Wall is not a franchise player and I’m not sure where the silver lining is for this team.

T22. Pacers – 34.5

13-15. On pace for the Over. They only went 3-6 this last eighth, but the Pacers are still a surprisingly good team. Not sure what happened to Darren Collison, though.

24. Pistons – 31.5

10-21. On pace for the Under. They go 3-7 this last eighth and turmoil is starting to swirl regarding Rip and Prince. The team finally does the right thing and inserts their high-priced bench into the starting lineup (Gordon plus Villaneuava), and now they just need to replace Wallace with Monroe. Time to let go of the past, Dumars.

25. Warriors – 30.5

12-18. Still on pace for the Over, but don’t expect that to last much longer. The Warriors were hot to start the year and have gone downhill steadily since then. This is a fantasy team and not a reality team.

To quote myself, “Curry and Ellis are stat monsters on a computer screen but little fairies in real life.”

26. Cavs – 29.5

8-22. Way on pace for the Under. They went 1-9 this last eighth and are 1-12 since LBJ returned to Cleveland and thrashed them. Stick a fork in them and celebrate if you bet the Under.

27. Kings – 27.5

5-23. Way on pace for the Under. They went 1-8 this last eighth. Rumors that Petri and Westphal may be out. Rumors that Evans may receive season-ending foot surgery. Rumors that Cousins is a fat bastard.

28. Raptors – 26.5

10-20. Hanging on to the Over despite going 2-7 this last eighth.

29. Nets – 25.5

9-22. On pace for the Under. They’ve been pluckier of late, and Sasha Vujacic has instilled some life into the team. Yet, I’m still waiting for Derrick Favors to be put into the starting lineup. Kris Humphries has about as much chance of being the PF of the future as he does of becoming Mr. Kardashian.

30. TWolves – 23.5

8-24. On pace for the under. Kevin Love’s historic season being lost on one of the worst teams in the League. Same with Michael Beasley’s MIP campaign.

Despite drafting eight points guards in the 2009 draft, the Wolves have Luke Ridnour starting at point. And all talk of Ricky Rubio coming to America have faded away. Oh, David Kahn.