NBA Midseason Grades: Eastern Conference

With Kevin Garnett switching conferences in the offseason, it has given the East an elite player and a team that can challenge any Western conference team for the title.

After an unbelievable Eastern conference finals last season, the East has played like the East we've all come to see over the last couple of years. Then again, there are teams in the East at and below .500 currently holding playoff positions.

Although I believe the East has played better this year, the talent level between the East and West still favors the West.

Now onto the grades...

Atlanta Hawks (Grade: B)

This team is finally starting to realize it's tremendous potential with high-flyer Josh Smith and solid guard Joe Johnson. They are currently in the seventh spot in the East. That's right—the Atlanta Hawks are in the playoffs (if they started today).

Never mind that their record is below .500, the impressive thing about these Hawks is that they could be playing into May since the shortened season of 1998-99. They still could use a solid point guard to complement Joe Johnson in the backcourt, as well as continued development of rookie forward Al Horford.

Boston Celtics (Grade: A)

Kudos to GM Danny Ainge for pulling off the Kevin Garnett trade and acquiring sharp-shooting guard Ray Allen to go with forward Paul Pierce. The three form a scary trio of All-Stars. These moves have breathed new life into the Boston area and in their defense.

This defense is holding opponents to only 88.8 PPG, 42.1 field goal percentage, and 31.6 three-point percentage. After getting out to a 29-3 start, they have lost some games with an injured Garnett, but fully healthy this team puts a scare in any team it plays.

Cleveland Cavaliers (Grade: B)

The defending Eastern conference champs got off to a slow start with Anderson Varajeo and Sasha Pavlovic missing significant time. But a team with LeBron James isn't going to underachieve for too long, and they have responded. They are on a current 13-3 run that has led them to take a hold of the fourth spot in the East.

LeBron has taken his game to a level we haven't seen since the days of Oscar Robertson, averaging a near triple-double this season. This team is still a solid point guard away from being a legitimate contender. Bibby anyone?

Charlotte Bobcats (Grade: C-)

This team was said to have the pieces together for a serious playoff push this year after acquiring Jason Richardson from the Golden State Warriors, but they have underachieved considerably. With injuries to key players, they have not lived up to their expectations from His Airness and the media. Forward Gerald Wallace remains the best player on this team and he is only going to get better, which is scary for the rest of the East.

Chicago Bulls (Grade: F)

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