10 Off-the-Wall Predictions for the Second Quarter of the NBA Season

The first quarter of the NBA season was both exciting and surprising all around the league.

What we have is a good idea of what each team is made of at this point of the season. There's still a lot of basketball to be played, though, and things can change in the NBA quickly.

Here's a quick look at 10 bold predictions for the next quarter of the NBA season.

The New York Knicks Will Go on a Tear

I was looking for an under .500 team that can get hot in the next month or so, and the Knicks are the best possible choice.

There's two ways to look at things, though.

One, Carmelo Anthony could shoot this team right into the bottom of the Eastern Conference, getting Mike D'Antoni fired and causing a locker room rift with Amar'e Stoudemire in the process.

Another way to look at the Knicks is that they have severely underachieved throughout the first quarter and have too much talent not to get things turned around.

They will be back in the Atlantic Division race by the halfway point.

Philadelphia Will Come Back to the Middle of the Pack

Doing just the opposite here, I'm looking for a team that got off to a strong start through the first quarter of the season, but will come back to earth very shortly.

It's been a great start for the Sixers, but they will have their struggles through the next month or so.

They've made a living beating up on bad teams so far, with only two of their 12 wins coming against teams currently with a winning record.

Their schedule gets much tougher, though, with 12 of their next 19 games against over .500 teams, including a brutal seven-game stretch that features games against Orlando, Chicago, Miami, Atlanta, the Lakers, San Antonio and the Clippers.

The only good news is that six of those seven games are at home.

Boston Will Trade One of Their Big Three

Danny Ainge said a while back that he would give it another 10 games before exploring trade opportunities.

The Celtics schedule isn't that difficult upcoming, but is this team good enough to go on a run?

That's still up in the air, but if they don't, Ainge will be aggressive and begin ripping this team apart.

Dwight Howard Will Still Be in a Magic Uniform

Speaking of trades, I'm sure we will get our weekly three updates from Howard reassuring everyone that he still wants traded, but much to his displeasure, Howard will still be wearing an Orlando Magic jersey at the halfway point.

Looking at trades in general, I don't expect anything to happen with Howard or Deron Williams.

Boston could make the only major move by dealing one of their stars, but I don't anticipate anything else major across the NBA.

Atlanta Will Lead the Southwest Division

Many expect the Miami Heat to run away with the Southwest Division, and while that likely is still going to happen, the Atlanta Hawks are the team that will be sitting at the top of that division by the halfway point.

I've been waiting for the Hawks to fall off since the Al Horford injury, but they keep on winning.

Their upcoming schedule isn't that tough, even though 10 of their next 17 games are on the road, but the Hawks will be the surprise of the NBA at the halfway point.

If there is any team that should contemplate a major move in an attempt to go for it, it could be Atlanta.

Oklahoma City and Chicago Will Separate Themselves

The top team in each conference will look exactly like it does right now.

Oklahoma City will separate themselves from the rest of the Western Conference as the clear team to beat. In the process, Kevin Durant will be the MVP of the first half of the season.

In the east, despite the injury to Luol Deng, the Bulls will continue to be the best team in the conference at the halfway point.

Their defensive effort alone gives them a chance to win every game they play.

The Clippers Will Pull Away from the Lakers

The Clippers lead the Pacific Division by a game right now, but by the halfway point of the season, they will pull away from everyone else in the division, including the Los Angeles Lakers.

By the halfway point, the Clippers will look like a well-oiled machine compared to the Lakers, whose holes on the roster will exposed even further, as they will look more like a mediocre team then a legitimate contender.

Los Angeles could turn into Clipperland sooner then anyone thought.

Kobe Bryant Will Sound off

Bryant wants to go on a tirade, and he won't be able to control it anymore after the Lakers continue to struggle.

His frustrations will be pointed directly at general manager Mitch Kupchak and coach Mike Brown.

Will they make the necessary moves to please Bryant and turn their season around?

Only time will tell, but Bryant won't be happy until they do.

Houston Will Emerge as the Southwest Division Leader

Things looked early on like the Rockets were heading to another horrible season, but Kevin McHale got this team turned around.

Led by Kyle Lowry, who should be an All-Star, the Rockets are on a tear, and that tear will continue right to the top of the Southwest Division.

They also could be viewed as the NBA's biggest surprise, and look for them to continue their hot streak.

Another Coach Will Be Fired

Someone will join Paul Westphal and Flip Saunders on the unemployment line.

There are several candidates on bad teams, including Paul Silas, Lawrence Frank, Dwane Casey and others, but there could be a surprise out there.

Could it be Mike Brown in Los Angeles? You never know if Bryant becomes unhappy.

Either way, someone is gone at the halfway point.