Quick Hits: Post All-Star Game Analysis of Every NBA Team
Well, there is only about a month-and-a-half remaining of the lockout-shortened NBA season, yet plenty of things still seem unsettled. We do have a general idea of who will make the playoffs and who won't, but we still don't know how good certain teams are.
Let's break down what we do know and predict what may happen down the stretch, team-by-team:
Atlanta Hawks—They are the same Hawks that we have been watching for several years now. They'll finish with a solid record, earn a solid seed and then get bounced by a clearly superior team in the postseason. Also, while I really like Jeff Teague and think he is going to be a very nice player in this league, he needs to get those assist numbers up (he is averaging only 4.3 per game).
Boston Celtics—Do we really know this team? They have been battling injuries all year long. When healthy, they have shown they can still be a legitimate threat. The question is, will they be healthy come playoff time? Also, count me on the side that says Rajon Rondo will not be dealt before the trade deadline. And another gut feeling: The Celtics will win the Atlantic Division, as the Philadelphia 76ers have been faltering, as I suspected would happen.
Charlotte Bobcats—Plain and simple, they are horrendous. Could they be the worst team we've ever seen? It's very possible. Michael Jordan and company really need to hit it big in the draft over the next couple of years. Hopefully for the Bobcats, they get the No. 1 pick this year and can draft someone like Anthony Davis or Andre Drummond (although I am not too entirely sure of Davis' NBA prospects).
Chicago Bulls—Chicago is doing what it did last year during the regular season. The Bulls are certainly a very good team, but will Derrick Rose actually get some help in the playoffs? He didn't last year against the Miami Heat. Someone other than the defending MVP is going to need to step up (I'm looking at you, Carlos Boozer).
Cleveland Cavaliers—The Cavaliers really aren't half-bad, thanks much in part to rookie Kyrie Irving. Tristan Thompson, Cleveland's other rookie first-round pick, is also playing pretty well as of late. What I really think the Cavs should do is trade Ramon Sessions, as he is a very nice point guard who is obviously never going to get a chance with Irving in the fold. I imagine Cleveland could get something relatively solid in return.
Dallas Mavericks—Well, things have gotten so bad with Lamar Odom that the Mavericks sent him down to the D-League just to get his head on straight. He obviously is only going to be there temporarily, but regardless, that is never a good sign. Not that it should surprise anyone given the loss of players like Tyson Chandler and J.J. Barea, but this Dallas team is not even close to the one that won a title last season.
Denver Nuggets—The Nuggets are a very fun team to watch, but that's pretty much all they are. Don't get me wrong; they're solid, but this team isn't anything more than seventh or eighth seed in the West. On another note, it is very nice to see Corey Brewer showing glimpses of why he was a lottery pick a few years ago. Also, how about the play of rookie forward Kenneth Faried? Anyone who watched even the slightest bit of him at Morehead State should have seen this coming.
Detroit Pistons—Detroit had a very nice month of February, and it looks like Greg Monroe is blossoming into a star. The Pistons certainly have two very nice pieces to build around in Monroe and rookie point guard Brandon Knight. Unfortunately though, it looks like Austin Daye is a lost cause.
Golden State Warriors—The Warriors definitely have issues; perhaps the biggest one being that they lack an identity. They are getting absolutely nothing from their centers (what in the world happened to Andris Biedrins?), and my goodness, what is it going to take for Stephen Curry to stay healthy? Even when he is on the floor, I think it is time to accept the fact that he and Monta Ellis cannot coexist and that one of them (preferably Ellis) needs to be moved.
Houston Rockets—At the beginning of the year I expressed my admiration for the Rockets' young talent and thought that they could be a club to reckon with down the road. However, that might happen much sooner than we think, as Houston looks like it is going to be a playoff team this year. The Rockets are getting outstanding point guard play from Kyle Lowry, and role players such as Chandler Parsons, Patrick Patterson and Chase Budinger have really been playing well.
Indiana Pacers—If you didn't think Indiana was going to be a good team this season, then I don't know what to tell you. The Pacers are absolutely loaded with talent from top to bottom, and I'll tell you what: Paul George possesses the ability to develop into one of the better all-around players in the league.
Los Angeles Clippers—Lob City suffered a big blow when Chauncey Billups ruptured his Achilles, but make no mistake: This team is still good enough to make some noise without him. The addition of Kenyon Martin gave them some nice depth up front, and in terms of the team's backcourt, Randy Foye has really upped his level of play in Billups' absence. It would be nice if someone like Ryan Gomes or Eric Bledsoe could give the Clippers something, though.
Los Angeles Lakers—Things are getting quite messy for the Lakers as Pau Gasol is uncertain about his future, and Kobe Bryant is upset about that very thing, as he feels the front office should make a decision already. That said, Los Angeles is still very much a contender, and it would not surprise me to see the team make a move to better itself by the trade deadline (and that doesn't have to mean Dwight Howard).
Memphis Grizzlies—It appears that Zach Randolph is getting closer to returning, and while I think his presence will make Memphis that much more dangerous, there is also the possibility that it messes with team chemistry. Still, with the way Randolph played in last year's postseason, I'm sure the Grizzlies will welcome him back with open arms. Assuming he comes back at full strength, keep an eye on the Grizz; they might surprise some people (again) come playoff time.
Miami Heat—They're doing what pretty much everyone expected them to do during the regular season, but, of course, that is not where the Heat are ultimately judged. What matters is what they do in the playoffs, and it appears that their road to a championship will face a bit less resistance this year than it did last time around.
Milwaukee Bucks—Brandon Jennings got off to a very good start, but now, for the third time in his three seasons in the league, he is shooting below 40 percent from the floor. He really needs to work on his shot selection if he wants to develop into an elite point guard. Also, once again, Andrew Bogut is hurt. It's a shame, too. He was turning into a very good center.
Minnesota Timberwolves—While I don't think they'll make the playoffs this year (although they are right in the thick of things), there is definitely a lot to be excited about in Minnesota for the future. Ricky Rubio has infinitely surprised me, averaging just over eight assists per game in his rookie season. Also, Nikola Pekovic is having a very impressive campaign, particularly in the month of February where he averaged 16.3 points and just under 10 rebounds per contest. Finally, Derrick Williams has demonstrated numerous times why he was the No. 2 overall pick in this past year's draft. The kid is going to be special.
New Jersey Nets—Right now, the Nets' situation looks like this: If they don't acquire Howard through trade or as a free-agent during the offseason they might be cooked, as it looks like Deron Williams re-signing hinges on whether or not New Jersey brings in the disgruntled Orlando Magic center. Fortunately for the Nets, Brook Lopez has returned from injury, giving them a key piece in a potential Dwight deal. If the soon-to-be Brooklyn franchise does not grab Howard and Williams walks? I don't even want to imagine what that would do to the organization.
New Orleans Hornets—The Hornets are pretty dreadful, but one would think they would be considerably better had Eric Gordon, the main piece they got in return from the Clippers for Chris Paul, had not gotten injured after the second game of the season. Al-Farouq Aminu, another important player that came over in the Paul deal, has been a huge disappointment, and second-year player Xavier Henry hasn't given New Orleans much of anything.
New York Knicks—The Knicks are another one of those teams whom we don't really know yet. The whole Jeremy Lin coming out party occurred while Carmelo Anthony was injured, and now that Anthony is back, there is obviously an adjustment period. Also, Baron Davis is now finally healthy, adding yet another issue into the fold. However, if Lin and Anthony can effectively coexist (and I see no reason why they can't) and Davis can be consistently productive, New York could end up being a very dangerous team come playoff time.
Orlando Magic—Despite the fact that Howard is clearly on the trade block, Orlando has actually been playing very well, looking as if it will certainly earn a very nice seed in the playoff picture. Still, that doesn't mean the Magic are actually legitimate title contenders, because they aren't. Not right now, anyway. If they can go out and land Steve Nash like Dwight wants? Well, then we might be talking. At the moment, though, the main focus on Orlando is whether or not Howard gets dealt before the Mar. 15 deadline.
Philadelphia 76ers—Are they beginning to show their true colors? I think so. The 76ers are a solid team, but they are not the juggernaut that they were making some believe they were when they were blowing out easy competition at the start of the season. Philadelphia is very athletic and is an entertaining squad to watch, but my money is on both Boston and New York surpassing them in the division when it's all said and done.
Phoenix Suns—They just aren't a very good team, and one seriously has to wonder if Nash's remarkable run in Phoenix is coming to a close. That said, he has never publicly asked out or even made so much as a peep that he is unhappy, so who knows? One thing the Suns do have, though, is a very good center in Marcin Gortat, who is averaging 16 points and 10.4 boards per game. Who expected that?
Portland Trail Blazers—Portland started out the year hot, but it has plummeted since and is currently on the outside looking in of the Western Conference playoff picture. There is certainly an ample amount of talent here and because of that, I really don't understand why the Blazers are merely hovering around .500. Perhaps Gerald Wallace's ridiculously inconsistent play has something to do with it. If he can find himself again, I think Portland makes the postseason.
Sacramento Kings—You really have to be excited for the Kings' future. In a couple of years this is going to be a team that strikes fear into its opponents as DeMarcus Cousins is developing into an animal before our eyes and Isaiah Thomas, the last pick of the 2011 NBA Draft, is turning into one of the most exciting players in the league. Sacramento also has a prolific scoring guard in Marcus Thornton, plus plenty of depth. The Kings will challenge for a playoff spot next season. Book it.
San Antonio Spurs—The Spurs have been playing out of their minds, recently stringing together 11 straight wins, and much of that came without Manu Ginobili. Tony Parker is having an incredible season, and players such as Tiago Splitter, Kawhi Leonard and Gary Neal have been providing San Antonio with some solid depth. All of that said, we saw the Spurs do this last year, and then they lost in the first round. In their defense, Ginobili wasn't healthy, but, really; when is Ginobili healthy anymore?
Toronto Raptors—The Raptors were actually somewhat interesting to watch when Andrea Bargnani was healthy, but that was over a month ago. Now, I guess monitoring the progression of some of Toronto's other young players (such as DeMar Derozan, Ed Davis and Jerryd Bayless) will have to do, but none of them have exactly been lighting the world on fire. I thought this could be the year that DeRozan moved himself onto the brink of star status, but he has actually regressed significantly. How significantly, you ask? Well, he shot 46.7 percent from the floor last season. This year? He's shooting 40.9 percent.
Utah Jazz—Utah surprised a lot of people at the beginning of the season as the Jazz got off to a very nice start. Since then, though, they have been what everyone pretty much anticipated: a .500 ballclub. That is not to say there isn't a lot to be excited about in the coming years if you're a fan of the team, though, as Utah has a plethora of talent in the frontcourt that could make it a very scary squad down the road. Derrick Favors needs to develop some kind of consistency, however.
Washington Wizards—Even if the Bobcats are the worst in the league, the Wizards are the league's biggest laughing-stock. It seems like we see a highlight of the incredibly talented JaVale McGee doing something stupid every morning on ESPN, and it just seems as if the rest of the team doesn't care. The thing is, there is a lot of ability on this roster. McGee could be one of the best big men in the game if he puts his mind to it, and a backcourt that consists of John Wall and Nick Young with Jordan Crawford and Shelvin Mack coming off the bench is no joke. However, there is clearly something "missing" here, and it certainly wasn't all the fault of Flip Saunders, as Washington has gotten no better since he was axed in late January.
