The Sixth Best Team In The NBA
At the All-Star Break, the race for the championship has narrowed further. Almost everyone agrees that the top tier in the league are (in no particular order since this is where the dispute arises) the Lakers, Celtics, Cavaliers, Spurs and the Magic (although with Jameer Nelson's injury, they are joining the rest of the pack).
It is virtually inconceivable that any other team out of the remaining 25 who could conceivably wrestle the title away from these five titans. Of the next tier, who is the most likely to join the ranks of the elites, let us look at the contenders:
The Hawks have been almost akin to the Clippers of the East for some time with back-to-back-to-back high lottery picks and flubbing them in the process (Marvin Williams over Chris Paul/Deron Williams the most notable of them) and looking like a team that is going nowhere.
Enter Joe Johnson and Mike Bibby, two veterans who galvanized the talented young ones into a playoff team who gave the Celtics quite a scare. Despite losing Josh Childress in the off-season, the Hawks continued to blossom with a 31-21 record at the All-Star break.
Joe Johnson is a bona fide All-Star, Josh Smith could be one and Al Horford is an undersized centre with tremendous heart and grit. Marvin Williams in spite of being much maligned is a decent player and Mike Bibby in spite of his faults is still a useful leader on the floor.
Yet, the Hawks have two main flaws, one is the lack of size and the other is their bench. Solomon Jones, Zaza Pachulia, Acie Law et al are not going to be challenging for the sixth man of the year any time soon. Nor are Josh Smith and Al Horford going to give match-up problems to the Lakers or the Celtics any time soon, in spite of their athleticism and talents.
2) Miami Heat
After an abysmal 15 wins season, Miami are sitting pretty with a 28-24 record now, good for fifth in the east. Trading away the Matrix and contract stinker Marcus Bank for Jermaine O'Neal and Jamario Moon, the Heat look to have solved their greatest weakness, the lack of a big man in the post.
Jermaine O'Neal may be a pretty one-dimensional offensive player but when (if) healthy, he is still good for more than his fair share of rebounds and blocks. Not to mention, his one-dimensional offense is an upgrade over whatever makeshift center the Heat currently roll out.
With Marion gone, Udonis Haslem could start at the 4 with the talented Michael Beasley playing at the 3. Mario Chalmer's surprisingly strong play has given the Heat the best 2nd round point guard since Gilbert Arenas.
Of course none of those sound like a playoff contender without Dwyane Wade, the best shooting guard not named Kobe. Coming back from a myriad of injuries, Wade has been more impressive than ever averaging 28.3 ppg and 7.0 apg, making a case for MVP together with Lebron and Kobe.
If Jermaine O'Neal's health can hold up, he can give Miami the missing interior steel since the other O'Neal left town.
Are the Miami Heat a serious contender then? The answer is simply no. A team with Wade is always good for an upset against any team, but it is hard to imagine Beasley and gang stepping up once the Celtics play the 'Jordan rules' on Wade ala the 2007 playoffs against Joe Johnson.
Miami are also handicapped by their lack of a Lebron stopper and unless ol' Riles pull off some magic, the second round of the playoffs are as far as the Heat could possibly get.
The third best team in the West with a 36-17 record, the Denver Nuggets most be one of the most pleasant surprises in the West this season.
When they unceremoniously dumped Marcus Camby for just about nothing, most analyst were suggesting that the Nuggets were sinking faster than the Dow Jones. With one spectacular trade (as well as the surprise resurgence of Nene) the Nuggets are nipping at the heels of the elite.
Chauncey Billups provided the leadership that the Nuggets so desperately needed, an unselfish playmaker, he meshed perfectly with the Nuggets. Though Melo may have some problems with injury, there is no doubt he is one of the most explosive offensive 3s around.
Together with the aforementioned Nene and a relatively healthy Kenyon Martin, the Nuggets have a pretty potent core, not to mention having the luxury of bringing J.R. Smith and Linas Kleiza off the bench for that extra spark.
Unfortunately, the Nuggets have pretty much the same problem with the Hawks, size. Against the Lakers and indeed the Spurs, the 6-11 Nene will have his work cut out, especially when paired with the 6-9 Kenyon Martin.
Denver may have improved markedly compared with last season, but considering how they struggled to beat Spurs who rested their big 3, no one can reasonably expect the Nuggets to beat the Spurs over seven games.
4) Portland Trailblazers
The Blazers are a team on the rise, no question about it. Not when three year (and two time All-Star) Brandon Roy plays the way he does. Not when shrewd trading and drafting helped them to build a strong young core that is the envy of every NBA team.
LaMarcus Aldridge is a skilled PF with pretty decent shooting and Greg Oden in spite of appearances, is a young 7 footer that could develop into a dominant force in the paint.
Rudy Fernandez and Jerryd Bayless could conceivably have a long distinguished NBA career in front of them.
No one can afford to take the Blazers lightly, especially if Brandon Roy continues to grow his game in this manner. He has the most complete and well-rounded game of any current player this side of Kobe.
However, their lack of playoff experience could doom them against the Lakers and the Spurs. Their frontcourt especially, will be carved up by the likes of Gasol and Duncan. Not to fret though, if the Blazers front office do lose their mind en masse, this Blazers team will be challenging for honors, in a couple of year's time.
I could write a lot on why the Rockets could be up there but why they are not. Ultimately it boils down to this: they have the talent but health and T-Mac's heart will keep them from joining the elite.
In the end, the dark horse of the competition is this team:
6) Utah Jazz
With their myriad of injuries, they could have had a ready excuse for mediocrity (I am looking at you Wizards) but somehow they managed to stay in the playoff hunt with a 30-23 record, even with Deron Williams, Carlos Boozer, Andrei Kirilenko, Mehmet Okur all missing games.
Now Williams is back, playing like a man possessed (32.5 ppg and 9.3 apg over the last 4 games) and Boozer and Kirilenko are slated to return soon, you have to fancy the Jazz for a deep playoff run.
When healthy, the Jazz have one of the deepest teams in the league. Heck, Boozer goes down and his replacement averages 14.7 ppg and 9.2 rpg a game, how many teams have a starting PF with that kind of production, let alone a replacement.
AK47 moves to the bench to challenge Manu Ginobili for the Sixth Man of the Year award and he seems to be rejuvenated. Mehmet Okur shoots better from downtown than a lot of guards and is a decent rebounder.
When Boozer comes back, the Jazz will have their 20-10 PF again, when he doesn't they get nearly a 15-10 from Milsap, which ain't too shabby.
Yet the X-factor of the Jazz is Deron Williams and Jerry Sloan. A rarity in longevity, Jerry Sloan has been around for 20 years and unlike Elgin Baylor, he didn't stay there because the owner was sleeping on it. Sloan is the best coach never to have won COY and frequently gets the best from his players.
What separates the Jazz from the boys however is Deron Williams, their quarterback and difference maker. It is almost criminal that Deron Williams has not been an All-Star given his talent and production (although this year the omission is more palatable because of his injuries), but I wouldn't bet against him making the All-NBA team when this season is over.
Williams can score and dish and has the size to keep the bigger guards at bay whilst overpowering the smaller ones. The Achilles heel of this team however is the 2 guard, they either start Ronnie Brewer—a great perimeter defender but virtually worthless on the offense other than D-Will assisted fast breaks—or Kyle Korver—an assassin from downtown with the defensive prowess of Steve Nash.
If Carlos Boozer can come back motivated (especially since the realization that Miami has effectively no more cap space for him) and the injury bug decides to give the Jazz a break, they could well be the dark horse of the 2008-2009 NBA playoffs.
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
