NBA Makeovers: 6 Teams That'll Go From Scrubs To Competitors in 2011
The world of sports is filled with comebacks, when teams or players go from bad to good within a span of time.
Well, considering there are 30 teams in the NBA today, there has to be a group of teams that "get it together" after starting off on the wrong foot.
For teams like the Los Angeles Clippers (who started out 1-9 in their first 10 games), Houston Rockets (who started out 3-7), Memphis Grizzlies (who started 4-6), and others, the idea of a comeback may have seemed out of reach.
But now, these teams have begun to pick up the slack and are fighting for playoff spots.
The point is, most teams in the NBA, whether they are 0-30 or 30-0, can either make a comeback or head into a bad losing streak.
But what separates good teams from bad is whether or not a team decides to fight back.
In this article I will be listing six teams that'll go from scrubs in 2010 to competitors in 2011. Hope you enjoy!
6: Philadelphia 76ers
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The Philadelphia 76ers are currently sitting at the ninth spot in the East with a 15-23 record. Though they have lost two straight, the 76ers have definitely made an improvement from the beginning of the season.
Starting the season out with a losing record, Coach Collins, Andre Iguodala and Jrue Holiday have made a great effort to go from zero to hero.
The 76ers started the season with a undesirable 8-14 record in the first 22 games. For a team in a rough city like Philly, a losing record just wasn't cutting it.
Now the 76ers are only a couple games back from the eighth playoff spot.
The 76ers aren't a team to look over. They may as well end up being one of the lower seeds in this year's playoffs.
Kudos to the 76ers for making a comeback.
5: Memphis Grizzlies
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If you want to hear about a team that found a way out of the gutters, it has to be the Memphis Grizzlies.
In their first 22 games they went a horrid 8-14, losing their first four games in the month of December.
The Grizzlies are now sitting in the ninth spot in the West and have gone 6-4 in their last 10 games.
They're a young team with a lot of talent and potential. Watch out—this team could be another Oklahoma City Thunder of last year's playoffs.
4: Houston Rockets
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One of the early disappointments of the season was the Houston Rockets. Star big man Yao Ming was again injured and young guard Aaron Brooks struggled with a severe ankle injury that kept him out close to a month.
But in the recent goings of the season, the Rockets have somewhat picked up their game.
The Rockets had a rocky start to the 2010-2011 season, going 9-13 in the first 22 games. They started off 0-4 and with the aforementioned injuries, it was no surprise that this team struggled in the early goes of the season.
However, Houston is now back within realistic range of making the playoffs once again.
They are sitting at the 10th spot in the West (behind Memphis and Portland) and they have a reasonable record of 17-22.
When you have a bright young star in Brooks and a skilled big man in Luis Scola, there is always the chance of making the playoffs. Though they may not be one of the best teams in the league, the Rockets can definitely compete.
3: Portland Trail Blazers
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Many of you may be wondering about the appearance of the Portland Trail Blazers in this article, but if you take a look at the team now and the team before with Brandon Roy, one cannot deny the difference.
In the beginning of the season the Blazers went a mediocre 11-11 in the first 22 games.
Of course, we all know that star Brandon Roy was struggling with a serious knee injury, but there was a sense that Roy was in a way hurting the team by playing.
With Roy gone, unknown players such as Wesley Matthews have made names for themselves and star LaMarcus Aldridge has begun to show his true potential.
The Blazers are currently sitting at the 8th spot with a record of 20-19, which obviously means if the regular season ended right now, they would be playoff-bound.
For a young team that has so much potential, teams such as the Utah Jazz, Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks and the San Antonio Spurs—who may end up as the No.1 seed the West—sure better hope they don't have to face off against the Blazers because they sure are picking it up.
The Rose Garden isn't for the faint heart.
2: Charlotte Bobcats
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One may wonder, Where have the Bobcats gone? Well, honestly, the Bobcats have somewhat disappeared off the map.
Just a couple of years ago, this was one of the underdog teams that many were rooting for.
Though the Bobcats weren't very successful in the playoffs, everyone knew that this team had some good pieces in a mixed-up puzzle.
The Bobcats started the season with an interesting record, going 9-13 in the first 22 games; the word "interesting" was thrown in there because this team truly does have some serious talent and potential with Gerald Wallace, D.J. Augustin, Stephen Jackson and Boris Diaw.
But we haven't really seen their true potential—yet.
The good sign for the Bobcats is that they are sitting at the 8th spot in the East with a record of 15-21. Yes, it is pathetic that the East still allows sub-.500 teams to make the playoffs.
Nonetheless, the Bobcats deserve to make the playoffs and if they do, they may have the talent to compete with top-tier teams such as the Magic, Heat and Celtics.
1: Los Angeles Clippers
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One of the biggest turnarounds of the year so far has to be the Los Angeles Clippers.
Blake Griffin and Eric Gordon have led this very young and unsuccessful team to a place Clipper fans have wanted to be for a long time—which is not in last place, sad to say.
Not to take anything away from the Clippers, but there is no doubt that they probably haven't been taken seriously since they became an official NBA team.
But these next couple of years may prove to be the biggest turnaround for an organization in the history of the sport—as long as Griffin stays and avoids the "Clipper Curse."
The Clippers started the season with a typically slow start, going 5-17 in the first 22 games. Since then they have gone 9-7 and are sitting at the 13th spot in the West.
Now, I'm guessing most of you are close to laughing out loud, but if you have watched any recent games of the Clippers, you can probably agree that there is a definite improvement in the team.
For once in the Clippers' history, there actually may be some hope of making the playoffs, realistically as the No. 8 or possibly the No. 7 seed.
If there is one team that can go from being a scrub to a serious competitor in the West, the Clippers have to be it.
We will all find out in the outcomes of the next couple of years.
