Tap Dancing & Trade Tally

Since I can’t complain about going 14 for 16 on my playoff picks this season I have to bring up the disparity in conferences once again.  Because of the unbalanced schedule this year no team from the East managed to crack the top 15 in strength of schedule.  That’s right; the 15 toughest schedules this season were from the West and the 15 easiest from the East.

EAST

I had in…

8. Milwaukee Bucks – At this point I’m shocked that Coach Scott Skiles hasn’t been fired yet.  He’s 146-166 in four years, his team clearly quit on him, there were reports that he wanted out after the season AND that he’d like the recently vacated Orlando coaching job.  I like GM John Hammond but tying his wagon to Skiles when both will be lame ducks in 2012-13 is questionable at best.  With Owner Herb Kohl angling for a new arena I think some big changes are coming in Milwaukee, maybe even a new owner.

I had out…

10. Atlanta Hawks – Al Horford (torn left pectoral) missed 55 games, Josh Smith & Marvin Williams both requested trades, Kirk Hinrich regressed terribly (career low 9.28 PER) and they had seven veterans on one-year minimum salary contracts…yet they still somehow made the playoffs.  This explains why I gave Coach Larry Drew a third place vote for Coach of the Year.  Besides Drew’s coaching the other bright spots were the emergence of third-year PG Jeff Teague rookie PF Ivan Johnson.

WEST

I had in…

6. Portland Trail Blazers – This is what I get for picking a team without a GM.  Interim personnel man Chad Buchanan ended up firing Coach Nate McMillan after 43 games (he was 20-23 & 266-269 career in PDX) then dumping the contracts of starters Marcus Camby and Gerald Wallace in trades and releasing Greg Oden.  I give kudos to Owner Paul Allen’s shadow government (the Vulcan’s) for making the call to blow things up and start over but I have absolutely no faith in this franchise’s ability to rebuild itself.

I had out…

11. Utah Jazz – You have to give Director Kevin O’Connor credit for the squad he built.  They are chockfull with talented young players on their rookie contracts like Derrick Favors, Enes Kantor, Gordon Hayward and Alec Burks and also have quality veterans like Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap and Devin Harris.  The best part is they currently have NO ONE under contract after the 2012-13 season.  I was obviously wrong in thinking they were a year away but not many franchises are set up better for the future. 

Final Trade Tally

#1 (Games/PER)

Goran Dragic – 66/18.03 (a career year)

Kevin Martin – 40/16.60 (sulked a lot)

Luis Scola – 66/15.50 (looked tired)

Lamar Odom – 50/9.26 (Per Marc Stein’s sources Odom was on his way to New Jersey for the first round pick the Nets gave to Portland in the Gerald Wallace trade meaning LO would have never played a game on the Bayou.  So New Orleans would have had the 1^st, 6^th and 16^th picks with this trade and with word that Lamar wants to play for the Knicks this coming season maybe he doesn’t implode back home in the New York area.)

New York’s pick – 16^th

#2

Eric Gordon – 9/19.23 (Hurt all season and I still think he gets signed-and-traded to Indiana for Danny Granger this summer.  And if all the Hornets end up with for Chris Paul is Granger, Aminu and the 10^th pick…WOW!)

Chris Kaman – 47/15.42 (Played well but is unlikely to re-sign.)

Al-Farouq Aminu – 66/10.68 (Still not sure he’s an NBA player.)

Minnesota’s pick – 10^th