Back to the NBA

You’ve probably noticed, or maybe you haven’t, that I took a different approach to writing about the NBA this season.  People always say that no one pays attention to the NBA until after the Super Bowl.  So it’s in that same vein that I’ve decided to work my way into this season much like Shaquille O’Neal used to do in his Laker days.

Truth be told this year I’ve watched the least amount of NBA that I have since I first got League Pass eons ago.  I’m sure I still follow the Association closer than most people but I’m no longer in the 90^th percentile like I used to be.  I just can’t watch games from 4-10 Pacific every day like when I was young.  The other factor is that NBA analysis has become so intensely numbers oriented that I can no longer compete on that level.  So rather than try and explain all these newfangled statistics that define the game now I’m going to lower the professionalism level a bit in hopes of possibly being an entertaining read.

LEAST

1. *Indiana Pacers (39-10) – I picked them to win it all and am feeling pretty good about it.  I do worry about the recently signed Andrew Bynum messing with their chemistry but other than that they play defense, rebound and a have an “eff you” edge to them.  They have a big trade chip in Danny Granger’s expiring contract but I’m not so sure GM Larry Bird plans on parlaying it.

2. *Miami Heat (35-14) – They are admittedly coasting and it shows.  Their defensive metrics are much worse than the previous two seasons and they still get outrebounded regularly.  I know there’s a lot of talk about Greg Oden’s return but the key for them to beat Indiana will be the state of Dwyane Wade’s knees.  They keep saying they have a maintenance plan for Wade to rest but I think the truth is far more pessimistic.

3. Toronto Raptors (26-24) – They were the second team to jettison Rudy Gay and immediately get better.  The word on the street was that GM Masai Ujiri wanted to blow things up and tank but Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan (first time All-Star) have been too good and the Least too bad.  I had them 10^th in the preseason for the record.

4. Atlanta Hawks (25-24) – I had them 9^th in October and when Al Horford (torn right pectoral) was lost for the season I figured they were done.  That was before I knew that Mike Budenholzer was a good coach.  They are in the running with Toronto to finish as the third best team in the Least.

5. *Washington Wizards (24-25) – This is one of favorite teams to watch in the Least mainly because their starting five has great chemistry.  Bradley Beal (stay healthy!) is also one of my favorite young players in the NBA.  I often wonder how good they could be if someone other than Randy Wittman was their coach.

6. *Chicago Bulls (24-25) – Their championship aspirations were effectively ended when Derrick Rose tore his right medial meniscus but Coach Tom Thibodeau doesn’t know the meaning of the word quit.  The funny thing about their season is that when super-cheapskate Owner Jerry Reinsdorf gave the order to trade Luol Deng Thibs used the movie Major League to motivate his players.  A question I have for all Chicagoans is how does Reinsdorf not get more heat for being cheap when the Bulls annually lead the league the in attendance, have the second largest arena in the NBA and play in the third biggest city in America?

7. *Brooklyn Nets (22-26) – They were an utter embarrassment to start the season and then Coach Jason Kidd fired his top assistant (Lawrence Frank) and Brook Lopez broke his right foot yet somehow they managed to turn things around.  It’s not like that’s saying much when you play in the Least and are still four games under .500.

8. Charlotte Bobcats (22-29) – They resemble a real live NBA team for the first time maybe ever and new Coach Steve Clifford has them playing legitimate defense every night.  They are trying hard to make the playoffs and while that would be a nice story I don’t see it happening.

9. *Detroit Pistons (21-29) – How GM Joe Dumars still has a job is a mystery to me.  If it wasn’t for Karl Malone hurting his right knee in the 2004 Finals his resume would be an utter train wreck.  They have more than enough talent to make the playoffs in the Least but the pieces don’t fit together at all and firing Mo Cheeks after 50 games is not going to change that.  I’d say a trade could help them but with Dumars calling the shots that proposition is less than 50-50 to be kind.

10. *New York Knicks (20-31) – They are boring to watch and rarely give an honest effort.  Tyson Chandler missing 24 games didn’t help their start and both he and Carmelo Anthony going to the media complaining about Coach Mike Woodson doesn’t bode well for their future.  They could certainly make the playoffs in the Least but the fallout if they don’t will be much more fun.

11. Boston Celtics (18-33) – Nothing to see here except what GM Danny Ainge may or may not do at the trade deadline (2/20 at noon Pacific).

12. *Cleveland Cavaliers (17-33) – Owner Dan Gilbert stole my thunder by firing GM Chris Grant before I had a chance to rip him (Grant trading Andrew Bynum for Luol Deng instead of Pau Gasol was the final nail in his coffin).  This team has completely tuned out Coach Mike Brown already and lucky for Gilbert that Grant signed Brown for four more years after this one.  The shine is off Kyrie Irving’s star and any thoughts they had of LeBron James joining them this summer can officially be forgotten.

13. Philadelphia 76ers (15-36) – Believe it or not I actually watch a lot of the Sixers because they are well coached by Brett Brown and generally play hard every night.  After that…well…umm…they play at the fastest pace in the league (102.3) by 2.6 possessions per game!  The trade deadline is the next big benchmark for new GM Sam Hinkie to see what if anything he can get for Evan Turner, Spencer Hawes and Thaddeus Young.

14. Orlando Magic (15-37) – I bet GM Rob Hennigan regrets not trading Arron Afflalo for Eric Bledsoe this past summer and I’m not sold on rookie Victor Oladipo.  That’s it, that’s all I got.

15. Milwaukee Bucks (9-41) – I’d wager that Grantland’s Bill Simmons regrets this video.  Rookie and athletic super-freak Giannis Antetokounmpo is really the only reason to watch this team until Owner Herb Kohl decides to sell to Chris Hansen’s Seattle group.

WEST

1. *Oklahoma City Thunder (41-12) – Kevin Durant is the odds on MVP favorite for what he’s done while Russell Westbrook (third surgery on right knee since April) has been out.  Coach Scott Brooks has even gotten the memo, albeit two years too late, that benching Kendrick Perkins and going small gives them the best chance to win.  If I had to pick right now I’d say they are the favorites to represent the West in the NBA Finals as long as Westbrook returns.

2. *San Antonio Spurs (37-14) – Patty Mills is the only player to appear in every game for them.  Coach Gregg Popovich has done his usual masterful job of mixing and matching lineups to keep them winning but even he has his limits.  You can never count them out when healthy but wake me in the second round of the playoffs when it comes to them.

3. *Portland Trail Blazers (36-15) – Their starting lineup might have the best synergy in the entire Association with the way they play together and off each other.  Their bench is improved from last year but that’s not really saying much and I worry about their defensive when push comes to shove in the post season.  I’d say the second round is probably their ceiling.

4. *Los Angeles Clippers (35-18) – Blake Griffin has really stepped up his game in Chris Paul’s (right shoulder) absence.  Coach Doc Rivers has them playing better defense and their offense with CP3, Blake and two shooters is nearly unstoppable.  They are legitimate contenders but they will need the playoff matchups to fall their way to make a deep run.

5. *Houston Rockets (34-17) – I’d like to point out that Dwight Howard is the same player this year 18.8 points/12.4 rebounds/1.8 blocks/57.9% shooting as he was last 17.1/12.4/2.4/57.8%.  So the Orlando Dwight is gone forever, just so everyone knows, and no, I’m not bitter.  GM Daryl Morey has botched the trade of Omer Asik up to this point and I’m not sold that their all 3’s or drives only style can really work in the playoffs.

6. Phoenix Suns (30-20) – The Cinderella story of the season has pretty much locked up the Coach of the Year award for Jeff Hornacek.  It’s semi-amazing that they’ve managed to stay in contention without their second best player (Eric Bledsoe/right knee) but it just goes to show that they are more collectively than individually.  If they were going to fall off the pace it would have happen already instead look for them to possibly move up when Bledsoe returns.

7. *Golden State Warriors (30-21) – Coach Mark Jackson uses some questionable lineups and rotations (time to play Draymond Green over Harrison Barnes) but he has got them playing some serious defense.  You might think that they are all about offense with Seth Curry and Klay Thompson but really it’s their defense anchored by Andrew Bogut and Andre Iguodala that carries them.  I can’t call them serious contenders but they might end up in a super-entertaining first round series.

8. Dallas Mavericks (30-21) – This team has almost surprised me more than Phoenix since I didn’t think they’d play a lick of defense or be able to rebound.  Both of those things turned out to be true but Coach Rick Carlisle has got everyone to buy in, even Monta Ellis, and they play a highly efficient brand of offense.  I still don’t see them making the playoffs when all is said and done though.

9. *Memphis Grizzlies (27-22) – I picked them to go to the Finals and I’m obviously a little worried about that choice.  Marc Gasol missed 23 games and now Mike Conley (right ankle) has joined Tony Allen (left wrist) on the injury report.  GM Chris Wallace has made two key additions to keep them afloat in signing James Johnson and trading Jerryd Bayless for Courtney Lee.  I still expect them to make the playoffs but with a low seed making a run to the Finals will be near impossible.

10. Denver Nuggets (24-25) – It’s turns out that losing your GM, coach and best player doesn’t make you a better team.  JaVale McGee (left leg) is likely done for the season but this team is just wildly inconsistent from night to night.  Coach Brian Shaw has been mediocre at best and I continue to wonder why he starts Randy Foye over Evan Fournier when this team is going nowhere fast.

11. *Minnesota Timberwolves (24-27) – This is the team that makes the stat geeks heads explode because they have the 9^th best point differential (+3.7) in the league yet they are under .500 and out of the playoff picture.  Their record in close games is atrocious and a lot of that has to do with Ricky Rubio not being able to make a jump shot in crunch time.  They have enough talent to make a run for the 8^th seed but I don’t see it happening.  All of this works for me since its greasing the wheels for Kevin Love to bolt town and join the Lakers after next season.

12. New Orleans Pelicans (22-27) – Anthony Davis has been a revelation and is definitely the real deal.  Unfortunately losing Jrue Holiday (right leg), Ryan Anderson (herniated disc in his back) and Jason Smith (right knee) doomed any chance they had of making the playoffs.  One positive is that Eric Gordon has managed to stay ambulatory boosting his trade value.

13. Los Angeles Lakers (18-32) – They have been ravaged by injuries for the second straight season, which is a convenient excuse, but the fact of the matter is that this team would stink even if fully healthy.  The reason I say that is because Mike D’Antoni can’t coach and it’s really that simple.  If not for Steve Nash’s prime D’Antoni would be Paul Westhead 2.0 by now.  As a Laker fan its tough coming to grips with our new reality of going from one of the best owners to one of the worst and what that means long term.

14. Utah Jazz (17-33) – I wonder where they would be if Trey Burke hadn’t missed the first 12 games of the season.  They actually have a nice cadre of young talent but I don’t think Ty Corbin is the coach to mold them into a cohesive unit.  It will be interesting to see how GM Kevin O’Connor handles who gets paid and how much and who he decides to let walk in the coming years.

15. Sacramento Kings (17-33) – DeMarcus Cousins, Rudy Gay and Isaiah Thomas can put up some impressive numbers but they play no defense as a team and are still a dysfunctional mess for the most part.

* = teams I had making the playoffs in October