RK (LW) TEAM REC
1 (2) HEAT 30-9
It took 12 weeks, but for the first time this season the Miami Heat are ranked number one. The Spurs may have a slightly better record, but the Heat are on a roll and quickly approaching record breaking status. Since starting the season with a disappointing 9-8 record, the Heat have won 20 of their last 21 games which includes their current 9-games winning streak. The Heat have also won 13 straight road games and could tie a 40 year old nba record by going undefeated in their next three road games. The ‘big 3’ Lebron, Chris and D-Wade (LCD) are obviously the driving force behind this. They have combined to average (68.6ppg, 13.2apg, 21.3rpg, 3.77spg and 2.15spg while making 49.3 percent of their shots. The scary thing is this team still has a major upside and once they reach that pinnacle an NBA championship could be staring them right in the face.
2 (4) SPURS 31-6
I understand the Spurs are owners of the league’s best record, but after a 2-2 week and considering how well the Heat have been playing, the Spurs simply cannot be rank first entering week 12. On another note, the Spurs are the only contending team that has had all five starters healthy for the entire season.
3 (8) MAGIC 25-12
The Magic have quietly gone about their business and are currently sporting a 9-games winning streak. The trade that shook up the team seems to be paying off so far. The Raptors and Suns are hoping Hedo can refund them back some of the money they paid him considering his subpar performances with both franchises. No that was a joke! But Hedo seems to be a new man since rejoining the Magic. Hedo is averaging 12.5ppg, 6.5apg and 5.3rpg in 11 games since rejoining the Magic, whereas in Phoenix he was only averaging 9.5ppg, 2.3apg and 4rpg in 25 games. Obviously the Magic are glad to have him back.
4 (2) CELTICS 28-8
The Celtics are 4-3 without K.G. including the game against the Pistons in which he only played 9 minutes and injured his knee. During their last seven games the Celtics are actually only 1-3 in games against teams with over .500 records which clearly show the true importance of K.G. Without him, the Celtics go from being a great team to simply an above average team and I don’t think you can say that for anyone on the Celtics team, except for Rondo perhaps, because he is their point guard and engine that makes the Celtics motor go.
5 (7) LAKERS 27-11
This Lakers team is very similar to all of Phil Jackson’s previous three 3-peat teams, in that they appear to be very inconsistent for most of the season, which takes all the pressure and expectations of winning off his team, but that is until the playoff starts. If the Mavericks don’t find a replacement for Caron Butler, who is out for the remainder of this season, the Lakers will have only the Spurs to contend with. The point here is for as inconsistent as the Lakers may appear during the regular season, I expect at the very least to see them in the Western Conference Finals against the Spurs for an epic battle.
6 (4) BULLS 24-12
Derrick Rose 36 points dominant performance over the Celtics Rondo once again proved that Rose is the better guard and might in fact be a serious contender for the MVP Award. With everyone healthy on their respective rosters, I’ll say the Bulls are one notch below the Celtics and Heat and probably on the same level with the Magic in the Eastern Conference.
7 (9) THUNDER 25-13
For the first time in a long time the nba leading scorer might win the scoring title averaging less than 30 points per game. Kevin Durant’s 40 points against the Grizzlies was a pleasant sight, but with Lebron, Wade and Kobe settling in around 25ppg averages, Durant should have no real challenge and will most likely repeat as the nba’s scoring champ.
8 (10) HAWKS 25-14
I’ve been critical of the Hawks Joe Johnson all season long due to the fact that I felt he was under performing and not worth the Hawks $126 million investment. It’s not that I don’t think Johnson is worth a 6 year/$126 million contract, but my argument was he wasn’t living up to the hype. Over the last four games Joe is showing us why the Hawks invested so heavily in him. He’s led to Hawks to a 4-0 record by averaging 27.5ppg while making 52.7 percent of his shots. The real question is can Joe continue at this pace? I don’t think anyone including myself will question the Hawks if Joe Johnson continues playing at this pace.
9 (6) JAZZ 25-13
The Jazz struggled for a 2-2 record last week and against three sub.500 teams, but still managed to finish with the ninth ranking entering week 12. I believe the Jazz are one of a few teams playing above their abilities, but I am not sure they have what it takes to be a serious threat in the West.
10 (5) MAVERICKS 26-10
Losing Caron Butler for the remainder of the regular season was huge, but I think losing Dirk for the last seven games has been the real blow. The Mavs are 2-5 without Dirk and have gone from looking like a serious contender to a fragile team as of late. I expect Dirk to return soon and rumor has it, the Mavs may add Sasha Pavlovic to temporarily fill in the small forward position, while trying to trade Butler in the long run.
11 (12) HORNETS 22-16
The Hornets are 27th in league in scoring at only 94 points per game and are third in opponents points allowed giving up only 92.2 points per game to their opponents. They have Chris Paul, the league’s best point guard, but simply don’t have enough scorers. With the league running the Hornets for now, I think any moves or trade is probably unlikely in the near future.
12 (13) KNICKS 21-15
I think Amare Stoudemire being an MVP candidate is a bit of a stretch, even if the Knicks are on track to win 48 games this season. However, New York City will finally get to see their Knicks in the playoffs this year, but their future hopes of attaining Carmelo services may be over. The bad news for the Knicks is that Carmelo Anthony may be heading to New Jersey, which will be a major blow to New York.
13 (11) NUGGETS 20-16
Using a quote from Ice Cube’s movie “are we there yet?” seems to be the appropriate question to ask when talking about the Nuggets. Word has it, the Nuggets have decided to blow up the franchise and trade not only Carmelo, but also Billups as well. In my opinion this trade is long overdue, but at least now it appears to be near conclusion.
14 (14) TRAIL BLAZERS 20-18
Even after losing Greg Oden for a second straight season and more recently all-star Brandon Roy who is out indefinitely due to two sore knees, the Blazers are still hanging on to the eighth and final playoff spot. The Heat needed 78 points from Lebron and Wade to defeat the Blazers in a 107-100 overtime win which proved to me that they are good enough to hold off the Grizzlies and Rockets for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference even if Roy doesn’t return.
15 (20) SIXERS 15-22
The Sixers new head coach Doug Collins has them playing hard and scrappy and the team has no top dog. Elton Brand leads them in scoring with only 14.9ppg, which is a hair above Jrue Holiday’s 14.7ppg and Iguodala’s 14.2ppg. In the East where anything is possible when it comes to making the playoffs which is why the Sixers are now hanging on to the eighth and final playoff spot with a 15-22 record.
16 (17) PACERS 14-20
I guess with only a handful of power forward with true post games, most teams are electing to play their athletic small forward as power forward, an experiment the Pacers head coach used against the Knicks that led to Danny Granger pulling down a career high 17 rebounds. The Pacers are not that good, so playing small ball may be the only way to ensure a playoff berth, at least that’s what the Pacers head coach, Jim O’Brien thinks.
17 (18) GRIZZLIES 17-20
The Grizzlies have all the tools to take off to the next level, but I think the key to the Grizzlies success would be moving O.J. Mayo. The Griz should move Mayo for a better shooter who is more of a true shooting guard. The problem is Mayo stock has dropped significantly and his recent fight on the plane with Tony Allen over gambling debts did not help either. The Grizzlies may be caught between a rock and a hard place. Should they trade Mayo now while his stocks are at an all time low, or should they wait for his stocks to go up and then try trading him? I doubt his trade value will be any higher than it currently is, so think this is the time for them to pull the trigger.
18 (16) BUCKS 14-21
The Bucks simply do not score which puts way too much pressure on their defense. I recently watch a game in which the Bucks held Miami’s ‘big3’ to a combined 18 for 58 shooting (31 percent) and the Bucks still suffered a 101-95 loss. They are dead last in the league with an average of only 91.3 points per game. They could be a very good team if they brought in a few scorers.
19 (15) ROCKETS 16-21
The Rockets chance of making the playoffs rest solely on the gimpy ankles of their point guard Aaron Brooks. After being out for most of the season, Brooks returned led to a 5-1 Rocket record, which pushed their overall record to 16-16, but then the ankle started acting up and the Rockets lose their last 5 games with Brooks not playing the last three. Without a healthy Aaron Brooks, the Rockets have no chance of making the playoffs.
20 (22) BOBCATS 13-21
The Bobcats are 4-2 under new head coach Paul Silas and have increased their scoring output to 101.7 points a game. Call it an endorsement or whatever you like for Paul Silas, but Stephen Jackson was recently quoted saying, nobody wanted to play no more as players resisted the coach’s slow offensive pace, speaking of former head coach Larry Brown. He may be right, because even in the Bobcats two losses, they managed to score 96 points in each game.
21 (19) SUNS 15-20
I think it’s fair to say that the probability of the Phoenix Suns making the playoffs this season is slim to none. I think it is time for the team to do right by Steve Nash and trade him. The good news is Steve still has a high trade value so they might be able to get some talented young players and/or draft picks, which will put them in a good position for the future, while giving Nash a chance to perhaps play for a contender.
22 (21) WARRIORS 15-22
You look at the Warriors and you have to wonder where is this team heading? We know they are lottery bound, but will they only look to the draft or will they try to improve by making a bold trade? If they don’t make a move by the deadline, then I expect them to build through the draft and to keep their current roster.
23 (23) CLIPPERS 12-24
What if Clippers owner Donald Sterling had agreed to sell the team to record executive David Geffen? Two things would have happened. Lebron and Blake Griffin would have been the most dominant forward tandem for years to come and Baron Davis would have showed up to camp in shape and playing like a man possessed. Yes, for those who don’t know, Lebron was heading to L.A. if Geffen had purchased the team. Well, we don’t live in a world of ‘what ifs’ and the Clippers are still owned by Don Sterling, the stingiest owner in all of professional sports, but unlike years past might have a brighter future thanks to Blake Griffin and Eric Gordon.
24 (25) RAPTORS 13-24
I’ve been on the Raptors case all season, calling them a Euro League team and even recently stating that they could be eliminated if the NBA goes through with ‘contraction.’ I still believe those two points, but entering week 12 it is worth mentioning that the Raptors are only two games out of the eighth and final playoffs spot in the Eastern Conference.
25 (24) PISTONS 12-24
The Pistons may be trying to make their team more attractive to their potential buyer, which is why they may be involved in a blockbuster trade with Denver that may send Rip Hamilton to New Jersey in a deal that should save the Pistons some money. I think this is just the beginning, because I expect to see the Pistons make more deals before the trade deadline in February.
26 (27) NETS 10-27
The Nets may be 10-27 right now, but if they add Carmelo, Billups and Hamilton, the Nets would have essentially put together a lineup that could have been in Detroit in 2004. More importantly, because they are in the Eastern Conference and still have a solid center in Brook Lopez, I will definitely expect them to make the playoffs and be a serious threat to anyone they play. Well this is all based on the assumption that the rumored blockbuster trade goes through.
27 (26) TIMBERWOLVES 9-29
When you are the worst defensive team in the league and allow your opponents to score 108.2 points per game, it doesn’t matter if you have the league’s best rebounder in Kevin Love (15.7rpg), you simply will not win, especially close games.
28 (29) WIZARDS 9-26
The Wizards are John Wall’s team but his 15.4ppg, 8.8apg and 1.8spg averages may not be enough to carry his team over the hump. They are definitely lottery bound, but the Wizards fortune could change as early as next season. One, Wall will be a much better player. Two, the Wizards could end up getting the first pick in the 2011 NBA draft. Three, they still have some decent tradable assets.
29 (30) KINGS 8-26
The Kings Samuel Dalembert has been griping through his agent due to his lack of playing time and not knowing what his role is with the team. I don’t understand why the Kings traded for him, because quite frankly, he really doesn’t fit with the Kings. I am sure any contender out there could use Dalembert and the Kings will trade him in a heartbeat if they had takers.
30 (28) CAVALIERS 8-29
This week is the weirdest week in the Lebron James saga. Entering week 12, James current team the Miami Heat is ranked number one for the first time this season, while the Cavaliers James former team is ranked last for the first time this season. This brings me to a very important point. How could a team go from having the NBA’s best record over the last two seasons, to being dead last now that James is in Miami? The answer to this question is really simply. Lebron James had the most impact on his team over the last two seasons than any other two-time MVP in league’s history.
No comments:
Post a Comment