RK (LW) TEAM REC
1 (1) SPURS 40-7
For most of the season the rhetoric about the Spurs has remained the same. They are once again ranked first entering week 15 as they continue to mount up victories and add to their record best start, which is now 40-17.
2 (2) CELTICS 36-11
The Celtics are healthy and have their full squad now that Kendrick Perkins their starting center from last season has returned to the lineup. They are as confident as ever and showed that by handily beating the Lakers in L.A. even with Kobe scoring 41 points. Ray Allen has been amazing for a player who is almost 36 years old. He is currently averaging over 17ppg while making over 50 percent of his shots from the field and over 45 percent from 3s.
3 (4) HEAT 33-14
Well, the Heat have their full squad with the exception of Haslem , whom I expect to be back in a few months. Obviously most of their starters have nagging injuries, but the team was glad to have Bosh and Wade back in the lineup. I expect the Heat to chase the Celtics for the best record in the Eastern Conference, but with only 35 games left in the regular season and 3 games behind the Celtics, this may be a very difficult task. The key for them is being healthy and playing on all cylinders in April.
4 (5) BULLS 33-14
Derrick Rose is probably the leading candidate for the MVP Award, but I don’t think he will win it this year because I expect the Heat to have a much better record in the second half of the season than the Bulls. Rose however, is doing everything in his power and continues to make a strong case for the MVP Award. Rose proved he’s a warrior by playing with two stomach ulcers to help the Bulls defeat the struggling Pacers 110-89.
5 (10) MAVERICKS 31-15
The Mavs may be getting back on track with their recent 4-game winning streak. Even though 3 of those wins came against sub .500 teams, the Mavs sure needed the confidence booster considering they were 1-7 in their previous eight games before their winning streak.
6 (3) LAKERS 33-15
Ron Artest and Andrew Bynum are the key to the Lakers success and for the Lakers to have any chance of 3-peating, Bynum and mainly Artest will have to play extremely well and be consistent. So far this season, Artest has been very inconsistent on defense and his offense has been terrible. As for Bynum, he recently returned from his injuries, so it’s still too early to gauge, but he too is a step or two behind on both ends of the floor.
7 (6) MAGIC 31-17
The Magic have a 6-4 record in their last ten games and now that the honeymoon period after their trade has fizzled, I think the reality of their inefficiencies is beginning to set in. For instance, against the Bulls, the Magic all-star center Dwight Howard had a monster performance posting 40 points and 15 rebounds, but the Magic were outrebounded 40 to 54 in the game. The Magic have a ton of shooters, but the entire rebounding is left up to Howard and that is simply not a recipe for long term success. Without a backup center or a strong rebounding power forward, the Magic may have a long road ahead of them.
8 (7) HORNETS 31-18
The Hornets were riding a 10-game winning streak with their confidence sky high, to the point where their super star Chris Paul was being mentioned as an MVP candidate, but that was before their last two losses on the road games. My prediction is that the Hornets will post a 3-3 record over their next six games. Regardless of that, the Hornets are playing above expectations and CP3 will continue to be in the MVP conversation.
9 (8) HAWKS 30-18
Everyone knows who Joe Johnson is, but Hawks center Al Horford is the true sleeping giant of the team. For the season Al is averaging 16.2ppg and 9.8rpg and is remarkably the Hawks most efficient player with a 22.5 PER (Player Efficiency Rating). The Hawks may have stumble a bit last week, posting a 1-2 record, but I expect them to bounce back behind the leadership of Johnson, Horford and Josh Smith, the Hawks defensive stud.
10 (9) THUNDER 30-17
It’s nice to see Kevin Durant, whose usually quiet and somewhat reserve take a shot at a player from an opposing team. After the Thunder 108-103 loss to the Heat, Durant called the Heat’s forward Chris Bosh “a fake though guy.” Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook may have entered this season with enormous hype, but with a 30-17 record, they are on track to win 52 games.
11 (11) NUGGETS 28-19
Through his constituents Carmelo Anthony made it known that he did not want to play in New Jersey. I guess he was hoping that would force the Nuggets to trade him to the Knick, but from the looks of things, the Nuggets may trade Anthony to a team that might be willing to trade for him without him committing to signing the infamous 3 year/$65 million extension that he’s coveting. Carmelo may still end up in New York, but it may be at a very steep and discounted price and in the main time, the Nuggets seem to be content with riding out this saga.
12 (12) TRAIL BLAZERS 25-22
Two straight losses with the Memphis Grizzlies breathing down their necks should be reasons for concern. The Blazers hanging on to the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference despite injuries to Roy and Oden, thanks largely to the play of forward LaMarcus Aldridge who is having an all-star season. Over the Blazers last two games (both losses) however, Aldridge has been hobbled by a hip injury and without him at full strength the Grizzlies will surpass the Blazers and overtake them for the eighth spot.
13 (13) JAZZ 28-20
The Jazz have a 1-8 record over their last eight games, with their lone win coming against the Timberwolves, one of the worst teams in the league. It didn’t surprise me to see Deron Williams out the last two games due to a wrist injury, because the guy has been playing out of his mind, but the team has not follow his lead. I guess he figured, why continue playing when he’s not a hundred percent, especially if his efforts are not equating into wins.
14 (14) KNICKS 25-22
The Knicks Amare Stoudemire went on record and said nobody is afraid of Miami. Then he went out and led his team to a 93-88 victory over the Heat afterwards. It was definitely a confidence booster for the Knicks who going into that game had lost 6 of their last 7 games. I think with a record of 3 games over .500, it fair to say that the Knicks recent skid will not stop them from making the playoffs, especially because they are in the Eastern Conference where a few sub .500 teams might make the playoffs.
15 (15) GRIZZLIES 24-24
The Memphis Grizzlies have made it to the .500 mark for the second time this season and they did it by winning 5 of their last 6 games. They are currently 1.5 games out of the eighth spot and with the Blazers hobbling as of late, it might not take long to see the surging Grizzlies claim the eighth seed.
16 (16) SUNS 22-24
How do you lose to the Pistons, Sixers and Bobcats and then go on to beat the Celtics in convincing fashion and then follow that by beating the Hornets in the next game? That is exactly what the Suns did and the man of the hour was Marcin Gortat. In the Suns two wins against the Celtics and Hornets, Gortat averaged 24ppg and 14rpg off the bench. “The Orlando Magic must be rolling in their graves,” as Charles Barkley would say, in reference to how well Gortat is playing and how much the Magic could use their former backup center.
17 (16) 76ERS 21-26
The Sixers have won 4 of their last 5 games and all of a sudden the rumor mail started in regards to whether or not the team is shopping Igoudala for expiring contracts. With Iguodala in the lineup the Sixers are 16-19 (.457), without him the team is 5-7 (.417). If the team is trying to trade him then it must be because the Sixers management believes the team is only slightly better with him, so why keep him for 3 more years and pay him $45 million after this season. They may be right, but it may mean not making the playoffs this year in order to save $45 million over the next three.
18 (22) BOBCATS 20-26
The Bobcats are hanging on to the eighth seed in the East by a hair and are only a ½ game ahead of the Bucks. I doubt the Bobcats are going to make any moves before the deadline. With their top trade asset Gerald Wallace having a subpar year and recently coming off an injury, it will be hard pressed for the Bobcats to find any takers for Wallace’s remaining 2 year/$22 million contract. Either way, its going to be a dog fight for the last two seeds in the East and the Bobcats will be in the middle of it.
19 (19) ROCKETS 22-27
The Rockets have definitely improved this season, but their lack of defense (opponents score 104.9) makes it difficult for them to consistently win close games. Rumor has it that the Rockets might be in the mix for Carmelo Anthony and that they may be willing to trade for Anthony without him signing the infamous 3 year/$65 million that Denver is offering him. If he joins the Rockets, I believe they could make the playoffs.
20 (22 BUCKS 19-26
The Bucks are winners of their last three games and were glad to welcome back Brandon Jennings, their energizer point guard who was out for a month after a foot injury. Jennings returned just in time to help his team make a run for the playoffs. The Bucks are currently only a ½ game behind the Bobcats for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.
21 (20) CLIPPERS 18-28
The Clippers lost their leading scorer Eric Gordon (24.1ppg) to a wrist injury and he is expected to be out for 3-4 weeks. The Clippers are 1-2 without him, a trend that might continue unless someone other than Blake Griffin step up. Before Gordon’s injury the Clippers chance of making the playoffs was really slim, but without him it may be next to impossible.
22 (21) WARRIORS 20-27
The Warriors alternated 4-game streaks over their last eight outings. They had a 4-game winning streak earlier and followed that with a 4-game losing streak recently until finally defeating the slumping Jazz. At times the Warriors team looks really good and other times you can’t recognize them. They are currently 28th in the league in opponents points allowed at 107.0 points, which has been the main reason for their inconsistent record all season long.
23 (25) PACERS 17-27
I guess somebody had to take the heat and it sure was not going to be the Pacers general manager, the hall of famer Larry Bird, so he fired head coach Jim O’Brien. With the Pacers losing 14 of their last 18 games, something had to be done and the obvious trend in the NBA is to fire the head coach, so there you have it.
24 (23) PISTONS 17-31
The Pistons had won 5 of 7 before their current 3-game losing streak. Rip Hamilton continues to rack up DNPs, which means he has to be on his way out. The reason it hasn’t happened yet is because the Pistons can’t find any takers and apparently they don’t seem willing to buyout Hamilton’s contract. The entire situation is Detroit doesn’t make sense. The head coach must really have management behind him, because I can’t imagine him not playing Rip for ten straight games without management backing.
25 (29) KINGS 12-33
The Kings are sporting their first 2-game winning streak of the season, but that is not the surprising news. The fact that they started their mini streak against the Lakers and also ended the Hornets 10-game winning streak has everyone thinking playoffs in Sacramento. No, I’m just kidding! However, their last two games has been one of the few bright spots for the team this year.
26 (26) NETS 14-34
The Nets are 29th in scoring at 92.4 and 29th in assist at 19.5, which is somewhat of a surprise considering they have Devin Harris, their all-star point guard. Harris leads the team with 7.6apg, but the rest of the team averages a combined for 11.9apg, means there is very little ball movement. You compound that to the fact that the team is almost last in scoring and it’s understandable why the Nets management was relentless in going after the Nuggets Carmelo Anthony.
27 (29) TIMBERWOLVES 11-36
Kevin Love continues to make his case for an all-star bid by consistently putting up double-doubles, which currently stands at 33 straight games. Yes in 33 straight games Love has posted at least 10 points and at least 10 rebounds. However, the Timberwolves 11-36 record will make it really difficult for him to make the all-star team, even though it wouldn’t surprise me if he did.
28 (24) WIZARDS 13-33
Wizards forward Al Thorton recently questioned his team’s mental toughness, which was great, but rather than criticize his team, I think he needs to step up and lead by example. I think another player that needs to lead by example is Rashard Lewis, the team highest paid player at almost $20 million this season.
29 (27) RAPTORS 13-35
Their losing streak stands at 11 and it seems like there is no light in sight at the end of the tunnel. Usually teams are really quick to fire coaches, but I think this time the Raptors G.M. Bryan Colengelo must be held accountable. He was the one that put this team together. He was the one that let Chris Bosh walk for nothing, so this is the one time I think the blame should clearly fall on the shoulders of the man in charge of the Raptors basketball operations.
30 (30) CAVALIERS 8-39
The Cavaliers have lost 20 straight games and that is all I have to say about the team entering week 15.
No comments:
Post a Comment