RK (LW) TEAM REC
1 (1) SPURS 49-10
With 23 games in the season, it’s fair to say the Spurs will end up with the best record in the league. The team stayed pat during the trade deadline and will have to rely on Tony, Manu, Tim and Jefferson to lead them to the promise land.
2 (2) CELTICS 42-15
The Celtics pulled out the most shocking trade before the deadline when they traded center Kendrick Perkins and guard Nate Robinson to the Thunder for forward Jeff Green and center Nenad Krstic. I think the trade was a great move for the Celtics if their goal was to improve for the future, because if the goal was to improve the team now, I think they may have decreased their chances of making it to the finals. Kendrick Perkins was the anchor to their defense and even though Shaq may be a better offensive player, I believe the Celtics took a step backwards defensively.
3 (4) MAVERICKS 42-16
The Mavs could not trade Caron Butler’s expiring contract and will have to either win with what they have or hope to add a player who contract is bought out. I don’t expect that to happen. I expect the Mavs to make a run with their current roster, but I don’t think they have what it takes to defeat the Lakers or Spurs in a 7-game series.
4 (3) HEAT 43-17
The Heat should be 3-0 since the break, but their lackadaisical play cost them two games and perhaps hurt Lebron’s chances of winning his third straight MVP Award. Against the Bulls and Knicks, the Heat gave up double digit leads and Lebron failed to hit 3-point attempts that would have tied and sent both games to overtime. Quite frankly, it shouldn’t have even come down to that, because the Heat were clearly in control for most of both games.
5 (5) BULLS 40-17
The Bulls stayed pat at the trade deadline, but where excited to welcome back center Joakim Noah who averaged 7.3ppg and 13.7rpg in the three games since he’s been back. The Bulls are at full strength and are determined to make a run for the best record in the Eastern Conference.
6 (8) LAKERS 42-19
The Lakers didn’t make any moves and decided to hold on to Andrew Bynum, rather than trade him for Carmelo Anthony. I think this was an excellent move, because by keeping Bynum, the Lakers still have the most imposing frontline, which is the main reason why they are back to back champions.
7 (7) MAGIC 38-22
The team didn’t make any trades in hopes of landing a veteran big man once their current team buys them out. They are hoping to sign Troy Murphy once he agrees to a buyout from the Warriors, because they could definitely use a big man to help out their all-star center Dwight Howard, who called out his team and proclaimed that they would lose every game if they didn’t start playing with urgency. The Magic will not make it out of the second round if they don’t add a big man.
8 (9) HAWKS 36-23
The Hawks traded Bibby to the Wizards for Kirk Hinrich because the team felt that they needed to add a defensive minded point guard, which Hinrich definitely is. The problem is, Bibby may seek a buyout from the Wizards and decide to sign with either the Heat or Celtics, a move that will eventually come back to haunt the Hawks.
9 (6) THUNDER 36-22
Everyone believes trading for Kendrick Perkins and Nazr Mohammed gives the Thunder two big bodies to contend with the Lakers and Spurs. The argument is that the team was a rebound away from taking the Lakers to a seventh game in L.A during the playoffs last year and if a similar scenario was to occur, Perkins would be there to get the rebound. I agree with this argument, but I think losing forward Jeff Green will put a lot of pressure on the Thunder’s two all-star, Wesbrook and Durant. For as good as Perkins might be on defense, offensively he is nowhere close to Jeff Green.
10 (10) TRAIL BLAZERS 33-26
The Blazers traded center Joel Przybilla to the Bobcats for former all-star forward Gerald Wallace and I believe that was a good trade for them. Many questioned why the Blazers would trade for another small forward when they already have Nicolas Batum, but I think the reason the Blazers made the trade is because they may be looking to have Wallace play both forwards spots. He will eventually backup both Batum and Aldridge which will allow the team to play small or big depending on different matchup scenarios.
11 (11) NUGGETS 34-26
The Nuggets finally traded Carmelo Anthony and couldn’t be happier. I think the trade made them one of the deepest teams in the league at every position and also made them a much better defensive team. I believe the player who will benefit the most from this trade is the Nuggets J.R.Smith. If he can keep his head right, Smith could take his game to a whole new level.
12 (12) GRIZZLIES 33-28
The Grizzlies failed to trade O.J. Mayo, because they could not complete their trade with the Pacers in time. I truly believe that was a blessing in disguise, because I think the trade made absolutely no sense. The Griz were giving up Mayo and a draft picks for Pacers power forward Josh McRoberts, who is only averaging 7.4ppg. I know McRoberts has a great upside, but giving away Mayo, who will definitely help the Grizzlies make the playoffs this year and a draft pick to the Pacers was just too much, especially with Rudy Gay being hurt.
13 (16) 76ERS 30-29
The Sixers stayed pat and decided not to trade forward Andre Iguodala and I think that was a great move. This team has upset written all over them and I can assure you whichever team is matched up against them in the first round of the playoff will have their work cut out for them.
14 (14) KNICKS 30-27
The Knicks got the prize jewel Carmelo Anthony, but Chaucey Billlups will the one who determines how far the team goes in the playoffs. Mr. “big shot” showed how valuable he is to the Knicks success when he hit a huge 3-pointer along with two steals in the final minutes of a game against the Heat in Miami which led to a 91-86 win. To me that game gave a glimpse into what could unfold in New York. Another key to the Knicks success is whether they can commit to defense, something they haven’t been known for.
15 (13) HORNETS 35-26
The Hornets definitely improved their team by trading Marcus Thornton and cash to the Sacramento Kings for forward Carl Landry, a move that I didn’t expect considering the team is strapped for cash and also because the team is owned by the league. I was caught off guard, because if the league is complaining about losing money, the last thing I expected is for them to add more cash to a team that is cash poor. From a basketball standpoint, the Hornets improved, but from a financial standpoint, the team lost more money at the expense of the league’s other 29 owners.
16 (17) SUNS 30-27
The Phoenix Suns decided to stay pat and milk Steve Nash for everything he’s worth and even though it doesn’t get Nash any closer to winning a championship, keeping him certainly increases the Suns chance of making the playoffs. They are only one game behind the Grizzlies for the eighth and final seed in the Western Conference. A few weeks ago, I wrote that the Suns had absolutely no chance of making the playoffs, but Nash is definitely making a believer out of me.
17 (15) JAZZ 32-28
The Jazz general manager Larry O’Conner pulled off a brilliant move by trading all-star point guard Deron Williams to the Nets for Devin Harris, Derrick Favors and two 1st round picks. His rationale was he did not want to go through what the Nuggets went through with Carmelo and to a deeper extent what the Cavs went through with Lebron, so he went on the offensive. I know losing Williams may seem like a lot, but the Jazz got enough assets to make the trade worth it.
18 (20) ROCKETS 30-31
The Rockets were busy during the deadline pulling off two deals to strengthen their team. First they traded Shane Battier for Hasheem Thabeet, an underachieving center who was drafted with the 2nd pick by the Grizzlies. Then the Rockets went on to trade Brooks to the Suns for Dragic. The Rationale behind the trade is that the Rockets are hoping that Thabeet will emerge into a defensive center in Houston. As far as Brooks, the team was not going to re-sign him, so they felt that Dragic would be the perfect replacement.
19 (19) PACERS 26-32
According to reports, the Pacers were not able to complete their trade by the deadline for O.J. Mayo causing the league to revoke the trade. I think the real reason for the trade not going through is because the Grizzlies probably got cold feet. Trading for Mayo would have put the Pacers over the hump and almost certainly assured them of making the playoffs, unfortunately they will now have to battle the Bobcats for the last seed in the East.
20 (18) WARRIORS 26-32
The Warriors were on a roll and were only 3 games below .500 before running into the Celtics and Hawks. The team is now sporting a 3-game losing streak, but even before their current slide I still didn’t expect the Warriors to make the playoffs. Trading for Troy Murphy was simply a way to shed salary because the team is expected to buyout Murphy’s contract.
21 (21) BOBCATS 26-33
The Bobcats traded away Gerald Wallace for Joel Pryzbilla because the team wanted to save more money, similar to what they did when they traded center Tyson Chandler to Dallas. I think the Bobcats team owner Michael Jordan believes they are still good enough to make the playoffs since they are in a bottom weak Eastern Conference. By trading Wallace, the team is off the hook for the remainder 2 year/$22 million left on his contract after this season, while still hanging on to their playoff hopes. Currently the team is only a ½ game behind the Pacers for the eighth and final playoffs spot in the Eastern Conference.
22 (23) BUCKS 22-36
The Bucks stayed pat and decided to keep their current roster in tack which was definitely a mistake. I thought they would move Michael Redd’s $18 million expiring contract, but they didn’t. I think their decision to stay pat will eventually caused them to miss the playoffs this season.
23 (24) PISTONS 22-39
The Pistons organization is in total disarray and peaceful grounds don’t seem to be anywhere in sight. They were unsuccessful in their attempts to trade Rip Hamilton and ended up staying pat only to have several players strike even though the team claimed that was not the case. Either way, there is a major communication gap between the players and their head coach.
24 (22) CLIPPERS 21-39
The Clippers welcomed back center Chris Kaman and will also soon have their leading scorer Eric Gordon (24.1ppg) back in the lineup. The team also traded Baron Davis and their first round pick this upcoming summer to the Cavaliers for Mo Williams and Jamario Moon. From what I gather, this season is all but salvaged and the Clippers are now turning their attention to next season and beyound
25 (25) NETS 17-42
After spending six long months trying to acquire Carmelo Anthony, the Nets got a great consolation price in Deron Williams after losing Carmelo to the Knicks. Signing Williams to an extension will be the Nets biggest concern, but they must improve as a team if they expect to keep Williams. Three things must happen if the Nets expect to keep Williams. First, center Brook Lopez must improve, especially his rebounding and start looking like a potential all-star. Second, the Nets must sign another big name free agent and third, head coach Avery Johnson must form an alliance with Williams within the next year.
26 (27) RAPTORS 16-44
The Raptors are looking to the future, but every now and then they show how promising their future could by beating really good teams like they did recently in a 118-112 defeat against the Bulls. If they continue to improve and have some luck in the draft this summer, things could change in a hurry for them especially since they are in the Eastern Conference.
27 (26) WIZARDS 15-43
The Wizards Nick Young and John Wall could be one of the most dominant backcourts in the league if they continue to improve at their current rapid pace that they are one, especially Nick. Everyone knows John Wall is going to be a stud, but Young has been taking the league by storm in recent weeks and doesn’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon.
28 (28) TIMBERWOLVES 14-46
The Wolves have been playing the role of facilitators in helping teams complete trades while trying to improve their own roster. They did that when they traded for Michael Beasley and very recently aided the Carmelo Anthony trade to New York by getting Anthony Randolph and Eddy Curry from the Knicks. Obviously this team isn’t going anywhere this season, but their fortunes could change as early as next season.
29 (28) KINGS 14-43
At this point, the Kings future in Sacramento looks really bleak, so I guess they figure why not make some cash in process which is exactly what they did when they traded Carl Landry to the Hornets for Marcus Thorton. The team will not make the playoffs and could be playing their final games in Sacramento before heading to Anaheim, which seems to be the consensus around the league.
30 (30) CAVALIERS 11-48
The Cavaliers will have two lottery picks this summer, thanks to their trade with the Clippers for Baron Davis. Imagine if they ended up with the top two picks in the draft this summer, while possessing the $15 million expiring contract of Antawn Jamison and the $14.2 million trade exception brought on by Lebron? The Cavs could add several players via trades while having the top two picks to go with Baron Davis, J.J. Hickson and Anderson Varajao. They could be a completely different team. That would be a blessing to rise back up only one season after losing Lebron.
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