RK LAST WK
1 (3) BULLS 31-8
Derrick Rose will not repeat as MVP this year, even though the Bulls may end up with the best record in the NBA. Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau won the NBA's Coach of the Year Award last season as a rookie NBA coach and his defensive imprints is clearly the reason why the Bulls have been even better this year, even with Derrick Rose missing games this season.
2 (1) HEAT 28-9
The Heat definitely missed Chris Bosh, who missed the team's last three games due to the death of his grandmother. The team's 9-game winning streak was halted by the Jazz in Utah after Lebron passed the ball to Haslem who missed a wide open 18-footer. It was a solid basketball play, but Lebron had made 8 of his last 9 shots, so many including myself expected him to take the last shot. Lebron's critics were quick to point to the all-star game, when Lebron forced a pass to Wade, which led to a turnover, instead of taken the last shot despite being " red-hot" like he was against Utah. I think we all have to just accept the fact that the guy loves to pass and as a fan, it's the most disappointing thing to watch, because this guy could averaged 40 points a game if he wanted to.
3 (2) THUNDER 29-8
Kevin Durant has turned the MVP into a two-man race between him and Lebron and after a subpar week by the Heat, he may have taken a slight edge in the MVP race. With only a week left before the trade deadline, it would be in the Thunder's interest to make a move, though I doubt they will.
4 (5) PACERS 23-12
After a 5-game losing steak, the Pacers clearly took advantage of the schedule. They are currently sporting a 6-game winning, with all five wins coming against sub .500 teams.
5 (4) SPURS 25-12
Manu Ginobili is back and that should help the Spurs down the stretch, but the team's MVP this season has to be Tony Parker, who is averaging 19ppg and 8apg this season. The Spurs had a rough stretch going 2-3 over their last five games, but I still consider this team to be one of the two most dangerous teams in the Western Conference.
6 (10) LAKERS 23-14
After a broken nose and a concussion during the all-star game, Kobe Bryant was expected to miss some games, but deep down anyone who really knows Kobe, knew that wasn't going to happen. Kobe has been on a tear since the all-star game. He has been playing with a mask over the last three games and is averaging 34ppg on .543 percent shooting. The guy is an iron-man and his focus has been off the charts.
7 (6) CLIPPERS 22-13
I expect the Clippers to make a move and it wouldn't surprise me if they try to trade for the Celtics Ray Allen. Trading for Allen will immediately put them in the class of the Thunder, Lakers and Spurs. He will definitely fill the void left by Billups. Since losing Billups, the Clippers are 5-5 and even if they don't trade for Allen, the Clippers have to make a trade if they expect to compete for a title.
8 (7) MAGIC 24-14
The Magic have one of the best records in the Eastern Conference, which is why the team continues to hang on to Dwight in hopes of convincing him to stay. Well, the Magic have two options and within a week that option will be determined. Either sign and trade Dwight, or play out the season and hope that he would be willing to do a sign-and-trade, because the Magic will be able to offer him a 5-year instead of only a 4-year deal. That to me is a major gamble to take and if I were the Orlando Magic management I would trade Dwight if he does not sign an extension by the deadline.
9 (11) GRIZZLIES 22-15
The Grizzlies are poised for the return of Zack Randolph and winning 8 of their last 9 games allowed the team to buy more time, so that Z-Bo is close to 100 percent when he return. The coach of the year award is now a three-coach race between the Griz Lionel Hollins, the Pacers Frank Vogel and the Bulls Tom Thibodeau.
10 (12) HAWKS 22-15
I expect the Hawks to receive a ton of phone calls this week from teams looking to trade, but it wouldn't be for their all-star Joe Johnson. I doubt any team will be willing to commit almost $100 million over the next four years to an almost 31-year-old shooting guard averaging only 17.6ppg on .423 percent shooting. Josh Smith is the player most teams will likely going after. I will put the chances of Smith getting moved at about 50 percent, because I think a few teams may step up with a solid offer to Hawks.
11 (8) MAVERICKS 22-16
I'm glad the Mavs did not make a complete PR disaster by sending Odom to the D-League, even if it was just for one game. The Mavs are not going to buyout or trade Odom, because Mavs owner Mark Cuban is counting on the fact that Odom will be playing well by the the playoff rolls around and that's a gamble I would take as well.
12 (15) 76ERS 22-16
After losing five straight, the Sixers are slowly getting back on track by winning 2 of their last 4 games, with their two losses coming against the Thunder and Bulls. A 4-point loss to the Thunder and a 5-point loss to the Bulls - the teams with the league's top two records - tells me that this team is ready to get back on track. I think the Sixers could also benefit from a trade. I think Chris Kaman would definitely help the Sixers, because post scoring is what this team desperately needs.
13 (17) NUGGETS 21-17
After losing 5 of 6, the Nuggets had a strong bounce back week by winning their last three games. It's no surprise that the Nuggets 3-game winning streak coincided with the return of Ty Lawson who averaged 20.7ppg and 11.7apg last week.
14 (18) CELTICS 19-17
The Celtics are sporting a 4-game winning streak and one of the key reasons is Rajon Rondo. His 18 points, 17 rebounds and 20 assist against the Knicks was one of the most ridiculous triple-doubles of all times. To put things in perspective, Wilt Chamberlain is the only other player in the history of the NBA that has had 17 or more points, assist and rebounds in the same game. Rondo is without question a top five point guard in the league.
15 (13) KNICKS 18-19
For those of you wanting to know how the Jeremy Lin - Carmelo Anthony pairing is working, here's the update. The Knicks are 2-3 since Melo joined the team, with Lin averaging 15.8ppg, 7.8apg, 4.4 turnovers per on .382 percent shooting. Carmelo on the other hand is averaging 18.4ppg on .417 percent shooting since returning. If you take out the Miami game, the Knicks have played well, but not well enough to take Knicks backup point guard Baron Davis proclamation - that the Knicks will win the championship this year - too seriously, unless you're Spike Lee, or a die-hard Knicks fan, of course.
16 (9) ROCKETS 21-17
The Rockets hit a rough patch as of late, losing three straight, even with Kevin Martin averaging 30ppg over their last two outings. Somehow under new head coach Mchale, Martin offensive outputs have not equated into wins. I think he's the most like Rockets player to be moved by the deadline, if the team can find suitors.
17 (16) TIMBERWOLVES 19-19
After the all-star break, following winning the 3-point competition, Minnesota's Kevin Love said that his team will try to make a push for playoffs and to honest, I thought it was only wishful thinking at the time. However, with the Rockets slipping and after a 42-point performance against the Blazers whom are also slipping in the standings, Love claim may not be as unrealistic as I thought.
18 (22) SUNS 17-20
The Suns are not going to make the playoffs and they are not going to trade Nash before the deadline unless Orlando is crazy enough to give up both Jameer Nelson and Ryan Anderson. I expect Nash to play out the final year of his contract and become a free agent next year, though it wouldn't surprise me if the Suns buyout his contract, but then again why would they?
19 (14) TRAIL BLAZERS 18-19
There are players on the Blazers roster that are doing everything in their power to get head coach Nate McMillan fired. It's hard to imagine that unless something drastic happens, the Blazers may not make the playoffs this year. McMillan is clearly in the hot seat, but I'm sure the Blazers are actively trying to make a trade or two before the deadline.
20 (21) JAZZ 17-19
A lucky runner in the lane by Devin Harris, which ultimately was the game winner against the Heat will not be enough to keep Harris in Utah. The only way Harris is on the Jazz roster come March 16, is if the Jazz are completely unsuccessful in finding a trade partner.
21 (19) WARRIORS 14-20
If I were the Warriors general manager, this is what I would do. Trade Steph Curry straight up to the Celtics for Rajon Rondo and then trade Klay Thompson, Kwame Brown and a protected pick to the Hornets for Chris Kaman. I would put the Warriors chance of making the playoffs at around 70 percent if they added those two players. With the chances of the Celtics and the Hornets of actually making those trades at over 90 percent, meaning the Warriors could more than likely have both players if they wanted to make those trades.
22 (23) BUCKS 14-23
The Bucks are not going to make the playoffs this season, but that doesn't mean they should stay pat. I think they have some nice assets, with Brandon Jennings being the biggest trade chip. They too could take a crack at Rondo using Jennings, or even for Nelson and Ryan Anderson using Jennings and Stephen Jackson, since the Magic are desperately trying to do everything to appease Dwight Howard.
23 (20) CAVALIERS 13-22
With their current 5-game losing steak, I think it's fair to say that the Cavs are probably out of the playoff race, even though anything's possible in the Eastern Conference. I think the Cavs will more than likely trade Ramon Sessions, considering he has a player's option for around $4 million next year, which he probably won't exercise. I think it would be in the team's best interest to stock pile on draft picks. Jamison, who is in the last year of his contract that pays around $15.076 million could also be trade bait.
24 (26) RAPTORS 12-25
Leandro Barbosa and Jose Calderon are the two players that the Raptors are receiving the most calls for this week. The Raptors are not going to make the playoffs, so the question then becomes do they trade and make a push, or stay pat and hopefully land high draft picks? I think the model for success is it's better to be really good, or really bad, so my advise to the Raptors would be to stay pad, because a trade to get better now will only hurt their rebuilding process.
25 (24) KINGS 12-25
Congratulations to Sacramento's Mayor and former NBA all-star Kevin Johnson, for putting together a deal to build a new arena, which will keep the Kings in Sacramento for many years to come. The Kings are the only sports team in the state's capital, so imagine how sad it would have been for the fans and the city to see the Kings leave. Kevin Johnson may have sealed his fate as the future governor of California because of this big move.
BOTTOM FEEDERS
26 (27) NETS 12-26
Deron Williams set an NBA season high and broke the Nets all-time record by scoring 57 points in a 104-101 win over the Bobcats in Charlotte. Hint, hint Mr. Dwight Howard, this is what life could be like in Brooklyn. If Dwight Howard gets traded, I strongly believe it will be to the Nets in a three or four team trade blockbuster trade.
27 (25) PISTONS 12-26
I would like to think that the Pistons will be active before the deadline, with trade baits like Rodney Stuckey, Tayshaun Prince and Ben Gordon, but something tells me the Pistons are not going to make any significant moves. The only way the Pistons make a trade is if they choose to blowup the team and that is a very unlikely scenario.
28 (28) HORNETS 9-28
The Hornets are clearly in rebuilding mode, so no one on this team is untouchable. Chris Kaman however, is the player most likely to be moved even though the Hornets would love to move Emeka Okafor. Finding suitors for Okafor will be extremely difficult due to the 2 year/$28 million remaining on his contract after this season. Stockpiling draft picks seems to be the direction the Hornets are taken so I definitely expect a trade or two before the deadline.
29 (29) WIZARDS 8-28
John Wall averaged 21.4ppg and 8.2apg over the last 5 games, but unfortunately that did not equate to wins. The Wizards were 1-4 during that stretch, but Wall was consistently good. The Wizards can actually go either way. Stay pat and end up with a high draft pick, or trade some of their inconsistent players and end up with several picks.
30 (30) BOBCATS 4-31
Charles Barkley is one of Michael Jordan - Wizard's owner - best friend, but that did not stop him from criticizing Jordan last week. He claimed that as an owner, Jordan has not done a good job, but I disagree. Other than drafting Morrison over Brandon Roy, Jordan has done just fine. Yes he traded Jackson and Wallace, but if he had kept both players, the Bobcats would have barely made the playoffs this season, if that. They would have been stuck in the middle zone, not really good and not bad enough. Now they are sure guaranteed a top pick in this year's draft, not to mention the team will be about $15 million under the cap for next season and over $30 million the following. The Bobcats may be horrible this year, but that could change by next season.
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