RK LAST WK
1 (1) INDIANA 18-3
The Pacers continued their 5-game road trip in week 6 by finishing with a 2-2 record, which included an impressive 111-100 win over the Spurs in San Antonio. The Pacers still have the league's best record despite losing to two Western Conference power houses, the Blazers and the Thunder. Not only does this team have the league's best record at 18-and-3, but they are also the league's stingiest defensive team, allowing their opponents on 89.5ppg.
2 (2) MIAMI 16-5
It probably would've been better if Wade had opted for an offseason surgery as opposed to playing every other game, which is what he's been doing as of late. The Heat have some questionable losses this season, but at 16-and-5, find themselves only 2 game behind the Pacers for the best record in the league.
3 (3) PORTLAND 17-4
Memo to the entire league, the Blazers are in it to win! They are definitely going to make the playoffs, the only question is, how far will they go? If their starting lineup; currently averaging 82.9ppg, continue to average over 80ppg, this team should finish with a top four seed by season's end. LaMarcus Aldridge is having a monster year and was the NBA's Western Conference Player of the Week for week 6. His sidekick, second-year point guard Damien Lillard, is averaging 20.8ppg and may also be on his way to his first all-star game.
4 (5) OKLAHOMA CITY 15-4
The Thunder reminded of us of how dominant they can be with a blowout win over the Pacers, the team with the NBA's best record. In their 118-94 win over the Pacers, Durant and Westbrook combined for 64 points and completely dominated the Pacers in that game. The Thunder are currently tied for second in the West and as Westbrook knees gets stronger, so will his team as the season progresses. I expect this team to seriously challenge the Spurs for the best record in the Western Conference.
5 (4) SAN ANTONIO 15-4
After a sizzling 13-and-1 start, the Spurs have cooled off a bit, winning only two of their last five game. Tim Duncan on the other hand, is playing his best basketball of the season. After a very slow start, Timmy averaged 16.6ppg and 10.4rpg, including a 23 points and 21 rebounds performance against the Wizards for a 102-100 Spurs victory. At 37 years old, Duncan became to oldest player to tally over 20 points and 20 rebounds in the same game.
6 (6) HOUSTON 15-7
The Rockets are an offensive juggernaut! They are the NBA's highest scoring team at 107.5ppg, as well as the league's leading rebounding team at 47.3rpg. Despite leading the league in two key categories, the Rockets have been sporadic all season long, due to their inconsistent play on defense. The team is currently trying to trade Omer Asik, hoping to acquire a though-nosed perimeter defender, but they are asking too much in return, which is why Asik hasn't been traded yet. The Rockets will definitely maintain a top 4 spot in the West, if they can acquire a defensive small forward, or a stretch-4 power forward, to help open things up for Dwight down low.
7 (7) LA CLIPPERS 13-8
New head coach Doc Rivers is still trying to find out what his team is made out of and after an 88-82 loss against the Cavs, called out his young team for pouting. ESPN's Stephen A. Smith suggested that a Blake Griffin-Carmelo Anthony trade could work for both teams and I concur. From the Clippers perspective, adding Melo would give them a solid scorer from the wing, which will help the development of DeAndre Jordan. In addition to CP3 and sometimes Jamal Crawford, the Clippers will have a bona fide closer in Melo. I think the Clippers should seriously consider this trade if it's really available.
8 (10) DALLAS 13-8
The Mavericks had a very impressive week, winning all three of their games including a 108-106 win over the red hot Blazers in Portland. As a team, they continue to struggle on defense and are at the bottom of the pile in rebounding with only 40.8rpg, which is 25th in the league. Without a trade, there isn't much upside for this team, but I still wouldn't want to face them in a First Round series if I were the Blazers, Thunder or Spurs.
9 (8) DENVER 12-8
New head coach Byron Scott came in fully expecting to implement the "triangle offense," but he quickly learned that his roster is constructed to run-and-gun. He started off the season trying to have his team play inside-out, with JaVale McGee been his primary post player, but losing McGee to an injury ended up being a blessing in disguise, because it forced Scott adapt to Denver's run-and-gun style. The Nuggets started the season 1-and-4 with McGee in the lineup and have since gone 11-and-4 since he went down with a leg injury.
10 (9) GOLDEN STATE 12-9
Don't hit the panic button Warriors fan, because your top offseason acquisition and best perimeter defender Andre Iguodala, is expected back from his hamstring injury within a week. The Warriors were 8-and-5 with Iggy in the lineup and 4-4 without him. I expect this team to get back to being more consistent once Iggy returns, or else they could find themselves out of the playoffs picture looking in, which would be very disappointing considering all the high hopes coming into the season.
11 (16) PHOENIX 11-9
The Suns started the season with a 5-6 record, but have since gone on to win six of their last nine games, including their last two against the Rockets and Raptors. At 11-and-9, the Suns are currently only a 1/2 game behind the Warriors for the 8th and final playoffs seed in the West.
12 (15) ATLANTA 11-10
"You have to get really bad in order to get good," seems to be the accepted path for success in today's NBA. The only problem with that theory is that at 11-and-10, the Hawks actually have the third best record in a very terrible Eastern Conference. Tanking is not an option for the Hawks because the 8th seed in the East this year might get in with 50 losses. In addition, the Hawks have the Nets First Round Picks for 2014 and 2015, so if the Nets continue to plummet, this team could end up getting a lottery pick this summer.
13 (11) LA LAKERS 10-10
Kobe's back, hooray!! Well, not so fast. I mean seriously, what can you expect if you are a Lakers fan? Best case scenario, Kobe leads them to the playoffs only to be knocked out in the first round. Worst case, the Lakers miss the playoffs narrowly and the Kobe that we all loved and admired is no longer able to live up to the hype. Either way, this season will not be a success by Lakers standards. Next season is when I expect the Lakers to make some noise, especially if they end up signing Carmelo Anthony.
14 (24) BOSTON 10-12
The Boston Celtics with a 10-12 record are the 4th seed in the East and this should be a clear indication of exactly how terrible the Eastern Conference is. The Celtics are sporting a 3-game winning streak and ended the week with a very impressive 114-73 win over the Knicks in New York.
15 (20) DETROIT 10-11
Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond are perhaps the largest 4-5, as in power forward-center combo in the league. When you have an interior with that much size, you definitely need a small forward who can stretch the floor. Having a ball-hogging point guard like Brandon Jennings is a huge problem for this team, but an even bigger problem is Josh Smith playing the small forward position. Smith is one of the worst shooters in the league outside of 20 feet and his poor shooting hurts his team immensely. Obviously Smith cannot be traded due to his newly signed lavish contract, so maybe the Pistons should consider trading Greg Monroe for a shooter and move Josh down to the power forward spot.
16 (14) WASHINGTON 9-10
After a horrible 2-and-7 start, the Wizards have crept back in the playoff picture by winning 7 of their last 10 games and are currently the 6th seed in the Eastern Conference. Point guard John Wall has bounced back from his early season slump and is currently averaging career highs in points and assist with 19.6ppg and 9.1apg. to lead his team back to a playoff seed. The good news is Bradley Beal the team leading scorer with 20.6ppg; out for the last eight games due to a leg injury, but has been cleared for basketball activities. Getting Beal back will certainly help ensure the Wizards a playoff berth.
17 (12) NEW ORLEANS 9-10
Anthony Davis was having a monster year, averaging over 21ppg and 11rpg before going down with what was diagnosed as a non-disclosed fracture to his right hand. Sadly, Davis is expected to be out for 4-to-6 weeks and though Ryan Anderson has fit in very nicely with a 21.7ppg average, losing Davis and his defense was a though blow to this team.
18 (13) MEMPHIS 9-10
The Grizzlies are out of the playoffs looking in and not having Gasol in the lineup for the last seven games has made things even more difficult. The Griz have a 3-4 record during this stretch and it's looking more and more like the Griz are on the path to missing the playoffs.
19 (19) CHARLOTTE 9-11
The Bobcats ended last week averaging only 89.6ppg. Yes, less than 90 points per game for an entire NBA team. Despite that, a 9-and-11 record have them currently seeded 7th in the watered down Eastern Conference.
20 (17) MINNESOTA 9-11
The Wolves are 1-and-4 over their last 5 games and you don't have to look any further than the slumping play of Kevin Love. During this stretch, Love averaged 19ppg on a miserable .343 shooting from the field, so it's no surprise that the Wolves are slumping along with him.
21 (18) CHICAGO 8-10
The good new out of Chi-town is that Rose could return before the playoffs. However, Rose started this season very poorly and with his latest injury setback, I'm not sure if returning this season will be enough to make the Bulls championship contenders. The Bulls will make the playoffs, but even with Rose, I don't see this team beating the Heat or the Pacers in a 7-game series.
22 (21) TORONTO 7-12
Toronto finally pulled the trigger as I predicted they would all season long, by trading Rudy Gay in an effort to save money and officially tank the season. The Raptors would love to draft Toronto's native Andrew Wiggins in next year's draft, but will gladly settle for a top 3 lottery pick. Trading Gay means the Raptors are now in full rebuilding mode.
23 (26) CLEVELAND 7-13
Kyrie Irving is really having a roller coaster season and has been on the down turn of the coaster over the last five games. Kyrie averaged only 15.8ppg and 4.6apg, while shooting only .358 percent from the field over the last five games, including an 0-for-9 outing for 0 points in an 89-108 loss against the Hawks in Atlanta. It's very obvious that Irving is having trouble adjusting to Mike Brown's offense. The question is, does coach Brown even have an offense?
24 (23) PHILADELPHIA 7-14
Michael Carter-Williams is averaging 17.7ppg, 7.3apg and a league leading 3.13 steals per game and is currently leading the race for the NBA's ROY Award. However, since starting the season with an impressive 3-0 start, the Sixers have gone on to win only 4 of their last 18 games. The bad news is they are the league's worst defensive team, allowing their opponents a league high 109.5ppg. The good new is, the Sixers could end up with a top 3 pick in next year's draft and Nerlens Noel could return fully healthy. If that happens, this Sixers team could make one of the largest jumps over one season.
25 (25) BROOKLYN 6-14
Where do we begin? Let's start with the two lottery picks that the Nets offer the Hawks for Joe Johnson. Follow that with a $100 million payroll and then add in $75 million in luxury taxes, which brings the Nets total payroll to $175 million. Yes, you have a $175 million lottery-bound team led by a rookie coach in Jason Kidd, who was recently fined $50K for purposely spilling his drink on the court. The Brooklyn Nets are in a total disarray. The good news is that Deron Williams and Paul Pierce could both return healthy to help lead the Nets to the playoffs. For as bad as things look, the Nets are only 3 games behind the Bulls for the 8th and final playoffs spot.
BOTTOM FEEDERS
26 (27) SACRAMENTO 5-13
Trading for Rudy Gay was a great move on the part of the Sacramento Kings. Pairing him with Cousins should make the Kings more competitive, though I still expect them to miss the playoffs. If they end up with a lottery pick and Ben McLemore improves, this team could easily become a playoff team by next season.
27 (29) NEW YORK 5-14
Carmelo Anthony will not re-sign with the Knicks, you can book it! Losing by over 40 points to the lowly Boston Celtics only reinforces the notion of how pathetic the Knicks are right now, so there's absolutely no incentive for Melo to re-sign with them. If they can trade Melo for Blake Griffin, who is currently under a long term contract, then they must make that trade. If they don't make the playoffs, they will have Griffin, Bargnani, Chandler and a lottery pick, which should make them a playoff team by next season.
28 (22) ORLANDO 6-14
The Magic are sporting a 5-game losing streak and as the season hits the quarter mark, it's becoming clear that this team is definitely lottery bound. Trading Nelson and adding another piece would only lower their chances of a high draft pick, so if I were them, I would just tank the season and let things play out.
29 (28) UTAH 4-18
The Jazz have a bright future because they have bigs like Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter and a nice young point guard in rookie Trey Burke. If this team lands Wiggins or Parker in next year's draft and their young players continue to develop, this team along with the Sixers could be one of the surprise teams of the NBA next season.
30 (30) MILWAUKEE 4-16
The Bucks are the second lowest scoring team in the league, scoring only 90.8ppg and 28th in rebounds with only 39.9 per game. Zaza Pachulia is out for a month and O.J. Mayo leads the team in scoring with 15.3ppg, which is the lowest average of any team leading scorer. The Bucks are definitely the worst team in the league after week 6.
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