1 (2) OKLAHOMA CITY 25-5
For the second time in this very short season, the Thunder will be without their second leading scorer and emotional leader Russell Westbrook, who recently underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knees. Even though Westbrook is expected to be out until after the All-Star break, the Thunder have fared well in his absence. The team is 4-and-1 with Westbrook out of the lineup this season and currently their 25-5 record is the best record in the league.
2 (3) INDIANA 24-5
Step aside Danny Granger, the Pacers are now Paul George's' team. The Pacers have a 4-0 record since Granger returned and two stat lines stood out to me. Paul George averaged 24.25ppg over the last 4 games, which was slightly above his 23.9ppg season average. What I gather from that is, with, or without Granger, Paul George has established himself as the face of the franchise. Granger on the other hand struggled miserably, averaging only 6.3ppg on a .258 shooting percentage. Conclusion: As soon as Granger numbers become respectable, I expect the Pacers to trade him.
3 (4) MIAMI 23-7
The Heat have had a though time adjusting to Wade missing every other third game it seems like, which is why they continue to trail the Pacers for the best record in the East. Lebron James was name AP Player of the Year, the third basketball player to get the award and is once again one of the top two candidates leading the MVP race. I think Wade should take a page out of Westbrook book and opt for arthroscopic surgery, but it doesn't appear that he will.
4 (1) PORTLAND 24-6
Damien Lillard has obviously established himself as a big shot maker and LaMarcus Aldridge is having an MVP season, but I personally didn't expect the Blazers to maintain their number one ranking from last week. The Blazers are for real and should be considered a championship contender, but I still expect them to finish behind the Spurs and Thunder by the end of the season.
5 (5) SAN ANTONIO 24-7
Timmy is averaging career lows in points and assist, but at 14.2ppg and 9.6rpg, his numbers are clearly worthy of All-Star considerations, especially when you consider the fact that Timmy just turn 37 years old. Nothing really stands out about the Spurs, but I can assure you that by season's end, the Spurs will have one of the top two seeds in the Western Conference.
6 (6) LA CLIPPERS 21-11
After losing by 2-points to GSW in Oakland and by 4-points in an overtime loss to the Blazers in Portland, the Clippers returned home and ended their week on a good note by defeating Jazz. The Clippers issue is that as long as they have DeAndre Jordan, who can't score unless he's dunking and Griffin who's jumper is still a work in process, they will continue to rely too heavily on CP3. I still believe trading Griffin to the Knicks for Carmelo Anthony will definitely make them a real championship contender.
7 (7) HOUSTON 21-12
The Rockets started the week with a loss to their home state rival Dallas Mavericks and ended it with a loss to the red hot Thunder in OKC. However, they managed to win their three games in between to finish the week 3-and-2. As it stands, this team is not currenly constructed to win the championship. I think packaging Omar Asik and Jeremy Lin in a trade for a solid point guard, or a stretch-four power forward could change things for the Rockets.
8 (12) GOLDEN STATE 19-13
The Warriors started the week out of the playoffs looking in, but went on to win their last four games and six of their last seven, which propelled the team back to the 7th seed in the West. Steph Curry is leading the way with career highs in both points and assists, with 23.4ppg and 9.6apg. The Warriors are once again back to clicking on all cylinders.
9 (8) PHOENIX 18-11
The Suns had a 9-9 record and were clearly out of playoff contention, but have gone on to win 10 of their last 12 games. The Suns are the 6th seed in the West and have done so by having everyone involved. If forward P.J. Tucker was averaging 10ppg instead of 9.1, he would be the eighth Suns player averaging double figures. I'm not sure how long the Suns can keep this up, but for now things sure look sunny in Phoenix.
10 (10) DALLAS 17-13
Dirk is rounding into shape and though he's 35 years old, still leads his team in scoring with 21.3ppg. The Mavericks have a great coach in Rick Carlisle and with Dirk, Monte and Shawn Marion leading the way, I predict that the Mavs would be a formidable opponent for any team in the First Round of the Playoffs.
11 (9) ATLANTA 17-14
The Hawks had a very challenging week, with three of their four games going overtime. They started the week losing a 121-119 OT nail biter in Miami, before going on to win their next two overtime games. If the season today, the Hawks would beat the Bobcats in Round One, but would eventually lose to the Heat in the Eastern Conference Semis, which would be similar to what they did with high dollar players like Joe Johnson and Josh Smith aboard. So from a pure business perspective, the Hawks will save a ton of money and pretty much have the same result.
12 (15) MINNESOTA 15-15
Kevin Love is playing like an All-Star and definitely won a ton of votes with his monster week. The Wolves only had 2-2 record, but Love was an absolute beast averaging 32ppg and 14.5rpg. If he continues putting up chunky numbers like those, the Wolves could find themselves in playoff contention sooner than we think.
13 (16) TORONTO 13-15
When the Raptors traded Rudy Gay, many including myself believed that this was done in an effort to tank the season and to a point I still do. However, the exact opposite has happened. Before the trade the Raptors had a 7-12 record, but since the trade, the team has gone on to win six of their last nine games. If this trend continues, the Raptors hope of drafting Andrew Wiggins could dissipate right before their very eyes.
14 (13) WASHINGTON 13-14
The Wizards have been on a nice roll recently and the team's success seem to have coincided with return of Bradley Beal, their second leading scorer. Since his return, the Wizards have a 5-1 record and have moved up to the 5th seed in the East.
15 (20) NEW ORLEANS 13-15
If the Pelicans were in the Eastern Conference, they would be seeded fifth right now, but being in the Western Conference means they are seeded eleventh. Since returning from his injury, Pelicans All-Star hopeful Anthony Davis continues to be a 20 point-10 rebound waiting to happen on a nightly basis. Unfortunately, that might not be enough to lead his team to the Playoffs this season.
16 (21) MEMPHIS 13-16
I anticipated that the Grizzlies would have a though time this year after losing former coach Hollins and All-Star Rudy Gay. Losing Mark Gasol, the NBA's reigning Defensive Player of the Year has been the hardest pill to swallow though. Since going down, the Grizzlies are 6-and-11, before his injury the team had a 7-5 record. Gasol is expected to miss three more week and by then, the Grizzlies could find themselves completely out of the Playoff race.
17 (17) CHARLOTTE 14-17
Bobcats owner Michael Jordan could not be in a better position right now. For one, he's expecting twin daughters from his beautiful new wife. Two, the Bobcats will make the Playoffs in the Eastern Conference, which in itself would be an accomplishment. Third, Jordan could end up making between $60 to $75 million as the owner of the Bobcats, not including the $30 million he gets from Nike. Jordan could be on his way to having his first $100 million year. The downside to all of this is that by making the Playoffs, the Bobcats would ruin their chances of drafting a top 5 lottery pick.
18 (11) DENVER 14-15
The slumping Nuggets are sporting a 6-game losing streak, but with a 3-game homestand coming up against the Heat, Sixers and Grizzlies, I look for them to bounce out of their slump. Unfortunately, the Nuggets will continue to struggle, because they can't guard anyone of the defensive end. During their 6-game losing streak, the Nuggets allowed an average of 105.7ppg to their opponents.
19 (18) DETROIT 14-18
The Pistons are currently seeded 7th in the East, but as we all know, it's only by default because the Eastern Conference is just terrible right now. Just when you think this team is making strides; like their close 2-point loss to the Blazers followed by wins over Indy and Boston, they follow it up with losses to the Magic and Wizards.
20 (19) BOSTON 13-17
The Celtics were blessed with one of the lightest week of the season, playing only one game, a 103-100 win over the Cavaliers. And yes, the Celtics are currently seeded 8th in the East. Who could have ever imagined that after losing Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, that the Celtics team would've had a better record 30 games into to the season?
21 (14) LA LAKERS 13-18
The Lakers are sporting a 5-game losing streak, with Paul Gasol missing two of those games. Truth be told, with, or without Gasol, this Lakers team will not make the playoffs this season, especially with Kobe expected to miss another month. Personally, Kobe should just shut it down for the rest of the season and allow his team to tank so that they can end up with a high draft pick, but his pride and ego won't let him which will be a detriment to the team. Imagine if the Lakers ended up with a top 3 pick next season and ended up signing Carmelo, they would instantly be championship contenders. Unfortunately for Lakers fans, that probability is only likely if Kobe shuts it down for the season, which is highly doubtful.
22 (22) CHICAGO 11-17
The Bulls figured just keep it close until Rose return, because by then they would either be in the playoffs, or only a few games out. What concerns me though is, the last time Rose was in uniform he clearly wasn't the MVP that we all grew to love, so is he suppose to be better after having a surgery on his other knee? I don't know, but with or without Rose, the Bulls are not making it pass the Semi Finals in the Eastern Conference this year.
23 (28) ORLANDO 10-20
The Magic had a 3-game week that started with a loss to the Knicks, but ended with impressive wins over Detroit and Atlanta. This team is a player away from being a playoff team and few players away from being a perennial playoff participant. Trading Jameer Nelson could take care of the first part and landing a top 3 pick in next year's draft could satisfy the latter.
24 (23) CLEVELAND 10-20
The Cavaliers expected way more than 8.4ppg, 5.3rpg on only .419 percent shooting when they signed Andrew Bynum this season. With a January 7th deadline approaching in which they must waive him, or pay him an additional $6 million, I can say with confidence that Bynum days in Cleveland are numbered. The Cavs will have to revert back to relying heavily on Kyrie Irving, who is being hampered by aching knees as of late.
25 (24) BROOKLYN 10-20
For as terrible as the Nets have played this season, they are only two games out of the playoffs. Only in the East can a team with a 10-20 record have a realistic chance of making the playoffs. Sadly, all of the Nets players are complaining and pointing figures, but the reality is, other than the injured Brook Lopez, not one single Net player is playing well. Matter of fact, they are collectively all having career low numbers from Deron Williams, to Paul Pierce, down to Kevin Garnett. It's time for everyone to look at themselves in the mirror and commit mind, body and soul, because it would be a catastrophe if this team misses the playoffs.
BOTTOM FEEDERS
26 (25) NEW YORK 9-21
I'm going make a prediction that on June 28th, 2014 as Adam Silver the NBA's new commissioner takes the podium in New York City to announce the number one overall draft pick, we will hear something like this "and the Knicks select Andrew Wiggins out of Kansas University. Skeptics and conspiracy theorist will proclaim that the draft was fix, but the Knicks would enter a new era on that night. Imagine if they had Blake Griffin instead of Carmelo by then? A Griffin-Wiggins forward tandem would be the most explosive in the league.
27 (26) SACRAMENTO 9-20
Trading for Gay to pair him up with LaMarcus Cousins was a great move on the part of the Kings, but they need to do more. With Gay on board, rookie sensation McLemore, who plays the same position and has yet to develop may be indispensable. I think the Kings should wait until the draft before considering moving him. This team must come out of next years draft with a third threat to pair up with Cousins and Gay, if they expect to be a playoff team next season.
28 (29) PHILADELPHIA 9-21
The Sixers are in the best position of any team moving forward. They stole Michael Carter-Williams, who is the leading candidate for the NBA's ROY Award. Then they drafted Nerlens Noel with the sixth pick in last year's draft, who had it not been for his injury would've been the number one overall pick. If they ended up with one of the top three picks in next year's draft and Noel returns at full strength, they would essentially have two franchise changing lottery picks and would be the NBA's surprise team next season, hands down!
29 (27) UTAH 9-24
The Jazz could upstage the Sixers if they ended up drafted Wiggins or Parker, because they have bigs like Enes Kanter and Derrick Favors down low. Not to mention point guard rookie sensation Trey Burke, who will definitely have something to say about the ROY Award before this season is over. Burke has a major upside and I can easily see him averaging 20-10 next season as in points and assist next season.
30 (30) MILWAUKEE 6-24
The Bucks will definitely end up with a top 5 pick because they will probably end up with the worst record in the league. My hope is that it's not Wiggins or Parker, because I would rather have those guys playing for the Kings, Sixers or Jazz. Nothing against the Bucks, but it's simply not an attractive destination for NBA players, so unless they are willing to overpay free agents; which is very unlikely considering how they allowed Ellis to walk, I see them trying to rebuild though the draft which is going to take some time.
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