It's time for a team-by-team! Please note that this will be very difficult, since I've not been able to pay as much attention to the sport as I generally like, so some of my assumptions might be slightly off base. Whatever.
ATLANTA HAWKS
Atlanta is one of those teams that I hardly ever hear any real news about, so imagine my surprise when I checked the league standings and saw they were fourth best in the East. Fourth. They're only a game ahead of 5-7, and it's really early in the Season, so I still expect some solid changes in the playoff groups, but that's still pretty impressive.
Earlier, I'd said that I only really expect Atlanta to improve their record if they get some solid improvement from Law, Horford, or both, so I decided to take a look at the two player's averages. Law's production has actually dropped (Actually, for the loss of minutes Law has, I'd say he's improved), so it's not him. Horford's production, save assists, has actually fallen off from last year. So what's the big catalyst? Well, Smith's production is way the hell down. Joe Johnson's is essentially the same as always. Then I found it. Mike Bibby has been lights-out. His assists are down, but his percentages are waaaay higher than they've been in a long, long time, possibly ever, and his turnovers are down, too. I guess once he adjusted to the team, Bibby was a better fit than I had first assumed, because I can't explain the Hawks phenomenon otherwise. I wouldn't be surprised to see this team fall off.
BOSTON CELTICS
Ray Allen has been playing better this year than last year. Rajon Rondo has shown great improvement in his passing. Tony Allen is back to his old self. Kevin Garnett is still an asshole. (Seriously. He made his own teammate CRY. OH MY GOD WE MIGHT HAVE A THIRD LOSS. FUCK YOOOOOOOOOOU.)
Earlier, I was concerned that the loss of James Posey would hurt this team's chances of repeating for a championship, and to a degree, I stick by that. On the other hand, the players are probably gelling better this year (with the exception of Garnett being an asshat.) than they were last year, and they're probably getting better looks offensively now than they were before. Boston is, make no mistake, still in the mix, and I don't expect this to really change as the season goes on. If I had to give the Celtics a weakness last year, I'd have begrudgingly said "They could stand to get better play from their guards." and their main three guards have improved notably from last season. The C's are definitely a threat to repeat.
CHARLOTTE BOBCATS
What amazes me about this team, is just how many crazy game simulations decide that they'll be in the playoff mix this year. The official 2009 EA simulator had them in the mix. My NBA 2k9 file had them at 7th. It's ridiculous. What's the good of this team? How is this team intelligently constructed?
There is no -depth- to this team. Felton is still pretty good. J-Rich and Gerald Wallace are both fantastic. Okafor is solid. Matt Carrol is a great Roleplayer. WHAT'S LEFT?! Where is the depth? The bench of this team is trash, trash, trash.
Charlotte really needs to start amassing some smart, solid talent that can actually contribute. Where are the MLE free agents? I wouldn't want to play in Charlotte either, but when was the last time you heard about a really good player actually SIGNING with this team? They've made all their miniscule progress to date by the draft and by trading. Until they actually hire some reasonable talent, I'm going to presume that they can't.
CHICAGO BULLS
So Derrick Rose managed to injure himself by eating apples in bed, and rolling over onto his knife. He needed 10 stitches. He won't miss any games, but he ROLLED ONTO HIS KNIFE that he was using to CUT APPLES IN BED.
The Bulls have been playing really solidly, or at least somewhat solidly, and Rose has been a big, big part of that. Rose's numbers are fantastic, especially when you consider he's only a rookie. 6 assists, 18 points, 4 rebounds (from the point guard position) and fantastic shooting percentages for a rookie guard, and decent ones for damn near anyone else. (Close to 50% from the field? Sure!) Rose seems like a no-brainer for Rookie of the Year at this point (OJ Mayo is as good as advertised, though), and I think he was just the surge of energy that the Bulls needed in order to get back into the mix of things.
CLEVELAND CAVALIERS
I stand up and salute this team.
Cleveland, right now, are number two in the league in defense, and more shockingly, are number ONE in the league in offense. I will say that again, because it is so bizarre and unheard of, I think it warrants repeating. Currently. The Cleveland Cavaliers. Are the best team in the LEAGUE. On offense.
Wow. That amazes me beyond belief. I always said that Mo Williams was a poor-man's Chauncey Billups, but one of the things I think this season has taught me, is that Chauncey Billups is remarkably good at the game of Basketball. As happy as I am for Cleveland now, I'm angry at the team for before. So Mike Brown really isn't that bad of a coach for offense? It was really just the team sucking that bad? You bring ONE GUY onto the team, and suddenly, everyone plays like they know what they're doing? Even Z is having one of his best seasons, and he's been at this for quite a while. ONE legit offensive threat was enough to turn this team around. Are you kidding? Cleveland is currently my pick to win the East.
DALLAS MAVERICKS
They've been playing -OK- for the last few games, and currently, they're an amazing SEVENTH in the West. In reality, I expect Phoenix and San Antonio to overtake them, and for them to be the bubble team. For the fun fact of the week: JJ Barea had chants of "MVP" at some time during this season. (I totally stole that one from NBA.com. But how could I -not- mention it?!) I'm really happy for Barea, because I'm a fan of his game, and I know he's not quite as talented as most of the NBA. I think he's a smart, solid player and it's good to see him get some time in the spotlight.
Dallas has got to be even more depressed than usual about the Devin Harris trade. Dallas is the only team that is so overbudget that they are losing money. Dallas...
I weep for Dallas. I really, really, REALLY wanted this team to win the finals a few years ago. I was a huge Mavs fan. They were my favorite team in the league, and might currently be my favorite team of all time (which for me, is really only a few seasons). But it's all gone now. The team has fallen apart. Soon I'll begin chants of "Free Dirk", because I really love that big lug, and I want to see him get a championship at some point in his career.
DENVER NUGGETS
My current pick for most underrated player of his generation: Chauncey Billups.
Billups comes over to the Nuggets, and they become one of the better defensive clubs in the NBA, per possession. That's got to be his doing. (It ain't the coach!) Billups is really good at controlling the tempo of the game, taking it to the level where he's comfortable, and then doing his own thing. And from everything I've read about him when he was at Detroit, he's a real leader, who actually can convince other players to play the right way, to. When Ron Artest went over to Sacremento, I thought it was something of a crime that he didn't win Defensive Player of the Year. He changed the whole culture of the team for the tougher, and I think this year, Billups has done the same thing for Denver. And Denver was in desperate need of a culture change.
I've also read (again, stealing from NBA.com) that 'Melo is saying that this is the most fun he's had in his basketball career. And to that, I say "YES. Yes, Carmelo. You might get it now." I like to rip on Anthony. It's what I do. But the fact is, if he gets a heart to go out and play defense, and he keeps his offense within himself, maybe not getting the eye-popping numbers, but getting really efficient looks. ('Melo has some disgusting post-moves. His footwork in the post is among the best in the NBA, if not the best.) Right now, his numbers are off, though, with his shooting at a measly 40%, but I expect that will change as he and Billups get to feel each other out a bit more.
I just wish that whatever demons JR Smith has would shut the hell up and let the boy play Basketball, because if he had his head on straight, and 'Melo takes this new enthusiasm with him, I'd be prepared to call Denver an Elite Team.
DETROIT PISTONS
I still think the Billups trade was good for Detroit, too, because again, if they lose this season, they get what? A higher draft pick and a shitload of cap room.
Everyone says that the Pistons are, like everyone else, in the running for the LeBron/Bosh/Wade sweepstakes, but I discovered what I consider to be a much more likely scenario. See, sports teams say they're always planning for the future, and to a degree this is true, but they ALWAYS want to win NOW. The future is an uncertain, scary blob. Winning ANY championship is something that your city will remember and appreciate for a long time. No, the Pistons can fill a hole in their roster really quickly in the coming offseason by hiring another key free-agent: Carlos Boozer.
Boozer is in it for money. He doesn't pretend it's anything else. He has no loyalty to Utah. He probably HATES it in Utah, because his kid couldn't live there immediately thanks to the doom-level elevation. He has an opt-out in his contract next season which, as one of the best power forwards in the league, in an environment where several teams that NEED big men are going to have cap space, he is going to take. I dunno if he'll end up in Detroit, but I'd be willing to make a small wager that Joe Dumars is wishing for a certain pimply faced dynamo this Christmas.
GOLDEN STATE WARRIORS
When your coach says that there's no way the team is making the playoffs, there's probably no way your team is making the playoffs. Which is a shame. I like the Warriors, even without Baron Davis, and it's hard not to like Baron Davis. I have to wonder how bad Bellinelli's defense is, when he still only manages 8 minutes a game with Baron off the team and Ellis out for the whole season so far. They had that freakish rookie that I cannot for the life of me remember the name of. Anthony Morrow? That's a plus. Biedrins is supposedly playing fantastic. That's another plus.
I really wish a team like Golden State could put it together for more than a year at a time. It's a really likable, fun team, but nope! There's just not enough space in the post season for them. Maybe next year, guys.
HOUSTON ROCKETS
So Tracy McGrady isn't playing lately, because he's got this perennial pain problem. Doctors say that his legs are fine and that he's perfectly capable of going out and playing, but he's just in too much pain. Meanwhile, Ron Artest is playing injured and totally showing off how crazy people are tougher than normal people.
Chronic pain is a real issue that I think he's going to have to learn how to deal with. This will either cut his career short or it won't. He's got to realize that. He either has to decide that, no, the pain isn't that bad of an issue, and he can go out and play, or he has to just call it quits early. He's going to destroy whatever team he's on if he keeps being wishy-washy about it. His only other option is to pull a Zo and take Acetaminophen until his kidneys die, but in all seriousness, what choice does he have?
We all hope you're not in too much pain, Tracy. My sister deals with Chronic Pain, and I can tell you, I know that it's hard at times. Do what you have to, man.
I'd like to point out that at no point has he actually mentioned early retirement, but really. He's going to be in this pain for pretty much his whole career. If it's too much for him, the right thing to do IS retire.
INDIANA PACERS
Without one of their better players, the Pacers have beaten some of the elite teams in the league, but they've fallen behind some worse teams in the league.
I stand by my earlier assessment that the Pacers are a good basketball team and that they are going to make the playoffs. Apparently Brandon Rush is struggling with the pro game more than Indiana thought he would, so that's a problem, but really, this is a strong team, and it's got a fun mix of talented veterans, young guys, and guys who are probably hungry to, I dunno, ACTUALLY MAKE THE PLAYOFFS. Danny Granger is fantastic, and only seems to get better every year.
Maybe I'm biased because I'm playing the Pacers in NBA 2k9, but I'm convinced this is a "cusper" team. They're on the verge of making some noise in the playoffs. It's not a matter of "if". It's a matter of "when". Personally, I still bet it's this year.
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That's all I have time for today. More to follow over the next few days.
