Post by gp on Jul 26, 2010 23:38:25 GMT -5
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1- Toronto Raptors (31-8 overall; 1st in the East)
Guard Allen Iverson is once again one of the forerunners for the league's Most Valuable Player award. His statline is scary good while his supporting cast isn't shabby featuring guard Hubert Davis and veteran big men Chris Andersen, Chris Mihm and Dale Davis. This combination of experienced players and strong defense should propel the Raptors to further success the rest of the season.
2- Golden State Warriors (29-9 overall; 1st in the West)
The Warriors continuingly keep reloading their artillery of weapons on their club. First it was their shocking move for Amare Stoudamire and most recently it was the acquisitions for Shane Battier, Brendan Haywood and Ray Allen. This team keeps playing with a chip on their shoulders after losing in the Finals last season and continue to rack up astounding defensive team stats.
3- Philadelphia 76ers (27-9 overall; 2nd in the East)
Maniac has seemingly kept the same roster intact for the past 3 or 4 seasons and the team has played well after escaping a contract year scare a few seasons ago. Shawn Kemp is still a top 5 big man in the league even at 33 while Vitaly Potapenko and Jamaal Magloire might be the best pair of bigs no one ever talks about in trade discussion.
4- Charlotte Bobcats (27-10 overall; 3rd in the East)
After losing Penny Hardaway and Eric Snow in consecutive off-seasons, the Bobcats have stayed competitive thanks to their defensive frontline. Marcus Camby is an absolute beast on the defensive end while newly acquired Tyson Chandler is trying to follow the same mold. Jerry Stackhouse and Shareef Abdur-Rahim are both having career seasons that will help them later in the year.
5- Minnesota Timberwolves (29-14 overall; 2nd in the West)
Most GMs thought DBW was crazy when he tried to compete at the beginning of the season. Now he's the one that could capture the midwest division pretty easily this season with arrivals of Shaquille O'Neal, Robert Traylor and Bruce Bowen. The Wolves are now a force to be reckoned with in the West.
6- Phoenix Suns (25-12 overall; 3rd in the West)
The Suns have constructed a core that hasn't even reached it's full potential yet. Defensively this team does not play to its ratings but they certainly have in it them to be a lockdown squad on defense. All five of the Suns' starters are under 28 and should be very compeitive for a long time.
7- Denver Nuggets (21-13 overall; 4th in the West)
The Nuggets have the most talent in the league yet probably do the least to surround talent around them. Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade and Gilbert Arenas are both franchise talents on any other team but on this team they are not moved for any other big man that could take them to new heights. Still, the Nuggets are one of the best teams in the West despite not having a legitimate big man.
8- Boston Celtics (19-12 overall; 4th in the East)
GM Jeff had a spectacular off-season by drafting Boris Diaw and Mickael Pietrus plus an even better trade with the arrival of Zach Randolph. This team still lacks a great point guard but for now the platoon of Nick Van Exel and Jason Williams will work for now. Still, Leon Smith is the best young defensive big in the league that no one knows about.
9- Portland Trail Blazers (25-18 overall; 5th in the West)
The Blazers have consistently been good for the past 5 seasons while featuring the best young guard in the Western Conference. Michael Redd is due to be a free agent this off-season but will surely get paid and continue to play with probably the best point guard in the league in Gary Payton. Like the Nuggets, the Blazers don't really feature a big man that can legitimately change shots with the exception of Rasheed Wallace.
10- Orlando Magic (22-16 overall; 5th in the East)
The Magic are somehwat in a crossroads of their competitive track in this season. They have retooled by acquiring picks and younger players in Andre Miller, Chris Bosh and Brian Cardinal. Orlando also still has Glenn Robinson who is one of the most forgotten franchise players in the league.
11- Chicago Bulls (20-16 overall; 6th in the East)
Play gets flack for his team underperforming but his team certainly has the talent to be the best team in the East. Kevin Garnett and Ben Wallace make a formidable duo in the frontline while the trio of Michael Dickerson, Manu Ginobilli and Mike Bibby are hard to stop in the backcourt.
12- New Jersey Nets (19-16 overall; 7th in the East)
Jimmy King is still one of the best guards in the league with his ability to fill up the basket and dish the ball. Eddie Elisma and Shawn Bradley are both good bigs in the frontline that keep the Nets from being dominated down low. At 34, Larry Johnson is still able to score and rebound the ball and only making a million dollars this season.
13- Cleveland Cavaliers (24-21 overall; 8th in the East)
Is Stanley Roberts really the best stop gap solution at power forward for the Cavs? Nene would have been ideal but in turn the Cavs have Allan Houston to supplant Tim Duncan in scoring duties. Eric Snow should be having a better season but is still very good defensively despite some of his struggles this year.
14- San Antonio Spurs (18-18 overall; 6th in the West)
With the West so bad, the Spurs are a playoff team thanks to the efforts of Joe Johnson, DaJuan Wagner and Elton Brand. They also have a ton of picks in the next three seasons and cap flexbility to make the moves they need to stay competitive. Travis Outlaw was also a great surprise picks for the Spurs in the last lottery.
15- Dallas Mavericks (18-20 overall; 7th in the West)
The Mavericks seemed to get the better end of the Dirk Nowitzki deal last year but now it seems like Tracy McGrady is performing better. Either way, the Mavs should have no trouble making the playoffs now that they have a shotblocking big man in Theo Ratliff and brought back point guard Anthony Peeler into the fold.
16- Houston Rockets (21-24 overall; 8th in the West)
The Rockets are holding on to the 8th slot in the West although there is not much action going on behind them. The trio of Grant Hill, Jason Kidd and Felipe Lopez should be more than enough for Houston to capture a playoff berth.
17- Atlanta Hawks (17-16 overall; 9th in the East)
After getting off to a hot start, the Hawks have gotten stagnant recently and now are leaning on the services of Joel Pryzbilla to provide the interior defense they yearn for. Yet, it will be interesting to see if the Hawks can regain their early successes and stay in the playoff picture in the East. If not, Jiggy and the Hawks may be facing their first CY in his stint here.
18- Detroit Pistons (16-18 overall; 10th in the East)
Several GMs praised Andy after getting Antawn Jamison for a premium but was expected to flourish alongside Paul Pierce. That hasn't gone exactly to plan. Jamison is shooting poor percentages and has actually been a liability more than a help for the Pistons this season. Detroit may have to figure out what they have to schematically to correct their troubles.
19- New York Knicks (14-19 overall; 11th in the East)
Jamal Crawford is having one of the best seasons offensively for a guard under the age of 25. Now with Steve Nash and Mike Miller next to him, Crawford can still hit the shots he needs to and still dish it out to reliable teammates. Andrei Kirilenko looks like a Defensive Player of the Year in the making and remains a special commodity in the league.
20- Indiana Pacers (14-23 overall; 12th in the East)
The Pacers got off to very poor start and were 5-18 at one point. Lately, Indiana has played better by switching their scheme and going with more defense in their lineups. They still have a chance to make a late 2nd half push in the East.
21- Miami Heat (17-26 overall; 13th in the East)
GM Manas is looking to rebuild after three seasons of trying to make it work with Steve Nash, Rip Hamilton and Tracy McGrady, two of which are gone. Now Baron Davis, Hamilton and Butler are expected to lead the rebuild process as well as less developed products like Mo Williams, Brandon Hunter and Frank Williams.
22- Washington Wizards (13-22 overall; 14th in the East)
Tony Parker remains the biggest trading chip on the Wizards roster but has yet to eliminate his somewhat turnover prone game. Troy Murphy is another player that hasn't gotten alot of notoriety but could certainly help a contender down the stretch. Yet, ashes has really sat on his team this season and hasn't made too many moves as of yet.
23- Milwaukee Bucks (14-26 overall; 15th in the East)
Broph is looking to take advantage of an ultra competitive Eastern Conference and take the bottom slot in the standings. Nene and Xue Yuyang are nice young pieces to build around in Milwaukee while also having financial stability for the next off-season.
24- Los Angeles Lakers (9-20 overall; 9th in the West)
The Lakers are in full rebuild mode but the rest of the teams in the West are worst than them. Eddy Curry is having a remarkable season statstically shooting 50% from the field while averaging just over 26 points a game and more than 11 and a half rebounds per game. Guard Quentin Richardson still hasn't blossomed into a star but looks like he could be a nice starter with RCs and time.
25- New Orleans Hornets (11-24 overall; 10th in the West)
King James seems to be enjoying the Big Easy and could have a Rookie of the Year on his mantle very soon. Other than Samuel Dalembert and James, this team's roster makeup is pretty bare but have four first rounders in the next two seasons to play with and rebuild properly.
26- Los Angeles Clippers (13-27 overall; 11th in the West)
After moaning and complaining, GM Martinez got probably the best interior player as a rookie since Zach Randolph in Xavier's forward David West after being auto picked in the draft. He is a leading candidate to be on a All-BBS team and is a lock for the All-Rookie team. Richard Jefferson and Earl Watson also complete the core of this Clippers' squad for the time being.
27- Utah Jazz (13-28 overall; 12th in the West)
The Jazz might have the best young big man trio in the league with Darko Milicic, Chris Kaman and Pau Gasol. They also might have the best taking point guard outside New Orleans' Vonteego Cummings in point guard Jimmy Jackson.
28- Oklahoma City Thunder (12-30 overall; 13th in the West)
The Thunder have a nice core of players in Gerald Wallace, Qyntel Woods and Nenad Krstic. They also have a good tanking depth chart in place and should be able to secure themselves a top three pick at the very least.
29- Memphis Grizzlies (7-30 overall; 14th in the West)
Is it Carmelo Anthony or bust for the Grizz? It sure looks that way as their is no other real piece to surround any talent around besides Hedo Turkoglu. On the bright side, the Grizzlies only have two guaranteed contracts past this season.
