1. Boston Celtics: Damn man. We all knew they would probably win some games, but personally I didn’t think they would gel this quickly. Watching them is knowing you are seeing something special.
2. Orlando Magic: I’m afraid I’ll jinx them when I’m writing too positive about Stan Van Gundy and his guys. But I’m overestimating myself, so here goes: second place in the east is unexpected, and I’m impressed with all of them. Dwight Howard might be the best big man in the League right now. Not only the East, the whole League. Turkoglu, Lewis, even Nelson are benefiting from playing with him. I hope they can continue this far into the season. I like ‘em.
3. Detroit Pistons: Do they need Webber or not? The Pistons aren’t themselves so far, they aren’t dominating. Injuries don’t help though. So far Rasheed Wallace missed some games, Rip Hamilton isn’t 100%, and rookie Rodney Stuckey is still out with a broken hand. I won’t be surprised if they take over the second spot at the end of December, though.
4. Toronto Raptors: Jorge Garbajosa is out indefinitely, Bosh still isn’t himself, T.J. Ford hasn’t played for over a week, which is concerning to say the least when you at his history. Bright spot for the team is of course Jamario Moon, who does a little bit of everything, and a lot of things right. You can’t say the Raptors are disappointing; the just got bit by the injury bug.
5. Cleveland Cavaliers: The only reason the Cavs are in fifth place is…. Drumroll please…. LeBron James! How surprising. If you had to pick the MVP after one month of play, the only right choice would be James. He also picked up his defense this season, but I’m wondering how in the world he can keep this up for a full 82 games. Four triple-doubles already; Jason Kidd got competition.
6. Indiana Pacers: They play better without Jermaine O’Neal, so what does that mean? Trade him? Wait and see if he’ll improve (health-wise)? Tinsley sometimes looks like he can be a good point guard, Danny Granger might be an All-Star one day, and Mike Dunleavy shows he’s capable of putting up decent numbers on any given night. A player just needs an opportunity and the right system to play in. At least he proved Don Nelson wrong. Not that the Don cares, but still.
7. Milwaukee Bucks: Another surprise, but if you look at their roster, it makes sense. A lot of players can flat out score the ball, Yi is struggling a bit right now, but that’s only fair after a strong start of the Chinese rookie. Michael Redd is playing the best ball of his career so far, saying playing against Kobe Bryant during the summer on Team USA made him a better defender. Scary though, now he can do it all.
8. New Jersey Nets: Jason Kidd is really getting frustrated (but still has four triple-doubles already). Could this season be the end of the Kidd-era? RJ is playing like an All-Star, Vince isn’t, rookie Sean Williams is getting in highlight reels both offensively and defensively, and the rest of the Nets are reminding me of The Four Tops: it’s the same old song.
9. Washington Wizards: Gilbert Arenas will miss three months. Worst case scenario? He would miss the rest of the season. Is Washington doomed? Yes, but that has more to do with George Bush than the Wizards. Not all hope is lost, because Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison are playing at such a high level, along with the always useful Antonio Daniels, this team will eventually win more games than they will lose.
10. Charlotte Bobcats: So far I don’t think I saw even one game of the Bobcats, but I thought they would have a better record than they have right now. When I think of the Bobcats I always think about Jason Richardson. If I ever had a chance to ask him one question, I would ask him: “Do you feel you were getting screwed by the trade?” I think being on the Warriors would be better than to carry the Bobcats.
11. Atlanta Hawks: For some reason, I have doubts it will get any better than this. They might win one, they might lose two after that. They’ll surprise some teams, but eventually will lose some more. I can imagine Hawks fans having hope for this team, and there are good reasons to show for it, but when April comes they won’t be in the top eight.
12. New York Knicks: When they played the Celtics in Boston Thursday night, Marv Albert said that he never saw a loss like that in his broadcasting career. When Marv Albert says that, you know the Knicks have problems. First of all (I’m sounding more like Barkley everyday): This man saw more basketball games than The Netherlands as a whole. I’d like to add that Marv was also did a lot of Knicks games a few years back, so he knows what he’s talking about. This was embarrassing. For the Knicks as an organization, for Isiah, the players, us as fans, and even the NBA. This was a nationally televised game, how can you lose by almost 50 points? Are you kidding me? Something’s gotta change – fast.
13. Philadelphia 76’ers: The Sixers are frustrated, although I hope Andre Iguodala will have enough patience and also broad shoulders to carry this franchise. Recent rumors tell that Andre Miller will stay in Philly for a while, so that’s probably good news. The bad news? The team sucks more than Paris H…. nah, too easy.
14. Miami Heat: Shaq seems to be playing a little bit better, but Dwyane Wade isn’t entirely back though. He even says so himself, because he can’t get up. Forget about his spectacular lay-ups, he isn’t dunking right now, not finishing strong, and he said it will take some time to get that explosiveness back. But having Wade back at least gives the Heat a chance to win a game every now and then. But they are as unpredictable as Denzel’s character in American Gangster.
15. Chicago Bulls: Scott Skiles will be out before the All-Star break. Skiles got the skills, no doubt about it, but it just doesn’t work anymore with the players. It must be stated that it isn’t entirely his fault, because his players give a lacklustre effort, which in no way should be allowed. This should’ve been one of the top teams in the East, and winning only three games is just sad.
2 comments:
Very informative post... If thie trend in the East continues only Orlando and Boston will be assured and guaranteed for the playoffs, its an open race again for the rest...
True. Who knew Orlando would've been this good? Garnett and Dwight Howard are no doubt the best big men in the East.
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