Overview
Not much has changed in the East in the second month. It will be a two team race between the Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat for the first seed and homecourt advantage in the playoffs. The East will not get dramatic until these two teams meet in the Eastern Conference Finals. Most of the Conference is mired in mediocrity. The Atlanta Hawks are 18-14 and Toronto Raptors are 15-15 as the third and fourth teams in the Conference. The current 5-8 seeds in the East are all below .500. With the potential draft class in the upcoming NBA draft, it may not be a bad year for a lot these teams to be bad.
Still and Will Be Top Dogs
1. Indiana Pacers (25-6)
The Pacers are playing like the best team in the NBA and ready to dethrone the Heat. They have been playing the best defense in the NBA by a large margin giving up only 89.2 points per game. Besides the Chicago Bulls giving up 92.8 points per game, the rest of the NBA is at least giving up 96.5 points per game. The Pacers also have the best point differential in the NBA at +8.9. They have the best and deepest front line in the league. Paul George is now the superstar that they needed to be true title contenders. Their young shooting guard, Lance Stephenson, is one of the most improved players this season. Former All-Star Danny Granger has just returned. He will be a major weapon off the bench with his scoring and three point shooting. This team is great and can get better.
2. Miami Heat (24-8)
The Heat keep on winning. Lebron James had a minor injury recently but looks fine. The Heat are also making the correct decision with Dwayne Wade by allowing him additional rest in the regular season. It will help keep him fresh and more healthy throughout the season and into the playoffs. The Heat know the only prize they want is the NBA Championship and that they need Dwayne Wade playing at a high level near the end of the season and into playoffs rather than right now to accomplish that goal. Even though they are 24-8, they are not playing their best ball. They have been to three consecutive NBA Finals. They know how to pace themselves over a long season. I expect them to turn up their game in the second half and the playoffs.
Worst Division in the NBA: Atlantic Division
1. Toronto Raptors (15-15)
At least, one of the teams in the Atlantic Division is at .500 now. An interesting fact about the Raptors are that they are actually 8-3 since trading Rudy Gay, who was averaging 19.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.3 blocks. It shows that simply having players that put up great fantasy stats does not mean your team will be better. It is a team game. While having talent is crucial, cohesion and chemistry of the players are more important that having as many talented players as possible. While Rudy Gay has a great all around game, it does not speak well to his ability to make other players better when the Memphis Grizzlies advanced farther in the playoffs without Gay compared to the year before and the Raptors are now better without him.
New York City Blues
2. Brooklyn Nets (11-21)
I really liked the squad the Nets put together going into the season. Even after the first month, I thought they would be fine and still be a factor in the East. However, their best player and center Brook Lopez is out for the rest of the season. Their supposed superstar point guard Deron Williams is battling injuries and playing well below his capabilities. I agreed with the Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett acquisitions but they are only shells of themselves. To make matters worse, the Atlanta Hawks have the right to swap first round picks with the Nets as part of their trade for Joe Johnson. As a result, they will not even have a chance at one of the stud prospects in the upcoming draft as a consolation prize for their terrible season. Since they are also capped out, it will be very difficult to improve the team next year. Their future looks bleak at this point.
3. New York Knicks (10-21)
The Knicks have an odd mix of players. They like to shoot but do not have any player on the team that can create shots for other players. Their best player, Carmelo Anthony, can create shots for himself. They really need a great point guard to be a good team. Even at Jason Kidd’s advanced age and diminished game last year, the Knicks played their best when Kidd gave them a meaningful contribution in limited minutes during the first half of last season. In my opinion, Carmelo needs to be on a team that has a point guard that creates shots for his teammates. Without that responsibility, Carmelo can do what he does best and score. In big games, it is important to have someone that can always create his own shot and score against the top teams. I still believe Carmelo can play on a championship team but it needs to be configured properly to optimize his talents. However, I do not know how the Knicks can acquire a top point guard. They might be able to get a good one. There are rumors that the Raptors are willing to trade Kyle Lowry. Regardless, the Knicks will have a big decision to make in the offseason regarding whether they will bring back Carmelo. My initial thought is they should definitely re-sign him. One could say that he does not make his teammates better. Since they are this bad with him, I understand the argument that Knicks fans do not want to build around him. However, Championships are won with superstars. With some payroll flexibility, it makes sense to have one superstar in place and hope to sign a second and third star. If they are able to also sign a superstar like Kevin Love and very good point guard to put next to Carmelo, they could be championship contenders.
An excellent counterpoint I heard recently against re-signing Carmelo is his age. He is 29 years old but it is already his tenth year in the league. He has already put a lot of strain on his body. He may have 2-3 top years left in him then begin to break down. As it will probably take the Knicks 2-3 years to turn things around, bringing back Carmelo may hurt them than help them in terms of positioning themselves for a championship in the long run. They do not have to go further than Amare Stoudemire for evidence of how a big contract can burden their franchise. Nevertheless, the Knicks traded the rights for the Denver Nuggets to swap first round picks with them in 2014 and 2016. As a result, the Knicks are not able to tank for a few years to build around the draft. From this standpoint, they may as well bring back Carmelo back then try to acquire stars via free agency.
Update on my Team to Watch
Washington Wizards (14-15)
The Wizards are 6-6 since I checked up on them. However, John Wall is beginning to develop into the star everyone thought he would be when he was picked with 1st overall pick of the draft. Of course, he is still only in his 4th year in the NBA and 23 years old. His game has progressed nicely averaging 20.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 8.9 assists. Moreover, he has as much talent, athleticism, and explosiveness as any point guard in the league. Shooting guard Bradley Beal has also developed into an excellent player. They form one of the best young, backcourts in the NBA. The Wizards have also added veteran big men Nene Hilario and Marcin Gortat to give frontcourt help and veteran experience. It should be interesting to see if they can develop forward Otto Porter Jr., who was a high draft pick in this past draft. Even though it is a weak Eastern Conference, it would be a nice step for this young team to make the playoffs. John Wall is a player that you should definitely keep your eye on.
Bust Sleeper Pick
Cleveland Cavaliers (11-21)
The Cavaliers were an up and coming team that I liked to make a playoffs going into the season. In a weak Eastern Conference, they still could. However, they have been a complete disaster so far this year. While Kyrie Irving is still having another fine statistical season, the Cavaliers have had a lot of turmoil. Talented and young shooting guard Dion Waiters has showed frustration with the Cavs and their supposed favoritism of Irving in allowing him to do things that Waiters is not allowed. As such, there were rumors the Cavs were trying to trade him. Next, Anthony Bennett has contributed nothing this season and there are critics already saying he is the worst 1st overall pick of all time. Finally, Andrew Bynum was a low risk, high reward gamble. While he has shown he can still play, they have suspended him for conduct detrimental to the team and are trying to trade him. There are rumors that they are trying to acquire Pau Gasol for Bynum. I would do it in a second. Gasol is misused by Mike D’Antoni on the Los Angeles Lakers. While his skills are diminished, he is still one of the most versatile big men in the league. I think he would be great with the Cavs and away from the drama in LA. He is a veteran that can show the young Cavs how to be professionals and play the game the right way. His great passing skills will also help team play. Even if the Cavs cannot execute a trade, they can still terminate the rest of Andrew Bynum’s contract by January 7 without penalty or obligation to pay the rest of his contract.
About Pat Wong
Patrick is a contributor for Rookerville. He is an avid sports fan. Before joining Rookerville, he was part of a defunct New York Yankees message board, NYYankeefans, where he was its top poster and was inducted in its Hall of Fame for his contributions. Patrick is also a passionate fan of movies. He has enjoyed reading movie reviews over the years and is excited about the opportunity to review movies.