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Eastern Conference grades
Charley Rosen / Special to FOXSports.com
Posted: 22 hours ago
As ever, these grades should not be seen as absolute measurements.
Instead, they are meant to reflect each team's regular-season performance as
compared with their preseason potential and expectations. Accordingly,
several inferior teams will have higher grades than many superior teams.
ATLANTA ─ C+
Even with no functional point guard, with a power forward (Zaza Pachulia)
playing center, with JJ missing multiple games, and with Josh Smith acting
like a knuckle-head (methinks, however, that he wasn't acting), the Hawks are
actually (albeit slowly) moving in the right direction. The credit goes to
Mike Woodson for rousing his mostly inept players to the point where they are
at least threats to beat anybody at Phillips Arena.
Still, unless they hit the jackpot in the upcoming draft, the Hawks remain at
least a generation removed from battling for a playoff berth.
BOSTON ─ D+
A plague of injuries to veterans forcibly accelerated the development of
several young players ─ and in Gerald Green and Al Jefferson, the Celts
feature a pair of budding superstars. On the flip side, Boston has failed to
acquire and/or develop either another legitimate power player or a promising
point guard. Despite their horrific record, though, these young, fresh
players never went belly up.
Since Danny Ainge has bet his and the franchise's mortgage on Doc Rivers it's
no wonder that the beleaguered coach is apparently on the verge of a contract
extension. But if the ball club fails to make a dramatic improvement next
season, then management's patience will no longer be a virtue.
CHARLOTTE ─ B+
Even though Adam Morrison failed to live up to the hype, much progress was
made. Gerald Wallace is on the verge of super-stardom. Raymond Felton showed
flashes of big-time potential. Whenever he was healthy, Emeka Okafor proved
to be a staunch man in the middle. Matt Carroll became an acceptable fixture
at the 2-guard slot. Even Walter Hermann finally figured out how to play in
the NBA.
For sure, there are plenty of roster holes to fill. And whomever the Bobcats'
new coach turns out to be, Bernie Bickerstaff's combination of compassion and
expertise will be sorely missed. Yet the 'Cats were virtually a .500 team at
home, and they always played hard.
Given that the franchise has only been in existence for three seasons, where
they are now is a remarkable achievement by all concerned.
CHICAGO ─ B
For a team that lacks any post-up presence whatsoever, and plays like rookies
on the road, the Bulls have gone a long way on the basis of hustle, defense,
and perimeter shooting. So what if Scott Skiles has fascist tendencies? If
Ben Wallace is somewhat long in the tooth? And the only thing wilder than
Tyrus Thomas' talents is his judgment? Within their considerable limitations,
the Bulls play the game the way it's supposed to be played.
But all the sound and fury will signify nothing unless the Bulls come up with
an offensive-minded big man in the near future.
CLEVELAND ─ D+
Where's the progress? Just the same old predictable offense and
scatter-brained defense. Once again, there's LeBron massaging the ball at the
top of the key in clutch situations while his teammates stand around and
watch. Once again, there's confused defensive rotations when a stop is
desperately needed. Once again, both Eric Snow and Donyell Marshall are each
a year older and a year slower than they were last season.
The only saving graces are the coming out of Sasha Pavlovic, and the
silencing of Damon Jones' delusional braggadocio.
Once again, the Cavs have failed to evolve an identity.
DETROIT ─ C+
Ever so slowly, Chris Webber is wearing down. Rasheed Wallace is still
unstable and still plays like a guard. Tayshaun Prince is still underutilized
on offense. And Chauncey Billups is still the heart and soul of the team.
Credit the Flipster for so adroitly using his bench. But, by effectively
substituting Ben Wallace for Webber, the Pistons have changed from a power
team to a finesse team, a transformation that bodes ill for the kind of
heavy-hitting that characterizes playoff action. Not to mention Webber's
career-long penchant for choking in the money-season.
INDIANA ─ D-
What a mess. Their inside guy wants to play outside. Their playmaker would
rather make his own plays. Their best point guard used to hang out with
Methuselah. Their newcomers never got comfortable. Their roster is poorly
designed.
Yes, the Pacers have made great strides in fashioning their squad so that
character is more important than spectacular but selfish talent. Hey, wasn't
that Jerry Krause's mantra way back when?
The rebuilding process is well underway and more dramatic changes will
undoubtedly be made during the off-season. However, as they are currently
constituted, the Pacers are a lifeless collection of dysfunctional parts.
MIAMI ─ B+
Shaq couldn't have asked for a better season. He loafed through the pre- and
early-season games, then suffered a non-career-threatening injury that kept
him out of action for several months. Isn't playing half a season what Shaq
has been pining for all these years? No wonder he's been so spry in the home
stretch.
Anyway, the Heat made the best of what could have been a fatal scenario ─
injuries to their only three indispensable players. (Could Stan Van Gundy
have rallied the survivors as well as Riles has? Not a chance.) Interesting,
though, that since his return to action, Jason Williams has become Miami's
most dependable player.
At one point, it seemed that just making the playoffs would be quite an
achievement. These days, however, in the unlikely event that D-Wade's
recovery proceeds apace, the Heat are aiming for a repeat.
MILWAUKEE ─ F
This season was a huge step backward for the Bucks. Bogut's smart but clunky
game was more of a hindrance than a help, especially against the league's
elite bigs. The other back-liners were either soft, limited, or even less
athletic than Bogut. Once Steve Blake was dealt, the Bucks backcourt lacked
a pass-first point-guard. The defense was atrocious, and the offense was too
Redd-centric.
If massive trades and free agent signings aren't in the works, then only
Greg Oden or Kevin Durant can create any excitement in the Bradley Center.
NEW JERSEY ─ D+
The Nets are always erratic, and often boring. Why on earth does Lawrence
Frank consistently take the ball out of J-Kidd's hands in the end-game and
let Vince Carter shoot craps from the top of the key? Yes, injuries were a
factor (as they are for every team), but the Nets suffered through too many
poor decisions in the clutch (mostly by Carter), too many games where nobody
showed up, and too many dead stretches on both ends of the court.
The mix doesn't mix.
NEW YORK ─ F
Even when everybody was healthy, this bunch of whiners, complainers, and
excuse-makers won a few games they should have lost, and lost many more that
they should have won. They always hustled most and performed best when they
were 20 points down. The Knicks have as much sheer talent as any other team
in the league, and less cohesion than most.
Leave it to the New York media to celebrate Eddy Curry as a franchise center.
For sure, he can score if he's defended straight-up ─ but double-teams
totally bewilder him, he doesn't rebound or play defense, and he registers
more than four turnovers for every assist.
Even so, the Knicks are a perfect fit all the way around: Punk players, a
punk coach, and an owner who loves to sing the blues.
ORLANDO ─ A
Why such a high grade for such a poor team? Because the Magic did exactly as
poorly as could be expected. Dwight Howard continued to demonstrate that he's
a top-notch rebounder and shot-blocker, but his clumsy offense failed to
improve. One is left to wonder if getting rid of Clifford Ray was what
stalled Howard's development. Just look at how much Al Jefferson improved
this season under Ray's tutelage.
Otherwise, Jameer Nelson is a shooting guard in a runt's body. Darko Milicic
is often present in body and absent in mind. Hedo Turkoglu had a
break-through season. But the only player who exhibited any real-life magic
was Grant Hill.
PHILADELPHIA ─ B-
Dealing Iverson and Webber finally changed the gestalt of the team. They are
now young and energetic. With the Dreary Duo elsewhere, Andre Igoudala has
blossomed into a go-to player. The more-than-capable Andre Miller has assumed
the leadership of the team. Kyle Korver has opened up his game. Willie Green
and Rodney Carney are free to make the mistakes necessary to facilitate their
growth. And even the limited but useful Samuel Dalembert plays with a smile.
With more fresh talent available in the draft (or to be used as trade-bait),
the Sixers have a bright future for the first time in recent memory.
TORONTO ─ A+
The sum of this team is much greater than its components. Kudos to Sam
Mitchell for integrating nine new players into a well-balanced ball club. He
masterfully apportioned playing time so as to maximize the strengths of Chris
Bosh, T.J. Ford, Andrea Bargnani, and Jorge Garbajosa, and to minimize their
considerable weaknesses. He appreciated the subtle value of Anthony Parker,
and coaxed unexpected mileage from Rasho Nesterovic.
Forget about sentimentalism (Jerry Sloan) and automatic repeats (Avery
Johnson). Sam Mitchell is hands down the Coach of the Year.
WASHINGTON ─ A
The Wiz are another team that played at their expected level, i.e., within
hailing distance of .500. Even before their rash of injuries, Washington was
erratic on offense and helpless on defense. Yet the Wizards would have been a
much better team if only their two centers (Brendan Haywood and Etan Thomas)
were as hostile to their opponents as they are to each other.
Like the Bulls, Washington was another donut-team that lived and died by the
jump shot. Unlike the Bulls, their only defense was a good offense. An
entertaining bunch, but their accomplishments amount to less than meets the
eye.
http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/6683010
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