NBA All-Star Break 2011 in Los Angeles

So it’s the end of another interesting week in Los Angeles.  It started with (and ended with) “Bad Romance” dancing, my CY team had our first late night at Stevenson in 2011 for Digital Literacy Night (a parent engagement event designed to give parents computer resources and skills, shoutout to my Lit Coordinators), and a Drug Free Dance Off to end the Healthy Choices unit (I was “Mean” Joe Greene as a celebrity judge next to Lady GaGa).  On Friday, me and several of my best friends in LA (RE: CYLA folk) were a part of the NBA Day of Service at Virgil Middle School; I can say that now that the event is over.  In terms of overall impact, the day was incredible.  As far as my experience?  A bit disappointing.  I was in the same auditorium as Greg Oden, Dikembe Mutombo, and David Robinson, and I told one of my teammates that they talked to Dirk Nowitzki.  But that is the extent of my stories and pictures, as I didn’t meet with any players at all and had the most challenging project I’ve ever had as a project coordinator.

So as far as the NBA All-Star Break, I won’t talk about my week in (CY) LA.  I’ll talk about the 30 NBA teams; briefly (no more than a few sentences per team), but necessarily since it’s been awhile since I said anything about the NBA since releasing my season preview almost four months ago:

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Boston Celtics (#1, 40-14): The Celtics aren’t all that flashy.  They don’t have to be, with the best defense in the league and SG Ray Allen (50% FG, 46% 3s) putting up his best shooting numbers so far in his 15-year NBA career.

Miami Heat (#2, 41-15): If ever there was a team that would be appropriate for the NBA Jam format (three players available on the roster), it would be this Miami Heat team featuring LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh; they combine to average 70 points a game.  No other active player on the roster averages more than 6.9 points, 5 rebounds, or 2 assists a game.

Chicago Bulls (#3, 38-16): Like the Heat, the Bulls started this season 9-7.  But the Bulls have compiled their record despite the fact that PF Carlos Boozer and C Joakim Noah have been healthy at the same time for little more than two weeks of the season so far.

Orlando Magic (#4, 36-21): C Dwight Howard isn’t the only player having a career year.  PG Jameer Nelson is averaging a career high in assists, PF Brandon Bass is finally getting consistent starter’s minutes and producing, and reserve SG J.J. Redick and PF Ryan Anderson are averaging double figures off the bench.  No need to panic, although PG Gilbert Arenas has been beyond terrible.

Atlanta Hawks (#5, 34-21): Another team that started 9-7.  SG Joe Johnson is putting up some of his worst shooting, scoring, and defensive numbers since joining the Hawks in 2005, and I’m not sure who gave PF Josh Smith permission to shoot two threes a game.  But this is another team that wins with a top ten defense.

New York Knicks (#6, 28-26): Obviously, C Amare Stoudemire and PG Raymond Felton have had an immediate impact.  Less obviously, so has starting SG Landry Fields, the 39th pick in the draft (10 points a game, 7 rebounds a game, 51% FG, 40% 3s).

Philadelphia 76ers (#7, 27-29): This is where the East gets terrible, as the 76ers would face the Heat in a first round playoff matchup if the season were to end now.  But the 76ers are also the East’s most surprising team, especially after starting out 3-13 this season, and are getting significantly improved seasons from PG Jrue Holiday, SG Jodie Meeks, and PF Elton Brand.

Indiana Pacers (#8, 24-30): Yes, another team that started this season 9-7.  Only, the Pacers fell back to Earth and fired their head coach.  They are 7-3 under Frank Vogel though, and PG Darren Collison and C Roy Hibbert have played slightly better since the coaching change so far.

Charlotte Bobcats (#9, 24-32): The Bobcats are inconsistent, which is a byproduct of their lack of scoring outside starting SG Stephen Jackson. Another team playing better since parting ways with the original head coach.

Milwaukee Bucks (#10, 21-34): The Bucks are wasting the third best defense in the league this season by having the worst offense in the league.  PG Brandon Jennings hasn’t taken the next step in his game yet, and both he and SG John Salmons are shooting under 40% from the field and have missed time with injuries.

Detroit Pistons (#11, 21-36): Another Eastern team that just can’t score; PG Rodney Stuckey (14.9 points and 4.5 assists a game) leads the team offensively.  This team would be great if it was 2004 (with SG Richard Hamilton, SF Tayshaun Prince, C Ben Wallace, and reserve SF Tracy McGrady), but it’s not.

New Jersey Nets (#12, 17-40): C Brook Lopez started the season extra soft, rookie PF Derrick Favors is a project, and starting SF Travis Outlaw is shooting 38%.  This team might get blown up just to add Carmelo Anthony, but for now, they are littered with mediocre players.

Washington Wizards (#13, 15-39): The Wizards are 1-26 on the road.  Congratulations for winning at Cleveland. (And while all of you focus on rookie PG John Wall, I’ll keep track of PG Mustafa Shakur from the University of Arizona and my alma mater, Friends’ Central School!)

Toronto Raptors (#14, 15-41): The Ex-Boshes were already struggling before they went on a derailing 13-game losing streak.  This is a young team with talent (SG DeMar DeRozan, reserve SG Jerryd Bayless, rookie PF Ed Davis), but will anybody besides C Andrea Bargnani become a reliable scorer in their careers?

Cleveland Cavaliers (#15, 10-46): The Ex-LeBrons started the season 7-9.  They proceeded to lose ten straight, then an NBA-record 26 straight.  But they avenged the worst of those losses (112-57 in Los Angeles to the Lakers) by ending the record losing streak to the Clippers and then knocking off the defending champions five days later.

WESTERN CONFERENCE

San Antonio Spurs (#1, 46-10): Yes, I thought the Spurs would be the worst team in Texas this season (which would have said a lot about the high quality of Texan professional basketball).  Despite career lows in scoring and rebounding from PF Tim Duncan, the Spurs have been incredibly healthy and stable (same starting five for every game but one).

Dallas Mavericks (#2, 40-16): Like Duncan, All-Star PF Dirk Nowitzki’s numbers are way down this year (22.7 points and 6.6 rebounds a game, lowest numbers in seven years).  But Nowitzki is shooting better than ever (career-highs 53% FG and 43% 3s), and the Mavericks are playing top ten defense this season.

Los Angeles Lakers (#3, 38-19): The Lakers have been embarrassingly inconsistent lately.  There is not a lot more I can say about them, no one on this team is having a special season by their means, and SF Ron Artest should lose his starting job to SF Matt Barnes when Barnes gets healthy (assuming one of them don’t get traded beforehand).

Oklahoma City Thunder (#4, 35-19): While the Thunder have graduated to having a top five scoring offense led by the steadiness of All-Star SF Kevin Durant (28.9 points a game) and the rise of All-Star PG Russell Westbrook (22.2 points a game), their defense is not at last year’s level.  This team still has a “wait until next year” feel, and it would help if they got anything out of young Cs Cole Aldrich and Byron Mullens.

Portland Trail Blazers (#5, 32-24): Don’t look now, but the hard-luck (Frail) Blazers have won 16 of their last 24.  LaMarcus Aldridge (career-highs of 22.3 points and 8.9 rebounds a game) should have Tim Duncan’s starting spot in the All-Star Game, especially considering how well the Blazers have done with SG Brandon Roy having the worst season of his (possibly shortened) career.

New Orleans Hornets (#6, 33-25): The Hornets have been up and down through parts of the season, but they have remained mostly up.  It would help if their starting SF Trevor Ariza wasn’t shooting 39% from the field, but the main reason this team is so much better this season is their re-dedication to defense (4th in the league) and All-Star PG Chris Paul’s return to health (Hornets have had same starting lineup 45 of 58 games this season).

Denver Nuggets (#7, 32-25): This is about where I expected the Nuggets to be.  I don’t think the top of the West is all that dominant to say these Nuggets (best offense in the NBA with SF Carmelo Anthony) couldn’t make some noise in the postseason.  But there’s a reason why the Nuggets should trade Anthony, and it’s because they aren’t winning a championship with him this year with him.

Utah Jazz (#8, 31-26):  This team is 4-12 in the last 16 games and have a new coach (Tyrone Corbin) for the first time since 1988.  They are 2-1 against the Memphis Grizzlies, which is the only reason they hold the eighth spot in the West.  Maybe the All-Star break is a good thing for a team in serious need of an intangibles upgrade.

Memphis Grizzlies (#9, 31-26): What a tough break for the Grizzlies.  They are 12-4 in their last 16 games, but they are highly doubtful to get that playoff spot with SF Rudy Gay (having arguably his best all-around season) out for at least a month with a dislocated shoulder.  Now would be a good time for recently suspended SG O.J. Mayo to play like the former #3 pick in the 2008 NBA Draft (no comment on C Hasheem Thabeet, the #2 pick in the 2009 NBA Draft).

Phoenix Suns (#10, 27-27): With the Jazz in shambles and the Grizzlies having to find a way to cope with the Rudy Gay injury, the ex-Amares have an opportunity to try and steal a playoff spot.  The Suns have an expanded rotation of about ten guys right now (two deep at every position), and PG Steve Nash is still controlling it all, so don’t count them out just yet.

Golden State Warriors (#11, 26-29): The Warriors are still terrible defensively (27th in the league, giving up 105 points a night), but considering they were ranked dead last each of the previous four years (giving up 112 a night last season), it’s clear that coach Keith Smart has made a difference with this squad. A wild card for the Warriors would be if they can get any production from rookie PF Ekpe Udoh.

Houston Rockets (#12, 26-31):  I would say this is my most disappointing team in the West.  All-Star C Yao Ming went down again after only five games with another lower leg injury (he has had a serious injury each of the last six seasons), and has officially entered the Zydrunas Ilgauskas phase of his career going forward (he’ll rarely play more than 30 minutes a game for the rest of his career).  In addition to that, PG Aaron Brooks managed to completely erase his Most Improved Player award with terrible shooting, lack of durability, and questionable attitude.

Los Angeles Clippers (#13, 21-35): No one should be knocking PF Blake Griffin (22.8 points on 51% FG, 12.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists a game) for his play or his All-Star selection this season.  It’s not his problem that he is destroying rims across America and giving ESPN a reason to remember that Los Angeles has two teams in the NBA.  And don’t forget that SG Eric Gordon (currently sidelined with a sprained wrist) is still leading the team in scoring with 24 points a game and that C Chris Kaman only recently came back from an ankle injury.

Sacramento Kings (#14, 13-40): I’m not even going to pretend like I like the Sacramento Kings.  There are other young teams to like as up-and-comers, and it is inexcusable for almost all of this team’s young players to show little improvement/regression from last season.  Too many dysfunctional knuckleheads (RE: rookie PF DeMarcus Cousins) to think they’ll grow into a winning team anytime soon.

Minnesota Timberwolves (#15, 13-43): While it is nice to see PF Kevin Love become an All-Star (21.1 points and 15.5 rebounds a game) and SF Michael Beasley recapture his career (19.9 points a game), they are two starters on the worst defensive team in the league.

ALL-STAR WEEKEND

To wrap up this post, I’m just going to comment briefly on all of the events that have happened or will happen:

ROOKIE CHALLENGE (Rookies 148, Sophomores 140):  The junior All-Star game.  It would be nice if there was some defense played in this game.  Maybe then I would be more impressed by John Wall’s 22 assists.  I am impressed, however, by Spurs PF DeJuan Blair’s lack of ACLs.

SHOOTING STARS (Prediction: Texas):  This is dumb.  Why not have a 3-on-3 tournament to five, make-it-take-it???

SKILLS CHALLENGE (Prediction: Stephen Curry, Warriors): I should be sponsoring this event.

THREE-POINT SHOOTOUT (Prediction: James Jones, Heat):  Unofficial prediction: Kevin Durant will finish last and take it out on everybody on Sunday.

SLAM DUNK CONTEST (Prediction: DeMar DeRozan, Raptors): This is supposed to be Blake Griffin’s event to win (and I give him more props than LeBron James for actually participating), but I just cannot bet against DeRozan’s dunk coach, Darryl “Chocolate Thunder” Dawkins.  DeRozan is also replacing Brandon Jennings, and is the only contestant under 6’10” (7’0″ Wizards C JaVale McGee and 6’10” Thunders PF Serge Ibaka are the others).

ALL-STAR GAME (Prediction: East, MVP Derrick Rose, Bulls):  The East All-Stars are represented only by the top six teams in the conference, including four Celtics and three Heat.  I expect some gunning from Kobe and Durant; not so much from Griffin after competing Friday and Satruday night.  I can see Rose shooting for a triple double.

Well, that’s it for probably my longest winding post ever.  I’ll revisit this throughout the season and on President’s Day.  What happens on President’s Day?  Well, I have a ticket to the NBA Jam Session, so I may have stories or shots to share…

-1SKILLZ