EAST
Atlanta Division
Boston had won 11 straight after the embarrassing mini-slump during late Dec to early Jan. They returned to the top of the league again. Good thing is, Ray Allen has been playing like an all-star; bad thing is, Ray Allen was snubbed from the All-Star Game.
Toronto struggled without Jose Calderon, losing 7 straight. But during such losing stretch, they got some strong performance by Andrea Bargnani. Not just shooting the 3s, Bargnani was scoring (19.8 PPG) and rebounding (6.2 RPG). I still think the Raptors have a decent roster, esp. an enviable big man rotation of Bargnani, Bosh and O'Neal. They should be a better team.
Finally, we sawIguodala getting back into his old shape, and Philly were winning games and getting back some respect . But who would have guessed before the season that Elton Brand is coming off the bench and yet struggling mightily? Ladies and gentleman, your 2008 high priced free agent signing!
Central Division
Whenever Cleveland were flirting with the idea of being the best team in the league, they would inevitably lose some games, such as those two losses to fellow contenders, Lakers and Magic. Give credits to them though, as people are overlooked by the fact that they are having a perfect home record (22-0 and running) without two starters: Zydrunas Ilgauskas (just been back) and Delonte West (back around All-Star Weekend).
The Pistons had a horrible 6-9 record in January and has lost 7 of the last 10 games. I don’t know how to put it. Yes, you can blame Iverson, for obvious reason. Maybe Rip Ham's injury too. But what is more disappointing is the overall lack of effort. I watched a Pistons game last month, they simply had no energy at all. They just don’t fight. Period. Oh and BTW, do you know that they were actually the only team among the top 8 teams in the East with a negative point differential (-0.2) ?
The Bucks really had bad luck. Just when Andrew Bogut came back from injury, and they finally started to show some life by winning games, Michael Redd blew his knee and torn his ACL and MCL. Season over. Sad.
Southeast Division
Couldn’t think of a bigger month for the Magic: wins over top teams like Spurs, Lakers and Cavaliers, briefly topped the league with a 33-8 record, and then three players named to the All-Star Game (although unjustly). They have a relatively easy schedule in Feb, see if they can regain the #1 spotlater on.
A 8-7 Jan record is all the Bobcats need to gain respects from the league. Well, maybe I should also mention that those wins include over powerhouses like Celtics, Blazers, Suns, and yes, the Lakers. Who would even question Larry Brown again? Yes, just like in his past stints, he made major roster movements the very first season he arrived town, but you can’t deny that the team has improved substantially and Diaw has been playing like an all-star after coming to Charlotte.
I was checking the Heat’s roster the other day, and was shocked that the roster was absolutely D-League level. That is, other than D-Wade. Did Wade know, back when he was signing the extension in 2007, that he would be starting along with a second-round rookie (Chalmers) and an undrafted rookie (Joel Anthony), a limping Matrix and Haslem? And I will never understand why it took 40+ games for Coach Erik Spoelstra to realize that they are better off starting a 7-footer at C (Jamaal Magloire) than a 6’9” rookie (Joel Anthony). Amazing.
WEST
Northwest Division
It is really a bad month for Carmelo Anthony: broke his shooting hand, missed 10 games and then was snubbed from the All Star Game. Can’t say these three things are not connected. Luckily the Nuggets still managed to maintain its lead in the division (by 1.5 game over the Blazers).
Bad news for Portland: starting PG Steve Blake is out (separate right shoulder). Good news: backup Sergio Rodriguez and rookie Jerryd Bayless fitted in admirably. They were able to take advantage of an easy schedule and posted a 9-5 record in January. We have seen the potential of Oden, his most immiment need is to solve the foul-prone problem.
I think Utah Jazz is heavily underrated, just like his coach. Yes, they are at #9 in the West, but just 1/2 game behind the Suns. They have played without Boozer since Nov 19, and have gone through various injuries of D-Will, Okur and Millsap. Latest is that AK47 had an ankle surgery and will be out for at least 3-4 weeks. Yes, without AK47 it will be even harder for them to get into the playoffs, but people should never overlook the tremendous effort that D-Will and Jerry Sloan have put in.
The Wolves showed some signs of life when they posted a 10-4 record in Jan, prompting the media flirting with the idea of naming Kevin McHale a COY candidate andAl Jefferson being an All-Star. Slow down, fellows, not too soon. I think the recent success has more to do with shifting Randy Foye from PG to SG. And I agree that, although it’s not a big deal, Kevin Love not participating the Rookie Challenge is a real snub.
OK, the Team-formerly-known-as-Sonics reached 11 wins and is no longer the worst team in the league. Bravo.
Pacific Division
The coming-out party of Andrew Bynum (42 pts, 15 rebs) against the Clippers provide something to look forward to, only is that Bynum sprained his right knee (as opposed to his surgically repaired left knee) in the game against the Grizz on Jan 31. He will be out 8-12 weeks, which is a huge blow to the team. Feb will be a challenge for the Lakers, who will play 9 out of 13 games on the road, including stops at Boston and Cleveland.
You actually feel bad about the Clippers. No, really. With Baron Davis, Zach Randolph, Chris Kaman, Marcus Camby, Al Thornton and rookie sensation Eric Gordon, who would have expected them to be dead last in the league? Yes, blame injuries. But it is entirely acceptable if you suspect that all these players are taking their time slowly nursing their injuries instead of rushing back.
The Suns is a mystery. They are flat out mediocre. Well, at least they can’t blame Shaq, who’s been averaging 19.8 PPG and 9.0 RPG in Jan. Amare also averaged 19.7 PPG and 7.1 RPG, while Nash’s number is also respetable: 12.7 PPG and 11.9 APG. So what exactly is wrong with them? I don’t think they know the answer either. Guess that's exactly their problem: clueless. No more SSOL (Seven Seconds Or Less), but then they can’t excel in conventional setup. Guess they are real lost.
Southwest Division
Now standing firmly at #2 in the West after the win over the Hornets, the Spurs had a strong Jan, despite their worst loss of 87-109 at Philly. It is no coincidence that the Spurs started to play better defense and Manu Ginobili is regaining his all-star form.
I think the Rockets faced more injuries than the Jazz, only is that the Rockets have a deeper roster. Coach Rick Adelman deserves all the props by posting a respectable 29-19 record despite all these injuries. However, even assuming all the players are healthy, say after the All-Star Game, how could they generate optimal chemistry comes playoffs time when they have played so few games together?
The Hornets are not the same without Tysan Chandler. CP3 has boosted his scoring and rebounding in the absence of Chandler. But they could not win that way. For the 7 games when CP3 scored 30 or more pts this season, they only won 3 of them. The problem is, even before the injury, Chandler was not the same player as he was last year. He didn't rebound hard and block enough shots. What happened to him during summer? Some heart transplant?
Atlanta Division
Boston had won 11 straight after the embarrassing mini-slump during late Dec to early Jan. They returned to the top of the league again. Good thing is, Ray Allen has been playing like an all-star; bad thing is, Ray Allen was snubbed from the All-Star Game.
Toronto struggled without Jose Calderon, losing 7 straight. But during such losing stretch, they got some strong performance by Andrea Bargnani. Not just shooting the 3s, Bargnani was scoring (19.8 PPG) and rebounding (6.2 RPG). I still think the Raptors have a decent roster, esp. an enviable big man rotation of Bargnani, Bosh and O'Neal. They should be a better team.
Finally, we sawIguodala getting back into his old shape, and Philly were winning games and getting back some respect . But who would have guessed before the season that Elton Brand is coming off the bench and yet struggling mightily? Ladies and gentleman, your 2008 high priced free agent signing!
Central Division
Whenever Cleveland were flirting with the idea of being the best team in the league, they would inevitably lose some games, such as those two losses to fellow contenders, Lakers and Magic. Give credits to them though, as people are overlooked by the fact that they are having a perfect home record (22-0 and running) without two starters: Zydrunas Ilgauskas (just been back) and Delonte West (back around All-Star Weekend).
The Pistons had a horrible 6-9 record in January and has lost 7 of the last 10 games. I don’t know how to put it. Yes, you can blame Iverson, for obvious reason. Maybe Rip Ham's injury too. But what is more disappointing is the overall lack of effort. I watched a Pistons game last month, they simply had no energy at all. They just don’t fight. Period. Oh and BTW, do you know that they were actually the only team among the top 8 teams in the East with a negative point differential (-0.2) ?
The Bucks really had bad luck. Just when Andrew Bogut came back from injury, and they finally started to show some life by winning games, Michael Redd blew his knee and torn his ACL and MCL. Season over. Sad.
Southeast Division
Couldn’t think of a bigger month for the Magic: wins over top teams like Spurs, Lakers and Cavaliers, briefly topped the league with a 33-8 record, and then three players named to the All-Star Game (although unjustly). They have a relatively easy schedule in Feb, see if they can regain the #1 spotlater on.
A 8-7 Jan record is all the Bobcats need to gain respects from the league. Well, maybe I should also mention that those wins include over powerhouses like Celtics, Blazers, Suns, and yes, the Lakers. Who would even question Larry Brown again? Yes, just like in his past stints, he made major roster movements the very first season he arrived town, but you can’t deny that the team has improved substantially and Diaw has been playing like an all-star after coming to Charlotte.
I was checking the Heat’s roster the other day, and was shocked that the roster was absolutely D-League level. That is, other than D-Wade. Did Wade know, back when he was signing the extension in 2007, that he would be starting along with a second-round rookie (Chalmers) and an undrafted rookie (Joel Anthony), a limping Matrix and Haslem? And I will never understand why it took 40+ games for Coach Erik Spoelstra to realize that they are better off starting a 7-footer at C (Jamaal Magloire) than a 6’9” rookie (Joel Anthony). Amazing.
WEST
Northwest Division
It is really a bad month for Carmelo Anthony: broke his shooting hand, missed 10 games and then was snubbed from the All Star Game. Can’t say these three things are not connected. Luckily the Nuggets still managed to maintain its lead in the division (by 1.5 game over the Blazers).
Bad news for Portland: starting PG Steve Blake is out (separate right shoulder). Good news: backup Sergio Rodriguez and rookie Jerryd Bayless fitted in admirably. They were able to take advantage of an easy schedule and posted a 9-5 record in January. We have seen the potential of Oden, his most immiment need is to solve the foul-prone problem.
I think Utah Jazz is heavily underrated, just like his coach. Yes, they are at #9 in the West, but just 1/2 game behind the Suns. They have played without Boozer since Nov 19, and have gone through various injuries of D-Will, Okur and Millsap. Latest is that AK47 had an ankle surgery and will be out for at least 3-4 weeks. Yes, without AK47 it will be even harder for them to get into the playoffs, but people should never overlook the tremendous effort that D-Will and Jerry Sloan have put in.
The Wolves showed some signs of life when they posted a 10-4 record in Jan, prompting the media flirting with the idea of naming Kevin McHale a COY candidate andAl Jefferson being an All-Star. Slow down, fellows, not too soon. I think the recent success has more to do with shifting Randy Foye from PG to SG. And I agree that, although it’s not a big deal, Kevin Love not participating the Rookie Challenge is a real snub.
OK, the Team-formerly-known-as-Sonics reached 11 wins and is no longer the worst team in the league. Bravo.
Pacific Division
The coming-out party of Andrew Bynum (42 pts, 15 rebs) against the Clippers provide something to look forward to, only is that Bynum sprained his right knee (as opposed to his surgically repaired left knee) in the game against the Grizz on Jan 31. He will be out 8-12 weeks, which is a huge blow to the team. Feb will be a challenge for the Lakers, who will play 9 out of 13 games on the road, including stops at Boston and Cleveland.
You actually feel bad about the Clippers. No, really. With Baron Davis, Zach Randolph, Chris Kaman, Marcus Camby, Al Thornton and rookie sensation Eric Gordon, who would have expected them to be dead last in the league? Yes, blame injuries. But it is entirely acceptable if you suspect that all these players are taking their time slowly nursing their injuries instead of rushing back.
The Suns is a mystery. They are flat out mediocre. Well, at least they can’t blame Shaq, who’s been averaging 19.8 PPG and 9.0 RPG in Jan. Amare also averaged 19.7 PPG and 7.1 RPG, while Nash’s number is also respetable: 12.7 PPG and 11.9 APG. So what exactly is wrong with them? I don’t think they know the answer either. Guess that's exactly their problem: clueless. No more SSOL (Seven Seconds Or Less), but then they can’t excel in conventional setup. Guess they are real lost.
Southwest Division
Now standing firmly at #2 in the West after the win over the Hornets, the Spurs had a strong Jan, despite their worst loss of 87-109 at Philly. It is no coincidence that the Spurs started to play better defense and Manu Ginobili is regaining his all-star form.
I think the Rockets faced more injuries than the Jazz, only is that the Rockets have a deeper roster. Coach Rick Adelman deserves all the props by posting a respectable 29-19 record despite all these injuries. However, even assuming all the players are healthy, say after the All-Star Game, how could they generate optimal chemistry comes playoffs time when they have played so few games together?
The Hornets are not the same without Tysan Chandler. CP3 has boosted his scoring and rebounding in the absence of Chandler. But they could not win that way. For the 7 games when CP3 scored 30 or more pts this season, they only won 3 of them. The problem is, even before the injury, Chandler was not the same player as he was last year. He didn't rebound hard and block enough shots. What happened to him during summer? Some heart transplant?
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