1/28/2010

NBA Rankings : Pacific Division

This is the last edition of the NBA Rankings. This time we shall look on the Pacific Division

NBA Rankings : Northwest Division

It's been a while since I last created the NBA Rankings for the Southwest Division. This time, let's move on to the Northwest Division.

1/10/2010

NBA Ratings : Southwest Division

This is the fourth edition of the NBA Ratings. This time, let's check out the Western Conference, starting out with the Southwest Division.

Dallas Mavericks

Biggest Surprise - Erick Dampier. Contract Year Phenomenon perhaps? Maybe, but Damp is crashing it on the boards, getting 9.2 a game while scoring 8.2 ppg, up from 5.7 last year, and more importantly, shooting 68% from the field!

Biggest Disappointment - Josh Howard. He's just not the same player anymore, well at least for now. He is only scoring 13.1 ppg on 40.3% shooting and his stats across the board are down from his usual production.

Team Grade - B+. Considering where they were last year, they improved quite well, and they have 2nd place in the West to show it. Dirk is playing his hearts out and is having another MVP year, while Kidd has been steady for the team and Shawn Marion helps them maintain their depth and production despite Josh Howard's limited playing time this season.

San Antonio Spurs

Biggest Surprise - DeJuan Blair. The kid from Pittsburgh is showing he can play with the big boys, and with the energy he brings to this somewhat aging Spurs team helps. Averaging 6.7 ppg and 5.6 boards may not sound like a lot, but he is doing it in only 16 1/2 minutes!

Biggest Disappointment - Tony Parker. His scoring is down, from 22 ppg last season to 16.8 this year, and crucially, 3 turnovers a game for only the second time in his NBA career.

Team Grade - B. They started somewhat slow again, which seems to become a Spurs tradition, and is now picking their pace up. Richard Jefferson's acquisition did not mesh as quickly as most have expected, but come playoff time, this is still a dangerous squad to face.

Houston Rockets

Biggest Surprise - Carl Landry. A spark off the bench, Landry is averaging 16.9 ppg while shooting 57.2% and making 86.5% at the line with 6 boards. He is so efficient offensively for the Rockets that he became an offensive threat for them this season.

Biggest Disappointment - Tracy McGrady. His ego is still there, as with most NBA Superstars, but you can't deny the fact that he was still somewhat expected to bring something to this Rockets team, but all he was able to bring to the table are headlines of his bickering with Rick Adelman and his playing time.

Team Grade - A-. Seriously, nobody would thought this Rockets team will be in the playoff hunt. With Yao Ming out for the season and Tracy McGrady coming back from surgery, losing two starters, and both All-Stars at that makes this Rockets team winning games in the tough Western Conference even more surprising. Playing their hearts out every game, they will surely give the opposing team headaches everytime they face this Rockets team.

New Orleans Hornets

Biggest Surprise - Devin Brown. Not really known as a three-point specialist, Brown is shooting a career high 41.4% from downtown, and is averaging 10.8 ppg this season. Maybe playing with Chris Paul unlocks his potential from downtown and his offensive prowess, as for his 2nd stint with the Hornets is averaging in double-figures again.

Biggest Disappointment - James Posey. Posey was taken so that the Hornets will have someone who performs during crunch time and for his defense. But this season, Posey has been nothing but a disappointment, scoring only 5.5 ppg while shooting 36.4%, down from career averages of 9 ppg and 41.4%.

Team Grade - B-. They started off really slow, and with Byron Scott's firing and CP3's injury early, things are not looking good for the Hornets. Luckily for them, their rookies stepped-up and now the Hornets are two games above .500 and is in the playoff hunt.

Memphis Grizzlies

Biggest Surprise - Marc Gasol. The NBA Sophomore is making the Pau Gasol trade to the Lakers less lopsided with his performance this season, averaging career-highs in points, rebounds, blocks and field goal percentage with 14.7 ppg, 9.7 rpg and 61.9% from the field.

Biggest Disappointment - Hasheem Tahbeet. The 2nd pick of the 2009 draft is still a project for Memphis, but for a 2nd draft pick, his season averages are still somewhat of a disappointment, with only 2.9 ppg, 3.1 rpg and 1.1 bpg. While quite disappointing stats for a 2nd pick, he is still getting those numbers in only 11 minutes a game, so he is still developing his game and could be a force in the future.

Team Grade - B+. Who would have thought that the Memphis Grizzlies will be in the playoff hunt? Nobody. Even with the acquisition of Zach Randolph from the Clippers and Allen Iverson, most considered them a lottery team. But now they are above .500 after a 1-8 start, and when Iverson left the team, wins started to pile up for the Griz.

1/05/2010

NBA Ratings : Southeast Division

This is the third edition of the NBA Ratings. We will check out the last Division in the Eastern Conference, the Southeast Division.

Orlando Magic

Biggest Surprise - Jason Williams. When Jameer Nelson went down, The White Chocolate made sure the Magic will stay afloat in the race for the top alongside the Cavs and the Celtics. Averaging 7.2 ppg, may not seem that much, but he is very efficient in the other categories, shooting 44.6% from the field, 42.6% from beyond the arc and more importantly, a 4:1 assist-turnover ratio.

Biggest Disappointment - Jameer Nelson. His season have been plague with injuries, and that affected his production, only scoring 12.1 ppg, down from 16.7 last season, while shooting only 41.6% from 50.3% last year and only 36.4% from three.

Team Grade - B+. Yes, they are still in the top 3, and they also added Vince Carter in the lineup, but things aren't really meshing that well with the Magic. They lost to the Celtics at Christmas day, and Dwight Howard is not really as dominant down low. Despite that, they are still in the hunt for the best record in the East, and when Nelson and Howard assert themselves, this team will be tough to beat come start of April.

Atlanta Hawks

Biggest Surprise - Jamal Crawford. Being the spark plug of the offense from the bench, Crawford looks to have accepted the role of being the primary weapon from the bench, and it is showing dividends, scoring 16.5 per game while shooting 45.6% from the field, the second time in his career he broke the 45% mark.

Biggest Disappointment - Mike Bibby. For the first time in his career, he is averaging in single digits with 9.7 ppg, way below his 16.2 career average.he is also shooting 41.6%, down from 43.5% last season.

Team Grade - B+. The Hawks are making a statement, trying to make the East's Big 3 into a Big 4. The acquisition of Jamal Crawford last summer, it seems that the Hawks will try to pull off a surprise and may even make a run to the Finals come playoff time.

Miami HEAT

Biggest Surprise - Quentin Richardson. Q has been shooting quite well for the HEAT, hitting 45.5% of his shots, and 42.3% from the 3-point line. He seems to have found his rhythm to his shots in South Beach, as Q is a career 39.9% shooter.

Biggest Disappointment - Mario Chalmers. He was supposed to pick-up his success from his rookie season, but now he is relegated at the second unit in the meantime, for being late in practice. His scoring is down from 10 ppg to 8.6 and more importantly, his steals and dimes are down, from 2 to 1.5 and 4.9 to 3.8 respectively.

Team Grade - B-. This Miami HEAT team is where they want to be, in the playoff hunt just behind the top 4 teams in the East. But they have played a lot of home games now, and they must win their assignments at home to ensure they will be above .500 for the season.

Charlotte Bobcats

Biggest Surprise - Gerald Wallace. Just when you thought his rebounding average peaked last year, Wallace brings it up even further, averaging a career-high 11.9 boards a game, while maintaining his stat-filling averages of 17.9 ppg, 1.7 steals and 0.9 blocks per game.

Biggest Disappointment - Boris Diaw. After averaging 15.1 ppg last season for the 'Cats, his scoring is now down to 9.9 per game, and more importantly, his dimes and boards are down too, from 4.9 to 3.4 and 5.9 to 4.1 respectively.

Team Grade - C+. Things did not look so good early in the season, with the whole team struggling to score, but when Stephen Jackson was traded to the Bobcats, the offensive problems were resolved, and now looking to be in the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.

Washington Wizards

Biggest Surprise - Brendan Haywood. Haywood is averaging 9.5 ppg while getting a career-high 10.3 boards a game, with 2.3 blocks to boot! for the first time in his career, Haywood is looking to end the season averaging a double-double.

Biggest Disappointment - Gilbert Arenas and Caron Bulter. Arenas maybe returning from such a long lay-off and is now picking his pace up there, but when you put your team in the spotlight because of wrongdoings, you're not doing your team any favors. As to Butler, his scoring is down from 20.8 last year to 17.2, and his shooting percentage from 45.3% last season to 43.1 this season.

Team Grade - D-. This Wizards team is expected by many to challenge for the 4th spot in the playoffs, with the Big 3 now healthy and playing together, and they even hired Flip Saunders to help them make their run, but team issues and not making plays down the stretch have cost this team a lot, and things are starting to look bleak now for the future.

1/04/2010

NBA Ratings : Central Division

It's the second edition of the NBA Ratings. Now let's look at the Central Division.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Biggest Surprise - JJ Hickson. Upping his scoring averages from 4 to 7 ppg, from 2.7 boards to 3.7 per game while shooting 53.7% from the field. Not really the x-factor in the Cavs lineup yet, but his athleticism and high leaping ability makes him LeBron James' target for alley-oop passes.

Biggest Disappointment - Zydrunas Ilgauskas. I hate to put his name out there, heck I even considered putting none because it is unfair to put Z's name since Shaq is now the defacto starting center for the Cavs. But in the 6 games Z started, he only garnered 8 ppg and 7 boards in 28 minutes, while shooting 43% on the field, which is quite mediocre for a big man.

Team Grade - A-. They started slow, but they defeated the Magic and the Lakers away from home. They also played a lot of home games already and is now leading the East.

Chicago Bulls

Biggest Surprise - Joakim Noah. Who would have thought this kid from Florida will be one of the league rebounders this season? averaging 7.6 boards last season, he shot up his average this season to 12.2. The only player who was similarly able to garner such big gap in the boards this year is Gerald Wallace of the Charlotte Bobcats.

Biggest Disappointment - Brad Miller. I could have also put John Salmons here, but Salmons made it up for his defense and steals. Brad Miller's stats are down across the board, with his points from 11.8 a year ago to 7 ppg, 7.4 boards to 4.5 this year and 47% from the field to 41% this season.

Team Grade - B-. They somewhat looked lost in the middle of December, losing to the Nets, and letting the Kings win at home while leading by 35 points, and the rumours surfaced of Vinny Del Negro's firing, but now they are winning and is in the hunt for the playoffs and is starting to look like the team everyone expected them to be.

Milwaukee Bucks

Biggest Surprise - Brandon Jennings. Kudos to Ersan Ilyasova too, but the rookie will take the plum, as nobody expected a rookie to explode for 55 points, and that deserves recognition. Although he cooled off a bit in December, he is looking to fight at the Rookie of the Year honors.

Biggest Disappointment - Michael Redd. His points went down from 21 to 12 ppg this season, and he is not shooting the ball well, shooting 35% from the field, and more importantly, shooting 28% from 3 and 68.5% from the line! What happened to the shooting touch?

Team Grade - C. It is quite unbelievable how a month of time changed a lot of things. Early in the season, the Bucks are even leading the Central Division, now they are just in the bubble looking outside to make the playoffs.

Detroit Pistons

Biggest Surprise - Ben Wallace. I thought this guy is retiring? Whatever retirement plans Wallace had in mind before, it is good that he didn't, as he is showing he can still play, especially on the defensive end, getting 9.6 boards, 1.3 steals and a block per game.

Biggest Disappointment - Richard Hamilton. Yes, he is still averaging 17 ppg, but he's taking 18.3 attempts! His field goal percentage are down by a lot, shooting 35.5% and his 3 point shooting is atrocious, shooting 19.2%.

Team Grade - C-. The acquisitions of Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva is not translating as Joe Dumars hoped, but they are in the playoff hunt, and injuries to Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince may have had effects on team chemistry. They will look to bounce back now with a healthy lineup.

Indiana Pacers

Biggest Surprise - Dahntay Jones. Known more as a defensive stopper, nobody expected Jones to score a lot when he went to Indiana. Averaging 5.1 ppg, he is scoring 12.1 a game this season, and is taking it strong to the rim, averaging 4.2 attempts at the line.

Biggest Disappointment - Brandon Rush. This was supposed to be his breakout year, after averaging 16.3 points in April last season, Rush was given the opportunity to show that he's the real deal, but so far he has not been able too, averaging only 7.9 ppg while shooting 39% from the field, and more importantly, shooting only 48.4% at the line!

Team Grade - D. This team is very lucky to be that they are in the East, else, they would be out of playoff contention already. They are without Danny Granger, and now Troy Murphy is out. It does not look good for the Pacers and they are looking lost out there. They better turn things around now or they would be in the lottery again.

1/03/2010

NBA Ratings : Atlantic Division

Ok, it's been a while since I last posted here. To start the New Year off, I'll make a series of blogs on rating the NBA teams this past 2009 in the 2009-10 season. Let's start off at the Atlantic Division

Boston Celtics

Biggest Surprise : Kendrick Perkins. He upped his scoring average from 8.5 to 12 per game while maintaining the 8 boards he gets and 2 blocks per game. He is starting to help light the load on the Celtics offense if he keeps maintaining his efficiency.

Biggest Disappointment : Rasheed Wallace. He was supposed to be Kevin Garnett's insurance if KG goes down, but what did Sheed do? Jack up technicals and threes. He is shooting a career-low 38.8% from the field and 28% from behind the arc, while averaging 9 ppg, another career-low and the first time in his career to average in single digits.

Team Grade : B. This Celtics team plays the big teams at their level. However, they also play the struggling teams at their level, which is a big problem if they keep on thinking they can just flip the switch and play at a high level.

Toronto Raptors

Biggest Surprise : Jarrett Jack. Yes, his scoring average from last season went down, but when Jose Calderon went out with a hip injury, Jack played efficiently as the starting point guard and helped anchor the defense of the Raptors in the wing, as they are winning games now and beating teams they are supposed to beat.

Biggest Disappointment : Jose Calderon. The Raptors were struggling to win with Jose Calderon as their point guard. Also, his numbers are down, from 8.9 assists to 6.2 and more importantly, his free throw shooting suffered a lot, from 98% to 78.7% this season.

Team Grade : B-. They were struggling early in the season, and now they are picking their pace up and beating teams below .500 which they are supposed to do if they want to get into the playoffs.

New York Knicks

Biggest Surprise : Danilo Gallinari. He wasn't able to showcase what he could do last season, and now he is doing things that he can do, which is shooting the lights out from beyond the arc. His scoring went up from 6.1 to 14.4, and more importantly, he is part of the main rotation of the Knicks now.

Biggest Disappointment : Larry Hughes. Yes, he started the season well when he was called to play, but now he is struggling and is shooting 37% from the field while shooting 30% from beyond the arc.

Team Grade : C. They did struggle early in the season, and there was the Mike D' Antoni - Nate Robinson drama, but now they are winning and is on the playoff bubble now.

Philadelphia 76ers

Biggest Surprise : Lou Williams. Before he went down with injury, Lou is posting efficient numbers, scoring more than 16 per game and 5.1 assist while shooting above 46% and snatching 1.7 steals a ball game. Now that he's playing with AI, his shots are reduced but is playing quite well alongside the Answer.

Biggest Disappointment : Elton Brand. No question. This guy is supposed to be the guy that will get the 76ers over the hump, but now he is on the team's second unit. Averaging 13.7 pts per game, which is well below his 19.7 ppg average, while grabbing only 7 boards.

Team Grade : D. They struggled a lot, and is the second worst team in the East right now. The acquisition of Allen Iverson may have helped them get some wins, but still not the way some expected to be.

New Jersey Nets

Biggest Surprise : Chris Douglas-Roberts. His scoring went up a lot, from 4.9 ppg last season to 16.4 this year. He is more aggresive on the court right now and even calling out the team for not giving an effort when they were at a big losing streak.

Biggest Disappointment : Courtney Lee. He was supposed to be the go to guy now that Vince Carter was traded to Orlando. Yes his scoring average went from 8.4 to 11.5, but his efficiency took down a lot, with his fg% down from 45% to 39.5 and his 3fg% down from 40.4% to 24%!

Team Grade : F. Yeah they suffered injuries and all that, but to lose an NBA-record 18 straight games? That is a big disappointment and nobody expected that to happen. Now the Clippers and the HEAT can enjoy themselves.