The Last Leg: Eastern Conference

Before the arrival of the always phenomenal NCAA Tournament, and everyone goes to sleep on the NBA for a month, I wanted to alert everyone that we did it; we have reached the fourth quarter of the NBA season. It’s been long, treacherous, and hilarious as always, but now the final chapter is taking shape. And we are all ready for the stretch run.

We need the stretch run.

Mental or physical despair has touched nearly every NBA team, and in some cases (Think New York Knicks), it has proven to be both mentally and physically despairing. Whatever the problem, it is good knowing the end is near. The playoffs are looming and due to the fourth quarter being upon us, and I want to stick with the “quarters” theme[1], I’m going to share four different things trending in my NBA head.

(Of course because there is soooo much going on in my head, I’m narrowing this post down to just Eastern Conference things, and hopefully, probably, maybe, I will do a Western Conference one tomorrow.)

Without further adieu I give you my “4 Things About the  Eastern Conference” or something…

1.THE DC BOOGIE DOWN
I’m so proud of the Washington Wizards. While I am a Bucks fan regionally, a large scale LeBron backer and mainly just an all-around basketball fan, I did peg the Wizards as a team that I could potentially fall in love with three years ago, and what they have going right now is pretty fun.

Last year, when sharpshooter Bradley Beal was healthy, they were a budding NBA offense. The problem happened to be Beal made the injury report often, and by seasons end, they ranked near the bottom in a number of offensive statistical categories:

•  Field Goal percentage: 27th (43% as a team)
•  Team Assists: 19th 
•  Turnovers: 25th
•  Points Per Game: 28th (93.2 ppg)

Wizards' fans were forced to watch sloppy basketball translating into a lot of “L’s” a season ago. The massive turnover numbers also forced down the number of shots they were able to take, and make (ranking 28th in shots made). This year however, has been a difference dance.

And Nae-Naein’ at the forefront is John Wall.

Wall, feeling slighted for a laundry list of reasons[2], has been a monster this season leading the Wizards to a record of 31-28 (the Wiz haven’t finished above .500 since 2007-2008). Beal, stayed healthy. With that combo, they have much different offensive rankings:

• Field Goals Taken: 9th
• Field Goals Made: 9th
• Field Goal Percentage: 13th (45%)
• Assists: 7th
• Turnovers: 14th
• Points Per Game: 16th (100.3 points per game)

As you can see, they have drastically improved. And it is all about Wall and Beal.

Wall: 20.0ppg 4.2rpg 8.7apg 43% FG 33% 3FG 2.0 spg
Beal: 16.7ppg 3.8rpg 3.5apg 41% FG 41% 3FG

Wall and Beal, both understand their roles, take over when necessary and it seamlessly resulted in offensive continuity. The two have benefited off each other, as well as, the steady shooting of Trevor Ariza and Martell Webster and the low post presence of Nene and Marcin Gortat. They have been sound on all parts of the floor.

There are loose ends however as a team three games over .500 are not perfect. For example, they don’t shoot free throws well ranking 26th in the league. Another major concern that I had a few months ago, as this team started to show its true colors, would they succumb to pressures in the playoffs? When you think of the Wizards, because they haven’t been that good in awhile, and the stars on this team are young up-and-comers (SEE: Wall and Beal), and not proven cornerstones, it is easy to write this team off as inexperienced. But that is far from the truth. When you look at the players, they will be relying on in the playoffs, many of their guys have major postseason chops. Marcin Gortat played major minutes in the Finals behind Dwight Howard in 2009. Nene was apart of the fun Lakers vs. Nuggets Western Conference Finals, Trevor Ariza played a key bench role on the Lakers team that beat both of Nene and Gortat’s teams and PHD. Andre Miller has obviously been around the block more times than Christy Mack.

They also have Kevin Seraphin, a young and learning power forward who will not help this team at all basketball wise, but did recently follow me on Twitter. And you can bet your ass I was pumped when he followed me. I bragged to follow Sportandfashion-news writer Murph, and he told me, “Welcome to the big leagues”.
Unfortunately, Seraphin unfollowed me a couple days later, and I have been regulated back down to the minors. I still love Twitter.

Back to the Wizards Basketball team though, and even though I have a tendency to be biased, and I might be slightly over valuing them, this is a squad to take note of in the coming months. There is a lot to be excited about, and I got a lot of faith in these guys.

And I will have even more if Seraphin re-follows me.

2. Toronto Drakes: Playoff Bound.
Two claps for Drake. Two claps for Rob Ford doing coke. Two claps for pussy eating. Two claps for eating pussy while coked out listening to Drake[3].

Now, that we got that out of the way, this is another team that has really turned things around. And most of it has to do with getting rid of Rudy Gay. It has been really funny the way this has transpired, but whenever Gay leaves town, the team he left gets a little better. In Toronto’s case, Gay’s departure improved the team's defensive efforts and helped open the door for Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan to take over the offense. 

Toronto's guard tandem has been marvelous. Lowry, whom has averaged nearly 17 points a game and a little over seven and a half assists a game to go with a team high PER of 19.9, has been Toronto’s most reliable player. He shot well from downtown at a 37 percent clip and been the leader Toronto needed him to be at the point guard position. Meanwhile, DeRozan took Gay’s departure as means to take more shots and he delivered in a major way. For the season, he averaged 22.7 points per game, and thrived at getting to the free throw line. He takes seven and a half per game and makes a little over six. He has made the fifth most free throws in the league.

A lot of credit for the turn around needs to go to Dwane Casey and his ability to get his squad to “D Up”. The Raptors currently rank fifth in team defense yielding 97.1 ppg, and are seventh in Defensive Rating (104.1). They protect the hoop with a variety of frontcourt combinations that include, Amir Johnson, Jonas Valanciunas, Patrick Patterson and of course, the ultimate pot-stirrer, Tyler Hansbrough.

(Before I say anything more, I have to admit that I think the NBA playoffs are always a better place with Tyler Hansbrough in them. I don’t like him at all, but that is also exactly why I want him in there. I’m not alone in not liking him, and it even seems like players within the league don’t like him, and because bad blood = fun series, Hansbrough should be a must have in the playoffs every year, anyway…)

Raptors have a roster that features three gunners (Lowry, DeRozan, and combination of Terrance Ross and John Salmons) surrounded by a bunch of hard working defend and rebound guys. And they have been successful in this personnel strategy. They rank near the top in defense and free throw shooting. In high school and college basketball you win with defense and free throw shooting. We are not talking high school or college though, and in the NBA, there is no way around playoff growing pains. No matter what however, it is fun the Raptors are here. 

I can already smell a budding Raptors vs. Wizards rivalry for years to come.

3. Shame on you Philadelphia.
As an NBA advocate, one thing I have learned casual fans hate a lot is tanking. The NBA tried to move away from it, but with the way the lottery system is set up, combined with the trifles of being a small market team, it seems sometimes tanking is the only way to get to the top. However, what Philadelphia has chosen to do is flat out despicable. Milwaukee Bucks blew these slum dogs out the other night.

Let me say that again, the Bucks blew these guys out.

After dumping Spencer Hawes and Evan Turner, an already bad Sixers team became unwatchable, and unfortunately the NBA is forced to stand behind them with a blind eye. Philly has lost their last 14 games, and they are 0-5 since the trade deadline with an average margin of loss of 20.1 points.

Their “team” includes the following: Thaddeus Young, Michael Carter-Williams, Hollis Thompson, Lorenzo Brown, Tony Wroten, Henry Sims, Arnett Moultire, Jarvis Varnardo, Eric Maynor, James Anderson, and Bryon 'Don't call me BJ' Mullens.

I mean, gag me. Exorcism puke all over the floor, walls, ceiling, vents and anywhere else in the Wells Fargo Arena.

Aside from MCW and Thad Young, I would not expect any of these guys to be on the team come start of next season, and to expect to get fans to come out and support a group mailing it in and not caring is flat out absurd. It is offensive, and I hope the league figures out a way to stop this type of stuff from happening. But the sad reality is that will be hard to change. So I’m sorry to anyone that enjoys watching Sixer games because nothing is changing, and you have a full month and half of crapsketball.

4. Miami vs. Indiana.
The Money Makers. The heavyweights. The title fight. This is the series we all want to see come playoff time. All season the two have battled for the top spot in the East, and it has been a great fight. It is pretty obvious that I am a LeBron fan, and I will admit, Pacers are a real threat to his throne, but I also think that the throne is safer then what people are saying. And it is because a couple of factors.

The first is that I think Indiana fudged up and made two too many moves in the last few months. The first move was signing Andrew Bynum. I don’t know what good bringing him in did for Indiana. While, it never hurts to have depth, this is also a guy who does not seem to care at all, was disruptive in practice in Cleveland, and just seems to be more of a headache than a pain reliever.

Aside from the addition of Bynum, I thought the trading of Danny Granger (not the addition of Evan Turner) is a problem. While Evan Turner is a far superior player at this point in his career, I think ripping Granger from the locker room was a bad move.Four years ago, when the Pacers were a struggling team, Granger sold the tickets and started the turn around in Indiana. As Paul George skyrocketed to stardom and Granger’s knee’s failed him, he became a mentor and brought a positive attitude for Indiana’s locker room, and an integral piece to their puzzle.

When they traded him, the team seemed upset. And while the addition of Turner should help them on paper, I’m not positive his game will gel so seamlessly with the rest of the Pacers. Turner, has a high usage rate (24.1 percent) when on the floor, and does not shoot at a great percentage (40% FG, 20% 3FG). I think he might be more of a kink in the offense than an asset.

(It should also be noted that Miami has been rumored to have turned down a trade offer that involved Evan Turner for Udonis Haslem because they wanted to stay loyal to Haslem, a story that seems completely and utterly orchestrated by the media and Heat fans.)

The second reason that I feel Miami is still strongly asserted in the drivers seat, has to do with the following:

Player A: 28.0 ppg 8.5 rpg 3.0 apg  45% FG 42% 3FG PER: 24.1

Player B: 22.9 ppg 4.5 rpg 3.9 apg  43% FG 33% 3FG PER: 18.9

Player C: 22.6 ppg 6.4 rpg 3.5 apg  43% FG 36% 3FG PER: 21.1

Carmelo Anthony, DeMar DeRozan and Paul George own those three stat lines. Melo is player A, and far and away the best in this grouping, while DeRozan (B) and George (C) and actually quite similar to each other, although no one is screaming that DeRozan is as good as George. And while I do think George is an excellent player, I think the media blew him up to something that he is not. Or something he is not yet.

We do know George is an excellent two-way player, but he is by no means the best one. He totally benefited from having Roy Hibbert and David West behind him. The tandem gave him the freedom to gamble for steals and blocks, knowing that he will not get burned to the bucket. This is not saying George is not a top tier basketball player, but I think all the wins the Pacers compiled as a team, jaded our views of George as an individual player. He is a good offensive player, and plays with a tough as nails defense on a very good basketball team, that made it past the second round of the playoffs once. George is a ball player, but he is not anywhere close to being the player that he will become in the coming years.

And then of course, if any of that does not convince you the throne is safe, you can consider LeBron James scored 61 points last night and reminded everyone himself that the league is in fact his little brother, and he is in fact the King.

Happy March Folks,

~Andrew

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[1]Turns out I just love quarters. Old quarters, new quarters, the game of quarters, quarters found under the couch, quarter bags of kush, quarter-pounders with cheese after quarter bags of kush etc…

[2]Did not win rookie of the year, did not get invited to the Olympic tryouts, Kyrie Irving (who has won like 34 games in the NBA) was voted a starter over him in the All-Star game, and probably other things.

[3]For the record my Mom just got real upset with me for that joke, but I’m not posting my weed piece about her so it’s a fair trade for now. 

Sportandfashion-news Future NBA Power Rankings: 24.) - 20.)

by Adam Hatlak, edited by Charlie Tritschler.  

Late December/early January is generally when the NBA starts to heat up. For this NBA season, this is especially true. With all of the injuries to major stars and one of the most anticipated draft classes in recent memory coming up, the landscape of the NBA is in store for a major shakeup. Due to all the changes, now is a good time to look at what the NBA will look like for the next 3-5 years. These Power Rankings were made from a fan’s perspective including many different variables: probability of future success, likeability of organization, trust in front office, and ability to acquire/retain quality players. All of the criteria are applied for the next 3-5 years, as anything further into the future is increasingly more difficult to predict.  

24.) New York Knicks
Key Assets: Carmelo Anthony, Tyson Chandler, Iman Shumpert, Tim Hardaway Jr.

Reason for Hope: Despite questions about his leadership ability, and chances to ever win a title, Anthony is still a major player in the NBA. Along with a player of Anthony’s stature, comes the ability to get hot at the right time, and have a player take over at the end of games. Additionally, if the Knicks ever get salary cap flexibility, Anthony and the New York market, will be able to attract free agents. If Chandler can stay healthy, he still can be a defensive anchor and rebounding machine. Shumpert and Hardaway are nice young wing players, especially if the team is able to limit their roles.

Reason for Concern: Melo can be a free agent, and seems like the type of player who might be willing to jump ship to a new situation. Amar'e Stoudemire unfortunately never seems like he is going to get back to the player he once was. Chandler continues to get older, and as one of the players who came straight to the league out of high school, he has more miles on his legs than his age may indicate. Shumpert and Hardaway seem to be the only young players that have a future with the Knicks, and both seem likely to be traded for immediate help. To top it all off, the Knicks have given away so many of their draft picks; they will not be able to take advantage of their own potential lottery situations.

Key Decision Looming: Does Melo stay? There have been rumors that the Knicks are interested in trading Anthony, as well as reports that Anthony would be interested signing elsewhere as a free agent such as Chicago or Los Angeles Lakers. Anthony tried so hard to get sent to New York while he was in Denver, but it seems that the partnership is near its end. The Knicks need him to resign with the team even with questions about his ability to win a championship since he is their best chance at getting there with so few assets of value for the future. The Knicks would be wise to either trade him for a superstar or sign him to a max contract again.

23.) Los Angeles Lakers
Key Assets: Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Steve Nash.

Reason for Hope: While the end of his career is near, any team with Kobe Bryant is not out of the race; his sheer competitiveness and ability to take over a game needs to be respected until he retires. If Bryant is willing to be a sidekick to either a new superstar, or a young player developing, the Lakers could rise in the standings. Despite all the trades they made to put together a super team, Lakers have their draft pick this season therefore they will be able to get a stud if they place high in the lottery. If Gasol is able to improve his game slightly over the next few weeks, he could bring a decent haul of future assets, or prove capable of being a leader at a reduced cost in the future. Although the key free agents might not be available this year for the Lakers, the cap situation in L.A. is clean enough that they will be ready to get a few key free agents in the next couple of years to propel the next great Lakers team.

Reason for Concern: Bryant is old and injured, Gasol is old, and likely on his way out, and Nash is old and injured, but other than that, the veterans on the Lakers are in good shape. It is no surprise to anyone that follows the league that Los Angeles are in trouble moving forward. There are valid concerns Bryant will ever be able to get back to the player that was able to carry a team to the playoffs, much less go far in those playoffs, and Lakers have an uphill climb to find players to surround him enough to support him. Bryant’s salary is also huge, and he, Nash, and Robert Sacre are the few players that are signed long-term. Gasol has been unhappy the past few seasons in Los Angeles, and likely could find a contender that would utilize him in an offense he is happier with, a fact that could potentially cause Gasol to move on.

Key Decision Looming: When does Gasol leave? It has been years since the Lakers first tried to trade Gasol, and since then the team has been littered with rumors about him going to another team. This season has been no different, as he was rumored to potentially leave town for the right to waive Andrew Bynum’s contract. Gasol's performance slightly dwindled  as he has aged and played in a system he is not comfortable in. If the Lakers can move him at the deadline, they should, but he might not bring back any value. It is likely Gasol will leave town as a free agent, and we can only hope that he does not resign with the Lakers creating all sorts of new rumors for the rest of his career.

22.) Memphis Grizzlies
Key Assets: Marc Gasol, Mike Conley, Zach Randolph, Ed Davis.

Reason for Hope: Defense is one of the most predictable aspects of basketball, and the team has plus defensive players at two very important positions, center and point guard. Conley appeared to take a step forward in last year’s playoffs, and has assumed a bigger role since the departure of Rudy Gay. Gasol gets a lot of credit for his defensive prowess, but he also has an underrated offensive game, possessing great court vision for a big man. The team’s front office placed a greater emphasis on analytics within the last year, a decision that may be able to add a few wins above what their talent level suggests they’re at right now.

Reason for Concern: This team got old very quickly, as it seems like just a few years ago, they were an under the radar contender. Randolph is still a beast in the post, but he is losing some of his ability to carry a team, something that is necessary when players like Gasol are lost. It was a wise move to get rid of Gay and his inefficient offensive game, but they have struggled to replace the wing scoring with the likes of Mike Miller and Tayshaun Prince. Quincy Pondexter’s injury did nobody any favors, and the team seems very thin now. Potentially the biggest issue is that this team seems destined for dreaded NBA purgatory, not bad enough to win the lottery, not a big enough market to attract a star free agent, not enough cap space to over pay a star, and not enough talent to sneak into the conference finals. After a few fun years of playoff basketball, Memphis is in trouble.

Key Decision Looming: When is it time to let go? The Grizzlies rise to being a contender was fun to watch, they played good defense, they had a fun identity, but they were still underdogs. Unfortunately time and the salary cap has caught up with them. Rudy Gay was already traded from the team, and it seems that Randolph’s remaining time is limited. Do the Grizzlies continue trying to add to this season and next, hoping to recapture what they had or chose instead to invest in the future, hoping to make a run in a few years. It might be smarter to play for the future, as Gasol and Conley could conceivably be veteran leaders for a future Grizzlies team. 

21.) Utah Jazz 
Key Assets: Derrick Favors, Trey Burke, Gordon Hayward, Alec Burks, Enes Kanter, 2 first round picks in 2014.

Reason for Hope: Thankfully for the Jazz, they are no longer stuck in the middle of the Western Conference. With Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap, this was a team that was having issues getting a high lottery pick, as they would contend for the eighth seed in the playoffs. Luckily they will have a high pick this season. Favors appears to be a potential defensive anchor in the middle, and Hayward and Burks still have some potential if not the main option on offense. Burke has a lot of potential, and could be a very capable leading point guard in the future. There is still a lot of young potential in Utah, they need one star in order to fulfill it, and that player may be coming this draft.

Reason for Concern: Two years ago, this team would have been much higher on this list, and losing Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson is not what knocks them down, they were expected to leave. Millsap and Jefferson were allowed to leave so that Favors and Enes Kanter could finally get the opportunity to play more minutes, ideally developing into legit building blocks. Favors has fared better than Kanter, but both have failed to exceed expectations, as the team is off to a slow start. Burks and Hayward seem to be slow to develop as well, a troubling sign for such a young team. The team may look to move on from Ty Corbin soon, as he has underwhelmed as coach, and the team lacks development.

Key Decision Looming: Who do they draft in the 2014 NBA Draft? Utah currently projects to pick in the first three of the upcoming draft. Who they select will determine the future of this franchise. There are bound to be some busts in this draft, but selecting high should help the Jazz avoid that. Ideally, they would be able to select Andrew Wiggins or Jabari Parker, since they desperately need a star on the wing rather than help at point guard or center.

20.) Washington Wizards
Key Assets: John Wall, Bradley Beal, Nene.

Reason for Hope: The Wizards have played well this season, and that gives fans a lot of hope. They have one of the most promising young backcourts, with Wall and Beal providing a solid one-two punch. If both can continue to improve, and even rise to stardom, this team can go far in a weak Eastern Conference. Nene brought a toughness to the Wizards, and when he is on his game, he proves to be one of the better inside presences in the conference. Depending on the matchup, the Wizards might be able to make it to the second round of the playoffs, something that many fans would not have considered an option before the Martin Gortat trade.

Reason for Concern: Wall has been better this season, but still brings doubts as to whether he can be the face of a contending franchise, and is now being paid like he should be. Both he and Beal form a potentially dominant backcourt, but both have had some issues with injuries. Speaking of injuries, Nene is one of their best players, but injuries have troubled him throughout his career, making it tough to see him anchoring the post for this team long term. The Wizards gave up their next first round pick in order to get Marcin Gortat, who can leave after this season, if they are unable to resign him to a reasonable deal, the trade could end up a huge waste.

Key Decision Looming: How do they acquire one more sidekick for Wall? Nene, Beal, and Wall is not enough to truly contend, regardless if the young guys improve, but Washington is going to face some difficulties acquiring players necessary to take the next step. Free agency seems like the best option now that they are without their first round pick this year, since it was used to acquire Gortat. If they can upgrade at small forward, this team may take a leap, but finding someone is the true question.

DOY: Jan Vesely

Every now and then, you get a DOY that you cannot believe it is possible, but yes, Jan Vesely has a Dunked On You under his belt. It is incredible and might deserve a lunch time drink because I am absolutely astonished he was able to make this dunk.  These were Vesely's only points of the night so he made it worth it. When we do a Vesely mixtape it will be this dunk, him fouling and making out with his girlfriend at the NBA Draft. I would be remiss if I did not mention the pass thrown by former Milwaukee Bucks guard Garrett Temple as he dropped a complete dime.  I cannot believe we live in a world where Vesely is dunking on people.

Charlie.