YOU CAN DO IT, PUT YOUR BACK INTO IT

[MexicanMamba]

Words: 3,664





To this point this season feels a bit different than many of our recent seasons have. While there are typically more than one team with a legit shot at winning a championship, it feels to me like there are an inordinate amount this season. On top of the teams who already are built to win, there are also a few teams out there that need to get healthy, are one move away, or both, from being a legitimate contender as well. Then on top of THAT, there are a few teams that may not be contenders but have very interesting teams that they perhaps COULD become a contender if not for certain outside issues slowing them down.



With the trade deadline looming, I thought now would be the time to go over these teams and discuss how I see their chances at getting to the Finals and competing for a championship. For some, I’ll also explore what they may need to try to do to get an edge. Really, I’ll just figure it out as I start writing. As always, my main motivation is to gain those sweet points, so excuse any long-winded responses here (all four of you who will read this).



First up, the teams who can win it all right damn now!



THE CONTENDERS



ORLANDO MAGIC



Andy has built a great roster with nice depth, particularly on the perimeter. As of this writing, they are 30-6 (#1 in the league) with a point differential of +15.6 (Also #1 in the league). He’s dominating the conference and division, both of which has plenty of competition. The Magic also currently have an equal split of home and road games, meaning their record is not a product of a favorable home schedule. They are in the top 10 (and often in the top 3) in pretty much every major statistical team category besides turnovers and offensive rebounding.



Lu Dort is playing at an MVP pace yet again, after taking a season to acclimate himself to his new surroundings last season. He and Manley create a scoring duo that may be unrivaled around the league when considering their efficiency (Dort has a TS% of .659, Manley’s is .682) and you have Myke Henry on the wing playing bully ball. The perimeter play is so great that Mitchell Robinson, who has been considered the top big man (arguably, I guess) for at least 5 seasons, is only scoring 16.5 points per game (though he also has a ridiculous TS% of .658). It is a roster that is going to be difficult for anyone to deal with come playoff time.



Are there any places where they could solidify themselves? Surprisingly, yes. With Dort, Manley, Henry on the wing, and Adkison, Milam, Kavanaugh backing them up, they are very unbalanced as their front court is a bit lacking in depth. Obviously Kavanaugh and Henry CAN play some Power Forward due to their size or skillset and having Mitchell Robinson covers for a lot of potential issues, but the current starting Center (Pabon) is just a body and none of his backups are more than roster filler. Obviously based on their current performance, the Magic do not desperately make a move however they do have one potential “hole” and enough assets to fix it if they choose to. Will be interesting to see what they choose to do.





DENVER NUGGETS



Not far behind the Magic in the standings (but #1 in the Alpha conference) is the Denver Nuggets. This might be a surprise to many, who probably assumed that the Chicago Bulls would win this division yet again. Obviously, there is still plenty of basketball to play and a 3-game lead is not impossible to overcome, but the Nuggets have looked fantastic so far this season. Where some teams that I will write about lower on this list would likely have to make a move to reach their potential, the Nuggets made their necessary moves already. In the off-season, Ryan identified a major need at Power Forward and moved quickly to address it. To be fair, he identified this problem last season (as well as having two Point Guards) and tried shifting Chadwick Dangerfield then to fix it. Perfect storm happened this off-season with the Thunder needing to reset and in comes Makur Maker, one of my personal favorite big men in recent memory.



It was almost exclusively that move that has sparked this 30-8 start to the season for Denver. I won’t discount the growth by both He Hor and Bey in training camp, but they were on the roster last season and they did not quite look like this. Maker is a difference maker (HA!) and it is showing this season. After that, Day 60 came around and Ryan pulled the trigger on a smaller deal to grab Harland Cain from my Clippers to help with his depth, which is probably his primary weakness. Cain has allowed Obi Toppin to go to the bench and provide much needed punch there. Kornett has also been coming off the bench this season which is an interesting move, paying dividends now. I wonder it Kornett will slip back into the starting 5 once the playoffs begin.



Denver is probably running at peak performance now. Rebounding is a bit of an issue that could come back to bite them in the playoffs, but they have no real methods of fixing their rebounding or depth issues. Their team is built top heavy (talent and salary), leaving little wiggle room for any meaningful trades. They also don’t have assets available to offer unless they plan to dip into their draft picks. We’ll see if they have a trick up their sleeves, but I imagine this is the roster we’ll see moving forward. And it is a damn good one.





SAN ANTONIO SPURS



Shocking right? Leading their division, 2nd in the conference, and humming along. Dorian Whitley continues to be one of, if not THE, most efficient scorers in the entire league and a legitimate MVP candidate. Genaro Montoya is on his way to ruling over the league very, very soon and OG Anunoby continues to anchor the team’s defense. What makes the Spurs even scarier than normal this season is their wildly successful training camp and free agency. In free agency they brought three players in that are playing meaningful minutes for them, or starting, in Levi Mata, Jonathan Lewis and Gary Loredo. All of which came in on veteran minimum contracts for the opportunity to win a championship. Loredo got injured after 15 games and will still be out quite a bit longer, but once the team is at full-strength, it won’t be fun trying to knock them out of a 7-game series. Camp made Mata even stronger as well, as he is now averaging nearly 15 points and 7 rebounds. Lyle Galloway is the obvious story here though, as his major bump in camp means they either have their future locked up when he and Montoya fully bloom, or he is the ultimate trade chip if they feel now is the time to strike to get another championship or two.



The trades for the Spurs, knowing their history, are likely either a major blockbuster or they will sit back and do nothing at all. Once Loredo comes back in 2 months, it will be interesting to see how the squad plays at full-strength for an extended period of time. Without him, there have been SOME bumps along the way. A 26-11 record is nothing to scoff at, but I think most figured they would have come out a tad better and not been in 2nd place in the division as long as they were. Carlos was smart to add some old contracts that could be traded right at the deadline in case he does find a deal (or deals) that firmly shoot him up to the top of the contenders list.



Besides front court depth, perhaps the only other weakness (other than the health of Loredo) the Spurs currently have is their defense. They are currently near the bottom of the league in points allowed, though admittedly it may be partially due to the rapid pace which they play at, because their defensive efficiency rating lands in the top 10. Still, giving up that amount of points could become an issue in the playoffs when going up against another offense that can score with you or you simply have an off-shooting night. The Spurs are not a team lacking defensive talent however, as OG, Galloway and Montoya are all fantastic defenders individually.





MILWAUKEE BUCKS



The winner of the Zaire Wade sweepstakes! (I put in a bid too … insert sad face) One season after the Thunder also sent the Bucks Charles “Multiverse Cavs MVP” Hintz as well. That OKC to Milwaukee pipeline is obviously strong based on the performance of the Bucks this season. The season started as a dog fight between the Bucks and Pistons, and I anticipated that going on throughout the season, but the Pistons are in a bit of a slide now, made worse by the fact that Alex Caruso has been injured. To Doug’s credit, he has taken advantage of that lull in Detroit and piled some wins on top of each other. He also has not been comfortable to simply rest on those accomplishments and went out and traded for Zack Keller to fill out his starting 5, and I was a big fan of that move.



Wade is obviously great and could have a shot at both Defensive Player of the Year and MVP as he’s near a 25-8-7 pace. The major sidekick is important as well though, and Patrick Williams is filling that role well. Much like last season Williams is challenging for the scoring title, though again Fang Shuo is proving to be difficult to conquer in that regard. You complement those two with Hintz, Keller and the youngster, Jericho Sims and you have something strong on your hands.



There are two problem areas I could see slowing them down in the playoffs. One is a lack of size up front. Sims has been playing well as the starting Center and has a lot of room to grow in the future (He’s not even out of his rookie contract yet) and Williams is phenomenal, but Sims is under 7 foot and Williams is 6’8”, meaning they may be in for some challenges if they face a team with a lot of size down low. The second possible issue is their lack of perimeter shooting, which could tie into the first point. If they can’t make a team respect them from range, a team with size and defense in the post could cause a bit of a dilemma for a team that wants to drive the ball on every possession. I believe the Bucks are probably finished making additions to the roster after Keller, but if they had an opportunity to get another BIG body, it could be helpful.





CHICAGO BULLS



No list like this would be complete without Josh, would it? This roster is not currently playing as well as the previous one and the Les Kim injury (and the worst kind of injury to boot) has not helped the cause. He also chose to piece together the toughest division which likely is also not helping. The old timers he has are still playing at a high level. Yandell and Wiseman are championship pieces, even if they keep getting nicked by TC more and more as they get older. Michael Sneed has fully formed into the player he can be and is on pace for a 25-7-7 season. Luigi Leather has been a steady presence, if not a major difference maker, and a good source to be able to go to with Kim’s issues. Talen Horton-Tucker continues to be a bit of an enigma as a player. A jack of all trades, but master of none type but with the ability play damn near any position on the court. Their biggest asset continues to be their physicality, which is why I predicted early that they would win last year’s championship even when there were other teams with a better regular season record. I think there are MORE teams capable of toppling them this season than last, however I wouldn’t be shocked if their physical nature won out again.



So, where are the Bulls vulnerable? While they are physical, perhaps the place to beat them is with pure athleticism. Michael Sneed is a great athlete and has the skills and attributes to match that athleticism. Everyone else on the roster are not quite so aligned. Yandell and Wiseman are skilled but older so lacking that elite athleticism now. Plott has good athletic traits but just okay as a player. THT has great athleticism, especially for a Power Forward, but his actual attributes are not peaked just yet. Can someone literally run them out of the gym? Perhaps its possible.



But you better believe they’re going to punch you in the face a bunch of times as you try.





IS SOMETHING MISSING?



And now we get to the teams that I think can challenge for the top spot in the league, but I am still deciding if there might be something missing in their game. It may be healing an injury, a possible trade, or their start just surprised me and I want to see a little bit more. Let’s dive in!



(And I’m getting a bit tired of writing and I sense that 3,000-word limit creeping up, so these may be a bit more rapid fire than the previous ones)





DETROIT PISTONS



I absolutely love the core pieces of this roster. What’s not to love, really? Kai Jones, Gerry Folse, Cade Cunningham and Alex Caruso are all either top scoring options or legit possible foundational pieces for a franchise to start from. Caruso’s injury has taken a toll on the team because it was not built with a lot of depth and only has older veteran minimum types filling it out or starting now that Caruso has been down. Thankfully for them Caruso gets to come back after this next slate of games, so things should pick back up again soon. I don’t know if there is any validity to this, but I also wonder if their slow pace is handcuffing some of these guys’ full potential on offense.



Scott has some pieces that he could move that would bring back the type of player(s) to really launch this roster, but the issue would come with matching the salary of such players. Charles Jarrett could most definitely be used to bring in a nice starter if they were willing to make such a move and could fill in enough salary to make it all work. Emoni Bates and his $18 million could help with both satisfying another GM’s asset requirement and salary matching, but from past discussions I know that Scott has a soft spot in his heart for Bates, so is not likely to deal him. The move for the Pistons may ultimately end up being just to sit back, relax, see how far this roster takes them and just let organic development lift them up in the coming seasons. If so, it’s a valid plan and will be fun to watch these young players grow, but I don’t believe they are too far off and the right move or moves could propel them past the Bucks for the division.





WASHINGTON WIZARDS



One of the more surprising starts to the season for me. Not that X had not put together some talent, they have, but when Brendon Silva shockingly (I still don’t know what the hell happened there) chose to go to Houston, I had kind of dismissed the Wizards as a threat. I think X did as well given that he did not attempt to bring in any depth to the team once that happened. Then the games started, and they were white hot, sitting at 21-3 at one point before Brandon Boston Jr. got injured. On a team with no depth as it is, that was going to be a difficult obstacle to overcome and maintain that pace. A losing record without him, and another month to go before a BBJ return, and the Wizards look to be a solid team but not a contender during this span. So, I don’t put the Wizards near the top now simply because I need to see if they can pick right back up once BBJ comes back into the lineup. I also wish there was more flexibility on the team to make a deal, because if they could bring BBJ back and import some much-needed help, they would be knocking on everyone’s door loudly. I am not sure there is any GM who is better at unlocking the full potential of their roster than X is, and this season was another example of that until the injury.





BROOKLYN NETS



Reigning MVP is continuing his tear. Dr. Andrews, fresh off his beautiful max contract, is playing very well for a youngster who just hit green current. I think Kostas in an under-valued player in the league today, and I bet is a ton of fun to be able to have on your roster because of his versatility. The addition of Tex Harrison has likely been everything that Ed envisioned when he decided to send Cuevas out to get him. At Day 60, David McCafferty was brought in to play starting Point Guard to allow the rest of the Nets roster to shift up one position, where they are probably more naturally fit to play. McCafferty was a cheap addition but looking closely at his performance since going from little used bench player in Los Angeles to starter in Brooklyn, he’s been quite solid and fun to watch. I do believe that the Nets need to make one more splashy move, if they can, given their salary matching restraints. I know Ed is concerned about his defense, but I say he should just strengthen his strength and go get even more offensive firepower. One strong defender isn’t changing a team’s identity but continuing to add to what you do best just might.





DALLAS MAVERICKS



Unfortunately, long-term injuries have really knocked this team around recently. Even full-strength, it was a bit of a slow start for them. However, they have crawled back into things and were looking better and better until both Elwood Berger and Toni Gauss went down and are still out for 85 days and 60 days respectively. It may be a struggle to keep pace now, when it looked like they were primed to break out. The one thing that I feel they are missing, and have been missing for quite some time now, is a tried and true, legitimate Point Guard to run their offense. A few seasons ago they had holes at PF and PG but plugged one of those with Zeke Nnaji who has continued to play great for them. Unfortunately, they’ve never mastered the PG dilemma and have been trying to make Berger or Carner at PG a thing for far too long. That is something I would explore if I were them … and HEY! I know a guy in Los Angeles who has one available!





THE WILD AND WEIRD



And lastly, quick notes on two teams that I think are out-performing expectations and could be dangerous if not for an issue that cannot be fixed this season …





OKLAHOMA CITY THUNDER



No one, especially not Charlie, expected that they would have this many wins to this point in the season. Without Zaire Wade, Makur Maker, or Tex Harrison, the Thunder are 25-13. Antonio Blakeney has been a revelation and shoe-in for the rookie of the year honors. Delmar Lopez is back to playing like his old self now that he can control the entire offense like he used to in Los Angeles. Daishen Nix took another step forward in his development in camp and Tubbs is a solid anchor on defense. I don’t think the Thunder, based on this performance, are that far off from being with those top teams. Hell, they even have assets they could move to make a push up the standings (Cuevas, Lizarraga, Cagle) … but they are desperate to stay under the tax line to avoid a repeater tax (they were close to going into a season of cap hell and losing Wade for nothing last season). So, if anything, they will be more likely to trade away another talented player than add anyone and let Blakeney continue to grow. Still, if they had the flexibility and opportunity to go in with this squad I’d be fascinated to see what moves Charlie would make.





NEW YORK KNICKS



Yes, I absolutely had to bring the New York Vargas up here. Everyone loves to make fun of the Knicks, mostly because Varga invites such fun poking, but in all seriousness, there is credit to be given out. Last season and this one, the teams he is putting out there are performing way better than they have any business performing. He is starting to slip down the standing now, a season after a hot start led to missing the playoffs entirely but look … it isn’t a good roster. Weird contracts, lack of legit high-end talent and they are in-line to win 40+ games in consecutive seasons while both times playing in difficult conferences. Those are strong points and deserve an acknowledgment. If he would get out of his own way and stop with the weird/wrong ideas about trading and development, he could really make a run at some point. But, he won’t, so, he probably won’t. Still, if he makes the playoffs this season it is pretty remarkable considering what he is throwing out there. I am a big fan of Leonardo though.

[false9]

Why aren't the Clippers on this list?

[MexicanMamba]

Why aren't the Clippers on this list?

Cause I know better

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk

[garbageman]

All a LAC Marketing ploy to bump the block for the "IS SOMETHING MISSING?" teams

[drkavarga]

Why aren't the Clippers on this list?

Because they haven't made 50 trades this year like the Lakers have.

[MexicanMamba]

Why aren't the Clippers on this list?

Because they haven't made 50 trades this year like the Lakers have.

Well ...

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk

[MexicanMamba]

All a LAC Marketing ploy to bump the block for the "IS SOMETHING MISSING?" teams

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk

[drkavarga]

Why aren't the Clippers on this list?

Because they haven't made 50 trades this year like the Lakers have.

Well ...

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk

If they still suck after all that then they must really suck.

[greepleairport]

+10