Mid-Season Report Card: Grade Your Team

[Primetime]

Miami Heat: A-

LeBron has easily been the most dominant player in the league. He's second in the league in scoring and is shooting a crazy 55% from the field. His work in the post has been much improved and he will only get even more comfortable with it as the season goes on. He's shooting 39% from deep as well which I expect to come down by seasons end. Bosh has also been pretty consistent, also shooting a good percentage. Wade needs to stay healthy and hopefully his body can withstand the tight schedule and be good to go for the playoffs. Their defense has been relentless and forcing turnovers has been huge for them getting out to huge leads. They had trouble maintaining these leads earlier in the season, but have been unstoppable as of late. Shane Battier needs to improve his shooting. Most of the shots he's seeing are open and he's only shooting 35%. If he improves his touch, he'll be even more effective in that system. Haslem has been great on the boards but his mid-range jumper has been off all season for some reason. If the Heat can get the same production from their PG play, and solidify themselves in the center position, they should have no problem running through the eastern conference on the way to the finals. LeBron is the clear MVP right now IMO and the rest of the season will simply be cementing that MVP spot.

 

[Rudi]

Cleveland Cavaliers: B

It was hard to have expectations coming into this season after the season Cleveland had last year. Thank god for the poind god Kyrie Irving. He has carried this team to a respectable [not good by any means] 12-17 mark. The thing I enjoy most about this team is they play every game to the end. Sure they may not win a lot, but they stay in games as opposed to last year when they got shit on nearly every game. Somehow they have beaten the Celtics, Mavs and Clippers which is shocking to me. Anderson Varejao has been a beast down low averaging 11/11, but he just went down with a broken wrist which will hurt. Jamison has been a surprise as well, averaging almost 17 a game with 6 rebounds. He is surely to be dealt before the deadline to a contender. Tristan Thompson looks to be a decent pick as well, he plays real strong down low but injuries have hampered him a bit. Alonzo Gee has been a pleasant surprsie as well. I have become a huge fan of this guy. He does it all. He can D anyone up, is explosive as hell towards the rim, and can occasionally hit a 3. I love me some Alonzo gee. The downside of the Cavs is when players like Omri Casspi [somehow he starts], Luke Harangody and Ryan Hollins see the court. Not one of them deserve to be on an NBA court at any time. All in all, it has been a decent first half for a team that was terrible last year and is atleast competing this year.

 

[Chrispy]

Knicks before Jeremy Lin - D

Knicks after Jeremy Lin - B+

He saved our season so far.

 

[MrBill]

Spurs A+

They are on top of their division over the defending league champs and could have the best record in the league if not for the injuries to Ginobli and Splitter. Don't forget they have a crazy number of home games down the stretch due to being on the road for 3 straight weeks because of the rodeo in San Antonio.

 

[EmpireWF]

Knicks: B-

It's amazing what one player can do. Had the Jeremy Lin saga not begun when it did, there's a great chance D'Antoni would have been fired and Mike Brown becomes the head coach. Instead, Lin rejuvenated the team, its players, coaches, fans and overall organization.

Surprisingly, this team has developed well enough defensively that they're not a joke anymore. Of course this is only the case when Chandler and Shumpert are able to get minutes, but still.

Amare has had a poor as hell first half, Melo had a poor first half when he was relied upon to play point forward. Elsewhere, right now, the bench has morphed from a weakness into a strength thanks to the emergence of Novak, JR Smith, Baron Davis and the steady presence of Jeffries.

Injuries have played a devils role so far with Melo, Shumpert, Baron Davis each missing extended periods. Amar'e missed a few games to mourn the loss of his brother, too. As long as these guys can stay healthy, and Lin doesn't hit a wall due to all the minutes, there's no reason this team cannot win a playoff series.

Right now, D'Antoni has his long desired true point guard and his system can finally work as expected. With the defensive tweaks, could they possibly shock a team like Chicago, Philly or even Miami?

 

[nwfisch]

:jonesy: at the Heat getting anything below an A.

I give the Bulls a B+.

 

[A Tasty Burgerr]

I don't give a fuck anymore.

 

[NAHSTE]

Hawks

Before Horford's injury: B+

The three weeks immediately after Horford's injury: A-

Every time after that: D-


Effort level has been horrendous lately, and the team has been dominated by quality opponents. Larry Drew needs to go.

 

[Sportsbuck]

Bobcats:

Is there a grade below F-?

 

[KNUBB]

Hornets receive a

Really though this season was a wash from the beginning. Any day where there isn't someone speculating another crisis involving this team is a good day in my book.

 

[Rudi]

On the bright side Knubb, the draft lottery will be fixed so the Hornets will get the #1 overall pick :kanye:

 

[Villain]

Clippers: A

They keep improving and have been doing well to endure the loss of Chauncey Billups. For the second half it looks like Bledsoe will be playing a bigger role now that his near doesn't seem to be bugging him anymore. Mo Williams has been outstanding from the bench, Reggie Evans has been a pleasant surprise on defense and at grabbing boards. DeAndre Jordan has room for improvement and seems to be showing a positive attitude about it while working hard. Also, Blake Griffin has been improving at the free throw line and in the mid-range so that gives other teams something to worry about going forward.

All in all, there is a lot to like and a lot a room to get better. It really does suck to not have Chauncey Billups playing.

 

[nwfisch]

I just want to see the Bulls win in the playoffs against a certain Florida team :shifty:

 

[Rudi]

I just want to see the Bulls win in the playoffs against a certain Florida team :shifty:

Yeah I can't wait to see Chicago play Orlando either

 

[Golden Taters]

On the bright side Knubb, the draft lottery will be fixed so the Hornets will get the #1 overall pick :kanye:

Or on a brighter side the Hornets will move to Seattle :kanye:

 

[JeremyHight]

Pistons: D-

It isn't an F only because I am hoping that this is the season Joe Dumars is finally fired. The guy was instrumental in winning us a championship, but since then, he has ruined his legacy.

 

[G-men]

Primetime pretty much got it right for the Heat. Probably could have given them an A, I just think he didn't want to look like a douche for starting this thread and then giving his team an A in the OP.

 

[Primetime]

Primetime pretty much got it right for the Heat. Probably could have given them an A, I just think he didn't want to look like a douche for starting this thread and then giving his team an A in the OP.

I would give them an A if they fixed 2 of the 5 things they need to do better with:

1) Shane Battier's FG%
2) Udonis Haslem's jumper
3) Maintaining big leads in the 3rd and 4th quarters(which they have started to correct)
4) Better production from their 5
5) Half court offense vs the zone. They have done well lately against the Pacers and Nets showing them a ton of zone....but those were pathetic zones.


Having a better team causes me to grade them more specifically.

 

[Argath]

Wizards F

Blatche and Lewis are still on the team.. nuff said

 

[Archer]

Pacers - B

Offense is still a work in progress mainly thanks to DC being a poor passing PG and Granger's low shooting % but the team is close or winning nearly every time they step onto the court and Hibbert/George's development has been really great to see. (David West has also shown to be a great signing so far)

Just need George Hill to get healthy and fight for a high seed now.