Surprises in the Eastern Conference

With more or less thirty games played into the season, there have been a lot of surprises around the league. Underachieving teams like the Chicago Bulls (9-17), Cleveland Cavaliers (13-16), Houston Rockets (13-15) and Dallas Mavericks (19-10) have been very disappointing. There have been a lot of expectation from these teams in the pre-season and up to now; they have not lived up to the expectations. But aside from these underachieving teams, there are also some positive surprises in the NBA. There are some surprising teams that have played above average and maintained records above the .500 mark.

In the Eastern Conference, it’s surprising to see the Atlanta Hawks above the .500 mark at this time of the season. They are currently second in the Southeast division with a 15-12 record. It’s pretty amazing for this team to be playing at this kind of level. I must admit that I never thought that the Hawks can play this big this season. Joe Johnson is still playing great basketball although his statistics have dropped a little compared last season. The athletic ability of Josh Smith is helping the Hawks as he increased his statistical averages compared last year. Rookie Al Horford is also contributing quality points and rebounds as he is averaging close to a double-double with 9.1 points and 9.6 rebounds per contest in his rookie season. It’s too early to tell if the Hawks will qualify for the playoff rounds, but if they continue to play like this, they will surely grab a spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs. The keys to their success are teamwork, consistency and staying healthy.

The Washington Wizards have been pretty impressive too. Even without Gilbert Arenas, the Wizards have managed to post a 14-13 record and stay just right above the .500 mark. Different guys have been stepping up for the Wizards, most recently Roger Mason posting career high 24 points against the Charlotte Bobcats. The injury plagued Wizards have relied heavily on Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison who have been playing extremely well this season. Butler leads his club in scoring with 22.2 points per contest while Jamison developed into a double-double threat this year as he averages 21.9 point and 10.8 rebounds in 27 games. The Wizards may be short-handed now, but they are still playing fantastic basketball and if they can continue to play at this level until February until Arenas comes back, I like their chances in the playoffs. Staying healthy as a team is a big factor in winning because they are now missing four players in their roster, they can no longer afford to miss more players. Hard work and consistency from the bench are also vital factors to consider if they are to pick up more wins.

 

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Disappointments in the Western Conference

The Western Conference is often dubbed as the powerhouse conference because of the strong teams in there particularly the Texas teams: Houston Rockets, Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs.  With about a quarter of the season gone, most of the Western teams have managed to stay above the .500 mark while most of their Eastern counterparts are struggling just even touch the .500 mark.  Nobody can deny that the West teams are really stronger than the East teams, but don’t be fooled by this.  Even with the “powerhouse” image of the West, there are still few Western teams that are really disappointing this year. 

Houston Rockets and Dallas Mavericks are two of the biggest disappointing teams in the West.  Both teams have been underachieving considering the potency of their roster.  The Rockets acquired Rick Adelman to replace Jeff Van Gundy at the helm but it seems they’re still struggling as a team.  Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady are doing just fine, but I think the supporting cast should step up a little bit more if they want to create some noise in the competitive West. 

The Mavericks on the other hand are doing a poor job in replicating their impressive 67 wins last season.  Dirk Nowitzki’s performance has decreased compared last year and this is not a good sign for the Mavs.  Although Josh Howard is continuing to improve, the rest of the Mavs needs to pick up their games if they are aiming to make another title run.

The Utah Jazz as a team is also quite disappointing at this point in the season.  Sure Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer are playing fantastic basketball individually speaking, but their team record is just right above the .500 mark with 14 wins and 12 losses.  The Jazz have dropped seven of their last eight games and that’s a tough situation for a team that was expected to come out strong this year.

 

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Disappointments in the Eastern Conference

With about 20 games played into the NBA season, some teams are still struggling to find their groove and rhythm. I expected some teams to start hot in the season but some of them are nothing but disappointments. I will start with the disappointing Eastern Conference teams.

First on my list is the New York Knicks. With the tandem of Eddy Curry and Zach Randolph, things should have been pretty smooth for the New York squad, but there are far too many scandals that are hounding this team. Controversies and issues inside and outside the court continue to damage the reputation and standing of this once glorious ball club. Isiah Thomas’ sexual harassment case, Stephon Marbury’s larger than life ego and their constant arguments are obviously detrimental to the Knicks’ standings.

The Chicago Bulls are also quite disappointing after starting really slow this season. The young Bulls seemed poised and ready to contend for the title last year when they defeated the former NBA champions Miami Heat. But the Bulls are 8-13 this season and they may have to pick up their games soon if they wish to land in a high seed playoff spot. Luol Deng, Ben Gordon, Kirk Hinrich and Ben Wallace seem to be out of sync these days and they must find their rhythm quickly if they want to play competitively in the playoffs.

The former NBA champions Miami Heat are also playing at a very low level this season. They hold a horrible 6-15 record which is second to the last in the league standings. With their current level of play, it’s hard to believe that this team won the NBA championship two seasons ago. Well, come to think of it, Shaquille O’Neal has been struggling this season. I think age/injury/fatigue is catching up with him and he can no longer dominate the paint the way he used to in his younger years. Scoring machine Dwayne Wade just came back from his offseason shoulder and knee surgeries and it may take time for him to adjust in the rigorous NBA campaign. Without Shaq’s dominance and D-Wade’s offensive prowess, the Miami Heat may spend longer time in the bottom of the standings.

 

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