Brook's-lyn

The Nets' transition to Brooklyn has been a successful one. Regardless of how their showing in the 2013 playoffs ends up (with emphasis on ends), a polarizing, win-at-all-costs owner (with emphasis on costs), who's one ushanka hat short of a Russian presidency, has joined forces with a media mogul who has made the most of his one-fifteenth of a percent ownership before moving "on to the next one" (with emphasis on giving these obnoxious parentheses a rest), and a fan base ripe with the passion and swagger found in all major sports towns from Philly, to L.A., to their neighbors across the bridge in Manhattan. A, well let's face it, pulse noticeably absent from East Rutherford, New Jersey, even when the Nets were perennial Eastern Conference Champs in the heydays of Jason Kidd, Vince Carter, Richard Jefferson etc.

With that said, it takes more than an understated makeover and an even more understated "Brooklyn" chant to revitalize a franchise. At the end of the day, it comes down to the product you put on the floor. With several  acquisitions over the past couple of seasons, highlighted by Deron Williams and Joe Johnson, Mikhail Prokhorov and GM Billy King have shown that the Nets' face lift is much more than aesthetic.

Joe Johnson's trade to Brooklyn for a band of misfits lost in basketball obscurity and Deron Williams' decision stick with the Nets long-term with a five year deal gave validity to a vision of Brooklyn being New York's new mecca for highly touted free agents. While things have not exactly gone to plan quite yet, as Brooklyn prepares for a more than probable first round exit, this postseason has gone a long way to show that the true future of this franchise is the man who's been in the middle during the lows of an embarrassing 12-70 2009-10 season and this recent rise to relevance, Brook Lopez.

The ever optimistic Prokhorov has recently gone on record as saying the Nets are one more acquisition away from contention. In reality, rather than search for a new piece, Nets management should probably get to work on a new puzzle.  Saturday's triple-overtime loss to the Bulls after leading by 14 with just under four minutes left reaffirms that sentiment and all but puts the nail in the coffin for interim coach PJ Carlesimo, who for a time, brought this team back from the brink of disaster after taking over for the deposed Avery Johnson.. The Nets are a gritty squad, for sure, but they've proven to be a group of mismatched skill sets that play entirely too slow to be effective in today's NBA.

Joe Johnson, after all, is nicknamed Iso-Joe for a reason. As he prefers the ball in his hands to create his own shot. Johnson has limited his game to almost exclusively jump shots, a lot of them contested, limiting his ability to get to the line. As brilliant as Johnson can look in spurts, his finesse based play has been an achillies heel in his playoff showings his entire career. If anything, Johnson's ability to get 15-22* (22 taking three overtimes) points per game given his shot selection is a testament to his skill level and few players have proven as clutch as Johnson this season, but, at least with this squad, he's playing nowhere near an all-star level and is, at best, the best of the NBA's B-list.

While the days of Deron Williams and Chris Paul being equated to each other equals at the top of the NBA's ever expanding mountain of elite point guards are long gone, Williams is still a more than formidable point guard in the league, and given the length of his deal and impressive ability, he should still be a part of this team's future going forward.

The remainder of Brooklyn's roster is a series of question marks. Reggie Evans does what he does and that's hustle and provide every intangible you could possibly imagine, Gerald Wallace, who's already not great shooting touch appears to have bounced like a bad check, has little more to do than rebound and play defense in a slower system that he still seems to be lost within. Wallace has become the recipient of a lot of drive and dishes and "Crash" just has nothing to crash into in Brooklyn; totally nuetralizing his otherwise unique ability to create contact and plays. Blatche has adapted to Brooklyn ball nicely and appears to have found a niche there, as has CJ Watson, but both are bench players. Even with both players flourishing they're not going to bring this team to the next level. Brooks appears to be the one person capable of jump starting this stagnant offense, but is such a liability on defense that he can't and won't get the run he needs to prove his worth. Once dominant rebounder, Kris Humphries game appears to have disappeared ever since his mercifully brief stint on reality television.

Amidst this cluster of unfulfilled potential is Nets center, Brook Lopez, emerging as the one constant this team has during the 2013 playoff run. While his Chicago counterpart, Joakim Noah, is at anything but 100 percent, Lopez's ability to put up about 22 points per game against a highly regarded Bulls defense is certainly praise worthy. Lopez's great touch around the rim and great range for his size is not news, necessarily, but his consistency and new found assertiveness is of note, especially as he steps up his defensive game as well with 3, 3, 7, and 4 blocks in each of the last four games respectively, it is Lopez, not Williams or Johnson ensuring that the Nets don't go quietly.

Lopez's game is not without fault. He's not nearly as skilled of a rebounder as a man of his size should be, but he's also never really had to be that presence on that team. With players like Evans and (in his time) Humphries on the team specifically to rebound, it's hard to critique Lopez too hard for something that's never been in his job description, though one would think by virtue of height alone he'd grab a couple more than six or seven a game.

The Nets' Brooklyn renovation has been successful, but clearly this is a team not content with just being relevant  Nets management faces tough choices going forward, but among a team of stars struggling to find their footing, Brook Lopez's emergence as the centerpiece and rock of this team that they envisioned him to be when he was drafted in 2008 is a promising sign for Brooklyn's future and is perhaps the true beacon for free agents considering settling down.in BK and restoring the franchise to prominence atop the East.

Rocky Mountains

In the George Karl era, the Denver Nuggets have seemingly always been an enigma. Led by a coach with the basketball philosophy of a team being greater than the sum of its parts, with emphasis on ball movement, shrewd defense, and not necessarily deep, but strict rotations. Contrary to the win-by-committee ideology of Karl, Nugget head coach since 2005, the most successful Nugget teams to date under his watch have been led by a phenomenal talent and, indeed, franchise player in his own right, Carmelo Anthony.It should be noted, however, that the Nugget squad never truly turned the corner that took them to a Game Six in the Western Conference Finals until the acquisition of floor general and all-around team leader, Chauncey Billups. Billups invaluably balanced 'Melo's unique and then (still) unrivaled offensive abilities with a commitment to defense and consistent effort to involve others offensively.  

Since Carmelo Anthony's rather controversy-riddled departure for Broadway, The Mile High City has been left with a collection of pseudo household names whom, when coupled with savvy drafting (Ty Lawson, Kenneth Faried) have developed a promising young nucleus in a high octane offense that wows NBA fans on a nightly basis. The Nuggets are riding a current home winning streak of 21 games and are fresh off a 15-game tear overshadowed only by the Heat's unprecedented power surge.

Despite their impressive, albeit unorthodox, play this season and their perch atop the Northwest Divsion (3rd in the conference), the Nuggets have been nagged by the lingering question posed by analysts at all levels of professionalism:

"To whom does this team go when the offense is otherwise stagnant and the game is on the line?"

Alas,  upon study of past champions (teams with superstars), history dictates that the house that Karl built is, in fact, made up of cards rather than bricks and will crumble when presented  with the stringent defense of the playoffs. Clearly, the style of play that favors the Nuggets is that of fluidity and finesse, contrary to the grind-it-out slug-fests that playoff games can become. This concern is legitimate and, frankly until they prove otherwise, hard to refute. With that said, bear in mind that this sixth place team of last year that pushed a then very relevant Laker squad to seven games has done nothing but matured over the past ten plus months and will now have at least one round's worth of homecourt advantage to help get them over the hump of first round loses.

As with any team, health plays an important role at this point in the waning regular season as experienced squads rest their players for the playoff run in lieu of jockeying for seeding position. The injury bug has bit the Nuggets hard late in the season and have even the small contingent of Nugget-supporters doubting their playoff expectations.

Many were quick to write off the Nuggets following Danilo Gallinari's season-ending ACL tear. Gallo has flourished in Denver after proving to be a pretty vexing player in New York' alternating between moments of brilliance and outright mediocrity. A Gallo at the top of his game was the popular pick for the one player on the Nugget "team" that could take the torch when times got tough. In a sense, the Nuggets lost their sleeper for the remainder of the year and that understandably dampened the spirits of Denver faithful.

Those who were eager to bury the Nuggets may not want to be too hasty in their assessment of the team heading into the playoffs. The team has continued its blistering play without their star point guard, Ty Lawson, struggling with a lingering heel injury, and have yet to lose without Gallo in the lineup, picking up impressive victories over Houston and San Antonio.

It is unwise to over-magnify essentially meaningless wins over a Spurs team without Tony and Manu and an intriguing Houston team. However, the emergence of the young rookie, Evan Fournier, averaging just under 13 points in his last five contests while contributing subtly, but invaluably, across the board, as well as the resurgence of the injury-plagued Wilson Chandler stepping up in Lawson and Gallo's stead respectively, speaks volumes about how committed to the philosophy of team the Denver Nuggets are. Andre Miller has discovered the fountain of youth of late, Corey Brewer's numbers are off the charts, and even the one-man-enigma, JaVale McGee, has seen more highlights than low-lights during Denver's recent push to be included amongst the league's elite. In addition, the Nuggets lead the league in offensive rebounding, a stat that doesn't appear to be in danger of falling off come late April.

Bottom line: There is no team in league where the phrase "next man up" is more apt and it's foolish and borderline hypocritical to criticize a team for not having a cornerstone and later in the same season, write them off for losing a single, though talented, player in Gallo. Players are rising to the challenge, and if the underwhelming Iggy can come to life late and Lawson can return healthy, this team is equipped to surprise many this May.

It is often said that the regular season is a time for players to play, while the playoffs are a time for coaches to coach. This late season has been anything but smooth for the Nuggets, but George Karl and the team have proven up to the task of navigating this rocky stretch. Heading into the post season, this is a Nugget team as locked in to Karl's ideals as any in recent memory. Even if faith outside of the Denver area has trailed off, the  confidence in the Nugget locker room is at a *sigh* Rocky Mountain High. With a team as invested in his big picture as ever, George Karl will have arguably his best chance yet to put his philosophy to the test and there's not a team in the West that wants to be the guinea pig.

Nota-bull Absence

With barely a whimper, the NBA's trade deadline has come and gone. With most all teams content to stand pat and wait and see what impact returning pieces (Danny Granger), late-blooming seasons (Los Angeles, Dallas, Brooklyn), and the financial constraints of the CBA's now imposing luxury tax will have, the biggest waves resulting from the trade deadline stem from what wasn't done in Chicago, and lingering questions concerning a return that may never come, at least not this season.

While it's ill-advised in most contexts to take the opinion of a professional athlete's family member too seriously, Derrick Rose's brother, Reggie's comments criticizing the Bulls' lack of action on deadline day were as puzzling as they were concerning. Reggie has since emphasized that he spoke on his own behalf and not his brother's and Derrick has, not surprisingly, distanced himself from the situation. As unfounded as Reggie's comments were it does provide an interesting backdrop for the state of the Bulls' franchise this season, and Derrick Rose's potential impact on the team going forward.

It nearly goes without saying, Rose's health must come first. The Bulls have a long term investment in Rose and vice versa, in a way. Rushing back is not an option and writing a paragraph about the long-term upside of sacrificing a season would waste your time. However, theoretically, if Rose were to come back healthy and work off the rust in time for a playoff run, could the Bulls contend?

Head coach Tom Thibodeau's hard-nosed, defensive minding outlook on the pro game, combined with All-Star caliber seasons from Rose's right and left hand men, Luol Deng and Joakim Noah, have kept the Chicago Bulls in the middle of the pack of an Eastern Conference not nearly as inferior as it was even a couple of years ago. The Bulls certainly lament letting big-man, Omer Asik, slip away who, with increased minutes with the running Rockets, has truly blossomed into an exceptional center. Other than that, the Bulls have more or less filled the voids left behind by Brewer, Watson, and even Lucas. Nate Robinson, while still guilty of poor shots and decisions, as well as being the king of garbage time, has proven his glass is half full in Chicago and been a nice spark for the squad overall. The time share at the two between Marco Belinelli and Rip Hamilton (a contract the Bulls would have liked to have unloaded, it seems), has done been nothing to write home about, but also nothing to complain about either. Bear in mind that should Rose return, Kirk Hinrich should/could conceivably move over to shooting guard and fill in whatever overblown voids Chicago's back court has.

There's no question that Carlos Boozer has not lived up to expectations in Chicago. To call him a bust is a bit hasty, though. It's not like he has a great point guard like Rose this season and Williams in Utah to get him the ball in his spots. Boozer spent last year's shortened season out of shape and basically clinging to straws. This season, without Rose on the floor his rebounds and points per game are up (albeit nearly negligibly, but up nonetheless) and he's strung together some consistent stretches. Rose's return would allow the team to take stock and see whether amnestying Boozer and running with their new investment, Taj Gibson, at the power forward would be best.  

All of this is well and good, but could they contend? LeBron James is playing at a vetigo inducing level right now and their lack of size and depth no longer seems that concerning. Indiana is playing well and with a chip on their shoulder. The Pacers arguably look like the hungriest team in the East. Brooklyn hitting their stride is dangerous, but a stretch, and the Knicks are straight up not as good as their record. As much of a cop out as this answer is, the playoffs will come down to matchups and momentum. After a deadline day where, with all due respect, JJ Redick was the premier player on the move, the Bulls, with a healthy Rose, seem as poised for a title run as last year, when they were the number one seed before that fateful drive in the waning moments of a first round win. This Bulls team has proven to be a scrappy bunch without Rose and previous side notes, Luol Deng and Joakim Noah, have truly come into their own. Whenever Rose does return, those players will be ready and the Bulls will likely be more intimidating than ever.

Five and Alive in the City of Roses

It wasn't very long ago that the Portland Trailblazers were labeled the sleeping giant of the Western Conference. One of the deepest and most dynamic teams in the league in spite of yet another draft bust in the  imposing, yet injury riddled form of Greg Oden, lead by the formidable duo of Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge with role players aplenty, including the up-and-coming Nicolas Batum, swingmen Gerald Wallace and Wes Matthews, the fiery yet vexed Rudy Fernandez, apt if underwhelming Steve Blake and the wise vet Andre Miller there to oversee the operation.

Oh, how the almost mighty have fallen. In a stroke of fate that could only happen to Portland, Brandon Roy's knees crumbled beneath him, causing him to hang up his high tops all too soon only to shine them up again to essentially be fitted for a new Wolves jersey and matching knee brace. A Felton/Miller trade flopped, Blake was traded to Los Angeles and technically hasn't left since, Rudy got his wish and is now out of not only Portland, but the NBA entirely, and Wallace now crashes in Brooklyn. A Rose Garden once in full bloom faced dark times. As expected, some weeding took place.

Once prominent head coach, Nate McMillan, was deposed midway through the 2011-12 season and for a while Blazers rode a General Manager carousel, having three in two seasons. At last that carousel appears to have come to a halt as the Blazers appear to be settling into a new era of basketball with a very unlikely, and very small, cast of characters.

The Blazers gambled on unproven (while successful as an assistant in Dallas) head coach Terry Stotts and an equally uncelebrated point guard out of the largely unknown by D-1 standards, Weber State. As of this writing, these gambles appear to be paying dividends. The Blazers have to be cautiously optimistic that they've finally gotten the draft monkey off their back (bear in mind they technically drafted not Aldridge, but Tyrus Thomas) with Lillard's production, and while this will likely do little to ease the pain of knowing both the names of Jordan and Durant will never loom in the rafters of the Rose Garden, the Blazers seem to have laid the groundwork for raising a banner of their own.

Logging career highs in minutes certainly helps, but the Blazer starting five are flourishing with Matthews and Batum reaching their potential and Hickson showing why, at one time, he was expected to be the eventual right-hand man to LeBron in Cleveland. This team of five has, in recent weeks, picked up nice wins against the Knicks, Grizz, and Heat, with narrow loses to the Spurs, Thunder, Warriors, and Nuggets in overtime. They've had a few bad loses thrown in there, too, but given that their roster 6-10 looks more like a D-league squad, I think it's safe to call those losses "encouraging". You know, what they used to call Laker games.


They don't give Coach of the Year honors to those at the helm of teams one game out of the playoffs. Nor should they, but the fact that Terry Stotts has what is, for all intents and purposes the thinnest team in the league competing on a nightly basis with some of the deepest and best teams in the league is, at the very least, respectable and arguably awe-inspiring. Now, in all likelihood, the wheels will indeed fall off this team and their lack of legs will outweigh their abundance of heart as Dallas and Houston continue to figure themselves out and Minnesota gets healthy, but as we approach the All-Star Break, we're past the point of attributing records to short-term chemistry issues and strength of schedule. The Portland Trailblazers are a team that appears to have put their demons behind them and our truly ready to build around Lillard, Hickson, Aldridge, Matthews, Batum... and  a future draft pick to be named later.

Lying in 'Wade'

At the risk of stating what you already know, LeBron James has won a championship. Seemingly overnight, he has wrapped his third MVP season up with a bow and exercised most all of his "clutch gene" demons and gone from sports culture pariah to grounded family man who still has enough of a hairline to make going to the barbershop more than a social formality, at least according to Samsung commercials. Unfortunately, the Heat's title run has done little to improve their public image as the most easily disliked team in the league and with the championship-sized monkey off of LeBron's back and jokes about Chris Bosh's appearance only stretching so for nowadays, popular opinion has set it's sights on 2006 Finals MVP, Dwayne Wade, implying that at last, "Flash" has lost a step. However, further investigation shows that maybe such claims are just kind of a low blow.

Shockingly, banging the drum at the head of this movement, is Wade's former T-Mobile spokespartner, the recently slimmed down mound of rebound, Charles Barkley, who insists that Wade must cultivate a post game a la Kobe Bryant in order age gracefully in the NBA. While it may be true that Wade no longer has the  raw athleticism and explosion to dominate games as he one did, it's hard to determine how much of that can be attributed to his still ailing left knee and the wear and tear of the NBA grind and how much is the result of his secession of the Miami to Heat to LeBron. Last season, Wade made it clear that he was officially the Robin to LeBron's Batman and as a result, the notion that the big three of South Beach were competing for control of the franchise disappeared and Wade, in his reduced role, raised the Larry O'Brien trophy for the second time in his storied career.

Alas, likely the only unselfish occurrence in Miami all of last season, (except the Marlins handing over their whole squad to Toronto, but that's neither here nor there) which earned Wade such laud and respect has been the very same mindset that has called his skills into question this season. The Heat look more mortal than they have since their initial fumbles when Wade, Bosh, and James first aligned, with an inexplicable loss to the lowly Wizards (then without Nene) and perhaps the more telling and recent loss to the Rose-less Bulls. With all of that said, by the numbers, Wade is shooting a career best 51 percent from the field in just over 33 minutes per game. In addition, Wade is shooting a career best 32 percent from three. The most telling number of all, however, is one. The Heat are first in the East as we near the halfway point of the season.

Despite their expected lofty position at the top of the Eastern Conference, the Miami Heat definitely have issues to address before repeating as champs, not the least of which being improved and hungry teams in New York, Atlanta, Memphis, LA (Clippers), and familiar foes in OKC. The league has appeared to again place value in bruising a versatile front lines, an area where the Heat are incredibly deficient. Their own versatility  of placing LeBron in the post in the half court and pushing the ball through teams otherwise seems more negated than ever as other, equally athletic teams threaten to get over the hump. Without production from the 4 and 5, or at the very least the ability to stop other teams' 4s and 5s. The Heat's chances to repeat are very much in doubt.

As for Wade, he'll likely ride his newly regimented minutes like the passenger seat of the Batmobile with LeBron at the wheel and assuming his health holds up, will have plenty of pop come April and, perhaps, June. If the Heat are ill fit to take on an NBA that's improved around them, odds are it won't be Wade's fault. Until that time, Dwayne Wade will be waiting in shadows waiting for his number to be called. I'm no Heat fan by any stretch, but I'd hate to be the guy to bet against him.