With the depressing Final 4 and Yoder Madness results, let's turn our attention to the NBA with the season winding down. It's time for another NBA Heat Check. We'll tell you who's heating up, who's cooling down, and who is room temperature as the march to the postseason heats up! Get it... heats up? Heat Check is the name of the article. Heh.
ICE COLD
Hedo Turkoglu
-His Raptors have been one of the most disappointing teams in the league this season (5-15 in March) and cling to a one game lead for the 8th and final playoff spot in the East. However, if Turkoglu had been playing up to his large off-season deal (5 yr/$53 mil) the Raptors could be fighting for home court. Instead, Turkoglu was effectively benched after being seen partying at the same time he was sidelined with a "stomach bug". This season Turkoglu is averaging 5 less points and fewer rebounds and assists than last year with the Magic. Sadly, it looks like Toronto can join a long line of teams who've paid front-line money for a career second banana. Then again, maybe this should have been a warning...
Minnesota T-Wolves
-Ok, let's get a couple things out of the way. First, if not for the plethora of terrible teams in all sports, the T-Wolves would be in the discussion of one of the worst teams in any sport, let alone basketball. Lucky for them, their historic levels of stinkiness aren't even the worst in their own league this year, thanks to the Nets!...more on them later...Second, everyone knows GM David Kahn is a goofball...ask yourself T-Wolves fans...could you tell a difference if Kahn were replaced with a Tickle Me Elmo? All that aside, the record speaks for itself. They've lost 16 games in a row and sit only 30 1/2 games out of the playoffs. Major ouchie! And based on Kahn's drafting strategery last year, hope is not springing eternal in Minnesota.
GETTING COLDER
Denver Nuggets (48-27)
-As George Karl battles cancer, the Nuggets are battling a late season swoon. They're 1-5 in their last 6 and have fallen to 6th in the West. For a team once poised to be the main challenge to the Lakers throne, the Nuggets are looking more likely for a first round exit, especially if they don't get home court advantage. The Nuggets are a paltry 18-21 on the road this season. Add that to league's 22nd best defense, and the Nuggets playoff role looks more like a cameo than a headliner.
Labor Negotiations
-Why does it seem that so many professional sports leagues forget how badly the MLB strike affected baseball in this country? Only on the backs of juiced sluggers did the game even approach its pre-labor dispute popularity. And yet, every major sport has dealt with, or is dealing with their own labor crisis. We've already seen the NHL fall somewhere between poker reruns and bowling after its lockout. MLS (that's U.S. professional soccer) narrowly avoided a crippling work stoppage just days before its season opener last week. The NFL seems determined to drop a nuclear bomb on the most popular sports league in history after next season, and the NBA is following right behind. Just look at the quotes:
"I think you have to be worried, especially because everybody's been pointing to a lockout. Guys are worried and hopefully we can get the issue resolved. But you see what happened with the preliminary thing that the owners passed out, and they said we're pretty far off." -Deron Williams
"With their first proposal, they want to make some big changes. So we're telling all the players, 'Plan on saving money and be ready for [a lockout]. They [owners] want to make drastic changes, with every aspect of it besides pretty much getting rid of free agency. They're really taking a strong line." -Brad Miller
And these quotes were before an All-Star break where David Stern and the players' union failed to find any common ground. While the summer of 2010 gets all the attention, the lockout of 2011 should make all fans nervous. Might want to hold off on renewing those season tickets...just saying.
ROOM TEMPERATURE
Boston Celtics & Los Angeles Lakers
-The two most famous teams in the league, and the 2008 finalists, are both limping into the playoffs at less than full strength. The Lakers are once again dealing with issues off-the-court, including the health of C Andrew Bynum, who has no timetable yet for a strained Achillies injury. And, as always, Ron Artest is, in scientific terms, a knucklehead. Still, the Lakers are at the top of the West, and look favorites to make the Finals for a 3rd straight year. Meanwhile the Celtics continue to be a roller coaster ride. Things seemed to be on the upswing after a nice 7-2 run, until they got beat at home by the Spurs last Sunday by 21 points, scoring a season-low 73. They're also struggling to get Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett to full health while trying to find a consistent bench. And if Rasheed Wallace could replace the Rec League player who's been filling his jersey all season, that would be helpful too.
GETTING WARMER
Draft Stocks
-Part of the fun of the NCAA tournament is watching college stars elevate their draft stocks. The biggest winners of this year's tournament were the stars of the Game of the Year in basketball thus far - Jordan Crawford of Xavier and Jacob Pullen/Denny Clemente of Kansas State. Crawford especially could do everything that you would want to see from an NBA 2 Guard - including a ridiculous 35 footer with the game on the line. Other winners include Omar Samhan of St. Mary's and DeMarcus Cousins, now a likely Top 5 pick, as long as that psychological evaluation goes well.
John Salmons-G-Milwaukee Bucks
-The Bucks, yes, the Bucks, are now up to 5th in the East! Why you might ask? Well, rookie phenom Brandon Jennings has come back up after a shaky midseason. Andrew Bogut has established himself as a very good center. But, the difference maker has been John Salmons. What is this the Twilight Zone? It's so surprising that there isn't even an image of Salmons in a Bucks uniform! Look, John's as surprised as we are! Milwaukee is 16-4 since trading for the anonymous swingman. Salmons has averaged 20 PPG for the month of March, and if they draw an aging Celtic team in the East's 4/5 matchup, they could pull the upset.
Scoring Title Race
-LeBron James is averaging 29.8 PPG and Kevin Durant is averaging 29.6 PPG. Earlier in the week, The King came out and said that the scoring title would be his every year "if he really wanted it." Alas, LBJ said that the team is more important than individual goals. With the Cavs looking likely to clinch the overall #1 seed and homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs again, James can afford to relax down the stretch and watch Durantula go for the scoring title with the Thunder fighting for positioning in the West. Expect Durant to go off the next two weeks and get the Thunder in the Top 4 while winning the scoring title.
ON FIRE!!!!!!!
The Wild, Wild West
-We've discussed the Lakers and Nuggets already, but as usual the rest of the West is head and shoulders above the East in terms of quality of play and competitiveness. Right now 4 teams are within a game and a half of 2nd (Dallas, Phoenix, Utah, Denver) and the other 3 teams in the playoffs currently (OKC, Portland, San Antonio) all are compelling, and talented teams quite capable of a first-round upset. Don't worry about staying up late when the playoffs come around, because even if you haven't followed the NBA closely, the Western Conference playoffs should be a treat.
Crazy Russian Billionaires...and the Nets!!!
-The good news, the Nets beat the Spurs to win their 10th game and avoid the league's all-time worse record! The even better news...or potentially much worse news, your new Russian owner seems like part Mark Cuban, part Hugh Heffner, part college frat boy, and part stereotypical Russian spy villain. If you missed his 60 Minutes interview, you can check it out here at CBS online. If your a Nets fan, maybe you should buckle your seatbelt during it, just to prepare!
That does it for this week's look at the temperature around the NBA. Stay with us for our baseball preview and look at the Final 4! Until next time, it's bye for now!
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