Mark Cuban didn't want to re-sign Tyson Chandler or J.J. Barea, but he signs these two knuckleheads instead...you figure out which knuckleheads I'm referring to.Anyways, time to check out this week's installment of The Good, The Bad, The #Doody and there are a couple of surprise teams to talk about. Most teams that are good have remained good and the teams that are #doody have remained #doody. Let's get to it.
The Good
Philadelphia 76ersAt 7-2, the Sixers are quietly off to one of the best starts in the NBA this season. Not many are paying attention to this team but so far they're getting the job done night in and night out. They have the best defense in the NBA, holding opponents to an average of 85.6 points a game. Conversely, they're blasting opponents off the floor, with a point differential of +16, also good for tops in the NBA. In their two losses to the Blazers and Jazz, they lost by a total of 5 points. Their best win over a quality opponent so far is against the Pacers, which isn't that impressive, but again, when they win they win big. They take on the Knicks tonight in a battle of Atlantic Division foes.
Portland Trailblazers
Another team that's quietly off to a strong start is the Blazers. They're record is more impressive than Philly's with quality wins over the Sixers, Lakers, Nuggets and Thunder. LaMarcus Aldridge #PutDaTeamOnHisBack and is playing great. Gerald Wallace continues to be a human Swiss Army knife, doing whatever it takes to get a win. They've done a nice job defending home court so far at 6-0. They've a test tonight against Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic.
Los Angeles Lakers
Get your finger off the panic button, Laker fan. They got off to a slow start and are now sitting at a respectable 7-4 record. Kobe continues to fake a wrist injury (just kidding) as he torches opponents. His latest victim was Steve Nash's Suns, as he dropped a cool 48 on them. He became the only player in NBA history to score that many points this late into his career (16th season). He ain't hurt. The return of Andrew Bynum helped a little as he's averaging a meager 17.9 ppg, 14.6 rpg, and 1.71 bpg. No big deal. Oh, and they've enjoyed the home cooking, winning 6 out of 7 home games so far.
Others in the good category include the Chicago Bulls (9-2), the Miami Heat (8-2), Oklahoma City Thunder (9-2), and Atlanta Hawks (7-3).
The Bad
Memphis Grizzlies
2011 is history. The present doesn't look good for the Grizz. They've had a tough opening schedule, but they've notched zero significant wins thus far. The loss of Z-Bo hurts, but they have to turn things around quickly because time is not a luxury this season.
Milwaukee Bucks
They aren't going any where good anytime soon. They did get a nice win over the Spurs last night, but they continue to look disjointed and have started yet another season slow out of the gate. Scott Skiles seat has to be getting hotter. Not much to say about these guys.
New York Knicks
Yes, they're over .500, but they haven't looked impressive thus far and they continue to be allergic to defense. They had to claw out wins against the Wizards and Bobcats (Boris Diaw had a field day in both match ups thus far against NY), after losing to the Bobcats a few days prior. Mike D'Antoni is another coach with heated seats on the sideline.
The #Doody
Sacramento KingsThe highlight of their season was their season-opening victory over the Lakers. It's been all down hill since then. They also have the distinction of being the first team to fire their head coach. Happy trails, Paul Westphal.
Washington Wizards
They finally have a positive number in the win column. It will not get better though. In their next 12 games, they play Chicago (twice), Philadelphia (three times), Boston, Oklahoma City and Denver. Yikes.
Toronto Raptors
Automatic #doody status for being the first team to lose to the Wiz.
No more free League Pass
Pour out a little Gatorade for that free preview of League Pass. The NBA knows they could have given us fans League Pass either a) for free all season or b) just a lil' longer to make up for the lockout crap. Dah well.
Other teams rockin' a #doodyface include the New Jersey Nets, Charlotte Bobcats, and Detroit Pistons. It's going to be a long year for these squads.
Next week, I will have my first regular season Power Rankings. It should be interesting to see where teams stack up in comparison to where I had them in my preseason rankings. Stay tuned.
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