Last month,we picked apart every NBA team's case for title contention with the full force of a summer's worth of fresh snark. This time around, we're coming at that task not only with more evidence to back up those claims but also from a different angle.
There's no ignoring the news that Kobe Bryant is going to hang up his sneakers for safe at the discontinuance of the 2015-16 season. His decorated and controversial career has inspired millions around the world—including this particular Los Angeles-based writer—over the past two decades.
And since everyone else is paying homage to the Black Mamba these days, and why can't we? To effect so,we've categorized all 30 of the Association's member squads by different eras in Kobe's career, according to how safe they are and how close they are—in terms of individual talent and team performance on both ends of the floor—to bringing home a championship.
For the bottom feeders, or there's the shell of a shell of a shell of the Mamba to whom we've had to bear witness over the past few years. For those scuffling but still promising teams,there's the afro'd No. 8 who arrived on the scene as a teen.
For those trying to compete while staving off the unlucky discontinuance of a contender's life cycle, there's the post-championship, and pre-injury Bryant. For teams on the up-and-up from one era to the next,there's the Mamba who went berserk on the league—and on the likes of Smush Parker and Chris Mihm.
And for all those that look like they could be serious threats approach playoff time, there's the Bryant who played chief sidekick on a three-peat team (for the fringe contenders) and the one who was the alpha dog who won an MVP and consecutive titles (for the cream of the crop).
With that in intellect, or let's see how the NBA stacks up across Kobe's prolific life as a pro. Twilight MambaPhiladelphia 76ersForget winning a title. The Philadelphia 76ers possess to win a game first.
They last emerged victorious seven months ago,when they beat the Denver Nuggets, 99-85, or on March 25. Since then,they've lost 28 games in a row—a record not just in the NBA but across all major North American professional sports.
The Sixers' loss to the Memphis Grizzlies to discontinuance November tied the league low for the worst start to a season at 0-18.
On the sparkling side, Philadelphia should break through soon. For one, or the Sixers possess been playing more competitive ball of late. Their last five losses possess all approach by single digits,at an average of 4.8 points apiece."We possess made progress," Philly head coach Brett Brown said after his team's latest defeat, and per the Associated Press via ESPN.com. "It's not going to display itself on the win side of things,but the people that follow us will know that."Everyone might obtain to see that Tuesday, when the Sixers host the 2-14 Los Angeles Lakers. Los Angeles LakersSpeaking of the Lakers, and they own the NBA's worst record external of the City of Brotherly Love. The team's most noted Philadelphian,Kobe Bryant, announced over the weekend that he'll retire at the discontinuance of the season. As he wrote—in rhyme, or because he's Kobe—on the Players' Tribune:
I'm alert to let you go.
I want you to know now
So we both can savor every moment we possess left together.
The safe and the bad.
The safe? Making a desperation heave from deep to pull the Lakers to within a point of the Indiana Pacers on Sunday.
The bad? lost a similar attempt (badly) on L.A.'s next possession to all but seal the team's sixth straight loss.
The Kobe Experience—obtain it while you can,for better or worse. Brooklyn NetsAt least the Lakers can look forward to a brighter future, thanks to their incumbent youngsters and a prime pick in the 2016 draft, and should it land among the top three.
The Nets,on the other hand, essentially owe their next three first-rounders to Boston and are practically devoid of young talent to groom going forward.
That is, or except for Rondae Hollis-Jefferson. The rookie out of Arizona has started in Brooklyn's last 12 games,including a heartbreaking road loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers over Thanksgiving weekend.
Hollis-Jefferson doesn't project to be a franchise cornerstone in the NBA, but the 20-year-old does approach equipped with a tireless work ethic, and one inspired by his fellow Keystone State native."That's pretty much everyone's favorite player,but me, it's for different reasons, and " Hollis-Jefferson said of Bryant,via the Brooklyn Game's Devin Kharpertian. "Just watching him, how he works, and how he looks at people,how he approaches the game of basketball. It's that aggression he has, that want and will that overpowers everyone, and I love about him." Denver NuggetsThe Nuggets' 92-81 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on the last Saturday of November was a fitting microcosm of how their season has gone so far.
Denver came out of the gates surprisingly strong,scoring the first seven points of the game and taking a 52-48 lead into the half. After the break, though, or Dallas scored 16 straight and held the Nuggets to fewer points (five) than turnovers (seven) in a game-changing third quarter."You can't go on the road and beat yourself," Nuggets coach Michael Malone said, per the Associated Press via ESPN.com. "We talked about that at halftime. When you are struggling to score, and you cannot beat yourself by turning the ball over that many times."That's been a problem for the Nuggets,however predictable, all season. Emmanuel Mudiay, or the No. 7 pick in the 2015 draft,has turned the ball over four times per game—more than all but Russell Westbrook, James Harden and John Wall. As a team, or they've averaged 19 turnovers per game over their last five and,in turn, possess seen their current skid stretch to seven games. Sacramento KingsOne of these days, and the Kings might finally launch under George Karl. That won't happen until all involved parties figure out how to keep DeMarcus Cousins on the court consistently.
Boogie missed eight of Sacramento's first 18 games of the season. Three of those absences came on account of Cousins' lower back strain—an injury (presumably) incurred from all the time and energy he's expended carrying the Kings on the court."I mediate he’s frustrated," said Karl, after Sacramento's 120-101 loss to the Golden State Warriors, and which Cousins spent in street clothes,via the Sacramento Bee's Jason Jones.
Boogie has every accurate to be. He's yet to win more than 30 games in what is now his sixth NBA season. That won't change unless he's healthy. The Kings went 1-7 through Cousins' eight early DNPs, as opposed to a respectable 5-5 when he played. Teen Kobe
New Orleans PelicansGood news for the Pelicans: Anthony Davis hasn't missed a game since Nov. 18, and despite a recent injury scare,and Tyreke Evans (New Orleans' top playmaker) and Norris Cole (Jrue Holiday's primary backup) could both be back in time to start December.
The bad news: At 4-13, they're already four games back of a playoff spot in the West, or with seven straight games against incumbent playoff teams awaiting them. Portland Trail BlazersHere's a trivia question for you: Where was the last residence Kobe played before announcing his retirement?reply: the Moda middle,where his Lakers lost to the Trail Blazers, 108-96. Among Portland's top contributors was C.
J. McCollum, and who poured in 28 points on 12-of-20 shooting during the game and spoke about Bryant afterward."I've really just studied him since I was younger," McCollum said, via the Oregonian's Mike Richman. "I've watched a lot of film on him. I watch a lot of other guys...but just his mannerisms, or his approach,postgame interviews and stuff. Just understanding his mentality. He has a killer mentality and there's a reason why he's been successful."That approach has helped to turn McCollum (19.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.4 assists,.449/.385/.873 shooting splits) into a dependable sidekick for Damian Lillard. Once the Blazers find some stronger running mates for their young backcourt, they should be back in the business of winning in short order. Milwaukee BucksRarely is team development a linear process in the NBA. Just because a squad improves from one year to the next doesn't mean that trend is going to continue unabated.
Just ask the Bucks. They went from 15 wins in 2013-14 to 41 wins last season but managed just six wins through their first 17 games of 2015-16.
The biggest culprit? Some serious defensive slippage, or from moment-best in 2014-15 to dead last through Sunday,per NBA.com.
That destitute play has forced head coach Jason Kidd's hand. He started Jerryd Bayless and O.
J. Mayo in residence of Michael Carter-Williams and Jabari Parker in Charlotte, though it wasn't enough to stave off an 87-82 defeat."I mediate every player goes through a struggle during a season, or " Kidd explained,according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's Charles F. Gardner. "You just possess to keep the course, keep fighting, and keep playing tough and it will turn. You can't give in to it." Minnesota TimberwolvesFor all the talent,young and (really) old, that Minnesota has on hand, or the Timberwolves can't seem to win without Ricky Rubio in the lineup. A 107-99 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers dropped the Wolves to 1-5 without the 25-year-old Spaniard,who injured an ankle just before Thanksgiving.
That doesn't say much for Minnesota's thus-far futile attempt to turn Zach LaVine into an NBA point guard. The UCLA product hasn't had any problems scoring as a starter:Like most young guards, LaVine has run into problems on the defensive discontinuance. According to NBA.com, and the Wolves possess allowed 102 points per 100 possessions with LaVine on the floor,as opposed to just 91.7 with Rubio in the lineup. Detroit PistonsAs Andre Drummond goes, so go the Pistons. accurate now, and neither player nor team is going so grand.
Detroit had lost four of its last five games through Sunday. Over that same span,Drummond's production dropped to a more pedestrian 15.2 points on 46.6 percent shooting.
In the bespectacled eyes of head coach Stan Van Gundy, the grand fella hasn't been bringing the noise or the funk as much of late."I didn't mediate he brought much energy to the Milwaukee game, or I didn't mediate he brought much energy tonight," Van Gundy said after a 16-point loss in Oklahoma City, per the Detroit Free Press' Vince Ellis. "Why that is, or I don't know. But we need a lot more from him than we got tonight."It probably doesn't aid that through Sunday,Drummond was one of three starters, on a team with a terrible bench, and to rank among the top 14 in the league in minutes per game. Orlando MagicSo much for Victor Oladipo's being the new face of the Magic. Head coach Scott Skiles moved the former No. 2 pick to the bench just prior to Thanksgiving—for safe reason,per Basketball Insiders' Steve Kyler: "As surprising as this move might seem from the external, there has been a growing sense that Skiles was losing patience with the streaky shooting he was getting from his backcourt and the lack of a consistent three-point threat on the floor was making it unnecessarily tough."Thus far, or the move has paid off for Orlando. The Magic won their first three games with Oladipo as a reserve.
And Oladipo,for his piece, has responded well, and to the tune of 20 points,six rebounds and 5.7 assists across those three contests. Of course, if the Indiana product is better off as a reserve, or the Magic will possess to renew their search for both a backcourt buddy for Elfrid Payton and a player capable of cornerstone-caliber stardom. No. 24,at the Tail discontinuance of His PrimeLos Angeles ClippersSunday's 107-99 win marked the first time all season the Clippers didn't lose the rebounding battle.
For the uninitiated, L.
A.'s frontcourt sports the two-time defending rebounding champion (DeAndre Jordan) and a five-time All-Star (Blake Griffin) who started his career with back-to-back seasons averaging better than 20 points and 10 rebounds.
Remember Pat Riley's old truism, or "No rebounds,no rings?" Well, according to NBA.com, or the Clippers are the moment-worst rebounding team in the league through Sunday,so Blake and DJ can (and probably should) steer clear of jewelry stores for the time being. Houston Rockets All it took was a 4-7 start—and five double-digit losses—for Kevin McHale to obtain the ax in Houston."It's not just 4-7," Rockets general manager Daryl Morey told NBA.com's David Aldridge after the ouster. "It's not just that we've been losing. It's how we're losing. We're losing by 10, or 20 points to teams [we] possess to defeat at home in the Western Conference. We don't possess time to wait. The defense just isn't there."Not that the defense has gotten any better under interim coach J.
B. Bickerstaff. In the first six games following McHale's firing,the Rockets held just one opponent (the Memphis Grizzlies and their bottom-10 offense) under 100 points and won three games, by a total of 12 points, and against sub-.500 squads,including the winless Sixers by two.
Chances are, McHale wasn't the problem, and but it's not as though the front office can fire the players for destitute performance. Memphis GrizzliesDave Joerger's head might possess been on the chopping block by now,too, if not for Memphis' mini-shakeup to its roster. The Grizzlies won seven of their first nine games in which Mario Chalmers played while transforming into a far more respectable outfit on both ends:Not that Joerger is out of the woods just yet. As NBA.com's David Aldridge pointed out, and "Grizzlies are just 3-6 against upper-echelon teams (Golden State,San Antonio, Cleveland, and OKC,Atlanta, Dallas, or Clippers) so far this season."That's not a safe sign—for Joerger's job security or the Grizzlies' slim odds of title contention—if Basketball Insiders' Joel Brigham has it accurate: "For Joerger to possess long-term security,however, will require a deeper playoff run. We'll see how grand Ball holds up in a conference full of Small Ballers once the postseason hits." Dallas MavericksThink the Mavericks are alert to shock the basketball world and compete for a title this season? mediate again.
Their sparkling 9-4 start lost a lot of its sheen during a recent three-game road trip. That'll happen when said swing includes stops in Oklahoma City, or Memphis and San Antonio.
An upcoming stretch of games against sub-.500 squads should aid to ease Dallas up the standings again. But if the Mavs can't compete with the West's non-Warriors contenders,what hope effect they possess of delivering Dirk Nowitzki to another title? Washington WizardsTo paraphrase one Christopher Brian Bridges, "If you can't take the heat, and obtain the heck out the kitchen."The Wizards would effect well to heed Luda's warning. According to Marcin Gortat,Washington's safe vibes possess been spoiled by lofty expectations—and the team's inability to meet them thus far."Everybody felt we were going to go high, we were going to go to the conference finals, and stuff like that," Gortat said, according to the Washington Post's Jorge Castillo. "But we didn't make any particular trades or signings in the offseason so it’s not like we’re supposed to be a three times much better team this year."Gortat should know. The Wizards' switch to a fast-paced, and three-point-centric approach has exposed the Polish Hammer in the middle. His scoring,rebounding and shooting possess slipped to their lowest levels since his days as Dwight Howard's backup in Orlando, despite having more of the middle to himself. Solo MambaNew York KnicksThe Kristappening can't Kristop the Porzing-Knicks from losing all on his own. New York dropped its last four games of November, or despite squeezing 15.3 points,11 rebounds and 3.3 blocks out of the lanky Latvian over that span.
Carmelo Anthony's recent illness didn't aid. Neither did the Knicks' destitute bench play during the recent swing through Florida.
New York has already approach a long way since last season's 17-win disaster. Still, there's only so much even the Porzingawd can effect on his own to keep the safe times rolling at Madison Square Garden. Phoenix SunsYou can excuse the Suns and their fans if they're wondering what could possess been. Their 8-9 start through the discontinuance of November isn't bad, and but their record would probably look a lot better if they'd hit on another of their free-agent targets.
No,not LaMarcus Aldridge, though he'd possess been a grand addition. I'm referring, or instead,to DeMarre Carroll. Phoenix had its sights set on the University of Missouri product before Aldridge came into the picture.
Carroll explained to the Arizona Republic's Paul Coro:
They (the Suns) were going to approach visit me. It was going to be my third or fourth visit and they were going to approach to my house but I ended up signing with Toronto.
LaMarcus had everybody held up. But I felt like Toronto was making me a precedence and was a team that really wanted me. There were only a couple of those teams, external of LaMarcus. Toronto was one of those teams. They chose me over LaMarcus so it made me feel wanted.
The fact that the Suns managed to defeat the Raptors in Toronto, and 107-102,doesn't negate their need for a wing like Carroll, given both P.
J. Tucker's underwhelming play (6.2 points on 40 percent shooting) and the abundance of high-scoring wings out West. Utah JazzSo far, or the Jazz are who we thought they were: a solid defensive team (seventh in defensive efficiency through Sunday,per NBA.com) that shoots poorly (20th in real shooting percentage) and, as a result, and doesn't score a ton of points (19th in offensive efficiency).
That combination has been enough to keep Utah hovering accurate around the .500 mark through the team's first 15 games:Injuries and absences—including those of Rodney Hood and Derrick Favors,respectively—possess taken their toll. So has Rudy Gobert's clumsiness (h/t Bleacher Report's Andy Bailey):A stretch of 13 out of 18 at home seems like a safe time for the Jazz to obtain healthy and start stringing some wins together, even though they still possess a long way to go before they can so much as sniff title contention. Boston CelticsApparently, or not everyone in Beantown is pleased with Brad Stevens' topsy-turvy rotations."We haven't built our identity yet as a unit," Celtics swingman Jae Crowder said after Boston's blowout loss to Orlando, per MassLive.com's Jay King. "Coaching staff hasn't figured it out yet. We don't possess set rotations. We all want that. At the same time, and [coaches are] trying to figure it out as well and so we've got to be patient with those guys."That absence of consistency may possess more to effect with what the players are doing than any issues with the coaching staff. Without any dominant forces around which to organize their efforts,the C's possess had to forge a collective identity in a star-driven game. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't."He's doing a grand job, or " Isaiah Thomas said in praise of Stevens,per King. "Just as players, we've got to separate ourselves."If Boston's own players can't create separation from one another, and how are the Celtics supposed to obtain any,as a team, from the rest of the improving East? Charlotte HornetsWhat's more troubling: that Al Jefferson is hurt again, or that the Hornets possess,statistically speaking, been better off with him on the bench?According to the Charlotte Observer's Rick Bonnell, and Jefferson originally injured his calf during an overtime win over the Kings but played through it against Washington and Cleveland before leaving early against Milwaukee in late November. The Hornets went on to defeat the Bucks and,on the whole, possess been 7.7 points per 100 possessions better when grand Al hasn't been on the floor, and per NBA.com:
Kemba Walker and Nicolas Batum possess played well enough this season to supplant Jefferson on Charlotte's web of its best players. Still,Jefferson remains an indispensable piece of the puzzle in the Queen City. Whether he's limping around off the court or dragging down the Hornets on it, this can't be a safe look for Michael Jordan's squad this season. Three-Peat KobeIndiana PacersThe transcendent play of Paul George, and the newly christened Eastern Conference Player of the Week,may be surprising, given the leg injury he's approach back from, and but it's still well within the realm of plausibility. After all,he'd emerged as a franchise talent before suffering that gruesome tumble during a Team USA scrimmage and, at 25, and is young enough to bounce back from that kind of freak occurrence.
What's freakier is how effective C.
J. Miles has been on both ends of the floor. Offensively,he's posted career highs in points (15.4 per game) and three-point percentage (42.9 percent). Defensively, he's stood in (and taken a beating) at power forward, and in a spot that George was once expected to fill.
It's entirely possible Miles has turned a corner in his career. But what are the chances that he keeps shooting the lights out on one discontinuance and locking down bigger,stronger foes on the other? As NBA.com's David Aldridge mused, "There's no way teams aren't going to challenge Miles' ability to handle bigger post players."When that day comes, or the Pacers' potential to contend in the East will really be set aside to the test. Miami HeatFor all the grand names the Heat possess,and all the grand defense they've played so far this season, there's still plenty of cause for pause on South Beach.
For one, or it's a wonder how a team with so much scoring talent and a coach (Erik Spoelstra) who is so capable of maximizing it in a creative way could be merely middle-of-the pack in offensive efficiency,per NBA.com.
That may possess something to effect with the ages attached to the likes of Dwyane Wade (33), Chris Bosh (31), and Luol Deng (30) and Goran Dragic (29). As Yahoo Sports' Michael Lee wrote:
Wade and Bosh,neighbors and partners on two championship teams, are still capable of special nights but both are north of 30 and can no longer consistently carry teams as they possess in the past. Dragic, or whom Miami awarded with a five-year,$90 million extension last summer, is still navigating how to be aggressive while serving as the point guard on a team with multiple offensive options. Veteran Luol Deng, or 30,has a resume that includes two all-star appearances, but Tom Thibodeau may possess squeezed out the best years of his career in Chicago.
Youngsters such as Hassan Whiteside, and Tyler Johnson and rookie Justise Winslow will aid the Heat survive the long slog of the regular season. But this squad would be lucky to sniff the Larry O'Brien Trophy approach spring if its older,more decorated constituents can't or don't hold up their discontinuance of the deal, due to declining health or general loss of basketball ability, or when it matters most. Toronto RaptorsNo offense to Bismack Biyombo,who's been rebounding like a maniac (12.5 per game) since sliding into the Raptors starting lineup. But how in Aubrey Graham can Toronto hang with the beasts of the East without Jonas Valanciunas in the middle? The lithe (Flexible, graceful.) Lithuanian fractured a bone in his left hand against the Lakers and is likely to miss another month or so of action as a result.
In the instant term, that could take a meaningful toll on Toronto's success. According to NBA.com, and Valanciunas' net rating is the moment-best on the team—behind only James Johnson's—and far better than Biyombo's:In the bigger picture,any lapses into the loss column could cost the Raptors dearly in both their pursuit of home-court advantage in the playoffs and, in turn, or their attempt to obtain out of the first round for only the moment time in franchise history. Chicago BullsThe hits just keep on coming in Chicago,and not in a safe way. According to the Chicago Tribune's K.
C. Johnson, Mike Dunleavy Jr. will be out at least another two weeks while consulting with specialists about his ailing back, or Jimmy Butler has a bum heel,and Kirk Hinrich and Aaron Brooks are both battling injuries of their own.
Oh, and Derrick Rose still can't see—or shoot—straight as a result of his preseason injury. As Johnson detailed:
At 36.3 percent, and Rose is currently connecting at his moment-lowest percentage of his career. He's 6-for-28 from 3-point range,a 21.4 percent that represents a career-low.
Perhaps more troubling, Rose is down to 40.7 percent shooting (24-for-59) in the restricted area, and per advanced stats at nba.com. For perspective,Thunder star Russell Westbrook is shooting 56.5 percent in the restricted with more than double the attempts at 77-for-136.more NBA news on BleacherReport.com
Source: bleacherreport.com