February 25th - March 3rd (7 Days of NBA)

Welcome back to 7 Days of NBA! This week we had a coach fired, issues surrounding the 3-point and dunk contest, and a team that may be finally breaking out of their slump. Let's talk about the major takeaways.

Major Takeaways

1. Some Teams Need to Blow it Up

This week opened my eyes to some teams that just simply aren't playing up to the level that their players should be, and I think it would be best to blow up the roster and restart. These teams have good players, but the team as a entirety is just not going to get the job done. 

1. Atlanta Hawks

The first one would be the Atlanta Hawks. I'll be honest, I thought the new Hawks were going to work and be able to compete for the playoffs. They brought in Bogdan Bogdanovic, Danilo Gallinari, Rajon Rondo and drafted Onyeka Okongwu and I thought this was a great group to help Trae Young, John Collins and Clint Capela. Once you add in young guys like De'Andre Hunter, Cam Reddish and Kevin Huerter, this team looks great on the roster. However, they haven't panned out like they'd hoped. The Hawks are currently 15-20 and 11th in the East. They have had a variety of injuries, however I feel like this group is going to be stuck in mediocrity unless one of the young guys steps up into an All-Star level player. They just fired their coach Lloyd Pierce and things look like they could be due to reset. If I were the Hawks, the only players I would keep are the young guys (Trae, Hunter, Huerter and Reddish). 

2. New Orleans Pelicans

The New Orleans Pelicans are another team that looks great on paper, but have struggled to live up to their potential. The Pelicans are currently 15-19 and 11th in the West. Zion has proven that he will be a star in the league and Brandon Ingram was an All-Star last season. However, other guys have not lived up to their potential. Lonzo Ball, while he has improved his jumper, has still struggled to blossom into the leader we had envisioned. Jaxson Hayes is still just average and Steven Adams is a weird fit on the team. Outside of that, the rest of the roster doesn't jump off the page. I would keep Zion, Ingram and Hayes, but the rest should be open to being sent to a different city. 

3. Minnesota Timberwolves

The Minnesota Timberwolves are dead last in the NBA at 7-28, and I feel bad for Karl-Anthony Towns. He is a great center who has been stuck in Minnesota his entire career. They got first pick Anthony Edwards, and if he can fix his consistency, he could be a great player. Jarrett Culver and Josh Okogie haven't grown much in terms of maximizing their complete potential, and D'Angelo Russell is in the same boat as KAT, a good player stuck with a horrible team. They also have a random selection of veterans in Ricky Rubio, Ed Davis, and Jake Layman. If I was Minnesota, I would listen to offers for everyone except Edwards and restart. 

4. Houston Rockets

The last team is the Houston Rockets, who got a random collection of players with their James Harden swap. John Wall is inefficient, Oladipo is extremely injury-prone, and Eric Gordon and P.J. Tucker are two role players who are wasting time away in Houston when they could be on a contender helping someone win a ring. The Rockets are currently 11-22, which is 14th in the West, and the team is currently suffering a 12-game losing streak. The one player to keep is Christian Wood, who they recently signed and has been playing great as a young stretch 4. Other than Wood, I think the rest of the team should be open to being shipped off.

2. The 3-Point and Dunk Contests are Dying

One of the reasons basketball fans love All-Star Weekend so much is because of the 3-point contest and the dunk contest. This year, instead of happening on Saturday, the 3-point contest will be before the All-Star Game and the dunk contest will be during halftime. The 3-point contest, despite some people declining to play, still has a good star-led group. The 6 contestants are Devin Booker, Jaylen Brown, Stephen Curry, Zach LaVine, Donovan Mitchell and Jayson Tatum. The big name to decline the contest was Damian Lillard, but they were still able to collect a good group. They shortened the contest from 8 players to 6, which I assume is because of the fact that they want to fit it in before tipoff. Even with those big names, there still isn't the hype around it like there was in previous contests. The dunk contest took a fall from grace, where a large group of names declined the contest. Zach LaVine, Zion Williamson, Ja Morant, Aaron Gordon and Anthony Edwards all declined the contest which was a huge blow to the hype for the event. They were only able to get 3 people instead of 4 for the dunk contest, with those being Obi Toppin, Anfernee Simons, and Cassius Stanley. Toppin was known as a high-flyer in college but has yet to take a good leap to the NBA, and Simons and Stanley are average role players. Being unable to get any All-Stars or major household names, the dunk contest is nowhere near what it used to be. The NBA needs to figure out how to bring the hype back and bring the contest out of the dark winding hole that it has fallen into, with the 3-point contest not too far behind. 

3. The Knicks are... Good?

I didn't think I would be writing this sentence this year, but I am: The New York Knicks are a not a bad team. I think they have surprised everyone jumping out to 5th in the East with an 18-18 record. This team, outside of a small group of solid veterans, is super young and still has room to get even better. Julius Randle has taken his career to the next level and was named an All-Star this season, averaging 23.1 points, 10.9 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game. He has become the All-Star that the Knicks have been searching and hoping to get. The acquisition of Derrick Rose has been great for the Knicks to provide some leadership for their young group of guards. Immanuel Quickley has been fantastic as a late first-round choice and looks to be a great piece for their future. R.J. Barrett has become more consistent with his output and Mitchell Robinson is a young, athletic center who can snag the rebounds. Austin Rivers and Nerlens Noel are good veterans to help provide depth, and there are young guys (Jared Harper, Theo Pinson, Ignas Brazdeikis) who could be solid pieces in their rotation once they grow and develop more. This Knicks team, if they can add some pieces next offseason and maybe draft someone solid, could stick around and no longer be the Knicks that have been the laughing stock of basketball.

MVP (February 25th-March 3rd): Nikola Jokic

This year we have seen two centers leading the way with the MVP race, Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic. Jokic has had a fantastic year and has cemented his spot in as a star (if that wasn't already clear). Jokic has averaged 29.8 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 10 assists per game this week. Averaging a triple-double, especially as a center, is extremely impressive, and Jokic continues to raise the bar this season. The Nuggets went 3-1 this week, with two 30+ wins (including one over the Bucks) and their only loss coming in a nail-bitter to the Wizards. Jokic is a major reason why the Nuggets are competitive, and he alongside Jamal Murray is a lethal combo that will be around for a while, with Jokic continuing to be an MVP candidate. 

Team of the Week (February 25th-March 3rd): Boston Celtics

Last week I was talking bad about the Boston Celtics, who had taken a slide in the East standings and were below .500. This week, they quieted me and the rest of the doubters by going 3-0, with wins over the Pacers, Wizards and Clippers. All three games were decided by 6 or less, which really shows that they have been able to deliver and win when it comes down to crunch time. Tatum and Brown are starting to play more like the All-Stars they are, and the rest of the group has picked up their play. The big "if" still hangs around Kemba, who I haven't seen play to the level he is able to. They still have some work they need to do, but maybe the Celtics aren't in trouble after all.

Standings:

East:

1. 76ers

2. Nets

3. Bucks

4. Celtics

5. Knicks

6. Raptors

7. Heat

8. Hornets

9. Pacers

10. Bulls

11. Hawks

12. Cavaliers

13. Wizards

14. Magic

15. Pistons

West:

1. Jazz

2. Suns

3. Lakers

4. Clippers

5. Spurs

6. Trail Blazers

7. Nuggets

8. Warriors

9. Grizzlies

10. Mavericks

11. Pelicans

12. Thunder

13. Kings

14. Rockets

15. Timberwolves

Hope you enjoyed, and I will be back once again next week!