April 15th - April 21st (7 Days of NBA)

Hi everyone and welcome back to 7 Days of NBA. This week, we saw shocking news of a retirement, the battle for the first pick heating up, and the unique playoff scenarios that are aligning. Let's jump in.

Major Takeaways

1. LaMarcus Aldridge

This past week, we saw the shocking news that LaMarcus Aldridge was retiring immediately. At first, I was confused, until I saw the reason. In his last game, Aldridge suffered an irregular heartbeat that eventually led to him going to the hospital after that game. Aldridge is already getting older in age, and having a major health concern pop up like that led to him retiring. I think people forget how good Aldridge was, as he has spent the last few years of his career on a mediocre Spurs team. LA had one of the best midrange games the NBA has ever seen, helping to expand the big man from outside the post. If Greg Oden and Brandon Roy didn't have all the injury issues that they did, that Trail Blazers team could have potentially been a contender. Aldridge has made numerous All-Star and All-NBA appearances, and has been a consistent scorer for years. I respect Aldridge for being able to walk away in the middle of a season, and it takes great maturity to put your health over chasing down a ring. I think he will be a Hall of Famer, and I wish him nothing but the best for him and his health. Thank you LA. 

2. Who Wants the Top Pick?

I have been slightly surprised by the amount of winning recently by bad teams. I understand that you want to go out and compete in every game, but it is an awfully close race for who has the worst record. Currently, the Rockets overtook the Timberwolves for the worst record at 15-43, with Minnesota, Detroit and Orlando right behind. These teams have made movements towards their youth and are using these games as opportunities to gain experience and gauge who will be legit. Even though my Detroit Pistons are terrible, I have enjoyed following the rookies and seeing them thrive. The Timberwolves and Pistons have started to win more games which could jeopardize their positioning in the draft order. Granted, the lottery usually seems to mess up what we expect for the order, however getting those good odds is important for it too. As we enter this last month, it will be interesting to see who keeps their foot on the gas and who pulls it off.

3. Playoff Seeding is Compelling

This year's standings are different than most people's preseason predictions. The Jazz and Suns are sitting at the top of the West, the Lakers are the 5 seed, the 76ers are the top of the East, and the Hawks and Knicks are the 4 and 5 seeds. At this point, it is hard to make a huge jump in seeding, so teams are starting to figure out what is their realistic expectation. The Lakers are planning on getting Anthony Davis back tomorrow and LeBron back within the next 1-2 weeks, which means they can put their best group on the court. It will be hard for them to creep into the top 3, therefore I think the Lakers are hoping to play a Nuggets team without Jamal Murray in the opening round, followed by a Jazz or Suns team with not much playoff experience. It will not be easy, but I think that is their best chance to make it deep in this conference. Teams in the East like the Hawks, Knicks and Celtics are all trying to make sure they stay out of the 7 spot that would require them to be playing in the play-in tourney. Every team in the East wants to avoid the Nets, who are currently the 2 seed. Right now, we would have a Nets-Heat first round series, which I think could cause problems for Brooklyn. Bucks-Celtics is another one that draws some eyes as well. This year's playoffs are going to be different than what we all thought, and I can't wait to see how it all works out.

MVP of the Week (April 15th-April 21st): Stephen Curry

Curry has been on a tear the last few weeks, and this last week was the same. I have been hesitant to put Curry as the MVP due to the fact that the Warriors have struggled some this year, but this last week has proved that I shouldn't have been delaying it. Curry averaged 43 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists this week. Curry is now the leading scorer in the NBA averaging 31.4 ppg while shooting 49% from the field and 43% from 3. This past week, they beat the Cavs and 76ers but lost to the Celtics. Curry has returned to his MVP form, and while this year's team probably won't do much, the return of Klay Thompson for next season means that the Warriors will be dangerous in the West.

Team of the Week (April 15th-April 21st): New York Knicks

Surprise! The Knicks are for real. Winning their last 7 games, the Knicks beat the Mavericks, Pelicans and Hornets this past week. Julius Randle is the leader of the group, and these young guys are playing amazing. R.J. Barrett is having a fantastic year, Derrick Rose provides great veteran guard minutes, and Immanuel Quickley has been one of the best rookies from this year's draft. Make no mistake, the Knicks are no longer the laughing stock of basketball.

Standings:

East:

1. 76ers

2. Nets

3. Bucks

4. Hawks

5. Knicks

6. Celtics

7. Heat

8. Hornets

9. Pacers

10. Bulls

11. Wizards

12. Raptors

13. Cavaliers

14. Magic

15. Pistons

West:

1. Jazz

2. Suns

3. Clippers

4. Nuggets

5. Lakers

6. Trail Blazers

7. Mavericks

8. Grizzlies

9. Warriors

10. Spurs

11. Pelicans

12. Kings

13. Thunder

14. Timberwolves

15. Rockets

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