Saturday Slam: Where things sit at the 2021 NBA All-Star Break

 

2021 NBA All-Star Weekend is here, which means we are at the unofficial halfway mark of the 2020-21 NBA season. I have never done this particular blog post before, but here's to new beginnings! In case you have been out of the loop up until this point, below is a quick breakdown of where things sit in the NBA at the All-Star break. 

Out East, the Philadelphia 76ers are the top ranked team with an impressive 24-12 record. Joel Embiid is getting MVP consideration for the way he's guiding the Sixers and deservedly so. The Brooklyn Nets led by Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving are in the #2 spot at 24-13, just a half game back. The #3 Milwaukee Bucks led by Giannis Antetokounmpo are at 22-14, just 1.5 games back of the Nets and 2.0 games back of the Sixers. Those three teams are leading the charge out East and honestly, it is anyone's guess of as to which of those three teams will get the top seed in the conference. 

Seeds #4-10 are really close: Boston Celtics (19-17), New York Knicks (19-18), Miami Heat (18-18), Charlotte Hornets (17-18), Toronto Raptors (17-19), Chicago Bulls (16-18), and Indiana Pacers (16-19). This grouping is key because the top six seeds overall in each conference will clinch an automatic berth to the playoffs while seeds 7-10 will play in a wildcard tournament of sorts to determine the final two seeds. 

The rest of the East #11-15 goes as follows: Atlanta Hawks (16-20), Washington Wizards (14-20), Cleveland Cavaliers (14-22), Orlando Magic (13-23), and Detroit Pistons (10-26). Honestly, all of those teams still have a pulse to perhaps get the #10 spot. So, it's going to be interesting to see who out East gets that #10 spot and gives themselves a shot at making the playoffs. 

Out West, it's also looking pretty interesting. The Utah Jazz occupy the top seed and best record in the NBA at 27-9. Donovan Mitchell, Rudy Gobert, and Mike Conley are the three All-Stars from that team. Conley being an injury replacement for Phoenix Suns shooting guard Devin Booker. There was a bit of a controversy this week with Mitchell and Gobert being the last two picks of the All-Star draft despite being on the best team in the league. Personally, I think this will just give those guys more of a reason to be motivated in the second half of the season. 

The #2 seed belongs to the Phoenix Suns at 24-11. I wrote about the Suns earlier this year on here and felt they could be serious contenders, so I'm not at all surprised about them being this high. In addition to Devin Booker, Chris Paul has been a major part of their success. 

The #3 team is the Los Angeles Lakers at 24-13. Many have them as the favorites to come out of the West because of LeBron James and Anthony Davis. If those two guys stay healthy, it's tough to pick against them. 

Seeds #4-6 aren't far behind: Los Angeles Clippers (24-14), Portland Trail Blazers (21-14), and Denver Nuggets (21-15). Honestly, I feel a little bad putting them in a different group. They're right there and certainly could come out of the West. Once again, as a I said above, seeds 7-10 are battling for those two wild card spots if you will. So being #6 is key as it guarantees a playoff spot. 

Seeds #7-10 seem to be in a pretty comfortable spot in terms of at least securing a spot in that wild card tournament: San Antonio Spurs (18-14), Dallas Mavericks (18-16), Golden State Warriors (19-18), and Memphis Grizzlies (16-16). It's even possible one of them or two of them jumps up to the #5/6 spot and avoids the play-in tournament. 

Seeds #11-15 are a bit removed from the rest: New Orleans Pelicans (15-21), Oklahoma City Thunder (15-21), Sacramento Kings (14-22), Houston Rockets (11-23), and Minnesota Timberwolves (7-29). 

In terms of what to watch for and how to make sense of all of this, I think with the East, it's going to be really interesting to see who gets that top seed in the conference. The 76ers, Nets, and Bucks could all get it and whichever team secures that spot will have the inside track to reaching the NBA Finals. 

Many people are picking the Nets to go the distance, but I have some reservations based on the fact that it's tough to elevate yourself into contender status in one season. Let alone win the whole thing. A team that has been gelling more over the last couple of seasons like the Bucks or 76ers is probably a more safe bet at this point, but hey, maybe the Nets will surprise me and get it done. 

Out West, it's all about the Jazz right now and whether or not they can hang onto that top seed and go the distance. A lot of people see them as a great regular season team but are skeptical of their chances to win it all. For the Jazz, it's paramount that they finish with the best record in the league if they want to win the championship. Just because of how tough of a place Salt Lake City is to play in. 

If the Jazz can lock up that home court advantage, they're going to be a really tough out. On top of that, they wouldn't have to see the Lakers until the conference finals in all likelihood. So that's another benefit. Perhaps the Suns knock out the Lakers and they don't see them at all? A lot of what happens out West hinges on whether or not the Jazz can hang onto that top spot. If they do, look out. If not, they're still dangerous, but I wouldn't call them the favorites. 

The wildcard in all this is the Clippers. We know the Lakers are going to be right there and I think the Suns are showing what they can do and are playing up to their max potential. But the Clippers are kinda flying under the radar and not playing as well as they could. If they get their act together, maybe they're a team that can go the distance. 

One other thing to keep an eye on is where Blake Griffin ends up now that the Pistons have released him and bought out his contract. If he indeed ends up with the Nets, that could shake things up even further. You know I'll do a blog post about that if that indeed comes to fruition. 

On that note, enjoy NBA All-Star Weekend and enjoy the second half of the season. It's shaping up to be a wild ride! Lots to look for and get excited about! 

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Wednesday Windmill: Did the Atlanta Hawks pull the trigger too quickly on Lloyd Pierce?

                                     

                                         (Credit: Sarah Stier/NBAE/Getty Images) 

Earlier this week, the Atlanta Hawks made the decision to fire head coach Lloyd Pierce after a 14-20 start to the season. Nate McMillan, who has been a head coach with Seattle, Portland, and Indiana will be taking over the reins. He did so having gotten full support from Pierce, whom he is close with. Pierce was in the middle of his third season with the Hawks after having gone 29-53 in his first year and 20-47 in his second year. To not even last three seasons is rough and it has to raise questions about whether or not the Hawks pulled the trigger a little quick. 

One obvious factor is the fact that there are reports that the players wanted Pierce out. If that's true, that's certainly something that could come into play. If a coach has lost the support of his players, it's hard to justify keeping that coach around. 

Of course, when you look at the Hawks' roster, outside of Trae Young (26.2 points & 9.5 assists), the Hawks don't have a ton of pieces to really work with. John Collins (18.1 points & 7.6 rebounds) is the number two option and while he's solid, I don't think you can expect a team with Collins as the number two piece to make the playoffs. On top of that, the Hawks aren't even at full strength as their number three scorer De'Andre Hunter (17.2 points) is out for an extended period of time due to a right knee injury. Clint Capela is giving them something with his 14.7 points, 14.2 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game, but even with him added to the mix, this is still a very young team that is figuring out its identity. 

If the Hawks are making the change because they sense that Pierce and this current group of guys isn't meshing well and that they really could benefit from a leadership change, then this move makes sense. It's not like Pierce was lighting the world on fire as a head coach. They weren't that good and he should bear some responsibility for that. 

But, if this is about them feeling like they have to do something to give the appearance of trying to make this change, then I disagree with this move. Ultimately, it's the job of general manager Travis Schlenk to put together a competitive product on the floor and regardless of who the head coach is, it's clear that this team needs an infusion of talent to put around Young. Him pinning all the blame on Pierce, when he's the one who put the roster together just isn't fair. 

Lastly, there should be a lot of pressure on Schlenk to find the right coach to lead this Hawks franchise going forward. McMillan wouldn't be a bad candidate, but obviously, Schlenk should conduct a thorough search in the off-season to find the right guy. If he doesn't, his days in Atlanta will be numbered. 

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Mock Draft Monday: How good is USC's Evan Mobley?

                                 

                                     (Credit: John McGillen/USC Athletics) 

One of the top prospects in the 2021 NBA Draft is USC freshman forward Evan Mobley, who is averaging 16.4 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 2.9 blocks per game. Listed at 7'0", 210 pounds, Mobley has tremendous physical tools and has been a dominating force in the paint this year in the Pac-12. In the game against Cal that I covered, he ate the Golden Bears for lunch with 25 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 blocks. He was the single dominating force that won the game for the Trojans. The Bears simply did not have an answer for him inside. 

While dominating Cal and dominating NBA players are very different, Mobley has shown all season long that he is a legitimate NBA talent and deserves to be in consideration for the top pick in the 2021 draft. Guys with his size, quickness, length, and skill don't grow on trees. They're very hard to find and whatever NBA team gets him will have a really exciting player to work with. 

In addition to being a great individual talent, Mobley has shown he can have a winning impact on his team. The #19 ranked Trojans are 19-6 overall and 13-5 in the Pac-12. When Mobley succeeds, his team does in the process. He's not one of those players that puts up big stats a on a bad team. He's putting up big time stats on a team that has the potential to reach the Sweet Sixteen and possibly deeper. 

As far as who he reminds me of in the NBA, he kinda reminds me of a more athletic version of Tim Duncan, which is really high praise. Like Mobley, Duncan could score around the basket with ease, get rebounds, and block shots. On top of that, Duncan was a great team player and made everyone around him better. Duncan knew how to win and be a part of a winning formula. 

With the NCAA tournament coming up, one player to keep a close eye on is USC's Evan Mobley. He has tremendous physical gifts and has a chance to perhaps vault himself into the #1 draft spot with a good showing in March. It's going to be fun to see how things go for Mobley in next week's Pac-12 tournament and how the rest of his collegiate career goes before he presumably leaves for the NBA. 

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