Heading into the All-Stare break the NBA has seen some major storylines develop, and in a surprising turn of events, the East has been just as good as the West this season, outside of the top two teams. No matter what team you root for (with the exception of the Nets and Suns) this NBA season has seen every team have their moments of playing solid basketball and giving their respective fans positive thoughts and momentum. Heck, even the 76ers look like an NBA team once again. With that being said there are a number of things that could make the NBA even more interesting in the second half. One of which is the trade deadline in which we could see some big names move, such as Al Horford, Jeff Teague, Kyle Korver, Markieff Morris, Dwight Howard, Ty Lawson, and Blake Griffin among others. Here are some bold predictions I think you will see in the second half.
Hawks have fire sale, trade Al Horford, Jeff Teague, and Kyle Korver
The Hawks in recent weeks have decided that it may be time to break up their core as currently constituted and try to build the team a different way. Up until now those have just been rumors, but I think this will come to fruition and the Hawks will end up dealing the remaining three pieces of their magical season last year (DeMarre Carroll already bolted for big money this past offseason). I see Teague going to Milwaukee and Horford and Korver going somewhere as a package duo. I think the Clippers make a lot of sense for Horford and Korver, or a Horford, Kent Bazemore, and Mike Muscala for Blake Griffin. You also cannot rule out the Celtics coming up with Horford as this is as close to a star as comes available this time of year and he fits exactly what the Celtics do.
Regardless to me Teague if definitely gone while Horford and Korver are just fifty-fifty to be moved. There will no doubt be a lot of interest in all of them. They have earned that respect and I think the Hawks have made the decision to move on, knowing last year’s run was as far as they can go.
76ers finish with better record than the Brooklyn Nets
I have already stated numerous times in previous articles that the 76ers have improved dramatically since the reacquiring of point guard Ish Smith and they now have eight wins, just six wins behind the already dead Brooklyn Nets. The 76ers seem to have finally found a strategy to get the most out of Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor which has led to better spacing, more efficiency from behind the three-point line, and more wins. Don’t be surprised if Jerry Colangelo pushes Sam Hinkie to make a move or two at the deadline to help improve the team going forward.
On the other hand the Nets, save for a Joe Johnson buzzer beater recently, have been struggling. I could see the Nets selling off Brook Lopez or Thaddeus Young if the right deal comes along, but Mikhail Prokhorov seems to think they are part of the solution and that they will sign some big name free agents to help them compete in the very near future. I see the 76ers making up some ground in the final weeks as the Net’s veterans realize they have to grind out the season’s final weeks with nothing waiting for them at the end, as well as the looming question of how soon will Johnson be bought out? When that happens this team drops to peg even lower than could be imagined.
Trail Blazers knockout Gasol-less Grizzlies from playoffs, finish as 7th seed
The news of Marc Gasol‘s broken foot was just about the worst thing that could happen to the Grizzlies. Gasol is clearly the best player on the team and is a huge part of what they do on defense and the series of back-door cuts and back screens they make with Gasol passing out of the high post. Without Gasol, this team is not nearly talented enough to hold off the surging Blazers and Jazz. This team just does not have enough offense to offset the loss of their stud big man, with most of the pressure likely falling on point guard Mike Conley. If Gasol is out less than a month, this team can probably manage, but if it is longer than that, this team will not see postseason play and more importantly, their big man will have a serious foot injury added to his profile. Never a good thing for a big man in his thirties.
Suns finish with worse record than Lakers
The Lakers have definitely struggled as anticipated this season, but the Suns have been downright brutal after the first few weeks. While the Suns have been a horrendous team since the first couple weeks, Kobe Bryant has shown occasional signs of life which along with the growth of D’Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson will give the Lakers just enough to pass the Suns in the long run and be the second worst team in the West. Part of the reason the Lakers will be a better team in the second half though has to do with the fact the Suns will trade Markieff Morris, leaving them without a second solid scorer to go with guard Brandon Knight. Tough times ahead for both teams, but for the second half look for the Lakers to pull ahead.
Rockets trade Dwight Howard and lose out on 8th seed in playoffs to…..the Kings
The Rockets put up a major fight against the Warriors last night at Oracle Arena and they had their chances to knock off the champs in their own building for the first time this season, but alas turnovers and a scoring drought with James Harden on the bench proved to be too much to overcome. This team has been flawed all season with Lawson being just a shell of his former self and Howard not providing the game-by-game dominance we are used to seeing out of the big man. This all sets up the Rockets to explore deals with Howard and Daryl Morey is too smart to not get anything for Howard before he hits free agency and seeks a big deal he probably isn’t even worth anymore, especially with the risk of injury.
Meanwhile, the Kings decided to keep coach George Karl and with that I think they pull together during the stretch run and make the playoffs by the skin of their teeth. Rajon Rondo plays his best with the spotlight is on his team and DeMarcus Cousins is still playing at a really high level. If they can get more consistent play out of Ben McLemore and Marco Belinelli, this team can make a run in the second half, that was reminiscent of their first half magic before the drop-off in play occurred.
Celtics beat out Raptors for Atlantic Division crown and second seed in East
The first half of the season saw the Celtics battle inconsistency and having trouble creating offense without Isaiah Thomas leading the way while the Raptors have cruised through opponents at times and that lead to a ridiculous stretch that has them in second place in the East right now with five and a half games separating them and the Celtics. The Raptors have cruised thus far with their bench providing a spark and allowing their starters to not become overtired by having to play extra minutes, but eventually, this team will have a tough stretch, and the Celtics have proven that they have figured out what it takes to win. I also see the Celtics and Raptors making moves to upgrade their teams at the deadline, but if the Raptors plan is to go after Markieff Morris or Kenneth Faried, I think they are better off playing it out with their supporting cast right now. The Celtics and Raptor play each other once more a piece at home, and I see the Celtics sweeping that two-game set with just three and a half games having to make up after that.
Warriors win 74 games, beating the Bulls record regular season by two wins; win every home game
This is one of the ones I am most confident in with the Warriors routinely blowing people out it has allowed them to keep Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green‘s minutes in check while also developing their bench and trying out different units to see which ones work the best. The Warriors will lose a few more games, but I don’t see a team that is near them because of how many different ways this team can play. This team possesses the most versatile player in the league in Green, the best player in Curry and one of the top two-way players at the guard position in Thompson. They also have Andrew Bogut to matchup with a tough post player, Andre Iguodala to matchup with a tough wing player and Harrison Barnes to play the stretch four. This team is stacked, young, and hungry for history and another title, and barring injury to one of their big three, I think they break the Bulls record easily.
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