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NBA: Eastern Conference Bubble Teams
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February 23rd, 2009
by Hoopsworld
» Tags
Hoopsworld.com
By:
Joel Brigham
At this point in the season it seems as if seven Eastern Conference teams are likely going to make the playoffs,
which leaves one open spot for just a small handful of teams vying to
sneak in for a likely 4-game appearance against the Cavaliers or Celtics.
We call that
group of organizations "Bubble Teams," because that bubble is going to
pop for three of the following four groups. For the most part you could
flip a coin, but heading down the stretch it's relatively clear who
will make a run at it and who will come up short.
Milwaukee
– The Bucks are the current holders of that eighth seed, but they're an
organization fighting myriad injuries. Top scorer Michael Redd's out
for the season and starting center Andrew Bogut is gone until the last
two or three weeks of the year. There's some young talent on this team,
but not enough experience to stave off some of the more veteran groups
on this list, like…
Chicago
– It's not clear yet whether the one-third of Chicago's roster they
switched out at the deadline is going to be a good thing down the
stretch this season. On paper it would seem that Brad Miller, John
Salmons, and Tim Thomas are going to be more productive than Drew
Gooden, Andres Nocioni, Larry Hughes, and Thabo Sefolosha, but who's to
say they'll come together quickly enough to actually be a playoff
team? Derrick Rose and coach Vinny Del Negro—both rookies—had just
gotten used to their personnel. This isn't to say they won't be better
next season, but they might not have the firepower to do it this year.
New York
– Grabbing Larry Hughes and Chris Wilcox for virtually nothing was a
coup for the Knicks, but this still isn't a team that plays defense,
and how is any team supposed to win in the clutch without sticking some
D? Just like with the Bulls, this group has some adjustments to make
with the new guys, but I don't like their chances any more than
Chicago's.
New Jersey
– Before their current five-game skid, the Nets might have been the
favorites of this group to make the playoffs. Vince Carter and Devin
Harris have been so very good this year, and rookie Brook Lopez has
been one of the best rooks in his class. If they stay healthy and get
back on track, they're the favorites.
When it's all
said and done, nobody would be surprised to see any of these teams in
that eighth spot, but the point of this piece is to pick a
favorite. For now, that's New Jersey, but check back in two weeks and
minds might be changed.
Until then, let's
enjoy the race of it and agree that the best team will eventually
win. We just don't know who that is quite yet.
Comments
Agreed, sort of
Submitted by Shawn Siegel on Tue, 2009-02-24 00:08.
The deals were first and foremost salary driven, but they ended up making the knicks slightly better anyways.. so kudos for them for pulling them off. In fact, the Knicks have done an amazing job this year in the front office from signing the best available coach to dumping salary and the whole deal.
I'm still a bit bitter that
Submitted by Jason Hirschhorn on Tue, 2009-02-24 18:25.
I'm still a bit bitter that D'Antoni went to NY and not Chicago. Had he waited a week to find out where the number one pick was going, who knows.
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I didn't see any of New
I didn't see any of New York's trades as moves to make the team better, but rather to make their free agency run in 2010. Hughes and Wilcox will be off the books (and out of town) by then, and so will Eddie Curry, Stephon Marbury and others.
New Jersey and Chicago seem to have the best shots, and Chicago has been playing better basketball of late. You're right, if the Bulls can pull together with their new players they have a very strong shot at grabbing that 8th seed.