Essentials: NBA back with a bang
By Tony Mejia
A number of NBA teams probably would’ve preferred to keep right on playing through the All-Star break. LeBron James got to co-host a fashion show and hang with budding star Amy Schumer, whose upcoming comedy he’s got a cameo in. Still, riding out the surge his Cavs were on may have had its benefits. One could argue last Thursday’s loss to the Bulls could be hung on Cleveland looking ahead to the weekend. Before then, the Cavs had won 14 of 15 games. Ironically, James was consulted by Commissioner Adam Silver when this change was being considered.
“I had a say and I thought it would do everybody in our league good,” James said. “It wasn’t just for me or for the players or the All-Stars. It was for everyone and the commish definitely was all for it. I think it’s going to help everyone.”
In theory, it should, giving players an opportunity to get extended rest. Most teams aren’t practicing until Wednesday. Decompression may be good for the mind and will certainly do a few ailing bodies a solid, but there figure to be some disadvantages. Inevitably, it will become a disaster for whatever teams lose focus or can’t get back in a rhythm.
Chicago actually exits the break with the NBA’s longest winning streak, owning wins in four straight. Toronto and Milwaukee have won eight of 10. Memphis is the only team in the Western Conference that has run that hot of late, so it will be interesting to see whether they can hold off the Rockets, Mavericks and Spurs to secure the league’s toughest division. They’re the final team to get back in the swing of things, off until taking the court at Portland on Sunday night. Here’s what to be on the lookout for as teams reconvene with anywhere from 26 to 31 regular-season games remaining:
First out of hiding
Action returns on Thursday with a TNT Western Conference doubleheader consisting of Mavericks-Thunder and Spurs-Clippers. OKC is just a half game behind Phoenix in the race for the eighth seed, while Dallas, San Antonio and the L.A. Clippers each have 19 losses, currently taking up seeds 5-to-7.
The Mavericks are expected to have Amar’e Stoudemire in uniform when they tip off with the Thunder, having locked up his commitment upon clearing waivers on Wednesday. The Spurs and Clippers were among the teams interested in his services after news he’d reached a buyout with New York leaked out. Stoudemire has experience working with Tyson Chandler, albeit not successfully since it came with the Knicks, but he should immediately become Dallas’ first big off the bench.
Beyond seeing how he fits in, other variables the Mavericks will be dealing with include the health of Monta Ellis (hip), Rajon Rondo (facial fracture) and Chandler (ankle). All of them were hurting entering the break, so it will be interesting to see whether any or all will return, not to mention how quickly they can get back in a rhythm. Following the visit to OKC, Dallas hosts Houston, Charlotte and Toronto before going back on the road to face Atlanta on Feb. 25, a stretch of five challenging games in seven days.
Conversely, the Mavs are the only team with a winning record the Thunder will see until a challenging road back-to-back at Phoenix and Portland at the end of the month. Expect Oklahoma City to be favored in its next four games, giving it an opportunity to claim a firmer grip on No. 8.
The Clippers returned to Staples Center just before the All-Star break after their eight-game Grammy road trip that saw them lose five of eight games, not to mention Blake Griffin (staph infection). Though it beat the Rockets handily without him, we’ll see just how much L.A. will miss him immediately since it hosts San Antonio, Sacramento and Memphis out of the gate.
The Spurs, embarked on their nine-game Rodeo road trip, will be playing Game 4 of the lengthy stretch and faces Golden State on Friday. Given all the veterans involved, not to mention coaches Gregg Popovich and Doc Rivers, expect playoff-like intensity as both teams are likely to have their sense of urgency ratcheted up.
Pelicans play waiting game
Anthony Davis had to miss the All-Star game with a shoulder strain, while sixth man Ryan Anderson has been nursing a right elbow sprain and Jrue Holiday has been out with a leg injury. The break should do New Orleans wonders as a result, but it’s still unclear exactly who will be ready to return when it tries to snap a three-game losing streak at Orlando on Friday.
Tyreke Evans has been incredibly productive handling point guard duties and Dante Cunningham has settled in nicely as the starting small forward, so head coach Monty Williams has some decisions to make on the two-game run through Florida that continues in Miami on Saturday night. The Pelicans had lost four of five SU and ATS, while seeing six of seven games go over the posted total, but neither trend can be trusted until we see who the team has back and how they’re going to be utilized going forward.
Sun setting on Dragic’s time in Phoenix?
Even though the Suns are invested in making the playoffs after falling just short last season, a decision must be made regarding the future of guard Goran Dragic. Phoenix’s second-leading scorer isn’t going to exercise his player option this summer, which means he’s certain to be an unrestricted free agent unless an extension can be agreed upon.
As a result, the reigning Most Improved player is the biggest name on any most-likely-to-be-dealt list put out between now and Thursday’s 3 p.m. ET trade deadline. Even though the team is committed to a run at the postseason, it wouldn’t be good business to risk him leaving in a few months without getting anything return. GM Ryan McDonough has done a nice job acquiring young talent and definitely has offers to weigh if an extension with Dragic can’t be reached, so there’s a very good chance the Slovenian point guard could be wearing another uniform when Phoenix takes the court in Minnesota on Feb. 20.
Other players virtually certain to be moved between now and the deadline include New York’s Jose Calderon, Boston’s Brandon Bass and Denver wings Arron Afflalo and Wilson Chandler. Brooklyn’s Brook Lopez and Oklahoma City’s Reggie Jackson are also available, but there isn’t as great a sense of urgency to move them as there is with the other players mentioned.
Friday night fights
The league’s schedule makers certainly got it right when it came to setting up appealing matchups for the first full evening of action. Division leaders meet in Atlanta when the Raptors challenge the Hawks, looking to beat the team with the Eastern Conference’s top record three out of four times. Although Toronto lost the most recent meeting at home by a humbling 110-89 margin on Jan. 16, it won the first two games rather handily. The 126 points scored the Raps scored in Philips Arena on Nov. 26 remains the highest output Atlanta has allowed this season.
Cleveland visits Washington in the opening game of ESPN’s doubleheader coverage. Not only is it a duel between All-Star point guards Kyrie Irving and John Wall, it’s also another opportunity for Paul Pierce to try and get under James’ skin, something he’s done quite capably over the years. The teams have split their two meetings thus far and square off at the Q in a potentially vital regular-season finale on April 15.
Houston visits Dallas to continue perhaps the league’s most underrated rivalry. Owner Mark Cuban has made no secret of his disdain for his in-state and division foe, not only stealing Chandler Parsons out from under them but also calling out GM Daryl Morey to spice things up. He’s undoubtedly relishing the fact that the Rockets comes in Dwight Howard-less, especially since his team has lost the last two meetings on the road. The Mavs also host the final regular-season showdown between the Southwest Division contenders on April 2.
The ESPN nightcap yields San Antonio at Golden State. Hopefully Popovich doesn’t feel the need to rest players given the extended break, but this is the second of a back-to-back for the Spurs, so you never know.
