Dunk Base

Ok, let’s get this straight. I’m not happy about going a full month between columns, either. And I’m not happy about having both columns be Power Polls. I’m well aware that they’re easy to write and creatively cheap because they have a predetermined format that I can follow even if I were in a coma. But I’m going to do it anyway because I haven’t had much time to think of creative ideas lately. So I’m going to write my 2nd Power Poll of the season without any columns in between the first Power Poll and this one. Sue me (but not really. I’m broke). I’m also going to skip through a lot of the less “exciting” teams so that I can spend more time on the top teams. Again, sue me (but in a metaphorical sense).

The Isiah Thomas Division

30. Cleveland Cavaliers

After losing Friday night, they fall to 8-31 on the season, losers of their last 12, and they’re 1-20 since losing to Miami on November 2nd. The worst part is that it’s unclear whether or not anyone on the team cares.

29. Sacramento Kings

Tyreke Evans now, compared to last season, is scoring less, scoring less efficiently, shooting worse, rebounding less, getting to the line less, and turning the ball over more. The list of under-22 Rookie of The Year winners that regressed in Season 2 isn’t long (in fact, I can’t think of one other than Michael Jordan, and that’s because he broke his foot. This is either the worst thing possible for Tyreke Evans’ career or the best.

Kevin Love has been an absolute beast this year, arguably the best power forward in the league for the first quarter or so of the season (are we at the "or so" part yet?). He's averaging better than 20 points and 15 rebounds this season, and that's after he wasn't given nearly enough minutes at the start of the season. Once his numbers even out he could be averaging closer to 23 and 16. Michael Beasley has had a resurgence in his career since joining the Timberwolves. This season he's averaging over 21 points this season, a career best by about 50% of his previous career best while shooting 47% from the field and 40% from deep. Darko Milicic is having the best year of his career, averaging over 9 points and 6 rebounds per game along with almost 3 blocks per game in just under 27 minutes per game. They have a solid starting point guard in Luke Ridnour and their backup isn't terrible either in Sebastian Telfair. There are a ton of things for fans of the Timberwolves to be excited about. However, at 6-17 (probably will be 6-18 by the time this is complete), the Timberwolves can't seem to buy a win. For a while it looked confusing to me, but now it's very understandable.

The Isiah Thomas Division

30. Sacramento Kings

They threw us off the scent with their 3-1 start. In retrospect, we should have figured out that wins over Minnesota, Cleveland, and Toronto aren’t that impressive. Since then they’ve dropped 14 of their last 15 games and really can’t figure out how to do anything right. Two weeks ago they were playing the Bulls, who were on the 2nd night of a back-to-back. Despite Sacramento leading by 13 at halftime, the Kings scored 29 points TOTAL in the 2nd half (9 in the 4th quarter) and lost by 11.

The biggest problems? First, Tyreke Evans has seriously regressed as a player. His shot selection is horrific, he’s undisciplined, and he can’t run an offense. I thought he was a semi-fraud last year (just good stats on a crappy team), and this year he’s just been awful. I have a feeling 20 years from now we’re going to look back at his career and wonder how the hell he averaged a 20-5-5 as a rookie.

Second, they have two many head cases or semi-head cases and a yes-man coach. Newsflash: That’s a bad combo. With the type of personalities they have on this team, they need a coach that can hold them accountable, not a coach that will roll over. There’s a reason that Paul Westphal couldn’t get a head coaching job in the NBA for 9 years.

It's still too early to draw too many conclusions on the season, but we're at a point where trends are becoming very obvious. The Kings, despite having some very good players, are horrible. The Cavs and Raptors could have been worse than they've been, but are both still very poor. The Warriors started off very strong and have fallen like a rock. There are team trends and there are also player trends, the players who have made the biggest difference on their respective teams. Of course there are the awards which are handed out at the end of every season, and here are the frontrunners for each of those.

 

Three weeks into the season and my pre-season picks are already in shambles. Should I start to re-evaluate things? No, really, I want to know. There are still teams that haven’t even played 10 games and I can already tell you that I was 100%, unequivocally wrong about the following predictions:

1. Portland will finish with the best record in the Western Conference (at this rate, they’re lucky to even make the playoffs)
2. Portland will make the Finals (see above)
3. Brandon Roy will win the 2010-2011 MVP (oof)
4. New Orleans will miss the playoffs (they might win 55 games)
5. Utah will have style and chemistry issues and back into the playoffs as the 7th or 8th seed (5 straight come-from behind wins, all by 10+ points, including 4 on the road in 5 nights against playoff teams from last year)

There is no chance, none, that any of those come true. Again, we’re 10 games into the season and I’m wrong on all five of those. Not good times, bad times. I will make a few excuses for myself, however.