The troubles of this debilitating NBA Eastern Conference

So what about this Eastern Conference? It seems with the lost of Bradley Beal, Chris Bosh, and Derrick Rose this is looking more like the "short handed" conference or better yet the "banged up" conference.  A bigger question arouses of can their teams still be playoff contenders this season? The answer is simple. The Eastern Conference at this point is in no way shape or form good at this point. The teams in the Eastern Conference have now handed the baton off to the Cleveland Cavaliers to be the Eastern Conference Champion. The positive about this situation is all three of these teams still have a high chance of making the playoffs this season. The Eastern Conference has a difference of 3 games between the seventh and twelfth seed. That could also mean those teams have alot of pressure. The Bulls are currently in the best position to be a playoff team and with the possibility of the return of Derrick Rose in the next 4-6 weeks, this team could still make a deep run in the playoffs.  This team was built around Derrick Rose but they still have other pieces that can pick up the slack until his return.The Miami Heat on the other hand might have a some trouble in the last 20 plus games of the season. Without Chris Bosh in the line up they will struggle but with the addition of Michael Beasley this team could have some piece there to make it to the playoffs. Also because the Eastern Conference playoff bracket isn't as competitive as the Western Conference the possibility of being a 8th place seed is very high. Switching over to this Washington Wizards team, things haven't been to bright for this team in the past few games. Since the games leading up to the all-star break the Wizards have not looked so hot. Obviously with the lost of Bradley Beal this team is short handed but to have lost 8 of your last 10 games is ridiculous. Especially when its to teams such as Minnesota Timberwolves, Charlotte Bobcats, and Detriot Pistons. This team needs to pick their heads up and realize what there true goal is. They have went from the third seed to sitting a half a game from falling into the six seed. The return of Bradley Beal for this team couldn't be soon enough.

The trade deadline has now ended..... now what?

The question running through every NBA fans mind. What is the playoff picture going to look like since the new acquired additions and removals on teams roster. Well its simple some teams made strategic moves for the last stretch of the season while others made long term deals, which means there not ready to win right now. Among those that have been placed into the group of teams not ready to win now are the 76ers. Yes, over the past few season the 76ers have acquired numerous 1st round draft picks from Narlens Noel to Joel Anthony to rookie of the year Michael Carter Williams. It is clear that this team is very young and inexperienced. The front office for the 76ers seems to be just as inexperienced as the players they are placing out on the court. With the 76ers in this trade deal giving away NBA rookie of year point guard, Michael Carter-Williams, is absolutely absurd. Especially when in return you only receive draft picks. Alot of great talent on a roster that doesn't have a coaching staff , is not the recipe to win a title other then consistently the worst team in the league year after year. The suns on the other hand didn't gain much of anything from this deal either. Yes they gained a solid point guard in Brandon Knight  and Kendall Marshall of the bucks but they also gave up key point guards in return. These additions to the roster weren't terrible but they weren't necessary either. The clear point here is the 76ers were the team ripped off in this deal and I feel extremely bad for the 76ers fans that are patiently waiting for the team to "rebuild" which has now placed them a step back in that process.

The second half of the NBA season is now in full effect. Every team is buckling up for a hard push to the finish line into the post season over the next few months. Friday began the push as many of the NBA teams began the second half of the season. Teams to watch out for over the time period will be the Oklahoma City Thunder, Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks, and Dallas Mavericks. Currently these teams are in the bubble for the playoffs in either the Western or Eastern Conference, but now will have the capabilities to rise in the rankings. The Oklahoma City Thunder and Milwaukee Bucks have placed themselves into this discussion over the past few days. Both teams made huge moves Thursday as the trade deadline approached. They now have rosters that could potentially be dangerous for any team in their conference. The Bucks picked up a bigger and more efficient point guard in Michael Carter-Williams, while the Thunder added some key additions to their bench. The Thunder hands down have one of the best duos, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, in the game other than Kyrie Irving and Lebron James, but needed an upgrade to their bench which has held them back all season.The addition of D.J. Augustine will allow the thunder to now become a true contender in the Western Conference as we watch them catch teams throughout the next few months. This should be a very exciting time for Bucks and Thunder fans.

NBA CURRENT STANDINGS

EASTERN CONFERENCE
1. Atlanta Hawks                          40-9
2. Toronto Raptors                       33-16
3. Washington Wizards                31-18
4. Chicago Bulls                           30-19
5.Cleveland Cavaliers                  30-20
6.Milwaukee Bucks                     26-22
7. Miami Heat                              21-26
8.Charlotte Bobcats                     21-27
9.Brooklyn Nets                          19-28
10. Detroit Pistons                      18-30
11. Boston Celtics                       16-30
12. Indiana Pacers                       17-32
13.Orlando Magic                       15-36
14. New York Knicks                  10-38
15. Philadelphia 76 ers                   10-39

WESTERN CONFERENCE
1. Golden State Warriors              37-8
2. Memphis Grizzlies                   36-12
3. Houston Rockets                      33-15
4. Los Angeles Clippers               33-16
5. Portland Trail Blazers              32-16
6. Dallas Mavericks                     33-17
7. San Antonio Spurs                   30-18
8. Phoenix Suns                           28-22
10. New Orleans Pelicans           26-22
11.Oklahoma City Thunder         24-24
12.Denver Nuggets                      19-29
13. Sacramento Kings                  17-29
14. Utah Jazz                                17-30
15. Minnesota Timberwolves       8-40
          

Unfinished business against two unexpected opponents.........

The Los Angeles Clippers have unfinished business, against you know who, the Cleveland Cavaliers. This isn't the typical rivalry thought of by conference or division opponents. The last time these two teams meet was under the warm bright lights of the Staples Center. Now, they will venture to a completely different scenery as Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland Ohio awaits their arrival Thursday evening.

The Clippers have to make many changes if they plan to win this upcoming game against the Cavs. This is  a different Cavs team then they faced just a month ago. The Cavs are coming into this game on a complete high, winning their last 11 games and with a record of 30-20 on the season. The Clippers on the other hand are coming into this game with a record of 33-16. The Clippers have only allowed three of their past eight opponents to score over 100 points showing positive signs on the defense. On the contrary, the Cavaliers have not let any opponents since the win against the Clippers score over 100 points. Making this game more defensively driven then many thought. The key in this game is to get defensive stops for both teams. Yes, both teams have the capability to score against each other, we saw that in the teams initial meeting. Which ever team can play a balanced game will win. If the Clippers show up thursday will the Cavaliers 11 game winning streak be snapped..... I guess we will just have to see.