Post Trade Deadline NBA Tier List

 OK we're back, I was just yelled at for not posting today and so I thought I'd come in hot with a classic tier list after the deadline passed and league changing moves were made. I don't know if I'll have much to say about a lot of these teams but I'll chime in on the teams I feel most strongly about. 

Tier 5: Poop for Coop

Wizards, Hornets, Raptors, Nets, Pelicans, Jazz, Blazers

I expect these teams to take their sweet time getting guys back from injury and liberally give their key players some rest down the stretch. 

Man I spent all season trying to talk people out of wanting the Raptors to be in this group. After the Raps traded their vets to land an injured Brandon Ingram, a move setting them up well for next season, they are pretty clearly in the Poop for Coop sweepstakes at this point. Some of these teams have a more promising future than others. I think the Raptors could be in that tier 3 or maybe even tier 2 if all goes well next season. The Pelicans still can sell themselves on the Zion dream and the Blazers almost played themselves out of this tier in recent weeks. 

Some of these teams are going to need to land a superstar in the draft to avoid this situation again next year. The Nets and Wizards each have nothing to be super excited about on their respective rosters and the Hornets can't seem to stop being bad no matter what they do. I'll still be tuned into Raptors games because I am a sicko, but I don't blame anyone if they decide against watching any of these teams the rest of the way. 

Tier 4: Fighting for the Play-in

76ers, Bulls, Hawks, Kings, Suns, Mavericks

Ok, Philly is really only in this tier and not down with the Poop for Coop teams because of the respect I'm giving them for years past, but yeesh what a bad season they've had. It feels like with the old guys on their roster and the playoff ready coach in Nick Nurse, the 76ers aren't going to be packing it up and hoping for a draft pick so I expect them to be firmly in that nasty play-in race in the East. 

The Bulls, Hawks, Suns and Kings are all perpetual play-in contenders it feels like. I've long said that Trae Young as your best player often tops out around a .500 team and it's playing out pretty much like that again. I think it's funny that the Kings are now essentially Bulls west with DeRozan and LaVine running the show with Sabonis. Especially in the west, that's the play-iniest team I've ever seen.

 The Mavericks I actually would've had a lot higher if Anthony Davis didn't get injured in his first ever game as a Mav. The only reason I have them up this high is because if they MISS the play-in, I am pretty sure that city will burn to the ground. That being said, if they do make it and they have a healthy Kyrie and AD for the playoffs, they might actually be poised for a decent run. Still probably not as good as if they had perennial MVP candidate Luka Doncic though. 

Tier 3: Mid to Decent Teams

Heat, Pistons, Magic, Spurs, Warriors, Timberwolves, Clippers

This one is tough and a lot of overlap with tier 4. I could trade any of these teams with a tier 4 team and have a pretty good argument for it. That being said, I think these teams are a slight cut above the play-in fighters.

The Heat finally ended the Jimmy Butler saga and I think they made out pretty well. While Andrew Wiggins isn't better than Jimmy Butler when both guys are giving it 100%, he is a LOT better than Heywood Highsmith who had been holding down the position for them with Jimmy off to his shenanigans. I also really like that they got Davion Mitchell from the Raptors, he feels like such a ready made Heat player. 

The Pistons have had a great bounce-back season after stringing some horrendous seasons together and are now firmly a decent team in the East lead by first time all star Cade Cunningham. 

I really want to put the Spurs higher after they landed DeAaron Fox to pair with Wemby who's looked like a top 10 player this year. The only problem I have with that is they're currently the 12 seed and are going to need to go on a run just to make the playoffs. Next season watch out for the Spurs for sure. 

I am sad having the Magic this low but injuries have just decimated their season. Without Jalen Suggs their high intensity defense has fallen off slightly and they just don't have enough scoring with guys finding their rhythms again. 

It might be considered bold of me to call the Steph and Jimmy lead Warriors mid and I will admit that Steph is heating up a bit again, but they're sitting at the 10th seed and will need to either have a really hot end to their season or fight hard for their right to meet the Thunder in the first round. 

The Wolves are super Jekyll and Hyde, sometimes they play great against quality opponents and look like they could beat anyone, sometimes they play terrible against bad teams and look like they shouldn't even make the playoffs. 

Finally I am just not buying the Clippers. Yeah if Kawhi is healthy they've got a killer. Yeah James Harden is an awesome playmaker and Raptors legend Norm Powell is having a career year. I still think playoff Harden combined with a ticking time bomb in Kawhi's knees is going to result in a first round exit, which to me is the mark of a mid team.  

Tier 2: Pretenders?

Bucks, Pacers, Rockets, Lakers, Grizzlies

When I say pretenders I only mean that in my heart. To be clear, if any of these teams were to make the finals it wouldn't be a massive shock. I would've had the Mavericks in this category last season and they went on a crazy run to the finals led by a guy who I once again am putting in this category. 

I have been a Bucks hater for as long as I can remember. I think Giannis and Dame are obviously a formidable duo that could each go off to win any series, but their supporting cast just doesn't do it for me. They are relying on a bunch of guys in their rotation who are just big question marks for the playoffs and I don't think they can run out enough perimeter defenders who don't kill them on offense. I also want to say officially that I hate the Khris Middleton trade for them. I get that Middleton has been hurt and not the same as he once was, but he is a franchise legend and a guy who has always showed up in the playoffs. They shipped him off for maybe the least serious player in the NBA in Kyle Kuzma and I strongly believe this is not going to work out for them. Sorry, lots of Bucks talk, really hate the Bucks. 

The Pacers are cool and if things shake out right they can go on a deep run again but I don't think anyone is picking them to knock out a healthy Knicks, Celtics or Cavs team in a 7 game series. 

The Rockets have a lot of young dudes playing really well and are being led by some solid vets in Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks. Once the playoffs roll around though, I don't think there's a lot of teams scared of the Rockets who still lack that true superstar scoring talent. 

The Grizzlies are cool and have been winning games despite a million injuries this year. I still think they're a piece away from really contending though. We've seen time and time again that depth is great and will win you games in the regular season like it has for the Grizz, but once the playoffs roll around it's the top guys who matter. 

I thought long and hard about moving the Lakers into the contenders category and it still feels wrong not to have them there. This is the team in this tier that I would be the least surprised to see go on a big run. After trading Anthony Davis for Luka Doncic, LeBron James now has someone who's even better with the ball in his hands than himself. They had been begging AD to take the torch from LeBron for years now with little success, now they finally have the dude to do that. I thought they made a great move at the deadline as well to secure a starting caliber center in Mark Williams, but then 2 days later Williams failed his physical and the trade was rescinded. This is the only reason I have the Lakers in the pretenders tier. Going into the playoffs with Jackson Hayes as your only viable center is a recipe for disaster, especially should they see Jokic at any point. Still though, I watched with my own eyes as Luka dragged a Mavs team starting Dwight Powell (Canadian legend) to the conference finals, so I won't ever rule a Luka team out. 

Tier 1: True Contenders

Cavaliers, Celtics, Knicks, Nuggets, Thunder

Maybe a slightly controversial list? I actually wanted to put the Cavs in the pretenders group but they're 43-10, like that's ridiculous. I wasn't as in love with the DeAndre Hunter acquisition for them as everyone else was. Hunter is the size and shape of a player they've needed for a while with this core, but I don't think he really plays that way. He can score and do so in a lot of ways, but he doesn't pass basically at all and I don't think he's a very good defender especially with all the physical tools he's got. Ok, a lot of DeAndre Hunter talk, the rest of their team is really good. I've heard it be said that the Cavs have like 4 B+ players in Mitchell, Garland, Mobley and Allen and that's going to win them a ton of games. Will someone step up as the A+ guy they'll need to win it all? 

The Celtics are just really good, but boring and easy to hate. They shoot a million 3s, have a million guys who can shoot them well and have defenders at every position. They can play straight up conservative defense more effectively than anyone because they have Jrue Holiday and Derrick white chasing guys around the perimeter and the tallest man in Latvia Kristaps Porzingis guarding the paint. Tatum and Brown can each take turns being the super star on any given night as well and for most series one of those guys will probably be the best player. Most importantly, we've seen it work before with this exact same group just last year and until they get knocked out they're going to be the favorites to repeat. 

The Knicks might be my favorite starting 5 in the NBA with Brunson, Bridges, OG, Hart and KAT. They've got the perimeter defenders to stick with any team, guys who know their roles and can all shoot and defend a bit and the high end offensive upside of Brunson and KAT. The thing I can see derailing the Knicks is the same as last season, Thibs is a freaking maniac. The starting 5 has all played a heavy work load and time will tell if they're able to hold up once the postseason rolls around. If you could guarantee health though, I like the Knicks to make some noise this year. 

The Nuggets are a team I just won't quit. I probably should have them down with the pretenders, but Jokic is just so ridiculously good that I can't bring myself to count him out even a little bit. Yeah their depth sucks and yeah Murray has been really hot and cold this season, but they have the best basketball player on the planet. I've seen Jokic do some ridiculous stuff in the playoffs. Even last year when they were eliminated in the second round Jokic averaged 29/11/8 against the Timberwolves on 60% true shooting. This is against the team that was better equipped to guard him than any other team he's ever faced. If the Nuggets role players are hitting their open 3s, which they weren't last year, then the Nuggets can beat anyone. Jokic is just that good. 

Finally, my favorite and the team I will be adopting once April rolls around, the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder can play in so many different ways, especially now that Chet is back. They've got so many pesky defenders that can swarm ball handlers and make lives hell on opposing offenses. They have 2 guys in the backline in Chet and Hartenstein that each offer rim protection and mobility on defense without taking away anything on offense. They can go 5 out with Chet at the 5 and spread opposing defenses out. They can play huge with Chet at the 4 and Aaron Wiggins in at the 3 along Hartenstein and matchup well against teams who try to mash them. They have a young player in Jalen Williams who if he was on any other team in basketball would be talked about like a future big time shot maker and defender in the NBA. None of this mentions the probable MVP of this season Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who is simply the most unguardable player in basketball right now. The Thunder are a young team, they will need to prove it when the lights get bright. One thing I know for sure, Shai is not scared of the moment. 

That's that! This one was pretty fun! I