Sean Johnson, Senior
Photo Courtesy Of: theringer.com
After two months of NBA action, the Milwaulkee Bucks lead the Eastern Conference with a record of 31-5, and the Los Angeles Lakers lead the West with a record of 27-7. In terms of positive news around the league, Zion Williamson participated in his first Pelicans practice yesterday after suffering a pre-season injury in October. Since this, there has been a lot of speculation by league analysts and experts regarding when Williamson will make his regular season debut. Also, from now on NBA players and referees are going to wear black bands on their uniforms to honor the late Commissioner Emeritus David Stern, who tragically passed away last Monday. Many NBA players and organizations have made heartfelt social media posts and held ceremonies to honor Stern, who served as the league’s commissioner for almost three decades.
The most important news this month is the NBA trade deadline, which is set for Thursday, February 6th. With the trade deadline being only a month away, many trade rumors for different teams have been going around lately. There has been a lot of trade buzz surrounding Chris Paul, since it is unlikely that the Thunder will be able to absorb his massive contract at the end of this season. The 76ers have been in talks with the Thunder regarding a trade for the All-Star point guard, which would really change up the look in Philadelphia, given that Ben Simmons, the team’s franchise player, is the Sixers’ point guard. DeMar DeRozan has a player option next year, and the Spurs have not mentioned a contract extension for him yet, so a DeRozan trade could be coming soon. The Hawks are coming close to a trade with the Pistons for center Andre Drummond as well, since he is going to be a free agent soon, and he leads the league in rebounding. Being one of the league’s best defensive big men, Drummond could be expecting a rather large contract deal. Also, Blake Griffin has been drawing a substantial amount of interest by teams in the trade market due to the fact that his career averages have been way down since his time playing for the Pistons. Analysts believe that Charlotte would be a great fit Griffin. Lastly, Kevin Love of the Cleveland Cavaliers has been making NBA news a lot recently for his on-court outburst with his team, along with his argument with the Cavalier’s general manager about the ‘direction of the team.’ It is clear that Love does not want to be a part of a team that is in the rebuilding phase, and Love could greatly benefit a playoff contender with his rebounding and shooting ability, so a trade would be good for both Love and Cleveland. Despite the high price of Kevin Love’s contract, the Portland Trail Blazers are expressing a great deal of interest in him.
Some noteworthy games coming up this week include: Bucks vs. Spurs, Sixers vs. Thunder, Heat vs. Pacers, Lakers vs. Mavericks, and Clippers vs. Nuggets. The Sixers/Thunder game is going to be especially exciting since the Sixers are 1-20 in their last 21 meetings with the Thunder, but the Sixers are the team with the better record so far this season. Not to mention, the Clippers/Nuggets game will also be interesting to watch, since the Clippers could take second place in the Western Conference with a win, while the Nuggets would keep the second place spot if they win. The Celtics (2nd seed in the East) and the Heat (3rd seed in the East) both play a great deal of games this week, so if they can pull of some wins, the Bucks dominant lead over the East could be reduced.
With the halfway mark of the season as well as the trade deadline approaching, there has been a lot happening in the NBA. Many different teams around the NBA could look very different, come February 6th, due to all the major trade rumors happening. Even though the race for first in the Western Conference looks closer than that in the Eastern Conference, there are still many teams that could be playoff contenders if they continue playing well. The teams at the top of the two conferences are there thanks to players such as Luka Doncic, LeBron James, James Harden, and Giannis Antetokounmpo, who are all in the MVP conversation for this season.
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