---

By Aaron J. Haberman

NBA Midseason Report Before the show begins, I’d like to point out the 2002-2003 standings. Finishing last place in the West, Denver showcased a record of 17-65. Two spots in front of them, you find the Memphis Grizzlies at 28-54. At 3rd in the Pacific division was Portland (50-32). Finishing 8th in the conference was Phoenix at 44-38. Moving over to the Eastern Conference, Orlando finished 42-40, and 7th in the conference, while the injury plagued Raptors hobbled to a 24-58 finish.

So what? Well, in the 9+ months since the 2002-2003 regular season finished, things have changed. The Atlantic division, headed by the Nets, featured four teams with records above .500. This year, the Nets still lead the division at 21-20 but are the only team over .500. Remember the Raptors? This team won’t be finishing near the bottom of the Central. In fact, at 20-21, they stand four wins away from last years win total. In that, the Nuggets beat them. At 26-19, they’ve won 9 more games than last year in 37 less games. And those Grizzlies? Their 24-18 record finds them 8th in West.

Not every team has changed for the better, though. Intrigued by dumping salary and the rebuilding process, the Suns find themselves at the bottom of the Varsity league that goes by the Western Conference. Remember Orlando from last year? Their mediocrity was good enough, but this year, at 12-32, it’s evolved into the league’s worst record. And then there’s Portland. With all intention of a pun, this team’s talent seems to be locked in a jail cell. The league’s worst road team, though managing a 17-23 record, has played far below its talent level.

It’s obvious that each of these teams, along with a few others, is not the same team we saw last year. Some have added talent, some have lost talent, some have aged, and some have just stunk. These are a few reasons for the dramatic changes in the ranks of NBA teams. Some players have let their teams down; some have brought their game to a new level; some rookies have stepped up; and some coaches are making their impact. Forty-five games in, I’ve listed these rookies, letdowns, coaches, and MVP candidates in order of their impact, or lack thereof. Let’s begin with the letdowns; there’s always too many to put into just one lineup.

THE MIDSEASON LETDOWN AWARDS:

Centers: Scot Pollard, Indiana - 1.5 PPG, 2.7 RPG, 11.2 MPG, .319 FG%

Indy knew Brad Miller was gone, and the best they could make of the situation was a sign-and-trade that brought Pollard. Nobody is going to look at him for offense in any aspect aside from offensive rebounds leading to put-backs, but the energy and aggressiveness he brought to Sacramento off the bench hasn’t followed through in with the Pacers. A center like him is valuable; he’s scrappy, gets rebounds, and knows what’s expected of him. This year, he hasn’t been able to impress Rick Carlisle, and the energy and tough-guy persona he delivered with Sac-town has disappeared. Don’t expect him to stay out of the rotation, though. He’s bulky, and alters more shots than Jeff Foster will. A late season surge is definitely possible for Indiana’s playoff run, especially in the likely case that you see them match up against a bigger West opponent in the finals.

Power Forwards: Rasheed Wallace, Portland - 17.3 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 143 3PA, .431 FG%

Make no mistake, ‘Sheed’s a Power Forward. He’s also a top 5 PF, at that. Not this year though. The only reason Zach Randolph is leading the Blazers is because Rasheed lets him. He’s completely apathetic, and no matter what he says, he’s waiting for his ticket out. Showing for practice and games, to him, is just that. He shows up, puts in little effort, and is fine as long as someone ‘cuts the check.’ He takes everything lightly, and Portland’s record shows it. Trade speculation is ever-present, but Rasheed needs to learn to play through it and bring Portland back into playoff contention. No question, almost all players should be satisfied with the numbers he puts up, but his stat-line could be so much better. And shooting 43% is unacceptable. Possibly cutting down on 3’s, which account for over 25% of his shots, would improve on his field goal percentage.

Small Forward: Caron Butler, Miami - 6.6 PPG, .077 3P FG%, .329 FG%

Sophomore slump? Whatever it is, Caron has lost confidence in his shot. It’s largely due to his knee injury, but Caron’s been back awhile and nothing’s changed. Wade’s out, and he still hasn’t stepped up. If Caron played like his rookie season, Miami would find themselves an even greater contender for the final playoff spots. His game will resurge, eventually, but as of now, he’s reluctant to shoot, flat when he does shoot, is defending as well, and has seen a decline of nearly 9 PPG from his rookie season. Caron, one of the steals of the ’02-’03 draft, is much better than his play, and Miami knows how much they need him, which is why they’ve been reluctant to trade him.

Shooting Guard: Ricky Davis, Boston/Cleveland - 13.5 PPG, .688 FT%,

His numbers are not bad at all. However, it’s a great decline from last year in Cleveland, when he was the first option. In Boston, most of the shots go to Paul Pierce, but Ricky has got to be scoring more. He can shoot well enough, and knows how to get to the basket. Boston knew they needed a second scorer to contend, so they acquired Ricky. But he hasn’t been that He’s had a few good games for Boston, but since joining the team, he’s averaging just 11.5 points off the bench. He’s got to improve; meaning Ricky has to play to his potential in the second half.

Point Guard: Gilbert Arenas, Washington

This is not based on Gilbert’s stats. I hate to include him here, but it’s by default. Washington spent big on him to lead them to contention this year. Aside from a little slide in his passing, Gilbert was playing equally as great as last year. The only reason he lands on my list is because he rushed himself back from injury, and let the team down. Without him, the already without-Stackhouse Wizards simply have too few scorers. He’ll return and play great, and show everyone what they could have been this year, as he put it. But for now, Arenas is sitting, watching his team play because he rushed himself into returning from injury when he probably would be back by now had he waited.

Next: The league's top MVP candidates.