GAH progress III: Atlantic Division
Feb 25, 2017 12:18:35 GMT
Post by mgtr81 on Feb 25, 2017 12:18:35 GMT
We continue with our series of weekly reviews about what is happening around the league. This weekend we take a look at the Atlantic Division. Teams are ordered by current record (as of January 26th, 1994).
1. 30-12
The Sixers are the most surprising team of the season. Not for lack of talent, because they already had in year's past, but because it seems the pieces are finally fitting well together. It is nice to see the first ever GAH champion back into the elite of the league, and it is even nicer that 38-year-old Darryl Dawkins is still part of the franchise. He is the one and only player since the league was born in the 1976-77 season to have played for the very same team. Sophomore Mahmoud Abdul Rauf leads the team in scoring with 19.4 points per game. Up to seven players are scoring in double figures for the Sixers. They have a deep frontcourt with Danny Manning, Clark Kellogg, Arvydas Sabonis and Pervis Ellison all contributing, while Rod Strickland is running the offense perfectly averaging 13.5 points, 9.4 assists and 3.7 rebounds per contest. Halfway through the season Philadelphia can no longer be considered to be a fluke. Can they compete with the East elite (Pacers and Bulls) come playoff time?
2. 22-20
The Nets season started in an awful manner, but they have recovered and currently have a winning record in a tight Eastern Conference. Losing Shawn Kemp hurt the team, but they can still make some noise in the playoffs. William Bedford has taken a step forward, putting up 16.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.5 blocks in just 28.4 minutes per game. Kendall Gill, Dennis Scott and Fat Lever are doing a good job, but the team would probably need someone else to improve to get past the first round of the playoffs ... or make a trade.
3. 21-21
The Heat made a big deal in the offseason after losing Elden Campbell and Karl Malone, acquiring Vlade Divac in exchange for Steve Smith., and then went on to sign Loy Vaught. All in all, Miami is still a competitive team as it was last year, and this is still Tim Hardaway's team. The 27-year-old point guard, though, is just playing a career-low 28.3 minutes per game, translating into 17.9 points and 7.1 assists per contest. While, as the Sixers, they have several players contributing, they probably are closer to the Nets in the sense that someone has to take on a larger role to improve the team's chances at postseason success.
4. 21-21
The Bullets are still a two-man team. Reggie Miller and Glen Rice are two of the finest GAH scorers, averaging 31.8 and 24.7 points per game, respectively ... and that is good enough for a 21-21 record. The team needs something else to take the next level. Despite being good at their roles, Dennis Rodman, Benoit Benjamin and the rest of the team are not adding anything the Bullets did not already have. Is a trade an option for Washington? His GM is certainly capable of making something happen before the trade deadline.
5. 21-23
Despite a 3-9 run recently, the Knicks have shown signs of improvement over past seasons. They can make the playoffs for the first time since the 1989-90 season, and that would be a success for the team. Offseason acquisition Mitch Richmond is leading the team with 21.6 points per game, shooting 38.1 % from three-point range. Three other players are scoring in double figures for the team: Oscar Schmidt, Derrick Coleman and Kevin Johnson. While Coleman season is being a good one (having a career-high field goal percentage), Knicks fans were probably expecting more than 13.5 points per game when he signed a max deal in the offseason. Outside of the 35-year-old Schmidt, this is a team with its core players hitting their primes, so that is good news for New York.
6. 16-26
Barely a year and a half after winning their second GAH title, it is weird to see the Celtics closing the division. Hard cap issues certainly penalized the team, as they could not sign their first round selection in last June's draft (Tracy Murray) and could not retain Loy Vaught. Still, when you have Clyde Drexler, John Stockton, Cliff Robinson and Sam Bowie on your team, expectations are high. They acquired Nick Anderson from Detroit earlier in the month, and have gone 5-5 since. There is still half season to be played, so we will see if Boston can recover in time to make the playoffs.
That is all for this week. We will be back next weekend to bring you more information on the GAH.
1. 30-12
The Sixers are the most surprising team of the season. Not for lack of talent, because they already had in year's past, but because it seems the pieces are finally fitting well together. It is nice to see the first ever GAH champion back into the elite of the league, and it is even nicer that 38-year-old Darryl Dawkins is still part of the franchise. He is the one and only player since the league was born in the 1976-77 season to have played for the very same team. Sophomore Mahmoud Abdul Rauf leads the team in scoring with 19.4 points per game. Up to seven players are scoring in double figures for the Sixers. They have a deep frontcourt with Danny Manning, Clark Kellogg, Arvydas Sabonis and Pervis Ellison all contributing, while Rod Strickland is running the offense perfectly averaging 13.5 points, 9.4 assists and 3.7 rebounds per contest. Halfway through the season Philadelphia can no longer be considered to be a fluke. Can they compete with the East elite (Pacers and Bulls) come playoff time?
2. 22-20
The Nets season started in an awful manner, but they have recovered and currently have a winning record in a tight Eastern Conference. Losing Shawn Kemp hurt the team, but they can still make some noise in the playoffs. William Bedford has taken a step forward, putting up 16.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.5 blocks in just 28.4 minutes per game. Kendall Gill, Dennis Scott and Fat Lever are doing a good job, but the team would probably need someone else to improve to get past the first round of the playoffs ... or make a trade.
3. 21-21
The Heat made a big deal in the offseason after losing Elden Campbell and Karl Malone, acquiring Vlade Divac in exchange for Steve Smith., and then went on to sign Loy Vaught. All in all, Miami is still a competitive team as it was last year, and this is still Tim Hardaway's team. The 27-year-old point guard, though, is just playing a career-low 28.3 minutes per game, translating into 17.9 points and 7.1 assists per contest. While, as the Sixers, they have several players contributing, they probably are closer to the Nets in the sense that someone has to take on a larger role to improve the team's chances at postseason success.
4. 21-21
The Bullets are still a two-man team. Reggie Miller and Glen Rice are two of the finest GAH scorers, averaging 31.8 and 24.7 points per game, respectively ... and that is good enough for a 21-21 record. The team needs something else to take the next level. Despite being good at their roles, Dennis Rodman, Benoit Benjamin and the rest of the team are not adding anything the Bullets did not already have. Is a trade an option for Washington? His GM is certainly capable of making something happen before the trade deadline.
5. 21-23
Despite a 3-9 run recently, the Knicks have shown signs of improvement over past seasons. They can make the playoffs for the first time since the 1989-90 season, and that would be a success for the team. Offseason acquisition Mitch Richmond is leading the team with 21.6 points per game, shooting 38.1 % from three-point range. Three other players are scoring in double figures for the team: Oscar Schmidt, Derrick Coleman and Kevin Johnson. While Coleman season is being a good one (having a career-high field goal percentage), Knicks fans were probably expecting more than 13.5 points per game when he signed a max deal in the offseason. Outside of the 35-year-old Schmidt, this is a team with its core players hitting their primes, so that is good news for New York.
6. 16-26
Barely a year and a half after winning their second GAH title, it is weird to see the Celtics closing the division. Hard cap issues certainly penalized the team, as they could not sign their first round selection in last June's draft (Tracy Murray) and could not retain Loy Vaught. Still, when you have Clyde Drexler, John Stockton, Cliff Robinson and Sam Bowie on your team, expectations are high. They acquired Nick Anderson from Detroit earlier in the month, and have gone 5-5 since. There is still half season to be played, so we will see if Boston can recover in time to make the playoffs.
That is all for this week. We will be back next weekend to bring you more information on the GAH.