CBS Sportsline grade report

["Greg Odegaard" <grodeg@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Hard to argue really. The Celtics above the Lakers but below the Pissed Ons?

And come on folks this is summer so learn your lessons about the facts of
debate. Can't we all just resist a little more than so far. Please?

Thanks,
Greg

Report cards: Which NBA teams made the grade?
     June 17, 2002
      By Mike Kahn
      SportsLine.com Executive Editor
      Tell Mike your opinion!




      Seems like only yesterday the 2001-2002 NBA season began ... or is that
only last year?

      Nonetheless, the season came to a ceremonious halt on June 12, marking
the third consecutive season the Los Angeles Lakers have won the NBA title,
this time in an overwhelming four-game sweep of the New Jersey Nets.


            Jason Kidd took the Nets to uncharted territory for a once-woeful
franchise.(AP)
      Although it further emphasized the frazzled state in which coach Phil
Jackson, Shaquille O'Neal, Kobe Bryant and the Lakers have left the rest of
the league, the turnaround of teams like the Nets, Boston Celtics and Detroit
Pistons was a significant alteration from recent seasons.

      The continued improvement to elite status for the Sacramento Kings and
Dallas Mavericks also reflects the transition of the league into a new era.

      The teams, they-are-a-changin'.

      So as we reflect on the NBA season gone by, it's time to consider how
each of the 29 teams did with regard to exceeding, attaining or failing
preseason expectations. Grades are based on my own perspective of the overall
performances of each team.

      Grades will range from A to F, with plusses and minuses for emphasis. So
let's get to it.


      The A-Team
      New Jersey Nets: Regardless of how overmatched they were against the
Lakers, the Nets were in the Finals. That accomplishment after 25 years of
futility makes them worthy. From Rod Thorn's eye for talent, which added Jason
Kidd, Kenyon Martin, Richard Jefferson, Jason Collins and Todd MacCulloch, to
Byron Scott's motivational tactics, it was a superb season. Grade: A+.

      Detroit Pistons: Nobody expected the Pistons to get into the playoffs,
let alone win the Central Division and actually make it to the second round
for rookie coach Rick Carlisle. But Ben Wallace became the latest, greatest
board and shot-blocking monster, Jerry Stackhouse was a better team player and
Corliss Wiliamson and Jon Barry had career years off the bench. Can they top
this? Grade: A+.

      Sacramento Kings: The Kings were right there and should have beaten the
Lakers. They just didn't. From coach Rick Adelman, stars Chris Webber, Vlade
Divac, and Peja Stojakovic, budding star Mike Bibby and the rest, this was a
marvelous season that had championship possibilities. They couldn't quite pull
it off, so they'll have to stew about mental toughness all summer. Grade: A.

      Boston Celtics: Coach Jim O'Brien knew what he was doing adding Dick
Harter to his staff. With no size and bulk, they just attacked defensively
under Harter's watchful eye, with Paul Pierce taking a giant step into
superstardom and Antoine Walker becoming a leader with fewer knuckleheaded
tendencies. A surprise season from a team that is a tough guy away from being
legit. Grade: A.

      Los Angeles Lakers: Yeah, the Lakers became the first team to win three
titles in a row and lose only three Finals games in the process. Phil Jackson
tied Red Auerbach's record with nine coaching titles. Shaquille O'Neal
overcame toe problems, and Kobe Bryant picked his spots better. Robert Horry,
Rick Fox and Derek Fisher are still clutch. They weren't as good this season
but good enough. Grade: A.

      Dallas Mavericks: The Mavs now are officially a hurricane of an
organization, from obstreperous owner Mark Cuban to funky coach Don Nelson and
the incredible shooting of Dirk Nowitzki, Michael Finley, Steve Nash, Raef
LaFrentz and Nick Van Exel. It might not be a perfect fit, or a team that is
built for the playoffs, but they are fun and explosive. Grade: A.

      San Antonio Spurs: Although vulnerable early, they proved appearances
are often deceiving. Coach Gregg Popovich and GM R.C. Buford added a
19-year-old point guard from France named Tony Parker and brought in defensive
wiz Bruce Bowen. That's all Tim Duncan needed to pull off another Midwest
crown and No. 2 seed despite David Robinson, Steve Smith and Terry Porter
being on their last legs. Grade: A.


      B prepared for better things
      Los Angeles Clippers: After seeing the way the Nets, Celtics and Pistons
turned things around, the Clippers must be next. The only difference is being
in the much tougher West. But Alvin Gentry has these guys playing hard, and
it's worth it to give Lamar Odom a chance to play up front with Elton Brand
and Michael Olowokandi. They're after Andre Miller or Baron Davis to play
point. Watch 'em. Grade: B+.

      Seattle SuperSonics: Nobody expected much out of the Sonics,
particularly the way Vin Baker continues to be a bust and free-agent center
Calvin Booth hurt his ankle and was virtually useless. But we got to see what
an exceptional coach Nate McMillan is. He preached leadership to Gary Payton
and got great play out of Brent Barry, Rashard Lewis, Desmond Mason and
Vladimir Radmanovic. Grade: B+.

      Portland Trail Blazers: Everyone was ready to write off the Blazers and
rookie coach Mo Cheeks. Bad idea. For a while they were great despite Arvydas
Sabonis' retirement. Dale Davis hung in there, with a calmer Rasheed Wallace
up front and a better-than-expected season from Scottie Pippen. Ruben
Patterson and Derek Anderson were welcome additions, but Bonzi Wells and Damon
Stoudamire remain questions. Grade: B+.

      Minnesota Timberwolves: The 'Wolves had the look of a special team from
the outset, at 30-10, rolling with a long zone defense and spewing confidence
with Kevin Garnett and Wally Szczerbiak bubbling over. It didn't last. Teams
figured out the zone, Terrell Brandon was hurt essentially all season, and
they finished 20-22. Their best hope might be a request to be in the Eastern
Conference. Grade: B.

      New Orleans (Charlotte) Hornets: Considering the move was in a state of
flux all season and home attendance was awful, and leading scorer Jamal
Mashburn was injured and out half the season and got so sick he missed all but
the first quarter of the first playoff game, this was a successful season.
Baron Davis became an All-Star point guard, and coach Paul Silas got some
surprise productivity from Lee Nailon. They can breathe now. Grade: B.

      Utah Jazz: With John Stockton celebrating his 40th birthday in March and
Karl Malone turning 39 next month, a dropoff was expected. But Jerry Sloan,
the most underrated coach of this era, kept pushing a team loaded with free
agents defensively. Rookie Andrei Kirilenko was terrific and Donyell Marshall
productive when healthy, and they scared the Kings in the playoffs. Grade: B.

      Washington Wizards: Nobody expected anything out of this crew, even with
Michael Jordan opting to play at the age of 39. He played 60 games, and if his
knees hadn't caved late, they probably would have made the playoffs. Coach
Doug Collins did a great job of keeping them together and semi-confident
without M.J., and Rip Hamilton is looking like a star. Now the big bodies have
to prove they can play. Grade: B.


      C: Could be better or worse
      Orlando Magic: Once again expectations were great, and they didn't get
out of the first round. Grant Hill played all of 14 games before his third
ankle surgery. They're promising this time he'll be fine. Well, somebody has
to help Tracy McGrady, now one of the top five players in the game. Patrick
Ewing and Horace Grant proved to be too old. What do John Gabriel and Doc
Rivers do now? Grade: C.

      Indiana Pacers: They are very young and confounding, led by rookie point
guard Jamaal Tinsley and Isiah Thomas in his second season as coach. Getting
Ron Artest, Brad Miller and Kevin Ollie for Jalen Rose and Travis Best at
midseason was a gamble. At the end of the day, considering they took the Nets
to overtime in the first round, it worked. Next season, they had better be in
the 45-50 win range in the East. Grade: C.

      Philadelphia 76ers: Regardless of the excuses, when Allen Iverson and
Aaron McKie waited until just before training camp to have surgery they needed
in June, the Sixers never had a chance. Neither was healthy all season for
varying reasons, but that set the tone for guys like Eric Snow and Derrick
Coleman. They took the Celtics to five games in the first round but failed to
defend their conference championship. Grade: C-.

      Toronto Raptors: To their credit, the Raptors won eight of their last 10
to get into the playoffs, but they were awful a good portion of the year, and
coach Lenny Wilkens was on the ropes until they slipped in despite Vince
Carter's knee surgery. They spent way too much money last summer on players
who are average at best, and now they're suffering the consequences of having
a laid-back coach. Grade: C-.


      D: Don't even think about it
      Phoenix Suns: What a mess this season turned out to be, with coach Scott
Skiles surprisingly losing the team, the saga of Tom Gugliotta continuing its
injury-plagued route and Penny Hardaway proving once and for all he is no
longer All-Star caliber. So now it's up to Frank Johnson to run this show and
hope Stephon Marbury is much healthier next season to run with Shawn Marion
and a lottery pick. Grade: D.

      Houston Rockets: Considering Steve Francis had a million maladies and Mo
Taylor tore an Achilles' before the season even started and never played, it's
no wonder the Rockets never got off the launching pad. They just couldn't
compete up front with the best of the West, so they have to reconsider their
roster. Grade: D.

      Chicago Bulls: The Bulls won more games than any of the past four
seasons, and even though it was just 21 victories, this is one of the few
teams at the bottom of the barrel that showed improvement. Bill Cartwright
looks like the right coach finally, and adding Rose really buys some time for
the teen-aged big men to develop. But they need to figure out if some of the
other guys can play too. Grade: D

      Miami Heat: After a humiliating 6-23 start, coach Pat Riley willed them
back into the playoff hunt until they proved unworthy the final 2= weeks.
Their roster is a mess of overpaid, underperforming contracts, and with Alonzo
Mourning confoundingly unpredictable with kidney disease, the future is gray.
They'll try to move Brian Grant, but probably not Eddie Jones. Grade: D.

      Memphis Grizzlies: Just because they moved from Vancouver didn't mean
they would be any better. Oh yeah, they won one more game. Like the T-Wolves,
they want to be in the East, and now that Jerry West is the new president, the
odds increase. Pau Gasol and Shane Battier were great rookies, and Lorenzen
Wright was solid, but coach Sidney Lowe is a short-timer. Do ya think West can
get Mike Bibby back for Jason Williams? Grade: D.

      Atlanta Hawks: Great things were expected of the Hawks this season in
the wake of acquiring Shareef Abdur-Rahim and the expectation of Theo
Ratliff's interior presence. Abdur-Rahim had great moments, but Ratliff never
played, with a hip problem that could be career-threatening. Jason Terry is
explosive, and DerMarr Johnson showed sparks, but we still don't know if Lon
Kruger is an NBA coach. Grade: D.

      Cleveland Cavaliers: Zydrunas Ilgauskas made it back and finished in one
piece, and Andre Miller became a star, but it's still not working, and the
Gund family, by all accounts, is trying to unload this team. The crowds are
thin because the team's bad, so they aren't making money. It's the old
Catch-22 of sports, so they won't spend any, and Miller is likely to be
elsewhere soon. What's the plan? Grade: D.

      Milwaukee Bucks: Hard to believe this team with coach George Karl would
underachieve so dramatically. Yes, Ray Allen and Co. had more than their share
of injuries. But to not make the playoffs ... inconceivable without being
decimated, which they were not. Anthony Mason is a bad fit. Can owner Sen.
Herb Kohl stand for spending all this money (Karl gets $7 million-plus
starting next season)? Should be an interesting summer. Grade: D

      New York Knicks: Now that managing partner Jim Dolan has cleared the
decks to run the team, the Knicks have become second fiddle to the Nets in the
Big Apple. Who would have ever believed that? Marcus Camby continues to be
more fragile than Wall Street, Latrell Sprewell lost focus this season, and
the player contracts signed last summer are more bloated than the lost Knicks'
egos. Grade: D.

      F is for fuhgetaboutit

      Denver Nuggets: Well, the Nuggets cleaned the house of contracts with
Van Exel, LaFrentz and Avery Johnson going to Dallas, and Juwan Howard just
has one more overpaid season left. Does that make things right? Does Antonio
McDyess have any inclination to stay after this season? And, by the way, if
Eddie Jordan doesn't turn out to be the new coach, then what have they been
waiting for? Grade: F.

      Golden State Warriors: It is unconscionable that Jerry West left the
Lakers organization and the Warriors didn't snatch him. Brian Winters still
doesn't know if he's the coach or will be looking for a new job. They have
youth. They have big men. They are terrible. A classic example of a franchise
that will never win until a new owner changes the focus. They continuously
botch, well, everything. Grade: F.