Winners
Terry Stotts and Brad Stevens
Named Coaches of the Month for the Western and Eastern Conference, respectively, Stotts and Stevens coached two of the winningest teams in the NBA for the month of February. The Portland Trail Blazers and Boston Celtics each won nine games last month, tied with the Golden State Warriors for second-best during that span. The Blazers (9-2) and the Celtics (9-3) trailed only the Warriors and San Antonio Spurs for best winning percentage in the NBA in February.
Stotts and Stevens were well-deserving of the award and, if it weren't for Steve Kerr's Warriors and Gregg Popovich's Spurs, both would be candidates for Coach of the Year. On the second of March, Stotts and his Blazers traveled to the TD Garden to square off against fellow Coach of the Month, Brad Stevens. Stevens got the better hand as his Celtics blew out the Blazers 116-93.
Miami Heat
The only team to go 4-0 last week, the Heat continue to roll without Chris Bosh. They now have a five-game win streak and news broke that Bosh has began working out with the Heat training staff. While it is still very much in doubt that the team's leading scorer will return this season, they are a game and a half behind the Celtics for third place in the East. The Heat averaged 113 points-per-game over their four-game span last week-a notable increase from their season average of 98.
Charlotte Hornets
The only team to score more points-per-game last week than the Miami Heat was the Charlotte Hornets, who sit just three games behind the Heat in the standings. They, too, went undefeated last week, averaging 117.7 points per contest. No team in the East has jumped more in the standings than the Hornets, who held a losing record for the majority of the season while Al Jefferson was sidelined due to injury. Since Jefferson's return to the floor on February 19, the Hornets have gone 6-2. On a limited minutes basis, the 31 year-old center is slowly working his way back to form. In 19 minutes against the Phoenix Suns last Tuesday, Jefferson scored 19 points and grabbed seven boards.
With Big Al completing the trifecta with Kemba Walker and Nicolas Batum, the Hornets are in prime position to storm into the postseason. Walker has averaged nearly 30 points, five rebounds, and seven assists over his last three games. The Hornets are one game behind the Atlanta Hawks for fifth place in the East and have the easiest schedule remaining among.
Memphis Grizzlies
After Marc Gasol was injured against the Trail Blazers on February 8, the Grizzlies have gone 7-3, all the while maintaining the fifth seed in the Western Conference. Gasol, who has since been ruled out for the season with a foot injury, still leads the team in scoring and is second to Zach Randolph in rebounds.
Ten days after their starting forward was injured, the Grizzlies traded Courtney Lee and Jeff Green in separate deals to the Hornets and Los Angeles Clippers, respectively. In exchange for Lee, the Griz received P.J. Hairston from the Hornets and Chris Anderson from the Heat.
Hairston, whose playing time has increased since changing uniforms, has provided quality minutes as the starting small forward in Green's absence. The same is true for The Birdman, who has started four of nine games for the Grizzlies. He is the quintessential replacement for Gasol, adding much-needed rim protection to a team whose mantra has centered around defense.
As for the Green trade, it has brought Lance Stephenson back to relevance. In eight games for the Grizzlies-all off the bench-Stephenson has averaged 12.5 points-per-game. After averaging 4.7 points and 15.8 minutes for the Clippers, the Griz have revived Stephenson, who is back to averaging over 20 minutes per outing. David Joerger has proved his worth without Gasol in his lineup and the Grizzlies, who went 3-1 last week, have held steady in fifth place.
Los Angeles Clippers
The Clippers have continued to win without Blake Griffin and have closed in on the third seed in the West. The Oklahoma City Thunder, whom the Clippers defeated last week, have struggled since the All-Star break and now have just a two-game lead over the Clips. Chris Paul continues to lead the scoring, followed by J.J. Redick and Jamal Crawford, who has made yet another case for the Sixth Man Award. Meanwhile, DeAndre Jordan-a potential favorite for Defensive Player of the Year-has held down the rim protection. Doc Rivers has the third-best defensive squad among Western Conference playoff teams.
Jeff Green is a big upgrade from Lance Stephenson, who was underutilized in L.A. Griffin reportedly claimed that he is close to returning to action, but no official statement has been made by the team. He will first have to serve a four-game suspension, but Griffin will assuredly resurrect Lob City to the fullest as the Clippers continue their push for the third seed.
San Antonio Spurs
Having been winners all season, the Spurs are an astonishing two and a half games behind the Warriors. A team who may very likely have the best regular season record in NBA history by season's end has the NBA's best defensive team hot on their tails and no one is talking about it.
On top of being the only other team that has yet to lose ten games this season, the Spurs are the only other team with a flawless home record. Their 30-0 mark at home is the best in the NBA. No team has ever gone undefeated at home during the regular season and both, the Spurs and Warriors, are capable of accomplishing that feat. Not enough has been said about Gregg Popovich's Spurs, who clinched a playoff spot last week.
Myles Turner
An under-the-radar rookie, Turner displaced Kristaps Porzingis as Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month in February. The Indiana Pacers' rookie center became just the third recipient of the Rookie of the Month this season. Likely Rookie of the Year winner Karl-Anthony Towns has received the recognition in every month this season. Turner was inserted into the Pacers' starting lineup and averaged 13.4 points-per-game and 6.6 rebounds-per-game in the month of February.
Losers
Oklahoma City Thunder
The Thunder have a 3-6 record since the All-Star break and are clinging to a two-game lead over the Clippers in the West. The team's two All-Stars, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook should be alerted that these games are no longer between the best players in the Eastern and Western Conferences. They are games that matter and Billy Donovan's coaching expertise will truly be tested as the Thunder begin to grind out a tough schedule in the month of March.
Chicago Bulls
The Bulls fell out of the top eight in the East last week and were nearly surpassed by the Washington Wizards in the standings. Another rookie head coach was tested, as Fred Hoiberg has been forced to cope without the team's leading scorer. Luckily, the Bulls' stay in the lower half was short-lived and Jimmy Butler returned to the floor on Sunday to snap a four-game losing streak. While the Bulls have jumped back into playoff position, they are just one game above .500 and are tied with the Detroit Pistons with a one and a half game lead over the Wizards.
Houston Rockets
The Rockets bought out Ty Lawson last week and the point guard has since signed with the Indiana Pacers. After making an unnecessary trade this offseason, Lawson forced Patrick Beverley out of the starting lineup. The experiment did not last long, however, as the veteran point guard wound up back on the bench after only starting 13 games in Houston. He continued to be a problem off the court and the Rockets are left to wonder if their season would have resembled last year's more closely if they had not made the move.
Carmelo Anthony, New York Knicks
The Knicks' season has gone in traditional Knicks fashion. Even with rookie phenom, Kristaps Porzinigis, the Knickerbockers are 26-38. Frustrations boiled over amidst a 1-2 week and Anthony was forced to apologize to a fan after telling him to get his money back when the Knicks lost 18th home game of the season last Tuesday. Anthony also missed a team charity event due to "personal reasons" as more rumblings surround the nine-time All-Star. Interim head coach, Kurt Rambis, is in another hot mess for the Knicks and, with several quality coaching candidates on the market, is likely not to return as head coach next season. Nevertheless, blood continues to boil in New York.
Jimmer Fredette
A 10-day contract was all Fredette got from the Knicks and the 27 year-old is now back in the D-League. His future in the NBA is now in doubt and he has not scored more than four points in a single game at the NBA level this season. It appears as though the days for the once hot-handed college phenom are numbered.