The NBA All-Star break is a great time to sit back and reflect on the first half of the season. It’s a time to think about the players who have amazed us, and the surprises we’ve been blessed with in yet another riveting campaign. While that’s all well and good, the All-Star break is also a time to reflect on those who haven’t lived up to expectations, or in some cases, have flamed out spectacularly.
Not everyone can be great in the NBA, and more often than not the teams with high expectations disappoint. After all, there is only one champion every year. With all of that in mind, let’s take a look at the biggest disappointments of the season thus far, as we head into All-Star weekend in just a few short weeks.
The Brooklyn Nets
All of it. Everything. Literally nothing about the Nets hasn’t been disappointing in 2015-2016. First, the team buys out Deron Williams. Then, Jarrett Jack is injured for the season. Billy King and Lionel Hollins get the boot, and the team doesn’t control their own 1st round draft pick until 2019.
I won’t go into further detail (read here for more), but there isn’t a single aspect of this franchise that gives fans hope for a brighter future. Bojan Bogdanovic, a pleasant surprise last season, currently holds the lowest Real Plus-Minus in the league, and three others join him in the bottom 30.
Mikhail Prokhorov also recently revealed just how out of touch with reality he is by claiming that the Nets are one or two players away from being championship contenders again (again?). This team is headed in the wrong direction, and there is no end in sight for the free fall that this franchise finds itself in.
Andre Drummond’s Free Throw Shooting
It’s no secret that the “Hack-a-Drummond” has been in full force this year, as it has been growing in popularity around the NBA in recent seasons. As such, you would expect that the players on the receiving end of these fouls have improved their shooting to counteract this tactic.
You would be wrong. Despite almost passing his season high in FTA already, Drummond is shooting a career-low 35% from the line. Most recently, he set an NBA record by missing 23 free throws in a single game against the Houston Rockets. Not good, Andre, not good at all.
The Houston Rockets
Speaking of Houston, I should also mention that the Pistons actually won that game, despite Andre Drummond missing those 23 free throws. The Rockets have been a major disappointment this season despite having played better lately. Contending for the Western Conference Championship will set pretty high expectations, and so far in their encore performance they’ve gone just about .500 and fired a more than capable head coach. They still have a good shot at making the playoffs, but they are far off the pace many thought they’d be at the halfway mark.
Cleveland Cavaliers Upper Management
What in the world happened in Cleveland that got David Blatt fired? Did he sleep with Dan Gilbert’s wife? My goodness, the Cavaliers front office situation is just an absolute mess. Not only did Blatt get the boot halfway through yet another a first-place campaign, but then Cleveland immediately named then-assistant coach Tyronn Lue as their interim head coach — only wait a minute — they actually gave him a three-year deal to be their permanent head coach. This isn’t to say that Lue isn’t tremendously qualified to be successful, but the timing, context, and Julius Caesar-esque way this all went down leaves much to be desired from Cleveland’s upper management.
Kobe Bryant’s Retirement Tour
There’s no doubt that Kobe saw what happened with fellow icons Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter and thought: “Hmmm…I want some of that.” When Kobe announced during the season that this would be his last, the NBA scrambled to give him the sending off that he (justifiably) desired. Unfortunately, that also means that the Lakers basically altered their goals midway through the season. They weren’t going to contend for anything anyway, but now their crunch-time minutes are going to Kobe instead of younger players, and the team is in free fall. Credit to Kobe for not going out without a fight, but it's always disappointing to see a player struggle to let go, no matter how great he once was.
The Phoenix Suns/Markieff Morris Situation
A brief recap of this situation:
1. Phoenix trades several key pieces last season.
2. Phoenix trades Markieff Morris’ brother, Marcus Morris to the Pistons.
3. Markieff says he is done with Phoenix and demands a trade.
4. No one is happy about this.
5. Phoenix owner Robert Sarver blames millennials for everything.
6. Nothing happens.
Which brings us to 7., which is that still nothing has happened with Markieff Morris, though there have been rumors left and right that the team will finally trade him. There must be something with the front office in Phoenix, as they have now repeatedly caused important players to demand a trade.
Regardless, it’s hard to imagine the Suns will get much back for him, and even harder to imagine that Morris’ reputation will ever be restored. This is a lose-lose all around, and an emerging and disturbing trend in the desert.
The Milwaukee Bucks
Milwaukee was a sleeper pick this season for a variety of reasons. Khris Middleton would live up to his contract, Giannis Antetokounmpo would take the superstar leap, and newcomer Greg Monroe would solidify the frontcourt on a championship contending squad.
Unfortunately, none of this has happened, and Milwaukee sits 8 games under .500, 5 games out of the playoffs, and last in the Central Division. Their defense is in the bottom 5, they give up the 2nd most offensive rebounds, allow the 3rd most free throw attempts, and turn the ball over 15 times per game. With flaws like those, it’s no wonder this team is underperforming.
The Philadelphia 76ers
*Sigh*, it seems like the 76ers are locked down on this list. For the umpteenth year in a row, the Sixers are a disappointment to the game of basketball itself. Prisoners of an asinine “process” and undermining the competitive nature of professional sports, Philly fans have been forced to endure season upon season of misery with no end in sight.
The plan wouldn’t have been so bad had the people in charge been able to draft better, but now this team has several underperforming big men, no NBA-caliber guards, and almost no depth to speak of. After tying the record for most losses to start an NBA season, the 76ers have managed to win six games. All of this is an attempt to stack the odds in their favor in yet another NBA draft, and yet another reason to hope that the ping-pong balls don’t fall their way in May, and Sam Hinkie finally abandons his seemingly ridiculous “process.”
The New Orleans Pelicans
Last year, the Pelicans were one of the dandies of the season. This year is a far cry from that outcome, as the team has plummeted to a 16-27 record and has looked disjointed for much of the year. Part of that comes with having a new head coach in Alvin Gentry with a new system in place, but the fact is that Anthony Davis hasn’t carried the team as well as many (present company included) expected.
Things have turned around a little bit as of late, but the overall lack of depth and head-scratching offseason moves (Omer Asik’s contract, woof) leave us with a disappointing team struggling to stay afloat in a surprisingly down Western Conference.
The Washington Wizards
This team has been snake bitten by injuries, but it’s still disappointing to see a team that went from a riveting second-round playoff matchup to a team that currently sits outside the top eight in the East. John Wall has been brilliant, but injuries, a slow adaptation to a new offense, and the lack of Paul Pierce have all culminated to lead this team where it is now. With so much talent on the roster, it’s a shame that they can’t seem to make it work. This season is one that could cost Randy Wittman his job, and force a lot of decisions to be made about this Wizards team.