NBA: Eastern Conference Stock Report

We've hit the point in the NBA season where we can begin to read into teams' records, and decide who's a legit contender, and who's just faking it. To help weed through the current playoff landscape, rsfreshmen gives you the stock report: which teams should you buy as a contender, sell or hold onto for a couple more weeks.

Eastern Conference

Miami Heat (23-9; 1st Southeast) - BUY

Every time I watch the Heat, I feel like they are leaving something in the tank, like they have another gear which they're only going to touch come playoff time. This has got to be absolutely terrifying for every other team in the league.

Miami is comfortably in the top-tier of NBA teams in terms of offensive efficiency, and have the best player in the world in LeBron James. While their defense has been a little lacking, and while their rebounding has been flat-out bad (probably the only red-flag this team has), I would be shocked if anyone else ends up with the top-seed.

I know it's boring, but buy the Heat.

2. New York Knicks (23-11; 1st Atlantic) - SELL

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My buddy and I were talking about the Heat's above-mentioned ability to turn it on at any given moment, and it made me think about the Knicks: as far as I'm concerned, they've already maxed out; they don't have that second gear.

This isn't to say that they won't put together a couple more good runs or win the division or anything. But c'mon. Their play at the beginning of the season was as good as it's going to get, right?

I mean nobody thought they could shoot 3s as well as they did at the beginning of the season (a feature of the team which is already slipping a bit). Nobody thought they were going to be a defensive force, like they were early in the year (again, a facet of the team which is disappearing). Nobody thought Carmelo Anthony would be gunning for LeBron's MVP title (... this one's still going on).

I like the Knicks, and they are definitely one of the best teams in the East. That said, I just can't help but think they will head into the playoffs fondly thinking back to their hot start.

Buy the Knicks as a top-tier team in the East; sell them now if you still think they're one of the best teams in the entire league.

3. Atlanta Hawks (20-12; 2nd Southeast) - HOLD

Some interesting statistics regarding the Hawks: their leading scorer, Josh Smith, is scoring only 16.8 points-per-game (the lowest average of any leading scorer in the playoff picture); they are a top-10 team in terms of defensive efficiency; as a team, they shoot 45.5% from the field, good for 9th in the league; they've posted a 1.6 assist-to-turnover ratio, tied for 3rd in the NBA.

In other words, this team doesn't do anything particularly well, but does all of the little stuff really well. And that is exactly why I think they'll end up hosting a playoff series in the first round.

There is a possibility that the Hawks trade Josh Smith as the deadline approaches (he's a pending free-agent), but if they hold onto him, they should settle comfortably into the playoff picture as the season continues.

Hold on to the Hawks just to be safe... but they should make the playoffs.

5. Chicago Bulls (19-13; 1st Central) - HOLD

This one is simple: I'm holding off judgement on the Bulls until Derrick Rose gets back from injury. I will say that the Rose-less Bulls are like a poor man's Atlanta Hawks squad, as they do the little things well without a true star on the squad. Beyond that, however, I'm holding off ruling on this team.

Are they a playoff team without Rose? Sure. But until he comes back, hold stock on the Bulls.

4. Indiana Pacers (20-14; 2nd Central) - BUY

Associated Press

(Note: the Pacers are boring; they play a really boring style, and have boring players; this brief recap of the team will be boring, so feel free to skip it.)

The bad: they play the slowest pace in the league, shoot one of the worst percentages in the league, have a 7-foot center who shoots under 40%, and ultimately try to keep the final score as close to an NCAA-level as possible (remember, they're boring).

The good: the Pacers allow the second-fewest points-per-game (and the fewest points per one hundred possessions), rebound the ball at a very high level, and have Danny Granger (reportedly) returning by early-February at the latest.

For me, the good outweighs the bad, especially the Granger part. This team is near un-watchable, but have a solid plan and really can make any other team play ugly with them. Granger should provide a boost to their offense, and even if that boost is small, the Pacers should be able continue their good play and push for the division crown.

Buy the Pacers.

6. Brooklyn Nets (19-15; 2nd Atlantic) - HOLD

Brooklyn is a bad defensive team. That's pretty much the extent of my analysis on this one. Any team with Deron Williams, Joe Johnson, Brook Lopez and Gerald Wallace is going to score a lot of points. But the Nets really can't defend anyone. Brooklyn allows opponents to shoot 46.1% from the field, putting them alongside Charlotte, Toronto, Portland, New Orleans, Cleveland and Phoenix as the only teams in the league whose opponents top the 46% mark. Read those teams again. That's a combined record of 69-137, excluding Brooklyn. That's not the type of company you want to keep.

Brook Lopez, for all the great stuff he does with the ball in his hands, is a huge problem for the team defensively. Which in turn is a huge problem for the blueprint of the team. Lopez currently leads the team in scoring, but is also probably the worst pick-and-roll defender in the game. Lopez needs to play for this team to succeed offensively, but can't play if the team wants to improve on defense. And therein lies the problem...

The Nets will make the playoffs, but because of the Lopez Dilemma, will not end up hosting a series.

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7. Boston Celtics (17-17; 3rd Atlantic) - BUY

I'll admit it, part of my sense of the Celtics this year is based on their track record. Have they looked particularly good this season? No. Has Rondo's game taken the leap I expected? No. Do the Celtics look old? Yup. Still, I have them as a mid-level playoff team by the time April rolls around.

The Celtics have won 6 of their last 8 games against Eastern Conference opponents, after struggling against the East early in the year. Righting the ship here is huge for Boston as their schedule is about to serve up a ton of Conference foes (7 of Boston's next 10 games are against teams from the East). If the Celts can string together some good basketball over the next few weeks, they could insert themselves as a mid-seed team in the East. I expect them to get there, and stay there.

Buy the Celtics.

8. Milwaukee Bucks (16-16; 3rd Central) - SELL

This "sell" comes with a caveat: be prepared to "buy" them again in a couple of weeks.

The Bucks are currently mired in a 4-game losing streak. Which is why I'm suggesting people should be down on them. However, this current streak immediately followed a stretch in which Milwaukee won 7-of-10 games. Which is why I'm suggesting a quick turn-around.

In short: the Bucks are—and will continue to be—one of the most up-and-down teams in the NBA this season.

The inconsistency all stems from their two go-to players, Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis. Both are shoot-first combo guards, who can get hot and win a game on their own at any given time. On the other hand, both can go ice-cold and easily shoot a team out of a game. They are essentially the same player (both Jennings and Ellis are shooting exactly 40.0% while averaging 5.8 and 5.6 assists-per-game, respectively), and will ensure that the Bucks will be hit-or-miss on any given night.

Milwaukee will fight it out for the last playoff spot, but for now, sell the Bucks.