The Bulls have been badly bitten by the injury bug as of late. Joakim Noah is probably out for nearly the rest of the season, Derrick Rose has a sprained wrist, and Luol Deng has a strained calf. Luol Deng and Derrick Rose should return soon, but with all of these injuries, the Bulls look like they are going to miss the playoffs this year. While it will stink for the Bulls to miss out on the playoffs after playing so well before the injuries, there is one positive from all of these injuries, and that is James Johnson getting a chance to play extended minutes.

In a game at the beginning of the month, in which he got the start against the Atlanta Hawks, Johnson put up 9 points, 2 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 1 steal in 23 minutes.

Against the Orlando Magic on Thursday, Johnson had 13 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block.

Then came his game against the Miami Heat, in which Johnson exploded offensively. Johnson finished the game with 20 points on 8-11 shooting, 6 rebounds, and 2 blocks.

In his 3 games as a starter this season, Johnson is averaging 14.0 points on 73.8 TS%, 3.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.7 blocks in 31 minutes.

While the sample size is small, Johnson is beginning to show that he could be quite the player on the NBA level, and there is no reason for him not to be. He is one of the strongest players in the NBA and he pairs that with a great ability at handling the basketball. These two attributes should help him be a good player.

Johnson needs to put together some more good games before he can be considered a legitimate player, but these past 3 games have really opened up people’s eyes to what Johnson can become. While the losses are tough to take, these injuries could end up being for the better if they ultimately are what allowed Johnson to change the trajectory of his career.

At the trade deadline last Thursday the Bulls made some moves that will allow them to sign a max free agent this summer.

The trades that the Bulls made should allow them to keep their playoff momentum. The Bulls lost John Salmons and Tyrus Thomas. I think Salmons will be missed some, as his improved play was one of the reasons for the Bulls’ turnaround this season. I don’t think that the Bulls will miss Thomas too much, and that the trade with the Bobcats will be a bit of addition by subtraction.

This is not to say that Thomas is a bad player. I think he will do well under Larry Brown in Charlotte. A coach, who is as respected as Larry Brown, is probably what Thomas needs to get his head on straight. Thomas always had talent, but he never really learned how to play within the system when he was with the Bulls. It will hurt to see Thomas reach some of his potential with another team, but we need to understand that for various reasons, he was unable to reach his potential here, and he was gone at the end of the season anyway, as keeping him would have prohibited the Bulls to sign a max free agent. The change of scenery will be good for Thomas.

In the trades, the key parts that the Bulls got back were Hakim Warrick and Flip Murray, two players who can score the ball. What is to like about this Bulls team is that their rotation consists primarily of veterans. Kirk Hinrich, Luol Deng, Brad Miller, Flip Murray, and Hakim Warrick are all veterans. The three young players in the Bulls’ main rotation: Derrick Rose, Taj Gibson, and Joakim Noah, are all very mature. As a result of this rotation, the Bulls should be able to limit the mistakes they make, which will be conducive to winning more games down the stretch of the regular season.

In the trades, the Bulls also received Acie Law and Joe Alexander. I don’t expect either of these players to achieve anything in their time with the Bulls, and expect both to not be on the roster next season.

The Bulls received a first round pick from the Bobcats, and gave the Bucks the option to swap first round draft picks, as long as the Bulls are not picking in the top 10 positions of the draft. The pick swap is no big deal, as the Bulls’ wisely put protections on it (unlike the Knicks when they made the pick swap with the Bulls in the Eddy Curry trade) and also, because the Bulls will likely be a better team than the Bucks.

One of the side effects from the Bulls trades is that they could help bounce Miami out of the playoffs. I think the trades that the Bulls made improved both the Bucks’ and Bobcats’ rosters and did nothing to make the Bulls roster worse.

The Bulls are currently sitting in the sixth seed, and Miami is in the seventh seed, 1 game behind the Bulls. Milwaukee and Charlotte are both half a game behind the Heat.

If the Bulls make the playoffs while the Heat miss the playoffs, I think there is a great chance that Dwyane Wade will leave the Heat for the Bulls this summer.

When the Bulls decided to let Ben Gordon walk to the Detroit Pistons this past offseason, they signaled that they were going to pursue 2010 free agency. The Bulls face one major problem, which is that they will not have enough cap space to sign a max free agent if John Salmons opts into his contract. So at the trade deadline this year, the Bulls should first look at trying to move either John Salmons or Kirk Hinrich, to ensure that they can sign a max free agent in 2010 free agency. But the Bulls shouldn’t stop there, the Bulls should work to move all three of Luol Deng, Kirk Hinrich, and John Salmons for expiring contracts. Moving all three would make the Bulls the biggest power player in the biggest free agent year in NBA history.

First, I would like to clear up some misconceptions. A recent RealGM 2010 Free Agency primer said that the Bulls would have $21.1 million in projected cap space using a $52.5 million even with Salmons opting in. I am not sure where the author got this number, but he either doesn’t quite understand all the subtleties of the CBA, has bad salary data, made some mathematical errors, or a combination of all three.

If Salmons chooses to opt in, with a $52.5 million cap, the Bulls would have approximately $11.468 million in cap space, well short of the $15.75 million needed to sign a max free agent in 2010 free agency using the $52.5 million cap. If Salmons chose to opt out of his contract, the Bulls would have $16.803 million in cap space, enough to sign a max free agent. This of course doesn’t include the Bulls draft pick, which would further reduce the Bulls’ cap space, although if the Bulls were to trade their draft pick, they could have these cap space figures.

If we were to choose to go with the 2010 plan for one max free agent, moving either Kirk Hinrich or John Salmons would ensure that we have the proper cap space for 2010 to sign a max player. Luol Deng could also be moved, but he would be a better piece to keep here to try to attract a max free agent than either Hinrich or Salmons.

However, an even better plan for the Bulls would to move all three of Hinrich, Salmons, and Deng. This would allow the Bulls to sign two max free agents, even if they were to be blessed with the salary commitments that come with the top overall pick in the draft.

How would the Bulls accomplish this feat? They could target a few separate deals moving these players for expirings. But there are two teams, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Dallas Mavericks, who could trade for all three in a single trade.

The Cavaliers could do so in a trade based around Shaquille O’neal’s massive expiring contract. Shaq has only produced 10.7 points and 7.1 rebounds per a game for the Cavs this season, and moving Shaq in a trade for talent to help the Cavs win a championship this year would probably please Lebron more than if the Cavs were to trade his good friend, Zydrunas Ilgauskus, who Lebron promised to win a championship ring for.

The Mavericks also are a championship contender who could use an injection of talent to better their chances at winning the rings. With the window closing on the Dirk Nowitzki era of Dallas Mavericks basketball, I think Mark Cuban in particular would consider such a deal to try to win a championship with Nowitzki. A trade with the Mavericks would include Josh Howard, Drew Gooden, and Kris Humphries going to the Bulls, as well as some more of the Mavericks small expiring contracts.

If the Bulls were to pull off such a trade, they would only have salary commitments to Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson, and James Johnson.

The Bulls would take a major stepback talent wise this year, and would probably slide into a top seven draft pick. The Bulls main selling point to the 2010 free agents would be that they would be able to play with Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, a top 7 draft pick, as well as another max 2010 free agent.

Here is how the salaries would work out, using the dream scenario of the Bulls winning the top overall pick.

The salary for the #1 overall pick will be $4.287 million for the 2010-2011 season. Therefore the Bulls would then enter free agency with $33.398 million in cap space.

After they sign their first max free agent, starting at $15.75 million, they will have $18.085 million in cap space.

After they sign their second max free agent, starting at $15.75 million, they will have $2.808 million in cap space.

The Bulls could use that left over cap space to either sign another established NBA player to build depth, or bring Omer Asik over from Europe. The amount of left over cap space would grow depending on how

If the Bulls are able to sign any two of Lebron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire, Joe Johnson, and Carlos Boozer, using this plan, I think they will have a pretty good team. I think signing any two of these players would make the Bulls title contenders. Of course, which two out of these six players they sign is important, because the Bulls could be left anywhere from being a lower level contender to an absolute juggernaut, but I think they will be contenders none the less. How their 2010 draft pick pans out also would play a role into what kind of contender they become, as will the continuing development of Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah.

Coming out of the offseason, the Bulls main components would be Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Taj Gibson, James Johnson, 2010 Max Free Agent 1, 2010 Max Free Agent 2, 2010 Leftover Cap Space Free Agent, 2010 Top Draft Pick. I think just this here could leave the Bulls ready to compete for a championship in the 2010-2011 championship. They will then have to try to convince veterans signing for the minimum that Chicago is the place they should sign, in order to add depth. I think Brad Miller is one of the expiring guys from this year’s team who would return next year on the minimum salary.

Otherwise, during the 2011 offseason, the Bulls would be able to add depth using the MLE, LLE, and their 2011 draft picks.

This is the plan that will give the Bulls the best bet at winning a championship anytime soon. The Bulls finally need to go all in for a championship, and the best way to do that is going all in for 2010 free agency.

The Bulls have played over a quarter of their games for the 2009-2010 season and currently stand at 8-14. Here is my grades for each individual player on the Bulls.

Luol Deng - A-

Luol Deng has been able to get his game back on track, scoring 17.5 points on 51.9 TS% and grabbing 7.8 rebounds per a game. Deng is only scoring the ball at a mediocre efficiency this year, but I think this is largely a result of Deng being asked to be option 1B (Derrick Rose is 1A) in the offense, rather than as the 3rd or 4th scorer, a role which he would fit very nicely. Where Deng has really excelled so far this year is on the defensive end of the court. Luol Deng has been the one Bull that can be depended on this year to give a good defensive effort on his man, while also rebounding the ball well. With Deng’s performance so far this season, and his ability to stay completely healthy, the Bulls should be able to move him with little difficulty.

Joakim Noah - B

If Joakim Noah keeps his averages of 10.2 points and 11.8 rebounds per a game to the end of the season, he will be the first Bull since Elton Brand to average a double double. That is a big if, however, as after a hot offensive start, Noah’s offensive production has tanked. Noah has been one of the best rebounders in the league, which is valuable to a team, but he has struggled defensively at times when matched up against bigger centers. Overall, Noah has been a net positive for the team.

Taj Gibson - C+

Taj has done a good job offensively for the Bulls, consistently knocking down the midrange jumper. Unfortunately, Gibson possesses little ability to make a free throw or defend the ball, and the latter really hurts the Bulls when they have Gibson out on the court. Still Gibson has surpassed all expectations.

Brad Miller - D

Age has caught up with Brad Miller too fast, and this even slower version of Brad Miller isn’t all that effective. Still, Brad Miller can make nice passes to setup his teammates, and provides better interior defense than anyone not named Joakim Noah on the team.

Derrick Rose - D-

Rose is the definition of raw talent right now. Every time it seems like he is going to break out of his bad play, he follows up his good play with some terrible games. While Rose has shown more ability to create for his teammates this year than last, it is still not something he excels at doing like someone like the elite point guards in the league, and the overwhelming majority of his assists are just passing to someone who hoists up a jumpshot. The assists he are getting are no different than the one’s Kirk Hinrich would get a few years ago, when he would just pass the ball to Deng and Gordon, who would hit a jumpshot. Anyone can make that pass. While Rose has shown some improvement on the defensive end, he is still a bad defender.

The Bulls didn’t make life easy for Derrick when they got rid of Ben Gordon, but that doesn’t excuse Derrick Rose for playing as poorly as he has. It’s unacceptable for a team to have their leading shot taker scoring at 48.7 TS%. That is a recipe for a bad offense. While the driving lanes are more clogged than last year, Rose is still getting to the basket. Rose would be having a much easier time on the basketball court if he had put in the work this summer to make his three point shot respectable. Given that he is shooting 12.5% from three, and looks scared to even attempt a three point shot, I am going to guess that he didn’t put in the necessary work this summer, and because of this, rendered himself as a bad offensive player.

Don’t believe Derrick Rose is a bad offensive player? He has -0.1 offensive win shares on the season.

Kirk Hinrich - F

While Kirk Hinrich has been solid defensively, he has been one of the worst offensive players in the NBA. He is scoring at 40.6 TS% and has -0.8 offensive win shares on the season. There is no level of defense that Kirk Hinrich can play that warrants him seeing an NBA court with offense this well.

John Salmons - F

John Salmons has been ineffective scoring the basketball in the early going of the season. While he is averaging 13.8 points per a game, he is doing it on an unacceptable 48.0 TS%. A basketball team can simply not be competitive when one of it’s main offensive players, in Salmons, is performing this poorly on the offensive end. Unfortunately, Salmons brings little on the other side of the court, as he is one of the worst defenders at the shooting guard position in the entire league.

Jannero Pargo - F

And there’s the sweep. All three guys who Jerry Reinsdorf said Ben Gordon would struggle to get playing time over get failing grades for the first quarter of the season. When you have a reputation of being a player who can’t play defense, but is valuable to a team because of your ability to score, you better be able to score. Pargo, however, is scoring at 45.1 TS% and has -0.3 offensive win shares on the season.

Aaron Gray - F

While Aaron Gray has been injured most of the season, he has used his five games back to show fans his best Dalibor Bagaric impression.

James Johnson - F

Johnson, like Rose, is an example of raw talent. He has shown some flashes on both ends of the court, but has struggled to put together a good performance on both sides of the court. On most nights, he is bad on both sides of the court.

Lindsey Hunter - F-

I’m not sure if you can actually give someone an F-, but I am going to try here. I’m not a fan of John Hollinger’s PER statistic, but when you have a -2.0 PER, that has to be bad, right?

Tyrus Thomas - Incomplete

Tyrus Thomas only got to play in four games before breaking his arm in a freak weightlifting accident. Thomas struggled offensively, but it is too small of a sample size to really judge him on. In his four games this season, Thomas played really good defense. Thomas probably deserves a B grade for the small set of games he played this year.

Closing Comments

The grades may seem a little harsh, but they are a reflection of the reality of the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls have the 24th best record in the league, are ranked 27th in the Dabullz.com Power Rankings, are ranked 28th in SRS, 28th in Pythagorean W-L, and are ranked 29th in John Hollinger’s power rankings. When you are receiving marks that low as a team, there are going to be a lot of players failing out.

In the offseason, the Chicago Bulls made a new commitment to defense. They were going to be a team that beats other teams with their defense, not their offense. However, after a dominant defensive start, the Bulls are quickly becoming one of the league’s worst defensive teams.

The Bulls are currently ranked 20th in the league in defensive rating, posting a defensive rating of 107.6. Their defensive rating is better this year, than last year, when they posted a defensive rating of 108.7. However, relative to the rest of the league, they are worse this year than last year. Last year they were ranked 18th in defensive rating.

Their actual defense is probably worse than last year’s as well. It should be taken into account that the league is worse as a whole offensively than it was last year. Teams are scoring 1.6 fewer points per 100 possessions this year than they were last year. If you adjust the Bulls defensive rating to the better offensive production of last season, than it is clear that the Bulls are probably around the same or worse defensively this year than last year.

The league wide drop in offensive production is likely a result of more team’s penny pinching. With the economy the way it is, team’s are going to be less likely to spend money to get good bench players for their teams. This problem is seen with the Bulls, who let Ben Gordon walk in free agency, did not sign Derrick Byars after training camp, and passed on signing Allen Iverson, all in efforts to avoid spending more money, and keep profits up.

But how are the Bulls worse defensively? Shouldn’t having a proper sized shooting guard in John Salmons improve the Bulls defense drastically over last year’s team, which featured the shorter Ben Gordon at shooting guard? The truth is that perimeter defense is overrated in the NBA.

Ben Gordon did everything that is needed of an NBA guard. He did a good job staying between his man and the basket, and contested shots. The difference between him, and Kirk Hinrich, who is a great defender, in what the opposing shooting guard scores and on what efficiency is going to be minimal, as ever since the rule changes before the 04-05 season, which allowed for no contact on the perimeter, good offensive guard when going up against good defensive guards usually put up their normal numbers.

Where a good defensive team is made is in the front court. Brad Miller and Joakim Noah both have negative Player Efficiency Rating differentials at the center position, where they play the majority of their minutes. Taj Gibson, who plays 42% of the team’s power forward minutes is especially bad, posting a PER differential of -9.7.

The one bright spot is Joakim Noah at the power forward position, where he plays 28.6% of his minutes. Noah has a +7.1 PER differential when playing the power forward spot.

Joakim Noah’s problem at the center position is that he is too small. He has a shorter standing reach than most centers, and because of his weight, he can have some difficulty holding position in the low post.

The Bulls should look into moving Joakim Noah to the power forward position and starting Brad Miller in order to improve their defense. If the Bulls continue to play the way they are playing, they may play themselves into a high draft pick, which could land them a real center, such as Kansas’ Cole Aldrich, who would provide a long term solution for the Bulls at the center spot.

However, the Bulls’ defensive problems are miniscule in comparison to their offensive problems. The Bulls are currently ranked 27th in the league in offensive rating, with an offensive rating of 99.5. Now there is nothing wrong with a team being a defensive focused team, but there is a problem with a team being as bad on offense as the Bulls have been.

In order for the Bulls to have an even point differential, they would need to have a defensive rating of 99.5 also. If the Bulls were to have that defensive rating, they would be the 2nd best defensive team in the league. So in order to have just an average team with an offense this bad, a team needs to be one of the league’s best defensive teams.

If the Bulls wanted to be a good team, say as good as the Atlanta Hawks of last season, they would need to have a point differential of 1.7. In order to have this point differential with this offense, the Bulls would need a defensive rating of 97.8. If the Bulls were to post that defensive rating, they would be the best defensive team since the rule changes in 04-05.

So in order to be as good as last year’s 47-35, second round and out Atlanta Hawks, the Bulls would need to be one of the best defensive teams of all time, if they were to continue playing at their current offensive level.

If the Bulls want to get better as a team, they will need to get better offensively. It is impossible to be a good team with an offense this bad

How can the Bulls improve their offense? The most obvious way is to start shooting more three point shots. The Bulls are currently last in the league in three point field goal attempts and makes. One of the simple truths of basketball is that making a three point shot is better than making a two point shot, because 3 > 2.

This is one of the main facets of an offense like Mike D’Antoni. D’Antoni encourages players to shoot wide open three point shots, even if they don’t shoot the best percentage. If a player shoots 33.3% from three point land, that is equal to shooting 50% on two point field goals. If a player only to take threes when they take jumpshots, and shot 33.3%, taking 7 three point shots a game, while making 70% of their baskets close to the basket, and taking 3 of those shots per a game, they would score at an efficient 56 TS%.

Making three pointers is key in boosting up offensive efficiency. So the best way to improve the Bulls offense will be to start hoisting up more three point shots. Rose, Deng, and Salmons need to stop passing up the wide open three point shot, as taking that shot is the right basketball play to make.

John Salmons and Luol Deng in particular need to start taking more three point shots. Salmons is a career 35.9% (53.9 TS%) three point shooter. Luol Deng has made 41.8% (62.7 TS%) of his threes over the past three seasons. These guys have shown to be good enough three point shooters to have free reign to jack up the open three point shot.

The Bulls need to implement these changes fast, because if they fail to improve their offense, they are going to be a bad team all year long.

Ben Gordon will return to the United Center tonight for the first time as a Detroit Piston in his first career game against the Chicago Bulls.

The results have not been good for either party since the split. Ben Gordon, while still having a good season, has seen his scoring average drop to 19.8 points a game (from 20.7 points a game last season) and his scoring efficiency drop to 55.6 TS% (down from 57.3 TS% last season). His Detroit Pistons have struggled early in the season, standing at 6-11 on the season.

The Bulls, meanwhile, are standing at 6-9. The Pistons can pass the Bulls in the standings with a win tomorrow.

The reasons for both the Pistons and Bulls struggles so far this season are clear. The Pistons are losing, simply because they have been without two of their top three players (Richard Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince) for nearly the entire season. Most teams would do as poorly as the Pistons have if they were missing their second and third best players.

The Bulls struggles so far this season are a result of Ben Gordon. In losing Ben Gordon, the Bulls lost around 20 points of efficient scoring. Not only did the Bulls lose that valuable asset, but the Bulls also lost the focus of the other team’s defense. Every moment Ben Gordon has stepped on the court in a Chicago Bulls’ uniform from the 06-07 season onward, he has been the focus of the other team’s defense. Gordon drew defensive attention away from his teammates, giving them better scoring opportunities.

In losing Gordon, the Bulls also lost a leader, the main leader of the team. He was never voted in as a team captain during his tenure with the Bulls, but he still remained the team’s main leader. The way that Gordon led the Bulls was much more valuable than leading by having a C attached to his name on the roster. Gordon led by example, by taking over games single-handedly when the situation called for it. He didn’t always succeed, but he did more often than not.

The effect of Gordon’s absence on the offense can easily be seen through stats. The Bulls are ranked 27th in the league in Offensive Rating, with an O-Rtg of 99.5. O-Rtg is how many points a team scored per 100 possessions. The Bulls offense is broken. There is no space for Rose to drive, which is a result of the Bulls shooters bricking wide open shot after wide open shot, which has allowed opposing defenses to pack it in, instead of staying out on shooters. The Bulls also lack an effective post player, although Joakim Noah has shown some nice post moves so far this season.

The Bulls offensive problems rest solely on the players. Vinny Del Negro is running the same offense as last year, and as seen by the Bulls in the second half of last season, Vinny’s offense can put up a lot of points. The Bulls’ offensive problem is a lack of offensive talent. Currently, only Joakim Noah at 56.6 TS%, is scoring above the league average in scoring efficiency. The Bulls collective low scoring efficiency is a result of not getting to the line a lot and also not making three point shots.

Ben Gordon’s replacements have been especially poor. John Salmons is scoring at 46.4 TS%, Kirk Hinrich at 45.3 TS%, Jannero Pargo at 46.3 TS%, and Lindsey Hunter at 17.9 TS%. Players who score at that low of an efficiency really shouldn’t be seeing much court time as there is very little possibility that they can be contributing enough in other areas of the game to make up for how much of an offensive liability they are.

The Bulls of course were supposed to be winners, even with a worse offense, because of their new and improved defense. That looked to be the case early on, however, the Bulls defense has completely collapsed. The Bulls are currently ranked 16th in defensive rating (and going down after every passing game), only a two rank improvement from last year’s 18th rank. The Bulls are in the same boat as they were last year defensively. Going from Ben Gordon to John Salmons and Kirk Hinrich has done nothing to improve the Bulls’ defense.

The Bulls have decided to combine some of the league’s worst offense with mediocre defense, and the results are exactly what should be expected, and that is losing. The complete lack of quality offense and the Bulls’ staying the same defensively shows exactly how valuable Ben Gordon was to the Bulls. In losing Gordon this year, it is becoming clear that the Bulls made a very poor basketball decision, as far as this year is concerned.

And so it looks we move on to 2010 free agency to see if the Bulls made the right decision in letting Ben Gordon go. If they land Lebron James, Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire, or Dwyane Wade, it will clearly have been a good decision, as the Bulls will end up with a much better player than Gordon in the end. However, even if they do land one of those elite players, it probably still is a bad decision, as a good management would have found a way to keep their best player, while gaining the financial flexibility to sign one of these players who thrust the Bulls into championship contender status.

When Ben Gordon returns to the United Center tonight he will probably be booed by the crowd. But it is the management who lost their best player for nothing who should be booed. It is the owner who is too cheap to pay his best player what he is worth who should be booed. It is the Chicago sports media, who covered Gordon’s contract negotiations from Jerry Reinsdorf’s point of view who deserve to be booed.

If you are going to the game tonight, do not boo the player who worked hard everyday he was with the Bulls and who was the central cog in lifting the Bulls from their status as NBA bottom dwellers. Instead let your discontent be known for the management and ownership who are responsible for the Bulls currently being a 6-9, losing basketball team.

Eastern Conference

1. Cleveland Cavaliers
2. Orlando Magic
3. Boston Celtics
4. Detroit Pistons
5. Miami Heat
6. Atlanta Hawks
7. Toronto Raptors
8. Washington Wizards
——————-
9. Chicago Bulls
10. Philadelphia 76ers
11. New York Knicks
12. Milwaukee Bucks
13. New Jersey Nets
14. Indiana Pacers
15. Charlotte Bobcats

Western Conference

1. Los Angeles Lakers
2. San Antonio Spurs
3. Dallas Mavericks
4. Portland Trail Blazers
5. Denver Nuggets
6. Phoenix Suns
7. Utah Jazz
8. New Orleans Hornets
——————-
9. Golden State Warriors
10. Los Angeles Clippers
11. Memphis Grizzlies
12. Oklahoma City Thunder
13. Minnesota Timberwolves
14. Sacramento Kings
15. Houston Rockets

Eastern Conference First Round

1. Cleveland Cavaliers over 8. Washington Wizards (4-1)
4. Detroit Pistons over 5. Miami Heat (4-2)
3. Boston Celtics over 6. Atlanta Hawks (4-2)
2. Orlando Magic over 7. Toronto Raptors (4-0)

Eastern Conference Semi-Finals

1. Cleveland Cavaliers over 4. Detroit Pistons (4-2)
3. Boston Celtics over 2. Orlando Magic (4-3)

Eastern Conference Finals

3. Boston Celtics over 1. Cleveland Cavaliers (4-3)

Western Conference First Round

1. Los Angeles Lakers over 8. New Orleans Hornets (4-0)
4. Portland Trail Blazers over 5. Denver Nuggets (4-2)
3. Dallas Mavericks over 6. Phoenix Suns (4-3)
2. San Antonio Spurs over 7. Utah Jazz (4-1)

Western Conference Semi-Finals

1. Los Angeles Lakers over 4. Portland Trail Blazers (4-2)
2. San Antonio Spurs over 3. Dallas Mavericks (4-3)

Western Conference Finals

2. San Antonio Spurs over 1. Los Angeles Lakers (4-2)

NBA Finals

San Antonio Spurs over Boston Celtics (4-3)

Coach of the Year: John Kuester (Runner Up: Gregg Poppovich)
MVP: Lebron James (Runner Up: Dwight Howard)
Rookie of the Year: Tyreke Evans (Runner Up: Blake Griffin)
Sixth Man of the Year: Manu Ginobili (Runner Up: Leandro Barbosa)
Defensive Player of the Year: Dwight Howard (Runner Up: Ron Artest)
Most Improved Player: Brook Lopez (Runner Up: Michael Beasley)