It’s hard to believe that all 30 teams have crossed the season's halfway point. The Opening Night tip-offs seem like only a week or so ago. Reaching the halfway point means it's time for NBA mid-term grades. If high school kids have to face mid-term exams this time of year, why not grown men with eight-figure salaries? So here’s a report card for all 30 NBA teams.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

Atlantic Division

New Jersey Nets – The Nets have been in first place most of the season, but have also been under .500 most of that time. Sure, they lost Nenad Krstic, but any team with three superstars the caliber of Jason Kidd, Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson should be 10 games in front of this awful division.  Grade: F

Toronto Raptors – The Raptors underwent some off-season changes and are slowly returning to contention. They are not yet as good as the team that reached Game Seven of the 2001 Eastern Conference semifinals, but they are improving at as good a pace as anyone could have expected, if not faster. Grade: A

New York Knicks - All that talent. All that inconsistency. Just when you think the Knicks are going on a tear, they lose a game to a very beatable team. To his credit, Isiah Thomas seems to be getting more out of this group than Larry Brown did.  Grade: C-

Boston Celtics – The Celtics are not a good team, but they’re certainly not as bad as they’ve played the past two seasons.  Grade: F

Philadelphia 76ers – The Iverson situation in December, and the Webber situation in January have been distractions, but this was a bad team before any of that.  Grade: F

Central Division

Detroit Pistons – The 64-18 record seems a lot longer ago than last season. But in fairness, the Pistons lost arguably the most ferocious defender and rebounder in the league when Ben Wallace headed down to Chicago. The addition of C-Webb should help in the second half, but how much?  Grade: A-

Cleveland Cavaliers – The Cavs are doing about as well as expected – they’ve been in or around first place all season.  Grade: A-

Chicago Bulls – The Bulls were expected to be much improved after acquiring Wallace, but they are not quite as good as expected … yet.   Grade: B-

Indiana Pacers – Considering the players involved in the recent blockbuster trade, it almost seems as if Indiana and Golden State traded franchises. The Indiana Warriors get  an Incomplete, but the Indiana Pacers were around for most of the first half, so they can be graded for their slightly better-than-average performance.  Grade: C

Milwaukee Bucks – The Bucks started off poorly, but have come back to playoff contention, and have done so in the conference’s most competitive division.  Grade: B-

Southeast Division

Washington Wizards – The Wizards seem to improve a little bit each year, thanks largely to Gilbert Arenas' emergence as a superstar.  The team has been in the neighborhood of first place throughout the season, and now has a tenuous grip on that position in the Southeast and, as of this writing, the Eastern Conference.   Grade: A

Orlando Magic – The Magic finished last season on a 16-6 tear, and began this season at a similar pace. They’ve slowed up a bit in the past month-and-a-half, but are still playing well enough to contend for the division title.  Grade: A-

Miami Heat – Yes, they’ve been without this era's most dominant center for most of the season. But a championship team shouldn’t plummet to mediocrity after losing one key player. Grade: C

Charlotte Hornets – The ‘Cats started off poorly, but have been playing very well the last month. In this weak conference, they may actually be able to scratch their way into contention for the eighth playoff seed.   Grade: B-

Atlanta Hawks – This once-proud franchise was a perennial contender in the Dan Roundfield-Tree Rollins days of the seventies, the Dominique Wilkins days of the eighties, and the Dikembe Mutombo-Steve Smith-Mookie Blaylock days of the nineties, helping contribute to the legendary status of coaches Hubie Brown, Mike Fratello and Lenny Wilkens. But the Hawks have gone staggering through this decade, and it doesn’t seem as though any coach can turn them around in the foreseeable future.  Grade: F

WESTERN CONFERENCE

Northwest Division

Utah Jazz – The Jazz did not make the playoffs last year, but showed promise for this season, and have exceeded even the loftiest expectations. They’ve been in first place since Opening Night, and have kept the Nuggets and Timberwolves at arm’s length for most of the first half. Jerry Sloan just keeps rollin’ along.  Grade: A+

Minnesota Timberwolves – The T’ Wolves are better than anyone expected, and are contenders for their first playoff berth since 2004. They are no longer championship contenders, but it would be fun to see K.G. back in the postseason.  Grade: B+

Denver Nuggets – In the Denver market, A.I. now stands for more than just "American Idol". With Carmelo Anthony back, we’ll get to see what kind of team this is with him and Allen Iverson playing together. You get the feeling that this will either be a howling success or an epic disaster, no middle ground. Up to now, with one or the other playing on most nights, the Nuggets have not been able to catch Utah in the standings.  Grade: C

Portland Trailblazers – For nearly thirty years, there were three things you could count on – death, taxes and the Trailblazers making the playoffs. In recent years, though, it’s been as bleak inside the Rose Garden as the rainy weather outside.  Grade: D

Seattle SuperSonics – The Sonics have fallen quite a way from two seasons ago, when they won the division. And because the Western Conference is so tough, even competing for an eighth seed appears unlikely.   Grade: D

Southwest Division

Dallas Mavericks – They were just two games away from winning a championship last season, and everyone expected them to contend for one this year. Everyone was right.   Grade: A+

San Antonio Spurs – The Spurs have been one of this decade’s best teams, and that hasn’t changed this season. They’re in second place, behind the defending Western Conference champions. And there’s every reason to think they can make up the difference. See last season for details.  Grade: A

Houston Rockets – If they’re healthy, they’re dangerous. And this season, they’ve been healthy. Their biggest problem is sharing the division with the league’s two best teams.  Grade: A

New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets – A lot more was expected of this team, after having competed for the playoffs last year and having signed Peja Stojakovic in the off-season. Apparently, the Hornets still have farther to go than most people thought.  Grade: D

Memphis Grizzlies – Yes, Jerry West made some major off season changes and yes, the Grizzlies have had some injuries. But nothing justifies an established team being this bad, so bad they chased Coach Mike Fratello out of town.  Grade: F

Pacific Division

Phoenix Suns – The Suns were expected to compete with Dallas for the conference’s top seed. So far, so good.   Grade: A+

Los Angeles Lakers – The Lakers were considered a playoff team this season, but no longer one of the league’s elite. In the second half, it appears they have a shot at both.  Grade: A+

L.A. Clippers – Metza-metz for the Clippers so far – not as bad as they had been for decades, but not as good as they were last year during the regular season and playoffs.   Grade: C

Golden State Warriors – Same deal here as with Indiana. We’ll have to see how the Golden State Pacers fare in the second half. In the first half, the Golden State Warriors did O.K. and were at least competing for a playoff spot in a tough conference.  Grade: C+

Sacramento Kings – Some thought the Kings could be a top-four playoff seed this season; most thought they were at least a playoff contender. Not the case. For most of the first half, they hung around the fringes of the playoff race, but are now starting to lag way behind it.   Grade: D
 
Peter Stein has written for several newspapers, including Newsday. He can be reached at pcs.40@hotmail.com.