HLBT Daily: It's Finally Here!

I have spent the past week doing all sorts of fantasy basketball prep - the draft for my league took place yesterday (Sunday) morning. I encourage you to ask me any fantasy basketball questions you may have. I would love to help you win your league (so long as you aren't in mine), and trust me, my advice will help you win your league.
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So... tonight is Opening Night of the NBA! Here are some game notes from the Heat - Bulls game, written at halftime:

When undrafted rookie Miami guard Chris Quinn checked in to the game, Steve Kerr quipped, "He looks like Jimmie Chitwood from Hoosiers!" That is the kind of thing that everybody notices subconsciously, but when Steve came out and said it, it was pretty funny. Kirk Hinrich isn't too far off, either. If skinny white guard with a nice shot is the only criterion, then I guess Steve himself fits the bill as well.

Dwyane Wade could lead the league in scoring this year. At this point, he makes 7/10 midrange jump-shots. He is one of the most acrobatic finishers in the league. He gets to the foul line, from where he will shoot over 80%. The guy averaged 27.2 ppg last year, and that was without any three point shot to speak of. On nbadraft.net's season preview, I chose Kobe to lead the league in scoring this year, and although Wade does not exactly have me regretting my pick, he certainly will give Kobe a run for his money (as will Lebron).
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Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich said about the addition of Ben Wallace: "It's like going to the park every day, and getting pushed around, and then your big brother comes to the park with you." I can not think of a better analogy, myself. The Bulls were relatively small last year - Andres Nocioni was their intimidator. However, Kirk Hinrich to Andres Nocioni is what Andres Nocioni is to Ben Wallace. A large net gain in the "protective big brother department" for the Bulls.
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The game is a blowout. The Heat just looks old. There is no interior defense. Shaquille O'Neal, despite his improved off-season diet, is not the well oiled machine (or factory) he was a few years ago. It appears that each time his size 22's hit the hardwood, something is wrong - like he tweaked a muscle.

I would not read too much into this game - other than Dwyane Wade, the Heat was not as focused as it should have been for the game. Perhaps it had something to do with the post-warm-up, pre-tip-off ring ceremony. As the Bulls sat on their bench and watched their opponents accept their championship rings, the Heat players were cheered on by the sea of white that is the Miami home crowd as they accepted their "championship ring trophies." Calling the rings trophies is fitting - they looked more like diamond-studded pool balls (in size and weight) than rings.
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I look forward to the upcoming NBA season & fantasy NBA seasons. I encourage you to ask my opinion on anything pertaining to fantasy basketball! Happy Halloween, and enjoy the games.

Has the Business Side of the NBA Taken the Fun out of the Game? Arvydas Macijauskas Thinks so...

The New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets signed Lithuanian shooting guard Arvydas Macijauskas in August, 2005. Multiple DNP, Coach's Decisions later, Arvydas requested a trade. The Hornets eventually released him from their roster.

Perhaps still bitter from his not-so-eventful stint with the Hornets, Arvydas had this to say about The League: "The NBA isn't fun. Teams are not teams, there's no true commitment between the teammates. Everybody is always talking about money and business, so it seems it doesn't matter to win or lose. I love European basketball because all that counts is winning, playing big games, being happy with your team, your fans."

Within the mini-tirade, a few good points are made. The NBA does promote individualism just as much - if not more than - teamwork. On Christmas day, you watch "Kobe and the Lakers vs. Shaq, D-Wade, and the Miami Heat." Players often "test the free agent market," and leave their respective teams to play for the highest bidder. Case in point: after two stellar seasons in Cleveland, the Cavaliers did not pick up the third year option on second round draft pick Carlos Boozer. The Cavs' front office claimed that Boozer, rather than sign a one year extension, had agreed to sign a long-term deal with the organization. Rather than stay in Cleveland, an organization obviously headed in the right direction, Boozer bolted to Utah; the Jazz offered more money.

Boozer offered, "There was no commitment, it's unfortunate how it went through the media but I'm really excited to be in the situation I'm in. . . . It's against the rules, first of all, to have [a pre-arranged agreement]. I'm not a guy that gives my word and then takes it away, I think I made that clear." There is exactly no chance that the Cavs made Boozer a free agent without believing that he would re-sign with the team with a long-term deal. The translation of "I'm really excited to be in the situation I'm in:" I'm RICH!

Thanks to an unruly hamstring, since his arrival in Utah, Boozer has played in 84 of 164 games. Do you believe in Karma?

Another point that Arvydas made was that he did not have fun with his team. Concerning Hornets coach Byron Scott, who did not have a good relationship with Arvydas, Macijauskas explained, "Everything went wrong. A really bad coach, a really bad franchise..." Needless to say, not everybody in the NBA hates their coach and teammates - few do.

Back to Arvydas' comment that he is happier with his Euro-fans; for the most part, American fans do not dub as players' drinking partners. In Europe, I wouldn't put anything past them...

Readers: PLEASE LET ME KNOW HOW YOU FEEL ABOUT THIS TOPIC!

HLBT Daily: "Lebron Ruined my Childhood"

The Cavaliers recently played a pre-season game in Rochester, NY. Roughly a five+ hour drive from Madison Square Garden, the inhabitants of the cold city in upstate New York seldom get the opportunity to see NBA basketball live. The last time the city hosted an NBA game, Gloria James had not yet given birth to the child we now know as Lebron.

So when promoter’s touted Lebron as the event's main attraction (one ad read, "Don't miss your chance to see NBA All Star and Olympian Lebron James in action as his Cavaliers take on the Raptors!"), the fans, who paid anywhere from $20 to $150 for a single ticket, expected to see Lebron play some basketball. Lebron suited up, went through warm-ups, the whole shebang. However, when it became apparent that King James would not emerge from his throne (at the time, in the form of a metal chair - though one with plush synthetic leather seat cushions) to play, the crowd unleashed its wrath.

Rather than serving as an early Christmas present for the kids, Lebron played the role of a 6'8", 240 lb. Grinch. The sentiments of one child, who apparently felt that the climax of his adolescence should have been when he saw Lebron James play in person, can be seen in the picture, above. Keep your chin up, Sparky. There's always next year.

HLBT Daily: David Stern - Chief of the Fashion Police, Cuban's Physicists

Commissioner David Stern is turning into Chief of the Fashion Police Force. Not only has he given himself the power to dictate what "his" players wear off the court, though he now mandates that players take off their warm-ups in front of the bench, rather than in front of the press table. 99% of the players in the league undress in front of the table; some are even still ripping off their clothes as they walk on the court. As of now, failure to comply will result in a delay of game warning for the wrongdoing player's team.

I realize that the NBA does have a bit of a "thug image" issue, hence the off-court dress code. But a "stripper image?" I don't know about that.
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Mark Cuban, the perpetually mutinous owner of the Dallas Mavericks, has hired physicists to run tests on the NBA's new composite leather balls. NBA players will not stop complaining about the new balls - manufactured by longtime NBA game ball partner, Spalding - and Cuban wants a resolution.

"I was curious what the facts are," Cuban said of his idea to have physicists test the ball. "Rather than speculating, I asked the profs to actually do a test, to give us real data. The results support there is a definite difference."

So far, Cuban's physicists have discovered that, when dropped from a height of five feet, the composite ball bounces an average of four inches lower than the leather ball. They also say that the new ball, which Spalding claimed to have advanced moisture absorbing technology, actually is slower to absorb liquid than the old leather ball.

Cuban's attitude has apparently rubbed off on his players. Commenting on the ball's consistency, Dirk Nowitzki explains, "If it's played with for two months or if it's brand new, it feels bad... So at least they accomplished that." What a jokester, that Dirk. Mavericks Point Guard Anthony Johnson offers, "I go to sleep every night dreaming that we'll have that leather ball back sooner or later. Until then, I'll just keep my fingers crossed." Jolly good, Mr. Johnson!

HLBT Daily: Welcome Houston Chronicle, My Knicks' First Preseason Game

I would like to thank all readers from the Houston Chronicle for stopping by. Make yourself at home. And of course, to all the regulars, thanks for the support.

Yesterday I watched the Knicks' first preseason game. Their opponent was a Kidd & Carter-less Nets squad.

I subscribe to the belief that the outcome of a preseason game matters less than the all-star weekend celebrity game, though for the Knicks it would be nice to create a winning environment before the season starts. Isiah Thomas said he feels that preseason wins are very important for this reason; he wants his players to expect to win. If they win in the preseason, then a win during the season is more of a familiar feeling. Also, if they lose in the preseason, they can say, "oh, well it was just preseason." If they win, there is no need to make excuses.

That being said, last night the Knicks torched the Nets, 111-97. And to all the haters, guess who the Knicks' statistical leader was. I'll give you a hint: he was the 2006 draft selection that everyone balked at... He goes by the name of Renaldo Balkman.

Renaldo is not the type to fill out a stat sheet; he usually does the "intangibles." Last night, he did both, scoring 11, pulling 7 boards, blocking a shot, and getting a steal - all in a mere 15 minutes of play. Heck, he even hit a 3.

In part due to Balkman's stellar play, the Knicks' second unit arguably outplayed the first in the game. Nate Robinson, Jamal Crawford, Renaldo Balkman, David Lee, and (starters) Eddy Curry or Channing Frye formed a group that played gritty defense and constantly moved around on offense - just the way Isiah wants it.

Other game notes: Marbury had 16 points and 0 assists... Steve Francis was more well rounded with 6 points, 4 assists, and 3 rebounds. Curry started out strong, but as the game rolled along, Eddy seemed to regress to his old bad habits. Quentin Richardson was the first player off the bench - he led the team in court time, playing 23 minutes. Jamal Crawford did not have a good game statistically, though looked much more explosive. In a previous article I mentioned that Crawford described himself as being "much stronger... though still skinny." New acquisition Jared Jeffries played well when he was in the game with Channing and Eddy - the length of that frontline will give opposing teams some trouble on the boards. Not that any of them are superlative rebounders, it's just that with their 22 feet or so of combined arm length, the ball is bound to bounce their way a few extra times. Nate booked some solid numbers with 12 points, 4 assists, and 3 rebounds, though did not play quite as well as the stats would suggest.

Marcus Williams and Antoine Wright both played extremely well for the Nets. Marcus, who finished with 21 points, 7 assists, and 3 rebounds, did not look like a gigantic downgrade from Jason Kidd in the game. Antoine, who looked like Vince on a few plays, finished with 15 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals. It seemed that he worked on his athleticism in the off-season.

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Thus far, two of the players I focused on in my Draft Steals article (Steve Novak and Craig Smith - both second round picks) are both playing very well. Allan Ray, who I wrote an article about after he went undrafted, is also more than holding his own on a Celtics team that is unfairly deep at the guard position. All three are outplaying most of the 2006 draft's first rounders. The NBA does not keep track of this for preseason, though I would bet that all three are in the top 20 among rookies in production per 48 minutes. Since preseason minutes are so volatile, stats per 48 minutes are the best to analyze.

Thus far...

Player Name, Team:
Opponent: Points, Rebounds, Assists, Steals, Blocks, Minutes ... Stats per 48 mins in same order

Craig Smith, Minnesota T'wolves:
Milwaukee Bucks: 9, 6, 1, 1, 0, 15 ... 29, 19, 3, 3, 0, 48

Detroit Pistons: 10, 5, 1, 3, 0, 19 ... 25, 13, 3, 8, 0, 48

Steve Novak:
Memphis Grizzlies: 12, 3, 2, 0, 0, 23 ... 25, 6, 4, 0, 0, 48

Atlanta Hawks: 6, 2, 2, 1, 0, 27 ... 11, 4, 4, 2, 0, 48

Allan Ray:
Cleveland Cavaliers: 8, 0, 1, 0, 0, 11 ... 35, 0, 4, 0, 0, 48

Toronto Raptors: 9, 2, 1, 2, 0, 25 ... 17, 4, 3, 4, 0, 48

Cleveland Cavaliers (again): 2, 3, 1, 0, 0, 3 ... 32, 48, 16, 0, 0, 48 - this one is crazy... I don't foresee Allan Ray ever getting 48 rebounds in a real game... 32 points is feasible though.

So you can see that these second round and undrafted players are making the most out of their opportunities, and showing why I had so much faith in them.
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Moving on to a man who will never have to deal with a non-guarenteed contract:
If you have been waiting all of your life to see Dwight Howard acting like a little girl (...), look no further. For I have come across a video which contains... Dwight Howard acting like a little girl. And no worries, parents - show the kids. This good Christian, rather than give expletive filled exclamations, reverts to 1) heavy breathing or 2) "AW MAN!" every time he feels the urge to let out some emotion.




In Dwight's defense, a quote from the youtube comments section: "Hmm.. Sucks that [the roller coaster] looks to be going slower than it actually is.. Makes him seems like a little girl..."
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Speaking of a comments section, I will be bringing one back to HLBT. Please post often. I took it away because only about 1/100 readers would post, and then people would think that nobody reads HLBT. We can't have that! So everybody please be vocal. I know you have opinions, so why not be heard?

HLBT Daily: Kings Chemistry Called into Question

The Sacbee recently put out an article which explains the strained relationship between Sacramento King forwards Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Kenny Thomas. Writer Martin McNeal tells, "[they] squared off briefly Monday during practice." The two are battling to claim duties as a starting forward, though do not believe for a second that a starting spot was the only inspiration for the spar. "The two fought when they played against each other [and] nearly went at it as Kings teammates during the final regular-season game against Seattle last season," explains McNeal.

The fight caused Ron Artest to reminisce over previous Kings fights. When he tried to come up with the best one, Artest settled on "when Vitaly (Potapenko) smacked Mike (Bibby) in the head." Bibby was not pleased. "What?" he exclaimed. "That never happened. That must have been one of those times Ron blacked out. You know he blacks out 75 percent of the time. He probably didn't take his medicine this morning."

Artest was supposedly in a "goofy" mood... I don't think Bibby cared.
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Chinese basketball player Sun Mingming has a dream of following fellow countryman Yao Ming to the NBA. "Yao Ming is the pride of all Chinese people," explains Sun. "Could I be like him one day? This is not something that can happen just because I wish it to happen. I need to work hard and even if I work really hard, I don't know if it will ever happen."

What are Sun's chances of playing in the NBA? Well, nobody knows the answer to that. Though to say that the man has a future in the NBA would not be much of a reach, despite Sun's relatively short arms.

Of course, to be in the NBA, athleticism and skill are important. Sun does not have much athleticism. His skills are acceptable at best. Just take a look at Sun for yourself...



Sun has something that no other NBA player has ever possessed - 7'9" of pure, unfiltered height.

What has made Sun so tall has also almost killed him. He recently had the tumor responsible for his great height removed from his skull. The tumor had been interfering with his pituitary gland, which caused it to produce extra growth hormone. "Anatomy of a Giant" airs in the United States on the Discovery Health channel on October 15. The show will follow Sun's journey from Harbin, China, to his recovery in the United States after his three-hour tumor-removing brain surgery.

HLBT Daily: Greetings to Houston Chronicle, The Transmogrification of Robert Swift

I'd like to thank all of the readers from the Houston Chronicle (chron.com) for stopping by. Make yourself at home...

Fans across the league are still wondering whether or not it was a smart move for Rockets' GM Carroll Dawson to ship high flying Stromile Swift and possible future star Rudy Gay to Memphis for the solid but unexciting Shane Battier. Coincidentally, the trading partners faced off last night in what was both teams' first preseason game.

Sure, it was only a preseason game, but the players involved in the trade undoubtedly wanted to make a strong showing, and both teams were looking for a 'W.' By strict definition, the Rockets lost the game (75-69), however things certainly could have been worse. Recent acquisition Shane Battier shot 50% from the field, had 8 points, 7 boards, and 2 steals. Memphis' Rudy Gay shot 28% from the field (5-18), netted 14, pulled 4 boards, and had 2 steals. Stromile Swift literally did nothing (he did not play), something both Houston and Memphis fans have grown accustomed.

The best thing about the game was that Tracy Mcgrady played, and he played like Tracy Mcgrady plays. He had 17 points in 18 minutes. Steve Novak, the man T-Mac calls "the best shooter I have ever seen," had a couple of 3's and finished the game with 12 points on 6 shots and 3 rebounds.

A troublesome 2 inch big toe toenail kept 89 inch Yao Ming out of the game. Yao was his usual calm self as he explained the injury. "I had my right nail removed at the Athens Olympic games, and ten days later I was back on court again. I think I will be back to normal in two or three days."

Coach Van Gundy, on the other hand, was his usual pessimistic self. "This is a reoccurring issue with Yao's feet," he said. "He is not getting the shoe fitted properly so he doesn't have reoccurring issues with his toe and feet. Yao's got to be more demanding of [Reebok]. He's not getting the results he wants. It puts him at risk."

Both are correct. There is a fast recovery, but this is not the first or second time this has happened to Yao. It seems like a petty injury, though Yao will not play if the problem persists. That being said, chances are it will not, and all will be well in Houston.
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This formerly baby faced prep-to-pro baller, affectionately called "Big Rob" by his teammates, apparently decided to take on a new look for the 2006-07 season. See for yourself:

From
















To



















Tat-less, facial hairless, and harmless to Tat'd, chin fuzz'd, disheveled, and... terrifying. Robert Swift ladies and gentlemen - coming this winter to a major city near you!
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Yesterday, Emeka Okafor played in (seemingly) his first organized game since the NCAA championship. And one word to describe his performance? Disaster. The big guy fouled out with zero points, two turnovers, and three rebounds - all in a whopping nine minutes of play. To add insult to calamity, Okafor's Bobcats lost to the Orlando Magic 109-90. The Magic's franchise player? None other than Dwight Howard, the only player selected before Emeka in the 2004 NBA draft.

Without speaking to Emeka directly, I can say with confidence that he did not play the way he hoped he would. Pretty sure that is fair to say.

On a more serious note - Emeka only played in 26 games last year due to ankle sprains and re-sprains. Although he played worse than bad, it would not be logical to expect good. He simply has not played much basketball recently. He will need time to get back in the flow. There is a good chance that he has not improved much since his rookie season because most of last year was affectively lost. Hopefully the ankles are no longer a serious problem, and Emeka will miss fewer than 56 games this season.
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HLBT Daily: It's Close... I can Smell it

Let's start things off nice and messy...
Stephon Marbury sounded off, yet again, on Larry Brown. "I didn't listen to anything he said last year after he lied to me the first time," Marbury told reporters following the Knicks' training session at the College of Charleston. "To me everything was up in the air. If it landed on its feet, it landed. After he lied the first time I pretty much didn't look at (Brown) the same way."

Marbury was allegedly angry at Brown for publicly disclosing content from one of their meetings. Steph felt that there was an understanding that what was said in the meeting, stayed in the meeting. "I'm never bringing him to Vegas," Marbury didn't say.
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Many NBA teams have taken their training camps over to Europe. The Spurs, Clippers, Suns, and Philly all are competing overseas against foreign teams. The games are on NBATV.

Notes from Philly's game vs. Winterthur FCB:

It is likely that this is the year. That is, the year Allen Iverson finally begins to fall off. I would not go as far as saying Iverson struggled in the game, but he lost his step. He lost two steps. His instincts allowed him to succeed in the preseason game, and will also allow him to succeed this NBA season, though you will not see the same Iverson you have grown accustomed to.

What does this mean? A breakout year for Andre Iguodala. Iggy said himself that he is more than ready for a breakout year, and the stars are aligned. If Samuel Dalembert can avoid the injury bug, he too should enjoy a fruitful season. Last year he was plagued by injuries, fell out of favor with the coaching staff, and was often in foul trouble. In the 66 games which he competed in, he played just a bit over half of the game (26.7 mpg). Expect bigger and better things from Dalembert in '06-07.
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Amare Stoudemire is having knee problems again. He has excused himself from practice twice this week because of pain and stiffness in both knees - not just the knee that was operated on last summer. "It's getting worse, so we've got to figure something out to make it better," said Amare.

Team doctor's actually said that this is expected, and that it is not bad news. They said that since there has not been "no appreciable change" in swelling, there is nothing to worry about. I am very suspicious, and do not see Amare playing more than 65 games this season.
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Last Friday night, Stephen Jackson found himself laid out on the hood of a moving car.
Jackson and his crew, which included Pacers teammates Jamaal Tinsley, Jimmie Hunter, and Marquis Daniels, got into an altercation inside a nightclub. According to the reports, the players did do the right thing by leaving the club. Once outside, however, Jackson was on the wrong side of a fist to the face and a front bumper to the legs. Jackson allegedly shot his 9 mm five times in the air to scare the others off.

Police said that they found marijuana in Jamaal Tinsley's car. Unfortunately, it would be more of a surprise for marijuana to be absent in a police report from an altercation including NBA players.

Pacers coach Rick Carlisle offered, simply, "[it was] an error in judgment."

If NBA players decide to go to clubs, they do so knowing that there is a good chance they will get into some sort of verbal or physical altercation. I am in no position to make decisions for the players, but if the players decide to go to clubs, they can be held accountable for any trouble they get in. NBA players will never get the benefit of the doubt in this case because the media loves talking about NBA players as being a bunch of hooligans. The simple fact that an NBA player would put himself in a scenario where there is such a high likelihood of trouble, he should be held accountable for his actions.
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Gilbert Arenas doesn't go clubbing. He stays at home in hyperbaric chambers. Gilbert is in the process of converting his house "to the Colorado altitude." He says the costly change will help him keep his stamina up. "How I start the game is how I finish the game," he says. Gilbert also got in shape by training with "a military dude in San Francisco... I wanted to cry a couple of times. While you’re doing it, you’re like, 'This is murder. This guy is killing me.' As soon as you’re done, I was like ‘Wow, I feel energized.'"

"No wonder coach Eddie Jordan said last week that he hadn’t spoken much to Arenas this summer because he could stand only so much 'Gilbertology,'" ~ Kansas City Star.
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Tracy Mcgrady had this to say about Rockets rookie Steve Novak: “He is the best shooter I’ve ever seen. I don’t care if he can do anything else. He can shoot and I love the way he shoots. I don’t care if he can’t dribble, he can’t rebound, can’t play defense, that man can shoot the ball.”

Novak was the subject of my Draft Steals article a while back before the draft. Basically... Tracy is right.
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Phil Jackson on how the Lakers are going to improve: “Well, probably Kobe’s gonna have to take less shots. More players have to be involved in the aspect of scoring. That’s something that has to be a conscious effort, because he can get shots and he knows how to get them, but it will be a conscious effort on his part as to how to do that. I don’t have a number. I think shot 26, 27 times last year. Probably even three less or four less is going to be a marked difference.”
Maybe Kobe's number change will just serve as a constant reminder of how many shots he is allowed to take.
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Good news, Knick fans: Jamal Crawford told a N.J. paper, "I’m still skinny, but I’m a lot stronger." Hopefully Jamal can play this season the way he did in the last quarter of last season.

Bad or good news, depending on who you talk to, Knick fans: Reports from Knicks camp are that Eddy is finishing sprints a bit behind the guards. Isiah is content, saying his conditioning is right where he wants it to be, but others say that Eddy looked sluggish. I'm sure Isiah is trying to keep the sensitive giant's spirits up and the naysayers are being especially tough on Eddy because... they hate him. I would guess the truth lies somewhere in between.
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The NBA season is right down the road. Fantasy leagues have already started, training camp is underway... can't wait. I will be providing a weekly fantasy report on nbadraft.net once the season starts up. Make sure to check it out! I'll keep you posted.

HLBT Daily: When Owner/Player Relationship Goes too Far

Wyc Grousbeck, owner of the Boston Celtics, on one of his players' new slimmed down physique: "Al Jefferson looks like Jessica Simpson." With all due respect, Mr. Grousbeck, I disagree.

Doc Rivers, one of my favorite people in the NBA, took a more... normal... approach to commenting on Jefferson's offseason pound shedding. "We felt that he needed to get in better shape... He committed himself to unbelievable work and that's what happened to his body. ... I still think that the McDonald's of the world are going to do pretty well with Al but I think he's improved (his fitness approach) in a lot of ways." The Celtics have a ton of talent on the roster. Al Jefferson, Kendrick Perkins, Gerald Green, Telfair, Delonte West, and Rajon Rondo - the list goes on and on. Paul Pierce and Wally Szczerbiak are both studs, so if Boston can put it all together (play better defense), they will be a force to be reckoned with for years to come.

Since in the past few posts I have talked about all of the teams who I think will have great seasons, I will tell you which teams will be getting the other teams' losses: The Raptors and Blazers will remain at the bottom of their conferences. In the East, Philly and Washington did not get any better. Atlanta got better simply because their young players improved, though they still lack a reliable big man and point guard. I give them another year before they contend for a playoff spot. In the west, Memphis is going to struggle because Pau is injured, and they are extremely young. Seattle did not make much of an improvement, and the Hornets will not enjoy the same type of early success they had last year. In general though, it seems that the NBA just got better. No team really got worse, and plenty of teams got much better.