NBA Eastern Conference Mid-Season Report (Written by Haley Greenberg)

January 16 marks mid-season for the NBA. Since then, some teams have risen while others have proved to be falling. In the Eastern Conference it is definitely obvious that the Cavaliers are having a great season and have been extremely successful since the return of LeBron. Accordingly, the Indiana Pacers are having a good recent run. Although Paul George has been out for a while, the team is finally setting up for a playoff spot. George is a 20-point scorer and a starting player, so he would be an enormous attribute to the team. If they make it to the playoffs, they will definitely be a difficult team to beat.

George Hill

            Sadly, two teams have fallen from grace post January 16. The Washington Wizards and Toronto Raptors have skidded down in the ratings tremendously. It seems as though the Wizards cannot recover from missing an injured player, and cannot come up with a good strategy to beat their tough opponents. If lucky, the team will land in the No. 6 seed for the Eastern Conference.  Accordingly, the Raptors started the season strong but have been struggling lately. The two star players, Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan have had low shooting percentages, which is not helping the team. If these two teams want a shot at the playoffs, strategies must be adjusted, coaches need to motivate the team members, and star players need to step their game up.

Derrick Rose Out: What technology can be used to revive his knee?

When I wrote my Derrick Rose article back in April, the last thing that I (or any other sports fans did NOT want to see) has just occurred. According to ESPN, Derrick Rose is out with a torn meniscus that will likely rule him out for the remainder of the season.

This injury is once again detrimental to the team. The Bulls were considered championship contenders this year. With the Cavaliers and Raptors inconsistency, the Hawks' lack of a superstar, and the Wizards uncertainty, the Bulls were at least in the running for the Eastern Conference Championship. Currently ranked 3rd in the East, the Bulls will probably end the season 5th or 6th without Rose.

Injury 

Although alot of us have heard of the term "meniscus" being tagged to athletes quite often, what does it really mean? How long does it take to recover from this injury? What type of technology will be used on Rose in order for him to recover at the fastest pace possible.

As we know, the NBA consist of 30 Multi-Million dollar organizations. These organizations contain high quality facilities that offer the VERY BEST doctors and technology when it comes to keeping the players in shape and healthy. In this case, we take a peak into some of the decision making that the  Bulls organization may be going through.

Derrick Rose

According to my research, surgery on a torn meniscus doesn't always guarantee complete recovery because it takes approximately a month before basic daily activities could be done. When it pertains to heavy activity, that process can take months. As well know, basketball is heavy pounding on the knees. Therefore , in normal circumstances , a person like Derrick Rose wouldn't be running on any court until at least the end of May. Granted , Derrick will receive heavy treatment throughout his recovery. However, the Bulls and the rest of the league is well aware that the season ends on April 15th.


General Manager Gar Forman stated that Rose could potentially be back within 4-6 weeks, so the
 most important thing as of right now is to give Derrick surgery. In today's world, the most common method to large tears is surgery. The Bulls will more than likely take this method , making sure it gets done as soon as possible. However, who's to say that they won't be considering other methods? From a basketball prospective, the quicker the player can return, the better.  Would the Bulls possibly consider something like...stem cells?

Should Stem Cells Be Given A Chance?

Stem cells have been tested on animals. In the experiment with those animals, the meniscus has completely healed after a span of 3 months. If this same style of treatment could have been applied on Derrick Rose's knee, players such as Brandon Roy, Grant Hill, and others could have had much longer and more fruitful careers. Unfortunately at this time, this process is still considered a high risk as it has not been tested on humans significantly.

With the technological advances that our society goes through day in and day, look for the stem cell process to potentially become a method that all teams use IF AND ONLY IF it can promise full recovery within the damaged area.

Can the Miami Heat survive without Chris Bosh (Written by Haley Greenberg)

Chris Bosh is officially out for the rest of the season due to blood clots in his lungs. His last game played was at the All-Star Game when he was then admitted to the hospital. The blood clot was likely to have started from his legs and moved to the lungs-- a very dangerous occurrence. The medication known to treat this condition usually requires at least six months of limited physical activity. Thankfully there are only about 2 months left in the NBA regular season. The Miami team has had an extremely tough season loosing some crucial players and having to rework the team around this. Last Thursday, the Heat introduced Goran Dragic, the new point guard, along with his brother Zoran. Although these two new players are crucial to the team, Bosh will be very difficult to replace over the next few months. Teammates told reporters that Bosh played at a level of basketball that is impossible to replace, so hopefully the team can pull it together for the rest of the season.

Chris Bosh

The Heat are 24-31 overall this season and is in seventh place in the Eastern Conference. It has been extremely tough season for the entire Miami Heat organization, but the team is hoping for the best in the next months. The guys still want the playoff run and to be successful even without one of their star players. Bosh was averaging 21.1 points and 7 rebounds per game. He has a 5 year deal signed over the summer that pays him $118 million. While Dwyane Wade knows that Bosh won't be back for the rest of the season, he's still hopeful that they will play together again soon.

Are Cavaliers Getting It Together?

At one point in the season, it seemed as though the Cavs were barley going to be a top 5 team in the Eastern Conference. This was a major disappointment considering the amount of talent that they have on their team.

Resting LeBron James Will Make A Huge Impact

Before LeBron took his week and a half break, it had seemed as if LeBron was just worn out. LeBron has always put up good numbers, but he seemed physically and mentally drained. In his absence, the Cavaliers were deflated. However, the Cavs seem to be getting it together with LeBron being back and the team continuing to grow in chemistry.

Resting LeBron is something that began in his time with Miami. Every so often he would sit out here and there throughout the season to be kept from being worn out. Doing so in Cleveland will be pivitol as he continues to age through the years. With that being said, LeBron fans should not be too concerned. When he does play, he still averages 37.6 minutes per game.

Their recent victory over the Bulls at home sends a message to the rest of the Conference: don't forget about us.

Atlanta Hawks: Biggest Surprise Thus Far

If one were to say that the Atlanta Hawks would be the #1 seed in the East, that would seem far fetched. The Atlanta Hawks have become a serious threat to take the Eastern conference, even if the Cavaliers have recently added JR Smith and Iman Shumpert to add fire to their bench. In a conference that's supposed to either be won by the Cavaliers or Bulls, the Hawks have something to say about that.

Why are they so good?

The Atlanta Hawks are impressing everyone with their play. This season, the Hawks have already defeated the Bulls, Mavericks, Cavaliers, Clippers, and TrailBlazers. With that being said, what makes the Hawks such a good team?

The play of their backcourt has been outstanding. Point guard Jeff Teague (one of the most underrated players in the league) has averaged a team high 17 points per game to go along with 7 assist. Shooting guard Kyle Korver has averaged 12 points to go along with 5 rebounds per game. While the 5 rebounds per game may not seem significant, this has been one of the results of Korver's hard work to elevate his game. When Kyle Korver first entered the NBA, he was just a pure 3-point shooter. Throughout the past few years, Korver has developed his game to make himself more valuable. He has hustled way more than in previous years, and has drastically improved his defense.  Point guard Jeff Teague has been balling for a couple of years now.  Each and every year, Teague has increased his points per game average. Right now, Teague is a playing at an all-star level.

For once, Atlanta has a HEALTHY backcourt. It always seemed like either Paul Milsap or  Al Horford would be injured. The scary thing about this team is that they made alot of noise without one of their top player's in Horford. Well, thus far this season,  Atlanta has finally had everyone healthy. Needless to say, it has paid dividends.