Stretch run progress reports for each NBA team

The All-Star break is over, the trading deadline but a memory. All that's left is the push for the playoffs. But with about 30 games remaining in the season, there's plenty unsettled, outside of Detroit, Dallas and San Antonio. With that in mind, we offer a completely subjective look at how each club has positioned itself for the stretch run.

NBA Stretch Run Report Card Grade Team D Atlanta Hawks Imagine the Hawks had drafted Chris Paul last June. Imagine the Hawks had dealt Al Harrington over the summer instead of risking his departure with nothing in return. Imagine the Hawks had made more of an effort to sign a big man such as Samuel Dalembert, Tyson Chandler or Eddy Curry instead of spending the summer fighting over the Joe Johnson deal. Imagine the Hawks remembered that they played in the NBA and that a team dedicated to the memory of the Flyin' Illini of the late 1980s was destined for failure. C- Boston Celtics Don't you get the feeling this team's been stuck in limbo since ... oh, a guy named Jim O'Brien was heave-hoed out the door? One minute team president Danny Ainge seems dedicated to rebuilding through the likes of kids such as Al Jefferson, Delonte West and Gerald Green. The next, Boston is reluctant to part with Paul Pierce for fear it won't win enough without him to appease the fans. Here's a thought: Pick a plan and stick with it. If you're going to rebuild, dump Pierce already and demand that Doc Rivers play the kids. Not all of them will become stars, but at least you'll find out who has the potential to make a mark in the league. And if the Celtics are really that fearful that one of the NBA's most loyal and knowledgeable fan bases will jump ship on a team with a losing record, deal some of the kids and hire a coach who knows something about X's and O's, not a man born to be a television analyst. Either way, it's better than spinning your wheels, which will alienate fans. D Charlotte Bobcats The 'Cats are a reflection of coach-GM Bernie Bickerstaff: some solid if unspectacular talent, a respectable effort every night, but ultimately limited in how far they/he can go. After putting together a promising roster of talent -- Emeka Okafor, Primoz Brezec, Gerald Wallace and Brevin Knight -- in its debut year, Charlotte slipped in last June's draft in hedging its bets with two Tar Heels who carry a distinct odor of "second unit." The pass this club has gotten while trying to find its sea legs will expire this summer, though, when the Bobcats are expected to invest some heavy dollars in free agents. C Chicago Bulls It's been a weird season for last year's darlings of the playoff set. After claiming to be concerned for the health of center Eddy Curry (who missed last year's playoffs after being diagnosed with a heart ailment), the Bulls somehow made peace with their collective conscience enough to deal the 21-year-old 7-footer to the Knicks just before the season for some power forwards and a slew of draft picks. The whole messy affair left the team flailing about early this season as it tried to learn how to play without the benefit of a consistent low-post offensive threat. While coach Scott Skiles seemingly has settled on a lineup to calm the waters (after first roiling them with some curious, and offensively inept, rotations), the Bulls likely won't find the road to the playoffs as accommodating this season. But with those Knicks picks over the next two years, Chicago may yet get the better of a deal that looks like a loser at this time. B Cleveland Cavaliers With the season seemingly up in smoke in Indiana, the Cavaliers might be the third best team in the conference, which either goes to show how much Cleveland has improved or how weak the East is. As much as LeBron James' offensive assault garners press, the Cavs have also learned to play a little defense under coach Mike Brown, a key in keeping the team afloat with Larry Hughes sidelined through the rest of the regular season. In the long run, this Cavs' immediate fortunes are tied to how well they involve Zydrunas Ilgauskas in their game plan. Wing players who can torch the nets are increasingly plentiful; 7-footers who average 15 and 8 aren't. But let's be honest: The entire goal for this franchise is to keep LeBron happy enough to re-up with the team when he's a free agent. That means you can't boo the guy, Cleveland fans; and we don't care if he shoots 0-for-the-game. Do we really need to remind anyone how fun winning only 17 games was four seasons ago? A+ Dallas Mavericks Haven't we seen and heard this before? The Mavericks, tired of getting shoved out of the playoffs when their "first to 120 points wins" philosophy eventually grinds to a halt against a better defensive team, finally make a commitment to defense and are hailed as legitimate Finals contenders. And indeed, the Mavs have one of the league's top 10 defenses. But when your best player defends opponents with a matador's cape instead of quick footwork, well, that smells like another pre-June exit. But maybe the Li'l General will surprise us. Maybe the Mavs really are devoting their efforts to stopping other teams from scoring. Maybe this team has what it takes to get to the Finals. Maybe -- whoa -- see how easy it is to envision the Mavericks as an NBA champ, and we didn't even get an angry e-mail from Mark Cuban. B Denver Nuggets Wasn't it only a year ago that the Nuggets were a juggernaut in the making? Sure enough, they lead the Northwest Division, but cracks are everywhere. The Kenyon Martin-Marcus Camby frontcourt is downright dainty in its ability to weather a full season. The shooting guard spot is now manned by a career 41.8 percent shooting point guard. And the team's best clutch player is a 5-foot-5 journeyman. Further, the Nuggets' defense has been middling, at best, this season. Still, Denver is light years away from where it was three years ago, which makes the notion that GM Kiki Vandeweghe may be allowed to leave at season's end all the more puzzling. Coach George Karl may have enough stroke with owner Stan Kroenke to make Vandeweghe a lame duck, but he also has a history of grinding on his players' nerves before too long. That could make for a small window of title opportunity. A+ Detroit Pistons The league has Larry Brown to thank for the can of whoop-ass the Pistons have opened up on the NBA this season. As if the Pistons weren't a formidable enough bunch already, Brown engineers his way out and gives the Eastern champs motivation: 1) to prove that he was almost superfluous to their success 2)that his controlling nature chained their offensive talent and 3) that any man would be a fool to leave the two-time defending Eastern Conference champs to take over the dysfunctional Knicks. Think a 46-9 start to the season has Brown rethinking his maneuvers of last June? The Pistons have the look of those well-oiled Bulls and Lakers (modern edition) teams that often toyed with opponents, as if they need to create a challenge to overcome. C- Golden State Warriors Every time a college coach breaks his NBA maiden, the spin is always the same: basketball is basketball, college or pro. And if coach -- oh, let's call him Mike Montgomery -- could build a Division I winner, he can do the same in the NBA. The first year usually isn't pretty, but our rookie coach gets a pass as he "learns the players" in the league. A trade or two and a new season brighten hopes. But soon it becomes clear in Year 2, to the coach, the team and the players, that basketball isn't basketball anymore, that the NBA requires as much psychological strategy as it does chalkboard strategy. Before you know it, the players are running the show, the team is described by media everywhere as one of the season's biggest disappointments, and Seton Hall has a new, NBA-seasoned coach. C+ Houston Rockets As much as we're inclined to rip Jeff Van Gundy for his inability to come up with an offensive scheme or to find a way to use Stromile Swift more than Juwan Howard, it's impossible not to give the Rockets a bit of a break when three starters (Tracy McGrady, Yao Ming and Rafer Alston) have all spent significant time on the bench nursing injuries. Still, this team didn't race from the gate strongly, and that was when everyone was healthy. And after three--plus years, isn't it about time Yao won a few games rather than just played a complementary role? That's what No. 1 draft picks who get more All-Star votes than anyone on the planet should do.