Mid-Season Report: Voltron

For our second divisional look, it's Voltron up to the deck. The division is pretty much sealed up and it's a surprisingly team up at the top. Let's take a look!

So Buckets (7-5)
A stunning turnaround for Josh's sophomore year in Slam Nation. After going 3-9 last season, the So Buckets are now almost assured of a spot in the playoffs -- they have won five of their last six games. They're doing it with the combination of good shooting from the field, strong rebounding, excellent ball distribution, and fantastic steals. All of this and they aren't bad in any category. This is a solid team.

The turnaround is fueled by Kyrie Irving, who is averaging 23.7 PTS, 5.7 AST, 2.0 3PT, and 1.8 STL. Paired with Sixth Man of the Year candidate Jarrett Jack and the serviceable Darren Collison, the three combine to give this backcourt plenty of underrated oomph. While the other four keepers have been pretty disappointing -- Pau Gasol, Andre Iguodala, Gerald Wallace, even Evan Turner a bit -- GM Josh has done a great job using the waiver wire. Case in point, Larry Sanders and his team leading 8.4 REB and 3.2 BLK. With a three game lead on the next closest competitor, this division is just about locked up. We're a bit early but let's just go ahead and give Josh a big hand for a great turnaround!

MoRRie's Pogiboys (4-8)
Coming off the heels of a 5-14 season in 2011, Alvin's team was trending up with a fantastic 8-4 record last season. After winning the Toilet Bowl and the right to draft Anthony Davis, we figured the Pogiboys were going to be the Voltron champs. Well, things aren't as they should be. While Davis has been good -- 13.0 PTS, 7.9 REB, 1.9 BLK, 1.1 STL -- and fellow rookie Michael Kidd-Gilchrist has contributed nicely all around, this team is lacking something. A backcourt featuring Brandon Jennings and Mike Conley Jr. should be able to do it all (except for shooting efficiently), and they do boast a combined 11.7 AST, 4.4 STL, and 3.3 3PT per game. But somehow this team is only above average in two categories: third in BLK and fourth in STL.

Everywhere else this team seems to be lacking. Roy Hibbert and Marcus Thornton have both regressed badly, Brandon Knight hasn't improved, and the disappointing draft only unearthed the new and improved J.R. Smith. There is some room for improvement here, as Tristan Thompson will now get all the minutes he can handle on the heels of the Anderson Varejao injury -- and it looks like he'll be a nightly double double threat. While the post-season is not mathematically out of the question, it's more likely Alvin will find themselves back in the Toiet Bowl as they've lost six of their last seven.

Super Ninja (3-8-1)
Thien's team has won this division two years running and boast a roster of versatile talents capable of beating anyone. They have been contenders year in and year out. Until now. Most of it is injury related, as Andrew Bynum has yet to make an appearance and John Wall has only played seven games. But this team is sliding backwards across the board. Dwayne Wade is still a fantasy stud, but not a top ten player by any measure. Paul Pierce and Rudy Gay are both losing their passing touch, while shooting horrifically from the field. Tyson Chandler is the lone man in the middle, swatting about a shot a game and producing a nice 12.1 PTS and 10.9 REB. He needs help though, and while Nikola Pekovic is in the midst of a semi-breakout season, he's currently injured.

Looking over this roster, there's still plenty of talent on board but Super Ninja has slipped dramatically. They aren't top three in any categories, and are only above average in FG%, PTS, and TO. It's hard to tell if a healthy slate will make this team a contender again, but this season is basically a lost one for Thien. Seeing as they've won the Toilet Bowl before -- for the rights to John Wall -- they are probably aiming to do the same so they can reverse this year's slide.

Human Amoebas (0-12)
We've never had a winless team in SlamNation but former champion Human Amoebas is going to threaten that mark this season. Management has realized that this season is a complete bust, and moved accordingly, initiating a mega-trade that netted Kevin Love at the cost of short term competitiveness. Then again, calling the 2013 version of this team "competitive" would have been a stretch. When underwhelming rookies Austin Rivers and Harrison Barnes are logging the second and third most games played for your team, you know there's a problem. Losing the talented trio of DeMarcus Cousins, Monta Ellis, and Andre Drummond will certainly hurt, but Kevin Love is a fantasy monster when healthy.

With Love, Derrick Rose, Dirk Nowitzki, and Eric Gordon back to full strength, this team would be a strong contender. The question is if all four will ever get on the floor at the same time. Rose and Gordon will have half a NBA season to regain their form, but it's an open question how much Dirk has left. Who would have thought that the Andray Blatche for Nowitzki trade would mostly be a wash so far? If the big guns can get healthy, Eric-A has the makings of an outstanding team -- perhaps even a very interesting small ball one, especially with a Paul Millsap, Love, and Nowitzki front line. But right now they are last in FG%, STL, BLK, and pretty much useless everywhere else. It's okay though, this team is being built for 2014, we just have to hope they have a win in them this season!