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In the East, Sendai has come out as the surprise team. The 89ers all but changed their imports, besides Ryan Blackwell and are playing well. The Niners have size, can shoot, and dictate the tempo. Tokyo and Niigata are fighting for the 2nd place spot, but it seems like the Albirex will have the advantage since the Apache aren’t doing a good job facing Niigata in its direct match up (0-4).

In the West, Osaka was said to be doomed once forward Lynn Washington was placed on the shelf with an injury. The Evessa, also has a reputation for relying on their imports, but Kazuya Hatano and veteran Naoto Nakamura have stepped up to the plate to make up for the lost of Osaka’s instant double-double man. Takamatsu on the other hand started out hot with five imports, but is struggling to keep up the heat, as they are 3 games behind the two time defending champs.

Let’s break down each Team:

EAST:

Sendai 89ers
Grade A+
Report: The Niners have a solid group of players with no one really being a superstar. Ryan Blackwell’s scoring, but making his teammates better with passing and game making. PG Hikaru Kusaka have been a maestro as he has dictated the pace for his team and he has done a great job distributing the ball, leading to a healthy stat sheet with balanced scoring. Nick DeWitz is the team’s engine and All-Star Patrick Whearty enforces within the paint with his size and rebounding. They are the favorite to show up at Ariake Coliseum come May 3.

Tokyo Apache
Grade: B+
Report: Much better than last season, as they Nick Davis eating the glass and providing energy for the Apache. G/F John Humphrey is also playing great unselfish basketball, and the Apache is solid. Guard Kohei Aoki has been hit with the injury bug, and Tokyo must make sure he is healthy come playoff time, because without him, it will be hard to overcome Niigata during the Wildcard came, which is a bad match-up for the Apache.
Otherwise, another concern is finding another big man that can be a sidekick to Davis, just in case he gets in foul trouble. Forward Damieon Baker gives great support with his mid-range game, so, with another banger that can play 25 minutes per game, the Apache has a great shot at a duel and victory again Sendai in the Eastern Conference finals

Niigata Albirex
Grade: B
Report: Niigata seemed to have downgraded from last season, losing Nick Davis to Tokyo. Due to that, Matt Garrison has been delegated to rebounding more than he has ever done in the last four years. Guard Naoto Kosuge is providing solid output from the perimeter, but the Albirex may need more energy on the outside. In order to provide help for Forward Rodney Webb, the acquisition of Andre Smith has been a plus. Niigata has the second best defense in the east by only allowing 81.2 ppg, but the key for them will be to find another perimeter scorer that will give them another 5 points per game in general.

Saitama Broncos:
Grade: C-
Report: This team has the potential to blow-up, but the issue is when. The Broncos came out of the gate slow, but they are playing some good basketball as their chemistry have gotten better. New acquisition Aaron Lawrence Sakai has been a good get as he allows G Taishiro Shimizu to focus on being an offensive spark plug during vital points of the game. Forward Kazuhiro Shoji has also emerged as a vocal leader, and he is doing a good job of picking his spots to score. Saitama has the best defense in the East, and it’s up to them to further grow as a team and make good decisions during clutch time.

Toyama Grouses
Grade: F
Report: This Grouses team is nothing short of disappointing. The front office actually signed lower tier imports and two of them have gone home, with no replacement. Their front line is thin, and they have natural small forwards playing the power positions. Toyama’s offseason acquisition Masayuki Kabaya has been a positive influence, as he has formed a second-half to a promising backcourt featuring Takanori Goya and himself. Unless Jamar Brown gets some help on the inside and rebounding in the next 2 weeks, Toyama might as well start planning for next season.

WEST:

Osaka Evessa
Grade: A+
Report: Never would have expected the Evessa to be this good without Forward and Captain Lynn Washington. However, the defending champions are proving why they are at the throne as their Japanese players have emerged to hold the fort until their ace returns. The biggest key for this team is Mikey Marshall. He does it all for the Evessa, and always makes the right decisions. He is shooting more from the outside than he did for Oita last season, but hitting them. Marshall is quick off the dribble and constantly find open shooters; making Osaka hard to beat. Jeff Newton rebounds well-enough to allow Osaka to run the floor and scoring easier baskets, despite have a height disadvantage. If Lynn can gel with this team upon his return, the Evessa may be the favorite to take another trophy home. But of course, they will have to answer to Sendai.

Takamatsu Five Arrows
Grade: B+
Report: Takamatsu looked better on paper this preseason when they signed Center George Leach and their fifth import, Steve Horn. However, they might not be as good as they were last season, as Leach has had a hard time avoiding foul trouble, and his game does not have the same dimensions that Julius Ashby had last year. Last season’s Finals standout Reggie Warren is having a signature year by averaging nearly 20-10 in the frontcourt, and he is the Five Arrow’s energizer. When he is clicking, and has his teammate’s involved, they are virtually unstoppable. The only draw back is the fact that Takamatsu wants to score a lot of points, but they can get stagnant when players get selfish, and they want to make the game a shootout. Defense, and more ball movement will be key to their success.

Oita Heat Devils
Grade: C
Report: Hard to grade the Heatdevils as they have ample talent to compete, but lack the knockout punch to finish games. Everything is average. They score 86 points a game, but they give up 85.6. They finish most weekends at 1-1. They are one of the top rebounding teams in the league, but give up critical rebounds when the game is on the line. Star Forward Andy Ellis is putting up more statistically than he did last season, and so is second-year forward Justin Allen. However, the Heatdevils have lacked a slasher, or another aggressive player to keep its opponents on its heels. PG Tsubasa Yonamine has made himself valuable with his playmaking and defensive abilities. Oita has the size, speed, and smarts to compete against any team, but it may take more to add wins to its record.

Rizing Fukuoka BB
Grade: C-
Report: Coach John Neumann and his Rizing squad have been solid, even though they are an expansion team. Fukuoka plays with a lot of defensive energy night-in and night-out, but they allow a lot of points because they play at a very fast pace. Forward Joshua Peppers and Michael Gardener are fantastic when they are clicking, but they can get their team in a funk when they force erratic shots. There have been some concerns as Fukuoka is facing the injury bug (Jun Nakanishi and N’Dongo NDiaye), and Tsuyoshi Kawazura has had to play elephantine amounts of minutes. As of this week, they have signed Trevor Bryant from Tokyo and he may perhaps be a spark plug that can run, play defense, and finish buckets for the Rizing. If Fukuoka can hang around, they have the potential to beat Oita and show up at Ariake as a darkhorse team.

Ryukyu Golden Kings
Grade D
Report: Defense seems to be a major concern for the Kings, as they allow 88.3 points per game. The Kings also lack a multi-dimensional player that can provide inside-outside offense. Forwards Eric Walton and Danny Jones are solid forwards, but Walton lacks height, and Jones lacks power, respectively. 2007’s first overall selection, Naoto Takushi has had to score more than he has to at the point guard position, and now has been relegated to the SG slot, with the acquisition of import guard Herb Gibson. Forward Bryon Simpson has played well for the minutes he’s on the floor, but he’s far from an offensive stalwart. Ryukyu may have to ditch it’s one-on-one approach on offense to create easier shots for its offensively handicapped bunch. And it’s imperative for them to play better team defense. On the plus side, they are still competitive so it only takes a little tweaking to become better.