Philadelphia 76ers
Mid-season grade: F
There's a very real chance that this season ends up being a "lost" year for the Philadelphia 76ers. If that were to happen, there's no question this team would take the cake as the most disappointing team in the league. After the big moves the Sixers made during the offseason, the belief was that Philly would emerge as arguably the biggest threat to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference. While it's understandable that many assumed that to be the case, the Sixers have simply not been that team so far this season.
It's easy to blame injuries but the Sixers have a really strong argument for that. The Sixers have been set up to fail this season and there hasn't been a stretch so far this year in which they can confidently say they were healthy. It's unfortunate considering how talented this roster is on paper. There's still time for the Sixers to salvage their season in the second half of the year but I have zero confidence this team is going to be able to overcome the injury bug that has plagued them all season long. While injuries can't be avoided and are not entirely their fault, that still doesn't mean they shouldn't get a failing grade for their performance during the first half of the season.
Phoenix Suns
Mid-season grade: D+
If there's one team that has been as disappointing as the Philadelphia 76ers, it's probably the Phoenix Suns. For as much talent as the team has on its roster, the Suns have been pretty bad during the first half of this season. Getting off to a hot start to the year, there was hope that the Suns would be able to emerge as a legit threat in the Western Conference. However, over the past few months, the Suns have completely played their way out of that potential role. It's been a disaster for the Suns since.
The Suns are clinging to the 10th seed in the Western Conference and are in dire need of a lifeline heading into the NBA Trade Deadline. I'm not sure if the Suns are going to get one but there's no question this team needs to find a boost to push them upward during the second half of the season. All signs point to another disappointing ending to the season for the Suns and if that were to happen, you can expect some chaos during the offseason.