Now that the 2017-18 NBA season has eked pasts its quarter-pole mark, rumor has it we're free to hand out report grades for every team. So, you know, let's do that! - Hardwood Knocks will begin with the Western Conference's jumble of craziness. And in order to properly ensure the hottest takes, Andy and Dan are calling upon Associated Editor of Salt City Hoops Dan Clayton (@danclayt0n) to join the party. - All 15 squads are covered—in random, speaker's choice order, we might add—so you needn't worry about us leaving anyone out. Among the most pressing questions, though: Have the Golden State Warriors tried hard enough so far to get an A? Are the Houston Rockets the NBA's most serious threat to the Warriors' reign? Are the Oklahoma City Thunder better than their sub-.500 record suggests? - How do we grade the league's most injury-ravaged squads, such as the Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies and Utah Jazz? Do the Minnesota Timberwolves deserve a passing grade? Are we prepared to give the Kawhi Leonard-less San Antonio Spurs an A? And what of the West's preeminent tank jobs from the Phoenix Suns and Sacramento Kings? Are the Dallas Mavericks tanking hard enough? Are the New Orleans Pelicans surprisingly good or right where they need to be? - All this, plus much more, awaits you in Hardwood Knocks' latest. So grab your favorite beverage and flavor of Doritos, strap in and open your minds. Because the #takez, they are a coming! - As always, be sure to subscribe to and rate Hardwood Knocks on iTunes. You can also find us on Stitcher and BlogTalkRadio. And as 50 Cent's biopic suggests: Follow Andy Bailey (@AndrewDBailey), Dan Favale (@danfavale), the show (@HardwoodKnocks) and NBA Math (@NBA_Math) on Twitter or die trying. - - Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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