Power Rankings...
Here are my new NBA power rankings!!!
1) San Antonio- They won last year, they acquired Michael Finley and Nick Van Exel (which means they'll be able to shoot), and they still have Tim Duncan. This makes them number one.
2) Miami- If things work out, they'll be scary good. They still have Shaq and D-Wade. If Dorell Wright contributes, they'll be amazing.
3) Indiana- Getting Ron Artest back shoots them up the list. With the acquisitions of Europe's best remaining player (Jaskievicius) and Danny Granger, the Pacers have enough depth to hang with anyone.
4) Detroit- The funny thing about not explicitly improving in the NBA is that it tends to make your team worse by comparison. This team is tougher than last year with Davis and Maxiell, though, and they might play Darko this year... maybe... we can hope.
5) Phoenix- This is sort of obligatory, because they were so good last year. Losing Joe Johnson and Q-Rich will hurt them more than they think, and they may slide a bit. Still, they're dangerous in the open court, and can run a lot of teams off the court.
6) Houston- This has to be about the time for the Rockets to start winning. If Stromile Swift and Derek Anderson rebound and shoot, respectively, the Rockets should have enough support for T-Mac and Yao to hopefully make it out of the first round. Luther Head should be a real sleeper for this team- he can definitely shoot off the bench.
7) Denver- This may be too high, but the Nuggets were hot last year, and should be deep enough to climb this ladder in the West. If they learn how to shoot...
8) Sacramento- A strange team, the Kings decided to go off the board and sign Shareef Abdur-Rahim, instantly putting them right back in playoff contention after a shaky offseason. There's no depth for Bibby anymore, but there's still a ton of skill on this team.
9) Seattle- Sometimes it is sufficient for a team to stand pat. But the Sonics have stood pat by a) not signing any free agents, and b) not re-signing their coach. Losing Antonio Daniels puts more pressure on Luke Ridnour, and there's still little scoring from the centers. However, kudos to the Sonics for not paying Jerome James.
10) Cleveland- Q: Why didn't the Cavs make the playoffs last year? A: LeBron had to do everything. Q: Why will the Cavs make the playoffs this year? A: LeBron has help, coming in the form of Larry Hughes, the 22.0 ppg All-NBA defensive team hybrid guard that should take needed pressure off James. Damon Jones can also shoot, as can Donyell Marshall. Bottom line is that the Cavs should shoot a lot better than last year, which means that King James won't have to jack up as many bad shots. At least that's my theory.
11) Chicago- They're young and they'll get better, but they probably still have another year to go before they figure everything out.
12) Dallas- It's the same team without Michael Finley. And there were definitely some problems with Nowitzki and the rest of the squad last playoffs. I know it looks like they turned the corner last year, but it might be surprising to see how last year's fallout from the playoffs plays out.
13) LA Clippers- This is scary, but their starting lineup is: Cassell, Maggette, Brand, Mobley, and Kaman. With Wilcox and Shaun Livingston on the bench, they should have a lot of talent. This may be enough for them to break into the difficult west.
14) Memphis- This is a really interesting group of players. The Griz have opted to go for slightly more stable point guards, which could end up helping their team. They had to get rid of Bonzi Wells since the Czar was still there, and have replaced him with slightly less explosive talent. It's really important for Gasol to be huge here.
15) Washington- I like this team, but losing Larry Hughes hurts. Caron Butler for Kwame Brown was an absolute steal. They should still make the playoffs in the east, though.
16) Philadelphia- It should be interesting to see how this Webber/Iverson thing plays out. The Sixers could surprise or implode, so I'm trying to take an average of that with this rank.
17) Minnesota- What they are doing to Kevin Garnett's career should be illegal. McCants had better be the truth.
18) New Jersey- Looking at their roster, you see like 20 players. This team could be better (like Philly), but they don't have an inside presence, which is shady.
19) LA Lakers- They have Kobe Bryant, and he's good for 35 wins a year.
20) NY Knicks- They're going with the three guards approach, and they drafted Channing Frye. But there's a big hole missing in the middle, and the band-aids they've drafted and signed may not get it done. The Knicks have basically stabbed in the dark the past few years, drafting Frye, Lee, and Sweetney, hoping to hit gold.
21) Golden State- I don't think this team can play defense, but they should be able to score. Has anybody ever seen a Warriors game on TV?
22) Orlando- Dwight Howard is awesome, and his cards are too cheap. Buy them all now. This team has, however, sinned by signing Travis Diener.
23) Boston- If this team looks young on paper, it's because they are. I'm looking for Paul Pierce to commit a level 4 flagrant foul sometime in the year.
24) Milwaukee- I'm going off the board and saying that the Bucks could climb up this list, pending a solid year from... T.J. Ford. Bogut will give them 13 and 9, but that's about it. Wait, this really isn't off the board at all, everybody else thinks the same thing.
25) Atlanta- All I'm saying is that they have talent, and if Marvin Williams is really good, they'll win 30 games.
26) Charlotte- Patience, Bobcats fans, patience, your team will get another lottery pick next year.
27) Toronto- They don't have a point guard who's mentally stable. I do think Jalen Rose is a cool guy. Charlie Villanueva could be an X-factor; people think he'll be bad but he has a ton of talent.
28) Portland- They could be scary bad next year. Nate McMillan, what were you thinking?
29) Oklahoma City- Chris Paul will force J.R. Smith to take better shots. And the Hornets randomly picked up Rasual Butler. And they will still be awful since they're stuck in the West.
1) San Antonio- They won last year, they acquired Michael Finley and Nick Van Exel (which means they'll be able to shoot), and they still have Tim Duncan. This makes them number one.
2) Miami- If things work out, they'll be scary good. They still have Shaq and D-Wade. If Dorell Wright contributes, they'll be amazing.
3) Indiana- Getting Ron Artest back shoots them up the list. With the acquisitions of Europe's best remaining player (Jaskievicius) and Danny Granger, the Pacers have enough depth to hang with anyone.
4) Detroit- The funny thing about not explicitly improving in the NBA is that it tends to make your team worse by comparison. This team is tougher than last year with Davis and Maxiell, though, and they might play Darko this year... maybe... we can hope.
5) Phoenix- This is sort of obligatory, because they were so good last year. Losing Joe Johnson and Q-Rich will hurt them more than they think, and they may slide a bit. Still, they're dangerous in the open court, and can run a lot of teams off the court.
6) Houston- This has to be about the time for the Rockets to start winning. If Stromile Swift and Derek Anderson rebound and shoot, respectively, the Rockets should have enough support for T-Mac and Yao to hopefully make it out of the first round. Luther Head should be a real sleeper for this team- he can definitely shoot off the bench.
7) Denver- This may be too high, but the Nuggets were hot last year, and should be deep enough to climb this ladder in the West. If they learn how to shoot...
8) Sacramento- A strange team, the Kings decided to go off the board and sign Shareef Abdur-Rahim, instantly putting them right back in playoff contention after a shaky offseason. There's no depth for Bibby anymore, but there's still a ton of skill on this team.
9) Seattle- Sometimes it is sufficient for a team to stand pat. But the Sonics have stood pat by a) not signing any free agents, and b) not re-signing their coach. Losing Antonio Daniels puts more pressure on Luke Ridnour, and there's still little scoring from the centers. However, kudos to the Sonics for not paying Jerome James.
10) Cleveland- Q: Why didn't the Cavs make the playoffs last year? A: LeBron had to do everything. Q: Why will the Cavs make the playoffs this year? A: LeBron has help, coming in the form of Larry Hughes, the 22.0 ppg All-NBA defensive team hybrid guard that should take needed pressure off James. Damon Jones can also shoot, as can Donyell Marshall. Bottom line is that the Cavs should shoot a lot better than last year, which means that King James won't have to jack up as many bad shots. At least that's my theory.
11) Chicago- They're young and they'll get better, but they probably still have another year to go before they figure everything out.
12) Dallas- It's the same team without Michael Finley. And there were definitely some problems with Nowitzki and the rest of the squad last playoffs. I know it looks like they turned the corner last year, but it might be surprising to see how last year's fallout from the playoffs plays out.
13) LA Clippers- This is scary, but their starting lineup is: Cassell, Maggette, Brand, Mobley, and Kaman. With Wilcox and Shaun Livingston on the bench, they should have a lot of talent. This may be enough for them to break into the difficult west.
14) Memphis- This is a really interesting group of players. The Griz have opted to go for slightly more stable point guards, which could end up helping their team. They had to get rid of Bonzi Wells since the Czar was still there, and have replaced him with slightly less explosive talent. It's really important for Gasol to be huge here.
15) Washington- I like this team, but losing Larry Hughes hurts. Caron Butler for Kwame Brown was an absolute steal. They should still make the playoffs in the east, though.
16) Philadelphia- It should be interesting to see how this Webber/Iverson thing plays out. The Sixers could surprise or implode, so I'm trying to take an average of that with this rank.
17) Minnesota- What they are doing to Kevin Garnett's career should be illegal. McCants had better be the truth.
18) New Jersey- Looking at their roster, you see like 20 players. This team could be better (like Philly), but they don't have an inside presence, which is shady.
19) LA Lakers- They have Kobe Bryant, and he's good for 35 wins a year.
20) NY Knicks- They're going with the three guards approach, and they drafted Channing Frye. But there's a big hole missing in the middle, and the band-aids they've drafted and signed may not get it done. The Knicks have basically stabbed in the dark the past few years, drafting Frye, Lee, and Sweetney, hoping to hit gold.
21) Golden State- I don't think this team can play defense, but they should be able to score. Has anybody ever seen a Warriors game on TV?
22) Orlando- Dwight Howard is awesome, and his cards are too cheap. Buy them all now. This team has, however, sinned by signing Travis Diener.
23) Boston- If this team looks young on paper, it's because they are. I'm looking for Paul Pierce to commit a level 4 flagrant foul sometime in the year.
24) Milwaukee- I'm going off the board and saying that the Bucks could climb up this list, pending a solid year from... T.J. Ford. Bogut will give them 13 and 9, but that's about it. Wait, this really isn't off the board at all, everybody else thinks the same thing.
25) Atlanta- All I'm saying is that they have talent, and if Marvin Williams is really good, they'll win 30 games.
26) Charlotte- Patience, Bobcats fans, patience, your team will get another lottery pick next year.
27) Toronto- They don't have a point guard who's mentally stable. I do think Jalen Rose is a cool guy. Charlie Villanueva could be an X-factor; people think he'll be bad but he has a ton of talent.
28) Portland- They could be scary bad next year. Nate McMillan, what were you thinking?
29) Oklahoma City- Chris Paul will force J.R. Smith to take better shots. And the Hornets randomly picked up Rasual Butler. And they will still be awful since they're stuck in the West.
posted by mike at 7:40 PM
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