Time for my NBA Power Rankings
Music to listen to: Say Something by Timberland and Drake
30- Sacramento Kings: When you combine the worst defensive unit in the NBA and the offensive struggles of Tyreke Evans, its no wonder that the Kings have only four wins.
29- Minnesota Timberwolves: Kevin Love has been the best rebounded in the NBA this season and Michael Beasley has shown an ability to score points. Other than that, not much else to report for the Wolves.
28- Los Angeles Clippers: The Clippers have a league-low three wins but Blake Griffin is a beast and has pushed his way to a top-15 NBA player already. Between the highlight dunks, sound fundamentals and maximum effort, maybe LA finally has a franchise player of its own. Shoot, he had 35-14-7 in 39 minutes Sunday against Utah. However, the Clipps still lost by 12, which is fitting for how the season has gone so far.
27- Washington Wizards: John Wall is averaging 18 points and nine assists along with nearly three steals but may be even better when Gilbert Arenas gets moved.
26- Philadelphia Sixers: Good win over New Jersey on Saturday but they still have major issues, mainly what to do with Elton Brand.
25- Detroit Pistons: Lost an overtime contest to New York on Sunday, 125-116, which will probably be the most points the Pistons will ever score this year. Detroit is averaging only 96.6 points per game, which is 23rd in the league.
24- Toronto Raptors: Without Reggie Evans, the Raptors lose their most valuable player.
23- New Jersey Nets: The Nets may still struggle to score points but they are seventh in the NBA for points allowed, meaning Avery Johnson has them making an effort to stop the opponent. What’s worrisome is they are averaging only 19 assists per game with an established point guard in Devin Harris.
22- Charlotte Bobcats: They haven’t beaten one opponent yet this season with a winning record. This includes two inexcusable losses to the Knicks last week.
21- Houston Rockets: Houston got a nice win at home over Oklahoma City on Sunday but still has major issues of their own to solve, mainly how they can survive being a squad built around Yao Ming who is now not available.
20- Golden State Warriors: One fact says it all about the Warriors. They are 7-1 when David Lee plays, 1-8 when he’s out.
19- Milwaukee Bucks: My main disappointing team in the East outside of a certain team in South Beach. They have to find a way to score points. The Bucks are first in the NBA in points allowed but last in points scored and assists.
18- Cleveland Cavs: A certain former player returns to Cleveland on Thursday but what’s more impressive is the fact that the Cavs are 7-9 and would be in the playoffs if the season ended today.
17- Memphis Grizzlies: For a squad that has had quiet past few seasons, things have gotten interesting in Memphis. You have OJ Mayo relegated to the bench and being one of the biggest names outside of Carmelo Anthony on the trading block. You have Zach Randolph asking for a contract extension and being ignored. You have Mike Conley making more money than half of the league’s point guards and earning it. Fun times on Beale Street.
16- Atlanta Hawks: The Hawks have five home losses and have beaten only two teams with a record of .500 or better at the time they faced the opponent and they were New York and Indiana. They reek of another first-round playoff series loss.
15- New York Knicks: The Knicks have won six of their last seven contests, including five road wins.
14- Phoenix Suns: Can’t ignore the fact that they lost at Denver on Sunday, 138-133, and Carmelo Anthony only played a few minutes in the contest. If the Suns are going to continue to play like this, they may as well trade Steve Nash and start over.
13- Miami Heat: I STILL think that the Heat will figure things out but the worst approach is to keep leaking out information about the dissention that is taking place between the coaches and players. Miami will still win 50+ games and have home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Beyond that, who knows.
12- Portland Trail Blazers: Still worried about Brandon Roy’s knees but the Blazers still find a way to win games.
11- Indiana Pacers: They deserve this spot after getting road wins over the Lakers and Heat in the same week. They also were competitive in a road loss at Oklahoma City. I must eat some crow because I never thought Roy Hibbert would be a good player, let alone a top-five center in the league.
10- Denver Nuggets: Quietly on a four-game winning streak which includes a classic buzzer-beater by Carmelo Anthony in a game winner against Chicago. There are reports that he has been distant from his teammates this season but if they keep winning, he better be happy spending the winter in Colorado.
9- Oklahoma City Thunder: OKC is starting to round into form and the best player on the squad for the first month of the season has been Russell Westbrook. With Kevin Durant getting his form together as well, look out Western Conference.
8- Chicago Bulls: Here were Derrick Rose’s numbers during Chicago’s first winning record during its annual “Circus Road Trip” since Michael Jordan was a Bull, leading the Bulls to a 4-3 record. 30 ppg, seven apg and six rebounds. He’s been a top-five player in the NBA this season and this is without Carlos Boozer.
7- New Orleans Hornets: Since staring the year 8-0, the Hornets have been 4-4, including losses at the Clippers and dropping its first home contest of the year to San Antonio. Plus, Chris Paul’s knee is acting up again. They may not even be a top-10 squad by this time next week.
6- Utah Jazz: Its good that the Jazz can keep coming back from double-digits in contests (Utah has done it eight times this season already), but this trend is worrisome for the future because good teams are going to exploit this in the future.
5- Orlando Magic: Orlando is 12-4, which is good but I can’t place what my problem with the Magic is. Dwight Howard is showing some new post moves and had an outstanding start to the season, so that isn’t the problem. Maybe its been the decline in Rashad Lewis’ play.
4- Los Angeles Lakers: The Lakers have been good but haven’t faced top competition yet. Plus, that home loss to Indiana doesn’t sit well with me.
3- Boston Celtics: Arguably the deepest team in the league suffered a blow with Delonte West’s broken wrist but Rajon Rondo is back and trying to become only the second player in NBA history to average at least 14 assists per game for a season. If you can name the other one, I’ll give you a prize.
2- San Antonio Spurs: Have the most wins in the league (14), but have faced a weak schedule and one of the losses is to my top squad. What’s been surprising is the Spurs averaging more than 107 ppg, good enough for third in the NBA. The defense however has dropped by Spurs’ standards to 14th in the league. I’m also concerned about Tim Duncan and his ability to hold up for a whole season.
1- Dallas Mavs: Won at San Antonio, Dirk is my first-month MVP and if they can get Caron Butler right, than the Mavs may be the Lakers toughest competition in the West.
Those are my thoughts, what are yours?
The Sports Inquirer 
Leave a comment