NBA Power Rankings: Volume 1

This will be my first week doing power rankings (something I plan on doing every week) so I will briefly summarize some of the headline grabbers in the NBA season thus far. Furthermore, I will be rankings teams on their body of work from their season as a whole to this point as this will be my first rankings. Therefore after this week, it will be on a week by week basis.

Throughout this year, there has no doubt been some crazy things that have happened in the NBA, led by of course the unflappable Golden State Warriors, and the hands down most valuable player to this point, Stephen Curry.  And despite the sound beating the Spurs just took, they are one of the upper tier, elite teams that can beat the Warriors in a seven-game series.

On the other side, there are no words to describe what is happening in Phoenix. The Suns are absolutely brutal and seem to not even care about playing on the defensive end anymore. Jeff Hornacek is clearly on his way out. Losing Eric Bledsoe is one thing, but in a somewhat down year in the Western Conference (aside from the top half), that a 14-31 record, along with being blown out in nearly every game is not acceptable.

There have been pleasant surprises as well as the Dallas Mavericks led by their most shewed acquisition this offseason Zaza Pachulia, are sitting in 6th place in the West. They have come crashing down to Earth of late going just 4-6 in their last 10 games.

There are plenty of more things to discuss in this week’s power rankings. Let the angry comments fly!

30. Philadelphia 76ers (6-39):

One of the surprising things of the NBA season thus far has been the play of Ish Smith. With Smith, the 76ers are suddenly respectable with a 5-9 record, and Smith is averaging 16 points and 8 assists per game. Smith along with the development of Robert Covington, and Jahlil Okafor‘s crazy advanced offensive skills make this team’s future look brighter than it has in a while.

29. Los Angeles Lakers (9-37):

The Lakers have had a lot of struggles this year. Kobe Bryant hasn’t been efficient or really very effective. Their coach put their two prized rookies, D’Angelo Russell, and Julius Randle, on the bench. Randle hasn’t shown any ability to pass out of double teams or bad situations.  Roy Hibbert has seen the NBA game pass him by, but worst of all, they do not have a very good coach. Byron Scott is just 446-619 (.419) in his career, and has been over .500 in just one of his many stops. Yikes.

28. Phoenix Suns (14-31):

This is the ultimate train wreck of a situation as I mentioned above. Brandon Knight is playing pretty well, but the Suns stripped themselves of some pretty good assets going all in for LaMarcus Aldridge, only to see him choose the Spurs. In the process, they upset one of their best players, Markeiff Morris by sending his brother packing. With Bledsoe lost for the year, and their downward trend over the past few years after being a surprise playoff contender, it might be time to clean house with the coaches, management, and players.

27. Brooklyn Nets (12-33):

The Nets knew they would be bad this year. After all, they had Jarrett Jack as the man leading their offense, with an aging Joe Johnson on the wing, and the offensively challenged rookie Ronade Hollis-Jefferson at the small forward spot, but Jack is done for the year now with a torn ACL leaving Donald Sloan and Shane Larkin to run the offense. Oh yeah, did I mention they fired GM Billy King and coach Lionel Hollins already? Yeah, this team is in disarray.

26. Minnesota Timberwolves (14-32):

The Timberwolves are clearly headed in the right direction going forward, it is just not this season. After starting the year 4-2, the team is just 10-30. Everyone knew this would be a project, and losing their coach, and president Flip Saunders to his battle with cancer definitely did not help this team’s growth with so many young players. This year’s tragedy aside there is a lot of young talent on this team and Karl-Anthony Towns is clearly a major asset going forward, especially under the tutelage of Kevin Garnett.

25.  New Orleans Pelicans (16-28):

Count the Pelicans among the league’s most disappointing. This team was supposed to be competing for a top six seed this season after squeezing into the playoffs last year as the eighth seed and putting up some fight against the eventual champion Warriors. Anthony Davis still has had problems with injuries and keeping his body healthy. The Omer Asik signing looks like an absolute nightmare as the small ball era has eaten away his minutes, and Eric Gordon has once again dealt with ineffectiveness and the injury bug. The good news is this team has gotten glimpses of the old Jrue Holiday at the point.

24. Utah Jazz (19-25):

The Jazz have a very good young nucleus with Gordon Hayward, Derrick Favors, and Rudy Gobert emerging as cornerstones, and Rodney Hood, Trey Burke, and Alec Burks becoming or being very good role players. Despite their youth, there is no reason this team should be near the bottom with some of the guys they have. Yes, they do lack the elite scorer, or the number one guy, but they have a very good back line on defense, and Hayward is a solid second or third option. Losing Dante Exum before the season hurt their development as a unit, but this team should be better than this.

23. Denver Nuggets (17-28):

The Nuggets have unearthed a pretty good young scorer with the signing of Will Barton, who is averaging 18.3 points per game thus far, and have gotten encouraging play from young center Nikola Jokic, as well as steady contributions from Danilo Gallinari and Kenneth Faried. This team has some encouraging pieces, but not all of them fit together which is they struggle on some nights and put up solid performances other nights. Outside of Barton, though, their backcourt has struggled with rookie Emmanuel Mudiay showing his age, and Gary Harris playing ineffectively.

22. Milwaukee Bucks (19-27):

The Bucks are one of the most maddening teams in the NBA. They have a good young core with Jabari Parker, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, Greg Monroe, and Greivis Vasquez, but have not had consistency night in and night out. They have shown they can play with the best as they are one of four teams to knock off the Warriors (playing them tough a second time), but as with most young teams, there are growing pains with consistency, and until they solve those issues, and play with the same drive every night, they will find themselves out of the playoffs in a very competitive Eastern Conference this season.

21. Orlando Magic (20-23):

The Magic have had an interesting season as they have were at one point 19-14 and looking like they were trending upwards as one of the top six teams in the Eastern Conference. Alas, as mentioned above with Milwaukee, young teams go through growing pains and fight inconsistency. The Magic are now 1-9 in their last 10 games, with their lone win against the lonely Brooklyn Nets. Ouch. The good news is Evan Fournier, Elfrid Payton, and Victor Oladipo is a pretty good young players in their own right.

20.  Portland Trail Blazers (20-26):

The Blazers have done an excellent job rebuilding on the fly with the Aldridge departure in the offseason. Damian Lillard has proven to be a force without Aldridge, C.J. McCollum has shown a lethal scoring ability, and Mason Plumlee is a very good role player and rebounder. This team is not there yet, but they have a starting backcourt to build around, as offensively there are not a whole lot of backcourts better in the NBA. The defense of those two is another story, though.

19.  Washington Wizards (20-22): 

The Wizards have really been plagued by poor play and the inability of Bradley Beal to stay healthy. Beal just hasn’t been able to stay healthy in his entire career and even suggested a minutes cap might be a good idea. Not a great mental state for a guy who is just 22 years old. On the other side, John Wall has been fantastic averaging 19.6 points per game, 9.7 assists per game, 4.2 rebounds, and 2.2 steals. Unfortunately despite all the individual successes on the team and talent level, this team plays lethargic every night. A rough year for a team that had a conference championship within reach last season.

18.  New York Knicks (22-24): 

Who would have thought the Knicks would be relevant again this season? You have to give credit to Phil Jackson, he can evaluate talent, and isn’t afraid of what others think. The pick of Kristaps Porzingis looks like a steal even at the fourth pick, as he has the potential to be an absolute superstar. The question is will Carmelo Anthony be in his prime by the time they build a full supporting cast that is ready to win a championship? Well, either way, this team can absolutely make the playoffs as long as Porzingis does not hit the rookie wall. He is already their second best player after all.

17.  Sacramento Kings (20-24): 

 One of the biggest surprises in the NBA is the Kings. This team was supposed to fall apart due to chemistry issues, especially bringing in Rajon Rondo. However, that hasn’t been the case. Rondo has been a machine, showing his form before the ACL injury as he currently has six triple-doubles, and DeMarcus Cousins is still the best offensive big man in the game right now. This team has been playing good basketball, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see them squeak into the playoffs as an eighth seed, provided their experiment doesn’t implode with all those egos.

16.  Indiana Pacers (23-21): 

The Pacers are another team that has surprised. I did not think they were capable of competing for a playoff spot as they really rebuilt their identity on the fly, committing to Paul George at the four more. Well the results have been a success so far, but the downside is it is has worn down George and he is feeling the effects. George leads the team in minutes played, points per game, rebounds per game, and steals per game. Another positive is rookie big man Myles Turner who has been extremely efficient and effective.

15.  Charlotte Hornets (22-23): 

The Hornets are a team that has played well despite expectations, even with limited contributions from Al Jefferson. Cody Zeller has shown that he can be a role player in the NBA, and Nicolas Batum has shown he can do a little bit everything and probably earned himself a max contract as he is in a contract year. The main cog, however, has been Kemba Walker, who continues to dismiss critics about him being too small, and put up solid scoring games. The question about him is can he shoot more efficiently?

14.  Miami Heat (24-21): 

The Heat are a question mark. They have a crazy amount of talent with Luol Deng, Dwyane Wade, Hassan Whiteside, Chris Bosh and Goran Dragic in their starting lineup, and Justise Winslow, Gerald Green, and the breakout performer Tyler Johnson on their bench. They have battled inconsistency, and Whiteside has struggled against elite big men while they have also had injury problems. Either way, this team is too good to have these mediocre spells. This should easily be a top four team in the East, and I think it will be come playoff time.

13.  Dallas Mavericks (25-21): 

As I mentioned at the top, this is a surprise. I expected the Mavericks to be in the lottery, but they have defied expectations. Dirk Nowitzki is playing well once again, defying father time for now. Zaza Pachulia has been a force in the middle, and Chandler Parsons and Wesley Matthews are starting to round into form after they each had devastation injuries and surgeries. Another story has been the play of spark plug, J.J. Barea, who has been lethal off the bench this year. Deron Williams also deserves a mention too as he has battled back to become a solid contributor once again.

12.  Houston Rockets (25-22): 

The Rockets fought some bad play early on from James Harden and that led to the firing of head coach Kevin McHale. However, Harden has begun to turn on the jets as he is back to being one of the most efficient and potent scorers in the game while also collect seven assists per game. This team has talent and Josh Smith‘s return via trade should help the depth of the team, but this team’s issues lie deeper than just numbers. These players all have egos, and I doubt this team gets out of the first round of the playoffs should they make it.

11.  Boston Celtics (25-21): 

One of the most, if not the most, inconsistent teams are the Boston Celtics. The Celtics are maddening as they lose games they shouldn’t and have really struggled in close games when teams can key in on sparkplug Isaiah Thomas, who deserves to be an all-star. Also worth mentioning in the all-star game, breathe is forward Jae Crowder, who has upped his game substantially on the offensive end. Crowder is averaging just under 15 points per game at 14.5 and five rebounds per game, to go along with good defense on the opposing teams best wing player. Crowder isn’t an all-star, but should be mentioned in that breath. Another eye opener is Kelly Olynyk, who has become more confident and is shooting a sizzling 43.9 percent from three point land this year, good for sixth in the NBA.

10.  Detroit Pistons (24-21): 

The Pistons have some serious talent, and Reggie Jackson is beginning to justify that big deal he was given. Jackson has turned into a scoring machine averaging 19.6 points per game, but also dishing out 6.6 assists per game. Andre Drummond has been a monster as well, but seems disinterested at times, and his awful foul shooting is a problem late in games that puts a ceiling on his impact and minutes. This team could really benefit from a better stretch four than Ersan Ilyasova, who has played pretty well, but could be improved upon.

9.  Chicago Bulls (25-19): 

The Chicago Bulls are not longer Derrick Rose‘s team, and I think they should explore trades regarding him, Taj Gibson, and Paul Gasol. Those pieces are not going to get them where they want to be, and they could collect assets for their long-term success with is with Nikola Mirotic, rookie Bobby Portis, and their star Jimmy Butler. Mirotic hasn’t been great, and has really struggled in some spots, but he has a great long range stroke and should become better with more time. This core has run its course, and they need to rebuild on the fly.

8.  Memphis Grizzlies (26-20): 

The Grizzlies have really bounced back from people thinking “I think they should blow it all up” to “Wow the Grizzlies are playing well, can they challenge for a top 5 seed in the West?” Absolutely they can, as long as Mike Conley and Marc Gasol stay healthy. However if they do they will need more from Jeff Green, who has been an enigma everywhere he has gone, but seems to have really rubbed people the wrong way in Memphis. They also need better minutes from Vince Carter, Matt Barnes, and Tony Allen. If Green and one or two of those players can step up their game they can give teams problems, otherwise they have limited depth going forward.

7.  Atlanta Hawks (27-19): 

The Hawks once again are in contention, however not to the extent of last year. Last year the Hawks were clearly among the best teams in the NBA, but this season has been a tougher task. Their usual core of Paul Millsap, Al Horford, and Jeff Teague has been tremendous, with Millsap really playing well. However Kyle Korver has struggled with his shot this year, but the improvements of Kent Bazemore has really limited the drop off from DeMarre Carroll. This core is very good, but I am still not convinced they can win in the playoffs. This is not as good of a team as last year and have more competition in the East.

6.  Los Angeles Clippers (28-16): 

Somehow this team is 12 games over .500 despite the missing time from Blake Griffin and the flop acquisitions of Lance Stephenson and Josh Smith. Smith has since been traded for basically nothing, and Stephenson is probably on his way out sooner rather than later (his fall from grace has been stunning). Doc Rivers, the general manager has been an absolute disaster, as one move after another has been just terrible fits. The best move he made was acquiring and locking up J.J. Redick, who is having a career year, but that was giving up Eric Bledsoe. Either way, this team is limited in the playoffs due to the embarrassing performance of their big man DeAndre Jordan at the line.

5.  Toronto Raptors (29-15): 

The Raptors have been nothing short of shocking thus far as they have played excellent basketball to this point. Kyle Lowry deserves a lot of credit, but so do the improvements of Jonas Valanciunas and the play of DeMar DeRozan. DeRozan has been fantastic scoring with more efficiency than he has ever shown and really proving he deserves a max contract. With these three playing well, the potential return of Carroll from surgery, and the play of Terrence Ross and Cory Joseph off the bench, this team could be dangerous in the playoffs.

4.  Cleveland Cavaliers (31-12): 

The Cavaliers are clearly the most talented team in the East, but they have no chemistry, and clearly at this point Kevin Love is not a great third option for this team. Love is a much better trade piece for this team as he is just drastically underutilized on this team. The David Blatt firing was no doubt influenced by LeBron James, no matter what he says. Tyronne Lue is the guy he supported and complained to about Blatt, and to say he had no hand in Blatt’s firing and wasn’t aware until the team was, is just ludicrous.

3.  Oklahoma City Thunder (33-13):

The Thunder just keep plugging along, winning at a great pace and playing good basketball. On offense, they are tough to stop with Enes Kanter, Serge Ibaka, Russel Westbrook, and Kevin Durant all above average scorers, and when Kanter gets subbed out they become an above average defensive team. This team can match up with anyone and in a short series good luck, as they have two of the top seven players in the NBA.

2.  San Antonio Spurs (38-7):

Yes, the Spurs got blown out on their trip to Oracle Arena, but does a matchup without Tim Duncan worry you that much about the Spurs? If it does, you haven’t been paying much attention to them recently. The Spurs will be fine in the long run, with a team as deep as they come, and a vastly improved Kawhi Leonard, which should be terrifying for the rest of the league. Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, and Tim Ducan have been here before. This is still far and away the second best team in the NBA, they will be fine in the playoffs.

1.  Golden State Warriors (41-4):

There is no doubt this is the best team in the NBA, and should they stay healthy the rest of the year, they will most definitely pass the Bulls regular season win record. Think about it, all they have to do is go 32-5  to set the record. That is a loss about every six games, which is most definitely doable provided they all stay healthy. And as important is Curry is (and he is the MVP), Draymond Green is as important. He can defend anyone, is an excellent passer, and can switch on anyone during pick and rolls. He is the most useful player in the game today.

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