Sunday, November 26, 2006
Week Whatever NBA Rankings
What’s the deal with the Eastern Conference? There are only three teams with winning records and the East is home to the League’s greatest disappointments in the Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat, Washington Wizards and the New Jersey Nets (despite leading their conference with a 5-8 record). Early season results are just the opposite in the West where a team may need to win 50 games to squeak in with the 8th seed. Teams making the biggest moves since I last bothered to do this are the Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets and Orlando Magic. The Clippers make a big drop this week after dropping four in a row.
1. Utah Jazz (12-2). OK, they’re not infallible, losing this week to Golden State. Chicago’s 72-10 record looks secure for another year but Utah still deserves to be on top this week. They have become the kind of gutsy team that only a Jerry Sloan-coached team can be, coming back from double-digit deficits three times in the past five games. Sure the Jazz are doing it with typical Sloan smoke and mirrors, but second year point guard Deron Williams looks worthy of the third pick in the 2005 draft, despite all the nay saying. They have a tough schedule this week and next, including a home game with San Antonio. Will the Jazz fall to the Top Spot Jinx? We’ll see next week.
2. San Antonio Spurs (10-3). They loose one little game against Charlotte after a great come-from-behind win at Houston. Yes, it was a back-to-back and I will never understand why teams get three or four days off and then get a back-to-back. I don’t care if the Monster Truck Rally has been scheduled, teams should be at their best and not have to play on consecutive nights. But the Spurs did and they lost to a crummy team so they have to slip here. Michael Finely looks spent and Bruce Bowen a step slower. These could be some long-term danger signs for the Spurs. Strangely enough, the Spurs are having trouble winning at home (4-3 record) where they have had the best record in the NBA the last four years and are undefeated at 6-0 on the road.
3. Dallas Mavericks (9-4). OK, so they win nine straight after getting shoved down the Laz rankings and rankling Mark Cuban. But he still should have bought You Tube. Just the same, the Mavericks and coach Avery Johnson seemed to have straightened out what was ever ailing them at the start of the season.
4. Orlando Magic (10-4). Despite a loss to lowly Memphis, the Magic appear to be the only team overachieving in the underachieving East. Last week the Magic beat both San Antonio and NO/OK Hornets and Dwight Howard looks like one of the best big men in the League, averaging 17 points and a League-leading 14 rebounds per game. And Grant Hill is still not injured.
5. Houston Rockets (9-4). The Rockets look good most of the time but you get the feeling they are just one McGrady bad back or Yao twisted ankle away from becoming mediocre. But they have won eight of their last 10 games and have done most of it on the road so they must be doing something right.
6. Los Angeles Lakers (9-4). The Lakers are getting contributions from a lot of different players this year and perhaps the Jackson Voodoo trance he puts on his players is working from top to bottom. Still waiting for Kobe to get healthy along with Kwame and Mihm and then this team could be scary. They would be higher if they hadn’t played nine of 13 games at home -- and I liked them.
7. Cleveland Cavaliers (9-5). The Cavs could end up being the best team in the East and they are only here because they have the best player in the East and maybe in the NBA. Winning gets you the credibility and so far LeBron has delivered.
8. Denver Nuggets (8-4). Denver gets the jump-up in ranking for two straight home and away wins over the Golden State Warriors. Carmelo is playing as expected averaging over 30 points per game, but J.R. Smith is filling in as the outside shooter the Nuggets hoped he would be when they signed him as a free agent, averaging 17.5 ppg.
9. Detroit Pistons (9-5). Steadily and quietly the Pistons have made a move to the top of the East with 6 straight wins. The wins would mean more if they weren’t mostly against other crummy East teams and they were doing it more with the kind of defense Larry Brown taught them to play.
10. NO/OK Hornets (8-6). Two come-from-behind victories makes Laz look stupid when he wrote they haven’t learned how to win yet. Maybe they have. Then they lose three straight. So maybe they haven’t. Peja missed the Dallas game with hurt feelings and the Hornets only scored 73 points, exposing their lack of depth.
11. Golden State Warriors (8-6). First Baron Davis burns the Kings with 36 points and 18 assists, then misses a game due to fatness and is covered by second-year point gurad Monta Ellis who has 31 in a buzzer beating loss to Phoenix. Of course the Warriors miss the opportunity to move up after losing three games before taking out the Jazz two nights ago.
12. Sacramento Kings (7-5). The Kings gave up an average of 111 points per game in four losses and just 89 in their wins. Included in the losses were losing a 21-point second half lead over Utah and a 16-point lead to San Antonio. Kevin Martin, who didn’t even make the All-Star ballot may be among the best guards in the League and 6-2 Ronnie Price’s poster-dunk over 6-11 Carlos Boozer may end up being the dunk of the year
13. Phoenix Suns (6-6). They are winning for the moment but doing it while their fans bite their nails more often than Mike Bibby. No lead seems safe for the shoot-before-the-shot-clock-gets-below-20 Suns who have seen more leads crash than Jerry Springer in Dancing With the Stars.
14. Los Angeles Clippers (6-6). The road was eventually coming to this team and they quickly became road kill in four straight losses, three on the road (if one can call a game against the Lakers at Staples a road game). The team is out of sync at the moment with no mental toughness. Likely a trade of Corey Magette would be helpful, especially since the Clippers don’t plan on re-signing him after this year anyway.
15. Minnesota Timberwolves (6-6). They remain an average team with an average record in an-average division. Without KG at full strength, they will struggle to stay average.
16. Indiana Pacers (7-7). They remain an average team with an average record in a below-average division. Without Jermaine O’Neal at full strength, they will struggle to stay average.
17. Seattle Supersonics (6-8). The Sonics have the best 1-2 scoring punch in the League with Rashard Lewis and Ray Allen averaging a combined 50 points per game. With the exception of Luke Ridenour, the rest of the team looks pretty lousy.
18. Portland Trailblazers (6-8). The average age of the Trailblazers is just under 24 years old and many nights they show it. They also show a lot of promise in some games and have one of the best mentors in Nate McMillan to help them gel into a team that can win AND stay out of jail.
19. Atlanta Hawks (5-6). After a decent start, the Hawks have dropped four out of five games and seem to be headed for their usual spot at the bottom of the standings.
20-23. New Jersey Nets, Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics (all 5-8). Is this NBA parity or just teams under-performing? Sadly, the Nets, 76ers and Celtics are all leading their division and the Heat would make the playoffs if they began today – something Shaq is waiting for.
24. New York Knicks (5-10). They get a little bump in the all-important Laz rankings but this is still Isaiah’s team with four point guards and four power forwards all vying for playing time.
25. Chicago Bulls (4-9). A Big Disappointment and it seems the curse placed on Jerry Kraus by Michael Jordan will forever keep the Bulls from ever becoming an elite team again.
26. Washington Wizards (4-9). Another disappointing team and one has to wonder if Gilbert Arenas has enough help for this team to make the playoffs. They lost the front end and back end of two back-to-backs, including one to Memphis. A more favorable schedule could help the Wizards stop the slide.
27. Milwaukee Bucks (4-9). They have lost eight of their past 10 games. This team was built for offense and not defense and if anything has been true in the NBA the past decade it's that good defense always beats a good offense. This team needs toughness and fewer big men who play 17-feet from the basket.
28. Toronto Raptors (4-9). Perhaps other teams are treating the Raptors as an international team and making up for Team USA’s loss at the FIFA World Championships. Chris Bosh is the lone standout on a team and one of the few American-born players.
29. Memphis Grizzlies (3-10). The Grizzlies get style points for playing in the West despite sharing the League’s worst record.
30. Charlotte Bobcats (3-10). Only Emeka Okafor and rookie Adam Morrison are playing like they care. Bye-bye Bernie.
1. Utah Jazz (12-2). OK, they’re not infallible, losing this week to Golden State. Chicago’s 72-10 record looks secure for another year but Utah still deserves to be on top this week. They have become the kind of gutsy team that only a Jerry Sloan-coached team can be, coming back from double-digit deficits three times in the past five games. Sure the Jazz are doing it with typical Sloan smoke and mirrors, but second year point guard Deron Williams looks worthy of the third pick in the 2005 draft, despite all the nay saying. They have a tough schedule this week and next, including a home game with San Antonio. Will the Jazz fall to the Top Spot Jinx? We’ll see next week.
2. San Antonio Spurs (10-3). They loose one little game against Charlotte after a great come-from-behind win at Houston. Yes, it was a back-to-back and I will never understand why teams get three or four days off and then get a back-to-back. I don’t care if the Monster Truck Rally has been scheduled, teams should be at their best and not have to play on consecutive nights. But the Spurs did and they lost to a crummy team so they have to slip here. Michael Finely looks spent and Bruce Bowen a step slower. These could be some long-term danger signs for the Spurs. Strangely enough, the Spurs are having trouble winning at home (4-3 record) where they have had the best record in the NBA the last four years and are undefeated at 6-0 on the road.
3. Dallas Mavericks (9-4). OK, so they win nine straight after getting shoved down the Laz rankings and rankling Mark Cuban. But he still should have bought You Tube. Just the same, the Mavericks and coach Avery Johnson seemed to have straightened out what was ever ailing them at the start of the season.
4. Orlando Magic (10-4). Despite a loss to lowly Memphis, the Magic appear to be the only team overachieving in the underachieving East. Last week the Magic beat both San Antonio and NO/OK Hornets and Dwight Howard looks like one of the best big men in the League, averaging 17 points and a League-leading 14 rebounds per game. And Grant Hill is still not injured.
5. Houston Rockets (9-4). The Rockets look good most of the time but you get the feeling they are just one McGrady bad back or Yao twisted ankle away from becoming mediocre. But they have won eight of their last 10 games and have done most of it on the road so they must be doing something right.
6. Los Angeles Lakers (9-4). The Lakers are getting contributions from a lot of different players this year and perhaps the Jackson Voodoo trance he puts on his players is working from top to bottom. Still waiting for Kobe to get healthy along with Kwame and Mihm and then this team could be scary. They would be higher if they hadn’t played nine of 13 games at home -- and I liked them.
7. Cleveland Cavaliers (9-5). The Cavs could end up being the best team in the East and they are only here because they have the best player in the East and maybe in the NBA. Winning gets you the credibility and so far LeBron has delivered.
8. Denver Nuggets (8-4). Denver gets the jump-up in ranking for two straight home and away wins over the Golden State Warriors. Carmelo is playing as expected averaging over 30 points per game, but J.R. Smith is filling in as the outside shooter the Nuggets hoped he would be when they signed him as a free agent, averaging 17.5 ppg.
9. Detroit Pistons (9-5). Steadily and quietly the Pistons have made a move to the top of the East with 6 straight wins. The wins would mean more if they weren’t mostly against other crummy East teams and they were doing it more with the kind of defense Larry Brown taught them to play.
10. NO/OK Hornets (8-6). Two come-from-behind victories makes Laz look stupid when he wrote they haven’t learned how to win yet. Maybe they have. Then they lose three straight. So maybe they haven’t. Peja missed the Dallas game with hurt feelings and the Hornets only scored 73 points, exposing their lack of depth.
11. Golden State Warriors (8-6). First Baron Davis burns the Kings with 36 points and 18 assists, then misses a game due to fatness and is covered by second-year point gurad Monta Ellis who has 31 in a buzzer beating loss to Phoenix. Of course the Warriors miss the opportunity to move up after losing three games before taking out the Jazz two nights ago.
12. Sacramento Kings (7-5). The Kings gave up an average of 111 points per game in four losses and just 89 in their wins. Included in the losses were losing a 21-point second half lead over Utah and a 16-point lead to San Antonio. Kevin Martin, who didn’t even make the All-Star ballot may be among the best guards in the League and 6-2 Ronnie Price’s poster-dunk over 6-11 Carlos Boozer may end up being the dunk of the year
13. Phoenix Suns (6-6). They are winning for the moment but doing it while their fans bite their nails more often than Mike Bibby. No lead seems safe for the shoot-before-the-shot-clock-gets-below-20 Suns who have seen more leads crash than Jerry Springer in Dancing With the Stars.
14. Los Angeles Clippers (6-6). The road was eventually coming to this team and they quickly became road kill in four straight losses, three on the road (if one can call a game against the Lakers at Staples a road game). The team is out of sync at the moment with no mental toughness. Likely a trade of Corey Magette would be helpful, especially since the Clippers don’t plan on re-signing him after this year anyway.
15. Minnesota Timberwolves (6-6). They remain an average team with an average record in an-average division. Without KG at full strength, they will struggle to stay average.
16. Indiana Pacers (7-7). They remain an average team with an average record in a below-average division. Without Jermaine O’Neal at full strength, they will struggle to stay average.
17. Seattle Supersonics (6-8). The Sonics have the best 1-2 scoring punch in the League with Rashard Lewis and Ray Allen averaging a combined 50 points per game. With the exception of Luke Ridenour, the rest of the team looks pretty lousy.
18. Portland Trailblazers (6-8). The average age of the Trailblazers is just under 24 years old and many nights they show it. They also show a lot of promise in some games and have one of the best mentors in Nate McMillan to help them gel into a team that can win AND stay out of jail.
19. Atlanta Hawks (5-6). After a decent start, the Hawks have dropped four out of five games and seem to be headed for their usual spot at the bottom of the standings.
20-23. New Jersey Nets, Miami Heat, Philadelphia 76ers, Boston Celtics (all 5-8). Is this NBA parity or just teams under-performing? Sadly, the Nets, 76ers and Celtics are all leading their division and the Heat would make the playoffs if they began today – something Shaq is waiting for.
24. New York Knicks (5-10). They get a little bump in the all-important Laz rankings but this is still Isaiah’s team with four point guards and four power forwards all vying for playing time.
25. Chicago Bulls (4-9). A Big Disappointment and it seems the curse placed on Jerry Kraus by Michael Jordan will forever keep the Bulls from ever becoming an elite team again.
26. Washington Wizards (4-9). Another disappointing team and one has to wonder if Gilbert Arenas has enough help for this team to make the playoffs. They lost the front end and back end of two back-to-backs, including one to Memphis. A more favorable schedule could help the Wizards stop the slide.
27. Milwaukee Bucks (4-9). They have lost eight of their past 10 games. This team was built for offense and not defense and if anything has been true in the NBA the past decade it's that good defense always beats a good offense. This team needs toughness and fewer big men who play 17-feet from the basket.
28. Toronto Raptors (4-9). Perhaps other teams are treating the Raptors as an international team and making up for Team USA’s loss at the FIFA World Championships. Chris Bosh is the lone standout on a team and one of the few American-born players.
29. Memphis Grizzlies (3-10). The Grizzlies get style points for playing in the West despite sharing the League’s worst record.
30. Charlotte Bobcats (3-10). Only Emeka Okafor and rookie Adam Morrison are playing like they care. Bye-bye Bernie.
# posted by Laz @ 10:26 PM 
