Week 8 Power Rankings
1. Detroit Pistons – 70 game talk only increases with each passing victory. This team may be even better than the 04 squad that won it all.
2. Dallas Mavericks – Best road team in the West and on a roll as of late. The scary part is Dallas still hasn’t had their whole lineup healthy.
3. San Antonio Spurs – With Manu back the Spurs will look to bounce back from some uninspired play. The lackluster performance as of late is most likely a combo of no Manu and the championship “flip the switch” mentality.
4. Memphis Grizzlies – Grizzlies defense allows them to hang with anyone, but their offense needs more consistency. It’s hard to argue with a game plan that only allows 86 points per game though.
5. Phoenix Suns – Steve Nash and crew lead the NBA in scoring….again. Nash is dishing the ball with help from playmaker Boris Diaw. The Suns seem to be getting better as the season goes along. When Amare and Barbosa come back, expect the offense to get even better.
6. Cleveland Cavaliers - Beat the teams they should, but they do not have a good record against the elite teams of the NBA that they would run into during the playoffs. They often have trouble finishing close games.
7. Miami Heat – Shaq and crew are finally living up to the preseason hype. They will be greatly tested against the Piston in Auburn Hills. A win against the Pistons would be a real boost to this team.
8. New Jersey Nets – Vinsanity is playing like the VC of old. He needs to for the Nets to have a shot at anything.
9. LA Clippers – The Clipps needs to find a way to not be the Clippers of the past and fall apart. Still LA’s best team, but not by much.
10. Milwaukee Bucks – The Bucks are allowing two more points per game than they’re scoring, but they amazingly still have a great record. Milwaukee fans have to love what they’ve seen from the team so far. A core of talented young players should mean things are just getting started in beer city.
11. Indiana Pacers – The Ron Artest debacle will actually help the Pacers in the long run, assuming they get a little talent back in return. In reality, Ron has barely played the last year and a half.
12. Minnesota Timberwolves – Minny has quietly put together the second best defense in the NBA. With some real close heartbreakers, this team could easily have three more wins right now.
13. Philadelphia 76ers – Sixers are rolling as of late. AI and C-Webb are providing the production you expect from players of their caliber. If they can get consistency from Korver, Dalembert and others, they should be able to catch New Jersey down the stretch.
14. Golden State Warriors – Reality check, you need to play defense to win games in the NBA. Warriors couldn’t stop Stephan A Smith from dropping 20 on them.
15. LA Lakers – Lakers have been good as of late. Kobe is getting help from his team and the triangle is finally working. Phil Jackson is proving why he’s the Zen Master.
16. Denver Nuggets – Camby could be out for weeks with surgery to repair his finger. With Nene out and K-mart hobbling, the Nuggets will be EXTREMELY thin up front.
17. New Orleans Hornets – Great young core that never gives up. If the young guys on the bench can get a little better, Hornets have a shot at finishing close to .500, which is a quantum leap compared to last year.
18. Washington Wizards – Wizards score 100 and give up 100. The result? A team well below .500 and sinking fast. Little shot discipline and weak interior defense limit this team.
19. Utah Jazz – Easily the worst offense we’ve seen from a Sloan team. Think Sloan could talk Stockton into coming out of retirement?
20. Seattle Supersonics – Sonics are simply horrid on defense. Giving up 105 points per game is inexcusable.
21. Chicago Bulls – This team is in trouble as of late. Chicago has to improve their shot selection to turn their 5 game losing streak around.
22. Orlando Magic – Grant Hill is getting into game shape. This team is a center away from being the second best team in the Southeast Division. Of course that doesn’t mean they would be above .500.
23. Boston Celtics – Not enough talent on this team to compete. Paul Pierce and a bunch of role players doesn’t get it done.
24. Sacramento Kings – Injuries abound as the Rockets and Kings battle for the title of biggest underachiever. It’s all up to Bibby and Brad Miller for the next few weeks.
25. Houston Rockets – Like the Kings, the Rockets are not a bad team when completely healthy, which is almost never.
26. Portland Trailblazers. Zach Randolph is playing the best ball of his career, but there simply isn’t enough around him to get the job done.
27. Charlotte Bobcats – Bobcats seems to be missing a piece. I can’t really put my finger on it, maybe they’re solid at all the position, but that’s all. Not good, just solid.
28. Toronto Raptors – You have to like the way they don’t give up, even if you don’t like the way they play. It seems that teams that struggle tend to have too much of this or that. The Raps seem to have too many guys that like to shoot, Mo Pete, Rose, James, and not enough guys that want to do the rest.
29. Atlanta Hawks – Hawks need to trade 2-3 small forwards away and draft some 4 year college players. My guess as to the Hawks next draft pick? A 6’7” small forward out of high school.
30. New York Knicks – Worst team in the NBA. Eddy Curry and Frye are their best players and the only thing Zeke really has to build with.
1. Detroit Pistons – 70 game talk only increases with each passing victory. This team may be even better than the 04 squad that won it all.
2. Dallas Mavericks – Best road team in the West and on a roll as of late. The scary part is Dallas still hasn’t had their whole lineup healthy.
3. San Antonio Spurs – With Manu back the Spurs will look to bounce back from some uninspired play. The lackluster performance as of late is most likely a combo of no Manu and the championship “flip the switch” mentality.
4. Memphis Grizzlies – Grizzlies defense allows them to hang with anyone, but their offense needs more consistency. It’s hard to argue with a game plan that only allows 86 points per game though.
5. Phoenix Suns – Steve Nash and crew lead the NBA in scoring….again. Nash is dishing the ball with help from playmaker Boris Diaw. The Suns seem to be getting better as the season goes along. When Amare and Barbosa come back, expect the offense to get even better.
6. Cleveland Cavaliers - Beat the teams they should, but they do not have a good record against the elite teams of the NBA that they would run into during the playoffs. They often have trouble finishing close games.
7. Miami Heat – Shaq and crew are finally living up to the preseason hype. They will be greatly tested against the Piston in Auburn Hills. A win against the Pistons would be a real boost to this team.
8. New Jersey Nets – Vinsanity is playing like the VC of old. He needs to for the Nets to have a shot at anything.
9. LA Clippers – The Clipps needs to find a way to not be the Clippers of the past and fall apart. Still LA’s best team, but not by much.
10. Milwaukee Bucks – The Bucks are allowing two more points per game than they’re scoring, but they amazingly still have a great record. Milwaukee fans have to love what they’ve seen from the team so far. A core of talented young players should mean things are just getting started in beer city.
11. Indiana Pacers – The Ron Artest debacle will actually help the Pacers in the long run, assuming they get a little talent back in return. In reality, Ron has barely played the last year and a half.
12. Minnesota Timberwolves – Minny has quietly put together the second best defense in the NBA. With some real close heartbreakers, this team could easily have three more wins right now.
13. Philadelphia 76ers – Sixers are rolling as of late. AI and C-Webb are providing the production you expect from players of their caliber. If they can get consistency from Korver, Dalembert and others, they should be able to catch New Jersey down the stretch.
14. Golden State Warriors – Reality check, you need to play defense to win games in the NBA. Warriors couldn’t stop Stephan A Smith from dropping 20 on them.
15. LA Lakers – Lakers have been good as of late. Kobe is getting help from his team and the triangle is finally working. Phil Jackson is proving why he’s the Zen Master.
16. Denver Nuggets – Camby could be out for weeks with surgery to repair his finger. With Nene out and K-mart hobbling, the Nuggets will be EXTREMELY thin up front.
17. New Orleans Hornets – Great young core that never gives up. If the young guys on the bench can get a little better, Hornets have a shot at finishing close to .500, which is a quantum leap compared to last year.
18. Washington Wizards – Wizards score 100 and give up 100. The result? A team well below .500 and sinking fast. Little shot discipline and weak interior defense limit this team.
19. Utah Jazz – Easily the worst offense we’ve seen from a Sloan team. Think Sloan could talk Stockton into coming out of retirement?
20. Seattle Supersonics – Sonics are simply horrid on defense. Giving up 105 points per game is inexcusable.
21. Chicago Bulls – This team is in trouble as of late. Chicago has to improve their shot selection to turn their 5 game losing streak around.
22. Orlando Magic – Grant Hill is getting into game shape. This team is a center away from being the second best team in the Southeast Division. Of course that doesn’t mean they would be above .500.
23. Boston Celtics – Not enough talent on this team to compete. Paul Pierce and a bunch of role players doesn’t get it done.
24. Sacramento Kings – Injuries abound as the Rockets and Kings battle for the title of biggest underachiever. It’s all up to Bibby and Brad Miller for the next few weeks.
25. Houston Rockets – Like the Kings, the Rockets are not a bad team when completely healthy, which is almost never.
26. Portland Trailblazers. Zach Randolph is playing the best ball of his career, but there simply isn’t enough around him to get the job done.
27. Charlotte Bobcats – Bobcats seems to be missing a piece. I can’t really put my finger on it, maybe they’re solid at all the position, but that’s all. Not good, just solid.
28. Toronto Raptors – You have to like the way they don’t give up, even if you don’t like the way they play. It seems that teams that struggle tend to have too much of this or that. The Raps seem to have too many guys that like to shoot, Mo Pete, Rose, James, and not enough guys that want to do the rest.
29. Atlanta Hawks – Hawks need to trade 2-3 small forwards away and draft some 4 year college players. My guess as to the Hawks next draft pick? A 6’7” small forward out of high school.
30. New York Knicks – Worst team in the NBA. Eddy Curry and Frye are their best players and the only thing Zeke really has to build with.
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