| 30 December 2008
Yet again, another week goes down - lots of movement in the rankings tho' this week. Tho' Boston remains constant. Meh.
It was suggested to me on a forum (nod to The Baron) that I put the previous week's rankings in parentheses after the team name. It's a good suggestion that I'll do from now on. I'll also link the previous week's ranking at the end.
With Malice's Pawaa Rannkingu!
1. Boston Celtics (1) - Another week down, another week with Boston topping the rankings (I think I just vomited in my mouth a lil'). The upside is that they've slipped a bit, and don't look nearly so impervious after consecutive losses to LA & Golden State.
2. LA Lakers (4)- Christmas! Victorious! The win against Boston and away against New Orleans propels LA back to the 2-spot.
3. Cleveland Cavaliers (2) - This is tough. I'm still unconvinced that Cleveland is as good as their record. And if they're not, then that reflects on LeBron. How much? Well, I want to see the Cavaliers play Boston or LA. Hell, even New Orleans, Orlando or San Antonio. Then we'll see if this is real, or merely a glamor. January will tell the tale. Mark down January 9th (Boston), Jan 16th (New Orleans), Jan 19th (in LA), and Jan 29th (at Orlando). Hell, throw in Jan 21st (Portland) for good measure.
4. Orlando Magic (3)- Orlando have a relatively good team, but this team is only going as far as Dwight Howard can carry them. They're mighty broad shoulders tho'... he could carry them pretty far.
5. San Antonio Spurs (5)- Hard to take a zombie-king named Timmy seriously... but Timmy and the legion of undead continue to rise. Now? Top of the South West division & the second best record in the West.
6. New Orleans Hornets (7) - A damn good team. And will be as long Chris Paul's there. But now? Spurs are better.
7. Denver Nuggets (6) - Going .500 over their last 8 games really sinks them. All the teams they lost to are good teams... but I expected the Nuggs to win at least one of those. They didn't.
8. Atlanta Hawks (10) - The Hawks are playing back into some form behind Joe Johnson. 12-2 at home, they're a tough proposition there. They really need Al Horford to step up a little more tho'... and Mike Bibby needs to look for the pass just a tad more.
9. Houston Rockets (9) - Crystal. In the right circumstances looks good... but frail. Very, very frail.
10. Dallas Mavericks (11) - The Mavs find themselves perpetually in the same position: looking good, but with San Antonio, New Orleans and Houston looking better (but that gap's narrowing with the Rockets).
11. Portland Trail Blazers (8) - A 50/50 record over the last ten has hurt the Trail Blazers' ranking, but they are still on the verge of becoming one of the truly elite teams in the West. Likewise, Brandon Roy is having his coming out party this season - guy can seriously play.
12. Detroit Pistons (14) - 28 games in for the Pistons, and I still don't know *who* they are.13. Phoenix Suns (13) - I keep looking at the Suns and I'm waiting for something amazing to happen, for them to lift in some amazing way. But maybe it's time for a more pragmatic view: they are who we see them as now. No longer one of the West's elite.
14. Miami Heat (15) - Dwyane Wade is doing his best LeBron James impersonation - in that he's trying to lift an under-performing team beyond what they are capable of. To an extent, it's working.
15. Utah Jazz (12) - Their inability to go on the road (they are 7-10) prevents them from getting anywhere near the elite group. This is not a new thing, this malaise stretches back quite a while prior to this season.
16. New Jersey Nets (16) - The Nets have endured a less than average December, 8 losses with a game to go. This is who they are. Not the barnstorming fliers, but this team.
17. Milwaukee Bucks (17) - I still like this team at the middle ranks, and I like them to make the playoffs (there... I said it). They're beating who they should beat, and losing who they should lose to (generally speaking).
18. Memphis Grizzlies (18) - A lot of people are going to disagree with this ranking... but it's largely predicated on 2 things: 1. OJ Mayo & co. are playing very well at home. On the road... different story. 2. There's not a helluva lot below them that merit any consideration.
19. Philadelphia 76ers (19) - Does Brand's injury hurt this team? Well... given the way they were playing with him, maybe a return to what they know won't be any worse than what they were doing.
20. Chicago Bulls (21) - The presence of Derrick Rose gives the Bulls something to build around, much in the same way that New Orleans have created a damn good team around Chris Paul. Still a few years away tho'. But finally having an identity, a future, is something that the Bulls have lacked since the Jordan years.21. LA Clippers (24) - Wow... the Clip have really rebounded nicely after a truly abysmal start. The kind of start every LA Lakers-fan enjoys the junior member having. This might be another placement that might raise some eyebrows, but this is a good roster... expect more from them.
22. New York Knicks - Reality check: with this team, anything that keeps them out of the bottom 5 in any type of power ranking is a positive. And at the moment, that "anything" is the presence of several really, really awful teams. At the end of the day, they're just trying to make it to 2010.
23. Toronto Raptors (23) - This team is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma. How they can be playing so poorly with such a good roster is amazing. Truly amazing. Chris Bosh is playing excellent basketball, Jose Calderon's one of the best point guards in the league, and Jermaine O'Neal's playing very well of late. But they continue to lose. The Toronto Raptors have taken the term "under-performing" to new depths.
24. Indiana Pacers (22) - Largely inept. I have nothing more to offer.
25. Charlotte Bobcats (25) - This team has lost a bundle of games by single digits. Talk about unlucky. But at the end of the day, they've still lost a bundle of games.
26. Golden State Warriors (26) - Injuries to the better players on this team have them ranked lower than they should be. Look for the Warriors to rise as their roster slowly returns to health. Will they be a threat to any of the top teams? Don't be silly. But they're better than this.
27. Sacramento Kings (27) - The Kings just get worse each week. A 108-63 loss to the Boston Celtics just underscores how bad this franchise is. Not a single player worthy of 'star' status.
28. Washington Wizards (28) - Fans of the Wiz would have to hope that now being historically bad (this is the worst losing record this franchise has ever had) could spur them to be at least a little 'better'. Don't count on it (another tidbit - the match-up between the Thunder and the Wiz was the "worst ever" for an NBA match-up. Wiz won tho').29. Minnesota Timberwolves (30) - I flipped a coin to determine who was worst between the T-Pups and the Funder. Came up tails, OKC lost.
30. Oklahoma City Thunder (29) - Is that Thunder on the horizon? No... sadly, it's just that Kevin Durant has gas.
