| 13 January 2009
It has been a pretty interesting week within the NBA... lots of questions asked, and some answered. Every week, notable NBA blogs get together and submit their votes in an effort to get an accurate picture of what the NBA Power Rankings should look like.
This week saw the following blogs involved in the rankings:
3 Shades of Blue, CelticsBlog, The Dream Shake, Empty the Bench, Hornets24/7, Queen City Hoops, RaptorsHQ, True Blue Jazz, Hardwood Paroxysm, Lakers Nation... and of course, With Malice.
Anyway... to what we all ended up having!!!
1. Cleveland Cavaliers
"It's fitting that we've discovered that the battlefields in Gladiator were real this week. Because James has become that character, conquering the world and inspiring his men to battle. Also, he could whip a lion's ass anyday. " - Hardwood Paroxysm
"I knew LeBron was good, but... damn!" - The Dream Shake
"An impressive showing by the Lebrons against the bizzaro-Celtics last Friday." - CelticsBlog
"They beat the Celtics like they had stolen something from LeBron James' grandmother. Oh yeah -- they're still undefeated at home too (19-0)." - 3 Shades of Blue
2. LA Lakers
"We all hate them...yet inside, we all wish they were "our" team." - True Blue Jazz
"No player averages more than 4 assists, but the team averages more than any team outside of Utah. Gorgeous offense." - Hornets 24/7
"I wish the Lake-show played the Pacers more..." - CelticsBlog
"At least one of the participants in the Finals is acting like they want to make a return trip." - 3 Shades of Blue
"Pau Gasol is the bully that beats up the smaller kids and cries like a girl when the bigger kids shove him. Luckily for the Lakers, Kobe is the kid that knows karate and just whips everyone's ass." - Hardwood Paroxysm
3. Orlando Magic
"Nobody in the East, make that the NBA, has an answer for his Dwightness..." - True Blue Jazz
"While everyone's screaming "Bynum!" or "Oden!" Dwight Howard is actually, you know, being the actual best center in the league. Free throws or no free throws, the beast gets his." - Hardwood Paroxysm
"Dwight's gotten some support of late, and that spells D-A-N-G-E-R. Ouch." - With Malice
"Still live and die by the three-ball; that's not good come playoff time." - Empty the Bench
4. San Antonio Spurs"Should have kicked them when they were down." - The Dream Shake
"(Insert any comment from the last DECADE when the Spurs were winning again.)" - Hardwood Paroxysm
"The rise of the machines? It's 2009. And you know what that means: yup. 2003, 2005, 2007... ... ..." - With Malice
"Remember when they were struggling and left for dead? It's a long season." - Raptors HQ
5. Boston Celtics
"Honestly, I thought Allen and Garnett would fall apart before Pierce. He's not even close to last year's level." - Hornets 24/7
"Not the best 10 days or so, but we really didn't think they would lose less than ten games did we?" - Raptors HQ
"It's been an interesting few weeks since Christmas in LA. I have no idea where this one is going, but one thing is certain, Rondo has to play better for the Celtics to have any chance." - CelticsBlog
6. New Orleans Hornets
"First Tyson, now Peja have struggled. Imagine if they had a consistent third scorer." - Hornets 24/7
"They are still missing something although I can't figure out what." - Raptors HQ
"The win in LA was an excellent one, and might end up being a watershed moment for the Hornets. That marked the first time this season that they've beaten one of the truly elite." - With Malice
7. Denver Nuggets
"With Carmelo out for at least a month, it's now or never for Linas "Brickhouse" Kleiza." - Empty the Bench
"They were on a nice roll before losing the "Return Game" against the Pistons by 3. We'll see how well they manage without Melo in the lineup for a couple of weeks." - 3 Shades of Blue
"The Mile High City will be without Melo for a few weeks. Bad news for Nuggets fans, great news for Jazz fans." - True Blue Jazz
"If Howard did get dealt to the Raps would he refuse to stand for the Canadian anthem?" - Raptors HQ
"Still Dallas are struggling to figure out who they are. Competive team nearing elite status? Or just a bunch of aging hacks seeing out their days with a rich, benevolent owner..." - With Malice
"Getting back to their riDIRKulous selves." - True Blue Jazz
9. Houston Rockets"Another season, another rash of injuries." - Empty the Bench
"Frail
adjective, -er, est.
1. having delicate health; not robust; weak: My grandfather is rather frail now.
2. easily broken or destroyed; fragile. (thank you dictionary.com)" - With Malice
1. having delicate health; not robust; weak: My grandfather is rather frail now.
2. easily broken or destroyed; fragile. (thank you dictionary.com)" - With Malice
"Just wait until T-Mac is healthy. Oh, nevermind, that's simply not going to happen." - The Dream Shake
10. Detroit Pistons
"Aside from a few bumps in the road thanks to the Northwest division, this team is coming together." - True Blue Jazz
"Stuckey > the Answer." - The Dream Shake
"Fools gold." - Hornets 24/7
11. Portland Trail Blazers
"It'll be a shame if they get squeezed out of the playoffs." - Empty the Bench
"Aldridge for Boozer? Please? Just sleep on it okay?" - True Blue Jazz
"Please step up Blazers and Hornets, give the Lakers something to think about." - CelticsBlog
12. Atlanta Hawks"It's nice when a franchise can turn things around." - Raptors HQ
"Yawn" - True Blue Jazz
"The Hawks have lost 3 on the track, and the two consecutive losses to Orlando have got to hurt. Just not ready to compete at the very elite level. They'd have to worry about the loss of Al Horford to injury, and the defeat at the hands of Philadelphia? Add insult to injury." - With Malice
13. Utah Jazz
"This is turning into a bit of a regular deal with Utah, who are adopting a real Superman persona... at home. Still Clark Kent on the road." - With Malice
"Such a hard team to get a good read on due to their persistent injury issues. The Jazz are losing frontcourt players like they're on a post-Christmas clearance rack. They have been taking care of business lately though." - 3 Shades of Blue
"Would not be in the playoffs if they started today. This makes me happy." - The Dream Shake
14. Phoenix Suns
"You cannot build your team around a guy who will be 37 in the playoffs and who has conditioning problems. You cannot build your team around a guy who will be 37 in the playoffs and who has conditioning problems. You cannot build your team around a guy who will be 37 in the playoffs and who has conditioning problems." - Hardwood Paroxysm
"In what's proving to be a bit of a thematic for some teams this season, PHX are a different team to the Suns we've gotten used to. They are going to face some personnel issues due to this change, but... that's a little way down the track." - With Malice
"Kerr. . I liked him better as an announcer." - Lakers Nation
15. Miami Heat
"At some point, staying competitive becomes moot if you can't get over the hump. I don't care if Wade is a one-man ballistic missile. They need a freaking center. Trade Marion already so we can get on with life." - Hardwood Paroxysm
"Should be better than they are. Wade, Marion, Haslem, Beasley & Chalmers. Not a brilliant roster, but better than marginally above .500." - With Malice
"Not sure how psyched I'd be to face this team in the first round of the playoffs." - Empty the Bench
16. Minnesota Timberwolves"Good for you JV Celtics." - CelticsBlog
"Kevin McHale might be one of the worst GM's in the NBA (ok -- he is), but he might be able to stick around as a coach given the way he has the T'Pups playing lately. At least he has that advantage over Isiah....and Mike Dunleavy for that matter." - 3 Shades of Blue
"Won six in a row. Playing together. Relying on stars. Building young players. Kevin McHale still employed. FAIL." - Hardwood Paroxysm
17. Milwaukee Bucks
"Many people expected this team to be the worst in the Eastern Conference. The fact that they are the 8th seed right now is nothing less then surprising." - 3 Shades of Blue
"Redd and Jefferson are purely mediocre offensive weapons. Too bad this team has to rely on them for so much of their scoring." - Hornets 24/7
"Say hi to the team that'll be pushing your favorite Eastern high seed to more games than they should need in the first round." - Hardwood Paroxysm
18. New Jersey Nets
"I keep hearing Brook Lopez will be a great post scorer for years to come. Really? 1.1 points per shot? Not even a pair of free throws per game? Sure." - Hornets 24/7
"Up. Down. Up. Down. They've got two impressive players in Carter/Harris... but beyond that not a helluva lot. Lopez? Maybe... but not now, just 'decent'." - With Malice
"Devin Harris is one of the most dynamic young PGs in the league; also one of its most injury-prone. No Devin, no nothing for the Nets." - Empty the Bench
19. Philadelphia 76ers
"Will somebody, anybody please get a perimeter threat for this team?" - 3 Shades of Blue
"They have to wonder about the Brand signing now." - Raptors HQ
"Starting to figure things out. Much like a child finding that life is more comfortable when he doesn't soil himself. " - Hardwood Paroxysm
20. Toronto Raptors"STILL NO ONE WILL TELL ME HOW THIS TEAM FELL APART." - Hardwood Paroxysm
"Bosh is leavin' on a jet plane...his bags are packed and he's ready to go..." - True Blue Jazz
"Once again, they may end up being good enough to make the postseason, but they won't make much noise, again." - Empty the Bench
21. Memphis Grizzlies
"Inconsistency, thy name is Ursus Horribilis. They are still on a similar arc as what both the Hornets and Blazers followed over the last few seasons." - 3 Shades of Blue
"Wheels flying off. The novelty of watching Mayo pop off has fluttered out, Gay's still struggling and instead of a glut they have a deficiency at point guard. They need a boost, and his name is Darko Milicic." - Hardwood Paroxysm
"I wonder if playing in the league's most competitive division is a good thing or a bad thing for their growing up process." - Empty the Bench
22. Chicago Bulls
"There a tiny, little, bright spot named Derek Rose for Chicago thus far this season... but generally speaking it's been a long, cold, dark night for this once proud franchise." - With Malice
"Kind of meh right now. . also losing." - Lakers Nation
"Del Negro is questioning their effort. I call it the Larry Hughes effect." - Raptors HQ
23. Charlotte Bobcats
"Raymond Felton has been a sleeper one year too long IMO" - Lakers Nation
"Imagine if anyone other than Augustin could shoot on this team." - Hornets 24/7
"No lie, this team is respectable. Boris Diaw. Who knew?" - Hardwood Paroxysm
24. Indiana Pacers
"I think they are almost everyone's second favorite team Keep taking down those Giants Indiana." - True Blue Jazz
"Their opponents take 7 more free throws per game than they do. Bird needs to hire a nursery school teacher to tell them to keep their hands to themselves." - Hornets 24/7
"Danny Granger has gone from unnoticed to underrated." - Lakers Nation
25. Golden State Warriors
"Nelson has lost his goddamned mind." - Hardwood Paroxysm
"Nellie's not really even trying anymore, is he?" - 3 Shades of Blue
"If you're nobody you might want to try out for the Warriors, you just might get to play 40 minutes for 1 NBA game." - Lakers Nation
26. New York Knicks"Ok, so D'Antoni can't do everything." - Raptors HQ
"There's no time like 2010... there's no time like 2010... there's no time like 2010..." - With Malice
"Nate Robinson keeps airballing three pointers every time I watch. It's distracting, like Carrot Top or bagpipe music." - Hardwood Paroxysm
27. Oklahoma City Thunder
"Losing close games." - Lakers Nation
"There have been times this season where I would not have thought it possible for OKC to climb to #29, let alone higher than that. This is a peak for them. Oh happy, joyous times indeed!" - With Malice
"They're showing significant progress." - Empty the Bench
28. Washington Wizards
"They should be bad. Not this bad. It's like the Blair Witch is hanging out in their locker room. I keep expecting to see Gilbert in a corner, facing the wall." - Hardwood Paroxysm
"Even without Agent Zero, the team still has Jamison and Butler. There is no excuse to be this bad." - The Dream Shake
"Hee hee hee. They traded for MIKE JAMES..." - Hornets 24/7
29. Sacramento Kings
"The wheels have come off this thing, it's slid off, hit a tree, caught fire, and is being pissed on by cave trolls." - Hardwood Paroxysm
"Kind of mired in suckage." - Lakers Nation
"To say that Sacramento stinks would be an insult to stink." - With Malice30. LA Clippers
"Wow... just wow... 0-10 over the last 10 games. Sheer amazement at the levels of sucktitude needed to achieve this. And this isn't a bad roster. I think they stopped waving towels and threw one in. They could teach Bela Lugosi to suck." - With Malice
"Back to the Future Part IV should be Marty going back in time to stop the Clippers from coming into existence." - Hardwood Paroxysm
"Do you remember the last game they won? Neither do I."- Raptors HQ
