| 08 November 2010
First one around, and it's good to be back in the swing of things.
Some early surprises, and some teams proving to be exactly who we thought they were. For some teams that's a good thing... and for others not so good. Some others yet - completely awful. But it's early days yet: there's still a shot at redemption available. Just as the wheels could fall off some of the early contenders.
Still, first Power Rankings.
It is what it is.
1 - LA Lakers. Only a few games in, but already the Lakers look even better than they did last season. Kobe/Pau and crew look great, and the Killer Bs (Brown, Blake and Barnes) have the bench unit fired up. And all this with Bynum still to return.
It's a long way to go, but the Path to 3peat is clearer than the Yellow Brick Road.
2 - New Orleans Hornets. Did anyone see the Bees being this good? All on Paul. And if I had a vote for the MVP, and we voted now... that's where it'd go.
3 - Boston Celtics. Phenomenal start... and then the hangover. The win over Miami had all the hallmarks of a champion team, but the Cleveland loss certainly didn't.
If at all possible, Rondo's looking better each game.
They'll be around come the business end of the season, of that I'm certain. KG, in all his glorious insanity, will make sure of that.
4 - Miami Heat. Threesome have at times really looked good... and at other times looked completely out of sorts. They did an amazing number on the Magic, but elite points have cut them to ribbons. Their holes - point and center - are greater than their 'whole'. But they'll work it out.5 - Orlando Magic. But for the game against Miami, the Magic would be ranked higher. Weird how things work out. They were meant to be one team that Miami would struggle against... yet they were monstered by the Heat. Still, Dwight's looking good. 'Cept for that free throw form. That's still as ugly as a dog's ass.
6 - Atlanta Hawks. Another somewhat surprising franchise... tho' I'm not quite convinced. Their road's been pretty easy thus far, but it's about to get a bit tougher. I still think that this is the exact same franchise we saw last year: will beat up on lesser opponents, but against the elite - especially those with true bigs - they'll be found wanting.
7 - San Antonio Spurs. I think this is too high a ranking for the Spurs, they're old, and I don't think they're going to sustain a good enough effort for an entire season.
8 - Denver Nuggets. Odds on Melo staying? Not favourable. Then it's just a case of trying to get premier head-case JR Smith into a position where he's a viable nightly option. Hard sell.
9 - Dallas Mavericks. Dirk's still Dirk, and the same can be said of Kidd (that he's still Kidd, not that he's still Dirk!). Haven't really beaten anyone of note as yet... eagerly awaiting the Boston game.
10 - OKC Thunder. Weird start... but I think they've sorted out their problems and will start to really press a bit. Under the leadership of Durant and Westbrook, I expect them be quite a bit higher come the rankings in a month's time.
11 - Chicago Bulls. I like the Bulls, and I think they're stronger than this ranking would indicate. Lost some close ones, and this without Boozer. When he comes back, there'll be some teething problems, but they'll be a much better team for his presence.12 -Portland Trail Blazers. Still maintaining that Oden-over-Durant might one day work out... yet not extending Oden puts the truth in that story. Looking pretty good at the moment... other than playing the role of "masochist" in the SM role-play with the Lakers.
13 - Utah Jazz. Did anyone else catch the Clippers game? Damn fine fight-back by the Jazz. Deron Williams... is this the year he surplants Chris Paul as the consensus best point man in the league? Not thus far, but the season's early.
14 - Memphis Grizzlies. I actually quite like the Grizz. Gay's started out like a house on fire, but I expect that to subside somewhat as Randolph begins to fit back in. But this is a good thing. Marc Gasol, Zach Randolph and Rudy Gay are one of the better frontlines in the league.
15 - Sacramento Kings. Tyreke Evans' team's a fair bit stronger than it was last season... but it's young. Very young. It's going to take a lot of errors, and quite a bit of time before they're competing on a regular basis. The Kings still fall into the habit of standing back and watching Evans, but it is a tactic that won him the RoY last year, and will take some breaking. The sooner they do, the better they'll be.
16 - New York Knicks. Really don't know what to think of this team. Watched an entire game the other day, and sheesh... did Amare stink it up or what? Still... he won't do that often, and Gallinari and co. are starting to look quite a bit better.
17 - Phoenix Suns - The Suns are a team that I think will end up quite a bit higher than 20th. However, they've had a rocky start, and I think the pieces will begin to fall into place, just as they did against the Hawks.
18 - Golden State Warriors. I know some would put the Dubs higher (possibly a LOT higher), but I remain completely unconvinced as to their ability to play defense. Sure, they'll put up some high scores... but each and every night there's a damn good chance that their opponent'll put up a bigger one.
19 - Cleveland Cavaliers. Amazes me that I have them here. Dumbfounded. However, Byron Scott's got them playing well, got them believing. Where they go from here will be interesting.20 - Milwaukee Bucks. Another team I think that are destined to climb. A phenomenal talent at point, and one of the league's best centers - with good pieces around them.
21 - Indiana Pacers. Darren Collison hasn't quite worked out what he's supposed to be yet, or how he's going to get the Pacers going - but he'll figure it out. He and Granger are going to be quite the tandem in the East.
22 - New Jersey Nets. Well, look at it this way: better than last season by a LONG way. Winning the first two before the wheels fell off and they began to resemble the squad from last season. I don't have the losing lasting tho'.
23 - Washington Wizards. Just the presence of Wall makes them better, and Captain Kirk's revival's going a long way too. Only problem is one that Washington will face for a few more years to come: how to fit in Gilbert Arenas.
24 - LA Clippers. There's no godly reason that they've put up such a bad start to the season. Griffin's a beast, new PG Eric Bledsloe can flat-out play. They clearly have the pieces, and other than Kaman struggling a bit to play alongside Griffin, there's no reason they're where they are.
Well... other than the mere fact that they ARE the Clippers.
25 - Philadelphia 76ers. Above Detroit merely on the fact that I like their pieces better than I like Detroit's. If Iggy can get healthy, and Brand can continue to play like this... they might actually start to look semi-decent.
26 - Detroit Pistons. This has gotta be frustrating. They've held together a team that shouldn't really have been held together. Charlie Villenueva's not much use (other than his more than ample twittering skills), and whilst Ben Gordon's had some good nights, he's not the revelation they'd hoped. And the old guys? Still old.
27 - Toronto Raptors. At times, they've looked pretty damn good... well, not goddamned awful anyway. But then they'll do something incredibly bone-headed. SHOULD be better... but sadly, aren't.
28 - Charlotte Bobcats. Michael Jordan's Midas touch.
29 - Houston Rockets. "Houston, we have a problem." The slapdown administered on the Wooluffs saved 'em from #30.
30 - Minnesota Timberwolves. From Ice Age 3:
"Did you die?"
"Sadly, yes. But I lived!"
That describes the T-Wolves. Minus the "I lived" bit.
