| 13 November 2008
Back, and time seems ripe to hit you with some NBA rankings...
With Malice's Pawa-rannkingu
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LA Lakers - I feel like Dorothy clicking those heels together and saying "There's no place like home, there's no place like home, there's..." - just hoping that it's going to be true, and that this beautiful glittery thing is real. -
Boston Celtics - You gotta go through the champ to BE the champ. They're not going anywhere, they're still real.
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Atlanta Hawks - Speaking of 'real', a 1 point loss on a hail mary from Paul Pierce is almost as good as a win. Atlanta's the real deal.
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Cleveland Cavaliers - Don't know how much longer Cleveland can do this. When LeBron leaves? Until that point in time, they should re-name the team the Cleveland LeBrons.
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Utah Jazz - As per pretty much every successful Jazz team, doing it quietly, and getting the job done. Deron who?
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New Orleans Hornets - Better than their record would suggest. If the vs Lakers game had gone longer, they might've won. But games don't (go longer). So suck up a lower rating Bee-fans!
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Houston Rockets - Amazing how non-plussed I am about a team that was expected to be one of the top units. Early days yet I guess. But we're still counting down the days until Yao has that season-ending lower leg injury. Can't be too much longer. -
Detroit Pistons - It's a toss-up who's the more astute GM - Kupchak or Dumars. Kupchak does it Ninja-style, whilst Dumars is openly brilliant. Dare anyone to say the AI year will be a mistake.
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Orlando Magic - With the Man-beast in the line-up, on any given night this team can beat any given team. Howard is 3 parts Beast, 2 parts Gigantor, and 1 part haggis - all nasty.
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Philadelphia 76ers - Not quite working out the way it was envisaged, but this team has the tools to get the job done.
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Phoenix Suns - Slowing down the Suns isn't purely a function of Terry Porter's game scheme, it's a function of AGE. Shaq still hasn't had his required 20 games of rest yet.
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Toronto Raptors - Another team that promised much and fails to deliver on an almost-nightly basis. Jose Calderon leaks TOs like a sieve.
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Portland Trail Blazers - Man... I'm with Bill Simmons - I hope Greg Oden isn't Sam Bowie.
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Denver Nuggets - Looking the goods since the AI-Billups trade. Enver no more?
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Indiana Pacers - Days without Jermaine are long and tiring in Indiana. Being a slightly-over-.500 team flatters them.
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Memphis Grizzlies - Bit of a surprise. Some close games that they could've won... other than getting absolutely blown out by the Knicks. Geez...
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New York Knicks - Still don't believe it. The wheels are *going* to fall off this team.
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San Antonio Spurs - State of disbelief. Spurs #18 on a power-ranking??? Say it ain't so Pop! Will lift when Manu/Mr Longoria get back, but not before. -
Dallas Mavericks - Better than this ranking, at least I believe. Still seem to be lacking something. Spine?
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Miami Heat - I dunno. Miami just don't seem like a .500 team.
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Milwaukee Bucks - Things are looking better than this #21 ranking for Milwaukee. Andrew Bogut beating Tim Duncan? Never thought I'd see the day.
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Sacramento Kings - Days of the Kings being a threat in the playoffs are about as gone as Chris Webber's sneaker deals.
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Chicago Bulls - Wow... I thought stability would have this group performing better. They certainly have a PG who rose to the occasion, but beyond that, little to cheer. Ok, they're young. Gotta be hurting them how well LaMarcus Aldridge is playing.
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Golden State Warriors - Gutted at the beginning of the season, should rise a lil' when Monta returns. Until then, the Dubs had better get used to lean times.
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Charlotte Bobcats - Would they be better off if Michael Jordan actually was the majority owner? Surely Robert L. Johnson's getting bored of losing...
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New Jersey Nets - Just basically marking time until 2010... that, and a lot of prayer.
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Minnesota Timberwolves - Sheesh... only the existence of the Clips/Thunder make life more bearable for Wolf-fans.
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Washington Wizards - Talk about gutted.
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Oklahoma City Thunder - Thunder on the horizon? A very, very distant horizon.
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LA Clippers - This team - absolutely gutted by the loss of Elton Brand - tried hard to salvage pre-season moves. To no avail. The gulf between 1 and 20 exists at the Staples Center. The Clippers are the worst team in basketball.
