Mj's weekly NBA power rankings

I've decided that every Saturday I'm going to write up power rankings depending on how NBA teams are doing. Here'll be the general format:

[previous ranking] Current Ranking: Team Name - description

I'm just going to start out this thread with what I thought of the league before the preseason had started. My views have changed a bit since then.

1: Minnesota Timberwolves - Three of the most talented players play for this team. They also have a very deep bench.

2: San Antonio Spurs - Tim Duncan is turning into a very dominating force in the NBA. He has, and can lead the team to another championship. Tony Parker is a great point guard; probably the most underated point guard in the league.

3: Detroit Pistons - They are under Larry Brown, who is possibly the best head coach in the league for now. They have the best team chemistry. They have a dominating defense. They won the championship last year, and will probably give any team a challenge.

4: Sacramento Kings - This teams future is a bit hazy, but with or without Peja Stojakovic they will be a powerful team. Remember, they played without Chris Webber last year, and were completely under the leadership of Peja. Chris Webber will easily fill his shoes, and is probably a better leader anyway.

5: Orlando Magic - If Grant Hill can stay healthy, then Orlando will go far. I don't care what every other persons power rankings say, Orlando has one hell of a team. In my opinion, talentwise, they have the best team in the league, with the exception of the Timberwolves. They have Steve Francis, Cuttino, Grant Hill, and Dwight Howard. They also have Tony Battie and Hidayet Turkoglu, which nobody hears about. They are both good players. The rest of their team isn't too bad either. If they can pull together as a team, they'll go far.

6: Indiana Pacers - The team hasn't changed too much. That can be a good thing. They have all the talent they need to win it all, they just need to pull together. On a side-note, Ron Artest needs to calm down.

7: Dallas Mavericks - They lost Steve Nash, but are still strong. They did pick up (I think they picked him up) Jerry Stackhouse, but I don't know if he'll hurt the team or help the team. Dirk Nowitzki is the Maverick's go-to guy, but I don't know if Jerry Stackhouse will be able to handle that, as evinced a couple years ago in Washington when Mj should have been taking shots instead of Stackhouse.

8: Denver Nuggets - Kenyon Martin and Carmelo Anthony. Need I say more?

9: Miami Heat - Shaq is still the most dominating force in the NBA. I don't know how far they will get, but Shaq will get them somewhere for sure. And have you been watching Dwayne Wade in the exhibition games for the Olympics? If he didn't have traveling called on him every other move he made (and I mean with his hands) he'd be the best playe on the US basketball team.

10: Houston Rockets - A lot of people are putting my home team a lot higher simply because we got Tracy McGrady. Personally, I think we lost out on the deal. Kelvin Cato has shown tremendous improvement over the last couple of years and was a great compliment to Yao. It's tough losing him alone. Juwan Howard has been very inconsistent. Tracy McGrady and Tyronn Lue is a terrible exchange for Steve Francis and Cuttino Mobley. Tyronn Lue is hardly worth calling a point guard. Tracy McGrady can score, but you're losing two good scorers for a great scorer, and in my opinion, we lose out on that. Plus, Cuttino Mobley played much better defense than Tracy McGrady does.

11: L.A. Lakers - I doubt that they are going to seriously make another title run this year without Shaq, but there is still Kobe, plus other roll players. And this is what Kobe has always wanted. Who knows, maybe he'll have a breakout season considering he doesn't end up incarcerated for the next 75 years.

12: New York Knicks - After Stephon Marbury came in last season, the Knicks made a run. They made a great run. Imagine him in New York the whole season.

13: New Orleans Hornets

14: Toronto Raptors - If Vinsanity stays healthy, then the Raptors have a chance of going somewhere. Rafer Alston will be a great roll player on this team.

15: Boston Celtics - Gary Payton is a great pick up.

16: Memphis Grizzlies - One of the surprise teams from last year. Still pretty strong.

17: Cleveland Cavaliers - Lebron James can only get better. He has a lot of potential, and can take this team to the playoffs.

18: Phoenix Suns - Coming off of a disappointing season, while losing Marbury. Acquring Steve Nash might prove extremely beneficial to this team. They have a serious shot at making the playoffs?

19: Philadelphia 76ers - After losing Larry Brown, this team seems to be falling apart. Of course, you can never know when Iverson is playing for a team.

20: Utah Jazz

21: Portland Trailblazers

22: Atlanta Hawks - Picked up Antoine Walker, but I don't think they have a serious shot at the playoffs.

23: Seattle Sonics - Had many chances to pick someone up from free agency, but the team hasn't changed much.

24: Milwaukee Bucks

25: Golden State - It might be exciting to watch this team, but they aren't going to be too competitive with other teams.

26: Washington Wizards - Antawn Jamison was a great pick-up for this team, but he's not going to take this team anywhere.

27: Chicago Bulls - Tyson Chandler has lots of potential, all he needs to do is reach it.

28: L.A. Clippers

29: New Jersey Nets - This team completely fell apart. Byron Scott was real close to leading them to the promise land. Getting rid of him was stupid. That initiated this teams downfall. Now, without Kerry Kittles and Kenyon Martin, and Jason Kidd wanting to leave, this team is doomed to stay at the pit until they make another set of drastic changes.

30: Charlotte Bobcats - ??

I'm glad you ranked the Heat as low as you did. I'm sick of hearing, "Shaq will carry the heat to the Finals!" - bullshit. The Glove, the Mailman, Kobe, and Shaq couldn't do it, what makes you think D.Wade and Shaq can do it? Screw that, I predict the Heat making it into semis, that's it.

Kings shouldn't not be this high, until Weber starts to do good, maybe like 10ish.

MAgic-Hill won't stay healthy. Bottom line.

11: L.A. Lakers won't make the playoffs which puts them no better then 17th.

15: Boston Celtics - Gary Payton is a great back-up

19: Philadelphia 76ers should be a little higher imo, they still have one of the top 5 players in the league

20: Utah Jazz I think this team has a legit shot at making the playoffs/


Just some backtalk for ya.

Stickied!

I too think you aren't giving enough love to the Sixers. They had a great preseason, and are looking good right now.

Stickied! I too think you aren't giving enough love to the Sixers. They had a great preseason, and are looking good right now.

Remember, this was written pre-preseason. I'll write one again either tonight, or tomorrow morning.

Shaq will carry the heat to the Finals!

I hate you.

End of week 1

[2] 1: San Antonio Spurs: - Convincing wins against two teams I consider pretty good. I haven't gotten a chance too watch enough of San Antonio as I want, but from what I've seen, they look pretty sharp. Tim Duncan has been playing well.

[1] 2: Minnesota Timberwolves - They lost to Denver in OT, but it was in Denver as well, and with Kenyon Martin as an addition to the Nuggets, they are a formiddable team for anyone. It's too early to really move them down, regardless of this loss. I'll be able to better judge by next week, but they had all the talent of next year, and you can't ask for anymore out of Kevin Garnett. 26.5 PPG and 17.5 RPG? I don't even know when the last time that happend. If this team's big 3 play well then they could go all the way.

[3] 3: Detroit Pistons - Albeit losing to Toronto, which seems like a much stronger team than I had originally predicted, I still believe this is the strongest team in the east, and if I had to bet my money now, this is the team I'd be with. Why? Well, even though they're ranked 3rd, San Antonio and Minnesota is almost a toss-up in the west. Detroit will get a run for it's money from Miami, Orlando, Indiana and perhaps Tornoto, but it's nowhere near as close as it is in the west.

[5] 4: Orlando Magic - STEVIE FRANCIS! 2-game winning shots at the Buzzer. One was against Milwaukee, which I consider a so-so team, but the other was against Charlotte . . . err - New Orleans. New Orleans has a pretty good team, and Baron Davis was on last night. The Magic still won, and it was an away game. What's scary is, I don't believe that this team has gotten anywhere near its potential yet. Once that happens, even Detroit better watch out. The keys to success are keeping Hill healthy, getting Mobley and Hill involved in the offense, and developing Dwight Howard. To all of you non-believers in Grant Hill, you better watch out man. I have a feeling that this is his year. His unlucky streak of injuries has to end somewhere.

[7] 5: Dallas Mavericks - Looking sharp! Stackhouse is actually not hurting the team.

[4] 6: Sacramento Kings - They've dropped two, but they've played great teams. Honestly, though, even when this team gets everything together, the west is still too strong.

[6] 7: Indiana Pacers - They've haven't played any great teams yet, but they've won both of their games. First game they won without Jermaine O'neal. It's hard to judge this team right now. I'll have a better guess for Indiana next week.

[9] 8: Miami Heat - Looking good, but no real formiddable opponents. Wait for Shaq to be 100%. Dwayne Wade has been playing really well.

[14] 9: Toronto Raptors - Vinsanity! Unbelievable. Beat Detroit and Houston. Defied many people's expectations by beating Detroit. Vince Carter wants a trade? Keep this team. They're looking good now. Don't forget what Vince can do. It was only a few years ago that this team was playing in the Eastern-conference finals. I certainly underestimated them. Now lets see if they can keep this up.

[20] 10: Utah Jazz - Whipped the Lakers and Golden State, and this is all without Arroyo. Another one of those teams I might have underestimated.

[8] 11: Denver Nuggets - They got beat by the Lakers, but that Lakers team that played in the first game looked better than they did last year in the finals. Denver certainly redeemed itself by beating Minnesota.

[18] 12: Phoenix Suns - They've played well. Amare Stoudemire has stepped up, and it looks like Steve Nash might have been exactly what this team needed last year.

[12] 13: New York Knicks - I don't have much to judge this team by, byt they did look pretty good against the Timberwolves. More on The Knicks next week.

[11] 14: L.A. Lakers - Played the first game flawlessly. After just watching that game, I would've ranked them right up there with San Antonio and Minnesota. After that, they came down to earth. The last couple of games is what I've expected, although I didn't expect that they'd be manhandled by the Jazz. Now the loss against San Antonio probably couldn't have been prevented. That team is just too strong. The key to winning for the Lakers is Kobe. Everything needs to go through him, whether it be his own shots, or him setting up his team-mates. He can create.

[19] 15: Philladelphia 76ers - Playing allright. Better than I expected. AI has some redeeming to do, especialy after the debacle with the "Dream Team."

[10] 16: Houston Rockets - Ugly start, but at least they won yesterday. Against Detroit, only the Lord Almighty might have been able to save Houston, but they could've got a win in Toronto. Of course, Toronto might have The Lord Almighty on their side in the form of Vince Carter.

[15] 17: Boston Celtics - 0-2, but not playing bad.

[13] 18: New Orleans Hornets - Lost to Orlando and Dallas. I could've told you that before the game, though. Still, a valiant effort against Orlando.

[17] 19: Clevland Cavaliers - They've lost two, but again, against good teams. The team's not bad, and if they can stick together then they probably have a shot at the playoffs.

[21] 20 Portland Trailblazers - This team was a powerhouse a few years back, but unfortunately for them, they couldn't get the championship. They've been doing a little better than I expected, but I don't expect them to do any better than the first round, most probably not even that far.

[26] 21: Washington Wizards - Jamison has been doing great so far, but the team as a whole isn't looking too great. They have an outside shot at the playoffs, but that's it. They have won their first two, but the teams they've played aren't too great. Of course, if Washington remains at the top of the east a week from now, their ranking might drastically improve.

[16] 22: Memphis Grizzlies - They lost to Washington, which makes me thing maybe I had overestimated them. Quite honestly, I didn't think they were that great of a team to begin with, but they had done well last year. This is how I'd expect this team to do judging strictly by the players.

[24] 23: Milwaukee Bucks - Nothing to judge by except that loss against Orlando. Very close game, though.

[23] 24: Seattle Sonics - Streaky team? You bet. They got killed by one of the worst teams in the league, and then killed one of the worst teams in the league. You can't win on streakiness. You have to be good consistently.

[28] 25: L.A. Clippers - What can I say. They are 1-1, and they won their first game with some oomph. Little better than expected, but they should look to the lottery to save them.

[25] 26: Golden State Warriors

[30] 27: Charlotte Bobcats - Haven't had a chance to see them in action, yet.

[22] 28: Atlanta Hawks - They can only go up, unless there is something deeper than the darkest depths of hell.

[29] 29: New Jersey Nets - UGLY! UGLY! UGLY! UGLY! UGLY!

[27] 30: Chicago Bulls - Even uglier. Dennis Rodman might be able to help this team out.

Yay Knicks..?

Shutup you! Man, that 2 OT Pacers game against the Cavs was unbelievable. You just wait until we get Reggie Miller, Jonathan Bender, Jermaine O'Neal, Anthony Johnson, and Jeff Foster healthy. Lord Almighty, we won't be stopped.

Don't hate on the Bulls so much.

It's the truth, though.

But they have so much upside, maybe you could put them at like 28, just on upside? I think they are better than the BobCats and Nets.

But they have so much upside, maybe you could put them at like 28, just on upside? I think they are better than the BobCats and Nets.

Bobcats just got a W.

Emeka Okafor rocks my socks.

Terribly sorry about not posting one this weekend, guys. I had written up about half of it when I decided to take a little break. When I came back, my laptop refused to come back out of standby mode. I didn't feel like re-writing it after that. I'd do it now, but I have two tests tomorrow and a test on wednesday, so I'll get to it as soon as possible.

Don't worry about it, man. I just expect to see the Pacers as #2 or #3.

:rollseyes: This one better be worth the wait.

Mid Week 5

[1] 1: San Antonio Spurs - With the recent turn of events, my favorite to win it all is San Antonio. I honestly believe that this team has everything it needs to stand atop the zenith of the league. Other than the two-game skid this team had, this team has been playing better than anyone.

[8] 2: Miami Heat - This team is no joke. What's scary is that Shaq's not even putting up the numbers the numbers he's used to. That goes to show the raw talent of Dwayne Wade. This kid is the next Isiah Thomas. Actually, he's Dwayne Wade. He came around and bit Denver and Cleveland in the ass. I'm sure any team would love to have Dwayne Wade right now. Also, I'm sure Shaq is zealous to win it all and throw it in Kobe's face. This team is simply awesome. They're fun to watch, and they just play excellent basketball. Sorry Jizmo, I had to put Miami at number two. Miami's my early pick from the east.

[23] 3: Seattle Sonics - Man, I feel dumb for putting this team as low as I originally did. This team is playin surprisingly well, in fact, they're ranked first in the west. I never knew Ray Allen had it in him.

[12] 4: Phoenix Suns - Another team playing inexplicably well. I really can't explain it. I mean, I knew Amare and Steve Nash were good, I just had no idea that they were this good. Also, the supporting cast on the team is pretty good as well.

[2] 5: Minnesota Timberwolves - Minnesota doesn't have the best record in the league, like I had expected them to, but they still have their core three, which still makes them a formidable opponent to any team. I am slightly curious, though, as to what has happend to Sprewell's numbers. He's only 34; he can't be getting old yet.

[4] 6: Orland Magic - This team is playing just as well as it was when I last posted my rankings. Only problem is, other teams have gotten better. Orlando needs to pick it up just a little. Stll, though, they are a serious contender for the east's spot, and they could perhaps even make a run for it in the championship. Grant Hill is doing quite well, in fact, even better than expected. All I have to say to you non-believers is HAH! Orlando is definitely my favorite team in the league as it is practically the Rockets from last year with the addition of Dwight Howard and Grant Hill.

[6] 7: Sacramento Kings - I was aghast when I looked at the Kings record during the earlier part of this year. When I said, "I knew they'd come around," I didn't expect it to take this long, but they've been getting the job done over the previous ten games. They had a bad start, but they're picking up the slack. You can't ask for more.

[5] 8: Dallas Mavericks - Dropped one today to San Antonio. I have one thing to say about that. It's okay. Everyone drops to San Antonio.

[3] 9: Detroit Pistons - I won't get into my rant here. I'll do it when we get to Indiana. As for the pistons, though, they aren't playing with the same discipline that they had last year. Their game has gotten sloppy. They've lost focus. As this season progresses, this team seems like one of those teams that wins one and then gets complacent with that. The way that they are going to get back into this race is by taking Tupac's advice and "keeping their eyes on the prize." And by that I mean the trophy. Don't go knock up some slut like Kobe.

[17] 10: Cleveland Cavaliers - I keep praising Dwayne Wade, but it's time that Lebron got some love. I've been very closed-minded about Lebron ever since last season. Ever since he came into the league, I believed that he wasn't going to do good. I wanted him to fail. He seemed like an arrogant wanna-be-like-Mike crackhead. I'm glad to say he's not. He doesn't seem arrogant, or come off as a crackhead. He's a great basketball player, and his work is paying off.

[14] 11: Los Angeles Lakers - Brian Cook had 25 tonite. Does anybody see something wrong with that? Oh well. They won. Kobe for president!

[13] 12: New York Knicks - Playing well, but not exceptional. It's funny how their 6-6 record puts them at third in the east but wouldn't even get them into the playoffs in the west.

[7] 13: Indiana Pacers - Prepare for a rant. Okay, this is the first thing that I'm saying about the fight. I was on vacation when I heard about it, and I was simply disgusted. That's all I have to say. Jizmo, your team was wrong. Plain and simple. Now, I can't place the blame on the team entirely, but I think they should be the ones to bear the load of the blame. You said Ron Artest had calmed down. Well, I was writing about two weeks ago on my rankings, but the power went out and I could never finish it. I had heavily criticized Artest for trying to take time off to promote his CD. I thought that was sick. What happend in Detroit was sicker. Now, I was surprised when Ben Wallace shoved Artest half-way across the Arena. Ben doesn't seem to lose his cool much. I was more surprised at the *cough* poise Artest showed throughout the initial patrs of the situation. Now came the sick part. Now, that fan was obviously wrong to throw the cup, but that's no excuse to run into the stands and start beating the shit out of people. And what's worse is that the rest of the team jumps right into the mayhem and starts just hitting anybody. There were old women on the floor in the midst of this chaos. Their were kids crying. Detroit fans, and the majority of the Indiana team has sickened me by this. I can't believe Bird is backing Artest. My respect for Bird is in the negatives right now, as it was already at zero. Any respect that I had for him as a player I lost when he brought up the fact that their should be more white players. This just worsend it. Now, where does this put Indiana as a basketball team? Well, they still have quite a talented team, but they through away their shot at a championship. Even Dennis Rodman was repulsed by Artest's behavior. He tried to defend him at first, but ended up just criticizing him. When Dennis Rodman calls you bad . . . oh boy.

[10] 14: Utah Jazz - Their hot-streak has finally cooled off.

[15] 15: Philadelphia 76ers - Not playing bad. I find it funny that they're ranked 8th in the east, but are only half game away from 3rd.

[11] 16: Denver Nuggets - Not meeting expectations.

[21] 17: Washington Wizards - I must give this team their props. They seem to have made it through the struggle from becoming a terrible team into a fairly decent team. First round is as far as this team goes, though.

[25] 18: Los Angeles Clippers - Two LA teams in the playoffs? Naa.

[20] 19: Portland Trailblazers - Surprising that this team is over .500.

[9] 20: Toronto Raptors - This team skyrocketed and plummeted quicker than my dick after I saw your girl and then your mom. (Jizmo, in this case "girl" could be replaced with sister)

[16] 21: Houston Rockets - I had been saying it from the very beginning that this Tracy McGrady thing wouldn't work out. Yao Ming can't dominate, and McGrady's not a listener. Oh well. Hopefully they can learn how to play their roles before all-star break.

[22] 22: Memphis Grizzlies

[17] 23: Boston Celtics

[23] 24: Milwaukee Bucks - This team used to be so strong just a couple years ago.

[27] 25: Charlotte Bobcats - Emeka Okafor could take this team . . . somewhere in a few years.

[26] 26: Golden State Warriors - Whoo! Whoo! It's not that this team has gotten better, it's just that other teams haven't either.

[29] 27: New Jersey Nets - Jason Kidd could probably take this team . . . straight to the draft lottery.

[30] 28: Chicago Bulls - Any Chicago fans up for bringing back Jordan, Pippen and Rodman?

[28] 29: Atlanta Hawks - Even worse than the Bulls. Ugh!

[18] 30: New Orleans Hornets - Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name . . .