Erick Blasco's NBA Power Rankings

1) Los Angeles Lakers: They’re clearly the most talented, most resourceful franchise in the NBA. Can their athleticism and creativity override their porous screen/roll defense?

2) Boston: Even without Kevin Garnett, their principals are sound. Ray Allen and Paul Pierce will step up under the spotlight, and the role players (Brian Scalabrine, Leon Powe, and Kendrick Perkins) will plug away. They won’t miss a beat in the short term.

3) San Antonio: When Roger Mason and Matt Bonner are hitting their jumpers, the Spurs can beat anybody, anywhere, at any time. When they aren’t, the Spurs become very ordinary.

4) Cleveland: Tough, strong, and defensive minded, they’ll go as far as LeBron James’ jumper will carry them.

5) Orlando: They don’t get enough post offense from Dwight Howard yet to win big games when their threes aren’t falling.

6) Utah: They’re peaking as much of the West is valleying, and they now have Carlos Boozer back. Do they have the athleticism to keep the Lakers from running away from them, or the Spurs from winning a discipline-fest? They still can’t win on the road.

7) Houston: Now that Tracy McGrady has announced that he’s out for the season, the Rockets can focus on who they do have instead of who they might have. With the way they defend, it should be enough to win a playoff series.

8) Portland: All the Blazers are missing is a dominant low post threat. Their defense, athletic forwards, and Brandon Roy’s brilliance make them more than formidable.

9) Denver: Give them props for their year-round overachieving. They don’t have the focus to win in the playoffs.

10) New Orleans: Teams that don’t play hard all the time, lack mental toughness. How else to explain their (Chris Paul’s) gaffes at the end of their recent loss to the Lakers? And how Paul was a non-factor in the fourth quarter in their loss to Utah? They’ve been a supreme disappointment.

11) Dallas: Winning on the road against defensive dynamos is out of the question for them. Dirk Nowitzki is keeping them above water, but they won’t swim anywhere.

12) Miami: Their offense might take a step up with Jermaine O’Neal, but their stout defense may take a step back. O’Neal’s too unwilling to make a difference.

13) Phoenix: Phoenix will leave bad teams in the dust, but good defenses will make their offense look like an AAU team. The return to gimmick ball isn’t the answer.

14) Atlanta: They’re not physical enough for playoff basketball, and were smoked in the last week by the Lakers, Blazers, and Jazz.

15) Philadelphia: They've struggled on the road since the All-Star Break—which is a concern since nine of their next 15 games are on the road.

16) Milwaukee: The Bucks play hard all the time, every time. Even with Michael Redd injured, Richard Jefferson, Charlie Villanueva, and Ramon Sessions are professional scorers. The Bucks are on the upswing.

17) Detroit: The Pistons have gone down harder than the global economy. Allen Iverson’s inability to defend, Rasheed Wallace’s disinterested attitude, and Michael Curry being in over his head are Detroit’s version of credit default swaps and subprime mortgages.

18) Chicago: They’ll show signs of life, and then drop off the map. Few teams are so inconsistent.

19) New Jersey: As the season goes on, Vince Carter gets more and more passive. Too bad. The kids play with spunk and Devin Harris has blossomed into a star.

20) New York: Too gimmicky to seriously contend for a playoff spot, the Knicks have still done all that was asked of them this season. Play competitive, and provide excitement.

21) Indiana: They play hard offensively, but they don’t have the defenders to make a playoff push. Plus, they lose focus too easily against the worst of the worst.

22) Toronto: They showed that they still have pride in beating the Knicks, a game after being blitzed by 30 in Madison Square Garden.

23) Oklahoma City: Unlike many other bottom feeders, the Thunder actually have a future.

24) Charlotte: The Bobcats play hard, play smart, and play defense. When they get some firepower to match the effort, they’ll make a playoff push.

25) Minnesota: Give them this: They could have folded when Al Jefferson went down, and instead they’re playing with passion. Why couldn’t they do this under Randy Wittman?

26) Golden State: Is there a more selfish basketball team in the NBA?

27) Washington: Their season ended the day Brendon Haywood went down.

28) Memphis: Given their average age, is it a wonder why their play resembles a high-school team?

29) Sacramento: They finally started the rebuilding process—about three years too late.

30) Los Angeles Clippers: The Clippers take bad basketball to new depths.