Chicago Bulls Move Up, Mostly, in Weekly Power Polls

The Chicago Bulls are all over the board in various NBA power rankings after the first week of the season.

The Bulls went 2-1 last week to open the 2012-13 campaign and looked solid in wins over Sacramento and Cleveland before falling flat in a loss to New Orleans. Pundits of the four polls used here weren’t sure what to make of that start, as the Bulls are ranked as high as No. 6 in one poll and as low as No. 16 in another.

Here’s how the prognosticators ranked the Bulls this week:

• ESPN: No. 6. (Last week: No. 12)
• FoxSports: No. 15. (Last week: No. 14)
• NBA.com: No. 11. (Last week: No. 14)
• ProBasketballTalk: No. 9. (Last week: No. 13)

In the Central Division, Indiana and Milwaukee both rank higher than the Bulls. On average, Indiana weighs in at No. 8, Milwaukee at No. 10 and the Bulls slightly lower. I’m not sure what the folks at ESPN and Fox Sports are thinking; they have the Bucks ranked at No. 4 and No. 5 while the other two polls have them ranked at No. 20 and No. 11. The Milwaukee Bucks are not a better team than the Bulls, and I’m not so sure the Pacers are either.

Overall, the Bulls’ average ranking seems about right. They aren’t the sixth best team in the league, as ESPN suggests, but they’re certainly better than Fox Sport’s No. 16.

Elsewhere in the polls, the Miami Heat relinquished their top spot in two of the four polls used here, with the San Antonio Spurs taking the top spot in the others; two polls have the Heat at No. 3.

The LA Lakers, ranked No. 2 in most polls to start the season, also dropped after a surprising 1-2 start and an injury to Steve Nash. The Lakers fell 12, eight, five and 10 spots, respectively.

The week’s big winner was the New York Knicks, who are now ranked in top three of all four polls. The Knicks jumped 12, 10, nine and nine spots, respectively, after lopsided wins over Miami and Philadelphia (twice).

The Bulls have games this week against Orlando (2-1), Oklahoma City (1-2) and the much-improved Minnesota (2-1).