Los Angeles Lakers Have Claimed the Top Spot in NBA Power Rankings

2009-10 Power Rankings: Week 7
RANK
(LAST WK) TEAM REC. COMMENT
 1 (1) Lakers 16-3 Are these guys Artest-proof? They sure have been since Gasol came back, playing through Ron-Ron's "Jimmy Kimmel" appearance in his boxers and then his Hennessy stories like almost no one saw or heard a thing.
 2 (3) Magic 16-4 They've won seven in a row on the road. They've gone 8-1 since losing Jameer. They've won biggies at Boston and Atlanta and sit one disputed Miami basket away from an 11-game win streak. They've got to be No. 2.
 3 (6) Celtics 16-4 It's not this seven-game win streak that moved Boston up. Or a 9-1 road record that leads the league. It's how the Celts took it up a notch in back-to-back smotherings of San Antonio and OKC in their away green.
 4 (4) Cavaliers 15-5 It's not easy to move up because of the way our top three are rolling, but the Cavs have also brought some normalcy to the upper reaches of the rankings thanks to that 12-0 record when they get to 100 points.
 5 (5) Hawks 14-6 The good news: Atlanta is a tidy 8-2 against teams at or above .500 after pulling out a W in Big D on Saturday. The bad news: Atlanta is just 6-4 against teams with losing records … and 3-4 overall since its 11-2 start.
 6 (8) Nuggets 15-5 Does a win in San Antonio sufficiently atone for a streak-ending loss at home to the 1-15 Wolves? And when Melo cracks 30 points for the 12th time in his 20 games this season? We're actually inclined to say not quite.
 7 (2) Suns 15-6 First real crisis for the Suns or an inevitable gas shortage after 15 of the first 21 games were roadies? Miffed as we are about that MSG showing right after we shot them up to No. 2, we're going with the latter.
 8 (7) Mavericks 14-7 Just 82 points Friday night in a road L to Memphis. Just 75 points Saturday night in a home L to Atlanta. The Mavs can only hope losing two games in a row for the first time this season was just a really bad weekend.
 9 (9) Rockets 11-9 Lil' Aaron Brooks is generally seen as the offensive face of this scrappy incarnation of the Rockets. Just don't forget Carl Landry and his nine 20-point games … after just four in his previous two seasons.
 10 (10) Jazz 11-8 Boozer just had his first 30-point game since March '08. Sloan just agreed to extend his contract for a 23rd season as Jazz coach. So why can't we stop fixating on Utah's latest eyebrow-raising L on Saturday in Sota?
 11 (14) Heat 11-9 The Heat were due to lose a heartbreaker after winning this season's first three one-point games, but that still doesn't explain that prayer Kobe banked in Friday. If it rims out, Miami goes 3-1 on a tough trip.
 12 (13) Thunder 10-9 As if Blazermaniacs weren't suffering enough after Oden's latest setback, this haunting tidbit circulated late Friday: Durant just became the second-youngest player in history to get to 4,000 points, behind LeBron.
 13 (11) Trail Blazers 13-8 They say Portland weather can be gloomy, but it's nothing compared to what's suddenly hanging over the Blazers, given the afflictions that have stricken Batum, Outlaw and now Oden, along with their coach and owner.
 14 (12) Spurs 9-8 This is the only team widely pegged for contention back in October that can't get near the top five. The other culprit besides injuries: San Antonio is 2-7 against teams over .500 after home L's to Boston and Denver.
 15 (20) Hornets 8-11 The Hornets are 5-5 under Jeff Bower because they somehow went 4-4 after CP3 hurt his ankle in Bower's first game. We frankly expected none of that … especially those home wins over Phoenix and Atlanta.
 16 (16) Kings 9-10 Can't quibble with the 14-3 record posted by Alvin Gentry in November, but you could easily say Paul Westphal's 8-8 mark was also worthy of the season's first Western Conference coach of the month award.
 17 (21) Raptors 9-13 Who says team meetings are a waste of time? The previously defenseless Raps just swept a back-to-back on the road in Washington and Chicago after a behind-closed-doors airing of (mostly defense-related) grievances.
 18 (18) Clippers 9-11 The Clips have won five of their past seven ... and no longer have a share of the NBA's worst start ever thanks to the Nets' plummet to 0-18. So life's not too bad, even if they have to wait until January for Blake Griffin.
 19 (19) Bobcats 8-11 Twitterdom can be a cruel place. Check out this crack from our pal BergerSphere late in the loss that ended the Nets' 0-18 start: "Larry Brown is going to quit with 30 seconds left and take the Fordham job."
 20 (22) Pistons 8-12 Bigger surprise: Jonas Jerebko starts 17 of his first 18 NBA games ... or Ben Wallace turns back the clock at 35 to flirt with a double-digit rebound average for the first time since his first season in Chicago in 2006-07?
 21 (25) Grizzlies 8-12 Do you realize that the Grizz -- who now have three straight wins over Dallas after losing the previous 13 -- would be on an 8-3 roll if they had just finished off the Clips when they had 'em down by 22 in the fourth?
 22 (15) Bucks 9-10 Jennings busted out of his first pro freeze with 24 points in a home loss to Cleveland, but the chill lasted long enough -- 30 percent shooting during a 1-6 skid -- to hush any suggestion that the ROY race is already over.
 23 (29) Knicks 6-15 Maybe it's a tad early to start throwing around the V word -- vindication -- but the Knicks have been hard to second-guess since electing not to finalize their intended signing of A.I. As Phoenix or Atlanta could tell you.
 24 (17) Bulls 7-11 How high is Vinny Del Negro on your Coaches Under Pressure list? The Bulls' no-show at home Saturday against the teetering Raptors had to move him up some, no matter how shorthanded the Bulls might be.
 25 (26) Wizards 7-12 That's twice that the Wiz blew one at home just when they looked like they might start something. The first was a shaky L to Charlotte after two wins. This time? Two wins in a row again, then an OT loss to the Raps.
 26 (23) Warriors 6-13 The Warriors have allowed 120 points or more an NBA-worst six times. So you could do a lot worse than seeing your team hook up with Golden State if that's the only shot you get all season to see a game in person.
 27 (24) Pacers 6-12 The banged-up Pacers are in a 1-9 funk and just went 0-4 on a trip that included three of the West's more inviting stops, which sounds bad until you get to the worst part: Granger is going in for more tests on his heel.
 28 (27) Timberwolves 3-17 Kevin Love returned from a broken hand with a flourish, but that was just the second-best thing to happen to the Wolves last week. No. 1: They're suddenly on pace for a record-avoiding 12 wins after a win over Utah.
 29 (28) 76ers 5-15 The Sixers have lost nine in a row, 13 of 15 overall, and feared losing both Andre Iguodala (ankle) and prized rookie Jrue Holiday (shoulder) to injuries. So we ask again: What momentum is Iverson going to derail?
 30 (30) Nets 1-19 Kiki Vandeweghe on the congratulatory messages he received after winning his first game to become the first coach in NBA history to halt an 18-game losing streak: "Most of them said you should retire right now."
2009-10 Power Rankings: Week 7
RANK (LAST WK) TEAM REC. COMMENT
 1 (1) Lakers 16-3 Are these guys Artest-proof? They sure have been since Gasol came back, playing through Ron-Ron's "Jimmy Kimmel" appearance in his boxers and then his Hennessy stories like almost no one saw or heard a thing.
 2 (3) Magic 16-4 They've won seven in a row on the road. They've gone 8-1 since losing Jameer. They've won biggies at Boston and Atlanta and sit one disputed Miami basket away from an 11-game win streak. They've got to be No. 2.
 3 (6) Celtics 16-4 It's not this seven-game win streak that moved Boston up. Or a 9-1 road record that leads the league. It's how the Celts took it up a notch in back-to-back smotherings of San Antonio and OKC in their away green.
 4 (4) Cavaliers 15-5 It's not easy to move up because of the way our top three are rolling, but the Cavs have also brought some normalcy to the upper reaches of the rankings thanks to that 12-0 record when they get to 100 points.
 5 (5) Hawks 14-6 The good news: Atlanta is a tidy 8-2 against teams at or above .500 after pulling out a W in Big D on Saturday. The bad news: Atlanta is just 6-4 against teams with losing records … and 3-4 overall since its 11-2 start.
 6 (8) Nuggets 15-5 Does a win in San Antonio sufficiently atone for a streak-ending loss at home to the 1-15 Wolves? And when Melo cracks 30 points for the 12th time in his 20 games this season? We're actually inclined to say not quite.
 7 (2) Suns 15-6 First real crisis for the Suns or an inevitable gas shortage after 15 of the first 21 games were roadies? Miffed as we are about that MSG showing right after we shot them up to No. 2, we're going with the latter.
 8 (7) Mavericks 14-7 Just 82 points Friday night in a road L to Memphis. Just 75 points Saturday night in a home L to Atlanta. The Mavs can only hope losing two games in a row for the first time this season was just a really bad weekend.
 9 (9) Rockets 11-9 Lil' Aaron Brooks is generally seen as the offensive face of this scrappy incarnation of the Rockets. Just don't forget Carl Landry and his nine 20-point games … after just four in his previous two seasons.
 10 (10) Jazz 11-8 Boozer just had his first 30-point game since March '08. Sloan just agreed to extend his contract for a 23rd season as Jazz coach. So why can't we stop fixating on Utah's latest eyebrow-raising L on Saturday in Sota?
 11 (14) Heat 11-9 The Heat were due to lose a heartbreaker after winning this season's first three one-point games, but that still doesn't explain that prayer Kobe banked in Friday. If it rims out, Miami goes 3-1 on a tough trip.
 12 (13) Thunder 10-9 As if Blazermaniacs weren't suffering enough after Oden's latest setback, this haunting tidbit circulated late Friday: Durant just became the second-youngest player in history to get to 4,000 points, behind LeBron.
 13 (11) Trail Blazers 13-8 They say Portland weather can be gloomy, but it's nothing compared to what's suddenly hanging over the Blazers, given the afflictions that have stricken Batum, Outlaw and now Oden, along with their coach and owner.
 14 (12) Spurs 9-8 This is the only team widely pegged for contention back in October that can't get near the top five. The other culprit besides injuries: San Antonio is 2-7 against teams over .500 after home L's to Boston and Denver.
 15 (20) Hornets 8-11 The Hornets are 5-5 under Jeff Bower because they somehow went 4-4 after CP3 hurt his ankle in Bower's first game. We frankly expected none of that … especially those home wins over Phoenix and Atlanta.
 16 (16) Kings 9-10 Can't quibble with the 14-3 record posted by Alvin Gentry in November, but you could easily say Paul Westphal's 8-8 mark was also worthy of the season's first Western Conference coach of the month award.
 17 (21) Raptors 9-13 Who says team meetings are a waste of time? The previously defenseless Raps just swept a back-to-back on the road in Washington and Chicago after a behind-closed-doors airing of (mostly defense-related) grievances.
 18 (18) Clippers 9-11 The Clips have won five of their past seven ... and no longer have a share of the NBA's worst start ever thanks to the Nets' plummet to 0-18. So life's not too bad, even if they have to wait until January for Blake Griffin.
 19 (19) Bobcats 8-11 Twitterdom can be a cruel place. Check out this crack from our pal BergerSphere late in the loss that ended the Nets' 0-18 start: "Larry Brown is going to quit with 30 seconds left and take the Fordham job."
 20 (22) Pistons 8-12 Bigger surprise: Jonas Jerebko starts 17 of his first 18 NBA games ... or Ben Wallace turns back the clock at 35 to flirt with a double-digit rebound average for the first time since his first season in Chicago in 2006-07?
 21 (25) Grizzlies 8-12 Do you realize that the Grizz -- who now have three straight wins over Dallas after losing the previous 13 -- would be on an 8-3 roll if they had just finished off the Clips when they had 'em down by 22 in the fourth?
 22 (15) Bucks 9-10 Jennings busted out of his first pro freeze with 24 points in a home loss to Cleveland, but the chill lasted long enough -- 30 percent shooting during a 1-6 skid -- to hush any suggestion that the ROY race is already over.
 23 (29) Knicks 6-15 Maybe it's a tad early to start throwing around the V word -- vindication -- but the Knicks have been hard to second-guess since electing not to finalize their intended signing of A.I. As Phoenix or Atlanta could tell you.
 24 (17) Bulls 7-11 How high is Vinny Del Negro on your Coaches Under Pressure list? The Bulls' no-show at home Saturday against the teetering Raptors had to move him up some, no matter how shorthanded the Bulls might be.
 25 (26) Wizards 7-12 That's twice that the Wiz blew one at home just when they looked like they might start something. The first was a shaky L to Charlotte after two wins. This time? Two wins in a row again, then an OT loss to the Raps.
 26 (23) Warriors 6-13 The Warriors have allowed 120 points or more an NBA-worst six times. So you could do a lot worse than seeing your team hook up with Golden State if that's the only shot you get all season to see a game in person.
 27 (24) Pacers 6-12 The banged-up Pacers are in a 1-9 funk and just went 0-4 on a trip that included three of the West's more inviting stops, which sounds bad until you get to the worst part: Granger is going in for more tests on his heel.
 28 (27) Timberwolves 3-17 Kevin Love returned from a broken hand with a flourish, but that was just the second-best thing to happen to the Wolves last week. No. 1: They're suddenly on pace for a record-avoiding 12 wins after a win over Utah.
 29 (28) 76ers 5-15 The Sixers have lost nine in a row, 13 of 15 overall, and feared losing both Andre Iguodala (ankle) and prized rookie Jrue Holiday (shoulder) to injuries. So we ask again: What momentum is Iverson going to derail?
 30 (30) Nets 1-19 Kiki Vandeweghe on the congratulatory messages he received after winning his first game to become the first coach in NBA history to halt an 18-game losing streak: "Most of them said you should retire right now."
2009-10 Power Rankings: Week 7
RANK (LAST WK)		TEAM	REC.	COMMENT
	1 (1)	Lakers	16-3	Are these guys Artest-proof? They sure have been since Gasol came back, playing through Ron-Ron's "Jimmy Kimmel" appearance in his boxers and then his Hennessy stories like almost no one saw or heard a thing.
	2 (3)	Magic	16-4	They've won seven in a row on the road. They've gone 8-1 since losing Jameer. They've won biggies at Boston and Atlanta and sit one disputed Miami basket away from an 11-game win streak. They've got to be No. 2.
	3 (6)	Celtics	16-4	It's not this seven-game win streak that moved Boston up. Or a 9-1 road record that leads the league. It's how the Celts took it up a notch in back-to-back smotherings of San Antonio and OKC in their away green.
	4 (4)	Cavaliers	15-5	It's not easy to move up because of the way our top three are rolling, but the Cavs have also brought some normalcy to the upper reaches of the rankings thanks to that 12-0 record when they get to 100 points.
	5 (5)	Hawks	14-6	The good news: Atlanta is a tidy 8-2 against teams at or above .500 after pulling out a W in Big D on Saturday. The bad news: Atlanta is just 6-4 against teams with losing records … and 3-4 overall since its 11-2 start.
	6 (8)	Nuggets	15-5	Does a win in San Antonio sufficiently atone for a streak-ending loss at home to the 1-15 Wolves? And when Melo cracks 30 points for the 12th time in his 20 games this season? We're actually inclined to say not quite.
	7 (2)	Suns	15-6	First real crisis for the Suns or an inevitable gas shortage after 15 of the first 21 games were roadies? Miffed as we are about that MSG showing right after we shot them up to No. 2, we're going with the latter.
	8 (7)	Mavericks	14-7	Just 82 points Friday night in a road L to Memphis. Just 75 points Saturday night in a home L to Atlanta. The Mavs can only hope losing two games in a row for the first time this season was just a really bad weekend.
	9 (9)	Rockets	11-9	Lil' Aaron Brooks is generally seen as the offensive face of this scrappy incarnation of the Rockets. Just don't forget Carl Landry and his nine 20-point games … after just four in his previous two seasons.
	10 (10)	Jazz	11-8	Boozer just had his first 30-point game since March '08. Sloan just agreed to extend his contract for a 23rd season as Jazz coach. So why can't we stop fixating on Utah's latest eyebrow-raising L on Saturday in Sota?
	11 (14)	Heat	11-9	The Heat were due to lose a heartbreaker after winning this season's first three one-point games, but that still doesn't explain that prayer Kobe banked in Friday. If it rims out, Miami goes 3-1 on a tough trip.
	12 (13)	Thunder	10-9	As if Blazermaniacs weren't suffering enough after Oden's latest setback, this haunting tidbit circulated late Friday: Durant just became the second-youngest player in history to get to 4,000 points, behind LeBron.
	13 (11)	Trail Blazers	13-8	They say Portland weather can be gloomy, but it's nothing compared to what's suddenly hanging over the Blazers, given the afflictions that have stricken Batum, Outlaw and now Oden, along with their coach and owner.
	14 (12)	Spurs	9-8	This is the only team widely pegged for contention back in October that can't get near the top five. The other culprit besides injuries: San Antonio is 2-7 against teams over .500 after home L's to Boston and Denver.
	15 (20)	Hornets	8-11	The Hornets are 5-5 under Jeff Bower because they somehow went 4-4 after CP3 hurt his ankle in Bower's first game. We frankly expected none of that … especially those home wins over Phoenix and Atlanta.
	16 (16)	Kings	9-10	Can't quibble with the 14-3 record posted by Alvin Gentry in November, but you could easily say Paul Westphal's 8-8 mark was also worthy of the season's first Western Conference coach of the month award.
	17 (21)	Raptors	9-13	Who says team meetings are a waste of time? The previously defenseless Raps just swept a back-to-back on the road in Washington and Chicago after a behind-closed-doors airing of (mostly defense-related) grievances.
	18 (18)	Clippers	9-11	The Clips have won five of their past seven ... and no longer have a share of the NBA's worst start ever thanks to the Nets' plummet to 0-18. So life's not too bad, even if they have to wait until January for Blake Griffin.
	19 (19)	Bobcats	8-11	Twitterdom can be a cruel place. Check out this crack from our pal BergerSphere late in the loss that ended the Nets' 0-18 start: "Larry Brown is going to quit with 30 seconds left and take the Fordham job."
	20 (22)	Pistons	8-12	Bigger surprise: Jonas Jerebko starts 17 of his first 18 NBA games ... or Ben Wallace turns back the clock at 35 to flirt with a double-digit rebound average for the first time since his first season in Chicago in 2006-07?
	21 (25)	Grizzlies	8-12	Do you realize that the Grizz -- who now have three straight wins over Dallas after losing the previous 13 -- would be on an 8-3 roll if they had just finished off the Clips when they had 'em down by 22 in the fourth?
	22 (15)	Bucks	9-10	Jennings busted out of his first pro freeze with 24 points in a home loss to Cleveland, but the chill lasted long enough -- 30 percent shooting during a 1-6 skid -- to hush any suggestion that the ROY race is already over.
	23 (29)	Knicks	6-15	Maybe it's a tad early to start throwing around the V word -- vindication -- but the Knicks have been hard to second-guess since electing not to finalize their intended signing of A.I. As Phoenix or Atlanta could tell you.
	24 (17)	Bulls	7-11	How high is Vinny Del Negro on your Coaches Under Pressure list? The Bulls' no-show at home Saturday against the teetering Raptors had to move him up some, no matter how shorthanded the Bulls might be.
	25 (26)	Wizards	7-12	That's twice that the Wiz blew one at home just when they looked like they might start something. The first was a shaky L to Charlotte after two wins. This time? Two wins in a row again, then an OT loss to the Raps.
	26 (23)	Warriors	6-13	The Warriors have allowed 120 points or more an NBA-worst six times. So you could do a lot worse than seeing your team hook up with Golden State if that's the only shot you get all season to see a game in person.
	27 (24)	Pacers	6-12	The banged-up Pacers are in a 1-9 funk and just went 0-4 on a trip that included three of the West's more inviting stops, which sounds bad until you get to the worst part: Granger is going in for more tests on his heel.
	28 (27)	Timberwolves	3-17	Kevin Love returned from a broken hand with a flourish, but that was just the second-best thing to happen to the Wolves last week. No. 1: They're suddenly on pace for a record-avoiding 12 wins after a win over Utah.
	29 (28)	76ers	5-15	The Sixers have lost nine in a row, 13 of 15 overall, and feared losing both Andre Iguodala (ankle) and prized rookie Jrue Holiday (shoulder) to injuries. So we ask again: What momentum is Iverson going to derail?
	30 (30)	Nets	1-19	Kiki Vandeweghe on the congratulatory messages he received after winning his first game to become the first coach in NBA history to halt an 18-game losing streak: "Most of them said you should retire right now."
2009-10 Power Rankings: Week 7
RANK (LAST WK)		TEAM	REC.	COMMENT
	1 (1)	Lakers	16-3	Are these guys Artest-proof? They sure have been since Gasol came back, playing through Ron-Ron's "Jimmy Kimmel" appearance in his boxers and then his Hennessy stories like almost no one saw or heard a thing.
	2 (3)	Magic	16-4	They've won seven in a row on the road. They've gone 8-1 since losing Jameer. They've won biggies at Boston and Atlanta and sit one disputed Miami basket away from an 11-game win streak. They've got to be No. 2.
	3 (6)	Celtics	16-4	It's not this seven-game win streak that moved Boston up. Or a 9-1 road record that leads the league. It's how the Celts took it up a notch in back-to-back smotherings of San Antonio and OKC in their away green.
	4 (4)	Cavaliers	15-5	It's not easy to move up because of the way our top three are rolling, but the Cavs have also brought some normalcy to the upper reaches of the rankings thanks to that 12-0 record when they get to 100 points.
	5 (5)	Hawks	14-6	The good news: Atlanta is a tidy 8-2 against teams at or above .500 after pulling out a W in Big D on Saturday. The bad news: Atlanta is just 6-4 against teams with losing records … and 3-4 overall since its 11-2 start.
	6 (8)	Nuggets	15-5	Does a win in San Antonio sufficiently atone for a streak-ending loss at home to the 1-15 Wolves? And when Melo cracks 30 points for the 12th time in his 20 games this season? We're actually inclined to say not quite.
	7 (2)	Suns	15-6	First real crisis for the Suns or an inevitable gas shortage after 15 of the first 21 games were roadies? Miffed as we are about that MSG showing right after we shot them up to No. 2, we're going with the latter.
	8 (7)	Mavericks	14-7	Just 82 points Friday night in a road L to Memphis. Just 75 points Saturday night in a home L to Atlanta. The Mavs can only hope losing two games in a row for the first time this season was just a really bad weekend.
	9 (9)	Rockets	11-9	Lil' Aaron Brooks is generally seen as the offensive face of this scrappy incarnation of the Rockets. Just don't forget Carl Landry and his nine 20-point games … after just four in his previous two seasons.
	10 (10)	Jazz	11-8	Boozer just had his first 30-point game since March '08. Sloan just agreed to extend his contract for a 23rd season as Jazz coach. So why can't we stop fixating on Utah's latest eyebrow-raising L on Saturday in Sota?
	11 (14)	Heat	11-9	The Heat were due to lose a heartbreaker after winning this season's first three one-point games, but that still doesn't explain that prayer Kobe banked in Friday. If it rims out, Miami goes 3-1 on a tough trip.
	12 (13)	Thunder	10-9	As if Blazermaniacs weren't suffering enough after Oden's latest setback, this haunting tidbit circulated late Friday: Durant just became the second-youngest player in history to get to 4,000 points, behind LeBron.
	13 (11)	Trail Blazers	13-8	They say Portland weather can be gloomy, but it's nothing compared to what's suddenly hanging over the Blazers, given the afflictions that have stricken Batum, Outlaw and now Oden, along with their coach and owner.
	14 (12)	Spurs	9-8	This is the only team widely pegged for contention back in October that can't get near the top five. The other culprit besides injuries: San Antonio is 2-7 against teams over .500 after home L's to Boston and Denver.
	15 (20)	Hornets	8-11	The Hornets are 5-5 under Jeff Bower because they somehow went 4-4 after CP3 hurt his ankle in Bower's first game. We frankly expected none of that … especially those home wins over Phoenix and Atlanta.
	16 (16)	Kings	9-10	Can't quibble with the 14-3 record posted by Alvin Gentry in November, but you could easily say Paul Westphal's 8-8 mark was also worthy of the season's first Western Conference coach of the month award.
	17 (21)	Raptors	9-13	Who says team meetings are a waste of time? The previously defenseless Raps just swept a back-to-back on the road in Washington and Chicago after a behind-closed-doors airing of (mostly defense-related) grievances.
	18 (18)	Clippers	9-11	The Clips have won five of their past seven ... and no longer have a share of the NBA's worst start ever thanks to the Nets' plummet to 0-18. So life's not too bad, even if they have to wait until January for Blake Griffin.
	19 (19)	Bobcats	8-11	Twitterdom can be a cruel place. Check out this crack from our pal BergerSphere late in the loss that ended the Nets' 0-18 start: "Larry Brown is going to quit with 30 seconds left and take the Fordham job."
	20 (22)	Pistons	8-12	Bigger surprise: Jonas Jerebko starts 17 of his first 18 NBA games ... or Ben Wallace turns back the clock at 35 to flirt with a double-digit rebound average for the first time since his first season in Chicago in 2006-07?
	21 (25)	Grizzlies	8-12	Do you realize that the Grizz -- who now have three straight wins over Dallas after losing the previous 13 -- would be on an 8-3 roll if they had just finished off the Clips when they had 'em down by 22 in the fourth?
	22 (15)	Bucks	9-10	Jennings busted out of his first pro freeze with 24 points in a home loss to Cleveland, but the chill lasted long enough -- 30 percent shooting during a 1-6 skid -- to hush any suggestion that the ROY race is already over.
	23 (29)	Knicks	6-15	Maybe it's a tad early to start throwing around the V word -- vindication -- but the Knicks have been hard to second-guess since electing not to finalize their intended signing of A.I. As Phoenix or Atlanta could tell you.
	24 (17)	Bulls	7-11	How high is Vinny Del Negro on your Coaches Under Pressure list? The Bulls' no-show at home Saturday against the teetering Raptors had to move him up some, no matter how shorthanded the Bulls might be.
	25 (26)	Wizards	7-12	That's twice that the Wiz blew one at home just when they looked like they might start something. The first was a shaky L to Charlotte after two wins. This time? Two wins in a row again, then an OT loss to the Raps.
	26 (23)	Warriors	6-13	The Warriors have allowed 120 points or more an NBA-worst six times. So you could do a lot worse than seeing your team hook up with Golden State if that's the only shot you get all season to see a game in person.
	27 (24)	Pacers	6-12	The banged-up Pacers are in a 1-9 funk and just went 0-4 on a trip that included three of the West's more inviting stops, which sounds bad until you get to the worst part: Granger is going in for more tests on his heel.
	28 (27)	Timberwolves	3-17	Kevin Love returned from a broken hand with a flourish, but that was just the second-best thing to happen to the Wolves last week. No. 1: They're suddenly on pace for a record-avoiding 12 wins after a win over Utah.
	29 (28)	76ers	5-15	The Sixers have lost nine in a row, 13 of 15 overall, and feared losing both Andre Iguodala (ankle) and prized rookie Jrue Holiday (shoulder) to injuries. So we ask again: What momentum is Iverson going to derail?
	30 (30)	Nets	1-19	Kiki Vandeweghe on the congratulatory messages he received after winning his first game to become the first coach in NBA history to halt an 18-game losing streak: "Most of them said you should retire right now."