NBA Power Rankings
As does everyone these days here is a power ranking of the NBA '08 '09 season.
1. Los Angeles Lakers- Lakers and Celtics competed for first place last year. The difference between the two this year, the Celtics dropped Posey, and the Lakers added Bynum.
2. Boston Celtics- Ok, maybe the Boston Celtics will finish first this year, but eventually their age and lack of bench is going to come back to haunt them, and I'm picking it to be this year.
3. New Orleans Hornets- The keys for the hornets success have a year of experience under their hood, with some help from James Posey.
4. Houston Rockets- In retrospect I would have ranked third, but the probability of injury looks good for this year, but if the Rockets can stay healthy, I wouldn't be surprised to see them in the finals.
5. Cleveland Cavaliers- LeBron James can take this good team far. There's a lot of competition these days with teams building up on good players, but Mo looks like a good playmaker.
6. Philadelphia 76ers- Brand is the missing key to the Philadelphia puzzle, a Power Forward. Young guys through my eyes can just take a team further.
7. Orlando Magic- I don't see why not. Dwight Howard, Turkoglo, and Nelson have another year of experience, and Pietrus looks like a good addition.
8. Detroit Pistons- They are ranked a little low, but just like Boston, what comes up must go down. And without Ben Wallace at center that's all they will continue to do.
9. San Antonio- #21 is not 21 anymore. He and Michael Finley will only go down from where they are now.
10. Utah Jazz- While we may not hear the name Kirelinko anymore, Deron Williams and Chris Paul now have a rivalry for best Point Guard, and it ain't a blowout for Chris Paul....
11. Miami Heat- What people who see little improvement from last year forget about is D-Wade's injury. For a while it was Shawn Marion alone. Now Beasley, Wade, and Chalmers are there to assist him.
12. Toronto Raptors- Chris Bosh may turn into the best Power Forward-Center in a few years competing with guys like Al Jefferson and Dwight Howard. For now though, he has some young guards, and a veteran on the other side of the block to help him.
13. Dallas Mavericks-A half season with Kidd is now a full season with Kidd. That is the difference between last and this season.
14. Phoenix Suns- While the Marion-Shaq deal didn't look to good for the Heat, it was still lopsided in their favor. What the Suns got out of that was a retired 32 to hang on their wall.
15. Portland Trailblazers-Like Chris Paul, Brandon Roy is emerging out of nowhere as one of the best in the league. Oden and Bayless will secure the gaps that Portland had last year.
16. Los Angeles Clippers- Injured Brand and Maggette are replaced with Baron & Ricky Davis, Eric Gordon, and Marcus Camby. Looks like a beam of light for LA, but maybe not a playoff light.
17. Denver Nuggets- Iverson or Anthony staying is a bigger question for the Nuggets, not Playoffs or no Playoffs.
18. Chicago Bulls- Confusion may emerge with four PGs and SGs of around equal talent to start, but their depth on the bench will definitely show this year.
19. Washington Wizards- Agent Zero is injured. What a suprise.
20. Golden State Warriors- While Maggette, Ellis, Jackson, and Harrington looked like a good lineup a couple years ago, the West is too good now for a team of decent-good players.
21. Milwaukee Bucks- With three big men last year and no small forward, giving up Yi for Jefferson may prove itself worthy for the 8th seed in the Playoffs. Maybe.
22. Atlanta Hawks- Even bigger on the trading block than Carmelo or AI, is Mike Bibby.
23. Charlotte Bobcats- Jason Richardson looked like the recipe for success for the new team. He wasn't. And their preseason record may reflect on them, but they still aren't a bad team...
24. Minnesota Timberwolves- The additions for the Wolves: Love, Miller, Randy Foye all year, Rodney Carney, and a year of experience for the young guys. The subtractions: Marko Jaric. Look to see an improvement from 22-60
25. Memphis Grizzlies- OJ Mayo, Rudy Gay, Marc Gasol and family look like a good lineup for the future, but putting them at 25 is only saying they are better than the last 5 teams.
26. New Jersey Nets- Vince Carter will leave at some point, and the Nets better hope that deal doesn't look like Rashard Lewis's or Marcus Camby's (both traded for 2nd round picks)
27. Sacramento Kings- Kevin Martin will be their franchise player, and Brad Miller will be dealt at some point, and they'll probably gain something there, but Sacramento is not by any means a team to worry about if you are playing against them.
28. Indiana Pacers-Danny Granger looks good, and so do Indiana's three point guards.
29. Oklahoma City- Jeff Green and Kevin Durant will bring ticket sales, not wins.
30. New York Knicks- The coach is not the problem. The Knicks are the problem.
