NBA Power Rankings: Teams Destined to Finish Stronger Than Expected

The following teams are going to soar up the power rankings as the season progresses.

In this crazy shortened season, those power rankings are going to look a lot different than they do now. No teams will benefit from that as much as these.

No. 8: New York Knicks

With Carmelo Anthony, Amar'e Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler, the Kicks have the most imposing frontcourt in the NBA. And they have begun filling the holes around them.

With the departure of Chauncey Billups, the Knicks had a big hole to fill at point guard. They addressed this need by adding veterans Mike Bibby and Baron Davis. They will team with PG Toney Douglas and Landry Fields to give the Knicks a solid backcourt.

Davis is expected to be sidelined for up to two months with a back injury, but he will bring needed depth and experience to give the Knicks a huge boost for the stretch run.

That isn't the only midseason the boost the Knicks might receive. According to a source of Marc Berman of the New York Post, Kenyon Martin is interested in joining the Knicks. New York could use its $2.5 million roster exception to add Martin.

K-Mart will be able to join an NBA team in March. He was bought out of his contract with his Chinese team, but—according to Berman—cannot play in the NBA until March.

This addition will give the Knicks solid frontcourt depth and will save wear and tear on Stoudemire's balky knees as this team prepares for the playoffs. This is going to be a dangerous team come playoff time.

No. 13: Denver Nuggets

There is not another team in the NBA as equipped to handle the shortened, but compact, schedule of the NBA than the Denver Nuggets.

Denver will be able to throw players in waves at weary opponents. This team can comfortably go 12 deep. With numerous back-to-backs and a few three-games-in-three-nights stretches, the Nuggets will be fresher than any team in the league.

This is going to result in some easy wins for the Nuggets. And that is not their only advantage.

All of this depth will make them a huge player in the trade market. The Nuggets will have all kinds of options to improve their team as the trade deadline approaches.

This Denver team is going to be fresher than any team in the league when the playoffs arrive, and they are likely to end up with a more talented lineup than they have now.

No. 22: Minnesota Timberwolves

The Timberwolves are ready to end their run of futility. They have an emerging superstar in Kevin Love. Love will dominate the boards and stretch out the defense with his outside shooting. And he is going to have more help than last year to help the Wolves pick up some wins.

Minnesota added center Brad Miller and point guard JJ Barea. They will also throw in promising rookie Derrick Williams into their frontcourt and finally add heralded point guard Ricky Rubio to the mix.

The Timberwolves have plenty of depth to help them in the compacted season. They also made a big change on the bench to help them utilize this talent.

The Wolves parted way with former coach Kurt Rambis and replaced him with Rick Adelman. Adleman has a long history of handling his bench well, and getting the most out of his bench.

This is a young team that is going to get better as the season progresses.