This took waaaaaaaaay longer than it should have but that's not the point. For the most part, I like the results I attained in the end. I will make comments about the top ten because the rest don't matter. And maybe give some hot takes after the first sim. Don't expect updates to this, my prehistoric methods make that very unlikely So here are the power rankings exactly how my formula figured them out:Super Duper Ultra Crazy Fantastic Power Rankings
1. (4.27) Atlanta Hawks - I hate the Hawks. Seriously. They suck. Not in the sim basketball sense but in the way that they never go away and are always good. REALLY good. AGAIN. Ugh. Fooey.
2. (4.21) Phoenix Suns - Love is a force unlike no other. I know we talk about AD being the God but Kevin Love is pretty Zues-like. And adding a player like Harden is what a GM with Love or AD should be trying to do. At least one of them has. I predicted that this team would win the West this year. I made that prediction to myself one night while crying in the bathtub drinking a bottle of cheap wine after I was spurned by Flat Earth.
3. (3.86) Dallas Mavericks - The Mavs will probably win their division by 5+ games. But this position in theses rankings is pretty inflated. They played the Warriors twice, the Magic, and the Knicks. I easily count 8 teams that are simply better. But that being said they will run away with this division. This is probably the worst division in the league. The Mavs won't see any threats here.
4. (3.76) Sacramento Kings - The Kings seem to be legit. They would have been a top 10 team before the acquistion of Isaiah Thomas. IT shot them right up the charts and with that will come added expectations. This team has some definite weaknesses and the test will be as to whether Tani can clean those up. The Kings are here to stay, but can they wrestle this division from Love, Harden, and the Suns? Only time will tell.
5. (3.56) Philadelphia 76ers - This is a good team. I expect we'll see that differential increase as the season goes on. I think this defense is right around where it will stay most of the season, middle of the pack. Look for Scott to be focusing on those turnover and fouling issues over the next few sims. These usually can be improved greatly by game plan tweaks. Many have put the Sixers as the East fave and some have said the league fave. Seeing how the Hawks have come out of the gate, I'll have to see a bit more before I make that statement.
6. (3.52) Charlotte Bobcats - Tons of issues here after the first sim. Luckily though, I think most are solvable with gameplan adjustments. That offense must improve as does almost every category. But the defense came out at #1 in defensive efficiency and allows 10 points less than the next team. So at least the one thing most thought would be strong looks to be holding true. But lots of work to do if this team is to be a true contender.
7. (3.45) Detroit Pistons - 22-40...That is the record of the teams the Pistons beat in SIM 1. They played 4 teams above .500 on the road...they lost 75% of those games. This is not a team to be scared of. AD will keep their corpses afloat because he is that good, but this team is AD and only AD. The Pistons once again chose to not put any significant players around AD. This squad will easily win this division so it'll land a 3 seed in the playoffs no doubt. But expect a 2nd round exit from this squad.
8. (3.34) Minnesota Timberwolves - Night and day. That is what this teams' home and away games are like. In the home games they decimated their opponents, in the road games they lost every one by about 10 points. Some teams struggle on the road and usually improve. There are some weaknesses that I'm not sure they can fix but I think they'll figure it out. This team will compete with the Blazers all season for the best record in the West. One question I haven't been able to answer about the Wolves though...Is this team better than last year's team???
9. (3.25) Utah Jazz - This i think was a surprise to most. But looking at this team it makes sense. This team is hella deep and very solid. And the West is all-around weak so I honestly believe this is not a fluke. This team will improve every year. Juicy is the leading scorer and the whole team is scoring very efficiently. Also 2nd in PPS. This division race with the Nuggets should be fun.
10. (3.19) Denver Nuggets - This Nuggets team has a great offense and poor defense. The fouling and turnovers are something he'll want to fix early on. The rebounding is better than expected with a guy in Griffin who isn't a great rebounder by any means. But the Nuggets are 7-2 and some of the wins are impressive. They've played and beat some really good teams in SIM 1 so I expect them to keep powering forward and make this division race one we all are hoping for.
11. (2.91) Indiana Pacers
12. (2.82) Brooklyn Nets
13. (2.80) Chicago Bulls
14. (2.74) Los Angeles Clippers
15. (2.59) Houston Rockets
16. (2.37) Portland Trailblazers
17. (2.26) Miami Heat
18. (2.14) VanMemphis Grizzlies
19. (1.82) New Orleans Pelicans
20. (1.81) New York Knicks
21. (1.62) San Antonio Spurs
22. (1.60) Washington Wizards
23. (1.32) Milwaukee Bucks
24. (1.15) Orlando Magic
25. (1.12) Cleveland Cavaliers
26. (0.99) Boston Celtics
27. (0.72) Oklahoma City Thunder
28. (0.67) Los Angeles Lakers
29. (0.42) Toronto Raptors
30. (0.26) Golden State Warriors
