S10 Pre All Star Break Power Rankings

[BigDaddyd8720]

S10 Pre All Star Break Power Rankings

Now that we are halfway through the season, I wanted to see where these teams rank and how much has changed. Obviously things change throughout the season but overall, I like to think I was very much in the ball park on my outlook of most teams. (clearly I was way off on the Suns and Nuggets). But with that being said, let’s get right down to it for another edition of Power Rankings

24.Golden State Warriors (Previous Rank:24): Yup, no surprise here again. This team has obviously taken this season off. It’s nothing against the GM, we know he can be great and I can’t wait to see this team get back on top. But for now, those 89 points per game are going to do all they can to get this team the #1 pick

23. New York Knicks (Previous Rank: 23): 2/2 so far in my preseason rankings. This Knicks team is doing all they can to compete for the #1 pick too but the Warriors are just a bit better at being bad than they are. Another team averaging less than 100 points per game, the Knicks are well on their way to a top lottery pick.

22. Washington Bullets (Previous Rank: 18): While we didn’t expect the Bullets to be that competitive this season, I also didn’t expect them to really go into full tank mode. They still had a few solid pieces so there was the chance they made some moves to still be a playoff team. But they are still young enough that they could take a season or two off before pushing in their chips again so that is likely what they are doing here.

21. Philadelphia 76ers (Previous Rank: 15): As always, if this team had an active GM, the 76ers could be a perennial playoff team. They have had great pieces for almost the entirety of this league history yet they refuse to do anything with them. So until Gary decides to actually make DC changes and the proper moves to help his team, the 76ers will always be in the lottery.

20. Atlanta Hawks (Previous Rank: 13): I’m not exactly certain what the Hawks’ plan is moving forward. There is too much talent for them to be sub 20 wins at this point in the season. I definitely thought they would be a playoff contender or at least make the moves to become a contender, but they clearly aren’t concerned about this season. And this is not the season to be a mid lottery team. They are very close to having a completely wasted season as well as missing out on a decent young player to help their rebuild.

19. Utah Jazz (Previous Rank: 22): The Jazz ranking here signifies the end of a tier: the tanking tier. They had some pieces to maybe make a move in the season to compete but the clear path for them was to tank and get a decent lottery pick. They maybe held on to pieces a bit too long and are playing themselves out of the top 5 lottery spots. Still they clearly don’t care about this season and just want to try and get a better rebuild moving forward.

18. Denver Nuggets (Previous Rank: 9): Talk about underperforming. They went 4-2 in the preseason and looked to be well on their way to being back in the playoffs. But the lack of a superstar really hurts this team. Nobody is scoring 20+ points per game, leaving them towards the bottom of the league in offense. They have the #7 defense but their most recent set of games suggests they are likely to drop in those rankings moving forward. Their division isn’t particularly tough, besides the spurs, and yet they are really struggling going 5-10 while going 2-2 against the last place Jazz. This definitely had higher expectations and they fell waaaay short of them.

17. Los Angeles Lakers (Previous Rank: 20): Inconsistency is the name of the game for the Lakers. They looked like they were going to be competitive to start, then fell off shortly after that. Then they looked like they were starting to right the ship, and now they are on their way to being a mid lotto pick. They do have a top 10 offense but having the worst defense in the league is the clear reason as to why they won’t be in the playoffs this season.

16. Charlotte Hornets (Previous Rank: 19): I stand by what I said in the preseason rankings that this team should have gone into rebuild mode after last season. Their trades didn’t work out and now they are stuck because they don’t have their pick this upcoming draft. Great defense but one of the worst offenses in the league. They have a tough road stretch coming up soon so I imagine they fall even further behind in the rankings, considering they are currently 5-18 on the road.

15. Dallas Mavericks (Previous Rank: 17): Sitting with probably the worst contract in the league right now (33 year old Bernard King set to make basically $4mil+ each of the next 3 seasons), this team put themselves in cap hell. They did a great job of getting rid of other big contracts to get some relief but even then, they don’t have a lot of room to work with this season or next season. This ranking is almost perfect for them since they are pretty much middle of the pack in almost every team category. The real mystery is going to be what they do with Sam Bowie. He’s still a very elite center but he’s not getting younger and they may be wasting him away.

14. Cleveland Cavaliers (Previous Rank: 6): Right on the cusp of the playoffs, I really thought this team would be better this season. Not really a contender but at least a little more solidified in the playoffs, especially with the East looking weak again. They definitely need to make a move soon though if they want to give themselves a better chance at jumping the Pacers. Mahorn and Adams are having good seasons but they don’t really have a player that can take over the game when needed. They have a lot of young players so maybe next season they will start to make a push.

13. Indiana Pacers (Previous Rank: 16): Injuries derailed the Pacers. Losing Kersey and Nance for extended periods is going to make it difficult for this team to stay in playoff contention. But if they can withstand their absences, then they could make some noise in the playoffs should they get there. Their #6 defense is going to help keep them in games but we will see how long it stays there with those two injuries that I mentioned.

12. Houston Rockets (Previous Rank: 7): This Rockets team is pretty good. Their biggest flaws? They struggle on the road and against their division opponents. But part of that may be because they just can’t beat the Kings and Spurs. And if they are struggling against them now, it’s going to be really tough for them to make any noise in the playoffs. They should have been able to put some distance between them and the Kings for the last playoff spot while McHale was injured but the Kings proved they are a really good team. Once McHale is back, look for the Rockets to drop down a spot and possibly out of the playoff race.

11. Kansas City Kings (Previous Rank: 11): Losing McHale for almost two months was brutal for this team. While they weren’t that dominant with him, they were still hanging around to keep it close for the last playoff spot. McHale comes back after the All Star Break and should help the Kings jump the Rockets for the 6 seed. Maybe even jump the Timberwolves but they need some help with that.

10. Detroit Pistons (Previous Rank: 8): The Pistons got off to a slow start because of injuries to key players but they seem to be starting to gain some traction. It’s unlikely they catch the Bucks but they are in a good spot to get home court advantage for the first round of the playoffs. They may want to try and move somebody though to help get another big man because they have nobody behind Willis and Cummings. So one injury to them and they will be in trouble. But their cap situation will likely pose a problem for them to make a significant move.

9. Chicago Bulls (Previous Rank: 14): Another team that got off to a very slow start but has started to find its way. Eddie A. Johnson is still proven to be an elite scorer at 30+ points per game and they have the #3 defense in the league. They do have a bunch of stretches of road games so it will be interesting to see how they handle that but a 6-11 road record might mean they can fall out of home court advantage for the first round of the playoffs. It will be fun to see if they can hold off the Pistons the rest of the way.

8. Minnesota Timberwolves (Previous Rank: 12): Looks like the change in scenery was exactly what this team needed. They moved the team and moved some players and look well on their way to being back in the playoffs this season. Barkley and Robinson are proving to be a fearsome duo down low. Very much looking forward to seeing if they can make the push and take the division in their first season in Minnesota.

7. Phoenix Suns (Previous Rank: 21): The biggest surprise of the season to me. After a disastrous preseason, this team looked to be on their way to wasting another season of Stockton and Malone. But clearly preseason means nothing as this team is very much in the fight for the division this season. With Karl Malone leading the league in scoring at 32.7 points per game and Stockton playing at an elite level, this team could very well make some noise this postseason, especially if they can snag home court until they have to face the Spurs. The only issue with this team is lack of depth. One injury could derail their season so hopefully they either make a move to correct that or the sim gods are nice to them and keep everyone healthy.

6. Seattle Supersonics (Previous Rank: 3): Outside of one little hiccup during the season, this Supersonics team has played extremely well. Its not every season we have 4 teams that could all legitimately win the division but that’s exactly what we have in the Pacific. It’s going to come down to the wire and whoever slips up will have a hard time catching back up. The Supersonics currently have the division lead but they have slowed down a bit. They were averaging over 118 points per game and now are barely above 116. Moving on from Kiki only to see him win player of the month doesn’t help. Maybe with some more playing together, this team can get back to the early season form. But even still, the Supersonics are in a good position to keep a hold on the division and get their first ever first round bye.

5. Portland Trailblazers (Previous Rank: 5): After starting 1-5, the Trailblazers looked like they might be in for a rough season. But if anybody knows Wig, they know he isn’t going to stay down for long. And that’s exactly what happened. The Trailblazers have clawed their way back and playing some of the best basketball in the division. They do have a road stretch coming up but I don’t foresee that being too much of an issue. Wig is too good of a GM to let that slow him down. Plus having Buck Williams average 28 points and 10 rebounds per game helps out a lot.

4. New Jersey Nets (Previous Rank: 10): 3 players averaging over 20 points per game is really making this Nets team dangerous. Gminski and Oakley are proving to be too much on defense for most teams. Sitting with a top 8 offense and defense, this Nets team could be on their way to winning another championship. But they just have to hope to stay healthy as they don’t have anybody behind their two bigs to step up and hold down the fort should they miss any time.

3. Milwaukee Bucks (Previous Rank: 2): While this Bucks team is sitting firmly in first place in their division, they also don’t seem to be the clear #1 team in the conference like years past. That’s not to say this team can’t win, it’s more about how other teams seemed to have closed the gap on the a bit. Maybe they are just kinda going through the motions until the playoffs come around. Either way this team is still very much a contender and nobody should take them lightly

2. Boston Celtics (Previous Rank: 1): #1 defense and #5 offense tell you all you need to know about this Celtics team. They are here to win. Some people might have seen the Spurs trade for Magic and then decide to take the season off. Not the Celtics. They accepted the challenge and are doing everything they can to get through the East and hopefully see the Spurs in the Finals this season. Mark Jackson even missed a few games and this team looked like they didn’t even miss a beat. I do believe they hold off the Nets and win the division title again this season but it won’t be easy for them. This team doesn’t have too many weaknesses. So I’m really looking forward to the possibility of a matchup between them and the Spurs.

1. San Antonio Spurs (Previous Rank: 4): Not surprise here. The Spurs are clearly the #1 team in the league. A league best 41 wins so far, to go with a league best 17.8 point margin, and the #1 offense by 10+ points per game. This team is showing no signs of slowing down this season. Anything is possible but every playoff team is going to have the absolute worst time trying to even slow this team down, much less beat them in a 7 game series. It’s still crazy they were able to assemble this team but they waited for their turn and they are here to stay for at least a few more seasons.

[WigNosy]

OBJECTIVE: 2,432 Words - 6 points
SUBJECTIVE: Covers the whole league; I mentioned earlier it's hard to go deep when you also go broad, but I appreciate that this article dug a little deeper than the preseason one (granted, it's a little easier to do so once you have actual games to look at), but I'll grant 4 points here to get to the maximum of 10.
TOTAL: 10 points