1. Lakers
They have beaten the Celtics and Cavs in the last two weeks without Andrew Bynam. They are the NBA’s current team to beat even with Wednesday’s loss to the Jazz, and the trade for Adam Morrison will only add to their already potent firepower beyond the arch (Kobe).
2. Cavs AKA The Lebrons
The Lebrons are a dangerous team as long as Lebron is on top of his game, but if anything happens to LBJ I would rank them 20th at best. The question that needs to be asked is, is Lebron that good or is the talent in the NBA that diluted that one great player can make a sorry team that good? I say the talent pool is diluted.
3. Spurs
Timmy D keeps this team competitive every year, but they just won’t have enough to get over the top with a chink in their armor like Matt Bonner as their starting center. To rectify this situation the spurs need to go out and get Rasheed Wallace from the pistons, but they will have to give up a ton in draft picks to do it.
4. Celtics
Let me preference this by saying that I hate Boston, (yeah, yeah, yeah I know I am not suppose to root for or against a team. The media is supposed to stay neutral) but I love KG’s passion for the game, and I expect that passion to carry the Celtics to the finals by the end of the season. The long range shooting of Jesus Shuttlesworth AKA Ray Allen can be deadly, and Paul Pierce’s all around game can sink any opponent in the league by itself. The Cs will be too much for the Cavs or any other Eastern Conference foe to handle.
5. Nuggets
Chauncey Billups has proven that he was undervalued by the Detroit Piston’s fans who cheered his exit and the arrival of Allen Iverson. My question to these fans is how’s it working out for you now?
6. Hornets
CP3 is a legitimate MVP candidate averaging 21.5 PPG 10.9APG 2.8SPG and 5.4 RPG, but to move up in the Lakers stratospheres they are going to have to get more out of Tyson Chandler.
7. Magic
Their title hopes took a hit when they lost Jameer Nelson to a torn right labrum, and the combination of Anthony Johnson and Tyrone Lue is NOT the answer. D Howard has large shoulders but he will need a tractor trailer to carry those two to the Larry O'Brien.
8. Trail Blazers
Greg Oden is two years away from being healed enough from knee surgery and having enough maturity to catapult the Blazers into the elite category. But they are currently very good and dangerous.
9. Rockets
The Key word for this team is injuries. T Mac can not stay out of the trainer’s room and Yao has also battled injuries this season, and without those two healthy Ron Artest will continue to be a one of the best sixth men without a champion
10. Mavericks
Jason Kidd is old and this team is entering a transition phase unbeknownst to Mark Cuban. The Kidd for Devin Harris trade may go down as one of the most lopsided trades of this early century. This team has been destroyed by a meddling owner, hmm sounds familiar Dallas (Jerry Jones)
11. Jazz
This team has the potential to rocket up the chart but, it is difficult for a jump shooting team to win a championship. Okur and Williams will be a difficult tandem for anyone to handle come the post season. Do not count them out; everything depends on matchups for this group.
12. Suns
Shaq, Amare, and Nash make any team dangerous. The front office is rumored to be thinking about breaking up this threesome and I think that this could be a major mistake. With Terry Porter manning the controls of this team, you never know what could happen if they get hot in the post season. Yes they could be the dangerous spoiler come spring because of their X factor experience.
13. Pistons
This team has a lot of firepower, but it is severely flawed. They have a rookie head coach who is making rookie mistakes by constantly changing the starting line up. Allen Iverson who said he would do anything to win a championship now wants to be the focal point of the team which has never produced anything more than a scoring title and one trip to the finals. Rip Hamilton has been forced to the bench after being the go to guy for the past five seasons in favor of the newly acquired Iverson. Rasheed Wallace is not caring if he gets traded or not. Well with all of this, there is always next year for this team with $34 million of cap space from the expiring contracts of Iverson and Wallace.
14. Heat
D Wade is willing this team to respectability, but Shawn Marion is doing little to earn his $17.8 million. He is averaging a less than exciting 12.1PPG and 8.8RPG. Would you rather have him or David Lee who is the most underpaid player in the league $1.7 million he had an off night last night against the clippers and had 17 pts and 12 reb.
15. Hawks
This is a team on the rise as long as they can get a few more years out of Mike Bibby. They could be dangerous in the spring as they were last year.
16. Knicks
The Knicks are starting to turn the ship around but they must hope that during the off-season they resign David Lee and he develops the 3 point shot that he is saying that he will work on.
17. 76ers
Elton Band killed this season for Philly and there is no way that you can convince me that they will make a serious playoff run this season with their current roster.
18. Pacers
Danny Granger is a stud that they can build around during their long climb back to relevance in the central division. But to take over the Central Division they must hope Lebron James goes to NYC in 2010 and that the Piston’s Joe Dumars does not work his old magic to revitalize the Pistons by then.
19. Bobcats
To get better, MJ must listen to Larry Brown instead of attempting to put together a fantasy team with his drafts. Has any GM done less and maintained his job in the NBA in recent time?
20. Timberwolves
This is a good team which has had a good start to the 2009 calendar year but in the past week and a half they have leveled off. They are learning to win, and will be dangerous for years to come. Their progress will take a giant step if Kevin Love continues to develop at his current pace.
21. Nets
Vince Carter is older but still dangerous, and Devin Harris is a major piece to build around and will lead this team for years to come. If they could land LBJ in 2010 they would be a championship favorite, but it’s not happening this season.
22. Bulls
The Baby bulls are truly a young team, but are they on the rise? I say yes but no one knows for sure how great Derrick Rose will end up being over time, but the one thing that we do know is that he is a stud as a rookie and that the Bulls will not be making any noise this year but will soon unless beating the Pistons is still a feat.
23. Bucks
The Bucks were well positioned to collect the seventh or eighth playoff seed in the east until Michael Redd tore up his knee, now they are just another lottery bound door mat. This could be a blessing in disguise depending on how the lottery balls fall, and who declares for the draft. The Bucks could jump start a rebuilding process quicker than was expected by anyone.
24. Warriors
This is an interesting team because of the firepower that they posses in Jamal Crawford and Monte Ellis. Even though Ellis is still recovering from ankle surgery from the training (Moped) accident this past summer he has exhibited flashes of the player which was rewarded with a huge new contract last year.
25. Wizards
Gilbert Arenas’s injury has really hamstrung the team from a player’s standpoint because; Gilbert’s teammates are continually waiting for him to come back and save the day. He also hamstrings the franchise financially because they can not do anything with his max contract on the books even if they decided to go in a different direction.
26. Raptors
The Chris Bosh experiment needs to end soon, it is a major distraction for a team who is in a weak conference who should be easily contending for the seventh or eighth playoff seeds annually with the talent that they have, to have its best player pouting and saying he wants to leave.
27. Kings
The Kings are a mess and need a major overhauling, opps that is the problem they did a major overhauling within the last year and a half and it has not worked out. I guess we can just say it is just the Kings being the Kings, just as in football we can say it is just the Lions being the Lions, and in baseball it is just the Cubs being the Cubs. They are what we thought they were, they are the Kings
28. Grizzlies
O.J. Mayo and Marc Gasol are the truth, they just needs significant help around them which will continue to come as long as they are in the lottery, which they will be this year.
29. Clippers
The Barron Davis signing and Zack Randolph trade is not working out too well for this team. It may help if Barron, Zack and Chris Kaman could stay on the court.
30. Thunder
Kevin Durant and Jeff Green are good players but this team needs a playmaker to break the defense down. Until they get a true play making point guard this team will be relegated to the bottom of the standings.
They have beaten the Celtics and Cavs in the last two weeks without Andrew Bynam. They are the NBA’s current team to beat even with Wednesday’s loss to the Jazz, and the trade for Adam Morrison will only add to their already potent firepower beyond the arch (Kobe).
2. Cavs AKA The Lebrons
The Lebrons are a dangerous team as long as Lebron is on top of his game, but if anything happens to LBJ I would rank them 20th at best. The question that needs to be asked is, is Lebron that good or is the talent in the NBA that diluted that one great player can make a sorry team that good? I say the talent pool is diluted.
3. Spurs
Timmy D keeps this team competitive every year, but they just won’t have enough to get over the top with a chink in their armor like Matt Bonner as their starting center. To rectify this situation the spurs need to go out and get Rasheed Wallace from the pistons, but they will have to give up a ton in draft picks to do it.
4. Celtics
Let me preference this by saying that I hate Boston, (yeah, yeah, yeah I know I am not suppose to root for or against a team. The media is supposed to stay neutral) but I love KG’s passion for the game, and I expect that passion to carry the Celtics to the finals by the end of the season. The long range shooting of Jesus Shuttlesworth AKA Ray Allen can be deadly, and Paul Pierce’s all around game can sink any opponent in the league by itself. The Cs will be too much for the Cavs or any other Eastern Conference foe to handle.
5. Nuggets
Chauncey Billups has proven that he was undervalued by the Detroit Piston’s fans who cheered his exit and the arrival of Allen Iverson. My question to these fans is how’s it working out for you now?
6. Hornets
CP3 is a legitimate MVP candidate averaging 21.5 PPG 10.9APG 2.8SPG and 5.4 RPG, but to move up in the Lakers stratospheres they are going to have to get more out of Tyson Chandler.
7. Magic
Their title hopes took a hit when they lost Jameer Nelson to a torn right labrum, and the combination of Anthony Johnson and Tyrone Lue is NOT the answer. D Howard has large shoulders but he will need a tractor trailer to carry those two to the Larry O'Brien.
8. Trail Blazers
Greg Oden is two years away from being healed enough from knee surgery and having enough maturity to catapult the Blazers into the elite category. But they are currently very good and dangerous.
9. Rockets
The Key word for this team is injuries. T Mac can not stay out of the trainer’s room and Yao has also battled injuries this season, and without those two healthy Ron Artest will continue to be a one of the best sixth men without a champion
10. Mavericks
Jason Kidd is old and this team is entering a transition phase unbeknownst to Mark Cuban. The Kidd for Devin Harris trade may go down as one of the most lopsided trades of this early century. This team has been destroyed by a meddling owner, hmm sounds familiar Dallas (Jerry Jones)
11. Jazz
This team has the potential to rocket up the chart but, it is difficult for a jump shooting team to win a championship. Okur and Williams will be a difficult tandem for anyone to handle come the post season. Do not count them out; everything depends on matchups for this group.
12. Suns
Shaq, Amare, and Nash make any team dangerous. The front office is rumored to be thinking about breaking up this threesome and I think that this could be a major mistake. With Terry Porter manning the controls of this team, you never know what could happen if they get hot in the post season. Yes they could be the dangerous spoiler come spring because of their X factor experience.
13. Pistons
This team has a lot of firepower, but it is severely flawed. They have a rookie head coach who is making rookie mistakes by constantly changing the starting line up. Allen Iverson who said he would do anything to win a championship now wants to be the focal point of the team which has never produced anything more than a scoring title and one trip to the finals. Rip Hamilton has been forced to the bench after being the go to guy for the past five seasons in favor of the newly acquired Iverson. Rasheed Wallace is not caring if he gets traded or not. Well with all of this, there is always next year for this team with $34 million of cap space from the expiring contracts of Iverson and Wallace.
14. Heat
D Wade is willing this team to respectability, but Shawn Marion is doing little to earn his $17.8 million. He is averaging a less than exciting 12.1PPG and 8.8RPG. Would you rather have him or David Lee who is the most underpaid player in the league $1.7 million he had an off night last night against the clippers and had 17 pts and 12 reb.
15. Hawks
This is a team on the rise as long as they can get a few more years out of Mike Bibby. They could be dangerous in the spring as they were last year.
16. Knicks
The Knicks are starting to turn the ship around but they must hope that during the off-season they resign David Lee and he develops the 3 point shot that he is saying that he will work on.
17. 76ers
Elton Band killed this season for Philly and there is no way that you can convince me that they will make a serious playoff run this season with their current roster.
18. Pacers
Danny Granger is a stud that they can build around during their long climb back to relevance in the central division. But to take over the Central Division they must hope Lebron James goes to NYC in 2010 and that the Piston’s Joe Dumars does not work his old magic to revitalize the Pistons by then.
19. Bobcats
To get better, MJ must listen to Larry Brown instead of attempting to put together a fantasy team with his drafts. Has any GM done less and maintained his job in the NBA in recent time?
20. Timberwolves
This is a good team which has had a good start to the 2009 calendar year but in the past week and a half they have leveled off. They are learning to win, and will be dangerous for years to come. Their progress will take a giant step if Kevin Love continues to develop at his current pace.
21. Nets
Vince Carter is older but still dangerous, and Devin Harris is a major piece to build around and will lead this team for years to come. If they could land LBJ in 2010 they would be a championship favorite, but it’s not happening this season.
22. Bulls
The Baby bulls are truly a young team, but are they on the rise? I say yes but no one knows for sure how great Derrick Rose will end up being over time, but the one thing that we do know is that he is a stud as a rookie and that the Bulls will not be making any noise this year but will soon unless beating the Pistons is still a feat.
23. Bucks
The Bucks were well positioned to collect the seventh or eighth playoff seed in the east until Michael Redd tore up his knee, now they are just another lottery bound door mat. This could be a blessing in disguise depending on how the lottery balls fall, and who declares for the draft. The Bucks could jump start a rebuilding process quicker than was expected by anyone.
24. Warriors
This is an interesting team because of the firepower that they posses in Jamal Crawford and Monte Ellis. Even though Ellis is still recovering from ankle surgery from the training (Moped) accident this past summer he has exhibited flashes of the player which was rewarded with a huge new contract last year.
25. Wizards
Gilbert Arenas’s injury has really hamstrung the team from a player’s standpoint because; Gilbert’s teammates are continually waiting for him to come back and save the day. He also hamstrings the franchise financially because they can not do anything with his max contract on the books even if they decided to go in a different direction.
26. Raptors
The Chris Bosh experiment needs to end soon, it is a major distraction for a team who is in a weak conference who should be easily contending for the seventh or eighth playoff seeds annually with the talent that they have, to have its best player pouting and saying he wants to leave.
27. Kings
The Kings are a mess and need a major overhauling, opps that is the problem they did a major overhauling within the last year and a half and it has not worked out. I guess we can just say it is just the Kings being the Kings, just as in football we can say it is just the Lions being the Lions, and in baseball it is just the Cubs being the Cubs. They are what we thought they were, they are the Kings
28. Grizzlies
O.J. Mayo and Marc Gasol are the truth, they just needs significant help around them which will continue to come as long as they are in the lottery, which they will be this year.
29. Clippers
The Barron Davis signing and Zack Randolph trade is not working out too well for this team. It may help if Barron, Zack and Chris Kaman could stay on the court.
30. Thunder
Kevin Durant and Jeff Green are good players but this team needs a playmaker to break the defense down. Until they get a true play making point guard this team will be relegated to the bottom of the standings.
Johnson is editor and contributor to The Sports Information Hub and can be contacted at johnsonthesportsguy@gmail.com
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