30. Cleveland Cavaliers (Last week’s ranking: 30): They have not won a game since December 18th (a 109-102 OT win over New York) and over that 20-game losing streak, 13 of them have come by 10 points or more. Are we seeing the worst team in NBA history? The effort and drive is there, but the talent and ability is nowhere to be found.
29. Toronto Raptors (27): The European tandem of José Calderon and Andrea Bargnani are really starting to click; but with not much depth inside and hardly any defense in sight, the Raptors continue to lose. They aren’t quite as bad as the Cavs’ 20, but 11 straight Ls isn’t too far behind.
28. Minnesota Timberwolves (28): Even with Kevin Love’s average of 15.6 rebounds per game, it’s hard to believe that a team with an 11-36 record is pulling down a league-high 45.1 boards per game.
27. Washington Wizards (25): Which streak will be broken first: Cleveland’s 20-game losing streak or Washington’s 23-game losing streak on the road? Well if both teams continue their respective streaks until Feb. 13, one of them will have a chance to be a streak buster as the two teams face off in Cleveland that day. Now that’s a game worthy of national television.
26. New Jersey Nets (26): I really think that nixing the Carmelo trade really killed this team’s drive. Not just the player’s who were going to get to stay and play with Melo, but also the ones who were going to finally get out of New Jersey.
Next: 25-21
25. Sacramento Kings (29): I’ll let them climb out of the basement bottom five this week, as they knocked off the Lakers in Los Angeles then ended New Orleans’ 10-game winning streak the following night. However, life is only going to get more difficult as their calendar for the next two weeks is pretty daunting: Boston, San Antonio, Utah, Dallas then Oklahoma City. Ouch.
24. Detroit Pistons (24): They started off the week with a huge win in Orlando, but they weren’t able to use that as a springboard into the rest of their week, as they lost three straight to Denver, Miami and New York. A trade is on the horizon for this team, GM Joe Dumars just has to understand that he’s not going to get the same talent he would have three years ago for Hamilton and/or Prince.
23. Indiana Pacers (22): Head Coach Jim O’Brien is now former-head coach, but I don’t think that he’s to blame for Indiana’s recent struggles. Danny Granger is good, but the rest of the team? Not so much. A coach can only do so much, but at the end of the day, he’s got to have some quality players to work with.
22. Milwaukee Bucks (23): Brandon Jennings is back, and with Milwaukee having won three in a row and five of their last seve, it couldn’t come at a more perfect time. Until Feb. 16, they play a fairly easy schedule, so it shouldn’t be too hard for them to catch some momentum and ride it back into the playoff picture.
21. Los Angeles Clippers (13): I guess 13 was just a little too high for the Clips, who were brought back to Earth after losing two in a row. They still have a shot at making a run and stealing the eighth seed, but it’s going to be much tougher with perennial all-star Eric Gordon sidelined for three-to-four weeks with an injured wrist.
Next: 20-16
20. Golden State Warriors (18): The Dubs have lost four of their last five, but the strong play of their “Big Three” (Ellis, Curry and Lee) has helped keep them afloat in the treacherous Western Conference. A playoff berth is unlikely; however, they are only six games out, and with nearly half a season to play, it’s not out of the realm of possibility.
19. Charlotte Bobcats (20): After a rough start to the season, in which the Cats hit 9-19 near the end of December, they have bounced back in January and are now in possession of the eighth seed. Their February schedule is going to be slightly more difficult, so it’ll be interesting to see how long they can hold onto that final playoff berth.
18. Houston Rockets (19): I think a trade would be extremely beneficial to the Rockets, who seem like they are only one player away from being competitive. Luis Scola and Chuck Hayes are great, strong bodies up front, but they need some more height if they want to bang with the best of the West.
17. Philadelphia 76ers (21): Philly has really come on strong since starting the season off as one of the worst teams in the conference. No. 2 pick Evan Turner has been less than impressive, but Jrue Holiday, Andre Iguodala and Elton Brand have really come together to form a formidable trio. They need to work on coming out in close games, as they are currently 1-7 in contests decided by three points or less.
16. Phoenix Suns (17): They ended the month of January with two big, momentum shifting wins over Boston and New Orleans. I still think the playoffs is a long shot for them, but Marcin Gortat is starting to come along nicely for the Suns. In the two wins, the Polish Hammer is posting averages of 22 points and 14 rebounds per game. That’s the kind of inside presence the Suns have lacked all season long. Unfortunately for them, it took longer than half the season to find that presence.
Next: 15-11
15. New York Knicks (16): They hit 22-15 mid-January, but have since struggled mightily. The Knicks have won three of their last four after suffering a six-losing streak, but it’s hard to imagine them returning to the top-four with Miami, Boston, Chicago and Orlando all playing so well.
14. Memphis Grizzlies (14): After battling back from as many as six games below .500, the Grizzlies have finally broke even at 24-24. They are still a few games out of the playoff picture, however, they could easily be the West’s eighth seed by the end of the week.
13. Portland Trail Blazers (12): First Oden, then Przybilla, then Roy now Marcus Camby? This team has no business being above .500, let alone a playoff team in the West. If they make the playoffs and Nate McMillan isn’t awarded Coach of the Year, I call shenanigans.
12. Utah Jazz (10): After starting off the season 27-13, the Jazz have started to fall off the boat a little bit, losing seven of their last eight, with their only win coming against Minnesota. I don’t think that they will fall out of the playoff picture, but half of their games (17) to end the season will be played on the road, where they have struggled (12-12) this year.
11. Denver Nuggets (15): It seems like Carmelo is just going to play the season out in Denver. They’ll probably make the playoffs and pose a challenge to whoever their opponent is, yet, that’s about as good as it is going to get for them before Melo walks and they are left with nothing. On the bright side, they’ve won seven of their last 10.
Next: 10-6
10. Atlanta Hawks (8): If this were five or six years ago, the Hawks would be one of the premiere teams in the Eastern Conference with a real shot at the NBA Finals. Unfortunately for them, the East actually has more than two decent teams now, leaving the Hawks in the middle of the pack.
9. Dallas Mavericks (11): A six-game losing streak mid-month really derailed the Mavs from their course, but since, have won five of their last six and looking more like the team that started off the season 24-5. Injuries will prevent the Mavs from making any kind of run at the Finals; however, they will still be a competitive team in the West down the stretch.
8. New Orleans Hornets (9): Let’s be real here; the Hornets were not going to keep that winning streak alive for much longer. Past their top four of Paul, West, Okafor and Ariza, the Hornets have nobody on their squad that should be among the top seven players on any competitive roster. They might make the playoffs as a top-four seed, but they will be gone fishin’ by the end of round one.
7. Oklahoma City Thunder (7): Russell Westbrook is great. Kevin Durant is even better. When you combine the two stars, they form an unstoppable duo. Although the dynamic duo has been helping out on the glass, the Thunder still desperately need some help inside. Serge Ibaka is coming along nicely, but if the Thunder want to contend with the Spurs and Lakers, they need a big, strong body to balance out the finesse game of Jeff Green down low.
6. Orlando Magic (5): Although it came in a nine-point loss to Chicago, Dwight Howard’s 40 points was huge for the Magic moving forward. If they can start getting more offensive outings like that from him, Orlando is going to be a very tough team to knock off. No one in the NBA will be able to stop Howard inside and contain the Magic’s lethal weapons from beyond-the-arc. That’s impossible.
Next: 5-1
5. Los Angeles Lakers (4): It’s really a stretch to keep them in the top-five after an embarrassing home loss to Sacramento and a 13-point falter to their rival Celtics. However, they’ve shown in recent wins over OKC, Utah and Denver that they are a solid team and with everyone else on the team playing invisible lately (cough, Pau Gasol, cough), a run at the MVP award by Kobe Bryant might not be out of the question.
4. Miami Heat (3): They picked up a big win over the Thunder on Sunday morning, and Wade, LeBron and Bosh are really starting to gel in a way that’s going to result in a lot of wins for this team. The team really lacks toughness inside, and according to Kevin Durant, Bosh – who stands at 6’10”, 235 pounds – doesn’t help them in that category.
3. Chicago Bulls (6): People continue to overlook the Bulls. They may not possess the “Hollywoodness” of Miami, the pedigree of Boston or have someone with the moniker of “Superman” on their team, but they do have a budding superster of their own in Derrick Rose – who right now, is the favorite to take home the MVP award. When Noah returns, this team is going to be even tougher than they are now. Don’t be surprised to see them in the NBA Finals for the first time since 1998.
2. Boston Celtics (2): While watching the Celtics match up with the Lakers, my friend texted me: “No question this is an NBA Finals preview right here.” When stacking the two teams up against everyone else, it’s hard to disagree with that statement. Boston may be old, but there defense is as strong as ever, and when they are at 100% health, they are nightmare scary.
1. San Antonio Spurs (1): They were the NBA’s first to 40 wins and will probably be its first to 50 and 60 as well. However, their first 12 games in February are going to come on the road, and no matter how good they are this year, playing 12 games in 17 days away from your own arena is a difficult task for even the best teams.