30. Minnesota Timberwolves (Last week’s ranking: 27): Hey, even though the Timberwolves might be ranked last in my power rankings, they are the No. 1 rebounding team in the NBA with 44.7 boards per game. You win some and you lose some, right?
29. Cleveland Cavaliers (30): A win over the Lakers was enough to hoist the Cavs out of rock-bottom, but will it be enough to keep them from returning to the dregs of the NBA?
28. Sacramento Kings (29): They are 1-7 so far in the month of February, however, those seven losses have come against: Boston, San Antonio, Utah, Dallas (twice) and Oklahoma City (twice). That’s a daunting string of games for even the best team in the NBA.
27. Toronto Raptors (25): In seven games this month, Andrea Bargnani is posting an unreal 26.9 PPG on shooting numbers of 49 percent from the field, 48 percent from behind the arc and 87.8 percent from the charity stripe. Roy’s struggles with injuries also bring up the debate: Has Bargnani proven his worth as the No. 1 pick of the 2007 draft?
26. Washington Wizards (28): John Wall’s 22 assists in the rookie game was nice and definitely showed how high is ceiling is, but you do have to take into consideration that he was passing to Blake Griffin, DeMarcus Cousins, Wesley Johnson, Landry Fields, Greg Monroe and Derrick Favors instead of JaVale McGee, Andray Blatche, Nick Youn and a dying Rashard Lewis.
Next: 25-21
25. New Jersey Nets (26): First they lost out to LeBron, now Camelo. It makes sense though; while playing in New York is definitely more appealing than New Jersey and most other NBA cities, having to play with Brook Lopez, Anthony Morrow and Sasha Vujacic as your primary battle partners would negatively offset even the most desirable location.
24. Milwaukee Bucks (23): The “Fear the Dear” campaign has nearly vanished, and although the Bucks had high hopes coming into the season with Jennings, Maggette, Salmons and a healthy Bogut, they’re destined for the lottery.
23. Detroit Pistons (24): Fortunately for the Pistons, they are slightly less awful than every team below them – which means, even with 36 of their 57 games resulting in a loss, they still have a shot at the playoffs.
22. Los Angeles Clippers (22): It’s too bad that Blake Griffin’s dunks don’t ever count for more than two points. He should just start dunking from the three-point line so his slams can at least be valued more than everyone else’s.
21. Houston Rockets (20): With an easy schedule coming up this week (Detroit, Cleveland and New Jersey) the Rockets have a great opportunity to catch some momentum and ride it into possible playoff contention.
Next: 20-16
20. Charlotte Bobcats (21): I don’t know why, but the Bobcats are apparently looking to ship out Stephen Jackson and/or Gerald Wallace – the only two substantial players the have on their roster. Without them, they fall from bad, past worse, and into god-awful.
19. Utah Jazz (17): Whatever problem this team has, they need to fix it soon, because like New Orleans, if they don’t figure out their game plan, Memphis and Portland are quickly rising and ready to overtake any team who shows any signs of struggles or complacency.
18. New York Knicks (18): Even if they do trade for Carmelo, I really don’t think it will make them much better if they have to give up half of their roster. If they lose Felton, Chandler and Gallo from their starting lineup, that’s going to be too much for them to overcome when playing great, deep teams such as Boston and Chicago.
17. Phoenix Suns (16): They had no representation at All-Star weekend this year, and rightfully so. Steve Nash is in the twilight of his career, and with essentially no help around him, the Suns are going to be hard-pressed to rise much further than this – especially with no defense to their name.
16. Golden State Warriors (19): As exciting as Golden State’s high-octane offense is, it’s so frustrating to know that by adding ONE defensive minded player to their starting lineup could transform this team into a playoff contender.
Next: 15-11
15. Indiana Pacers (15): Danny Granger is good, Roy Hibbert is solid and Darren Collison is okay. Past that, the Pacers are pretty lacking, and it shows. However, they are doing what they need to do to make the playoffs in the East – win, lose, win, lose, win, etc.
14. Philadelphia 76ers (14): Unfortunately, I might be wrong about my preseason prediction of Philly finishing in eighth, because they might finish higher. They’ll be bounced in the first round, but it’s good to see them coming together as a young team in a rising Eastern Conference.
13. New Orleans Hornets (13): What do the Hornets and Sacramento Kings have in common? They are both 1-7 in their last eight games. Fortunately for the Hornets, they picked up enough wins earlier in the year, to not let losing seven out of eight be a problem. However, if they continue this string of terribleness, you best expect they will be quickly leapfrogged by hungrier teams such as Memphis and Portland.
12. Denver Nuggets (11): Carmelo is all but gone – the only question is, when, where and for who. If it ends up being New York through a trade, Denver might as well change their name to the Denver ExKnicks, because they are currently milking New York’s roster for everyone not named Amaré Stoudemire.
11. Atlanta Hawks (9): If the Hawks can somehow acquire a center so that Al Horford and Josh Smith can shift to their natural positions of power forward and small forward, the Hawks might just usurp the Magic as the East’s No. 4 seed.
Next: 10-6
10. Los Angeles Lakers (5): No, this doesn’t mean that the Lakers are the 10th best team in the league. All it means is that right now, the Lakers are playing at a No. 10 level. While other teams, who might not be as good or talented or proven as the Lakers, are playing more consistent and cohesive basketball.
9. Memphis Grizzlies (10): Although the Grizzlies have been playing great without OJ Mayo, if they can somehow rework him into their starting five effectively, they are going to be a tough team to battle against in the opening round of the playoffs. Even if they are the eighth seed going against the Spurs, their youth, size and energy is going to be hard to match.
8. Portland Trail Blazers (12): I still don’t understand how this team hasn’t fallen down to Houston or Golden State territory. With no Roy, no Camby, no Pzryzbilla and no Oden, this team has no business even being in the top-10 teams in the conference. However, that shows how much of a snub LaMarcus Aldridge was from this year’s All-Star Game.
7. Orlando Magic (8): While I pray to the basketball gods every night before I go to sleep that Dwight Howard will end up on the Lakers in 2012, I find it extremely annoying when reporters ask Howard if he plans on signing with the Lakers when he becomes a free agent. What makes them think he’s going to answer that question in any way that’s even close to provocative?
6. Oklahoma City Thunder (7): Durant is likely headed for his second consecutive (and second of many) scoring titles. He’s got a great supporting cast in Westbrook, Harden, Green and Ibaka, but the Thunder are just too thin up front to compete with the front courts of the Lakers, Spurs and Mavs.
Next: 5-1
5. Dallas Mavericks (6): After struggling mightily to start the new year, the Mavs are back on track and have won nine of their last 10 – without Caron Butler. If they are able to acquire Melo somehow, they are going to be extremely tough to beat. Even if they are choke artists, it would be tough to bet against a lineup of Kidd-Terry-Anthony-Nowitzki-Chandler.
4. Chicago Bulls (4): He hung 42 points on the Spurs – a very impressive feat. He’s currently in a two-way battle with LeBron for MVP, and if he keeps his current play up, he might become the first Bull to take home the award since His Airness.
3. Miami Heat (3): I hate to say it, but as great as Derrick Rose has been this year, if I had an MVP vote this year, I would have to give it to LeBron. He’s ego might outweigh the Earth, but he might be the most dominant basketball player of all-time. He doesn’t have any rings yet, but as good as he is, they will come.
2. San Antonio Spurs (1): I’m still extremely terrified at the fact that the Spurs are 46-10 and Tim Duncan is averaging career lows in virtually every category – including minutes (under 30 per game!). If the Spurs remain this rested and healthy for the playoffs, the Lakers are going to have quite a challenge on their hands getting to the finals for the fourth consecutive year.
1. Boston Celtics (2): Right now, Boston is the most complete team in the NBA. They have an elite point guard, consistent scorers, the best defense in the NBA and guys who hit their open shots. However, one injury to anyone in their starting five and they are done.