NBA Power Rankings: February 25, 2008

Another month in this marathon we call an NBA season is about to come to an end. So at the end of February, where do the best teams rank in the league? Who are the best teams? Those answers, and more, are provided to you in this edition of the NBA Power Rankings!

1. Los Angeles Lakers
Rec (L10): 9-1 Margin of Victory against L25%: +11.47 SOS (L25%): .446

For those of you who thought that Shaquille O’Neal’s arrival in Phoenix or Jason Kidd’s arrival in Dallas were the big splashy trades of the season, think again! Neither one of their squads is in the Top 5 of this edition of the Power Rankings, and the team that brought Pau Gasol over to La-La land is in first place in the power rankings. Look, there is no question that this team has looked like the most dominant team over the past couple of weeks. They have won eight games in a row, and they sit atop of the Western Conference despite having played six more games on the road than they have at home. This team is built for the playoffs, I just hope that Kobe can overcome that finger injury wants Bruce Bowen “unintentionally” whacks him on the hand in the playoffs.


2. Detroit Pistons
Rec (L10): 8-2 Margin of Victory against L25%: +9.27 SOS (L25%): .504

I’m not sure what conference the Pistons are in to have mustered up an SOS of .504 over there last 13 games or so, but nonetheless, they have faired well against them, going 8-2 over their last 10 games. They just spanked Phoenix, and they didn’t do a bad job of spanking Milwaukee either. Their margin of victory is quite impressive… even for a team in the Eastern Conference!

3. Utah Jazz
Rec (L10): 8-2 Margin of Victory against L25%: +8.67 SOS (L25%): .473

Very few teams have played as good as basketball as the Jazz have over the past 21 games. Therefore, with an 18-3 record in those games, I just had to move the Jazz up to third in the Power Rankings. A lot of people who don’t follow the Jazz may think they are carried by their two stars, Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer, but while Williams leads the team in assists, and Boozer leads the team in scoring and rebounds, other players have stepped up as well. Ronnie Brewer leads the team in steals. Andrei Kirilenko leads the team in blocks. Kyle Korver leads the team in three pointers. And Jason Hart has the best assists:turnover ratio on the team.

Right now, a lot of you are probably thinking that I have jumped on the bandwagon of the Jazz, because as many of you know, the media has made the Jazz their sexy pick to win the championship. But no, that is not me. I know I have them behind only the Lakers, but that is dependent upon the fact that the team below them doesn’t get much better with some of the things they are doing right now.


4. San Antonio Spurs
Rec (L10): 9-1 Margin of Victory against L25%: +3.29 SOS (L25%): .491

Like I said, the Spurs will be a team to reckon with. While their margin of victory is not impressive for a team that has won 9 of its last 10 games, the Spurs are the last team that I’m worried about when it comes to winning a close game in the closing minutes (not to mention that stat is severely damaged by a blowout loss to the Hornets). Besides, their strength of schedule has been fairly rough, and they’ve been on the road while the rodeo takes place in San Antonio. You have to love the Spurs acquisition of Kurt Thomas. He was the one guy, outside of Mehmet Okur, who did anything to Tim Duncan defensively, and now he is teamed up alongside of him. That gives this team a further renewed defensive energy, and it gives them a shooter at the power forward position.


5. Boston Celtics
Rec (L10): 6-4 Margin of Victory against L25%: +4.50 SOS (L25%): .480

Oh, yes, the Celtics are following down that slipper slope. They have struggled since the All-Star break, including three straight losses to the Western Conference. Despite that, you have to love their chances going forward. They have a soft spot in their schedule coming up, and the fact of the matter is they play in the Eastern Conference. If they can just get a veteran point guard in time for the playoffs, they might be prepared to take on the Detroit Pistons, as well as the New Look Cavs, come this NBA postseason.


6. Houston Rockets
Rec (L10): 10-0 Margin of Victory against L25%: +8.40 SOS (L25%): .465

Tracy McGrady is back and playing beautiful for the Houston Rockets. He appears to be healthy and thus the Rockets are looking quite vigorous themselves. Winning 12 in a row is quite a feat, and they appear to be headed for even more victories considering the talent of their upcoming games. Of course, their winning streak has been against sub-.500 basketball teams for the most part, but when you consider that some of the teams ahead of them haven’t faired to well against sub-.500 teams themselves, and then you can throw the SOS argument out the window.


7. New Orleans Hornets
Rec (L10): 5-5 Margin of Victory against L25%: +3.79 SOS (L25%): .550

The Hornets have certainly fallen since leading the conference just a few weeks ago. They currently stand in third place. However, it’s not all their fault. They have had one of tougher, if not the toughest, schedules in the NBA over the past 13 games. Considering they still went 5-5, with wins over the Mavericks, Suns, Spurs and Nuggets, means that they still should be considered a serious factor come playoff time. Does that mean we should consider them a factor in the chase for the Western Conference Title? Well, that’s a whole other question.


8. Toronto Raptors
Rec (L10): 6-4 Margin of Victory against L25%: +10.29 SOS (L25%): .453

It was really hard for me to put the Raptors ahead of the Magic, especially after considering the SOS for both teams. However, I gave the Raptors the nod in part because of their margin of victory. They just seem to be handling teams as of late, and even when they do lose, they come back the next game with a fiery, just as they did against the New York Knicks in a home-and-home series this past weekend. There is no question that Chris Bosh has been living up to his billing as an All-Star this season. And as you all know, PG Jose Calderon is my own personal player of the year. But the real key to this team going forward is going to be the play they get from their center, Andrea Bargnani. I just witnessed a game where he was driving to the rim with reckless abandonment like a young Dirk Nowitzki. I loved it, and I think if he’ll do more of that, especially against slow-footed centers who have no business guarding him out on the perimeter, then the Raptors could go much further than the experts are picking them to.


9. Orlando Magic
Rec (L10): 6-4 Margin of Victory against L25%: +5.93 SOS (L25%): .535

The Magic have played some tough opponent over the past several games, and to come out with a 6-4 record is quite impressive for this young team. They’ve played quite a few games on the road as of late and still have a few more to go, but once they return to Orlando for a stretch of games you’ll see that margin of victory go up, along with their tally marks in the win column. Currently, they stand at 36-22, 14 games over .500, and they don’t appear to be headed for the fall they had last season. If the Magic can hang on to that 3rd seed, we may be talking about the first 2nd round playoff appearance for the city of Orlando since Kazaam debuted!


10. Dallas Mavericks
Rec (L10): 6-4 Margin of Victory against L25%: +2.27 SOS (L25%): .511

The Mavericks have gone through a lot over the past few weeks. The trade talk that surrounded this team for so long had an effect on some of its players, and that should be expected considering how easily they folded in last year’s players (cheap shot, I know, but they deserve it!). But their last performance (albeit against Minnesota) seemed to indicate that the arrival of Jason Kidd is now starting to pay dividends. J-Kidd had a 14-point, 17-assists, 7-rebound game, in a 17 point victory over the Timberwolves. If he plays like that in the playoffs, maybe this team will be more resembling of a champion than my folding chair.

11. Phoenix Suns
Rec (L10): 5-5 Margin of Victory against L25%: +2.73 SOS (L25%): .530

The Suns have gotten a bad wrap. Many people have been knocking them for acquiring Shaquille O’Neal, despite the fact that it was a move they had to make if they wanted to contend for an NBA championship. In addition, since they have started 1-2 with the Diesel, everybody wants to talk about just how right they were in saying the deal for the Diesel was a bad idea. However, the fact is that the Phoenix Suns obviously have some adjustments to make in acquiring a player that is not only new to their system, but is also contrary to their entire philosophy. Now some of you will stop me right there and say that in saying that Shaq is against the philosophy of the Suns, then that alone makes this a bad trade.

However, it’s not that simple. On player that contradicts a team’s entire philosophy can often be a good thing. When Rasheed Wallace joined the Pistons in 2004, his 3-point shooting, post-up, ways weren’t what a motion-oriented Pistons team was used to. Yet he came in, gave them a new dimension, and they won the title. Same goes for Ginobili’s offensive ways for the Spurs, or even Antoine Walker’s services for the Miami Heat in 2006. Shaq can be just what the Suns need in terms of giving them a new dimension both offensively and defensively, and I expect them to climb these rankings over the next few weeks.

12. Golden State Warriors
Rec (L10): 6-4 Margin of Victory against L25%: +3.57 SOS (L25%): .496

The Warriors can beat any team they face. They can also lose to any team the face. However, as their 33-22 record would indicate, they tend to do a lot more winning than they do losing, so I’ll give them credit for remaining somewhat consistent. They also have faired quite well against pretty decent competition. A distinguishing factor between them and the teams below them is that they have no problem outscoring teams, and right now, I don’t think there is a team that is better than they are at doing that since the Suns currently haven’t worked out their kinks yet. However, they don’t play a lick of defense, and as the Suns know, that usually doesn’t result in a whole lot of playoff success.


13. Cleveland Cavaliers
Rec (L10): 6-4 Margin of Victory against L25%: -0.47 SOS (L25%): .540

To be 6-4 when they have faced the type of SOS they have over the past few games is quite impressive. What is also is impressive is that they are 6-4 with a negative scoring margin. That just goes to show that they are winning a lot of close games. Some analysts would look at that and say that they are getting lucky in the 4th quarter. However, if you really watch the games, it has nothing to do with luck and everything to do with LeBron James. He has silenced any notion that he can’t perform in the clutch with the fact that he leads all scorers in 4th quarter points thus far this season.

As for the “New Look Cavs”, you have to be in favor of this trade. They get to bring over the likes of Ben Wallace, who is a defensive stalwart and is going make this team a much better defense come playoff time. The additions of Wally Szczerbiak and Delonte West bring in added firepower on the offensive end. And Joe Smith, who everybody is discounting in this trade, already put up 14 and 7 in his first game with the team. So anybody who thinks this was not a good trade for the Cavs just doesn’t know basketball.



14. Denver Nuggets
Rec (L10): 6-4 Margin of Victory against L25%: +1.57 SOS (L25%): .500

I know that all of you Nuggets fans feel as if you can’t get any love for your team, but you really don’t deserve any. They are 9th in the conference and refuse to play a lick of defense. With Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson trying to outscore one another, it doesn’t appear as if they are even going to try to start playing defense anytime soon. That explains their mere 1.57 scoring margin and the fact that they just lost to a Milwaukee Bucks team giving up 115 points in the process. Obviously, they still have a shot at the playoffs, but if that shot has the same percentage as an Allen Iverson three-pointer- well, Denver fans know that they shouldn’t hold their breath.

15. Sacramento Kings
Rec (L10): 5-5 Margin of Victory against L25%: +0.14 SOS (L25%): .477

The Kings are 3-0 since trading Mike Bibby. Does that possibly mean they are better off without him? Maybe. But the fact is that he didn’t play much this season at all, so it is not as if the Kings were going to miss him. The thing people do need to be focusing on is that the Kings are heating up at the right time of the year. Sure, they are only 5-5 over their last 10 games, but with those 7th and 8th seeds rotating like clockwork, there is a slight chance they can sneak in the playoffs if John Salmons and Ron Artest can lead the way… once again!

16. Portland Trailblazers
Rec (L10): 2-8 Margin of Victory against L25%: -6.40 SOS (L25%): .521

Yes, even though the Trailblazers are 2 better than the Kings in the loss column, I had to drop them below the Kings. They are 10th in the conference (the Kings are 11th), but going 2-8 in their last 10 was not a good idea. Now a team that had an 18-game winning streak is probably not going to make the playoffs. That is definitely a tragedy, and it doesn’t appear to be fixable either. This team is young, and clearly, they outdid themselves early on in the season. And with all of the trades and acquisitions that transpired in the West, they just don’t have the talent to compete in the playoffs even if they were lucky enough to make. They just need to continue getting better this season, and hopefully they can come back next year with a healthy Greg Oden and really be a part of something special.


17. New Jersey Nets
Rec (L10): 5-5 Margin of Victory against L25%: -1.27 SOS (L25%): .444

At only 25-31, it was hard to put the Nets this high, but the fact of the matter is that they are probably headed for the playoffs in the Eastern Conference and they are playing .500 basketball right now, and that is without Jason Kidd. It appears as if Kidd’s absence has resulted in a lot more touches for Vince Carter, who all of a sudden is starting to light it up all over the court. He is even taken over some of the assists duties as well, averaging 7.4 assists over his last five games. His rebounds are even up since Kidd’s departure. So if you thought the Nets were dead in the water after trading Kidd away, you might want to rethink that stance and give them another chance. Especially when their new PG Devin Harris is healed, because maybe he can be the spark plug that Kidd wasn’t.


18. Philadelphia 76ers
Rec (L10): 7-3 Margin of Victory against L25%: +7.00 SOS (L25%): .404

A 7-3 record over their last ten games makes them one of the hottest teams in the Eastern Conference, which is why they have snuck into that final playoff spot as of now. However, playing one of the weakest schedules over their last 13 games, including a game against the hapless New York Knicks, will definitely make you look a little bit better than you actually are. I will give them credit though for starting to play Thaddeus Young more. He is an excellent young player, and his increase in minutes is definitely part of the reason for their recent success.


19. Washington Wizards
Rec (L10): 3-7 Margin of Victory against L25%: -5.40 SOS (L25%): .536

Not having Caron Butler in the lineup, in addition to not having Gilbert Arenas, is truly hurting this team right now. In total, the Wizards have three potential starters out with injuries, and you just can’t win games like that. Antawn Jamison is doing all he can to keep this team a float, but really, there is only so much he can do with a bunch of guys who would be on the bench. Before the injury to Butler though, the Wizards did just enough to get ahead of the pack, so they will probably find themselves in the playoffs come April. If they can get Arenas and Butler on the court and healthy again, this could be a team to fear in the post season.


20. Atlanta Hawks
Rec (L10): 2-8 Margin of Victory against L25%: -7.50 SOS (L25%): .570

The Hawks finally showed a heart beat by making a trade that actually gave them players instead of draft picks in throw-ins. Their acquisition of Mike Bibby makes them a much better team… even though it’s not proving to do that early on. But once the team finally starts the gel, they will be quite formidable. Bibby gives the team a legitimate point guard for the first time since Mookie Blaylock was on the team. He can stretch the defense with his outside shot, and he is always a threat penetrate and score in the paint. He also should help them operate more efficiently on the offense with his passing ability, and if nothing else, he at least is a player that the opposing team has to focus on, thereby opening up the court for other players.

21. Chicago Bulls -
Rec (L10): 4-6 Margin of Victory against L25%: -3.47 SOS (L25%): .473

Despite what all of the analysts say, I still believe that the Chicago Bulls are playoff bound! That’s right! Even though they lost their only two veterans in that trade with Seattle and Cleveland, and despite being led by an interim coach, I still have faith in this team! Why? I don’t know really. I’m not a Chicago Bulls fan. In fact, I’m a Knicks fan, so I have hated the Bulls ever since Michael Jordon dunked on Patrick Ewing. I guess, I still see a defensive team still in there, and I know that Ben Gordon and Kirk Hinrich are good players, along with Luol Deng being a potential All-star when healthy. And even though none of that has been able to gel together so far this season, I still have faith that they will return to last season’s level of play. Besides- making the playoffs in the NBA Eastern Conference ain’t exactly hard!


22. Indiana Pacers –
Rec (L10): 3-7 Margin of Victory against L25%: -6.33 SOS (L25%): .527

They couldn’t trade Jermaine O’Neal, so they appear to be on their way to being a horrible franchise for the next several years. There really isn’t much for this team to look forward to if you ask me. Danny Granger is a great young player, but he has been in the league long enough that I’m not sure there is a whole lot more upside to him than we have already seen. Maybe the Pacers can get a good pick in this year’s lottery. Of course, they are not the only team in the NBA hoping for that.


23. Los Angeles Clippers –
Rec (L10): 5-5 Margin of Victory against L25%: -5.07 SOS (L25%): .482

It looks like they are going to buy out Sam Cassell, which should make him a very happy (and very rich) man. As for the rest of the players, they only wish they could get out of La-La land with such ease. Without Elton Brand, they have been abysmal and it’s hard to believe that this is essentially the same team that made the playoffs two years ago, even if you factor in Brand’s loss. That said, they are playing .500 ball right now, so perhaps there is still time for them to rectify the ship and get things going in the right direction in hopes of a healthy return of Elton Brand next season.


24. Minnesota Timberwolves –
Rec (L10): 3-7 Margin of Victory against L25%: -1.64 SOS (L25%): .509

With McHale having given his old team the best alumni donor gift in the history of professional sports, his own team is now one of the worst in the NBA. However, he has managed to get one thing right, and that is making sure that Al Jefferson was included in the trade that sent Kevin Garnett to Boston. It is quite possible that Jefferson could be a perennial All-Star, as early as next season. When you look his stats of 21.3 ppg and 11.9 RPG, it’s hard to deny that. But Jefferson will need some help, and I don’t know if that help is already on this team, despite the likes of Sebastian Telfair and company. And if Timberwolves fans are hoping that it will get better with all of the draft picks they have coming their way, I think they better think twice about who is in charge of making those picks and whether or not he has the ability to draft this team out anonymity.


25. Seattle Supersonics
Rec (L10): 5-5 Margin of Victory against L25%: -2.00 SOS (L25%): .508

They are playing as if they are supposed to be playing. They’re all young, inexperienced, and undersized. They just traded away some of their best veterans, so it won’t be surprised if they get even worse. Kevin Durant still has a ways to go before he becomes a dominant player. I know he is doing really well this season, especially for a rookie, but I honestly was expecting more for him, especially given how efficient he was in college basketball. I think the Sonics fans are going to have to be patient before Durant starts leading them into the playoffs. And Jeff Green, their other first round rookie, is a ways away from being a bona fide producer, as well.

26. Milwaukee Bucks –
Rec (L10): 3-7 Margin of Victory against L25%: -7.80 SOS (L25%): .524

I am really disappointed in the Bucks this season. I thought if they had a healthy Michael Redd for the season then they would be in the playoffs for sure. But clearly, I was wrong. And clearly, Redd needs more help than he has right now. Over their last 10 games, they have played some tough opponents, and it would appear that the help needs to come in the form of big man. As good as Bogut is, he is not the answer down low, so it looks as if the Bucks will have to turn to the NBA Draft to fill that need… again!


27. Charlotte Bobcats
Rec (L10): 1-9 Margin of Victory against L25%: -10.13 SOS (L25%): .531

This is debatable, but I think that Michael Jordan has actually managed to make an expansion team worse? Is that possible? I mean, that trade for Jason /Richardson just looks borderline stupid right now. Not to call his Airness stupid or anything, that was just a stupid move. Richardson is essentially the same type of player that Gerald Wallace is, and with both of them on the court at the same time, they effectively make each other worse. And if you don’t think that’s possible, just watch a Bobcats’ game. I think if they had Brandon Wright (the rookie they gave up for J.R.) instead of Richardson right now, they might actually be a playoff contender, because Wright feels a need that this team needs. Hopefully, ownership won’t allow Jordan to trade away this year’s high pick, because they certainly are in line for one.


28. New York Knicks –
Rec (L10): 3-7 Margin of Victory against L25%: -6.27 SOS (L25%): .509

When you look at their season as a whole, they don’t seem any worse than the rest of the bottom feeders in the NBA. However, when you look at them game by game and see the manner in which they lose games and some of the efforts the put out there, it just makes you want to throw up. And I say that as a Knicks fan who hates to watch these guys play, because they really have no heart. I think Stephen A. Smith said it best when he said that the main indictment on Isiah Thomas isn’t his collection of talent, but it’s the fact that he wasn’t able to look at these guys mannerisms and styles of play to see whether or not they had the hear to be winners. Thomas has won at every level of basketball, including 1 national championship at Indiana and two NBA championships with the Detroit Pistons. So you would think that if anyone had the ability to determine whether or not a player played with heart, it would be Isiah “Zeke” Thomas, who was always the smallest person on the court, but who also had the biggest heat and more toughness than anyone did. Unfortunately, for his job and the Knicks fans, Thomas can’t measure heart as well as one would expect him to.


29. Memphis Grizzlies –
Rec (L10): 1-9 Margin of Victory against L25%: -10.73 SOS (L25%): .510

Well, apparently everything but the team towel boy was available for trade in Memphis. This team gave away Pau Gasol to the Lakers and then they gave away some more players to the New Jersey Nets. They are now 1-9 in their last 10 and they are relying on the play of their only star, Rudy Gay, and using the word star with him may be a little premature. They don’t make a whole lot of money at the gate, so they won’t be in the free agent market this off-season, so their only hope of getting better is to get lucky in the draft. But they haven’t had a good draft pick since Pau Gasol, so I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for that either.


30. Miami Heat –
Rec (L10): 0-10 Margin of Victory against L25%: -10.71 SOS (L25%): .556

If two years ago you were to tell me that the NBA Finals of MVP of 2006 was going to be 0-10 and losing games by an average of 10 points over a span of 10 games, I would have laughed at you. That’s how good Dwyane Wade was looking. And he still looks good. His PER is one of the best in the league, and he certainly was deserving of his spot in the All-Star starting lineup. But he’s not winning games, which leads me to believe that this is not the same Dwyane Wade. The Wade of old took over games, and he did whatever was necessary to win. This Wade looks a step too slow, and a bit to meek, especially late in games. I hope he can get over all of the injuries he has had and come back healthy for the start of next season. But with the Olympics coming up this Summer, chances are that he is going to want to play, and that might be the nail in the coffin for Miami’s 2008-2009 season, as well.

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