TheHoopsForum Power Ranking
By Ron Campbell
2/17/2009
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Sunday was Rajon Rondo's birthday and he celebrated by scoring a career high 32 points while dishing out 10 assists. The NBA trade deadline came and went with Rafer Alston acquistion by the Orlando Magic being the best move made by any of the top contenders. There was talks of Shaquille O'Neal going to the Cavs but that deal never materialized.
(1)1. LA Lakers (46-10)
Despite losing Andrew Bynum the Lakers are still a top the rankings in part because of the terrific play of Lamar Odom who wants every penny coming to him this off-season.
(2)2. Cleveland (43-11)
With Kevin Garnett missing the next 2-3 weeks the Cavs will have a golden opportunity to create some distance between themselves and the Celtics.
(3)3. Boston (45-12)
The Celtics didn't make a significant trade before the tradeline and it looks like they are going to see if they can sign somebody before the March 1st deadline.
(5)4. Orlando (41-14)
Rafer Alston is not as good of a shooter as Jameer Nelson but his ability to create open shots for his teammates should really allow the Magic to wreak even more havoc.
(4)5. San Antonio (37-17)
The Spurs ended their annual Rodeo road trip going with a win over the Wizards and went 5-3 on the trip. The Spurs welcome the Mavs, Blazers and Cavs to San Antonio this week.
(6)6. Denver (37-19)
THe Nuggets like the Spurs went 5-3 on their road trip. Carmelo Anthony has got to be a tad miffed over his all-star snub, the forward is averaging 24.9pp in February.
(11)7. Houston (35-21)
Tracy McGrady is done for the season and the Rockets are probably better off, McGrady wasn't 100% and it was obvious. Rockets have won four in a row on their current homestand, the Rockets play the Blazers and Cleveland before traveling to Chicago for a Saturday night contest.
(9)8. Portland (35-20)
Greg Oden is still out with a knee injury and the Blazers will need him to return soon if they plan on holding onto the fourth spot in the West.
(7)9. Dallas (33-22)
Dallas is playing really good basketball these days and should provide a very tough first round matchup for their mostly likely contender Denver Nuggets.
(12)10. Utah (33-23)
RIP Larry Miller one of the NBA's greatest owners, Larry Miller will be missed.
(8)11. New Orleans (32-22)
Unlike the Mavs the Hornets are sliding, they are currently sitting in the 7th spot in the West to make matters worse one year wonder Tyson Chandler didn't even pass his physical with the Thunder.
(10)12. Atlanta (32-23)
I expected more improvement from Al Horford this season especially after he had such a terrific playoffs but Horford won't improve until the Hawks get a real center and Horford moves to power forward.
(13)13. Phoenix (31-24)
After back to back monstor games from Amare Stoudemire and a return to seven seconds or less it looks like Amare will be out for the season, truly a shame.
(14)14. Miami (29-26)
Dwayne Wade scored 50 points on Sunday in a loss to the Orlando Magic, the Heat will need to time to adjust to additions of Jermaine O'Neal and Jamario Moon.
(15)15. Philadelphia (27-27)
The 76ers stood pat and did not give into Samuel Dalembert's trade demands, Dalembert was upset because he felt blamed for the Sixers slow start. People are going to blame you Samuel when you say that you will be an all-star before the season starts.
(17)16. Milwaukee (28-31)
Charlie Villanueva had a slow start to the season but has really come on since January, in January Charlie averaged 20.2ppg per game and 21.9ppg in February.
(16)17. Detroit (27-27)
Detroit is in serious danger of not making the playoffs they are 5-15 in their last 20 games and are on a virtual freefall.
(19)18. Chicago (25-31)
Bulls traded a bunch of their nobodies for a bunch of other nobodies, in a deal that is sure not to help the Bulls current situation.
(18)19. New Jersey (24-32)
The New Jersey Nets are doing everything possible to not make the playoffs, the Nets have lost five in a row including a double digit loss to the Wizards.
(20)20. Indiana (24-34)
The Pacers are 5-1 without Danny Granger which begs the question, are the Pacers better off without Danny Granger? Don't be stupid of course their not.
(21)21. Charlotte (22-34)
I was glad to see the Bobcats not trade Raymond Felton and Gerald Wallace both players I believe will eventually reach their potential under Larry Brown.
(22)22. New York (23-32)
Nate Robinson has been playing terrific basketball, he is averaging 27.8ppg 7.2apg and 6.8rpg in the last five games.
(23)23. Toronto (22-36)
I like the addition of Shawn Marion but I think general manager Bryan Colangelo is going to need to blow this team up and start from scratch.
(24)24. Golden State (20-36)
Monta Ellis is going to be out for another week as his ankle hasn't been feeling too well lately, smart decision by the Warriors as they don't want to jeopardize next season.
(25)25. Minnesota (18-37)
Kevin Love hasn't exactly picked up the scoring slack while Al Jefferson has been out, Love is only averaging 12.8ppg since Jefferson has been out.
(27)26. Memphis (15-40)
Kyle Lowry is gone which should really allow Mike Conley to develop into the Tony Parker like point guard I believe he can become.
(26)27. Oklahoma City (13-42)
Who is better Kevin Durant or Lebron James? This topic is about 3 years premature but get ready for the debate.
(30)28. Washington (13-43)
Poor Antawn Jamison wasn't traded before the deadline, Jamison is a terrific player who has pretty much lost a year of his prime.
(28)29. LA Clippers (13-43)
Zach Randolph got off easy with only being suspended 2 games for his cowardly cheap shot on Louis Amundson, Randolph is wasting his talent way with his consistent immaturity.
(29)30. Sacramento (12-45)
Kings got rid of John Salmons and Brad Miller, I don't really no what to make of the trade, I guess it was good as they the Kings had no chance of even making the playoffs with either player.
| Name | Comment |
| Stu Parker | wow. after reading this blog....You are spot on. I do not deny Kevin Garnett's ability as a player but HATE the BS stuff he does...All negative crap. |
| | This is a very unfair article. Garnett is an Olympic Gold Medalist, an MVP, an ALL STAR MVP, an ALL NBA member and an NBA Champion... you know how many current players can say that? 2 others (Shaq & Kobe) and they are all considered among the best players at their respected positions in the HISTORY of basketball. The same should be said for K.G. |
| | This is a very unfair article. Garnett is an Olympic Gold Medalist, an MVP, an ALL STAR MVP, an ALL NBA member and an NBA Champion... you know how many current players can say that? 2 others (Shaq & Kobe) and they are all considered among the best players at their respected positions in the HISTORY of basketball. The same should be said for K.G. |
| Ra | This is blasphemy. I hope a Celtics fan did not write this article. |
| KWAPT | How old is that clip of KG? C'mon..of course that was a punk move, but what was that, 10 years ago? It's simple: KG is a fierce competitor who uses intimiadation and mental toughness to strike fear in the heart of his opponents. If he is on your team, you LOVE him. If he is not, you may loathe him. But either way, he is a great player. You cannot deny that. |
| Alex | Wow, now we are going to call an Olympic Gold Medalist, an MVP, an ALL STAR MVP, an ALL NBA member, an NBA Champion, a player that has more 20-10-5 seasons than Larry Bird, Defender of the Year (2008 and most likely, this year) overrated? Hmm, right now I'm kind of smelling a bit of jealousy mixed with stupidity in this article. |
| Tweedster | This blog is poorly written, scattered and incoherent. Thankfully, someone else already tackled the inconsistencies and leaps of logic. Check it out hear:
http://celticshub.com/2009/10/22/did-you-hear-kg-is-overrated/ |
| Tweedster | Some actual statistics, and not just conjecture and strange conclusions based on the number of 'chips KG has.
http://www.celticstown.com/is-kevin-garnett-clutch.html |
| SP | ron campbell must love the Lakers. Or the Cav's. Or the Magic. but he doesn't know @$@@ about basketball! |
| Ed The Sports Fan | I'm sorry, there's no way in life Allen Iverson isn't in the starting 5, especially ahead of Nash. Give a damn about MVP's, Iverson's done more with much much MUCH less and totally revolutionized the game. Other than that, I think your decade team is cool.
-Ed. |
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