Don't remember anyone doing these last year and I had an hour to kill so here you go. Let me know where you agree/disagree. I love the NBA so much I am so pumped for Sunday. Going to be an exciting year for sure!

1. Miami Heat: There was a growing period last year with these guys and they were still overall statistically the best team in the league. They have a year under their belt and added a nice piece in Battier. If you don�t think they are the team to beat then I won�t agree with you.
2. Chicago Bulls: Another team that will benefit from a year together. Remember last season was the first year with this group and with a first year head coach. On top of this the well documented injuries to their front court. Rip should help the cause as well. Bulls were the only team near Miami statistically last season and there was a big drop off after these two teams (Bulls were .5 behind Miami in terms of efficiency differentials).

3. Oklahoma City Thunder: It was a toss up between them and Chicago for 2nd and 3rd slot here the Bulls got the homer tie breaker from me, but they also get the nod due to being a substantially better defensive team. This is the question mark for OKC, can they improve enough defensively to win the West? We know their offense is there. I think they will and having Perkins (even a skinnier version) for a full season should be exactly what they need. I expect them to come out of the West.

4. Dallas Mavericks: Don�t even start with �they should be #1 they won the championship� blah blah. The best team doesn�t win every time. That being said I really like their squad still. I think Tyson got severely overrated this off season (he is a solid player but most of what I�ve read makes it seem as if they�ve lost Dwight). We will see just how important he was. Odom was a great pickup and I am looking for Roddy to be a sleeper for them � he can ball.

5. Memphis Grizzlies: Yes, I have the Grizzlies in the top 5 � unreal to see. How can you doubt this team after watching them in the playoffs last year? Not only that, but Rudy Gay is back in the rotation. Biggest question mark is their bench. Will Mayo (if he is there) progress? What front court back up will step up?

6. New York Knicks: My dream scenario would be to see the Knicks take out Miami and meet Chicago in the ECF. It would be like hopping in a time machine back to my childhood renewing that amazing rivalry. Same with Memphis, bench is the big question mark but with a starting lineup of Davis-Fields- Anthony-Stoudemire-Chandler I�m not going to doubt the damage this team can do.

7. LA Lakers: I almost feel obligated to put them here but my gut is telling me they should be closer to 10. If Bynum can magically stay healthy all year I think this may be close to accurate, but what are the odds of that? Just going to have to wait and see how it unfolds for them, I�ll be watching that�s for sure.

8. Orlando Magic: Obviously assuming Dwight is there for the whole season. How good is Dwight? He took a team of average to below average defenders and was the 3rd best defense overall last season behind only Boston and Chicago.

9. San Antonio Spurs: No one ever talks about them. They can still play. Tony Parker is consistently one of the most underrated PG�s in the league.

10. Boston Celtics: 1-5 looking great! Bench? Yikes. They will certainly limit Rondo-Pierce-Allen-KG all year and get in as a 5-6 seed or so but even limiting these guys (KG especially) worries me. They have zero cap flexibility and no exceptions. What you see is what you get barring some sort of blockbuster trade.

11. LA Clippers: Still don�t like the trade but they no doubt are better for this season. We will see just how bad it is with how Minnesota finishes. Still gotta admit they are going to be one of my most watched teams this season, should be fun to watch!

12. Indiana Pacers: A team on the rise for sure. Love the additions of Hill and West (if he can stay healthy). DC is an underrated PG, Paul George is going to be a stud, Granger is still a borderling all-star (who needs to take better shots!) and Hibbert/Hansborough both should take some steps forward.

13. Portland Trail Blazers: Can�t imagine how it feels to be a Portland fan with the Roy and Oden situations. I sympathize for sure and will root hard for Portland because of this. I think Jamal was a nice signing and a good fit for them.

14. Philadelphia 76ers: Another team I�ll be watching for sure. I love the way they play. Their defense will certainly stay in the top 5-10 this season the question is where is the scoring going to come from? Turner needs to step up.

15. Denver Nuggets: I mean, I don�t even know how to rank them not having a clue who is going to be suited up or when guys will return from China or if they re-sign Afflalo. All I can say is the team they had post Melo last year was without a doubt a top 10 team.

16. Houston Rockets: Love the trio of Lowry (very underrated), Martin and Scola. Don�t love a ton else with the squad. Their defense was and will remain atrocious and Martin is made of glass. I expect them a little below .500.

17. Atlanta Hawks: Still randomly assembled talent that doesn�t want to play right together. How good did Teague look against Chicago Round 2 though? Definitely a bright spot. I�m also looking for JJ to bounce back especially with Jamal out of town now.

18. Milwaukee Bucks: If they can stay healthy their defense alone will keep them around .500. A top 5 defense last year and the worst offense in the league. Without a doubt the most boring team to watch, but still a tough game most nights.

19. Golden State Warriors: I don�t quite get why they amnestied Bell, a head scratcher for sure. Ellis and Curry � the most exciting 1-2 in the league.

20. Utah Jazz: Good starting lineup, yikes outside of that.

21. New Jersey Nets: A lot could change with their squad and will need to to do any serious damage. Not a fan of Brook at all, but obviously Deron is still amongst the elite.

22. Phoenix Suns: They are old. Still awesome to watch Nash and his wizardry though.

23. Minnesota Timberwolves: Love the young core they�ve built. Let�s see how Ru-bi-ooooooo can adjust to the NBA game. Also really interested to see how Williams does, a lot are expecting ROY from him. I wonder how the minutes will be shared with he and Beasley.

24. Sacramento Kings: Liked the Thornton signing a lot. Love Tyreke but question his durability. Curious to see Cousins progress. This could very well be my worst ranking, they can surprise people I think.

25. Washington Wizards: Does John Wall break into conversations with CP3, Rose, Deron, Westbrook, Rondo this year?

26. Detroit Pistons: So bad that it doesn�t make sense to even amnesty 3 very amnesty worthy players. I can�t imagine BG and CV do anything but somewhat return to form. Frank should be the exact type of hire they need. This is another team that can make me look dumb if they click.

27. Cleveland Cavaliers: I think the rookies will be enough to dig them out from the worst team in the league.

28. Toronto Raptors: Going to be watching Derozan and don�t care for much else up there. I guess Calderon is a fun point guard to watch, offensively at least.

29. Charlotte Bobcats: They just suck.

30. New Orleans Hornets: Future is bright!

Warriors too low

Hard to imagine that NO will be the worst team in the league with that much talent and athleticism. I guess we'll see what Jarrett Jack has left.

Houston is going to give up soooooo many points. I sure hope McHale doesn't try to bleed the clock on the offensive end to compensate. Could be uggggly.

 

Originally Posted by DikkStallion

NYK over Lakers is laughable

Air-tight logic.

 

Originally Posted by Donkey Kong

pistons too high

when are we gonna see the DK rankings?

1) Miami
2) OKC
3) Chicago
4) LA Lakers
5) Dallas
6) NYK
7) Boston
8) Magic (with Howard)
9) LA Clippers
10) Memphis
11) SA
12) Portland
13) Atlanta
14) Houston
15) NJ
16) Denver (Tricky)
17) GS
18) Indiana
19) Milwaukee
20) PHX
21) Phillly
22) Utah
23) Minnesota
24) Charlotte
25) Washington
26) Sacramento
27) NO
28) Detroit
29) Toronto
30) Cleveland

 

Originally Posted by coolhandkev

18. Milwaukee Bucks: If they can stay healthy their defense alone will keep them around .500. A top 5 defense last year and the worst offense in the league. Without a doubt the most boring team to watch, but still a tough game most nights.

Doubt it. (Cavs for starters..fuck Kyrie and double fuck Dan Gilbert) , Brandon Jennings has swag (that high top fade was the illlly) and his style of play is fun to watch. 10 entire teams can't say either.

I actually think Dallas is too high. They have so many new pieces off the bench, its not like they can pick up where they left off.

portland too high, lakers too high, clippers too low by a spot or two..i also think celtics are not gonna even be a threat this year...but really, who the fuck knows...a lot of changes and teams that can surprise/disappoint a lot of people...should be fun to watch...you should do these power rankings weekly or every few weeks, i enjoyed these write-ups....agree that kings might surprise a few people

why didnt you like clippers trade?...simmons wrote good article on it on grantland

people supporting lakers through this, thinking theyre even near favorites/top 3 in the league is a joke...people underrated odom way too much...this team is a disaster and kobe wasnt even close to kobe in playoffs last year...the decline of kobe is here...

Dpottz always has some objective stat up his sleeve. Let him get his rank on.

In before T'Wolves are top 15.

Last year could have been an outlier for Tyson, and they really aren't the same player, but Tyson Chandler outperformed Odom across the board. Much less would I assume that Odom is multiples better than Tyson Chandler.

 

Originally Posted by Randers

Last year could have been an outlier for Tyson, and they really aren't the same player, but Tyson Chandler outperformed Odom across the board. Much less would I assume that Odom is multiples better than Tyson Chandler.

Lamar> Chandler? How about only 1 >?

Point is I don't see how Dallas ranks lower than Lakers and in my heart I want to put the Lakers above everyone by a mile.

They'll definitely be a different team, but I think it's too early to say they'll be significantly worse. Odom gets them even more offensive versatility

 

Originally Posted by AMARTIN1181

yep... Tyson Chandler being massively overrated ITT. Can't wait to watch Dallas this year.

He is? I must have missed that.

No prob - just being a bit of a cockhead cause you pissed on the Nets. In fairness to Lopez, he came in very sick last year, fell behind what Avery was trying to do, and never really caught up. I'd expect a much different story this year.

They may contend for the 8th spot, just thought it was ridiculous wacky rated them ahead of the nuggets