RANK (LAST WK) REC.
1 (1) Lakers 14-1
The Lakers continues to dominate this season. A 3-0 week with only one loss was enough to maintain the 1st spot for a fourth straight week. Phil Jackson could be off to his best start if the Lakers go 4-0 in week 6.
2 (2) Celtics 16-2
The Boston Celtics are playing better than last season. They have their exact record from last season at 16-2 which is very impressive considering every team is gunning for them.
3 (3) Cavaliers 14-3
In three consecutive games Lebron did not play in the fourth quarter which is a testament of how good the Cavaliers are. In four wins Lebron averaged 29.75 minutes per game in week 5. The Cavaliers are off to their best start in franchise history.
4 (10) TrailBlazers 12-6
The Trailblazers are one of two unbeaten teams at home in the nba. Greg Oden is back and even though he only averaged 6.1ppg, 9.1rpg and 1.25bpg in 25 minutes per game, his physical presence in the middle allowed the Blazers to hold their four opponents to an average of 81.25ppg in four straight wins. The more minutes Oden plays the more dominant the Blazers will be on defense.
5 (6) Magic 13-4
The injury ridden Orlando Magic went 4-0 in week 5. The Magic are currently without starting guards Mickael Pietrus, Jameer Nelson and Keith Bogans who comes off the bench. Without those players the Magic will struggle, but still managed to move up one position to claim the 8th spot in week 5.
6 (4) Nuggets 12-6
The Nuggets are 11-3 since trading for Chauncey Billups and are clearly playing more like a team. Chris Andersen is back after a two year suspension and has made up for the loss of former Nuggets center Marcus Camby, by averaging 2.11 blocks per game in only 17.8 minutes.
7 (5) Rockets 11-7
I don’t see McGrady and Artest co-existing. Both are low percentage shooters, but at least in Artest case you get a top 5 perimeter defender. With McGrady out the last 3 games with knee soreness the Rockets went 2-2 in week 5 and earned the 7th spot.
8 (11) Spurs 9-7
Finally Parker and Ginobili are back but without them the Spurs went 6-2. Then again let’s be real, with Tim Duncan alone the Spurs are barely a playoff team, so I am sure they gladly welcome the return of those two players.
9 (12) Hawks 10-6
I really like the Hawks and without Josh Smith, one of the nba’s top 3 defenders out with an ankle injury, the Hawks are still playing with a lot of intensity and a light 2-1 week was good enough to move them up three positions to the 9th spot in week 5.
10 (13) Hornets 9-6
Two questions. Are the Hornets tuning out coach Byron Scott who was on the verge of being fired a few seasons ago but was saved by the emergence of CP3? Were they overrated entering this season because of how they ended last season? I will have the answer to both questions by the end of December.
11 (16) Nets 9-7
Devin Harris! Devin Harris! Devin Harris! 25.3ppg in 13 games this season is very impressive, but 81 points over the last two games wow! If the season ended today he will definitely be the nba’s most improved player.
12 (7) Suns 11-7
Amare is having a tough time dominating the paint with Shaq taking up so much of what used to be his space. The Suns went 2-2 in week 5 with Amare averaging 19.25ppg. He is clearly unhappy because he truly believes he should be leading the league in scoring.
13 (9) Pistons 10-6
A.I stat line for week 5 was 14ppg, 5apg with a 34.3 field goal percentage. For the season A.I. is averaging 17.8ppg, 5.6 apg and 1.73 steals per, all career lows. Rip Hamilton, the Pistons leading scorer for many years is also having his worse season since his rookie year with a 16.1ppg average. I see two things happening with the Pistons. With A.I. the ball simply doesn’t move as smoothly as it did when Chauncey was there. Also, first year coach Michael Curry may not be polished enough to handle the personalities on his team and may not be respected enough as evident when A.I. refused to practice on Thanksgivings day.
14 (15) Mavericks 8-8
After taking a backseat to Josh Howard and Dirk for the first 9 games of the season, Jason Terry decided to take matters into his own hand over the last 7 games. The Mavericks went 2-7 in the first 9 games with Terry averaging 17ppg and 6-1 over the last 7 games with Terry averaging 24ppg.
15 (8) Jazz 11-7
Considering all the injuries the Jazz have suffered this season, I am actually surprise to see them with an 11-7 record, then again they are playing hard and competing like a Jerry Sloan team will.
16 (19) Raptors 8-8
Chris Bosh has been a monster this season averaging 29.1ppg, 10.7rpg in 14 games against the rest of the league but only 10.5ppg and 6.5rpg against the Celtics and the Lakers. The Raptors also have four other players averaging double digits, but are only 8-8 for the season because they allow their opponents to score almost 100 points a game, 99.7ppg.
17 (20) Bulls 8-9
The Bulls went 2-1 and moved up three positions to claim the 17th spot in week 5. Rookie Derrick Rose is the leading candidate for rookie of the year if the season ended today.
18 (17) Heat 8-9
Dwyane Wade is leading the league in scoring at 28.2ppg on a sub-500 team which means he has no chance of winning league’s MVP award. However, I do expect the Heat to make the playoffs.
19 (21) Knicks 8-8
After trading Jamal Crawford and Zack Randolph the Knicks are a completely different team. After losing to Cleveland and Detroit the Knicks regrouped in a 138-125 win over Golden State to finish the week 1-2 earning the 19th spot. Maybe Al Harrington will become the great player he thinks he is because the Knicks will need him to play big in order for them to make the playoffs.
20 (22) Pacers 6-10
T.J. Ford has made a difference and Danny Granger is a candidate for most improve player, but the Pacers are definitely missing Mike Dunleavy. Their playoff hopes are getting slimmer by the minute.
21 (18) Bucks 7-12
The Bucks have really been dealt a difficult hand with injuries to Redd, Bogut and Villanueva. Follow that with a very difficult schedule in week 5 with matchups to the Magic, Hawks, Detroit and Cleveland means the Bucks are lucky to have a 7-12 record.
22 (14) 76ers 7-10
The 76ers reclaimed the dreadful title of the league’s most disappointing team after going 0-4 in week 5.
23 (27) Bobcats 5-11
D.J. Augustin has given the Bobcats another trade piece in Raymond Felton. Adam Morrison, Gerald Wallace and Raymond Felton can all be move and probably will be in some combination form before the trade deadline.
24 (23) Warriors 5-12
The Warriors have gone 0-4 since trading for Jamal Crawford. Unfortunately, I don’t think he’s a good fit for the Warriors. When Monte Ellis return this fact will be more obvious.
25 (25) Timberwolves 4-11
The Wolves maintain the 25th spot with a 1-3 week. The one bright spot for the Wolves is center Al Jefferson who is averaging 22.3ppg and 10.3 rpg.
26 (24) Kings 5-14
A 0-4 week sounds terrible until you put it in prospective. The Kings who are without Kevin Martin, their leading scorer, lost their first two games of the week by a combined 3 points and lost their last game in week 5 to the red hot Dallas Mavericks.
27 (26) Grizzlies 4-13
The Grizzlies keep losing and went 0-3 in week 5, but rookie O.J. Mayo is making a major push for the nba rookie of the year award. He averaged 28ppg and made 59.6% of his shots. For the season he is averaging 21.9ppg and is the main reason I watch the Grizzlies play.
28 (28) Clippers 3-13
Z-Bo was inserted in the starting lineup in his second game with the Clippers since the trade and did not disappoint. He had 27 points and 13 rebounds in a nail biting 97-96 win against the Miami Heat. He will definitely provide the low post scoring the Clippers need, but it might be too late for the Clippers to make the playoffs.
29 (29) Wizards 2-12
After a 124-100 blowout of the Warriors in Ed Tapscott's debut, I thought just maybe the Wizards were about to turn the corner. Then again I am not sure after losses to Orlando and the Hawks.
30 (30) Thunder 2-16
I don’t understand the firing of P.J because the Thunder are 1-4 since. Then again new head coach Scotty Brooks may be a better fit considering his youth and the fact that the Thunder are a young team.
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