RANK (LAST WK)REC.
1 (2) Cavaliers 29-6
For the first time this season, the top rank team in the nba is not the Lakers or Celtics. The Cavaliers earned the number one rank by handily beaten the Celtics in Cleveland 98-83. Lebron strengthen his position as the league top candidate for the MVP Award with 38 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assist, 4 steals and 3 blocks. He shut down the Celtics Paul Pierce by holding him to 11 points in the game.
2 (1) Lakers 30-6
Yes, I know the Lakers have the best record in basketball, but they had to really struggle down the stretch at home to beat the Heat and the Pacers. The Lakers may play defense in spurts, but if they expect to win the nba championship, they must be more consistent on that end of the court.
3 (4) Magic 30-8
The Magic have been steady all season long. They showed some maturity on the road edging the Spurs in San Antonio 105-98. I expect Magic point guard Jameer Nelson to be selected as a reserve for this year’s all-star team. He has been the catalyst in directing the Magic offense this season.
4 (3) Celtics 30-9
I wouldn’t say the Celtics have lost their confidence, but I will say they are a very shaky team right about now. After losing three straight, the Celtics were hoping to get back on track against the Cavs in Cleveland, but were clearly out played. The Celtics are 2-7 after a 27-2 start and are really soul searching right now.
5 (5) Spurs 24-12
The Spurs seem to have accepted playing second fiddle to the Lakers for the entire season. Needless to say, they are the second best team in the Western Conference and still, nobody is talking about them.
6 (6) Hornets 22-11
The Hornets began the week with a very impressive 116-105 win against the Lakers in L.A. They followed their impressive win with a stinker against the Jazz in Utah and loss 116-90. Chris Paul dominated Deron Williams in the battle of the point guards, but it was not enough for the win. The Hornets ended the week with another impressive win by blowing out the Clippers 107-80 to maintain their sixth rank from the week before.
7 (8) Nuggets 25-13
Even with Carmelo Anthony, the Nuggets leading scorer out for a month, they still have been competitive and posted a 2-1 week. Their lone loss came against the Pistons in Denver in a very close game, 93-90. Anthony is expected to be out for at least two to three more weeks.
8 (9) Suns 21-13
Entering the season, the Suns Amare Stoudemire was anticipating leading the league in scoring. He figured Shaq would be his sidekick. Well, just the opposite has happened. I predicted that for the Suns to be successful, Shaq would have to be more dominant than he was before leaving the Heat. At 17.4ppg and 9rpg, it is fair to say Shaq has not disappointed.
9 (14) Rockets 24-15
I don’t know how they keep doing it, but the Rockets having been finding ways to win when they need to. A 3-1 week and the return of Tracy McGrady have the Rockets being very optimistic as of late.
10 (15) Jazz 22-15
Carlos Boozer was quoted saying he would test the free agent market at the end of the season. I don’t expect the Jazz to let him walk, but it wouldn’t surprise me to see them trade him before the trade deadline, when he returns from his injury. Reason: Paul Millsap, Boozer’s replacement averaged 18.33ppg and 11.66rpg in 3 wins in week 11. He’s been averaging similar numbers since entering the starting lineup. The Jazz believes with minutes he will make up for Boozer, not to mention he is a better defender than Boozer, a staple that Jazz coach Jerry Sloan craves.
11 (13) Trail Blazers 22-15
The Blazers attempted to scare teams by sending out emails to the rest of the league, warning them that the signing of Darius Miles would lead to a law suit. Sorry, but the threats were ignored by the Memphis Grizzlies. If Miles plays two games for Memphis and he will, the Blazers will have to include Miles salary to their cap which will slow down their rapid rise and prevent them from signing certain players.
12 (10) Pistons 22-13
Allen Iverson returned to Denver and led the Pistons to a 93-90 win over his old team. After going 11-11 in the first 22 games after trading for Iverson, the Pistons seem to have made the adjustment by winning 7 out of their last 8 games.
13 (7) Hawks 22-14
The Hawks players sincerely felt that even if the Cavs and Celts were a step above them, at least the Magic were on their level. I for one also shared that sentiment until last week. The Magic beat the Hawks in Atlanta, but followed up with a 121-87 blowout of the Hawks in Orlando. At one point, the Hawks were down 50 points in that game. Add insult to injury, the Hawks Al Hartford was injured in that game and will be out for at least a week. An 0-3 week was the result of all the adversity in Hawks land.
14 (12) Mavericks 22-15
Shaq has come back to haunt the Mavericks all over again. A 25 points, 10 rebounds performance against Eric Dampier, his old nemesis was evident of that. The Mavs started the week with two wins, but ended it with two straight losses to the Suns and the Sacramento Kings.
15 (11) Heat 19-17
The Heat had a miserable 1-3 week with their lone loss coming against the Kings in Sacramento. They even needed overtime to win that game. With his team losing, D-Wade chances of winning the MVP award has dropped from second to fifth place. He still leads the league in scoring with 29ppg.
16 (16) Bucks 18-21
The Bucks went 2-2 in week 11 and should have an upside when center Bogut returns from an injury. They have battle injuries all season and are anticipating their team to be at full strength very soon. Over their last 5 games Charlie Villanueva has been very impressive averaging 19.4ppg. The Bucks could be very interesting if they could get him to play consistently.
17 (17) Nets 18-19
Just when you were rooting for the Nets point guard Devin Harris to make the all-star team, a hammy injury may have put a dent in his armor. Now the Nets Yi is also expected to be out for a month with a recent pinkie injury. I am expecting a downward spiral until both players return to the Nets lineup.
18 (23) 76ers 17-20
Entering week 11, I realize that the 76ers were winning .391 with Brand and .400 without him. After going a perfect 4-0 in week 11, it seems they may be better without him. The Sixers are more of an up tempo that thrives on running the break. Brand slows them down by clogging the middle.
19 (20) Bobcats 14-24
A 2-2 week was decent for a team like the Bobcats, but an overtime win over the slumping Celtics was the highlight. The Bobcats are gauging trade scenarios and I am sure they will make at least one trade before the trade deadline.
20 (18) Raptors 16-22
Nobody is going to trade for Jermaine O’Neal, not when he is due a whopping $23 million next season not to menton $21 million for this season. The Raptors must duplicate what the Phoenix Suns did. Use O’Neal more on offense, similarly to what the Suns did with their O’Neal. It’s that simple and maybe their only choice.
21 (22) Bulls 16-21
As expected, the Bulls are trying to trade Larry Hughes, but unfortunately for them nobody wants Hughes. Ben Gordon is doing his best to keep them competitive with his team leading 21ppg, which should definitely assure him a nice contract extension when he becomes a free agent in the summer.
22 (25) Timberwolves 11-25
Kevin McHale drafted and traded Brandon Roy to the Blazers for Randy Foye. So far the Blazers have gotten the better of the trade and Foye simply hasn’t measured up. All that changed when McHale took over as the head coach. Over the last games all wins, Foye averaged 20.8ppg making 50 percent of his shots. I guess he’s playing his heart out, for the man who traded all-star Brandon Roy for him.
23 (21) Pacers 13-24
Mike Dunleavy returned to the lineup for the first time all season. The impact of his return means, Danny Granger will have another weapon spreading the floor which should allow him to score even easier. For the season, Granger is averaging 26.4ppg and will definitely make the Eastern Conference All-Star team this year.
24 (19) Knicks 13-22
Mike D’Antoni and his New York Knick are an exciting team with their super up tempo style of play. Because they are in the Eastern Conference, I expect them to stay in the playoff race. Maybe they’ll make it as the eighth seed, or maybe they’ll fall short by a hair.
25 (26) Warriors 11-28
The Warriors were not a good team to begin with. Add in all the injuries and their record is indicative of where they should be. Monte Ellis is expected to return soon and along with Jax will play spoiler by beating a few good teams. Too bad they are not in the East, because they would actually make the playoffs by season’s end.
26 (24) Grizzlies 11-26
I commend the Grizzlies for a move that actually benefits them in more ways than not. They figured they will have a very high draft pick, which could be packaged with a player for perhaps a Carlos Boozer or someone of that magnitude. Rookies O.J. Mayo and Gasol will be one year better and so will Rudy Gay. Portland will have to make do with what they have, which in my opinion will almost put the Grizzlies on the same level. So signing Miles was a brilliant move on their part.
27 (28) Kings 9-29
Kevin Martin is back and putting up chunky numbers like I expected him to. Martin is averaging 31.8ppg while making 48.9 percent of his shots over the last 5 games. The Kings were 1-4 during the stretch, but Martin has been the one bright spot. I think if he stays healthy, he could lead the league in scoring this season.
28 (30) Thunder 6-32
Nenad Krstic was an excellent pickup for the Thunder. They were 2-2 in week 11 and their upside looks very promising. I don’t expect them to move up this season, but with their high draft pick and an improve core from this season, you can expect the Thunder to rise rather quickly by next season.
29 (27) Wizards 7-29
Gilbert Arenas will not be returning this season, but I am still disappointed with the Wizards record. With two previous all-stars, I expected a much better record even with Arenas out. The one positive is the Wizards will have a top 5 draft pick and Gilbert Arenas returning to the Roster next season.
30 (29) Clippers 8-29
I definitely expect the Clippers to trade Chris Kaman and rumor has it Cleveland will be his destination. The Clippers are anticipating a high draft pick and a healthy Baron Davis for next season. Also, a good enough cap space will be created by trading Chris Kaman, which should allow them to sign a very good player during the summer.
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