RK LAST RK
1 (2) THUNDER 17-3
By virtue of having the best record in the NBA, OKC has to be ranked first entering week 6. However, here's a stat you might find very interesting. Only one of the Thunder 17 wins came against a team with a plus .500 record.
2 (1) BULLS 17-5
It was a real gutsy effort to go on the road and almost get a win against the Heat in Miami without Deng. Rose shot 11-of-28 from the field and it seemed like deja vu all over again. I know it's early, but the Bulls need to make a big splash by the trade deadline if they expect to get out of the East, or else I can see them relying heavily on Rose once again and that will not lead to a championship.
3 (9) HEAT 15-5
The Heat went 5-1 during their last six games before Wade returned and once he did, he told Lebron to continue to be aggressive. Moving forward, I think that advise will serve well, because Lebron has a tendency of taken a backseat to Wade way too often. Miami did not lose the Finals because of Wade, they lost the Finals because Lebron was very passive on offense. If Lebron can maintain his season average in the playoffs and the FINALS, the Heat will win the championship this season.
4 (7) HAWKS 15-6
One thing I can say about the Hawks this season and that is they win the games they are suppose to win. Against sub .500 teams they have a 12-1 record this season, but they are only 3-5 against teams with .500 or better records. Collectively the Hawks top four scorers have all increased their scoring since Horford went down.
5 (6) SIXERS 14-6
The Sixers have the stingiest defense entering week 6 to go along with the league's fourth best offense, but the next 7 games will be a solid measuring stick on how good this team really is. Each of their next 7 opponents have a plus .500 record.
6 (5) NUGGETS 14-6
The Denver Nuggets have the second best record in the West mainly because they lead the league in points at 105.8 and assist with 24.4 per game. Timofey Mozgov is emerging as a solid center for the Nuggets. In their last 10 games, Mozgov averaged 8ppg, 5.6rpg and 1.6bpg in only 20.8 minutes per game. The Nuggets posted an 8-2 record during that stretch.
7 (4) PACERS 13-6
The Pacers Danny Granger claimed that he and center Roy Hibbert deserves to make the all-star team because of their record. I think Granger makes a strong case for Hibbert who is averaging 14.2ppg, 9.8rpg and 1.7 blocks at the center position. Unfortunately, Granger is only shooting .383 percent from the field so as of now, I doubt he's on track to make the all-star team.
8 (8) CLIPPERS 11-6
CP3 is back from his injury and the Clippers are 2-1 since, but the highlight of the week had to be Billups return to home town Denver Colorado. Billups scored a season high 32 points to lead the Clippers to a 109-105 win over the Nuggets in Denver. If I had to point out one negative for the Clippers it would have to be the fact that Blake Griffin is making on 50 percent of his free throw attempts. He must improve on that and add a consistent 18-foot jumper in order for the Clippers to take the next step.
9 (12) MAVERICKS 13-8
Since starting the season 1-4, the Mavs have gone on to win 12 of their last 16 games. The bad news is Dirk and Lamar Odom are both having a terrible year. They average a combined 25.8 points with only 10.1 rebounds per game. Just to put things in perspective, last season Dirk and Lamar averaged a combined 38.1ppg and 15.7rpg. Obviously Dirk has been slowed by a knee injury and Odom is still adjusting to leaving the Lakers, but I expect them to eventually come around.
10 (13) ROCKETS 12-8
The Rockets have been on a tear as of late, winning 9 of their last 10 games. According to Rockets new head Kevin McHale, the players have settled into their roles, which was something that wasn't happening in the beginning of the season when the team had a 3-7 record. To add to that, I think the Rockets players were on egg shells early on, because most of them expected to get traded before the arrival of Samuel Dalembert.
11 (11) JAZZ 11-7
The Jazz backcourt tandem of Devin Harris and Earl Watson are averaging a combined13.1ppg, 8.9apg, which to me is not enough. Just a few years ago, Harris averaged over 21ppg and even last year he averaged 15.8 points a game. This season, he's down to 9.2ppg, which is a disappointment. The Jazz will not make the playoffs with Harris averaging 9.2ppg, because they definitely need his offense.
12 (16) TRAIL BLAZERS 12-8
The Blazers are two players deep at every position, but there are some staggering stats that needs to be pointed out. Jamal Crawford and Raymond Felton - the Blazers only point guard - are averaging a combined 23.5ppg. Great right? Absolutely not! They make only 8.4 of their combined 23 shot attempts, for a miserable .365 shooting percentage. Their percentage from 3s is far worse. They make only 2 of the 7.4 3-pointers they attempt per game, which is only 27 percent. No matter how you slice it, those number are just atrocious and that explains the Blazers inconsistency early on.
13 (15) LAKERS 12-9
The Lakers have really struggled as of late. A 3-5 Record over their last 8 games and a 2-7 overall road record should have Lakers fans concern. A Bynum-for-Howard trade will make the Lakers better, but unless Kobe gets another player to help him on the perimeter, the Lakers will have no chance of winning a title this season.
14 (3) MAGIC 12-8
With the exception of the Tuesday 102-83 win in Indy, the Magic had one of their worst week in recent history. As if a 24.6 shooting percentage and scoring only 56-points against the Celtics wasn't bad enough, the Magic followed it up by blowing a 27-point lead to the same Celtics team just a few days later. Dwight Howard called out his team, Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy looked dejected and the Magic team as a whole look like a total mess right now.
15 (14) SPURS
With two straight losses, the Spurs are actually tied with the Lakers for the eighth and final playoff spot. The Spurs are only 2-8 on the road this season so you have to be concern if you are a Spurs fan, because the Spurs are about to enter a very crucial stretch. Ten of the team's next 13 games are on the road, so either the Spurs will overcome their road demons, or they could find themselves falling out of the playoff picture. I expect them to figure it out.
16 (17) CELTICS 9-10
The Celtics looked very impressive with back-to-back wins over the Magic, but then they reverted back to their poor early season play, by allowing the Cavs to go on a 12-0 run to end the game, which led to a 88-87 loss in Boston. Despite the loss, the Celtics players have a much better body language than they did a few weeks ago.
17 (17) GRIZZLIES
Until last week the Grizzlies were doing their best to stay in the playoff race, but with 3 straight road losses, the Griz now find themselves one game behind the Lakers for the eighth and final playoffs spot in the West. I'm not sure if coach Hollins is trying to motivate his troops, or the rumors are true - that Z-Bo may be out for the season - but Hollins is believed to be preparing his team to move forward as if Z-Bo will not be returning this season.
18 (19) BUCKS 8-11
The Bucks are winners of four of their last six game, with impressive wins over the Heat, Rockets and Lakers, but they can't seem to get a break. Actually Andrew Bogut - the Bucks starting center - can't seem to get a break. The poor guy went down with yet another injury (ankle), and is expected to miss 8-to-12 weeks.
19 (21) CAVALIERS 8-11
With Bogut out 8-to-12 weeks and the Knicks falling apart, the Cavalier just might get lucky and sneak into the playoffs in the East. Currently they are tied with the Bucks for the eighth seed and I'm sure their 12-0 run to end the game in Boston for a 88-87 win, will give them a little momentum moving forward.
20 (20) TIMBERWOLVES 9-11
For those of you jumping on the bandwagon claiming that rookie Ricky Rubio should win the ROY Award, I think you need to hold on. I know Rubio is third in NBA in assists and steals with 8.8apg and 2.3spg, but I cannot turn a blind eye on his poor .371 shooting percentage, especially with the Cavs' Kyrie Irving making over .516 percent of his shots. Rubio is a phenom, but for him to take the next step, his shooting will have to improve.
21 (18) SUNS
Maybe it's a financial decision to hang on to Steve Nash, considering Forbes just estimated the Suns value at $450 million. Perhaps the Suns management figures, why trade Nash, when they clearly will not get equal value in return. So if that means bleeding the guy dry and milking him for every ounce of what he has left, then so be it. To me, this has been one of the saddest story lines in the NBA, because I really believe Nash deserves a chance to be on a contender.
22 (22) KNICKS
With only one win in their last 10 outings, It would be fair to say that the Knicks are the most disappointing team so far this season. Things are so bad that the Knicks had to sit Carmelo (wrist and ankle), but the reality is they figure they are just as bad without him. If I were the Knicks I would trade Amare and Chandler for Dwight and Jameer Nelson like yesterday. Unfortunately, I think coach D'Antoni will be the first to go.
23 (24) WARRIORS 6-12
The Warriors are currently 4.5 games out of the playoffs and their chances of making it are dwindling by the minute, but it is not over yet. Steph curry is back, which will definitely help, but the Warriors need a big man and Chris Kaman is on the trading block. If the Warriors acquire Kaman, he could easily average 12ppg, 10rpg and 2 blocks, which ironically is even better than what Tyson Chandler or DeAndre Jordan would've given the Warriors had the team landed one of those players. With Kaman, the Warriors would then have a decent chance of making the playoffs.
24 (25) NETS 7-14
I expect Deron Williams to really put his foot to the medal and take over the scoring load, because not only do the team need it, but anything could happen in the Eastern Conference. Currently the Nets are only 2 games out of the playoffs.
25 (27) RAPTORS 7-14
Bargnani returned for two games and averaged 30.5ppg to lead the Raptors to two straight wins, but a calf injury caused him to miss the team's last two games. The good news is test showed no significant damage, but unfortunately Barnani will be out indefinitely.
BOTTOM FEEDERS
26 (23) KINGS
It's only a matter of time before the Kings leave Sacramento. The reason I say this, is because rather than spending money on free agents, the team decided to remain bad with a bunch of young players. The good news is they are situated well below the cap for next season, the bad news is it probably won't be in Sacramento.
27 (30) WIZARDS 4-16
After being ranked 30th for most of the season, the Wizards finally moved up a few spots. They are 2-1 over their last 3 games, but before you jump for joy Wizards fans, it needs to be noted that both wins came against the Charlotte Bobcats, the team with the worse record in the NBA.
28 (26) PISTONS 4-17
I know there's no constellation price for almost winning, but the Pistons came real close to defeating two of the best teams in the East. They lost 101-98 to Miami and Atlanta needed a 107-101 OT win to defeat the Pistons. That said, I expect this team to be on my bottom feeders list for a while.
29 (29) HORNETS 4-16
This team is a bottom feeder right now and probably won't make the playoffs, but I expect them to move up in the standings once Eric Gordon returns. Speaking of Gordon, he turned down a 4 year/$50 million extension, because he was looking for a max deal in the neighborhood of 4 years/$61 million or 5 years/$80 million. With Gordon playing in only two games this season due to injuries, coupled with the fact that the NBA is trying to find a buyer for the Hornets, I knew a max deal was not going to be offered. Obviously the league intends to keep the team in a great position financially, so that it is appealing for a new buyer.
30 (28) BOBCATS 3-18
The Bobcats are have the worst record in the league, so as expected they enter week 6
ranked 30th. Regardless of how bad the Bobcats are, at least Michael Jordan - the team's owner - will not lose money this year, thanks to his hard line stance during the collective bargaining negotiations.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Monday, January 23, 2012
NBA WIZARD 2011-2012 POWER RANKING: WEEK 5
RK LAST RK
1 (1) BULLS 15-3
The Bulls leads the NBA in rebounding with 45.5 per game and also have the league's stingiest defense, which allows opponents to score only 85.3 points per game. Even with Rose out - nursing a turf toe - the Bulls still finished last week with a 3-1 record.
2 (2) THUNDER 13-3
Say what you want about Russell Westbrook shooting too much, but know this, Westbrook isn't going to be traded anytime soon. The Thunder recently signed Westbrook to a 5-year $80 million extension and he certainly hasn't disappointed as of late. Over the Thunder last 5 games, Westbrook is averaging 25.2ppg, 6.4apg, 5.0rpg and shooting 48.5 percent from the floor.
3 (8) MAGIC 11-4
I believe the Orlando Magic management might be considering rolling the dice and probably hanging on to their all-star center Dwight Howard past the trade deadline. They caught between "fools gold" and simple logic. Fools gold, in that their 11-4 record is the third best in the league, so they are really tempted to keep the momentum going. Simple logic should tell them to trade Dwight before the March 15th trade deadline, or risk losing him like they did Shaq to the Lakers in the 90s. Maybe they will pull off a block-buster trade and bring another big-time player to help Dwight.
4 (5) PACERS 11-4
Are you kidding me? The Pacers are actually tied with the Magic for the third best record in the league. If you're wondering how, just consider the fact that they are second best rebounding team at 45.4, which is only a hair behind the Bulls' 45.4. They also have the league's forth best defense in terms of opponent points allowed at 89.7 per game. You add that to the fact that they have 7 players averaging double figures in scoring and you can see how this team has the third best record in the league.
5 (13) NUGGETS 12-5
Here's an interesting stat for you. The Nuggets have the third best record in the NBA at 30-12 since trading away Carmelo Anthony. The trade made the Nuggets a very deep team. Basically, they have two players at every position with the exception of the center spot.
6 (3) SIXERS 11-5
Jodie Meeks is averaging 8.8ppg for the Sixers. If he averaged 1.2 more points, he would be the eighth player on the Sixers averaging double-figures in points. The Sixers have the second best defense in the league, which only allows 88.3ppg. As a team, they average 99.8 points per game, which is third best in the league. Experience, or lack thereof is the only thing holding this team back.
7 (9) HAWKS 12-5
Al who? Just kidding, but you have the give the Hawks credit for responding the way they have since Al Horford - their starting center - went down. When Horford went down for the season, I expected the Hawks to struggle, but I guess they are not ready to do that yet. The team has a 5-1 record since his injury and the Hawks $126 million-man Joe Johnson has been the catalyst, leading the way with over 22ppg since.
8 (6) CLIPPERS 9-5
The Clippers Chris Paul has been out of the lineup for the last 4-games due to a hamstring injury and team has a 2-2 record during that stretch. Over the last 3-games though, Mo Williams has been an absolute beast on offense. Williams averaged 25.7ppg over the Clippers last 3-games and shot an insane .644 percent from the field. The bad news is despite making up for CP3's offense, Williams is not quite the play maker.
9 (10) HEAT 11-5
Don't be fooled by the Heat's 6-1 record without Wade, because without him, they are back to being the Cleveland Cavaliers during the Lebron-days. They definitely need Wade back in the lineup, unless of course, Orlando agreed to a straight up Wade-for-Dwight deal. In that case, I'll pull the trigger in a heartbeat if I were Pat Riley.
10 (16) GRIZZLIES 9-6
The Grizzlies have certainly taken advantage of the schedule recently. Five of their 6 straight wins have come against teams with sub .500 records, with the Bulls being the only exception. Last week I predicted that the Grizzlies had to go 12-12 during the next 24-games in order to stay in the playoffs race and so far they are on track.
11 (12) JAZZ 10-5
The Jazz are 11th in points at 96.2, 10th in rebounds at 43.2, 12th in assist and 21.2 per game. If you average out those three numbers you'll get eleven, and that is exactly where the Jazz are ranked entering week 5. I think it's time for me to start giving coach Ty Corbin is props, because in my opinion, he has the Jazz exceeding beyond expectations.
12 (11) DALLAS 10-7
The Mavs would be sporting a 6-game winning steak if not for their back-to-back losses in Los Angeles against Lakers and Clippers. If you are a Mavs fan, you have to be optimistic, because both losses were very winnable games. A 73-70 loss to the Lakers followed by a 91-89 loss to the Clippers was only a slight stumble, because clearly, the Mavs have turned their season around.
13 (18) ROCKETS 9-7
All season long I've been saying that the Rockets needed an inside presence, or else they have no chance of making the playoffs. I definitely didn't think Samuel Dalembert was the answer, but over the last 6-games, man was I wrong! Dalembert has controlled the paint and helped the Rockets win 6 straight by averaging 14.7ppg, 11.3rpg and 2.67bps. I really don't think he can continue at this pace, but if he averages 12ppg, 10rpg and 2.5 or more blocks for the rest of the season, the Rockets will have a good chance of making the playoffs.
14 (4) SPURS 10-7
The Spurs were 9-0 at home, but winless on the road at 0-5 before finally pulling out an 85-83 OT win over the Magic in Orlando for their first road win of the season. This team is a 6th seed at best without Manu, so until he returns you can expect the losses to pile up, especially on the road.
15 (7) LAKERS 10-8
What a difference a week makes? Just a week ago ago, Kobe was putting up 40 or more points in 4 straight game and everyone including myself, was declaring that he was the early season MVP, but then came last week and everything changed. Bryant averaged 25.5ppg on .43 percent shooting, which was respectable, but it only led to one win in 4 games. Bottom line, the Lakers have to get Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum more involved in the offense, or should I say Mike Brown's non-offense. The Lakers currently average only 92.3 point per game, which ranks them at 20th in the league.
16 (14) TRAIL BLAZERS 9-7
I understand 4 of their last 5 losses have come against teams with plus .500 records, but isn't the Blazers supposed to be a championship contender? The Blazers have a 2-5 record over their last 7 games and that has to change.
17 (20) CELTICS 6-9
The Celtics are extremely lucky to be in the Eastern Conference, because even with their terrible record, they are currently the 7th seed in the East. Rondo missed the last two game due to a wrist injury, but I don't expect him to be out much longer.
18 (22) SUNS 6-9
The Suns finally ended their 5-game losing streak by defeating the struggling Knicks and Celtics. Suns center Marcin Gortat continues to play well, but outside of him and Nash, the Suns don't have anyone else to speak of.
19 (19) BUCKS 6-9
The Bucks are finally at full strength with Andrew Bogut back in the lineup. The Bucks are 6-4 with Bogut in the lineup this season and 0-5 without him. Brandon Jennings is almost having an all-star year. For the season he's averaging 20.1ppg, 5.1apg on .447 percent shooting. If he maintains those averages and Bogut remains healthy, the Bucks will wrestle the 8th seed away from the Cavaliers in the East.
20 (23) TIMBERWOLVES 7-9
Kevin Love hit an impressive fade-away 3-pointer to eek out a 101-98 win over the Clippers in L.A. and that was right after rookie Ricky Rubio's game tying 3-pointer. Kevin Love does struggle on defense and that is why his numbers haven't equated into more wins for the Wolves, but Rubio on the other hand, will be a very good defender in this league. Currently Rubio's 2.44 steals per game, ranks him at fourth overall in the league.
21 (17) CAVALIERS 6-9
The Cavs are not going to make the playoffs so please don't lose sleep over their recent 3-game losing streak, especially when two of those losses were against the Bulls and Hawks. Regardless of whether they make the playoffs or not, Cavs fans will have one thing to be excited about all season long and his name is Kyrie Irving. The rookie is averaging 17.4ppg, 4.9apg on .50 percent shooting from the field and .425 from 3s. If the season ended today, he would win the Rookie of the Year hands down.
22 (15) KNICKS 6-10
The Knicks are 20-23 since trading for Carmelo Anthony. Mike D'Antoni is suppose to be an offensive coach, but since Melo's arrival, the Knicks have struggled to score. Before I pass judgement, I would like to see a healthy Baron Davis in the Knicks lineup. If the Knicks continue to struggle when Davis joins the team, coach D'Antoni will be used as the scapegoat and will definitely not make it to the end of the season.
23 (24) KINGS 6-11
The Sacramento Kings are the worst defensive team in the NBA. They allow their opponents a whopping 101.6ppg. To make matters worst, they don't share the ball at all. They are ranked dead last in assist at only 15.1 per game.
24 (21) WARRIORS 5-10
Steph Curry is back, so I expect the Warriors to be much improved. The good news is, the Warriors are currently only 3.5 game out of the playoffs. The bad news is, 11 of their next 15 opponents are against teams that have .500 or better records. Hopefully, Curry's ankle has healed completely so he can prove to the Warriors that he was worth keeping, rather than been traded.
25 (28) NETS 5-12
Deron Williams finally confirmed what I've been saying all season and that is, if the Nets do not land Dwight Howard, Williams would leave at the end of the season when he becomes a free agent. At this point, I think getting Dwight may be a long shot, but anything could change between now and the trade deadline.
BOTTOM FEEDERS
26 (27) PISTONS 4-13
A team with Rodney Stuckey, Tayshaun Prince and Ben Gordon is being led in scoring by center Greg Monroe. No wonder why the Pistons are lowest scoring team in the NBA at only 85.3 per game. I expect this trend to continue because they are also the worst rebounding team in the league.
27 (25) RAPTORS 4-13
Imagine being one of the lowest scoring teams in the league, then imagine losing your leading scorer and his 22.3ppg. As expected, the Raptors have struggled scoring and it's no coincidence that their record is 0-6 since Bargani's been out.
28 (26) BOBCATS 3-14
You know the team is bad, when Michael Jordan - the Bobcats owner - is putting a video compilation together for Gerald Henderson, the team's leading scorer at only 15.5ppg. At this point, the Bobcats best chance may be to increase their odds of landing the first draft pick in the lottery this summer.
29 (29)HORNETS 3-13
Word out of New Orleans is that Eric Gordon would like to sign a contract extension. Sure, in his dreams! The Hornets have the second worst record in the league and are currently in need of a new owner, not to mention Gordon has only played in 2 games this entire season. I think Eric Gordon's chance of getting an extension are extremely slim right now.
30 (30) WIZARDS 2-14
John Wall has been absolutely sensational over the Wizards last five games. Even though The Wizards only won one of their last five games, but Wall was certainly not the blame. He averaged 24.4ppg, 8.4apg and made .885 percent of his 10.4 free-throw attempts per game. I rather see Wall dominate than Jordan Crawford, or Nick Young whose obviously playing for a new contract.
1 (1) BULLS 15-3
The Bulls leads the NBA in rebounding with 45.5 per game and also have the league's stingiest defense, which allows opponents to score only 85.3 points per game. Even with Rose out - nursing a turf toe - the Bulls still finished last week with a 3-1 record.
2 (2) THUNDER 13-3
Say what you want about Russell Westbrook shooting too much, but know this, Westbrook isn't going to be traded anytime soon. The Thunder recently signed Westbrook to a 5-year $80 million extension and he certainly hasn't disappointed as of late. Over the Thunder last 5 games, Westbrook is averaging 25.2ppg, 6.4apg, 5.0rpg and shooting 48.5 percent from the floor.
3 (8) MAGIC 11-4
I believe the Orlando Magic management might be considering rolling the dice and probably hanging on to their all-star center Dwight Howard past the trade deadline. They caught between "fools gold" and simple logic. Fools gold, in that their 11-4 record is the third best in the league, so they are really tempted to keep the momentum going. Simple logic should tell them to trade Dwight before the March 15th trade deadline, or risk losing him like they did Shaq to the Lakers in the 90s. Maybe they will pull off a block-buster trade and bring another big-time player to help Dwight.
4 (5) PACERS 11-4
Are you kidding me? The Pacers are actually tied with the Magic for the third best record in the league. If you're wondering how, just consider the fact that they are second best rebounding team at 45.4, which is only a hair behind the Bulls' 45.4. They also have the league's forth best defense in terms of opponent points allowed at 89.7 per game. You add that to the fact that they have 7 players averaging double figures in scoring and you can see how this team has the third best record in the league.
5 (13) NUGGETS 12-5
Here's an interesting stat for you. The Nuggets have the third best record in the NBA at 30-12 since trading away Carmelo Anthony. The trade made the Nuggets a very deep team. Basically, they have two players at every position with the exception of the center spot.
6 (3) SIXERS 11-5
Jodie Meeks is averaging 8.8ppg for the Sixers. If he averaged 1.2 more points, he would be the eighth player on the Sixers averaging double-figures in points. The Sixers have the second best defense in the league, which only allows 88.3ppg. As a team, they average 99.8 points per game, which is third best in the league. Experience, or lack thereof is the only thing holding this team back.
7 (9) HAWKS 12-5
Al who? Just kidding, but you have the give the Hawks credit for responding the way they have since Al Horford - their starting center - went down. When Horford went down for the season, I expected the Hawks to struggle, but I guess they are not ready to do that yet. The team has a 5-1 record since his injury and the Hawks $126 million-man Joe Johnson has been the catalyst, leading the way with over 22ppg since.
8 (6) CLIPPERS 9-5
The Clippers Chris Paul has been out of the lineup for the last 4-games due to a hamstring injury and team has a 2-2 record during that stretch. Over the last 3-games though, Mo Williams has been an absolute beast on offense. Williams averaged 25.7ppg over the Clippers last 3-games and shot an insane .644 percent from the field. The bad news is despite making up for CP3's offense, Williams is not quite the play maker.
9 (10) HEAT 11-5
Don't be fooled by the Heat's 6-1 record without Wade, because without him, they are back to being the Cleveland Cavaliers during the Lebron-days. They definitely need Wade back in the lineup, unless of course, Orlando agreed to a straight up Wade-for-Dwight deal. In that case, I'll pull the trigger in a heartbeat if I were Pat Riley.
10 (16) GRIZZLIES 9-6
The Grizzlies have certainly taken advantage of the schedule recently. Five of their 6 straight wins have come against teams with sub .500 records, with the Bulls being the only exception. Last week I predicted that the Grizzlies had to go 12-12 during the next 24-games in order to stay in the playoffs race and so far they are on track.
11 (12) JAZZ 10-5
The Jazz are 11th in points at 96.2, 10th in rebounds at 43.2, 12th in assist and 21.2 per game. If you average out those three numbers you'll get eleven, and that is exactly where the Jazz are ranked entering week 5. I think it's time for me to start giving coach Ty Corbin is props, because in my opinion, he has the Jazz exceeding beyond expectations.
12 (11) DALLAS 10-7
The Mavs would be sporting a 6-game winning steak if not for their back-to-back losses in Los Angeles against Lakers and Clippers. If you are a Mavs fan, you have to be optimistic, because both losses were very winnable games. A 73-70 loss to the Lakers followed by a 91-89 loss to the Clippers was only a slight stumble, because clearly, the Mavs have turned their season around.
13 (18) ROCKETS 9-7
All season long I've been saying that the Rockets needed an inside presence, or else they have no chance of making the playoffs. I definitely didn't think Samuel Dalembert was the answer, but over the last 6-games, man was I wrong! Dalembert has controlled the paint and helped the Rockets win 6 straight by averaging 14.7ppg, 11.3rpg and 2.67bps. I really don't think he can continue at this pace, but if he averages 12ppg, 10rpg and 2.5 or more blocks for the rest of the season, the Rockets will have a good chance of making the playoffs.
14 (4) SPURS 10-7
The Spurs were 9-0 at home, but winless on the road at 0-5 before finally pulling out an 85-83 OT win over the Magic in Orlando for their first road win of the season. This team is a 6th seed at best without Manu, so until he returns you can expect the losses to pile up, especially on the road.
15 (7) LAKERS 10-8
What a difference a week makes? Just a week ago ago, Kobe was putting up 40 or more points in 4 straight game and everyone including myself, was declaring that he was the early season MVP, but then came last week and everything changed. Bryant averaged 25.5ppg on .43 percent shooting, which was respectable, but it only led to one win in 4 games. Bottom line, the Lakers have to get Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum more involved in the offense, or should I say Mike Brown's non-offense. The Lakers currently average only 92.3 point per game, which ranks them at 20th in the league.
16 (14) TRAIL BLAZERS 9-7
I understand 4 of their last 5 losses have come against teams with plus .500 records, but isn't the Blazers supposed to be a championship contender? The Blazers have a 2-5 record over their last 7 games and that has to change.
17 (20) CELTICS 6-9
The Celtics are extremely lucky to be in the Eastern Conference, because even with their terrible record, they are currently the 7th seed in the East. Rondo missed the last two game due to a wrist injury, but I don't expect him to be out much longer.
18 (22) SUNS 6-9
The Suns finally ended their 5-game losing streak by defeating the struggling Knicks and Celtics. Suns center Marcin Gortat continues to play well, but outside of him and Nash, the Suns don't have anyone else to speak of.
19 (19) BUCKS 6-9
The Bucks are finally at full strength with Andrew Bogut back in the lineup. The Bucks are 6-4 with Bogut in the lineup this season and 0-5 without him. Brandon Jennings is almost having an all-star year. For the season he's averaging 20.1ppg, 5.1apg on .447 percent shooting. If he maintains those averages and Bogut remains healthy, the Bucks will wrestle the 8th seed away from the Cavaliers in the East.
20 (23) TIMBERWOLVES 7-9
Kevin Love hit an impressive fade-away 3-pointer to eek out a 101-98 win over the Clippers in L.A. and that was right after rookie Ricky Rubio's game tying 3-pointer. Kevin Love does struggle on defense and that is why his numbers haven't equated into more wins for the Wolves, but Rubio on the other hand, will be a very good defender in this league. Currently Rubio's 2.44 steals per game, ranks him at fourth overall in the league.
21 (17) CAVALIERS 6-9
The Cavs are not going to make the playoffs so please don't lose sleep over their recent 3-game losing streak, especially when two of those losses were against the Bulls and Hawks. Regardless of whether they make the playoffs or not, Cavs fans will have one thing to be excited about all season long and his name is Kyrie Irving. The rookie is averaging 17.4ppg, 4.9apg on .50 percent shooting from the field and .425 from 3s. If the season ended today, he would win the Rookie of the Year hands down.
22 (15) KNICKS 6-10
The Knicks are 20-23 since trading for Carmelo Anthony. Mike D'Antoni is suppose to be an offensive coach, but since Melo's arrival, the Knicks have struggled to score. Before I pass judgement, I would like to see a healthy Baron Davis in the Knicks lineup. If the Knicks continue to struggle when Davis joins the team, coach D'Antoni will be used as the scapegoat and will definitely not make it to the end of the season.
23 (24) KINGS 6-11
The Sacramento Kings are the worst defensive team in the NBA. They allow their opponents a whopping 101.6ppg. To make matters worst, they don't share the ball at all. They are ranked dead last in assist at only 15.1 per game.
24 (21) WARRIORS 5-10
Steph Curry is back, so I expect the Warriors to be much improved. The good news is, the Warriors are currently only 3.5 game out of the playoffs. The bad news is, 11 of their next 15 opponents are against teams that have .500 or better records. Hopefully, Curry's ankle has healed completely so he can prove to the Warriors that he was worth keeping, rather than been traded.
25 (28) NETS 5-12
Deron Williams finally confirmed what I've been saying all season and that is, if the Nets do not land Dwight Howard, Williams would leave at the end of the season when he becomes a free agent. At this point, I think getting Dwight may be a long shot, but anything could change between now and the trade deadline.
BOTTOM FEEDERS
26 (27) PISTONS 4-13
A team with Rodney Stuckey, Tayshaun Prince and Ben Gordon is being led in scoring by center Greg Monroe. No wonder why the Pistons are lowest scoring team in the NBA at only 85.3 per game. I expect this trend to continue because they are also the worst rebounding team in the league.
27 (25) RAPTORS 4-13
Imagine being one of the lowest scoring teams in the league, then imagine losing your leading scorer and his 22.3ppg. As expected, the Raptors have struggled scoring and it's no coincidence that their record is 0-6 since Bargani's been out.
28 (26) BOBCATS 3-14
You know the team is bad, when Michael Jordan - the Bobcats owner - is putting a video compilation together for Gerald Henderson, the team's leading scorer at only 15.5ppg. At this point, the Bobcats best chance may be to increase their odds of landing the first draft pick in the lottery this summer.
29 (29)HORNETS 3-13
Word out of New Orleans is that Eric Gordon would like to sign a contract extension. Sure, in his dreams! The Hornets have the second worst record in the league and are currently in need of a new owner, not to mention Gordon has only played in 2 games this entire season. I think Eric Gordon's chance of getting an extension are extremely slim right now.
30 (30) WIZARDS 2-14
John Wall has been absolutely sensational over the Wizards last five games. Even though The Wizards only won one of their last five games, but Wall was certainly not the blame. He averaged 24.4ppg, 8.4apg and made .885 percent of his 10.4 free-throw attempts per game. I rather see Wall dominate than Jordan Crawford, or Nick Young whose obviously playing for a new contract.
Monday, January 16, 2012
NBA WIZARD 2011-2012 POWER RANKING: WEEK 4
RK LAST RK
1 (3) BULLS 12-2
The Bulls have finally taken over the first spot after 3 weeks thanks in part to their league leading defense, which has allowed opponents an average of only 83.8ppg. Despite having a turf toe injury and missing a game, Derrick Rose - the NBA's reigning MVP - has led his team to the best record in the league.
2 (2) THUNDER 11-2
I expected the Thunder to take a step back after losing their backup point guard Eric Manor for the entire season, but since his injury the team is sporting a 4-0 record. Before jumping for joy Thunder fans, I think it needs to be pointed out that the schedule and some timely injuries helped. The Spurs were without Ginobili, the Grizzlies without Z-Bo, the struggling Knicks without Carmelo and the Hornets 1-9 record speaks for itself.
3 (12) SIXERS 9-3
The Sixers have the highest point differential in the league at 15.2 a game. They average 101.3 points per game, but have the league's second best defense which only gives up 86.2ppg to their opponents. Despite their 9-3 record, I'm not as optimistic as most Sixers fans, because 8 of their 9 wins have come against opponents with sub .500 records.
4 (6) SPURS 9-4
If you take out the Minnesota game in which Ginobili went down, the Spurs have .75 winning percentage with-and-without Ginobili this season. The team was 3-and-1 when Manu was in the lineup and 6-and-2 without him.
5 (9) PACERS 9-3
The Pacers are tied with the Sixers for the third best record in league at 9-3 and their success can be attributed to two things. For starters, they have the league's third best defense which gives up only 88.9ppg. Secondly, they have seven players averaging double figures in points led by Danny Granger's 15.3ppg.
6 (10) CLIPPERS 6-3
Chris Paul was being "Mr. Nice Guy" in the Clippers first seven games of the season, but when the stage presented itself over the last two games, he showed why he's best point guard in the NBA. Against the Heat and the Lakers, CP3 was an absolute beast averaging 30ppg, 8.5apg while making 53.5 percent of his shots. The bad news is CP3 suffered a hamstring injury towards the end of the Lakers game, but fortunately for the Clips the x-rays results came back negative.
7 (11) LAKERS 9-5
If the season ended today, Kobe Bryant would definitely win the MVP Award. The guy has been an absolute DEMON on offense, scoring 40-plus points in four straight games. Kobe is averaging 25.1 shots per game and I know he's capable of keeping that up, but my concern is if he continues at that pace, he could be burned-out by the time the playoffs start.
8 (7) MAGIC 8-3
The Magic have a very respectable 8-3 record and are currently sporting a 3-game winning streak, but the news of the week had to be Dwight Howard's free throw record. Against the Warriors, Howard attempted 39 free throws, which was five more than the previous record of 34 held by Wilt Chamberlain for almost 50 years.
9 (5) HAWKS 9-4
Al Horford will be out for three-to-six months with a pectoral tear injury in his shoulders. The Hawks are off to a good start since Horford's injury, winning their first two games. I expect Joe Johnson and Josh Smith to step up, but without Horford, I don't see the Hawks making further than the Second-Round in the playoffs
10 (1) HEAT 8-4
The Heat lead the league in forced turnovers with 19.4, but as a team, they also average 17.8 a game, which is the worst in the NBA. Lebron leads the way with 3.9, due to the fact that he forces passes rather than taken open shots. With a shooting percentage of .578, Lebron should be averaging 25 shots like Kobe, instead of his 18.7 average. Now that Wade is hurt, maybe Lebron will finally be more aggressive offensively.
11 (16) MAVERICKS 8-5
The Mavericks are sporting a 5-game winning streak and have totally turned the corner after a miserable 1-4 start. Keep in mind, Lamar Odom has played terrible and Jason Kidd has been out with a bad back. Once both player return to form, the Mavs could be an even better team.
12 (13) JAZZ 8-4
I'm sorry Jazz fans, but I hate to tell you that your team is not as good as their 8-4 record. The Jazz are 1-4 against teams with plus .500 record, but 7-0 against teams that are sub .500 and to me that stat tell the whole story.
13 (8) NUGGETS 8-5
The Nuggets are the second highest scoring team in the NBa at 104.1 and first in assist at 24 and first in steals with 10.9 per game. They are definitely an offensive force with great guard play, but unlike the Blazers, they only have Nene in the middle. The fact that they rely too heavily on him to dominate the middle, is the reason I believe they'll fall short.
14 (4) TRAIL BLAZERS 7-5
The Blazers are currently on a 3-game losing streak, but no need to panic Blazer fans. This team in my opinion, has the the best combination of inside-outside players in the entire league, which makes them the most dangerous team in the Western Conference.
15 (14) KNICKS 6-6
The Knicks cannot wait to get Baron Davis in the lineup. Amare Stoudemire in particular will be very ecstatic to see him, because since Tyson Chandler joined the team, Amare has struggled mightily. Having a true play maker like Davis, will help open up things for Amare who currently averaging 18.7ppg and shooting a woeful .417 percent from the field.
16 (19) GRIZZLIES 5-6
The Grizzlies will be without Z-Bo for another six-weeks or 24 games. They must win 12 of those games if they expect to stay in playoff contention. The problem is, 14 of those games will come against teams with plus .500 records.
17 (18) CAVALIERS 5-6
The Cavaliers will not make the playoffs because either the Celtics or the Bucks will surpass them for the eighth spot. However, watching rookie sensation Kyrie Irving has been a thing of beauty. He currently leads the Cavaliers in points and assist at 17ppg and 5.1apg.
18 (24) ROCKETS 5-7
Kyle Lowry's 17.8ppg and 9.3apg rivals the numbers of CP3's (18ppg and8.4apg) and Deron Williams' (18.3ppg and 8.4). CP3 and Williams are considered to be the best points in the NBA, so Lowry numbers speaks volume. The problem is the Rockets do not have any real inside scoring and unless they address that quickly, they might not make the playoffs.
19 (26) BUCKS 4-7
The Bucks chances of making the playoffs rest on the shoulders of Andrew Bogut and not Brandon Jennings as I originally thought. The team began the season 2-2 with Bogut, before he left for personal reason. The Bucks suffered a 4-game losing streak in Bogut's absence and followed that up by winning two straight when Bogut return. He missed the team's last game due to a concussion and of course, the Bucks lost. With Bogut, the bucks are a playoff team, without him, they are lottery-bound.
20 (15) CELTICS 4-7
Paul Pierce struggled mightily over the Celtics current 4-game losing streak and the entire team followed suit. Pierce averaged 15.25ppg on 28.2 percent shooting from the field. A trade must be made, because this team really needs a gut check. At this rate, they might not even make the playoffs at this rate.
21 (25) WARRIORS 4-8
The Warriors could have traded Steph Curry and Klay Thompson for Chris Paul, but they chose not to because CP3 would not commit to an extension. If they had CP3, they could have offered Monte Ellis, Andris Biedrins and any other player to the Magic for Dwight Howard. I'm sure both players would have agreed to re-sign once they were already teammates on the Warriors. Well, that didn't happen, so all the Warriors can do is hope for a healthy and quick return of Steph Curry.
22 (17) SUNS 4-8
Marcin Gortat is averaging a team high 14.3ppg, 8.4rpg and 1.6bpg this season. Gortat can probably start on 25 of 30 NBA teams, but if he is your second best player after to Steve Nash, chances are your team is not going to make the playoffs.
23 (20) TIMBERWOLVES 4-3
Kevin Love is averaging 25ppg and 14.6rpg. Rookie Ricky Rubio has not disappointed and is currently averaging 11ppg, 8.3apg and 2spg. Rookie Derrick Williams is only averaging 7.8, but that's because he's playing only 19.8 minutes per game. The Wolves are not a playoff team, but I can't wait to see what they'll look like next season.
24 (21) KINGS 4-9
The Kings were 2-5 under former head coach Paul Westphal, but only 2-4 under new head coach Keith Smart. I expected to see an improvement, but so far that has not panned out. The bigger issue is that the Maloof - owner of the Kings - have issued another ultimatum to the city of Sacramento to build a new arena, or else the team will be moved.
25 (22) RAPTORS 4-9
The Raptors are the second lowest scoring team in the league, so losing Andrea Bargnani team leading 22.3ppg will make scoring even more difficult. I expect their current 4-game losing streak to continue until Bargnani rejoins the team.
BOTTOM FEEDERS
26 (23) BOBCATS 3-10
I predicted that the Bobcats would make a push for the eighth and final playoff spot in the East and maybe it was because I put too much trust in rookie Kemba Walker. I know it's still early, but this team has a month to turn things around, if not, their playoff hopes will be over.
27 (27) PISTONS 3-10
The Piston are 29th in the league in scoring at 85.4 points and last in rebounding at 37.6 rebounds and I expect this trend to continue, which is why the Pistons will be on my bottom feeder list for the entire season.
28 (29) NETS 3-10
The Nets MarShon Brooks has been their one bright spot, but the team has bigger issues to worry about. The more they lose, the more difficult it will be to convince Deron Williams to re-sign. They must make a trade or two by the deadline if they expect to have any chance of keeping Williams.
29 (28) HORNETS 3-9
The Hornets are 1-1 with Eric Gordon in the lineup and 1-8 without him. At this point, even if Gordon returns and averages 25ppg the rest of the way, I don't see the Hornets making the playoffs.
30 (30) WIZARDS 1-11
Say what you want about the Wizards being selfish or needing a new coach, but it all starts and end with John Wall. His numbers has declined across the board and if he doesn't improve the Wizards will remain at the bottom.
1 (3) BULLS 12-2
The Bulls have finally taken over the first spot after 3 weeks thanks in part to their league leading defense, which has allowed opponents an average of only 83.8ppg. Despite having a turf toe injury and missing a game, Derrick Rose - the NBA's reigning MVP - has led his team to the best record in the league.
2 (2) THUNDER 11-2
I expected the Thunder to take a step back after losing their backup point guard Eric Manor for the entire season, but since his injury the team is sporting a 4-0 record. Before jumping for joy Thunder fans, I think it needs to be pointed out that the schedule and some timely injuries helped. The Spurs were without Ginobili, the Grizzlies without Z-Bo, the struggling Knicks without Carmelo and the Hornets 1-9 record speaks for itself.
3 (12) SIXERS 9-3
The Sixers have the highest point differential in the league at 15.2 a game. They average 101.3 points per game, but have the league's second best defense which only gives up 86.2ppg to their opponents. Despite their 9-3 record, I'm not as optimistic as most Sixers fans, because 8 of their 9 wins have come against opponents with sub .500 records.
4 (6) SPURS 9-4
If you take out the Minnesota game in which Ginobili went down, the Spurs have .75 winning percentage with-and-without Ginobili this season. The team was 3-and-1 when Manu was in the lineup and 6-and-2 without him.
5 (9) PACERS 9-3
The Pacers are tied with the Sixers for the third best record in league at 9-3 and their success can be attributed to two things. For starters, they have the league's third best defense which gives up only 88.9ppg. Secondly, they have seven players averaging double figures in points led by Danny Granger's 15.3ppg.
6 (10) CLIPPERS 6-3
Chris Paul was being "Mr. Nice Guy" in the Clippers first seven games of the season, but when the stage presented itself over the last two games, he showed why he's best point guard in the NBA. Against the Heat and the Lakers, CP3 was an absolute beast averaging 30ppg, 8.5apg while making 53.5 percent of his shots. The bad news is CP3 suffered a hamstring injury towards the end of the Lakers game, but fortunately for the Clips the x-rays results came back negative.
7 (11) LAKERS 9-5
If the season ended today, Kobe Bryant would definitely win the MVP Award. The guy has been an absolute DEMON on offense, scoring 40-plus points in four straight games. Kobe is averaging 25.1 shots per game and I know he's capable of keeping that up, but my concern is if he continues at that pace, he could be burned-out by the time the playoffs start.
8 (7) MAGIC 8-3
The Magic have a very respectable 8-3 record and are currently sporting a 3-game winning streak, but the news of the week had to be Dwight Howard's free throw record. Against the Warriors, Howard attempted 39 free throws, which was five more than the previous record of 34 held by Wilt Chamberlain for almost 50 years.
9 (5) HAWKS 9-4
Al Horford will be out for three-to-six months with a pectoral tear injury in his shoulders. The Hawks are off to a good start since Horford's injury, winning their first two games. I expect Joe Johnson and Josh Smith to step up, but without Horford, I don't see the Hawks making further than the Second-Round in the playoffs
10 (1) HEAT 8-4
The Heat lead the league in forced turnovers with 19.4, but as a team, they also average 17.8 a game, which is the worst in the NBA. Lebron leads the way with 3.9, due to the fact that he forces passes rather than taken open shots. With a shooting percentage of .578, Lebron should be averaging 25 shots like Kobe, instead of his 18.7 average. Now that Wade is hurt, maybe Lebron will finally be more aggressive offensively.
11 (16) MAVERICKS 8-5
The Mavericks are sporting a 5-game winning streak and have totally turned the corner after a miserable 1-4 start. Keep in mind, Lamar Odom has played terrible and Jason Kidd has been out with a bad back. Once both player return to form, the Mavs could be an even better team.
12 (13) JAZZ 8-4
I'm sorry Jazz fans, but I hate to tell you that your team is not as good as their 8-4 record. The Jazz are 1-4 against teams with plus .500 record, but 7-0 against teams that are sub .500 and to me that stat tell the whole story.
13 (8) NUGGETS 8-5
The Nuggets are the second highest scoring team in the NBa at 104.1 and first in assist at 24 and first in steals with 10.9 per game. They are definitely an offensive force with great guard play, but unlike the Blazers, they only have Nene in the middle. The fact that they rely too heavily on him to dominate the middle, is the reason I believe they'll fall short.
14 (4) TRAIL BLAZERS 7-5
The Blazers are currently on a 3-game losing streak, but no need to panic Blazer fans. This team in my opinion, has the the best combination of inside-outside players in the entire league, which makes them the most dangerous team in the Western Conference.
15 (14) KNICKS 6-6
The Knicks cannot wait to get Baron Davis in the lineup. Amare Stoudemire in particular will be very ecstatic to see him, because since Tyson Chandler joined the team, Amare has struggled mightily. Having a true play maker like Davis, will help open up things for Amare who currently averaging 18.7ppg and shooting a woeful .417 percent from the field.
16 (19) GRIZZLIES 5-6
The Grizzlies will be without Z-Bo for another six-weeks or 24 games. They must win 12 of those games if they expect to stay in playoff contention. The problem is, 14 of those games will come against teams with plus .500 records.
17 (18) CAVALIERS 5-6
The Cavaliers will not make the playoffs because either the Celtics or the Bucks will surpass them for the eighth spot. However, watching rookie sensation Kyrie Irving has been a thing of beauty. He currently leads the Cavaliers in points and assist at 17ppg and 5.1apg.
18 (24) ROCKETS 5-7
Kyle Lowry's 17.8ppg and 9.3apg rivals the numbers of CP3's (18ppg and8.4apg) and Deron Williams' (18.3ppg and 8.4). CP3 and Williams are considered to be the best points in the NBA, so Lowry numbers speaks volume. The problem is the Rockets do not have any real inside scoring and unless they address that quickly, they might not make the playoffs.
19 (26) BUCKS 4-7
The Bucks chances of making the playoffs rest on the shoulders of Andrew Bogut and not Brandon Jennings as I originally thought. The team began the season 2-2 with Bogut, before he left for personal reason. The Bucks suffered a 4-game losing streak in Bogut's absence and followed that up by winning two straight when Bogut return. He missed the team's last game due to a concussion and of course, the Bucks lost. With Bogut, the bucks are a playoff team, without him, they are lottery-bound.
20 (15) CELTICS 4-7
Paul Pierce struggled mightily over the Celtics current 4-game losing streak and the entire team followed suit. Pierce averaged 15.25ppg on 28.2 percent shooting from the field. A trade must be made, because this team really needs a gut check. At this rate, they might not even make the playoffs at this rate.
21 (25) WARRIORS 4-8
The Warriors could have traded Steph Curry and Klay Thompson for Chris Paul, but they chose not to because CP3 would not commit to an extension. If they had CP3, they could have offered Monte Ellis, Andris Biedrins and any other player to the Magic for Dwight Howard. I'm sure both players would have agreed to re-sign once they were already teammates on the Warriors. Well, that didn't happen, so all the Warriors can do is hope for a healthy and quick return of Steph Curry.
22 (17) SUNS 4-8
Marcin Gortat is averaging a team high 14.3ppg, 8.4rpg and 1.6bpg this season. Gortat can probably start on 25 of 30 NBA teams, but if he is your second best player after to Steve Nash, chances are your team is not going to make the playoffs.
23 (20) TIMBERWOLVES 4-3
Kevin Love is averaging 25ppg and 14.6rpg. Rookie Ricky Rubio has not disappointed and is currently averaging 11ppg, 8.3apg and 2spg. Rookie Derrick Williams is only averaging 7.8, but that's because he's playing only 19.8 minutes per game. The Wolves are not a playoff team, but I can't wait to see what they'll look like next season.
24 (21) KINGS 4-9
The Kings were 2-5 under former head coach Paul Westphal, but only 2-4 under new head coach Keith Smart. I expected to see an improvement, but so far that has not panned out. The bigger issue is that the Maloof - owner of the Kings - have issued another ultimatum to the city of Sacramento to build a new arena, or else the team will be moved.
25 (22) RAPTORS 4-9
The Raptors are the second lowest scoring team in the league, so losing Andrea Bargnani team leading 22.3ppg will make scoring even more difficult. I expect their current 4-game losing streak to continue until Bargnani rejoins the team.
BOTTOM FEEDERS
26 (23) BOBCATS 3-10
I predicted that the Bobcats would make a push for the eighth and final playoff spot in the East and maybe it was because I put too much trust in rookie Kemba Walker. I know it's still early, but this team has a month to turn things around, if not, their playoff hopes will be over.
27 (27) PISTONS 3-10
The Piston are 29th in the league in scoring at 85.4 points and last in rebounding at 37.6 rebounds and I expect this trend to continue, which is why the Pistons will be on my bottom feeder list for the entire season.
28 (29) NETS 3-10
The Nets MarShon Brooks has been their one bright spot, but the team has bigger issues to worry about. The more they lose, the more difficult it will be to convince Deron Williams to re-sign. They must make a trade or two by the deadline if they expect to have any chance of keeping Williams.
29 (28) HORNETS 3-9
The Hornets are 1-1 with Eric Gordon in the lineup and 1-8 without him. At this point, even if Gordon returns and averages 25ppg the rest of the way, I don't see the Hornets making the playoffs.
30 (30) WIZARDS 1-11
Say what you want about the Wizards being selfish or needing a new coach, but it all starts and end with John Wall. His numbers has declined across the board and if he doesn't improve the Wizards will remain at the bottom.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
NBA WIZARD 2011-2012 POWER RANKING: WEEK 3
RK LAST RK
1 (1) HEAT 8-1
The Miami Heat leads the NBA in points at 108.3 and assists at 24.6 per game. Lebron is having an MVP season averaging 30.1ppg, 7.6apg, 7.6rpg and shooting an insane 60.1 percent from the field. The one knock on the Heat is that they are allowing their opponents to score 96.6 points per game, which ranks them 24th in the league. Obviously the Heat play at a fast past pace, so their opponents quite naturally will score more, but being 24th in points allowed is a stat that they must improve on as a team.
2 (2) THUNDER 8-2
The Thunder started off week 2 very sluggish with two straight losses, but ended the week winning their last three games despite playing back-to-back-to-back games. The good news is Thunder have the second best record in the league at 8-2, but the bad news is the team will be without back up point guard Eric Maynor - who blew out his ACL - for the rest of the season.
3 (3) BULLS 7-2
I know it's early, but the Atlanta Hawks may already have the Chicago Bulls number. The Bulls needed a 17-points 4th quarter performance from Derrick Rose to overcome a 16-point deficit against the Hawks to eek out a 76-74 win in Chicago. Unfortunately, the Bulls follow that with a 109-95 loss to the Hawks in Atlanta, but the final score didn't tell the whole story, because the Hawks led by over 20-points for most of the game. The good news is the Bulls are the second best defensive team league, but the bad news is they're still having problems scoring against teams that are athletic on the perimeter.
4 (7) TRAIL BLAZERS 6-2
The Blazers are moving along fine without Brandon Roy who recently retired and Greg Oden, who might as well be retired. Newly acquired shooting guard Jamal Crawford is averaging 14ppg off the bench and LaMarcus Aldridge is leading a well balanced offense with 21.9ppg. I don't expect the Blazers to come out of the West, but Portland sure matches up well with OKC as evident by their 103-93 win over the Thunder in Oklahoma City.
5 (6) HAWKS 6-3
Focus, or lack thereof has always been the Hawks biggest issue. The team had a very impressive 100-92 win over the Heat in Miami, but followed it up with a 116-109 triple overtime loss to Heat only a few days later, in a game which Lebron and Wade did not play. Lack of focus may be one thing, but I think the bigger issue is the Hawks need a true center.
6 (4) SPURS 6-3
The Spurs will be without shooting guard Manu Ginobili for 6-to-8 weeks, because of a broken hand. San Antonio has a 3-1 record in Manu's absence which is great, but we all know the Spurs area much better when Ginobili is in the lineup. The Spurs pretty much play 10 players between 17 and 25 minutes per game. Only Tony Parker (30.1 minutes) and Richard (31.3 minutes) play more than 30 minutes fre the Spurs. This well balance attack should help keep the team afloat until Ginobili's return.
7 (5) MAGIC 6-3
It's only a matter of time before the Magic trade Dwight Howard and even he knows this, but that hasn't stop Dwight from being the most dominant center in the league. The Magic have 6-3 record and Howard is leading the way and currently averaging 20.3ppg and a league leading 15.9rpg. It's hard to gauge or make long term predictions when it comes to the Magic, especially when you know the team will more than likely end the season with a different roster.
8 (8) NUGGETS 6-3
Starting center Nene only played in one of the team's last four games, but that didn't slow down the Nuggets. The team was 3-1 during that stretch mainly because they have the league's second highest scoring offense. For as good as Nene is on the offensive end, no one fears him defensively. The Nuggets are probably two defensive post players away from competing for a title. Maybe rookie Kenneth Faried could develop into one of those players.
9 (9) PACERS 6-2
Not to take anything away from the Pacers, but it needs to be pointed out that 4 of their 6 wins have come against teams with sub .500 record. The Pacers do have the league's third best defense and at 45 rebounds per game ranks fifth in the NBA. Perimeter shooting still remains the team's biggest issue and unless they address this, I expect them to continue to struggle against high scoring teams like the Heat.
10 (10) CLIPPERS 4-2
In order to be the best power forward in the NBA, Blake Griffin must develop a consistent 20-foot-jumper. After a 1-2 start, the Clippers have gone on to win their last three games. The most surprising stat early on, is even with Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan manning the paint, the Clippers are ranked dead last in NBA in rebounding with only 35.3 per game.
11 (12) LAKERS 6-4
Kobe Bryant claimed that center Andrew Bynum is the Lakers second option on offense and I have to agree with him. In 6 games this season Bynum is averaging 18.8ppg, 15.7rpg to go with 1.7bpg. The Lakers had a 2-2 record when Bynum was out serving a 4-game suspension, since returning the team has won 4-of-6 games. With that said, I don't see this current Lakers roster making the NBA Finals.
12 (15) 76ERS 5-2
I don't see this trend continuing, but the Sixers have the league's third best offense at 100.9 points per game and currently have the league's stingiest defense, allowing their opponents only 85.6 points per game. Starting center Spencer Hawes is having a breakout season. He's averaging 12.6ppg, 10.6rpg, 1.86bpg and shooting a league leading .646 percent from the field.
13 (27) JAZZ 5-3
The Jazz made the biggest jump this week from 27th to 13th thanks to a 4-game winning streak. However, their winning streak is somewhat deceiving because it came against four teams that were all missing key players. New Orleans Eric Gordon (bruise right knee), Bucks Bogut (out of the country), Grizzlies Z-Bo (partial torn MCL) and GSW was without Curry (ankle) and Biedrins (ankle), not to mention all those teams have sub .500 right now.
14 (14) KNICKS 4-4
I believe Baron Davis and Iman Shumpert will determine how far the Knicks go this season. The Knicks are still waiting on Davis who is still nursing a bad back, but since Shumpert returned, the team has a 2-1 record and in the three games the rookie averaged 13ppg while shooting 48.4 percent from the field. As a team, the Knicks also averaged 104ppg during that stretch. The Knicks could be a very scary team if Davis returns healthy.
15 (11) CELTICS 4-4
The Celtics are 4-0 against teams with sub .500 record, but are 0-4 against teams .500 or better. The Celtics are an old team and at this point all they want to do is enter the playoffs healthy and take their chances from there.
16 (19) MAVERICKS 4-5
Since starting the season 0-3, the Dallas Mavericks have gone on to win 4-of-6, including an impressive 100-87 win over OKC in Dallas. I'm not ready to proclaim that the Mavs have turned their season around, but did anyone really think they wouldn't make the playoffs?
17 (24) SUNS 4-4
Steve Nash turned back the clock last week. In four games last week, Nash averaged 15.8ppg, 10.6apg and led the Suns to a 3-1 record including a very impressive 102-77 win against the Blazers in Phoenix. I don't think the Suns will make the playoffs this years, but a 4-4 record is definitely a good start.
18 (21) CAVALIERS 4-4
Kyrie Irving has emerged early on as the leader for the ROY (Rookie of the Year) Award with an average of 15ppg, 5.1apg while making .437 percent of his shots. The Cavs will not make the playoffs this year and that's a good thing, because they could use another high draft pick.
19 (20) GRIZZLIES 3-5
With 66-games in 118 days, many anticipated a rash of injuries and the Grizzlies are one of the many teams that's been bitten by the injury bug. Starting point guard Mike Conley missed some games due to an ankle injury, but losing Zack Randolph(slight MCL tear) for eight weeks will be the biggest blow. The return of Rudy Gay was supposed to fill the scoring void, but so far it hasn't.
20 (23) TIMBERWOLVES 3-5
Kevin Love echoed Charles Barkley's sentiment, claiming that he is the best power forward in basketball. How can you argue with a guy averaging 25.4ppg and 15.0rpg while shooting 47.1 percent from the field and 40.5 percent from the 3-point-line. Love continues to be a beast on the boards and he has taken his offensive game to another level, but his defense or lack thereof is still his Achilles heel.
21 (22) KINGS 3-6
Once I heard about the problems between coach Paul Westphal and DeMarcus Cousins, I knew Westphal would job was in jeopardy. The fact that Westphal was the lowest paid head coach in the league at less than a million a year, made him even more disposable. I'm glad the Kings promoted their assistant coach Keith Smart to the head coaching position. I think he's was great fit with the Warriors last season and he will be a perfect fit for a young team Sacramento Kings team.
22 (28) RAPTORS 3-5
The Raptors are ranked 10th in opponents points allowed at 92.9 per game and that is definitely an improvement from last season. The Raptors biggest problem is their lack of offense, currently they are ranked 26th at only 87.5ppg. Andrea Bargnani is having all-star season averaging 22.8ppg, but Demar DeRazon and Jose Calderon - the Raptors other top two scorers - are only averaging a combined 27.7ppg.
23 (25) BOBCATS 2-6
It's still early to judge the Bobcats, but I can assure they are much better than their 2-6 record. The Bobcats have had one of the most difficult schedules early on, with 7 of their 8 opponents having a .500 or better record, not to mention two of their games came against the Miami Heat. I will admit I've been a little disappointed with Kemba Walker's performance. Walker is averaging 10ppg on only .387 percent shooting. I expected Walker to seriously challenge D.J. Augustine for the starting point guard position, but Augustine is obviously not ready to give up his spot. Augustine is leading the Bobcats in scoring and assist with 17.3ppg and 7.5apg.
24 (17) ROCKETS 2-6
The Rockets were not that good to begin with so not having point guard Kyle Lowry in the lineup over the last two games has been a though pill to swallow. Lowry is averaging 15.3ppg, 10apg for the Rockets and has a 26.44 PER (Player Efficiency Rating), which is one of the highest in the league. The good news is Lowry is listed day-to-day and is expected to rejoin the team soon.
25 (13) WARRIORS 2-6
The Golden State Warriors has really been bitten by the injury bug early on. Steph Curry (2gm), David Lee (1gm), Andris Biedrins (2gms) and Monte Ellis (1gm). I know injuries is not an excuse, but new head coach Mark Jackson, needs his entire team, especially Curry in order for me to really gauge how good the Warriors can be. Word out of GSW is that the Warriors are trying to trade either Curry or Ellis for Dwight Howard, which would definitely be an upgrade.
BOTTOM FEEDERS
26 (16) BUCKS 2-6
The Bucks had a 2-2 record before center Andrew Bogut left the country for personal reasons. Since then, the team has not won a game (0-4). Bogut is expected to join the team on Tuesday at which point, I expect Bucks to move up from "bottom feeder" status.
27 (26) PISTONS 2-6
The Pistons are simply a bad team and I expect them to be a bottom feeder for the entire season. They are 30th in scoring at 84.3ppg and are one of the worst rebounding teams at 38.8rpg, which is 28th in the league. This team has absolutely no upside.
28 (18) HORNETS 2-6
The Hornets are not going to make the playoffs this year and with Eric Gordon - due to swelling knees - you can expect the free fall to continue. If Gordon returns healthy with a level head, he could average 25ppg and probably make the all-star team.
29 (29) NETS 2-7
Deron Williams recently declared that his team has a terrible offense. The team was already bad with Brook Lopez contributing 20ppg, so with him being out for another six weeks, I definitely expect the free fall to continue. The Nets struggles goes beyond Brook Lopez. I think Deron Williams himself seems to just be going through the motions.
30 (30) WIZARDS 0-8
The Wizards are 29th in scoring at 84.9ppg, 25th in rebounds at 40.0ppg, 27th in opponents points allowed at 97.8ppg and the shockingly 29th in assist at 15.3apg. How can the Wizards be 29th in assist, when they have point guard John Wall? The Wizards struggles can be attributed to three things. One, John Wall is having a very disappointing sophomore season. Two,the Wizards are an extremely selfish bunch. And finally, it appears to me that coach Flip Saunders has lost touch with his team.
1 (1) HEAT 8-1
The Miami Heat leads the NBA in points at 108.3 and assists at 24.6 per game. Lebron is having an MVP season averaging 30.1ppg, 7.6apg, 7.6rpg and shooting an insane 60.1 percent from the field. The one knock on the Heat is that they are allowing their opponents to score 96.6 points per game, which ranks them 24th in the league. Obviously the Heat play at a fast past pace, so their opponents quite naturally will score more, but being 24th in points allowed is a stat that they must improve on as a team.
2 (2) THUNDER 8-2
The Thunder started off week 2 very sluggish with two straight losses, but ended the week winning their last three games despite playing back-to-back-to-back games. The good news is Thunder have the second best record in the league at 8-2, but the bad news is the team will be without back up point guard Eric Maynor - who blew out his ACL - for the rest of the season.
3 (3) BULLS 7-2
I know it's early, but the Atlanta Hawks may already have the Chicago Bulls number. The Bulls needed a 17-points 4th quarter performance from Derrick Rose to overcome a 16-point deficit against the Hawks to eek out a 76-74 win in Chicago. Unfortunately, the Bulls follow that with a 109-95 loss to the Hawks in Atlanta, but the final score didn't tell the whole story, because the Hawks led by over 20-points for most of the game. The good news is the Bulls are the second best defensive team league, but the bad news is they're still having problems scoring against teams that are athletic on the perimeter.
4 (7) TRAIL BLAZERS 6-2
The Blazers are moving along fine without Brandon Roy who recently retired and Greg Oden, who might as well be retired. Newly acquired shooting guard Jamal Crawford is averaging 14ppg off the bench and LaMarcus Aldridge is leading a well balanced offense with 21.9ppg. I don't expect the Blazers to come out of the West, but Portland sure matches up well with OKC as evident by their 103-93 win over the Thunder in Oklahoma City.
5 (6) HAWKS 6-3
Focus, or lack thereof has always been the Hawks biggest issue. The team had a very impressive 100-92 win over the Heat in Miami, but followed it up with a 116-109 triple overtime loss to Heat only a few days later, in a game which Lebron and Wade did not play. Lack of focus may be one thing, but I think the bigger issue is the Hawks need a true center.
6 (4) SPURS 6-3
The Spurs will be without shooting guard Manu Ginobili for 6-to-8 weeks, because of a broken hand. San Antonio has a 3-1 record in Manu's absence which is great, but we all know the Spurs area much better when Ginobili is in the lineup. The Spurs pretty much play 10 players between 17 and 25 minutes per game. Only Tony Parker (30.1 minutes) and Richard (31.3 minutes) play more than 30 minutes fre the Spurs. This well balance attack should help keep the team afloat until Ginobili's return.
7 (5) MAGIC 6-3
It's only a matter of time before the Magic trade Dwight Howard and even he knows this, but that hasn't stop Dwight from being the most dominant center in the league. The Magic have 6-3 record and Howard is leading the way and currently averaging 20.3ppg and a league leading 15.9rpg. It's hard to gauge or make long term predictions when it comes to the Magic, especially when you know the team will more than likely end the season with a different roster.
8 (8) NUGGETS 6-3
Starting center Nene only played in one of the team's last four games, but that didn't slow down the Nuggets. The team was 3-1 during that stretch mainly because they have the league's second highest scoring offense. For as good as Nene is on the offensive end, no one fears him defensively. The Nuggets are probably two defensive post players away from competing for a title. Maybe rookie Kenneth Faried could develop into one of those players.
9 (9) PACERS 6-2
Not to take anything away from the Pacers, but it needs to be pointed out that 4 of their 6 wins have come against teams with sub .500 record. The Pacers do have the league's third best defense and at 45 rebounds per game ranks fifth in the NBA. Perimeter shooting still remains the team's biggest issue and unless they address this, I expect them to continue to struggle against high scoring teams like the Heat.
10 (10) CLIPPERS 4-2
In order to be the best power forward in the NBA, Blake Griffin must develop a consistent 20-foot-jumper. After a 1-2 start, the Clippers have gone on to win their last three games. The most surprising stat early on, is even with Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan manning the paint, the Clippers are ranked dead last in NBA in rebounding with only 35.3 per game.
11 (12) LAKERS 6-4
Kobe Bryant claimed that center Andrew Bynum is the Lakers second option on offense and I have to agree with him. In 6 games this season Bynum is averaging 18.8ppg, 15.7rpg to go with 1.7bpg. The Lakers had a 2-2 record when Bynum was out serving a 4-game suspension, since returning the team has won 4-of-6 games. With that said, I don't see this current Lakers roster making the NBA Finals.
12 (15) 76ERS 5-2
I don't see this trend continuing, but the Sixers have the league's third best offense at 100.9 points per game and currently have the league's stingiest defense, allowing their opponents only 85.6 points per game. Starting center Spencer Hawes is having a breakout season. He's averaging 12.6ppg, 10.6rpg, 1.86bpg and shooting a league leading .646 percent from the field.
13 (27) JAZZ 5-3
The Jazz made the biggest jump this week from 27th to 13th thanks to a 4-game winning streak. However, their winning streak is somewhat deceiving because it came against four teams that were all missing key players. New Orleans Eric Gordon (bruise right knee), Bucks Bogut (out of the country), Grizzlies Z-Bo (partial torn MCL) and GSW was without Curry (ankle) and Biedrins (ankle), not to mention all those teams have sub .500 right now.
14 (14) KNICKS 4-4
I believe Baron Davis and Iman Shumpert will determine how far the Knicks go this season. The Knicks are still waiting on Davis who is still nursing a bad back, but since Shumpert returned, the team has a 2-1 record and in the three games the rookie averaged 13ppg while shooting 48.4 percent from the field. As a team, the Knicks also averaged 104ppg during that stretch. The Knicks could be a very scary team if Davis returns healthy.
15 (11) CELTICS 4-4
The Celtics are 4-0 against teams with sub .500 record, but are 0-4 against teams .500 or better. The Celtics are an old team and at this point all they want to do is enter the playoffs healthy and take their chances from there.
16 (19) MAVERICKS 4-5
Since starting the season 0-3, the Dallas Mavericks have gone on to win 4-of-6, including an impressive 100-87 win over OKC in Dallas. I'm not ready to proclaim that the Mavs have turned their season around, but did anyone really think they wouldn't make the playoffs?
17 (24) SUNS 4-4
Steve Nash turned back the clock last week. In four games last week, Nash averaged 15.8ppg, 10.6apg and led the Suns to a 3-1 record including a very impressive 102-77 win against the Blazers in Phoenix. I don't think the Suns will make the playoffs this years, but a 4-4 record is definitely a good start.
18 (21) CAVALIERS 4-4
Kyrie Irving has emerged early on as the leader for the ROY (Rookie of the Year) Award with an average of 15ppg, 5.1apg while making .437 percent of his shots. The Cavs will not make the playoffs this year and that's a good thing, because they could use another high draft pick.
19 (20) GRIZZLIES 3-5
With 66-games in 118 days, many anticipated a rash of injuries and the Grizzlies are one of the many teams that's been bitten by the injury bug. Starting point guard Mike Conley missed some games due to an ankle injury, but losing Zack Randolph(slight MCL tear) for eight weeks will be the biggest blow. The return of Rudy Gay was supposed to fill the scoring void, but so far it hasn't.
20 (23) TIMBERWOLVES 3-5
Kevin Love echoed Charles Barkley's sentiment, claiming that he is the best power forward in basketball. How can you argue with a guy averaging 25.4ppg and 15.0rpg while shooting 47.1 percent from the field and 40.5 percent from the 3-point-line. Love continues to be a beast on the boards and he has taken his offensive game to another level, but his defense or lack thereof is still his Achilles heel.
21 (22) KINGS 3-6
Once I heard about the problems between coach Paul Westphal and DeMarcus Cousins, I knew Westphal would job was in jeopardy. The fact that Westphal was the lowest paid head coach in the league at less than a million a year, made him even more disposable. I'm glad the Kings promoted their assistant coach Keith Smart to the head coaching position. I think he's was great fit with the Warriors last season and he will be a perfect fit for a young team Sacramento Kings team.
22 (28) RAPTORS 3-5
The Raptors are ranked 10th in opponents points allowed at 92.9 per game and that is definitely an improvement from last season. The Raptors biggest problem is their lack of offense, currently they are ranked 26th at only 87.5ppg. Andrea Bargnani is having all-star season averaging 22.8ppg, but Demar DeRazon and Jose Calderon - the Raptors other top two scorers - are only averaging a combined 27.7ppg.
23 (25) BOBCATS 2-6
It's still early to judge the Bobcats, but I can assure they are much better than their 2-6 record. The Bobcats have had one of the most difficult schedules early on, with 7 of their 8 opponents having a .500 or better record, not to mention two of their games came against the Miami Heat. I will admit I've been a little disappointed with Kemba Walker's performance. Walker is averaging 10ppg on only .387 percent shooting. I expected Walker to seriously challenge D.J. Augustine for the starting point guard position, but Augustine is obviously not ready to give up his spot. Augustine is leading the Bobcats in scoring and assist with 17.3ppg and 7.5apg.
24 (17) ROCKETS 2-6
The Rockets were not that good to begin with so not having point guard Kyle Lowry in the lineup over the last two games has been a though pill to swallow. Lowry is averaging 15.3ppg, 10apg for the Rockets and has a 26.44 PER (Player Efficiency Rating), which is one of the highest in the league. The good news is Lowry is listed day-to-day and is expected to rejoin the team soon.
25 (13) WARRIORS 2-6
The Golden State Warriors has really been bitten by the injury bug early on. Steph Curry (2gm), David Lee (1gm), Andris Biedrins (2gms) and Monte Ellis (1gm). I know injuries is not an excuse, but new head coach Mark Jackson, needs his entire team, especially Curry in order for me to really gauge how good the Warriors can be. Word out of GSW is that the Warriors are trying to trade either Curry or Ellis for Dwight Howard, which would definitely be an upgrade.
BOTTOM FEEDERS
26 (16) BUCKS 2-6
The Bucks had a 2-2 record before center Andrew Bogut left the country for personal reasons. Since then, the team has not won a game (0-4). Bogut is expected to join the team on Tuesday at which point, I expect Bucks to move up from "bottom feeder" status.
27 (26) PISTONS 2-6
The Pistons are simply a bad team and I expect them to be a bottom feeder for the entire season. They are 30th in scoring at 84.3ppg and are one of the worst rebounding teams at 38.8rpg, which is 28th in the league. This team has absolutely no upside.
28 (18) HORNETS 2-6
The Hornets are not going to make the playoffs this year and with Eric Gordon - due to swelling knees - you can expect the free fall to continue. If Gordon returns healthy with a level head, he could average 25ppg and probably make the all-star team.
29 (29) NETS 2-7
Deron Williams recently declared that his team has a terrible offense. The team was already bad with Brook Lopez contributing 20ppg, so with him being out for another six weeks, I definitely expect the free fall to continue. The Nets struggles goes beyond Brook Lopez. I think Deron Williams himself seems to just be going through the motions.
30 (30) WIZARDS 0-8
The Wizards are 29th in scoring at 84.9ppg, 25th in rebounds at 40.0ppg, 27th in opponents points allowed at 97.8ppg and the shockingly 29th in assist at 15.3apg. How can the Wizards be 29th in assist, when they have point guard John Wall? The Wizards struggles can be attributed to three things. One, John Wall is having a very disappointing sophomore season. Two,the Wizards are an extremely selfish bunch. And finally, it appears to me that coach Flip Saunders has lost touch with his team.
Monday, January 2, 2012
NBA WIZARD 2011-2012 POWER RANKING: WEEK 2
RK LAST RK
1 (1) HEAT 5-0
Lebron took the NBA by storm in week 1 averaging 33ppg, 7.5rpg and 7apg in the Heat's first 4 games of the season, before tapering down with a lackluster 16 points performance in a 129-90 blowout win over the Bobcats on Sunday. I guess he must have been emotionally drained after celebrating his 27th birthday on New Year's eve and engaging his heart school sweetheart, the mother of this two sons. The biggest surprise so far though, has been the play of rookie point guard Norris Cole, who averaged 12ppg off the bench while making 50 percent of his shots to help the Heat average a league leading 109.8ppg (points per game). I know it's early, but the Heat are not playing championship caliber defense right now and though the Chalmers-Cole point guard combination seems to be a good fit, I am still very concern about the Heat's center position. We'll see if Eddy Curry is the answer when he eventually plays, because starting center Joel Alexander's 3.6ppg and 4.4rpg is clearly not enough.
2 (4) THUNDER 5-0
The MVP race between Kevin Durant and Lebron James is going to be very exciting, because Durant appears to be on a mission. He too started the season with a bang putting up 30 or more points in the Thunder first 4 games, before a quiet 12 point performance in the Thunder 107-97 victory over the Phoenix Suns. Durant hit two game winners including a fade away 3 pointer at the buzzer against the Mavericks, which still has me salivating. The Thunder are for real and Durant and Russell Westbrook will be fine. The media just needs to ease off and stop trying to play G.M. with their constant suggestion that the Thunder should trade Westbrook, because that's simply not going to happen.
3 (3) BULLS 4-1
The NBA's reigning MVP Derrick Rose will certainly see a drop in numbers, thanks to the arrival of his back court teammate Rip Hamilton, who is currently averaging 12ppg for the Bulls. But Rose is still capable of putting up MVP-type numbers, like the ones he did against CP3, the player many including myself considers to be the best point guard in the NBA. In their head-to-head matchup, CP3 posted 13 points and 13 assists, while Rose was an absolute beast with 29 points and 16 assist in a 114-101 win over the Clippers in L.A. The biggest news out of Chicago though, has nothing to do with basketball. It has to do with a rumored lifetime 10 year/$250 million extension Rose is expected to get from Adidas sometime this year. If the rumors are true, including his NBA salary, Rose could end up earning around $500 million over the next 11 years. Wow!
4 (8) SPURS 3-1
Before you crucify Tim Duncan for averaging 9ppg and only 6rpg in th Spurs first 4 games, please keep in mind that Timmy is only averaging 22 minutes per game. Obviously he's far from the player he once was, but I believe coach Popovich is keeping his minutes down so he can be sharp for the playoffs, especially with a condense season this year. It wouldn't surprise me if the Spurs ended up with the best record in the West by the end of the season. I also wouldn't be surprise to see the Spurs trade either Parker or Ginobili by the deadline.
5 (13) MAGIC 4-1
The big question remains, is he going, is he staying? In reference to the Magic all-star center Dwight Howard. Well, he's there for now and his numbers have been very Bill Russell-like early on with 17.5ppg and 17.0rpg. But power forward Ryan Anderson has been the key reason for the Magic success. Anderson is averaging 20.4ppg, but his outside shooting has really helped with the team's spacing. Anderson leads the league in 3 pointers with a whopping 9 attempts while making 4.2 per game. Whether that continues remains to be seen, but one thing we can be sure of and that is Dwight Howard will get traded before March 15.
6 (14) HAWKS 3-1
For a player entering the second year of a 6 year/$126 million deal, the Hawks leading scorer Joe Johnson is averaging a disappointing 16.3ppg. You add that to the fact that the Hawks lost Jamal Crawford, their leading scorer off their bench over the last two season, you must be wondering what's led to their early season success. The answer has to do with their defense. They have the league's stingiest defense allowing their opponents to score only 86.5ppg. The Hawks also lead the league in point differential with 12.5, based off their 99ppg team average.
7 (11) TRAIL BLAZERS 3-1
Blazers coach Nate McMillan is the most underrated coach in NBA. Despite all their injuries, year after year, McMillan still figures out ways to get the best out of his players. That said, the Blazers simply don't have enough to compete for a title. Their championship aspiration faded away when center Greg Oden renegotiated his guaranteed $8.9 million deal down to $1.5 million. That in itself told me that he probably will be out again for the entire season. I felt that a healthy Greg Oden would have averaged around 12ppg, 10rpg with 3 blocks and made the Blazers contenders. Unfortunately the word "healthy" seems to be more like a dream when it comes Oden. The poor guy missed all of last season and has played in only 82 games since entering the league in 2008.
8 (12) NUGGETS 3-2
The Nuggets are an exciting team and we know they can score, currently they are second in the league at 104.4 point per game. They have six players averaging double figures with Ty Lawson leading the way with 18.6ppg. Lawson is emerging as the leader on the team, which is great considering how young they are and coach Karl is doing an excellent job with his scrappy bunch. I expect the Nuggets to make the playoffs, but I don't see them going further than the first round.
9 (16) PACERS 3-1
The Pacers management did an excellent job by adding former all-star forward David West to the mix. He is the perfect balance between forward Tyler Hansbrough and center Roy Hibbert. He's a better shooter than Hibbert and a better post player than Hansbrough, which allows the Pacers to interchange the three players. In the Pacers first 4 games, the trio combined for a very respectable 38.8ppg and 28.3rpg. As a team, the Pacers had the second best defense in week one, holding their opponents to only 87.8 points per game. My only concern is that they may not have enough scoring from the perimeter. In order for them to be taken really seriously, former all-star Danny Granger must have an all-star type season, with a scoring average somewhere in the neighborhood of 22 or more points per game.
10 (10) CLIPPERS 2-2
As NBA TV's commentator Dennis Scott will say, Must-See-BG has been in full effect early on with an average of 26ppg and 9.8rpg in the first week of the season. Unfortunately "lob city" hasn't taken off, because in order to get out in transition, their defense must step up. Outside of DeAndre Jordan's league leading 3.75 blocks per game, the Clippers ranked 27th in defense after week one when they allowed their four opponents to average 100.8 ppg. Once their defense improve as I expect it would, "lob city" and the team's win totals will increase.
11 (5) CELTICS 2-3
The Celtics started the season 0-3 without Paul Pierce in the lineup however, since his return, the team has gone on to win their last two games. The Celtics will be fine, but they must improve in two areas if they expect to challenge the Bulls and Heat in the East. Currently they are 29th in the league in rebounds at 35.4 per game and their defense, something they hung their hat on over the last few seasons, has also been a disappointment so far. I expect their defense to improve now that Pierce is back in the lineup, but I still expect them to struggle in the rebounding department.
12 (6) LAKERS 3-3
If I were the Lakers general manager, I would trade Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, Steve Blake and the picks the Lakers received from Dallas to Orlando for, Dwight Howard, Hedo Turkoglu and Jameer Nelson. I truly believe that the uncertainty over whether or not a trade is going to be made, will be the key reason attributing to the Lakers inconsistent play this season. With Nelson and Kobe in the backcourt and Howard manning the paint, the Lakers would finally be able to look ahead and focus on making a title run.
13 (19) WARRIORS 2-2
Barring injuries, GSW will make the playoffs this season. It's apparent that the Warriors intend to make the Curry-Ellis backcourt work under new head coach Mark Jackson, which is the reason they traded for Brandon Rush from Indiana. Rush is averaging 10ppg and 1.8bpg off the bench in 28.3 minutes per game. At 6'6" 225, Rush is one of the bigger shooting guards in the league. Once he enters the game, Curry or Ellis usually plays the point and when both are in the game, he is also big enough to play the small forward position. Besides the health of the Warriors backcourt, my other concern is whether the Warriors will continue to get consistent play from their bigs over the course of the season, especially on the offensive end.
14 (9) KNICKS 2-2
Iman Shumpert is the Knicks version of the Heat's Norris Cole, a though, gritty player who is not afraid of taken the big shot from the guard position. He scored 11 points in 22 minutes off the bench in the Knicks opener before injuring his knee. Recovery time is expected to be two-to-four weeks, more than likely four, which should also coincide with the return of Baron Davis. A healthy Davis and Shumpert makes the Knicks a completely different team, especially on the defensive end. I expect to see both players in the Knicks starting lineup within a few months.
15 (17) 76ERS 2-2
Lou Williams had a very impressive opening week off the bench with a 20.3ppg average on only 12.8 shot attempts. Igou numbers are also up from last season with a 16.8ppg average. Offensively the Sixers are on the right track, what concerns me is if they can continue at this pace. If they do, they will definitely make the playoffs.
16 (23) BUCKS 2-1
I predicted before the start of the season that the Bucks playoff hopes lied on the Shoulders of their starting point guard Brandon Jennings. I predicted that if Jennings shot at least 45 percent from the field he would average 20 plus points per game. In week one Jennings numbers were right on track with my prediction. He averaged 22.7ppg on 46 percent shooting.
17 (15) ROCKETS 2-2
Kyle Lowry and Kevin Martin are one of the best backcourt tandems in the game with a combined average of 32.6ppg and 13.5apg after week one and Lowry leading the league in assist with 11.5 per game. The problem is outside of power forward Luis Scola's 15.5ppg, the Rockets do not have any other player who can provide consistent scoring in the paint. The Rockets tried trading to address this issue, but as we know the trade to bring in Pau Gasol was voided. However, I expect the Rockets to make another attempt at a trade before the March 15 deadline and obviously you can expect Scola to be involved once again.
18 (18) HORNETS 2-2
Newly acquired shooting guard Eric Gordon only played in the Hornets first game and scored 20 points, but has been out with sore knees since then. I think Gordon will average around 25ppg and make things very interesting in New Orleans. Whether that will be enough to lead the Hornets to the playoffs remains to be seen. Personally, I don't see the Hornets making the playoffs this year.
19 (2) MAVERICKS 1-4
I wouldn't be nervous if I were a Mavericks fan, but I will be very concern. Recently Mavericks owner Mark Cuban tried to defuse the issue by claiming that this Mavs team is better than the one that won the title last season, really? Of course not! Lamar Odom and Vince Carter are supposed to be the answer, but Odom is having his worse season with a 4.8ppg and 4.0rpg average, while playing a career low 17.4 minutes per game. I'm sure the Mavs will get it together and make the playoff, but there's no question that the team lost it's defensive identity with the departure of center Tyson Chandler, which is the key reason why they will not repeat as champions.
20 (7) GRIZZLIES 1-3
The Grizz are off to a slow start and it didn't help when Zo-Bo went down with the knee injury. Fortunately for them, Zo-Bo is listed day-to-day and hopefully that prognosis holds up, because the injury looked far worse when it happened. Starting point guard Mike Conley also missed the last two games due to a sprain ankle, but he is expected to return on Tuesday, so don't start panicking Grizzlies fans.
21 (29) CAVALIERS 2-2
Kyrie Irving should and probably will win the ROY (Rookie of the Year) Award, simply because the team will let him play through his mistakes and learn on the fly. In week one Irving averaged 13.3ppg, 4.0rpg and 5.5apg, while making 39.2 percent of his shots. You can expect those numbers to increase. I'm projecting his average to be around 16 to 17.5ppg and 7apg, which should be enough to earn him the ROY Award, but obviously not enough to lead his team to the playoffs.
22 (24) KINGS 2-3
There's trouble out of Sacramento and once again it surrounds starting center DeMarcus Cousins. It was reported that Cousins asked to be traded, which his agent obviously denied. Rather than whining and complaining, what he needs to do is figure out a way to increase his shooting percentage from a miserable 32.1 up to around 50 percent. If he was shooting 50 percent from the field, he would be averaging 17.5ppg instead of 13ppg right now and chances are, he would probably be attempting more than 13.3 shots a game. Cousins is averaging a very impressive 11.3rpg in only 27 minutes a game. If he really focused on his game, he could average 20ppg and 12rpg and make things really interesting in Sacramento.
23 (27) TIMBERWOLVES 1-3
Kevin Love has been playing like an absolute beast with an average of 25.8ppg and 15.3rpg. Rookie point guard sensation Ricky Rubio has not disappointed either with his 9.5ppg and 7.3apg average and rookie Derrick Williams has shown signs of brilliance in 19.8 minutes of play of the bench. Derrick Williams can really score the ball and Ricky Rubio is an amazing passer, which is why I believe this team could be playoff bound by next season.
24 (20) SUNS 1-3
The Suns are averaging 89.3 points per game and this is a clear indication that the Steve Nash era is coming to an end in Phoenix. The Suns have always been among the league's leaders in points since Nash arrival, but in 4 games, the Suns only have two players averaging double figure and Nash himself is averaging only 8.3ppg.
25 (21) BOBCATS 1-3
This is not a hit on new head coach Paul Silas, but there is absolutely no way the Bobcats would have had the worst defensive team under former head coach Larry Brown. I know the Heat scored 129 points against the Bobcats in their last outing which increased the overall average for their opponents, but the Cats opponents averaged 105 points per game in their first 4 games. They MUST improve their defense, or they could be out of the playoff picture in a hurry.
26 (27) PISTONS 1-3
The Pistons are currently 27th in scoring at 87.3ppg and 25th in rebounding at 37.5rpg. If you average those two numbers, you'll come up with 26 and that is exactly where the Pistons are ranked entering week 2. Don't expect any trades out of Detroit, because I think the team is clearly in rebuilding mode and are gearing for the 2012 NBA draft.
27 (22) JAZZ 1-3
The Jazz are also in rebuilding mode and like the Pistons, will probably have to re-build through the draft. They are at the bottom of the league in scoring and are the second worst defensive team. Those number are simply not a recipe for success.
28 (30) RAPTORS 1-3
Of all the bottom feeders, meaning the bottom 5 teams, the Raptors have the best chance to moving up to the 25th spot on my ranking and that is mainly because I expect their defense to improve over time under new head coach Dwane Casey. I also agree with Casey that his star player Andrea Bargnani could develop into a Dirk-like player. Barnani is currently averaging an impressive 23ppg, but he's only averaging 6 rebounds which is very low from the center position. The Raptors and Bargani must improve their rebounding if they expect to move up.
29 (26) NETS 1-4
The Nets were not really good coming in and now that center Brook Lopez is out for 2 months, their season really look bleak. If Lopez returns and the Magic are willing to take him in trade for Dwight, I'll expect Williams to re-sign. The Nets can pretty much kiss Deron Williams goodbye if they don't land Dwight.
30 (25) WIZARDS 0-4
I don't know if you can blame head coach Flip Saunders for the Wizards early season failures, but all you have to do is look at the numbers and you'll understand why they are still winless. They are the lowest scoring team in the league with only 83.5 points per game and are 29th in assist, even though they have John Wall. I know it's early, but Wall has taken a step back and his numbers are even lower than last season. I'm not sure a new coach can change that, but maybe a new coach is what the Wizards need, because clearly something isn't working.
1 (1) HEAT 5-0
Lebron took the NBA by storm in week 1 averaging 33ppg, 7.5rpg and 7apg in the Heat's first 4 games of the season, before tapering down with a lackluster 16 points performance in a 129-90 blowout win over the Bobcats on Sunday. I guess he must have been emotionally drained after celebrating his 27th birthday on New Year's eve and engaging his heart school sweetheart, the mother of this two sons. The biggest surprise so far though, has been the play of rookie point guard Norris Cole, who averaged 12ppg off the bench while making 50 percent of his shots to help the Heat average a league leading 109.8ppg (points per game). I know it's early, but the Heat are not playing championship caliber defense right now and though the Chalmers-Cole point guard combination seems to be a good fit, I am still very concern about the Heat's center position. We'll see if Eddy Curry is the answer when he eventually plays, because starting center Joel Alexander's 3.6ppg and 4.4rpg is clearly not enough.
2 (4) THUNDER 5-0
The MVP race between Kevin Durant and Lebron James is going to be very exciting, because Durant appears to be on a mission. He too started the season with a bang putting up 30 or more points in the Thunder first 4 games, before a quiet 12 point performance in the Thunder 107-97 victory over the Phoenix Suns. Durant hit two game winners including a fade away 3 pointer at the buzzer against the Mavericks, which still has me salivating. The Thunder are for real and Durant and Russell Westbrook will be fine. The media just needs to ease off and stop trying to play G.M. with their constant suggestion that the Thunder should trade Westbrook, because that's simply not going to happen.
3 (3) BULLS 4-1
The NBA's reigning MVP Derrick Rose will certainly see a drop in numbers, thanks to the arrival of his back court teammate Rip Hamilton, who is currently averaging 12ppg for the Bulls. But Rose is still capable of putting up MVP-type numbers, like the ones he did against CP3, the player many including myself considers to be the best point guard in the NBA. In their head-to-head matchup, CP3 posted 13 points and 13 assists, while Rose was an absolute beast with 29 points and 16 assist in a 114-101 win over the Clippers in L.A. The biggest news out of Chicago though, has nothing to do with basketball. It has to do with a rumored lifetime 10 year/$250 million extension Rose is expected to get from Adidas sometime this year. If the rumors are true, including his NBA salary, Rose could end up earning around $500 million over the next 11 years. Wow!
4 (8) SPURS 3-1
Before you crucify Tim Duncan for averaging 9ppg and only 6rpg in th Spurs first 4 games, please keep in mind that Timmy is only averaging 22 minutes per game. Obviously he's far from the player he once was, but I believe coach Popovich is keeping his minutes down so he can be sharp for the playoffs, especially with a condense season this year. It wouldn't surprise me if the Spurs ended up with the best record in the West by the end of the season. I also wouldn't be surprise to see the Spurs trade either Parker or Ginobili by the deadline.
5 (13) MAGIC 4-1
The big question remains, is he going, is he staying? In reference to the Magic all-star center Dwight Howard. Well, he's there for now and his numbers have been very Bill Russell-like early on with 17.5ppg and 17.0rpg. But power forward Ryan Anderson has been the key reason for the Magic success. Anderson is averaging 20.4ppg, but his outside shooting has really helped with the team's spacing. Anderson leads the league in 3 pointers with a whopping 9 attempts while making 4.2 per game. Whether that continues remains to be seen, but one thing we can be sure of and that is Dwight Howard will get traded before March 15.
6 (14) HAWKS 3-1
For a player entering the second year of a 6 year/$126 million deal, the Hawks leading scorer Joe Johnson is averaging a disappointing 16.3ppg. You add that to the fact that the Hawks lost Jamal Crawford, their leading scorer off their bench over the last two season, you must be wondering what's led to their early season success. The answer has to do with their defense. They have the league's stingiest defense allowing their opponents to score only 86.5ppg. The Hawks also lead the league in point differential with 12.5, based off their 99ppg team average.
7 (11) TRAIL BLAZERS 3-1
Blazers coach Nate McMillan is the most underrated coach in NBA. Despite all their injuries, year after year, McMillan still figures out ways to get the best out of his players. That said, the Blazers simply don't have enough to compete for a title. Their championship aspiration faded away when center Greg Oden renegotiated his guaranteed $8.9 million deal down to $1.5 million. That in itself told me that he probably will be out again for the entire season. I felt that a healthy Greg Oden would have averaged around 12ppg, 10rpg with 3 blocks and made the Blazers contenders. Unfortunately the word "healthy" seems to be more like a dream when it comes Oden. The poor guy missed all of last season and has played in only 82 games since entering the league in 2008.
8 (12) NUGGETS 3-2
The Nuggets are an exciting team and we know they can score, currently they are second in the league at 104.4 point per game. They have six players averaging double figures with Ty Lawson leading the way with 18.6ppg. Lawson is emerging as the leader on the team, which is great considering how young they are and coach Karl is doing an excellent job with his scrappy bunch. I expect the Nuggets to make the playoffs, but I don't see them going further than the first round.
9 (16) PACERS 3-1
The Pacers management did an excellent job by adding former all-star forward David West to the mix. He is the perfect balance between forward Tyler Hansbrough and center Roy Hibbert. He's a better shooter than Hibbert and a better post player than Hansbrough, which allows the Pacers to interchange the three players. In the Pacers first 4 games, the trio combined for a very respectable 38.8ppg and 28.3rpg. As a team, the Pacers had the second best defense in week one, holding their opponents to only 87.8 points per game. My only concern is that they may not have enough scoring from the perimeter. In order for them to be taken really seriously, former all-star Danny Granger must have an all-star type season, with a scoring average somewhere in the neighborhood of 22 or more points per game.
10 (10) CLIPPERS 2-2
As NBA TV's commentator Dennis Scott will say, Must-See-BG has been in full effect early on with an average of 26ppg and 9.8rpg in the first week of the season. Unfortunately "lob city" hasn't taken off, because in order to get out in transition, their defense must step up. Outside of DeAndre Jordan's league leading 3.75 blocks per game, the Clippers ranked 27th in defense after week one when they allowed their four opponents to average 100.8 ppg. Once their defense improve as I expect it would, "lob city" and the team's win totals will increase.
11 (5) CELTICS 2-3
The Celtics started the season 0-3 without Paul Pierce in the lineup however, since his return, the team has gone on to win their last two games. The Celtics will be fine, but they must improve in two areas if they expect to challenge the Bulls and Heat in the East. Currently they are 29th in the league in rebounds at 35.4 per game and their defense, something they hung their hat on over the last few seasons, has also been a disappointment so far. I expect their defense to improve now that Pierce is back in the lineup, but I still expect them to struggle in the rebounding department.
12 (6) LAKERS 3-3
If I were the Lakers general manager, I would trade Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, Steve Blake and the picks the Lakers received from Dallas to Orlando for, Dwight Howard, Hedo Turkoglu and Jameer Nelson. I truly believe that the uncertainty over whether or not a trade is going to be made, will be the key reason attributing to the Lakers inconsistent play this season. With Nelson and Kobe in the backcourt and Howard manning the paint, the Lakers would finally be able to look ahead and focus on making a title run.
13 (19) WARRIORS 2-2
Barring injuries, GSW will make the playoffs this season. It's apparent that the Warriors intend to make the Curry-Ellis backcourt work under new head coach Mark Jackson, which is the reason they traded for Brandon Rush from Indiana. Rush is averaging 10ppg and 1.8bpg off the bench in 28.3 minutes per game. At 6'6" 225, Rush is one of the bigger shooting guards in the league. Once he enters the game, Curry or Ellis usually plays the point and when both are in the game, he is also big enough to play the small forward position. Besides the health of the Warriors backcourt, my other concern is whether the Warriors will continue to get consistent play from their bigs over the course of the season, especially on the offensive end.
14 (9) KNICKS 2-2
Iman Shumpert is the Knicks version of the Heat's Norris Cole, a though, gritty player who is not afraid of taken the big shot from the guard position. He scored 11 points in 22 minutes off the bench in the Knicks opener before injuring his knee. Recovery time is expected to be two-to-four weeks, more than likely four, which should also coincide with the return of Baron Davis. A healthy Davis and Shumpert makes the Knicks a completely different team, especially on the defensive end. I expect to see both players in the Knicks starting lineup within a few months.
15 (17) 76ERS 2-2
Lou Williams had a very impressive opening week off the bench with a 20.3ppg average on only 12.8 shot attempts. Igou numbers are also up from last season with a 16.8ppg average. Offensively the Sixers are on the right track, what concerns me is if they can continue at this pace. If they do, they will definitely make the playoffs.
16 (23) BUCKS 2-1
I predicted before the start of the season that the Bucks playoff hopes lied on the Shoulders of their starting point guard Brandon Jennings. I predicted that if Jennings shot at least 45 percent from the field he would average 20 plus points per game. In week one Jennings numbers were right on track with my prediction. He averaged 22.7ppg on 46 percent shooting.
17 (15) ROCKETS 2-2
Kyle Lowry and Kevin Martin are one of the best backcourt tandems in the game with a combined average of 32.6ppg and 13.5apg after week one and Lowry leading the league in assist with 11.5 per game. The problem is outside of power forward Luis Scola's 15.5ppg, the Rockets do not have any other player who can provide consistent scoring in the paint. The Rockets tried trading to address this issue, but as we know the trade to bring in Pau Gasol was voided. However, I expect the Rockets to make another attempt at a trade before the March 15 deadline and obviously you can expect Scola to be involved once again.
18 (18) HORNETS 2-2
Newly acquired shooting guard Eric Gordon only played in the Hornets first game and scored 20 points, but has been out with sore knees since then. I think Gordon will average around 25ppg and make things very interesting in New Orleans. Whether that will be enough to lead the Hornets to the playoffs remains to be seen. Personally, I don't see the Hornets making the playoffs this year.
19 (2) MAVERICKS 1-4
I wouldn't be nervous if I were a Mavericks fan, but I will be very concern. Recently Mavericks owner Mark Cuban tried to defuse the issue by claiming that this Mavs team is better than the one that won the title last season, really? Of course not! Lamar Odom and Vince Carter are supposed to be the answer, but Odom is having his worse season with a 4.8ppg and 4.0rpg average, while playing a career low 17.4 minutes per game. I'm sure the Mavs will get it together and make the playoff, but there's no question that the team lost it's defensive identity with the departure of center Tyson Chandler, which is the key reason why they will not repeat as champions.
20 (7) GRIZZLIES 1-3
The Grizz are off to a slow start and it didn't help when Zo-Bo went down with the knee injury. Fortunately for them, Zo-Bo is listed day-to-day and hopefully that prognosis holds up, because the injury looked far worse when it happened. Starting point guard Mike Conley also missed the last two games due to a sprain ankle, but he is expected to return on Tuesday, so don't start panicking Grizzlies fans.
21 (29) CAVALIERS 2-2
Kyrie Irving should and probably will win the ROY (Rookie of the Year) Award, simply because the team will let him play through his mistakes and learn on the fly. In week one Irving averaged 13.3ppg, 4.0rpg and 5.5apg, while making 39.2 percent of his shots. You can expect those numbers to increase. I'm projecting his average to be around 16 to 17.5ppg and 7apg, which should be enough to earn him the ROY Award, but obviously not enough to lead his team to the playoffs.
22 (24) KINGS 2-3
There's trouble out of Sacramento and once again it surrounds starting center DeMarcus Cousins. It was reported that Cousins asked to be traded, which his agent obviously denied. Rather than whining and complaining, what he needs to do is figure out a way to increase his shooting percentage from a miserable 32.1 up to around 50 percent. If he was shooting 50 percent from the field, he would be averaging 17.5ppg instead of 13ppg right now and chances are, he would probably be attempting more than 13.3 shots a game. Cousins is averaging a very impressive 11.3rpg in only 27 minutes a game. If he really focused on his game, he could average 20ppg and 12rpg and make things really interesting in Sacramento.
23 (27) TIMBERWOLVES 1-3
Kevin Love has been playing like an absolute beast with an average of 25.8ppg and 15.3rpg. Rookie point guard sensation Ricky Rubio has not disappointed either with his 9.5ppg and 7.3apg average and rookie Derrick Williams has shown signs of brilliance in 19.8 minutes of play of the bench. Derrick Williams can really score the ball and Ricky Rubio is an amazing passer, which is why I believe this team could be playoff bound by next season.
24 (20) SUNS 1-3
The Suns are averaging 89.3 points per game and this is a clear indication that the Steve Nash era is coming to an end in Phoenix. The Suns have always been among the league's leaders in points since Nash arrival, but in 4 games, the Suns only have two players averaging double figure and Nash himself is averaging only 8.3ppg.
25 (21) BOBCATS 1-3
This is not a hit on new head coach Paul Silas, but there is absolutely no way the Bobcats would have had the worst defensive team under former head coach Larry Brown. I know the Heat scored 129 points against the Bobcats in their last outing which increased the overall average for their opponents, but the Cats opponents averaged 105 points per game in their first 4 games. They MUST improve their defense, or they could be out of the playoff picture in a hurry.
26 (27) PISTONS 1-3
The Pistons are currently 27th in scoring at 87.3ppg and 25th in rebounding at 37.5rpg. If you average those two numbers, you'll come up with 26 and that is exactly where the Pistons are ranked entering week 2. Don't expect any trades out of Detroit, because I think the team is clearly in rebuilding mode and are gearing for the 2012 NBA draft.
27 (22) JAZZ 1-3
The Jazz are also in rebuilding mode and like the Pistons, will probably have to re-build through the draft. They are at the bottom of the league in scoring and are the second worst defensive team. Those number are simply not a recipe for success.
28 (30) RAPTORS 1-3
Of all the bottom feeders, meaning the bottom 5 teams, the Raptors have the best chance to moving up to the 25th spot on my ranking and that is mainly because I expect their defense to improve over time under new head coach Dwane Casey. I also agree with Casey that his star player Andrea Bargnani could develop into a Dirk-like player. Barnani is currently averaging an impressive 23ppg, but he's only averaging 6 rebounds which is very low from the center position. The Raptors and Bargani must improve their rebounding if they expect to move up.
29 (26) NETS 1-4
The Nets were not really good coming in and now that center Brook Lopez is out for 2 months, their season really look bleak. If Lopez returns and the Magic are willing to take him in trade for Dwight, I'll expect Williams to re-sign. The Nets can pretty much kiss Deron Williams goodbye if they don't land Dwight.
30 (25) WIZARDS 0-4
I don't know if you can blame head coach Flip Saunders for the Wizards early season failures, but all you have to do is look at the numbers and you'll understand why they are still winless. They are the lowest scoring team in the league with only 83.5 points per game and are 29th in assist, even though they have John Wall. I know it's early, but Wall has taken a step back and his numbers are even lower than last season. I'm not sure a new coach can change that, but maybe a new coach is what the Wizards need, because clearly something isn't working.
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