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.
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