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.
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