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.
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