NBA WIZARD 2013-2014 POWER RANKING: WEEK 2

RK LAST WK

1 (1)  INDIANA  7-0
The Pacers 7-0 start is the best in franchise history and the team's success can be attributed to three things.  The Pacers league leading defense allows opponent only 85.3ppg.  Hibbert's 4.29 blocks per game is the second highest and he has emerged early on as the leading candidate for the NBA's Defensive Player of the Year award.  Lastly, after a solid series against the Heat in last year's Eastern Conference Finals, Paul George is having a breakout season averaging 25.1ppg.

2 (9) SAN ANTONIO  6-1
The Spurs are back to their old ways, leading the Western Conference with the best record once again.  The Spurs are only allowing their opponents to score 92.4ppg, which is second in the league.

3 (7) OKLAHOMA CITY  5-1
Kevin Durant is leading the league in scoring with 30.2ppg and appears to be on his way to winning his third scoring title in four season.  His counterpart Russell Westbrook is averaging only19ppg since returning from his injury and shooting a miserable .338 percent from the field, but his presence has created opportunities for the entire team, which is why the Thunder are sporting a 4-game winning streak since his return.

4 (4) MIAMI  4-3
One-point losses to the Nets and Celtics along with a four-point loss to the Sixers in the team's first seven games, is an indication that the Miami Heat are not prepared to defend their title.  The Heat won championships using defense as their staple, but this current team is allowing their opponents 100.9ppg, which is 21st in the league and this is the key reason for their sluggish start.

5 (3) MINNESOTA  5-2
The Timberwolves are averaging 106.1ppg, which is third overall in the league.  Kevin Love is leading the way with 26.9ppg and 14.4rpg and his sidekick Ricky Rubio is also having a great year averaging 8.7apg and a league leading 3.3spg.  However, the Wolves success has to be attributed to the reemergence of Kevin Martin, who is the team's second leading scorer with 23.9ppg.

6 (5) LA CLIPPERS  4-3
Two wins in one week over the upstart Houston Rockets should be a great week for any team and this was what the Clippers accomplished last week.  At 110ppg the Clippers are leading the league in scoring, but they have a 4-3 record because they can't stop anyone from scoring.  Despite having a defensive presence like DeAndre Jordan and a pest like CP3 on the perimeter, this team is allowing their opponents 106.3ppg, which is 27th in the league.  New head coach Doc Rivers who hangs his hat on defense is definitely unhappy about this, but that's the trade off when you load a team with mostly shooters, i.e. J.J. Reddck and Jared Dudley.

7 (2) HOUSTON  4-3
The Rockets were off to a great start before dropping 1-3 in week two, including two losses to the L.A. Clippers.  The surprising stat for me, has to be the 1.43 blocks that Dwight Howard is averaging early on.  His 13.6rpg is impressive, but his low block totals has a lot to do with why the Rockets are allowing their opponents 103.6ppg for 24th in the league.

8 (6) GOLDEN STATE  4-3
The Warriors ended a tough 4-game road trips with losses in San Antonio and Memphis and Steph Curry was not at full strength due to soreness in his ankle.  The good new is, four of the Warriors next five games will be in Oakland, so I expect them to return to their winning ways.

9 (8) DALLAS  4-3
Dirk is having a sub par year averaging 18.1ppg, but his new sidekick Monte Ellis is leading the team in scoring with 23ppg for the league's second highest scoring team.  The Mavs are averaging 107ppg, but defensively is where this team is struggling.  They are currently allowing their opponents 104.4ppg, which is currently 25th in the league.

10 (15) PHOENIX  5-2
The Phoenix Suns are definitely getting a bargain for the $2.6 million the team is paying Eric Bledsoe, who is looking to cash in on a contract extension next season.  Bledsoe is having a breakout season averaging 20.9ppg with 7.3apg and doesn't appear to be slowing down anytime soon.  Had it not been for the monster year Anthony Davis is having, Bledsoe would probably have a shot at winning the NBA's Most Improved Player (MIP) Award.

11 (12) PORTLAND  4-2
The Blazers had a 4-1 week thanks to back-to-back wins against the lottery bound Sacramento Kings. While Damien Lillard may have come down to earth a bit, LaMarcus Aldridge continues to lead the team with 23.3ppg and is in the midst of an all-star season.

12 (17) MEMPHIS  3-3
The Grizzlies played four of their five games at home last week and managed to win three of those games, however, it's still too early to gauge whether this team has an upside.  Five of their next six games will be on the road, by then it should be clear what direction this team is heading.

13 (13) CHICAGO  2-3
It's way to early to panic if you're a Bulls fan, but one has to be concern about the health of Derrick Rose.  14.4ppg on 15 shot attempts is simply not going to get it done.  To make matter worst, Rose is averaging only 4apg.  I expect the Bulls to turn their fortunes around because they are still a great defensive team.  Their 45.6 rebounds is third overall in the league and they only give up 93ppg to their opponents, which is fifth, but the team's ultimate success still rest on the healthy, or not so healthy knees of Derrick Rose.

14 (11) PHILADELPHIA  4-3
The Sixers started the season 3-0, but came back down to earth last week by posting a 1-3 record. Evan Turner is having a great year averaging 23.4ppg on .521 percent shooting from the field, while rookie Michael Carter-Williams; the Eastern Conference Player of the Week in week one, seems to be settling into a high volume, low percentage shooter.  For the season, Carter-Williams is down to 18.7ppg on .409 percent shooting from the field.

15 (20) ATLANTA  3-3
The Hawks are having a surprisingly good year especially Paul Millsap, who is currently leading the team in scoring with 20.2ppg and second in rebounds at 8.2rpg.  For years, the Hawks were considered to be a selfish team, but all that has changed this season.  The Hawks are leading the league in assists with 28apg led by point guard Jeff Teague's 9.8apg, who is second in the league behind the Clippers Chris Paul. T

16 (19) NEW ORLEANS  3-4
MIP Anthony Davis update: 21.7ppg, 11.6rpg, 3.9bpg, 2.3spg with a 29.6 PER, is leading the league's fifth best defense.  The Pelicans are only giving up 94.7ppg to their opponents and if they ever landed a a solid perimeter defender like a Tony Allen, they would easily be the best defensive team in the league.

17 (22) CLEVELAND  3-4
Word out of Cleveland is that point guard superstar Kyrie Irving and new head coach Mike Brown are not on the same page offensively, especially at the end of games.  The irony is, coach Brown has never been known for coaching offense and the team's 94.1ppg average, which is 23rd in the league is a clear indication that Brown is still not an offensive coach.

18 (29) BOSTON  3-4
After starting the season 0 and 4, the Celtics spend last week reeling off three straight wins including a 1-point nail bitter in Miami against the two-time defending champs, thanks to a fortunate 3-pointer by Jeff Green at the buzzer.  What does this means? Well, absolutely nothing, because the Celtics are still lottery bound.

19 (25) CHARLOTTE  3-3
The Bobcats are 3-3, but like I said before the season, this team best chance of improving is getting lucky through the draft. Can you imaging if they had drafted Anthony Davis?  Well, that didn't happen so their next best shot is to hopefully land Parker or Wiggins in next year's draft.  At 90.3ppg, the Bobcats are 29th in the league in scoring and dead last in assist at only 17 a game.  With those numbers, there's no way I see this team making the playoffs.

20 (16) LA LAKERS  3-5
Jodie Meeks is leading the Lakers in scoring with 12.8ppg and that should tell you how bad the Lakers are.  I predicted that Pau Gasol would have an all-star season and I know it's still early, but 11.9ppg on 36 percent shooting, seriously Pau?  If I were the Lakers, I would buyout Kobe's contract, trade Pau and tank the season for more lottery picks, because the best case for the Lakers this season is a First-Round exit.

21 (14) BROOKLYN  2-4
Brook Lopez 20.2ppg and 2.33bpg are solid numbers, so he's off the hook, but Deron Williams is not. Williams is averaging 10.8ppg and 7.5spg and if he continues at that pace, the Nets would end up being the most disappointing and expensive experiment in the history of the NBA.  Williams will have to average over 20ppg and 10 or more assists, for the Nets to be a contender.

22 (23) TORONTO  3-4
Wins over Boston, Milwaukee and Utah; three lottery bound teams, only leads to false hope.  The Raptors led by Rudy Gay's 17.9ppg has a chance to make the playoffs because they're surprisingly a decent defensive team.  Fourth to be exact in opponents points allowed at 93.9ppg.  Making the playoffs could be a possibility if they hang on to Gay, so if they really plan on joining the Wiggins-Parker sweepstakes the only logical option would be to trade Rudy Gay.

23 (21) ORLANDO  3-4
The Magic are leading the league in rebounds with 47.7 per game and Nikola Vucevic is leading the way with 12.1rpg.  Rebounding is a key ingredient to winning games and with rookie sensation like Oladipo on board, the Magic making the playoffs may not be as far fetched as I initially thought.

24 (10) DETROIT 2-3
Losing to the red hot Pacers and the Thunder didn't do anything to change my prediction that the Detroit Pistons will make the playoffs this year.  The only player that concerns me is Brandon Jennings, a high volume, low percentage shooter.  Currently Jennings is averaging 17.7ppg on 16.3 shot attempts, while making only .367 percent of his shots in 3 games for the Pistons this season.

25 (24) MILWAUKEE  2-3
O.J. Mayo is leading the Bucks in scoring with 18.6ppg this season and those numbers will probably increase as the season progresses.  He and Monte Ellis; who is having a fantastic year in Dallas, would've made a great backcourt, but my guess is the Bucks decided to completely rebuild.

BOTTOM FEEDERS

26 (18) NEW YORK  2-4
As the saying goes, "when it rains, it pours," and in the Knicks case, everything seems to be falling apart right now.  The team's only true post defender Tyson Chandler, recently went down with a fractured right fibula and is expected to miss 4-to-6 weeks.  Things are so bad in New York that head coach Mike Woodson questioned his team's effort and that was followed by Knicks owner Jim Dolan guaranteeing that the Knicks would win their next game against the Hawks.  I expect the Knicks to recover, but the pressure is on and Woodson should be feeling the heat.

27 (30) WASHINGTON  2-4
The Wizards defense are currently 29th in the league, giving up 106.8ppg to their opponents this season.  After starting the season 0-and-3, the Wizards have gone on to win 2 of their last 3 games and their one defeat was a 106-105 loss in overtime to the Thunder in Oklahoma City.  Second year stud Bradley Beal posted a 31.5ppg average over the last two games and is leading the team in scoring with 21ppg this season.  

28 (26) DENVER  1-4
JaVale McGee is out indefinitely with a stress fracture in his left tibia which will definitely hurt an already terrible defense that gives up 105.2ppg.  Ty Lawson is having a breakout year averaging 22.6ppg and 6.8apg, but his Nuggets team that was once known for scoring, is only averaging 98.4ppg which is 17th overall.  New head coach B-Shaw is off to a rough start.

29 (27) SACRAMENTO  1-5
DeMarcus Cousins is having a breakout season, but his numbers doesn't hold much weight considering how terrible the Kings are.  Yes he's averaging 23.5ppg, 9.7rpg, 2.2spg and 1.2bpg, but the Kings have the second worst record in the league.

30 (28) UTAH  0-7
Word out of Utah is that former head coach Jerry Sloan might be on his way back to coach the Jazz and after and 0-7 start, which means the Jazz current head coach Ty Corbin could be the first coach fired this season.  The Jazz is the NBA's lowest scoring team, with an 87.7ppg average.  A change is definitely coming and it wouldn't surprise me to see Corbin out and Sloan in sooner, rather than later.