SpursCentral's Power Rankings ...

TheSick1 · by **TheSick1** on Sat Mar 26, 2005 4:29 pm

By Efrain Torres 
SpursCentral Columnist 
 
This was as of last week - better late than never<img src=http://www.sahoops.net/smilies/smile.gif ALT=":)"> 
 
 
The Heat have now captured the leagues best record at 51-16, while San Antonio still remains on top out West. Jermaine O'Neal appears to be done for the season and so does Juwan Howard of the Houston Rockets. Minnesota and the Los Angeles Lakers are both out of the playoffs at the moment and Orlando just fired coach Johnny Davis. Anyways, here are the Power Rankings three quarters into the seaon: 
 
1 - Miami Heat (51-16) – Not only are the Heat the only team with 50+ wins, but they have rolled off 11 straight wins. The Heat are the only team in the NBA to have clinched a playoff birth and barring injury, Miami appears to be the heavy favorite to come out of the East. 
 
2 - San Antonio Spurs (49-15) – San Antonio has the best record out West and the Spurs are one win away from their eighth 50-win season in the last nine years. San Antonio also filled their last roster spot by adding five year veteran Dion Glover to their roster. 
 
3 - Phoenix Suns (48-15) – The Suns have reeled off six straight on the road, which gives them the best road record in the league at 25-7. Phoenix also leads the league in scoring with and outstanding 110ppg. 
 
4 - Houston Rockets (39-25) – The Rockets have not been 14 games over .500 since the 1996-1997 season. Houston is on a six game winning streak and during the streak had two impressive wins at Phoenix and Seattle. However, will Juwan Howard be back for the playoffs? 
 
5 - Detroit Pistons (40-23) – Larry Brown is still sidelined with from the hip surgery, but the Pistons are doing okay. Detroit is 23-7 at home, which includes a 9-2 mark against the West. Detroit is only allowing 89ppg, which ranks them 2nd behind San Antonio who allows 86ppg. 
 
6 - Denver Nuggets (33-30) – Don’t let the record fool you. The Nuggets have won their last nine out of ten and since George Karl became coach they are 16-5. The Nuggets are playing just as good as anyone at the moment, and could possibly upset someone in the playoffs. 
 
7 - Boston Celtics (36-29) – Antoine Walker has fit in nicely since returning back to Boston. Not only has he helped the Celtics win 11 out of their last 13, but they are leading the Atlantic Division. Can the Celtics sustain their five game winning streak? 
 
8 - Seattle Super Sonics (43-20) – It appears as if the Sonics have finally come down from cloud nine. The shooting has not been as hot as it was at the beginning of the season. In the last ten games, Seattle is just 5-5. Are the contract talks becoming too much for this team? 
 
9 - Dallas Mavericks (42-22) - The Mavericks have allowed at least 100 points in 13 of their last 18 games. They have lost three out of their last 6 games at home, but still sustain one of the top records in the entire league. However, their D must show up in the playoffs or else…. 
 
10 - Memphis Grizzlies (37-27) – The Grizz have been without Gasol since Jan 22, while Swift has been out since February 16. Nonetheless, the Grizz continue to rely on their bench to grind out games and have gone 7-3 in the last 10 games. 
 
11 - Sacramento Kings (40-26) – Brad Miller is out with a broken fibula and the committee of Thomas, Williamson, and Skinner has not lived up to the expectations. Obviously, the Kings are missing Webbers presence, but they won’t be missing that huge contract. 
 
12 - Washington Wizards (35-27) – The Wizards win over Atlanta on Wednesday night gave the Wiz consecutive wins since Feb 9. The backcourt of Arenas and Hughes ranks as one of the leagues best. However, the absence of Jamison could cause the Wiz a couple of playoff spots. 
 
13 - Cleveland Cavaliers (34-28) – Cleveland is one win away from matching last years win total of 35 wins. Lebron James has had seventeen 30-point game performances this year, but the Cavs have lost eight straight on the road. 
 
14 - Chicago Bulls (32-30) – The Bulls are still above .500 three quarters into the season. Loul Deng has missed a few games and Eddie Curry who leads the team with 15ppg has been bothered with a left hamstring injury. It looks like the Baby Bulls are playoff bound this year. 
 
15 - Minnesota Timberwolves (33-33) – Under Coach Kevin McHale, Minnesota are a depressing 8-7. Was it wise to fire Flip Saunders during the season? People believe the Wolves will get it together before the playoffs and sneak in for the 8th spot, but time is running out. 
 
16 - Indiana Pacers (32-31) – The Pacers are holding on to the 7th spot, but Jermaine O’Neal appears to be done for the regular season with his shoulder injury. Indiana has never bounced back from the brawl and Reggie Miller must be devastated with the way his last season has gone with Indy. 
 
17 - Los Angeles Lakers (32-32) – The Lakers are barely .500 and are on a three game losing streak, which have all been by double digits. At the moment the Lakers are out of playoff contention, but they do play Minnesota and Denver once more, so that could make a difference. 
 
18 - Philadelphia 76ers (31-33) – Allen Iverson suffered a chip fracture in his left thumb and is day to day, while Chris Webber is having a hard time adjusting to being the second option. If Chris does not produce you can expect the Philly fans to run him out of town. 
 
19 - Orlando Magic (31-33) – Can new Coach Chris Jent get the Magic going in Orlando? Johnny Davis was booted out as coach and the Magic have dropped out rapidly from the playoffs, but can still steal the 8th spot from Philadelphia. 
 
20 - Los Angeles Clippers (29-35) – Believe it or not the Clippers still have a glimpse of hope for the playoffs. They trail the Nuggets for the 8th spot by about 4 ½ games, but can cut into that tonight when they meet Denver. The Clippers can no longer afford moral victories. 
 
21 - New Jersey Nets (29-36) – Jefferson has finally gotten his cast removed from his left wrist and has stated that if the Nets were to make the playoffs he might be able to play. The Nets playoff hopes are not too far fetched due to the fact that they play out East. 
 
22 - Toronto Raptors (27-37) – Toronto is a dismal 7-25 on the road and are 14-21 against conference opponents. It’s been a tough season for Coach Mitchell and it might be a little too late for the Raptors to actually make a push for the playoffs this year. 
 
23 - New York Knicks (26-36) - New York fell to 1-15 against teams with a winning percentage over .600, including an 0-8 mark at home. It appears that the Knicks mid-season trades have not worked out as they assumed they would have. Oh well, they can always trade in the summer. 
 
24 - Milwaukee Bucks (26-37) – The Bucks no longer need to worry about making the playoffs for this season because their hopes are pretty much over. Therefore, their focus must immediately switch to trying to re-sign Redd and finding him some support for next season. 
 
25 - Golden State Warriors (21-44) - If the Warriors would have acquired Davis before the season, this year might have been different for the Warriors, but that was not the case. By the way, Adonal Foyle became the 16th Warrior in franchise history to play in 500 games. 
 
26 - Portland Trailblazers (23-40) – The Blazers fell to 1-7 under interim coach Kevin Pritchard and definitely need to blow that team up. Don’t expect to see Abdur-Rahim back and maybe a few others as well. Mo Cheeks must be smiling due to the fact that he no longer has to deal with kids. 
 
27 - Utah Jazz (20-44) –To say that the Jazz have cashed it in for the season would be an understatement. The Jazz never really recovered after AK-47 went down and they have lost seven straight, which five have been on the road. 
 
28 - New Orleans Hornets (14-49) – The Hornets are the only team in the NBA to have a goose egg when it comes to wins against division opponents. The Hornets have gone 3-7 in the last ten games, but their All-Star Jamal Magloire is back from the IL. Yay! 
 
29 - Atlanta Hawks (11-53) – Coach Mike Woodson received his first ever ejection against Washington the other night. That’s probably the most excitement the fans at Philips Arena have seen from their Hawks all season. Oh wait; they do have the Slam Dunk Champion. 
 
30 - Charlotte Bobcats (12-50) – The Bobcats are on a 8 game losing skid mainly due to the fact that they have allowed 117ppg in their last four games and have had 6 starting lineup changes this month alone. I guess these are the growing pains of an expansion team Edited by: <A HREF=http://p204.ezboard.com/bsanantoniospurs62937.showUserPublicProfile?gid=blondie4spurs>Blondie4Spurs</A> <IMG HEIGHT=10 WIDTH=10 SRC="http://homepage.eircom.net/~bray/em/orose.gif" BORDER=0> at: 3/26/05 3:50 pm

Samr · by **Samr** on Sat Mar 26, 2005 5:34 pm

<img src=http://www.sahoops.net/smilies/clap.gif ALT=":clap"> (although I'd like to debate Atlanta/Charlotte simply because I love to see bad teams get recognition. Atlanta has lost 20 out of its last 21 games and are now 41 games behind Miami. I think that trumps every starting lineup change and point differential you can throw at me. Love the comment about the technical though <img src=http://www.sahoops.net/smilies/lol.gif ALT=":lol"> ) ++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 
 
Happy Easter. 
 
<img src="http://img56.exs.cx/img56/9382/bunny5dp.jpg"/>

missmyzte · by **missmyzte** on Sat Mar 26, 2005 5:37 pm

I've been missing your rankings Sick, thanks for this one! <img src=http://www.sahoops.net/smilies/smile.gif ALT=":)"> I would love nothing more than to see Miami and Charlotte switch places ... somehow ... someway .... <hr />MistiLynn 
<img src="http://www.mistilynn.com/spurs/banner-tp.jpg" style="border:0;"/> 
"It's got to be hard to defend us," Nesterovic said, "when we don't even know who's going to shoot." 1/26/05

Samr · by **Samr** on Sat Mar 26, 2005 5:52 pm

<blockquote>Quote:<hr>I would love nothing more than to see Miami and Charlotte switch places<hr></blockquote> 
 
And I would love to found a franchise in Maui just so I can preside over the cheerleader tryouts, but we just can't have everything we want now can we? ++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 
 
Happy Easter. 
 
<img src="http://img56.exs.cx/img56/9382/bunny5dp.jpg"/>

TheSick1 · by **TheSick1** on Sat Mar 26, 2005 6:21 pm

Thanks guys. 
 
Atlanta is a very bad team right now, but sometime in the near future they have a legit shot at becoming a very good team. They have Josh Smith, Boris Diaw, Josh Childress, Royal Ivey, and Al Harrington. Those players right there are Atlanta's future and Atlanta will probably get a top three pick in this years draft, which includes C Andrew Bogut and PG Chris Paul...two players at two positions that the Hawks desperately need help in. 
 
Charlotte on the other hand, might continue to struggle but if Emeka and the Bobcats land themselves someone like Marvin Williams or Bogut then they could at least be decent. 
 
However, the team that I would definitely keep an eye on next year is the Golden State Warriors. I think the Warriors next year are going to be a very deadly team. Not only will Golden State have a top ten pick in this years draft but they have a deadly one-two puch with Jason Richardson and the newly acquired Baron Davis. They have good players in Dunleavy, Murphy, Pietrus, and Fisher to surrond their two stars with as well. I think Chris Mullen finally has this team on the right track and they will probably end up being this year's Seattle or Phoenix next year.

Samr · by **Samr** on Sat Mar 26, 2005 6:27 pm

Well since you're on the topic of Golden State (and I rarely comment on these Power Rankings anyways), I have a feeling Fisher's situation will be a lot like Malik's. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't his contract fairly similar to the one Malik has? I think his was something like 4 or 5 years, but the ammount of money is the same. 
 
Unfortunately, Derek is getting older. He's a savvy veteran (I love that phrase. It makes you sound like you know something), but his contract is worth more than his stastical/leadership value to the team. Especially since they got Baron Davis. And you have to give Speedy minutes. 
 
Mullen will be stuck with an untradable contract on his hands and an old pointguard on the bench. Of course, this opinion would be null and void if he didn't have a bad contract. I'm 85 percent sure he does though. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 
 
Happy Easter. 
 
<img src="http://img56.exs.cx/img56/9382/bunny5dp.jpg"/>

TheSick1 · by **TheSick1** on Sat Mar 26, 2005 6:46 pm

Sam, you are correct. Derek Fisher has a nice fat contract that runs into the 2009/2010 season. However, Speedy is no longer in Golden State because he now plays in New Orleans, so his contract is gone. 
 
So, Fisher will see minutes behind Baron and Derek is a legit backup for that team and should play a good amount of minutes, so I don't know if Mullin will be so quick to let go of Fisher...unless Fisher starts playing horrible and ends up in the Dog House. 
 
Another reason why Fishers contract should not be a huge factor is because Golden State has the core of it's team wrapped up for a good amount of time. Baron is locked till 2009, Foyle till 2010, Dunleavy till 2007, Pietrus till 2007, and Richardson and Murphy just got extensions as well. Plus, thier 1st rounder this year will also be locked up for about 4 years. Lastly, they can always use the MLE to attract free agents as well, so I would say the Warriors are in good shape.

SpursCentral's Power Rankings ...