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Power Rankings: Jazz, Hornets make their move; Heat, Bulls slide
Created On: November 20, 2006 ESPN.com
1 (3) Jazz 9-1 How do we know Jazz are reborn? They just posted a 3-0 week without an injured AK-47 and Sloan is handing big roles to kids like Miles, Brewer and Millsap.
2 (1) Spurs 8-2 You're tempted to question Spurs' age (and everything else) after a home L to Charlotte … except that only two of the six reigning division champs are over .500.
3 (2) Clippers 6-2 They're not worried about the 0-2 start on the road. They're too busy worrying about what's wrong with Kaman, who looks nothing like a $50-some million player.
4 (5) Cavaliers 7-3 These guys are the closest thing we've got to an East beast these days. Of course, until Hughes gets back, Cavs would admit that they really don't qualify, either.
5 (7) Mavericks 5-4 They're still not up to par, not even after five straight Ws, but Nowitzki looks all right. He's got seven double-doubles already, one more than Dirk had all of last November.
6 (12) Hornets 7-3 Hornets got to 4-0 without a real peep from Peja. Now they've rallied from a three-game skid because Peja is starting to look like the great fit we said he'd be.
7 (4) Rockets 6-4 First Brad Lidge's ERA soared and now Rockets can't close games. But before you exaggerate the problem, let's not forget Houston did rout Dallas and Miami.
8 (8) Lakers 7-3 Lots to be thankful for indeed. Kobe's recovering, Bynum's blossoming and Lakers are only four games (3-1) into a stretch where they play 13 of 14 at Staples Center.
9 (16) Magic 7-3 The new favorite to win the Southeast? The best regular-season team in Florida? As long as Shaq's out and Grant Hill is healthy, it's not as outrageous as it sounds.
10 (14) Warriors 7-3 They've been flying even with J-Rich at half-speed. But Nellie played only seven guys vs. Sonics, with Murphy, Diogu and now this better-than-ever Baron dinged up, too.
11 (9) Nets 5-4 Not a lot of mystery here. Hard to imagine New Jersey getting swept at home by the league's Pacific Northwest chapter, in the space of six days, if RJ were healthy.
12 (13) Pistons 5-5 Pistons didn't lose their sixth game last season until Jan. 31. Let's see how long they can delay No. 6 this term after getting Rip back and clawing back to .500.
13 (11) Kings 5-4 I keep getting lots of We Don't Miss Bonzi e-mails. But I'll tell you who was also glad not to see him in Kings colors Sunday night … victorious San Antonio.
14 (22) Nuggets 4-4 Denver went 19-6 minus K-Mart in '05-06 but picked its spots on when to rest him. These Nuggets are 4-2 without him but have no such option and 70-plus games left.
15 (15) Suns 3-6 D'Antoni says Nash's latest back woes aren't costing him any sleep. If it gets to the sleep-deprivation point, though, it won't even matter how Amare's coming along.
16 (6) Heat 4-5 The two Shaq-sized issues here: How much will keeping this team afloat without Shaq take out of Wade and Co. for later? And what will Shaq look like when he's back?
17 (17) Pacers 5-5 Maybe a long trip can help Pacers find some harmony and/or tranquility. They can only hope so, with seven of the next nine on the road and five of those out West.
18 (20) Trail Blazers 5-6 Seeing Roy's foot in a boot has to be disheartening, but plucky Blazers won't let you know it. They already have comeback wins from 27, 16 and 13 points down.
19 (18) Wizards 4-5 The less said about those gold jerseys, the better. The bigger issue: Does Gil have to score 40 for Wiz to win? They're 3-0 when he does, 1-5 when he doesn't.
20 (12) Bulls 3-7 A handy alibi if they want it: Bulls' annually dreaded circus road trip is a seven-gamer that began with three in Texas. No surprise: Skiles doesn't want it.
21 (29) Celtics 4-6 We praise Pierce for his board work, then he stops rebounding in double digits, then Celts start winning. We'd have said something sooner if we knew the result.
22 (19) Hawks 4-4 Sorry. As much as I hate to say it about a team I'm pulling for, three straight home L's (two in OT and the other by a deuce) look like the start of a slide back to reality.
23 (23) 76ers 4-5 Webber, just to clarify, was registering his unhappiness when he sounded off last week, not demanding a trade. He surely knows Sixers tried all summer to move him.
24 (21) SuperSonics 4-7 The momentum from Sonics' recent strong finish on an East trip didn't last, but here's something I know will get better: Ray Allen is shooting just 34.9 percent on 3s.
25 (30) Bobcats 2-7 We'd love to explain how Bobs beat Cleveland and then won in San Antonio despite losing every other game they've played. But we're busy looking for Gerald Wallace.
26 (25) Timberwolves 3-6 Latest in a long line of road woes: Cavs start Snow and Wesley together in a not-so-spry backcourt, with Hughes out injured … and still pound Wolves by 16.
27 (27) Knicks 4-7 It had the makings of a rare week of Gotham bliss. But less than 15,000 filled MSG for the Washington rout and a home L to Boston ended their two-game win streak.
28 (24) Bucks 3-7 Simmons is still out, Villanueva just joined him and Bucks are 0-1 when Redd tops 50. Guess we weren't wrong when we doubted they'd match last season's 17-11 start.
29 (26) Raptors 2-7 Anyone have Villanueva going down before Ford? Not that you'll hear any gloating out of Canada, thanks to Raps' 0-4 start on their five-game trip out West.
30 (28) Grizzlies 1-8 If Sunday's speculation out of Miami is true -- which tipped Fratello as the most likely Riley successor out there -- he might not mind all this ''hot seat'' talk.
