With power rankings being all the rage these days we decided to give it a try, but with a Lakers Nation twist. As you will surely notice, the Lakers aren’t on our list of teams. This is because we’re going to take a look at the teams that will be challenging the Lakers for the throne, so obviously Los Angeles won’t be on the list. So take some time to check out our rankings and get to learn the names of the teams competing to overthrow the champs.
29. Los Angeles Clippers are 1-13 but are being recognized by everyone because of the great highlights that Blake Griffin is making.
28. Philadelphia Sixers are 3-10 and it does not look great thus far for Doug Collins as head coach.
27. Toronto Raptors are 5-9 but they are definitely suffering without Chris Bosh.
26. Houston Rockets are 3-9 and suffering badly with the injuries to Yao Ming and Aaron Brooks.
25. Washington Wizards are 4-8 but the rookie John Wall is making a name for himself in the young season.
24. Detroit Pistons are 5-8 and looks like they made a bad choice to sign the injury prone Tracy McGrady.
23. Minnesota Timberwolves are 4-10 but are a fun young team with the great duo Kevin Love and Michael Beasley are creating together.
22. Charlotte Bobcats are 5-8 and are a work in progress.
21. New Jersey Nets are 4-9 and the only great sign here is that they are winning games.
Next: Kings and Grizzlies Fighting for Positioning
20. Indiana Pacers are 5-6 but there is still a lot of work left to do for this team.
19. Sacramento Kings are 4-8 but are a work in progress with all the young talent they have.
18. Memphis Grizzles are 5-9 but the greatest highlight for the Grizzles this past week was the game winning buzzer beater Rudy Gay made over the Heat.
17. Cleveland Cavaliers are 5-7 but they have been showing some signs of defending for themselves in the post-LeBron era in Cleveland.
16. Milwaukee Bucks are 5-8 but are looking great with the leadership and play-making abilities of Brandon Jennings.
Next: Tough Western Teams Looking to Crack Top 10
15. New York Knicks are 6-8 and look like they are enjoying the services of Amare Stoudemire.
14. Golden State Warriors are 7-6 and are the last team in the rankings to have a winning record at this moment. However their stock has fallen after last night’s blowout loss to the Lakers.
13. Phoenix Suns are 6-7 and have been having trouble filling in the shoes Amare Stoudemire left at center. Robin Lopez suffered a injury a week ago too. The Suns suffered blowout losses in Florida against Orlando and Miami. It’s a work in progress in Phoenix.
12. Denver Nuggets are 7-6 and have been having problems with injured players. Carmelo Anthony has been producing well for the team despite wanting to be traded.
11. Portland Trail Blazers are 8-6 but will have to play without Greg Oden, who will be out another full season with another injury. Brandon Roy has been hurt of late too, but the team is hanging on tight in the young season.
Next: A Would-Be ‘Dynasty’ Barely Treading Water
10. Miami Heat are 8-5 and have been playing poor as of late. They lost their last game on a Rudy Gay game-winning buzzer beater. They also lost their forward Udonis Haslem until March and are even shorter on big men. The team is shooting .475 from the floor and averaging 103 points per game. LeBron James and Dwayne Wade are averaging 46 points per game together and Chris Bosh is averaging 18 points per game.
9. Atlanta Hawks are 8-5 and have been playing good basketball. The team is shooting .468 from the floor and averaging 102 points per game. They are led by Joe Johnson’s 21 points and Jamal Crawford’s 19 points per game.
8. Utah Jazz are 9-5 and have won big games on the road against Miami and Orlando. The team is shooting .457 on the field and averaging 100 points per game. They are led by Deron Williams and his 20 points and 10 assist per game.
7. Dallas Mavericks are 8-4 and are having a fair early season. Dallas is averaging 96 points per game, 22 assist per game, and 41 rebounds per game. The team is shooting .480 from the field. Dirk Nowitzki is leading the Mavericks with 25 points per game and 9 rebounds per game. Jason Terry is adding 18 points per game and Jason Kidd is dishing out 10 assist per game.
6. Chicago Bulls are 7-4 and have started their circus road trip, going 2-1 thus far with a game against the Lakers coming up on Tuesday. The Bulls are averaging 101 points per games, 22 assist per game and 45 rebounds per game. They are shooting .474 from the field but are struggling from three. Derrick Rose is scoring 25 points per game and dishing 9 assist per game. The team is struggling with scoring from but Luol Deng is adding 18 points per game.
Next: Upstart Thunder and an old Foe Making Noise
5. Oklahoma City Thunder are 9-4 and have passed several tests in the last week after beating Utah and Boston on the road. The team is averaging 102 points per game, 17 assist per game, and 40 rebounds per game. OKC is averaging a field goal percentage of .451 but are struggling from the three with a average of .285. MVP candidate, Kevin Durant is averaging 28 points a game as he is leading the team in scoring and Russell Westbrook is averaging 23 points and 8 assist per game.
4. Orlando Magic are 9-3 and have won the last three games with a blowout home win against the Phoenix Suns. The team is averaging 98 points per game, 19 assists per game and 44 rebounds per game. Orlando is averaging .459 from the field and .352 from the three. Dwight Howard is averaging 21 points and 11 rebounds, Vince Carter is adding 15 points per game and Jameer Nelson is contributing with 15 points per game.
3. New Orleans Hornets are 10-1 and have surprised many people including myself. I am not sold on them being the elite team they were three years ago, but they are playing great basketball thus far. The team is averaging 99 points per game, 22 assist per game and 40 rebounds per game. The Hornets are averaging .473 from the field, .389 from the three and .773 from the free throw line. Chris Paul is leading the team with his 18 points per game and 10 assist per game, and David West is adding 18 point per game.
2. Boston Celtics are 9-4 and recently lost a tough game at home against the Thunder, but that does not stop them from being my second best team. The Celtics are averaging 100 points, 26 assists and 39 rebounds a game. They’re shooting .505 from the field and .413 from three. The big four are carrying Boston as Rajon Rondo is averaging 14 assist per game, Paul Pierce is averaging 21 points per game, Ray Allan is averaging 17 points per game and Kevin Garnett is averaging 16 points per game.
1. San Antonio Spurs are 10-1 and have won 10 straight games. They defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder, Chicago Bulls and Utah Jazz in their last three games. The team is led by Tim Duncan’s season averages 14 points and 10 rebounds. Tony Parker is averaging 19 points and eight assist and Manu Ginobili Is averaging 21 points. The team looked to be old and out of contention but the Spurs have stated the season strong as the team is averaging 108 points, 43 rebounds and 24 assist a game. The team is also shooting .468% from the field and .442 from the three.