30. Minnesota Timberwolves (Last week’s ranking: 30): At 17-50, it didn’t appear possible for things to start unraveling faster for the Timberwolves. That was 10 games ago; now they are 17-60. Guess I was wrong, things were able to get worse.
29. Cleveland Cavaliers (29): Amid a sub-20-win season, knocking off the man who jumped ship in the most egotistical fashion in front of his former home crowd might be the highlight of the year for the lowly Cavs.
28. New Jersey Nets (26): Deron Williams is back on the court after sitting out a few games due to injury; however, the Nets have still dropped six and a row, and not even Kris Humphries’ “Kardashian Effect” seems to be the fix that this team needs.
27. Toronto Raptors (27): The Raptors’ plethora of young talent is laced with extensive amounts of potential, but they have absolutely nothing else. Their Head Coach is sub-par at best, and they have no real veterans on the roster to truly give guidance to this young squad.
26. Washington Wizards (28): Watching John Wall and JaVale McGee get into it during the Wiz’s game against Miami earlier last week showed two things: 1) This team has a lot of fight in them, which is promising for its future. 2) They are still very immature and have a lot of growing up to do.
httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BWr-MslUS-4
Next: 25-21
25. Utah Jazz (20): No one could have predicted this season for the Jazz. Sloan out; Williams in New Jersey; eight-game losing streak and no shot at the playoffs with less than two weeks to go.
24. Detroit Pistons (25): At this point, who should take the blame? Head Coach John Kuester for losing the respect of every single one of his players or General Manager Joe Dumars for making awful trades and financially un-savvy signings?
23. Los Angeles Clippers (23): At this point, despite Blake Griffin’s historic rookie, the only phrase that carries any weight for the Clippers is : “Next season”
Who doesn’t like a nice, Blake Griffin highlight?
httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrAZasHhlbY
22. Sacramento Kings (24): For as immature and shot-needy as DeMarcus Cousins is, in the Kings’ last five games, he is dishing out 5.6 APG, and is looking like a more complete player with every passing day.
21. Golden State Warriors (17): They snuck away with a seven-point victory over the Mavs, but the Warriors know their place in the lottery. If they can somehow get into the draft’s top three picks, they could really be a team to watch out for next year, simply because of how unstoppable their offense is when Curry, Ellis and Wright are in the zone.
Next: 20-16
20. Milwaukee Bucks (22): There’s no doubt that Brandon Jennings is going to become one of the league’s oxymoronic “little giants,” however, if he wants to be in the class of the Allen Iverson’s and Tiny Archibald’s, he’s going to have to learn how to put a team on his back and carry them for a good portion of the season.
19. Charlotte Bobcats (18): With how close they came to stealing away the eighth-seed from the Pacers, maybe it would have been a smart move to keep Gerald Wallace instead of trading him for pennies on the dollar.
httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6R-NtkLjUDk&feature=related
18. Phoenix Suns (16): A loss to the Spurs all but ended the Suns’ playoff hopes; however, they put up a strong fight to end the season, and saw a ton of potential from newcomers such as Marcin Gortat, who is primed to become the Suns’ replacement for Amar’e.
17. New York Knicks (21): I wouldn’t call the Knicks’ problems a form of an identity crisis, but it’s definitely a case of not having the right personnel. Billups, Anthony and Amar’e is a great big three, but its not similar to Miami’s trio, which is capable of essentially winning games while playing three (sometimes two) on five.
16. Indiana Pacers (19): The Pacers have started to build a considerable cushion between them and the ninth-place Bobcats. However, that only means that the Pacers will play four, maybe five more games than if they were lottery-bound. Not saying that it’s a bad thing, but they definitely shouldn’t have high-expectations for the postseason.
Next: 15-11
15. Philadelphia 76ers (15): With one more victory, the 76ers will secure at least a
.500 record for the season and further distance themselves from the Knicks for the sixth-seed in the East.
14. Houston Rockets (13): Time is running out on the Rockets, and they will ultimately be haunted by a struggle-filled start to the season.
13. New Orleans Hornets (14): If I am any of the top three seeds in the Western Conference, the Hornets would be who I would want my first round date with. They are injury-prone, have no depth and are extremely erratic – the worst combination for themselves, but the best matchup for any experienced team.
12. Memphis Grizzlies (11): If the Grizzlies end up finishing as the eighth seed, and I’m the top seed, I’d rather lose a few games and drop to second, because Memphis could end up being a first round nightmare for any of the top teams, even without the services of Rudy Gay.
11. Atlanta Hawks (12): They aren’t experiencing success and they aren’t really struggling, they are just sort of existing. They have the talent to give other teams fits, but that’s all that they have had for the last three years. I guess Joe Johnson’s $20 million per year contract wasn’t the answer.
httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQENpHTOYRE
Next: 10-6
10. Portland Trail Blazers (10): They don’t even need an actual center – if the Blazers could find a seven-footer who could run up and down the court for 30 minutes without getting hurt, that would be enough to help this team gain separation from New Orleans and Memphis.
9. Orlando Magic (8): Howard’s teammates are upset that he’s not getting enough recognition for the MVP award, but unless the Magic can go undefeated the rest of the way while Howard puts up 25 and 15, he’s out of luck.
8. Boston Celtics (7): Six minutes into Shaq’s return, he went down again – this time with a strained calf muscle. Something tells me that Boston is starting to get very worried if they haven’t been already.
7. Denver Nuggets (9): Kenyon Martin’s game-saving tip in against the Lakers not only propelled the Nuggets to a huge win over the defending champs, but it extended their string of victories to six, and the Nuggets continue to win sans Melo. Anyone surprised? I sure am.
httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGO3RGXSyOI
6. Dallas Mavericks (3): Did the Mavs’ loss to the Lakers provoke a late-season collapse? Since their 106-100 victory over the Clippers last Wednesday, the Mavs are 0-3 and are averaging only 90 PPG in that stretch. Something tells me that Dallas isn’t as dominant as most people thought.
Next: Top FIve
5. Oklahoma City Thunder (4): If your looking for a team that’s going to surprise a lot of people come playoff time, the Thunder is your squad. They may already be considered one of the West’s best, but they have been flying under the radar all year, and with a newfound interior defense, they are going to sneak up on some teams, maybe even the world champs.
4. Miami Heat (6): They followed up a game in which each member of their “Big Three” posted at least 30 points and 10 rebounds, with a riveting loss to the Cavs on the road. However, that may have simply been a bite courtesy of karma.
3. San Antonio Spurs (5): A big win over Phoenix put the kibosh on their six-game losing streak, and the Spurs still hold a 2.5 game lead over the Lakers for the best overall record. With the exception of their April 12 contest against the Purple and Gold, they have a fairly easy schedule, and should hold onto the No. 1 spot, unless their big three continues to fall apart.
2. Los Angeles Lakers (1): A shoddy fourth quarter against Denver ended their nine-game winning streak, but the Lakers still look as scary as ever. They’ve won nine of their last 10, with five of those games coming against legitimate playoff teams.
httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kYG4YKey18
1. Chicago Bulls (2): Despite their current 56-20 record, the Bulls are still the team no one is paying enough attention to. They are only 1.5 games behind San Antonio for home court advantage throughout the playoffs, and with the way the Spurs have been struggling as of late, that’s a very real possibility for this surging Bulls team.
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