With two months left and the playoff hopefuls fighting for positioning.Two things remain the same. Spurs dominance and Knicks opposite of that.
Biggest leap Cleveland up 14.
Biggest drop Atlanta down 9
1 San Antonio Spurs 37-16 same
I mean sure there have been a couple of weird losses along the way like a 28 point beatdown against the Pistons in San Antoino, but make no mistake, the Spurs are the best team in the league during the regular season, but can they count on Alan Houston for points during the playoffs?
2 Dallas Mavericks 37-19 up 1
Don’t sleep on the champs. In addition to putting out the red hot Lakers twice this month, they’ve only lost two games since the allstar break. Even playing 10 games in a row at one point.
3 Cleveland Cavaliers 35-20 up 14
The fact that Tim Duncan can only get better at 25 is a scary thought, the soon to be two time MVP could be taking another iffy supporting cast to the finals. Hopefully the Cavs can do something with the endless cap space they will have this offseason.
4 Los Angeles Lakers 34-21 up 5
A very hot team already labeled as a contender. The defense is much improved from last year despite the same roster for the most part but if they need a third scorer in the playoffs, they’ll be in trouble.
5 Memphis Grizzlies 34-22 down 3
Outside of the best frontcourt in the league and versatile rookie Joe Johnson th Grizzlies don’t really have a lot. Deadline deals are on the way.
6 Toronto Raptors 34-20 down 2
Etan Thomas is the unsung hero for this team, the perimeter game really is what wins games for them, but Etan Thomas has doubled his minutes from last year, shoots a high percentage, and leads the team in blocks, giving the Raptors just enough defense to win games.
7 Chicago Bulls 31-24 up 6
The consensus was Scoonie Penn would be the downfall for this team, but he’s actually played very well. It’s Mihm, who is having a sophomore slump after his all rookie campaign, who’s been the weak link on the Bulls.
8 Philadelphia 76ers 31-24 same
The 76ers are a solid team all around, with the difference from last year’s squad being much improved offensive efficiency, but it’s probably not enough to be a championship contender.
9 Charlotte Hornets 28-22 down 2
My apologies Hornets, Garnett actually has a lot of help. He’s surrounded by 4 efficient double digit scorers under the age of 27 in Jackson, Dickerson, Okur, and Barkley. All 5 starter will be under contract next season and the Hornets will have a little cap space and draft picks to add to that core.
10 Seattle Supersonics 28-25 up 1
Penny or no Penny, Ratliff or no Ratliff, this is a team with contender upside. The PJ Brown move should keep the Sonics from being, what by the numbers is, an average defense.
11 Phoenix Sun 30-24 up 5
Who is the scoring leader, Allen Iverson, Chris Webber, Tim Duncan? Na, it’s Antawn Jamison, the same Antawn Jamison who buried the Grizzlies into a lottery pick last season. He’s averaging 10 more points per game than last season with better shooting numbers, single handedly leading the Suns to a winning record.
12 Golden State Warriors 27-23 down 7
The real problem with this team, other than the fact that Delk is not starting, is that McDyess has no business leading the team in assists.
13 Detroit Pistons 32-27 down 7
When Sabonis gets healthy the pistons will be firing on all cylinders with Mason filling the Sf hole.
14 Boston Celtics 28-27 down 2
There was a time when Webber was almost traded, but this team has since turned around and looking forward to scarring some team in the playoffs.
15 Washington Wizards 26-27 same
Now fully healthy, the Wizards will make the playoffs and upset a team in the first round… the fans will chant… “MVP MVP MVP!”… and Corliss will acknowledge them.
16 Sacramento Kings 26-30 up 5
Avent should start for the Kings. They need defense from their front court, not scoring. Ratliff would have helped in that category, but it still wouldn’t have done enough to make them contenders.
17 Indiana Pacers 28-27 down 3
The difference between the hot Pacers earlier in the season and the Pacers now has been the play of their backcourt.
18 Minnesota Timberwolves 26-30 same
The last two years of Shaq’s career have been wasted. There was a lot of hype around the Wolves in the offseason but they might be going fishing sooner rather than later. Hopefully the rookies make serious improvements for a better run next season.
19 Atlanta Hawks 28-30 down 9
The lack of a center makes this team anonymous once again.
20 Denver Nuggets 27-31 same
Hang on to that playoff spot!
21 Portland Trail Blazers 28-33 down 2
Poor Blazers, their season came and went with the Finley trade (it was a good trade) and following injury.
22 Miami Heat 22-28 up 3
The heat are a young star/go to scorer away from dominating for years.
23 Orlando Magic 25-31 down 1
None of the Orlando players buy houses, they know they could be on the move at any moment.
24 Milwaukee Bucks 21-32 down 1
Gilbert Arenas and the young guns are about as new and marketable as Milwaukee can be at this point. What goes on in that locker room has got to be weird with man children Lamar Odom and Arenas.
25 Los Angeles Clippers 21-32 up 1
All 3 Pfs are still on the roster. Is it tanking that they aren’t all starting?
26 New Jersey Nets 20-32 up 2
No team has a better under 24 duo than Jermaine Oneal and Baron Davis.
27 Houston Rockets 18-40 down 3
Uhmm… They meant to tank? Both teams played hard? … with a no trade mentality the Rockets will need an impact rookie to compete again due to their older core.
28 Utah Jazz 17-37 down 1
Well at least they’ll have a top 5 pick… oh… nevermind.
29 New York Knicks same
Bottom of these power rankings the past 2 years but they’re top 10 in the hypothetical future rankings.
I apologize for jumping to conclusions, I do that often
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Originally Posted by Conroy
Contributor 
Why were you so hell bent on getting rid of your centers? You had two pretty solid bigs, I would of held onto at least one of them.
