Power Rankings

************** Power Rankings

************** Power Rankings
by HoopsHype / Updated: August 30, 2003

29. Utah Jazz If you are going to lose, lose big (and cheap). That's apparently the philosophy in Utah this year.
28. Milwaukee Bucks Since Glenn Robinson's early days in the league, the Bucks had never fielded a team this bad.
27. Atlanta Hawks The Philips Arena was already quite a depressing place to play last year. With the kind of offseason the Hawks are having, there is no reason to believe it won't get worse.
26. Golden State Warriors Unless Mike Dunleavy develops into the star he never hinted to be last season, the Warriors are the worst team by far in the Pacific Division.
25. Toronto Raptors Jerome Moiso has been the main free agent addition of a team that didn't make the playoffs last year. You get the picture.
24. Denver Nuggets Andre Miller, Earl Boykins and Jon Barry? This is not the kind of offseason Kiki Vandeweghe had dreamt of.
23. Memphis Grizzlies James Posey is the perimeter defender they needed. The frontcourt has seen no upgrade, though.
22. Washington Wizards They'll have a couple of borderline All-Stars -- Stackhouse and Arenas -- in the backcourt and unproven players everywhere else.
21. Cleveland Cavaliers With LeBron and several other emerging young players, the Cavs should rank high on the list of most improved teams.
20. New York Knicks It's all up to Antonio McDyess in New York. If he is not healthy, the Knicks are a mediocre team again.
19. Chicago Bulls Jay Williams' accident takes them one step backwards in the rebuilding process -- unless Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler prove otherwise.
18. Los Angeles Clippers There is still a good amount of young talent in the Clippers roster, but they have already lost their shot at something special.
17. New Orleans Hornets The Hornets haven't made much noise in the market and they should have. One-and-out again?
16. Seattle SuperSonics You can live without an inside presence in the Eastern Conference. It's a whole different story in the West coast.
15. Miami Heat The addition of Lamar Odom gives Miami one of the most talented starting lineups in the Eastern Conference. They'll be quite weak on the boards and on the bench, though.
14. Boston Celtics Another lost summer for the Celtics. They will once again be a two-man show next season.
13. Orlando Magic Orlando is still thin at the point guard and center spots, but there is enough talent in the team to be optimistic about this season.
12. Indiana Pacers Rick Carlisle took a team with less talent than this one to the Eastern Conference Finals last season.
11. Philadelphia 76ers Glenn Robinson is the latest of many candidates to take offensive burden off Iverson. The best of them all, by the way.
10. Houston Rockets With Jeff Van Gundy in Houston, Yao Ming will get more touches. And that's good news for the Rockets.
9. Detroit Pistons Joe Dumars continues to stockpile talent in Detroit. The Pistons should really give the Nets a fight in the East.
8. Portland Trail Blazers While the other top teams in the West got stronger, the Blazers have done nothing to improve.
7. Phoenix Suns The Suns are now deeper with first-round picks Zarko Cabarkapa and Leandrinho Barbosa. Watch out for the Montenegrin forward. They may have a strong contender for Rookie of the Year there.
6. New Jersey Nets The addition of Alonzo Mourning is a risk, but even without him the Nets are clearly the best team East of Minnesota.
5. Minnesota Timberwolves Cassell, Sprewell, Szczerbiak, Garnett and Olowokandi. On paper, the Timberwolves have the most talented team in franchise history. But chemistry will not fall into place easily.
4. San Antonio Spurs The NBA champions were short on talent in the backcourt last season. Last month's trade has pretty much solved the problem.
3. Sacramento Kings In the last few seasons, the depth of their roster was one of the Kings' biggest assets. It's no longer there.
2. Dallas Mavericks Nash, Finley, Jamison, Nowitzki... It will be hard to beat the Mavericks without scoring in triple-digits.
1. Los Angeles Lakers They would probably be the favorites to win it all even if Kobe Bryant was not there to play.

I think its agood ranking for rockets. ,but sun ??