http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/powerranking?season=2009&week=-1 By Marc Stein ESPN.com You did it. You made it through the longest 23 weeks on the calendar, all of which began without a fresh batch of NBA Power Rankings. The drought ends with our first helping of the new season. Understandably, my rankings find the teams we last saw in the Finals in June -- the new champs from Boston and their old, humbled pals from L.A. -- occupying the top two spots. Our annual training camp edition of the rankings also has been kind to the playoff teams (most notably Houston, Cleveland, Philadelphia and Toronto) that made the biggest offseason upgrades. For the purposes of review, allow me to pass along my standard reminder that the season's first round of rankings measures each team's standing and outlook heading into camp. It is not -- repeat, not -- a predicted order of finish. How last season ended and how good a team is projected to be in 2008-09 are only part of the equation at this early stage. How each team fared with its summertime dealings factors in as well, along with the usual dash of totally subjective whim from the committee (of one). The next batch will appear Oct. 27, on the eve of opening night, after all 30 teams have had a month to show us something. You then can click here every Monday throughout the regular season for our human, thoroughly nonautomated pulse take of the league. You can rank the teams yourself or click here to comment on the first set. Editor's note: Last Week and Record categories are from the final Power Rankings of the 2007-08 regular season. 2008-09 Power Rankings: Training Camp RANK (LAST WK) TEAM REC. COMMENT 1 (1) Celtics 66-16 Slotting the defending champs here has never been more automatic, even though Posey left. Every time we hear someone ask whether they'll be hungry enough to repeat, we want to respond: Boston still has KG, right? 2 (2) Lakers 57-25 Despite concerns -- Bynum's recovery from knee woes, Kobe's insisting he doesn't need wrist surgery, and doubts about Bynum, Gasol and Odom's coexisting -- who in the West wouldn't trade for the Lakers' issues? 3 (5) Hornets 56-26 You certainly can make the argument -- and I think we're leaning that way -- that the best team in the killer division that delivered four 50-win teams last season will wind up being Chris Paul's team. Concur? 4 (6) Rockets 55-27 No team in the West made a bigger summer splash than the health-challenged Rockets did when they traded for Artest. Of course, as Yao noted last year: ''We say that every year.'' Cautious optimism is wisest. 5 (8) Spurs 56-26 You know all about the Spurs in odd-numbered years. So dismiss them at your own peril, even if what Duncan declared last season -- ''Our biggest problem is health'' -- is a problem with Ginobili already out early. 6 (15) Cavaliers 45-37 Although trading for Michael Redd was a nice fantasy, getting Mo Williams off the Bucks is no consolation prize. He's a younger version of the Mike -- Bibby -- Cleveland tried for years to add. He should really help LeBron. 7 (3) Pistons 59-23 The summer certainly would have been more fun had Joe D delivered that shake-up, but you can see why he resisted. For all that closing-window talk, the Pistons are a 59-win team whose kids are only getting better. 8 (13) 76ers 40-42 The Sixers were the undisputed winners of the offseason, but Brand might lift last season's No. 7s only one spot. Philly can finish anywhere from No. 2 to No. 6, as can Cleveland, Detroit, Orlando and Toronto. 9 (4) Jazz 54-28 Is this the last season for Utah's Olympic tag team to be together? With Boozer headed for free agency in the summer, that's the question D-Will and the rest of this Jazz will hear all year, no matter how good they are. 10 (19) Raptors 41-41 I loved the Raps' gamble here. If O'Neal's knees don't hold up, the Raptors still can be a .500 team without Ford and Nesterovic. And if he does come back strong? Toronto becomes a threat to the East's beasts in Boston. 11 (10) Mavericks 51-31 Which longtime power is straining harder to keep the window ajar? Dirk, J-Kidd and the under-fire Josh Howard in Dallas? Or their old Phoenix friends who must be equally stunned to start the new season out of the top 10? 12 (7) Suns 55-27 If there's a more compelling mystery in the whole league than seeing what we'll get from the Suns' throwing new coach Terry Porter together with Nash, Shaq, Amare and Grant Hill, please point it out to us. 13 (17) Trail Blazers 41-41 Has any non-playoff team for five straight seasons generated expectations like these kids? But the Blazers won't complain if managing expectations (as opposed to the health of Roy and Oden) is their biggest worry. 14 (11) Magic 52-30 Stan Van has made folks in the Magic Kingdom forget that they were ever spurned by Billy Donovan. But Orlando didn't do much to get better in the offseason, so SVG will have to hope getting older is enough. 15 (12) Wizards 43-39 Wiz vets like to say that, when healthy, they're right there with the East's best. Two obvious problems there: Washington is rarely healthy, and that statement is increasingly debatable in the (no misprint) improving East. 16 (24) Bucks 26-56 Almost every one of last season's non-playoff teams in the East thinks it can break through this season. Hiring Skiles and acquiring Richard Jefferson arguably gives Milwaukee more hope than anyone in that group. 17 (23) Bulls 33-49 Returning to the top eight when PG and coach have no experience won't be easy. A guards glut and the usual low-post void won't help. Can't be harder than winning the Rose lottery with the ninth-best chances, though. 18 (9) Nuggets 50-32 For just the second time in club history, Denver sports a streak of five straight winning seasons. Anyone think the Camby-less Nuggets, with A.I. trade rumors constantly swirling, can play enough D to make it six? 19 (29) Clippers 23-59 Not nearly as down on the Clips' chances as the departing Maggette, who claims homecoming king Baron Davis is "in for a rude awakening." Not ready to say this new team of newsmakers can make the playoffs, either. 20 (14) Warriors 48-34 Q: What's worse than winning 48 games and not making the playoffs? A: Everything that has happened to the Warriors since that April heartbreak, lowlighted by Baron Davis' departure and the Ellis injury saga. 21 (21) Bobcats 32-50 We'd normally see the Bobs as the sort of the team in line for a 10-win spike after hiring a proven winner like Larry Brown. Problem is, Charlotte's roster still is badly flawed. Nor are we sure they're getting vintage Larry. 22 (17) Hawks 37-45 Seeing Childress defect to Greece won't hurt the Hawks nearly as much as the knowledge that 37 wins ain't going to get you a playoff spot this season … and that competition for the No. 8 seed will be far more fierce. 23 (16) Kings 38-44 Bobby Brown's arrival means that we'll be more into them than we've been since Henry Turner and Leon Wood were Kings. For the rest of you, it's a full-on youth movement starring Kevin Martin and little else you'll recognize. 24 (30) Heat 15-67 It doesn't seem outlandish, even after a nosedive to the shameful depths of 15-67, to expect D-Wade, Marion and Beasley to mount a playoff push. Until you realize Coach Spoelstra has almost nothing else to work with. 25 (20) Pacers 36-46 Maybe we should be higher on a team that finished one game shy of the playoffs. Just can't shake the feeling that Indy (a) came up way short on the O'Neal deal and (b) still lacks the right mix to play Obie's way. 26 (25) Knicks 23-59 Donnie W. and D'Antoni have quickly restored some hope to MSG's gloomy halls, but that's a lot easier in the summer when all the focus is on them. Now the players are back to remind everyone how hard their jobs will be. 27 (22) Nets 34-48 Ouch, ouch, ouch. After every other Atlantic team chasing Boston made a big-name snag -- Elton Brand, Jermaine O'Neal, Mike D'Antoni -- rebuilding Jersey was pegged to finish last in the East in ESPN's staff poll. 28 (28) Timberwolves 22-60 The Wolves quietly posted a borderline respectable record of 17-26 after last season's 5-34 start to Life After KG. Yet it's tough to picture Minnesota sustaining that form over 82 games, fond as we are of Mike Miller's game. 29 (26) Grizzlies 22-60 No one is bound to even notice in the West, but the much-maligned Grizz have assembled an intriguing group of kids: O.J. Mayo, Rudy Gay, even Marc Gasol. Which is why trading for Z-Bo to be the vet made no sense. 30 (27) Thunder 20-62 The Hornets went 38-44 in OKC's only other season as an NBA city. The Thunder? Dare we say 28 wins would represent success for a group that still offers precious little to thrill those loud crowds beyond Kevin Durant?
Hornets have one great superstar in CP3 and a borderline superstar in David West. I don't see how thats better than our big 3 and Shane. I just don't see the Hornets being better than us this year. IMO they seemed like a one year wonder to me.
But that is why he said this is NOT a predicted order of finish. He said right now they were leaning that way in relation to the Hornets winning the division. You can't really blame the experts if they are afraid to jump on Rocket's bandwagon, considering all the injuries and underwhelming playoff results the Rockets have had in recent years. If we were going by simple logic, then adding Artest to a 55 win team and adding back a presumably healthy Yao Ming, then no one should be better than the Rockets. However, such logic is flawed in that it has to assume a lot of factors, most notably, health.
One team I am never afraid of playing is the Hornets. They have no answer for Yao. Chandler can not guard him.
The Seattle Supersonics of several years ago (was it '05?) were a one-year wonder. The Hornets are not and they should have been in the WCF last year. I would say that the Rockets and Hornets will finish at the top of the division, but for the Rockets to surpass them, they need to be healthy. In a playoff series, assuming health, I would take the Rockets over the Hornets, because I believe we have greater versatility and size, and play top notch defense. However, CP3 will torch no matter what!
overall very fair. i agree with it. however, and i say this about every power ranking, it's only one person's best guess. IOW it's as meaningless as all of the power rankings bbs posters will make up to flood this thread.
i'm still being careful not to rank us that that high ... but the biggest health concern for our team is yao. if he's healthy, there aren't many teams in the league that can really defend him well ... especially with the supporting cast we got now. take the teams ahead of us. celtics have no big to guard yao well. kg prob can be nifty in his post d and do some damage but honestly, the matchups are pretty good for us. lakers hav bynum, whom though is a up and coming center, can't guard a skilled post player like yao. and pau??? no way can he hold yao at all. but of any of the teams, lakers have as good a shot at any in containing yao. hornets don't really match up with us well AT ALL. cp3 will prob own us but they have no answer for yao, tmac, or artest. they got james posey there to try to play defensive stopper and 3 pt spot up shooter which should help but ... if i remember correctly, tmac has had good outings against him and artest is a different type of player whom i dont think posey can hold. i think the only type of defense to contain yao is one with an athletic and agile 4 like chris bosh helping out a defensively solid center. prob these two guys combine to front yao but even still we have too many weapons. it's really hard not to get ahead of ourselves here. i don't expect us to fly out of the gate and start 13-0 ... but i think this team is our best shot to win it all in a longgg time. let's just pray injuries don't screw us. this is too perfect an opportunity to have that happen again.
http://msn.foxsports.com/nba/story/8620218/Thoughts-from-training-camps-around-the-NBA Thoughts from training camps around the NBA by Mike Kahn Midwest Division Nobody would ever be so bold as to underestimate the San Antonio Spurs, even with Tim Duncan creeping up there in age, Manu Ginobili's ankle requiring surgery and the rest of the roster close to applying for social security. But it seems every other year they're primed to compete for the title, and with Tony Parker's maturity at point guard, they'll still be a major threat. This division, however, has four teams that can win it, with the upstart New Orleans Hornets still smarting from blowing a playoff lead over the Spurs last season. Coach Byron Scott has developed Chris Paul and David West into one of the top inside/outside duos in the NBA, and they added a defender and bench threat in James Posey, but they still have to prove their depth. That may no longer be the case for the Houston Rockets, in the wake of adding talented Ron Artest to the Tracy McGrady/Yao Ming factor. Provided the maturity of Rafer Alston wasn't a fluke last season, they have the makings of a title contender for coach Rick Adelman. And it would certainly be premature to rule out a return to contention for the Dallas Mavericks with Jason Kidd getting a full camp with Dirk Nowitzki, Josh Howard and Co. More than anything they'll relish the new coaching staff of Rick Carlisle, with superlative assistants Dwane Casey and Terry Stotts. That leaves little or anything for the hapless Memphis Grizzlies, hoping that the young group of Mike Conley, O.J. Mayo and Rudy Gay can provide some explosiveness for coach Marc Iavaroni and this failing franchise.
huh? chandler does a great job on Yao. he fouls a ton and gets away with it, but he's about as good as it gets as far as 1v1 post defense on Yao.
I'm fine with that. It would be foolish to proclaim us the victors before we've even stepped on the court. Although I do think I am a very foolish person
I don't know. Yao ate him up pretty good in the two games they played last season. http://www.basketball-reference.com/fc/h2h_finder.cgi?request=1&p1=mingya01&p2=chandty01
a lot of that is because NOH guard Yao 1 on 1 more than most teams. they can only do that because they have chandler. dont get me wrong, i'm not saying chandler shuts yao down 1 on 1, only that he's about as effective as it gets in man to man post defense.
hornets have caused as much trouble as the jazzs for us in recent years...and yao isn't exactly putting up 30pts/15rbs/3blks against them...check chris paul's stats against us...better yet the head-to-head record.
true. as excited as i am, stein's ranking of the rockets is pretty spot on. On a side note, Andrew Bynum looks pretty jacked in the FoxSports article. I guess the 20-30 lbs he put on in the offseason was no joke.
