NBA Power Rankings

I am taking advantage of having NBA TV, watching more games and highlights of games.

Western Conference

1. PHOENIX - Once the Big Cactus was deported, this team has been able to return to its run-n-gun ways. Steve Nash has found the Fountain of Youth, and he's sharing with Grant Hill. Amare Stoudamire is continuing in All-Star form, their bench is deep and versatile. It's 2006 again, only I imagine the officiating will be better in the playoffs this year. Hmm...

2. DENVER - Carmelo Anthony is a punk no more, thanks to his new big brother Chauncey Billups. Nene is a beast. Kenyon Martin, freaky neck tattoos notwithstanding, is contributing more this year than he has ever since he signed with the club. Ty Lawson's a steal of a backup point guard. Denver will be a powerhouse for years to come.

3. L.A. LAKERS - Kobe's still Kobe, and Ron-Ron has fit right in, but I can't help but feel they might be undefeated right now if they had Pau Gasol back.

4. DALLAS - The offseason acquisition of Shawn Marion was brilliant. Kidd & Dirk have that third All-Star to really rely on.

5. PORTLAND - Now that the foolish experiment of bring Andre Miller off the bench has ended, and Greg Oden is finally playing up to potential, this is one scary team.

6. SAN ANTONIO - They're keeping their heads above water as they wade through these injuries. As least they have Antonio McDyess and George Hill playing consistent in their roles.

7. SACRAMENTO - On paper this team looked gutted, but Tyreke Evans was a great draft pick, Jason Thompson is blossoming, and the team is benefitting from Andres Nocioni's toughness. And they have this Kevin Martin kid too. I give much credit to coaching journeyman Paul Westphal.

8. HOUSTON - No T-Mac, no Yao, no problem. Aaron Brooks, Trevor Ariza, Luis Scola and Shane Battier are good enough to keep them competitive each night.

9. UTAH - Still suffering from injury issues (CJ Miles, Kyle Korver, Matt Harpring, Ronnie Price...), they also seem to be suffering from chemistry issues. Boozer and Millsap have been wildly inconsistent, maybe because both wish the other one wasn't there. But a light of hope shone when they were able to dominate Philly without Deron Williams, and their pencil-thin rookie point guard Eric Maynor was able to go 13 pts, 11asts in his first NBA start. Undrafted rookie Wesley Mathews has been a pleasant surprise too.

10. OKLAHOMA CITY - This team's always seemed like it was a year away from breaking out, but they seem to actually be doing it now. James Harden's been the perfect compliment to the already-good trio of Durant, Westbrook and Green.

11. L.A. CLIPPERS - Their record's not great, but Chris Kaman has really been carrying the load, and they should jump up once Blake Griffin gets back.

12. NEW ORLEANS - Byron Scott should have known when he won Coach of the Year that the end was nigh. A bigger problem with this team is the owner. Trading Tyson Chandler for Emeka Okafor? Letting Rasual Butler walk for nothing? How much are you paying Mo Peterson again? And now Chris Paul's ankle is in question.

13. GOLDEN STATE - This team will stay in disarray as long as Stephen Jackson is there, but there's been enough interest from other teams that the Warriors should be able to get a decent trade, and then the development of Stephen Curry can continue in wild Nellie-Ball peace.

14. MEMPHIS - Signing Allen Iverson was a bad idea. The bright-side is that A.I.'s meltdown happened so quickly that they should be able to just cut him loose and move on. But Mike Conley hasn't shown he can a starting point guard and a winner, and Haseem Thabeet was looking suspiciously like a draft bust before his broken jaw.

15. MINNESOTA - Jonny Flynn's good, and they still have Al Jefferson and Kevin Love. Yeah, that's about it.


Eastern

1. BOSTON - Rasheed Wallace was a good pick-up, but the real key has been the return of a healthy Kevin Garnett. Their defense is destroying teams.

2. ATLANTA - They are for real. They have to be taken seriously. Joe Johnson deserves some pub, Mike Bibby is doing for this team what made Sacto so fun a few years ago, Josh Smith and Al Horford are getting their numbers. Jamal Crawford was a steal. Teamwork's really doing the job for them.

3. ORLANDO - How good will they be with Dwight Howard, Rashard Lewis, Vince Carter and Jameer Nelson all on the floor at the same time?

4. MIAMI - They're this good because Dwyane Wade is that good, but Jermaine O'Neal is actually looking better this year than last year. Still has to thin a supporting cast.

5. CLEVELAND - After that weird 0-2 start, they seem to be figuring it out, but I'm not convinced Shaq's going to be what puts them over the top. I think they'll go far in the playoffs, but the $20 million off their books next year will be more important to them. But LeBron is the best player in the league, so he may find the way.

6. MILKWAUKEE - How are they doing this good this soon? Brandon Jennings may inspire more high-schoolers to go overseas for a year.

7. TORONTO - Hedo Turkoglu was a good signing, Bargnani's improved, Bosh is doing his 20-10 thing, and Jose Calderon is a good floor general. They just need more consistency on the road.

8. CHICAGO - If the ref counted Brad Miller's shot, and the refs couldn't overturn it in under a minute, then the call should've stood. Anyway, Derrick Rose will probably be an All-Star this year, Joakim Noah has finally got his head on straight, and Luol Deng is being his reliable old self. So do they trade away Kirk Hinrich?

9. DETROIT - Ben Gordon and Charlie Villenueva fit in fine, but they fit on a .500 team. Rodney Stuckey is not Chauncey Billups, but Ben Wallace is playing his best in years. I'm guessing Rip Hamilton or Tayshaun Prince gets shipped out midseason.

10. INDIANA - Danny Granger's team has started off exactly as I would have expected.

11. PHILADELPHIA - 76ers look lost without Andre Miller. Lou Williams isn't an adequate replacement, so Andre Iguodala and Elton brand can't be as effective without that floor general.

12. CHARLOTTE - Tyson Chandler has fit in to the Bobcats, but you can't say they're that much better. They're still playing like a lottery team, and if Larry Brown still can't turn them around, is it time to give someone else a shot?

13. WASHINGTON - They need Antawn Jamison back, but it might be too late. Losing got into their blood-stream last year, and it's going to be a difficult virus to purge.

14. NEW YORK - What max-player guy would want to sign on to this ship that's been sinking for eight years now? They don't even have a first-round pick next year to give them hope. So what if it's "the Knicks"? If the money's the same, wouldn't a player want to go somewhere where he can win?

15. NEW JERSEY - They gutted their team in the Vince Carter trade, and then Devin Harris went down. The lone bright spot has been the production from Brook Lopez.