Jakey's Blog: Early November NBA Power Rankings

The Horsecollar gets some much needed help: another contributor! Here's the first ever edition of Jakey's Blog.


NBA Power Rankings
Jake Espenlaub

1.) Boston Celtics - 6-0 speaks for itself. They have Pierce, they have Allen,
they have Garnett, they have Wallace, but I think Rondo is what really makes
this team go. He can score when needed but he is becoming one of the best
passers in the NBA. He locks down other teams guards as well. Don’t be surprised
to see them come close to passing the “unbreakable” record of 72-10.

2.) Los Angeles Lakers – When you have Kobe Bryant, the game is easy. When you
have Artest locking down the games best, Bynum 20 and 10 and Odom making
everything click, the game is really easy. Sure, they have had some close games,
but don’t forget Gasol is yet to make an impact. As of now, they are #2. Come
the end of the season, I think they’ll surpass #1

3.) Denver Nuggets – The only undefeated outside of the Celtics, the Nuggets are
firing on all cylinders. Carmelo Anthony is making a prematurely early case for
the MVP, but he’s doing it nonetheless. Billups is his usual self and Lawson is
more than an adequate backup. He can fly. They can go 8 deep without losing
much. They look like a definite top 4 seed in the West. Tests this weekend
against the Heat and the Hawks will tell us more.

4.) Orlando Magic - They absolutely smoked Phoenix on Wednesday. Superman is
dominating once again, Vince has been solid in the 3 games he’s played and young
run Ryan Anderson is stepping up big time. Nelson and Reddick have been
consistent as well. If Vince clicks with Nelson and Howard they’ll be tough to
beat. Oh, and Rashard Lewis has yet to step on the floor. Scary.

5.) Atlanta Hawks – I may be biased because I’m from Atlanta, but the Hawks have
come out of the gates playing well. They are 4-1 with the lone loss coming to
the Lakers. Josh Smith is playing smart basketball, something Atlantians have
yet to see. Jamal Crawford has been eveyrhting he was supposed to be and more.
Joe Johnson is his usual self. Bibby’s in a little slump, but no reason to
worry, especially with Crawford. With Horford learning to score, look for the
Hawks to contend for a top 3 see, but be in a close fourth at seasons end.

6.) Phoenix Suns - Before the blowout loss to Orlando, they looked really good.
Nash is averaging 20-10 but I’m not sure they’ll be able to replace Shaq.
Stoudemire is averaging 19-8 and Grant Hill is looking very good, especially
since he is leading the team in rebounds. Barbosa can score and defend. We’ll
find out a lot when they visit Beantown to play the Celtics Friday night.

7.) Miami Heat – Sure, they’ve played a relatively easy schedule… but 4-1 is
4-1. Dwyane Wade is playing like Dwyane Wade, Chalmers is distributing and
playing defense. Haslem is owning the boards and playing well next to the other
O’Neal. Beasley looks like he’s coming into form. He’s the key to the team. If
he can become a star, they could be dangerous.

8.) Chicago Bulls – Luol Deng is becoming what he was supposed to be –- A
playmaker. He’s averaging 17.8 and 10.5. Rose is slumping a tad but he’s still
controlling the offense well. When he heats up, they’ll only get better. They
just beat the Cavs… They are very balanced.


9.) Cleveland Cavaliers – LeBron James’ team at #9? What? He’s a one man team
now, almost averaging a triple double. He’s leading the team in the big 3
categories and Shaq has been a disappointment. Mo Williams is scoring but not
doing too much else. They are 3-3, then again, they have LeBron. They’ll work it
out.

10.) Dallas Mavericks – They looked impressive beating LA, but have not been
great outside of that game. They’re getting it done… I guess. Nobody really
deserves to be here though, it could have been a power 9, or maybe less. Dirk is
playing like an all-star. Kidd is getting his assists, but seems to have lost
his ability to score. It seems when Jason Terry scores around 20, but sometimes
he tends to hog it and the offense doesn’t click. Marion has slumped a little
bit, but that is to be expected.