1. Houston Rockets [1](.616) Still number 1. Are they destined to be the leagues first repeat champion. The Rockets continue the course with the leagues best record and only team in my power ranking history to maintain above the .6 line.
2. Detroit Pistons [2] (.525) It has been quiet out of Detroit so far this year. Normally you would find a huge trade coming out of Detroit this time of year but that doesn't appear to be the case.
3. Chicago Bulls [3](.388) So far no changes in the top 3 as the Bulls remain in the #3 position. Despite the addition of Conley, very little has changed for Chicago. They still continue to average roughly the same amount of points while also allowing the same amount. Could trading for Conley actually have no impact on this teams success?
4. Sacramento Kings [6] (.387) The Kings look to be back on the rise again and are just a mere fraction away from the 3rd overall ranking. Its a little premature to predict how these trades will affect this team. They certainly downgraded in talent for future success, but will it impact their title chance? Losing quality vets like Deron Williams and Chandler Parsons could be the difference maker in a game 7.
5. Orlando Magic [8] (.341) Who says Demarcus Cousins can't help lead a team to the post season (more on that in next months release) as Orlando rises to 5th. Cousins and George through January look to be playing great basketball together. The only question mark is whether or not their success was due to their very weak schedule.
6. New Orleans Pelicans [5] (.345) The Pelicans are now 3rd seed in the west and look to be a major challenger to Houstons crown. New Orleans continues to have some injury issues but they have made the right trades to help offset the players they have lost.
7. Phoenix Suns [4] (.327) Similar to New Orleans, injuries are taking a major toll on the Suns and if the Suns happened to be in the East they currently would be fighting to even remain in the playoffs. Statistically they are one of the best teams in the league but they can't seem to figure out how to win the away games.
8. Charlotte Hornets [7] (.293) Charlotte has fallen back a tad bit in the month of January and closed on a really bad note losing 3 of their final 4 games all of which were at home. Is the fairy tail starting to come to a close or was this just a small bump in the road? Fortunately they have an extremely easy February to help them grow their lead in the division.
9. Toronto Raptors [11] (.277) Toronto and Boston look to be in a battle for the Atlantic lead as they keep swapping positions in our rankings. Boston may currently hold the #1 spot in the division but we would expect that to change due to point differential and overall statistical advantage.
10.Boston Celtics [9] (.257) Boston is a fascinating team this year. They may be the only team in the league on pace to win 50 games despite shooting a lower percentage from the field than their opponents.
11. Brooklyn Nets [12] (.242) Hey, we jumped a spot! Interesting to note that all 3 Atlantic teams are all right next to each other.
12.Minnesota Timberwolves [10] (.229) Minnesota reminds me a lot of Boston but even more so. Statistically they should be hovering around the .500 mark yet they continue to dominate their division. but also have the 6th best record in the league. So how does a team that wins so much but be ranked so low? They dont seem to do anything else well. Apparently these vets know how to win in the crunch.
14. Miami Heat [17] (.199) 13th in the ranking but yet likely will not make the playoffs. Thanks to an extremely easy schedule the Heat have been playing great basketball. I don't anticipate this lasting though as after the all star break their schedule becomes much more difficult and we should see the Heat fall back a few spots. Irregardless there are not many teams hotter than them right now.
14. Milwaukee Bucks [15] (.192) The Bucks had an up and down month with great wins over Orlando, Detroit, and New Orleans but followed that up with a really bad loss to Atlanta. They did have a very difficult schedule in January which likely played a large part in that.
15. Washington Wizards [13] (.186) Washington has really cooled off lately and desperately needs a GM to come in before they fall too far behind.
16. Utah Jazz [16] (.178) So far it seems that the Lillard trade may turn out to be a disaster for Utah. 6 homes losses which just can not happen if you want to be not only a contending team but a division winner as well. Is Utah headed towards mediocrity?
17. Indiana Pacers [22] (.146) If only the Pacer were in the West. This is the 11th team to be ranked in the east while only 6 thus far for the West. The Pacers are doing everything they can to put them in position to make the playoffs but they may be too far back with so much competition.
18. San Antonio Spurs [16] (.129) Can the Spurs hold onto the playoffs? After the surprising Durant trade the Spurs continue to hover around .500 but many wonder whether or not they can hold off the team that they traded Durant too. They need to find a way to score the basketball as they are our only playoff team that was averaging below 100 ppg.
19.Memphis Grizzlies [24] (.113) Talk about not only massive improvement out of the Grizzlies but shocking as well. In just one months time the grizzlies are allowing their opponents less than 5.5 ppgs than they were previously. They have quickly gone from a finesse guard oriented team to a grind it out physical style. While that may never get you far above .500 it will be the style of play that fans will grow to appreciate.
20.New York Knicks [20] (.088) Probably one of the 3 most disappointing teams in the league this year. What many considered to be a lock for the playoffs has been anything but. With the impending free agency of Blake, is it time to start fielding trade offers especially if they can get a package similar to what was received for Durant?
21.Golden State Warriors [18](.071) The Warriors have fallen off a bit and currently are sitting outside of the playoffs. There is an outside chance that they could go through the month of February winless. May be time to give the young guys the minutes they need if the playoffs look out of reach.
22. Cleveland Cavaliers [21] (.059) Why are the Cavs ranked so low despite a better record than the Wizards. Its their porous defense. If the Cavs can figure out how to play defense like the Wizards and continue to score like they have been we would be discussing about how the Cavs finally look poised to get back to the playoffs. But instead it appears to be another disappointing season for Cavs fans.
23. Los Angeles Clippers [25] (.018) The Clippers are finally starting to play good basketball and are knocking at the door of the playoffs. Can they get in? The Clippers have been making huge changes and many thought with some of the moves that they gifted the Kings a top 5 pick. Their schedule in February will give a great indication whether or not they can truly turn this season around.
24. Portland Trailblazers [29] (.008) After a huge trade to bring in Durant the Blazers are looking to make a big run towards the playoffs. If they can Durant should have the MVP all but locked up and after a 52 point win against Detroit is there anyone doubting?
25. Atlanta Hawks [19](-.011) After a promising start the Hawks continue to fall apart. They play their starters huge minutes and despite strong play from them one has to wonder if they are too tired at the end of games.
26. Denver Nuggets [26](-.015) Where did Nuggz go? Spouted off so much about his team that he now disappears once they play poorly? Very surprising. (Same statement as last month, no need to change.)
27. Los Angeles Lakers [23] (-.065) How things have changed. A month ago the Lakers were doing everything they could to make the playoffs, even trading away promising young PF to acquire a key veteran to help them. Unfortunately the wheels seemed to have fallen off and the Lakers have their eyes set for ping pong balls.
28. Philadelphia 76ers [27] (-.094) It shouldnt be a surprise to see the Sixers this low to start a season, but what is surprising is that they have yet to turn it around and continue to be one of the worst teams in the league despite having one of the more talented rosters in the league. You know eventually they have to wake up, right? Same report, still waiting for them to wake up.
29. Dallas Mavericks [28] (-.060) Its becoming a regularity to see Dallas down here.
30. Oklahoma City Thunder [30] (-.223) Similar to how no team has had a higher ranking than the Rockets, the Thunder have achieved our lowest ever ranking. Hopefully for their sake their young guys develop.[/quote]
2020, 2023, 2027, 2035
