• Tweet

On Monday, Slam Dunk Central Editor Jeff Sack and I discussed the weird balance of power in relation to the playoff picture in both the Western and Eastern Conferences. While he and I disagreed on which teams may visit the playoffs, we agreed upon this one truth about the League: the balance of the teams that may see the postseason is skewed.

One thing that stands out more than anything is that while there’s some teams in the East that are below .500 and either a 6th, 7th or 8th seed, the West has some teams above the .500 mark that are on the outside looking in. And this isn’t something that is just some phase. There has been seasons in which teams below .500 made the playoffs (mostly in the East) while some in the West stayed home for the postseason.

In any event, there seems to be this need to perhaps look at the scheduling protocol that the League uses and make it to where there is more of a “level” playing field. OK, I’m off my soapbox now. While I am folding it and storing it away, here is this week’s edition of Slam Dunk Central’s NBA Power Rankings:

1. Cleveland Cavaliers (1). The good news is that the Cavs’ offense is still intact. The bad news is that their defense regressed a touch (for the past week, anyways). Now if they could find the fountain of youth and make Shaq drink from that fountain.
2. Los Angeles Lakers (3). The rest of January should be interesting and at the same time important for the Lakers as they have a rough stretch ahead. They get to play at San Antonio and Dallas then return home to host the suddenly resurgent Clippers. Kobe and Pau’s health will be key this week, as well.
3. Boston Celtics (4). KG is hurt and the Celtics have been using Rondo a bit too much (45 min./game). That smacks of either the team having no confidence in its guard strength on the bench or Rondo is shooting lights-out. Methinks that it’s the latter. Either way, the sequence of events in Boston suggest that they may be ripe for the picking. But then again, they play the Nets and Bulls this week, so the “ripe for the picking” analogy may not apply here.
4. Dallas Mavericks (6). The Mavs recently acquired Eduardo Najera for a 6-pack of Old Milwaukee and a carton of Seneca cigarettes (read: Kris Humphries and Shawne Williams), which begs the question: Is Drew Gooden more hurt than is being let on? Or is Cuban still suffering the effects of being put through a table in the ring when he co-hosted WWE Raw a few weeks ago? In any case, the acquisition is timely as the Mavericks face the Lakers and Thunder at home this week.
5. San Antonio Spurs (9). If you get a chance, watch the Lakers-Spurs game as that will be a true test in relation to their defensive prowess. They have no excuse in giving up 42 points in the final quarter to the Mavs last Friday; that’s not the Spurs that I know. A mini-road trip looms large for San Antonio as they visit Oklahoma City, Charlotte and Memphis this week.
6. Portland Trail Blazers (5). No true center mans the post and now Andre Miller and coach McMillan getting into a whining” contest. Maybe they should argue more often as they beat the Lakers and nearly upset the Cavaliers. Note to Blazers’ management: please find a center that isn’t named Jurassic Juwan Howard.
7. Orlando Magic (2). While the big win over the Hawks recently lessens the sting of losing four straight, coach Van Gundy has been talking about some shuffling of the lineup. Probably because the art of the assist is foreign to the team. They hit the road for a Westrn swing, starting with the Kings, Nuggets, Trail Blazers and Lakers. Yikes!
8. Phoenix Suns (10). While the Suns have been better since the holidays, they haven’t won a trio of games in succession since last November (seems longer). While Steve Nash is one of the better point guards in the NBA, it isn’t comforting knowing that he has turned the ball over 30 times in his last 5 games. That’ll have to change as they will visit Indiana, Atlanta and Charlotte this week. A little pick-me-up from Channing Frye would help, as well.
9. Denver Nuggets (12). Their last four games have been fairly close; Billups’ return was a big bonus as they beat Cleveland last Friday. On the flip side, Tyreke Evans exploited the Nuggets’ backcourt 24 hours later. Anthony is back, so look for Denver to return to their winning ways as they host Orlando and Utah. Stay healthy, Chauncey.
10. Atlanta Hawks (8). The Hawks better get it together and soon; it’s bad enough that they got beat by Miami twice in a week. Now they get the privilege of playing the Wizards and Suns at home. I see a split here.
11. Oklahoma City Thunder (11). The Thunder seem to have bad luck against teams in the West that are above .500 for some reason. they get to face San Antonio, Dallas and the Jekyll-and-Hyde of all NBA teams, the Miami Heat. Looks like that Kevin Durant will have to continue his role as Superman as he has been on a tear lately, scoring nearly 33 a night. A little help, Jeff Green?
12. New Orleans Hornets (17). Yes folks, the Hornets are back. they’ve won six straight and have a set of games that any team worth their salt would drool over: the Clippers, Detroit and Indiana. Perfect timing as they should, at worst, take three of four here. I wouldn’t be surprised to see them rise even forther in the rankings after this week.
13. Toronto Raptors (14). I’m not begrudging the Raptors their recent run of success (they have won eight of their past 9 before they lost to the Celtics this weekend). I just don’t understand how a team that is at .500 can be the #6 seed in the Eastern Conference.
14. Utah Jazz (15). The return of D-Will had to do Utah some good. They acquitted themselves well last week vs. Dallas, but the Jazz are a shell of themselves without Deron in the starting lineup. Cleveland, Milwaukee and Denver are up next for Utah.
15. Memphis Grizzlies (13). The Grizz did win against Portland and Utah this past week but even that bit of providence can be misleading. And I’m still of the belief that there is an inevitable implosion down the road. This week finds Memphis taking on the Clippers, T-Wolves (a lock) and the Spurs.
16. Houston Rockets (7). Three straight losses made this plummet possible. But on the positive side, they play nine of their next 11 games at the Toyota Center (seven straight wins there so far). Their next victims this week? Charlotte, Minnesota and Miami. A sweep is entirely possible.
17. Miami Heat (18). This is one team that I still cannot figure out except that they’ve been consistently inconsistent. They almost beat the Celtics last week. Maybe the acqusition of Rafer Alston will solve their point guard woes as Chalmers and Arroyo apparently aren’t the answer. Their road trip continues as they face the Warriors, Rockets and Thunder.
18. Los Angeles Clippers (20). Theres a reason why they’ve broken the Top 20: wins over the Celtics, Trail Blazers and Lakers. Their defense has improved and Chris Kaman was even picked as the Western Conference Player of the Week. The question is whether the Clippers can handle the prosperity. It will be a tough stretch this week as they face the Grizzlies, Hornets, a rematch against the Lakers and the Cavaliers.
19. Charlotte Bobcats (16). Yes they have a winning record during 2010, but here’s the thing. While having an improved defense is all well and good, some offense would go a long ways if they want to get better. Next up for the Hornets thsi week: Houston, San Antonio and Phoenix.
20. New York Knicks (21). If ever there was a chance for the Knicks to make some hay, the next month or so should be it as they get to play Detroit, Minnesota and Washington twice during that stretch. Would be nice to see Lil’ Nate keep his offense going.
21. Chicago Bulls (22). An interesting factoid: Chicago, during their last five games, have shot better from behind the arc than in front of it. Misplaced game plan? Lackadaisical play? Who knows, but one thing is for certain. It’s not a matter of if, but when the Bulls fire Vinny Del Negro. It doesn’t get any better as they face Boston and Washington this week.
22. Milwaukee Bucks (23). As if the Bucks needed more bad news, that’s exactly what they got when it was discovered that Michael Redd will be out for the year with a torn MCL and ACL. If that isn’t the death knell in relation to the Bucks looking to see the postseason, then I don’t know what is. Jennings and Bogut alone can’t carry this franchise.
23. Sacramento Kings (19). The recent schedule hasn’t exactly been in the Kings’ favor lately, and it doesn’t get any better for them as they host Orlando then go on the road to face six Eastern Conference teams. And will someone will please silence color analyst/geezer Jerry Reynolds and his worn-out, “Oh, thank heavens for Tyreke Evans?” That catchphrase is played out, Jerry. Much like your playing and coaching career. I get it. Kings fans get it. Even knowledgeable NBA fans get it: Evans is the real deal. Enough already.
24. Golden State Warriors (26). Don Nelson needs to cut Anthony Randolph some slack, starting right now. Randolph’s hurting and it isn’t like there’s offensive options aplenty in Oakland (save for Monta Ellis and maybe Corey Maggette). I ‘ll be relived when the Warriors get rid of Nellie and let Keith Smart run the show.
25. Philadelphia 76ers (24). They somehow managed to find a way to waste an 18-point lead vs. Washington last Tuesday. Ed Stefanski should be fired, but Snyder won’t let that happen. A team of this caliber should be not far from the .500 mark, but as of right now, they’re a mess.
26. Washington Wizards (29). Last Friday found Washington as winners over Orlando, which proves that even without Jesse James Gilbert Arenas being suspended by the NBA, they can still be dangerous on occasion. Abe Pollin has to be rolling over in his grave right about now. And there’s rumblings about Antawn Jamison and/or Caron Butler leaving the Beltway, so the dysfunction that is the Washington Wizards continues.
27. Indiana Pacers (28). Danny Granger’s back. Which should mean that the Pacers should be doing a bit better, right? Not so fast, compadres. Rumors of a Granger-for-Al Jefferson trade have been brewing. I don’t see thta happening at all; however, Slam Dunk Central editor Jeff Sack suggested that Indiana should “sack” coach Jim O’Brien. The more I watch the Pacers, the more I am leaning towards agreeing with him. It wouldn’t be a bad idea to get rid of Larry Legend, either.
28. Minnesota Timberwolves (27). If the rumored Jefferson-for-Danny Granger trade takes place, the GM’s for both Minnesota and Indiana should be fired. The T-Wolves have been better offensively lately since Kevin Love’s return, but the losses continue to happen.
29. Detroit Pistons (25). If it wasn’t for the New Jersey Nets, Detroit would be at the bottom. 13 game-losing streaks have to really be grating on the fragile psyches of the Pistons and it’s a matter of time before Ben Gordon goes into whining mode. I bet he misses Chicago right about now. The more the Pistons lose, the more street cred Joe Dumars stands to lose.
30. New Jersey Nets (30). Let’s see. They trade Eduardo Najera and let go of Rafer Alston and Sean Williams. That sure sounds like cost-cutting at its best not to mention that they are positioning themselves for a run at LeBron James next year.