• Tweet

• Tweet

The 2010 NBA regular season is fast drawing to a close, with playoff seedings solidifying while the also-rans are planning their off-season vacations.

This final edition of Slam Dunk Central NBA Power Rankings wiil focus on both the week that was and plaoff possibilities, depending on the team in question. Without further adieu, here’s the final 2010 edition of Slam Dunk NBA Power Rankings:

( ) – Indicates last week’s ranking.

1. Orlando Magic (2). They did what they were supposed to do in taking their three games this past week (Washington, New York and Cleveland). The way the playof seedings are looking at this late stage, it looks like Orlando vs. Charlotte in the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs.
2. Phoenix Suns (4). Tuesday and Wednesday of this week will be the toughest two days of this eason for the Suns as they face the Nuggets and Jazz. With home-court advantage at stake, it would behoove them to defeat both squads.
3. Cleveland Cavaliers (1). Although I completely understand why the Cavs rested LeBron, it doesn’t minimize the fact that the team lost three of their past four, which doesn’t help their overall rankings – even if they do have the best record in the NBA. The ETA of Shaquille O’Neal may play a part in the Cavaliers’ playoff chances. Like Zydraunas Ilgauskas is the answer at the 5.
4. San Antonio Spurs (3). Although they were 2-2 this past week, they seem to getting some much-needed momentum as Tony Parker recently returned. If he can stay healthy, they can surprise during the playoffs. But they need to beat Minnesota and Dallas this week if they want a favorable first-round opponent.
5. Utah Jazz (5). The defense blossomed while the defense wilted this past week, although they did go 2-1. They have something at stake, in terms of the playoff seedings, as they face Golden State and Phoenix. Again, they need to sweep both to get a opponent to their liking.
6. Los Angeles Lakers (8). Kobe’s health is the key in the grand scheme of things, yet despite his health issues, he will be in the thick of things come playoff time. It might be a good thing to rest Kobe for the last two games and prep for their first-round victim opponent.
7. Dallas Mavericks (9). Perfect this week, they had a pair of defensive gems in allowing Memphis and Portland to score 161 points combined. And they did this without Shawn Marion, yet they need him for the playoffs for this to continue. The Clippers and Spurs await the Mavericks this week.
8. Atlanta Hawks (7). Not a good sign when their defense – we already know they have offense – has progressively gotten worse. And that’s something they can ill afford to have going into the playoffs. Hopefully Coach Woodson is instilling this to the team. Otherwise, they may see an early exit from the playoffs.
9. Portland Trail Blazers (10). Brandon Roy not being healthy couldn’t have come at a worse time for Portland as playoff seeding is everything. I am going to assume that they will rest Roy Monday vs. OKC and Wednesday vs. Golden State. A healthy Roy means a possible upset in the Western Conference first round and vice versa.
10. Denver Nuggets (11). Defense is very good; their offense – not so much. Getting Kenyon Martin back is huge, but a completely healthy squad is key here, along with maybe scoring 102 or so PPG the rest of the way.
11. Oklahoma City Thunder (6). They don’t have much time to get their defense back to its usual airtight self. Other than that, they’re a team not to be overlooked during the playoffs. Portland and Memphis await the Thunder this week.
12. Boston Celtics (13). Their defense will have to improve – with Kevin Garnett playing. Their offense is fine, but this team just isn’t the same without The Big Ticket at the 4. Hard to say if despite winning their division, they can make it past the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Too many ifs abound.
13. Milwaukee Bucks (15). Not sure what it is, but despite not having Bogut manning the middle, they have the #5 seed. Defense will dictate their playoff chances more than anything. No matter how they fare in the playoffs, one can say that the Bucks overachieved.
14. Miami Heat (12). This is probably the best time for the Heat to get better playof positioning as they have Philadelphia and New Jersey left this week. The question tat begs to be asked is: Will D-Wade, as per custom, carry this team during the playoffs? Time for the others to get their A-game together ASAP.
15. Charlotte Bobcats (14). With a playoff berth assured, I will go on the record here and say that because you have to score points even in the playoffs, the Bobcats will get the early exit from the playoffs.
16. Chicago Bulls (18). They and the Raptors are the only two teams in the EC fighting just to get into the playoffs. They have Boston and Charlotte, which is not going to be easy. These two games may affect Vinny Del Negro’s future with the Bulls.
17. Toronto Raptors (16). Like Chicago, they need to win out to reach the postseason. Too bad they may enter the playoffs without Chris Bosh. The Raptors’ opponents this week are easier than the Bulls: Detroit and New York. 
18. Indiana Pacers (20). While they’ve been spoilers, they still have to think about next season as they’re going to their fourth straight NBA lottery. One can only hope that with the right personnel moves and the momentum they’re enjoying right now, things will change for the better in Indianapolis.
19. Memphis Grizzlies (17). While they aren’t going to the playoffs, they have been vastly improved as opposed to previous seasons. Now if they can beat either Denver or Oklahoma City, they can get a winning record, which would be icing on the cake.
20. Houston Rockets (19). At least they’re a .500 team, which only means something in the Eastern Conference. But without Yao Ming, they overachieved to a degree. Next season will be most telling for the Rockets, in terms of Ming’s future in Houston.
21. New Orleans Hornets (21). This is a team in flux in reference to Chris Paul’s wanting to stay in the Big Easy and the coaching situation as rumors have their current coach possibly returning to his general manager role. Lots of questions and no clear-cut answers hound the Hornets going into next season.
22. Washington Wizards (24). With Agent Zero returning and the emergence of Andray Blatche as a go-to guy, they look to make baby steps going into next season. And hope that Ernie Grunfeld doesn’t find a way to mess up during the NBA Draft.
23. Golden State Warriors (25). Now that Don Nelson has his milestone in hand, the offseason should be interesting in Oakland, as the team is for sale. No matter who buys the team, one thing is certain: Nellie will not be a part of it. In other words, look for a buyout once the team is sold.
24. Sacramento Kings (27). Although their win-loss record stinks, they have actually improved as a team, overall. Also factor in that they recently inked coahc Paul Westphal to an extension offers a sense of stability to a team that hasn’t much of that commodity recently. And Tyreke Evans can only get better – and he had a fun stat to hang his hat on this season: he averaged 20 PPG, grabbed 5 RPG and dished out 5 APG. Not too shabby.
25. Philadelphia 76ers (22). Once Eddie Jordan is canned, they have a new coach to look for. Which is unfortunate, because the roster is bette rthan the win-loss record indicates. In a sense, I blame Ed Stefanski as he wrote off the personnel decisions. Speaking of which, Stefanski, like Jordan, may be a “dead man walking.”
26. New York Knicks (23). Because of their past three consecutive losses, they are officially worse than last season. Not a profound statement, but consider that they are flush in salary cap money and one can only hope that they score big in free agency and do well in the upcoming NBA Draft.
27. Los Angeles Clippers (26). Like their counterparts in Philly, the Clippers have a full offseason, as they need a GM and a coach (as if Kim Hughes was a long-term answer). Whoever coaches this team will have to coexist with Baron Davis and the GM will have to somehow be able to work with owner Donald Sterling. Larry Ellison of Oracle said it best in terms of buying a franchise: “Too bad you cannot do a hostile takeover of an NBA franchise.” In the Clippers case, it applies.
28. New Jersey Nets (28). I still contend that despite their sucky win-loss record, the Nets do have a bright future ahead of them. They have a core with Brook Lopez, Devin Harris and maybe Courtney Lee. Not to mention they have salary cap money to spend with an owner who is richer than God – assuming that God is Russian. Nonetheless, look for New Jersey to surprise some folks both during free agency and during the draft.
29. Detroit Pistons (29). It isn’t hard to feel sorry for team president Joe Dumars, the prideful man that he is. But at the same time, don’t feel too sorry for him; after all, he OK’d the signing of Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva. It almost seems like Dumars has lost his personnel skills somewhere along the way. but to ve fair, the collective group of players have truly underachieved for the amount of money they have been paid.
30. Minnesota Timberwolves (30). They have been proficient at being incompetent for so long, that perhaps a law written into the NBA by-laws should dictate that a team owner who holds possesion to a ham-and-egg franchise for more than 10 years should sell his franchise to the highest bidder. That’s right, Glen Taylor. I’m talking about you.