PGP's Preseason NBA Power Rankings

1.[URL="http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/teams/bos"][IMG]http://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/sp/v/nba/teams/20080123/80x60/bos.gif[/IMG][/URL]Champions until proven otherwise. Lost James Posey in the offseason who was huge for them but kept Eddie House and drafted Bill Walker near the end of the draft. If healthy finally from his knee problems he could end up being the biggest steal in the draft. The big 3 are back and they should be hungry to prove last year wasn't just a one year run.




2.[URL="http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/teams/lal"][IMG]http://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/sp/v/nba/teams/20080123/80x60/lal.gif[/IMG][/URL]Bynum is back and supposedly 100% recovered from his knee problems. The front court of him and Gasol is scary good. They lost Turiaf to FA but that should not be a loss that hurts them at all. Sasha Vujacic was resigned and Kobe wants a ring without Shaq badly. Look for them to come out of the gates on fire.




3.[URL="http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/teams/nor"][IMG]http://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/sp/v/nba/teams/20080123/80x60/nor.gif[/IMG][/URL]Chris Paul....Anything else? Tyson Chandler keeps improving every year and is one of the leagues top rebounders. The signed James Posey in FA who will provide them with hustle and heart come playoff time. He hits big shots. They could use an upgrade at sg but Mo Pete and Bonzi will have to do for now. They are aging and are not great scorers but CP3 makes the best with what he's got. With him on the floor you will get open looks.




4.[URL="http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/teams/hou"][IMG]http://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/sp/v/nba/teams/20080123/80x60/hou.gif[/IMG][/URL]If Yao and Tracy can stay healthy this team could finally be for real. Adding Artest for little to nothing was the best move so far of the offseason. He will bring toughness and defense as well as the third scoring option that Houston has lacked recently. He also loves Rick Adlemen which is a great sign.




5.[URL="http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/teams/sas"][IMG]http://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/sp/v/nba/teams/20080123/80x60/sas.gif[/IMG][/URL]The Spurs are the machine that keeps on going and going. Great mental toughness and veteran leadership here. Tim Duncan and Tony Parker are ready to lead this team into the new season. They didn't really address thier problem of age yet and come playoff time thats going to hurt them. Michael Finley is back for one more run at it as is Bruce Bown. Robert Horry did not contribute much last year but his departure could hurt worse then expected. He was a great locker room guy and could always be counted on to hit the big shot and play under control.





6.[IMG]http://www.postgamepub.com/images/icons/nba/Utah%20Jazz.gif[/IMG]Utah is just scratching the surface in my opinion. They have been knocking on the door for a few seasons now, and if the AK to Russia talks can go away for good, then they can focus on winning the west. Its going to be tough but Deron Williams is getting better every year and is closing the gap, if there is one.... between himself and Chris Paul for the title of best PG in the league. Deron and Carlos Boozer form one of the best tandems in the league. Jerry Sloan returns as coach and together they have a great shot at reaching the finals.




7.[IMG]http://www.postgamepub.com/images/icons/nba/Cleveland%20Cavaliers.gif[/IMG]Lebron James makes them a contender in the East by himself. They added a legit pg who can score consistently in Mo Williams this offseason which makes them even tougher. They still need to address thier frontcourt soon though. Big Z is getting older and slower FAST. And Ben Wallace is pretty much worthless as a starter at this point. He has the worst contract in the league by far. Wally Sczerbiack needs to stay healthy and be able to knock down shots constently this year and the Cavs just may take out the Celtics in the playoffs.




8.[IMG]http://www.postgamepub.com/images/icons/nba/Detroit%20Pistons.gif[/IMG]The core of RIP,Chauncy,and Prince is returning for another go round. These guys seem to breeze through the regular season every year but falter in the playoffs. HC Flip Saunders is on the hotseat this season if Detroit fails again. This team is built to play for a championship now, not in the future. Rodney Stuckey was a pleasent surprise last season and hopefully he can continue to build upon last seasons sucess.




9.[IMG]http://www.postgamepub.com/images/icons/nba/Phoenix%20Suns.gif[/IMG]New Coach, same team. Big mistake by GM Steve Kerr last year in trading for Shaq. They have two more years with the big man at 20 mill a pop. Shaq is a shell of his former self at this point. Steve Nash doesnt look like he is slowing down but fathertime is right around the corner. Amare Stoudamire keeps on getting better and better and is fully recovered from knee surgery. Its pretty much now or never for this group of guys.




10.[IMG]http://www.postgamepub.com/images/icons/nba/Dallas%20Mavericks.gif[/IMG]Dallas has all the tools to get it down this year, they just have to do just that, GET IT DONE. Rick Carlisle is going to make a huge difference I think, as he wont micro manage like Avery Johnson did. He will let Jason Kidd loose and DIrk should flourish because of it. The only bad blood they have right now is Josh Howard. His status is in the air right now as he is fast becoming one of the most hated athletes in sports.




11.[IMG]http://www.postgamepub.com/images/icons/nba/Orlando%20Magic.gif[/IMG]Orlando is up and coming fast. Dwight Howard looks to establish his dominance at the Center position even more this year and if he can get along with Stan Van Gundy he will be better for it. Hedo Turkaglu is coming off of a MIP award and he will be a big part of this team as well. They need to figure out if Jameer Nelson is going to be the future pg of this team or not.




12.[IMG]http://www.postgamepub.com/images/icons/nba/Toronto%20Raptors.gif[/IMG]Made a big move in trading pg T.J. Ford for PF/C Jermaine O'neal. If O'neal is healthy then it will be interesting to see how he meshes with Chris Bosh. Jose Calderon is in for a big season. He is on of the more underated players in the league. Not much depth here but they can make it work if everyone stays healthy.




13.[IMG]http://www.postgamepub.com/images/icons/nba/Philadelphia%2076ers.gif[/IMG]Philly was a surprise team last season and with the addition of former MVP candidate Elton Brand, they will be even better. They overpaid badly to keep Iggy around but this core in the East could be special. Lou Williams is a fan favorite and will play a bigger role this season as well.




14.[IMG]http://www.postgamepub.com/images/icons/nba/Portland%20Trail%20Blazers.gif[/IMG]Oden is back! Huge expectations this season for Portland fans. Jerryd Bayless was a huge addition in a draft day trade with the Pacers. He had an outstanding summer league and has Portland officials excited at the prospect of having him and Brandon Roy play together. Lamarcus Aldridge will threaten for an allstar bid this year and Portland should make the playoffs.




15.[IMG]http://www.postgamepub.com/images/icons/nba/Los%20Angeles%20Clippers.gif[/IMG]This could be the Clippers best season in years. They are built for one or two years is the problem. Elton Brand screwed them and left for the money in Philly but they managed to lock up Allstar Baron Davis. They also grabbed Marcus Camby from Denver for nothing but a future second rounder. Ricky Davis comes over from Miami and Jason Williams is here to backup Baron at the point. Could be a nice season for the Clip show. Its going to be interesting. They also lost Corey Maggette so they will need someone to step up into that second scoring option role. Chris Kaman is one of the best Centers in the league and will be perfect playing next to Camby who will start at PF.




16.[IMG]http://www.postgamepub.com/images/icons/nba/Washington%20Wizards.gif[/IMG]Gilbert Arenas is out until at least the second month of the season. No telling how the team will react to his return since they have played without him for so long. Caron Butler has really matured in the league and was an allstar last year. Antawn Jamison resigned and will be a big contributer once again.




17.[IMG]http://www.postgamepub.com/images/icons/nba/Denver%20Nuggets.gif[/IMG]Denver could very well be the worst defensive team in league history. They were just awful last season and they gave away thier best defensive player in Marcus Camby to save some cash. I have no idea what direction this team is going in, especially dealing with the Carmelo Anthony offcourt issues. They are in for a long season. Barely made the 8 seed last season and I don't see them making the playoffs at all this year.




18.[IMG]http://www.postgamepub.com/images/icons/nba/Golden%20State%20Warriors.gif[/IMG]Losing Baron Davis is a huge blow to this franchise. Monta Ellis was resigned to be the pg of the future but he celebrated by riding a moped and tore up his ankle then lied about how it happened. Smart move Monta. His status right now is up in the air. Brought in Maggette who will contribute in the scoring department and if he can jell with Steven Jackson they could be a nice solid team once again and compete for the 8 spot out West but its not likely.




19.[IMG]http://www.postgamepub.com/images/icons/nba/Atlanta%20Hawks.gif[/IMG]Atlanta lost Josh Childress to Greece, but I think Marvin Williams can fill that void with more minutes. Mike Bibby is back and fully healthy which is great news for ATL. They have a good upside and were able to lock up Josh Smith as well. Coaching issues reamain a problem as management doesn't seem convinced that Mike Woodson is the man.




20.[IMG]http://www.postgamepub.com/images/icons/nba/Miami%20Heat.gif[/IMG]Probably should fly much higher up the rankings but I'll let them prove it first. Two rookies they drafted in Beasley and Chalmers look to be great additions but both had marijauna issues already in the rookie transition program. Thats not a good sign. No new deal in place for Marion so he may be playing for a new contract next season which is good for Miami. Wade is healthy again too so this is going to be an exciting season for Heat fans.




21.[IMG]http://www.postgamepub.com/images/icons/nba/Charlotte%20Bobcats.gif[/IMG]Surprise, Surprise, the Bobcats I think will be much improved with Larry Brown now in the fold. Emeka has resigned and Morrison is back from season ending injury last year. They have some solid depth and big time scorers in Jason Richardson and Gerald Wallace. These guys are all young and hungry. D.J. Augustine was a great draft pick and will prob push Raymond Felton for the starting pg role right away.




22.[IMG]http://www.postgamepub.com/images/icons/nba/Sacramento%20Kings.gif[/IMG]Sacramento is not going to be a very good team this year. They have some good young players but the roster is just poorly put together right now. The Ron Artest experiment is over and they got nothing in return for him. Francisco Garcia is capable of scoring big numbers and should take that starting spot that Artest had this year. Beno Udrih is going to be the full time starting pg now. Hmmmmm......




23.[IMG]http://www.postgamepub.com/images/icons/nba/Indiana%20Pacers.gif[/IMG] I like this Pacer team. Mike Dunleavy is one of the most underated players in the league and Brandon Rush in my opinion was the steal of the draft. They also attained Roy Hibbert and Jarrett Jack. Those two are good solid additions to this ball club. Troy Murphy is a good shooter but not great with his back to the basket. Either way he should compliment Hibbert nicely. They need to find another pg somehow as they have decided to part ways with Jamal Tinsley.




24.[IMG]http://www.postgamepub.com/images/icons/nba/Milwaukee%20Bucks.gif[/IMG]The Bucks will finish the season ranked much higher. They managed to trade for Richard Jefferson and Luke Ridnour this offseason. They also hired Scott Skiles as Head Coach who has a reputation of turning teams around early. They are going to be very exciting this season. Michael Redd is coming off a gold medal preformance in the Olympics so should be in groove and ready to go. This could be the most improved team in the NBA.




25.[IMG]http://www.postgamepub.com/images/icons/nba/Chicago%20Bulls.gif[/IMG]Tough times for Bulls fans. I think they made a big mistake in taking Derik Rose over Michael Beasley in the draft. Even if Rose turns out to be better then Beasley he will struggle this year. He had an awful summer league and left early with injuries. Luol Deng was resigned long term but Ben Gordon is on the outside. He refuses to sign for less then 12 mill a year and no team is prepared to pay him that. He may find himself on a one year tender or playing overseas. The Bulls still lack a quality Center and until they find one Drew Gooden will have to man the position. He is no scrub but is undersized and should be playing PF.




26.[IMG]http://www.postgamepub.com/images/icons/nba/Minnesota%20Timberwolves.gif[/IMG]The T-Wolves have no where to go but up. They are just too young to make much noise. Being in the West doesnt help matters any either. Al Jefferson is one big bright spot though and he is progressing fast and turning into one of the best young post players in the league. Sebastion Telfair has yet to live up to the hype but was resigned because he did show improvement last year and is slowly getting better. They traded for Mike Miller who will be the teams best scorer and probably team captain.




27.[IMG]http://www.postgamepub.com/images/icons/nba/New%20York%20Knicks.gif[/IMG]I wanted to put them higher then this but past years has forced me to leave them near the bottom until they prove otherwise. I think they have a roster that translates well to new coach Mike D'Antoni's style of play. Stephon Marbury still has not been told if he is staying or going yet, and Allan Houston was brought back. Both situations are laughable and make me think that this is the same NY Knicks that we have seen over the last 5-6 years but something about them is intriguing. Im curious to see what happens in NY this year.




28.[IMG]http://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/sp/v/nba/teams/80x60/okc.gif[/IMG] Formerly the Seattle Sonics... They still have Jeff Green and Kevin Durant so thats a nice duo to build around. Durant only got better as the season rolled on last year. They will compete more this year but will still be one of the leagues worst teams. Too young and too inexperianced.




29.[IMG]http://www.postgamepub.com/images/icons/nba/New%20Jersey%20Nets.gif[/IMG]Vince Carter is it. This team is doing nothing but clearing cap space to make a run at Lebron in 2010. They are moving to Brooklyn soon so anything they do before then is pretty much meaningless. I dont even think they are trying to win.




30.[IMG]http://www.postgamepub.com/images/icons/nba/Memphis%20Grizzlies.gif[/IMG]Worst team in the entire league. Im not going to waste my time even trying to come up with something nice to say about them. Perrenial losing organization.