We are almost at the mid-way point of the NBA season, so it seems like as good a time as any to do the first Jackson's NBA Power Rankings. I'll do 30-21 today, then 20-11 tomorrow, and 10-1 by the end of the week. These power rankings take into consideration this season, recent past seasons, and my opinions on the individual teams.
30. Miami Heat(9-36): They have so many issues it isn't funny. This team is one of the worst set up teams the NBA has seen in awhile. They have parts of the team that are well past their prime, but they also have parts that are to young to make a true impact. It's amazing to see how far they have fallen from their championship just two seasons ago.
29. Seattle Supersonics(12-35): Yes, they are young and clearly rebuilding. Yes, they have a player in Kevin Durant who is destined for stardom. But right now the owner doesn't know what city they are going to be playing in in the future, and he seems set on it not being in Seattle. And really, after you look at Durant, there isn't a whole lot on this roster worth mentioning. They will have to get more around him at some point before they can really be considered "rebuilding".
28. New York Knicks (14-33): This team has no direction, no guidance, and is in major disarray. But we all know that. I don't think anyone would argue with the fact that there is talent on this team, but the talent clearly isn't the right fit. I put them above the Heat and Sonics because Jamal Crawford has been playing well and they are finally starting fantasy basketball favorite David Lee. And, in reality, they are not that far out of the playoffs in the East.
27. Los Angeles Clippers (14-30): Remember when this team was up and coming, and would challenge for the West for years to come? Well that didn't seem to work out. Now owner Donald Sterling seems to think his team is underachieving. One has to wonder where he has been for the past 15 years. This team will be good when they get Brand and Maggette back, and Chris Kaman is playing great, but right now they are really, really bad.
26. Memphis Grizzlies (13-34): I put the Grizzlies here because of their recent moves. Trading off Pau Gasol and Stromile Swift as well as cutting Damon Stoudamire was the right thing to do. This team is rebuilding, and it is good to see them finally committing to it. Rudy Gay is the future there, and they are slowly adding pieces to make this a team that could be good in a few years.
25. Milwaukee Bucks (18-30): The problem with the Milwaukee Bucks is that they don't know what they are doing. They have good players that can be good building blocks for their future, but that future is slowly slipping away. You have to think that they were expecting more than 18-30 at this point, but they are in the playoff race in the lesser talented East.
24. Indiana Pacers (19-29): They have been without Jermaine O'Neal for a while now, and there were whispers that they were better without him. They are now 1-8 in the last 9 games he has missed, so I think those thoughts have been put aside. Although they are in the playoff race now, I don't see them sticking around without him, and he thinks he will be out for a while.
23. Minnesota Timberwolves (10-36): Yes, they have the worst record in the league. Yes, they traded away just about every asset they had and clearly are rebuilding. All that being said they haven't played bad as of late (wins against Phoenix, Golden State, Chicago, Clippers and close loss to the Celtics) and seem to be coming together as a team. They have personal favorites of mine in Rashad Mccants and Al Jefferson, and have a good young nucleus. Also, I have a friend working with the team, and he seems genuinely excited about them now, when only a month or so ago he was thinking they were horrible.
22. New Jersey Nets (20-27): They are in the worst possible position a team can be in. They aren't good enough anymore to contend, but they also aren't bad enough to rebuild. They also open a new building soon, and don't want to have to sell a rebuilding team to a slightly different market. They need to make a decision soon though, because what they have right now isn't cutting it.
21. Philadelphia 76ers (18-29): They have some good young talent, but they need to get rid of Andre Miller. It seems as though they think they can compete in the East this year with him, but they aren't going to get to far in the playoffs with that current roster. Trading him for the best they can get is the best solution here, and with Billy King gone they ma be able to finally make a smart decision about their future.
More tomorrow.
~Aaron Jackson
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