NBA Hit List, 11.20.07
S-Jack is back, and GS could climb.(Photo. Eriberto Oriol)
There’s a new #1 in this week’s NBA Hit List power ranking, and last week’s #2 dropped a couple spots after a loss to its new (for now) conference power …
30. Minnesota Timberwolves (1-7) — While they finally got a W, that historic 9-73 mark isn’t out of the question. The rest of the month sees Al Jefferson (19 ppg, 11 rpg) and crew playing Cleveland, Denver, Atlanta, New Orleans, Dallas and San Antonio. They could easily go into December at 1-13.
29. Seattle Supersonics (2-10) — Chris Wilcox wasn’t happy about being left off the All-Star ballot. Maybe that was the spark it took to get him to play at the same level every night. In his last four games he’s averaged 19 points and 7.5 rebounds.
28. New York Knicks (2-7) — Just your garden-variety Chinua Achebe novel here. (Look it up.) The last time we did the Hit List, the Knicks weren’t in bad shape. Then Stephon and Isiah had their spat, Steph’s replacement got hurt, and the losing streak stretched to six in a row. Since his benching, Marbury has been shooting 32 percent from the field.
27. Chicago Bulls (2-7) — Three times this year they’ve failed to crack 80 points. If the Kobe trade definitely isn’t happening, they need to look into making some kind of changes before losing becomes a habit.
26. Golden State Warriors (2-6) — You might think Stephen Jackson is crazy, but he wasn’t voted team captain for fun. The edge and attitude he brings might be what Golden State has been missing. They’ve won two in a row, including one at Toronto in S-Jack’s first game back from suspension.
25. Memphis Grizzlies (3-7) — Stoudamire and Lowry have been good, too good for Mike Conley to find any PT. At least he’s got Darko to talk to about it. He’ll understand.
24. Miami Heat (2-8) — Dwyane Wade and Pat Riley are doing whatever they can (benching, using the media) to motivate Shaq. It’s because they both know this team isn’t going anywhere without the Diesel playing up to his name.
23. Sacramento Kings (4-6) — Mike Bibby’s injury was, in a way, great for Kevin Martin (27 ppg, 1.5 spg). Right after signing that big-money extension, he’s had to prove immediately whether he was worth the investment, without relying on Bibby. If K-Mart didn’t know it already, quoth Sean Connery, “You’re the man now, dog!”
22. Philadelphia 76ers (3-6) — Andre Iguodala may be developing into a working-class man’s T-Mac? He has led the Sixers in assists in four of their last five games.
21. Atlanta Hawks (3-6) — Wins over Phoenix and Dallas may be farther away than they appear. Losses to Milwaukee and Seattle seem more like it. And why is Joe Johnson (22 ppg, 6 apg) still Atlanta’s best playmaker? Don’t they have multiple point guards now?
20. New Jersey Nets (4-7) — They haven’t won since Vince went down with an ankle injury, and were just embarrassed Monday night against Utah. Jason Kidd is still leading the team in rebounds, followed by RJ and Vince. That’s three perimeter players, if you didn’t know. Forget character issues; they had to draft Sean Williams, and he needs to play a lot.
19. Portland Trail Blazers (4-7) — A solid foundation with Brandon Roy (19 ppg, 5 apg), LaMarcus (19 ppg, 8 rpg), Martell (13 ppg), the Blake/Jack point guard duo and, eventually, Greg Oden. So where does D-Miles fit in? In another city.
18. Indiana Pacers (4-6) — Dunleavy is the key: In the Pacers’ four wins, he’s dropping 23 points a night on 50 percent from the field and 43 percent from deep. In their six losses, 12 points on 39 percent from the field and 31 from long-range.
17. Milwaukee Bucks (4-4) — Everyone’s so worried about counting Yi’s write-in All-Star votes, they haven’t noticed Desmond Mason is having just as good of a season and he isn’t on the ballot, either.
16. Washington Wizards (4-5) — This was us last week: “They finally got Win #1. With Indiana, Minnesota and Portland coming up this week, maybe they can make that a trend.” Gilbert and crew indeed ran the table, and they can keep it up this week with Philly, Charlotte, Golden State and Memphis on the docket.
15. Toronto Raptors (5-5) — Andrea Bargnani has been as wildly inconsistent as his team. For every 1-for-11 shooting performance or 3-fouls-in-5-minutes type of night, he’ll put up 15-20 points and stick a couple treys on other nights. The fantasy owners are being driven mad.
14. Los Angeles Clippers (5-4) — In two straight losses, the Clips have allowed 122 points to the Warriors and 92 to the Bulls (which is like 100 for that team). Coming up this week are the Nuggets, Suns and Hornets. It could get uglier.
13. Charlotte Bobcats (6-4) — If the ‘Cats keep winning, Gerald Wallace might start to get the Marion/Kirilenko-like respect he deserves from everyone.
12. Utah Jazz (8-4) — After winning five in a row, the Jazz offense was (relatively) shut down in back-to-back losses to Cleveland and Indiana where Utah scored 94 points apiece. Deron Williams struggled in those games (9.5 points, 28% FGs, 4 turnovers per) but rebounded by lighting up the Nets.
11. Cleveland Cavaliers (5-5) — LeBron’s playing out of his mind. Since last week his numbers have climbed to 29-8-8 after monster performances against Utah (40 pts, 10 rebs, 9 asts) and Orlando (39 pts, 13 rebs, 14 asts). In “other guys” news, Pavlovic is getting back in the groove. What’s up with Varejao?
10. Houston Rockets (6-5) — Losers of four straight, 2.5 of those without T-Mac. In the meantime, Luis Scola has averaged 20 points and 7.5 boards in his last two games. Is this the missing piece we’d heard so much about?
9. Detroit Pistons (6-4) — The West Coast road trip didn’t go as expected: Detroit lost to the Blazers, Lakers and Kings, struggled to hold a big lead against Seattle, and the Golden State win wasn’t east. Plus, Chauncey Billups got hurt for a while.
8. Denver Nuggets (7-3) — The blowout win over Cleveland last week showed that when Allen Iverson wants to be that 30-points-a-night guy, he can do it at will. Meanwhile, Carmelo’s 25 a night has almost been quiet.
7. Phoenix Suns (8-2) — Last week we said Steve Nash was looking for his shot more. Then he went out and dropped 12, 15 and 15 dimes while Phoenix pushed its win streak to five. Keep an eye on Grant Hill, who’s playing 35 minutes a night for a coach who’s never figured out how to keep his guys fresh for the playoffs.
6. Los Angeles Lakers (6-3) — Watching Kobe play against the Bulls and Pistons amidst swirling trade rumors was like watching two people trying to read each other on a blind date. In spite of that storyline, those of you who have NBA TV know the secret to L.A.’s success: Jordan Farmar’s summer excursion to Bora Bora, where he did yoga and hung out with Sam Perkins, Lamond Murray and Ha Seung-Jin.
5. New Orleans Hornets (9-3) — We would’ve been able to learn a lot more about this team had Chris Paul (ankle) been able to play against Orlando on Monday.
4. Boston Celtics (8-1) — Losing one game on the road to a good team isn’t that big of a deal. But Boston’s loss to Orlando on Sunday highlighted their biggest flaws: coaching, the bench, inconsistency from the point guard spot (Rondo’s D was lacking) and the limitations of Kendrick Perkins.
3. Orlando Magic (10-2) — Dwight Howard is averaging 22 points and 14 boards. Who was the last 20-15 guy? Moses Malone in ’82-83. He put up 24.5 points and 15.3 rebounds with the Sixers.
2. San Antonio Spurs (8-2) — Wednesday’s matchup with the Magic is suddenly on the list of big-time games early in the season. Trust, Tim Duncan hasn’t forgot about that banger Dwight threw on his head last year.
1. Dallas Mavericks (7-2) — With losses to Atlanta and Portland and a too-close win over Memphis over the weekend, added to the way they came out clicking on all cylinders against the Spurs, the Mavs are playing up (or down) to their level of competition. That’s how you mess around and get upset in the first round. Again.
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November 20th, 2007 at 8:30 am
Amar says:
22. Philadelphia 76ers (3-6) — Andre Iguodala may be developing into a working-class man’s T-Mac? He has led the Sixers in assists in four of their last five games.
— Oh, so you mean he’s going to start missing 30+ games a season to REAL MAN’s injuries, instead of how Tmac is always out for a hangnail or a sprained vagina?
November 20th, 2007 at 8:43 am
Gee says:
LOL that is ok T-Mac will still drop 40 on your favorite team Amar lol and dunk on your favorite player and put that sprained vagina all in money’s grill!
Unless your favorite player is Kobe lol.
LOL by the way what do you consider a REAL MEN injuries?? Have you ever had a sprained vagina where you know you can still play from it lol? I am just saying you put it out there?
November 20th, 2007 at 8:47 am
Captain America says:
Celtics will have their hands full with the Warriors on Wednesday.
November 20th, 2007 at 9:17 am
Zeitgeist says:
I may not agree AT ALL on your ranking of any of the top five…. But 100% kudos to you Mr.Burton for comparing the New York Knicks drama to the classic African epic by Chinua Achebe: “Things Fall Apart” with Stephon Marbury in the starring role of Okwonko.
November 20th, 2007 at 9:21 am
djKianoosh says:
is that spurs-orlando game on national tv? i think dwight gives the spurs the same problems that amare does. but can the other guys step up to the plate?
gee and amar, was that a grade 1 sprain of the vagina? lmao.. very funny..
November 20th, 2007 at 9:24 am
calvin brodus says:
The Lakers are higher than Phoenix and Denver?!?! Their 6-3 winning record will go up in smoke real soon. Talk about sprained vaginas, just wait until things go a little sour and Kobe goes crying for his ba-ba again. This team will finish in the bottom eight of the conference barely getting a playoff spot, if it happens at all. Kobe drinks shirley temples all day. Above Phoenix and Denver?!?! Damn, that is an awful call.
November 20th, 2007 at 9:29 am
The Jed says:
Yo. This is crazy. The Magic get ahead of the Celtics by beating them at home by 2 points? Austin=EXTREME hater.
November 20th, 2007 at 9:37 am
Kobeef says:
Could the Hornets be the best team in the NBA (when their starting 5 are on the floor)? Wow..it feels weird to say it but look at the top 5 and it is hard to argue the hornets could not beat all of them. Last night’s loss to Orlando was a gimme with Pargo running the offense and Chandler on the sideline.
It is hard to accept Isiah’s excuses for losing when you look at the Lake-Show, who have arguably had as much turmoil surrounding the team and have somehow manged to keep it off the court and play with heart. Maybe Phil is a better Coach than Isiah.
November 20th, 2007 at 9:44 am
Dime Magazine says:
The Magic were the first good team the Celtics played and they lost.
November 20th, 2007 at 9:52 am
dre in o town says:
Dime still sticking with the Mavs …
November 20th, 2007 at 9:58 am
Amar says:
Gee said: LOL that is ok T-Mac will still drop 40 on your favorite team Amar lol and dunk on your favorite player and put that sprained vagina all in money’s grill!
— and don’t forget cry about getting eliminated out of the playoffs in the 1st around again, in the post game interview. (or should i clarify that to ‘post-season’ interview)
Gee said: LOL by the way what do you consider a REAL MEN injuries??
— A real man’s injury would be something like what happened to Livingston or Gorge this last season. Not like Tmac’s “i just missed a shot, i’ll fall on the floor now for 20 mins” injuries.
Gee said: Have you ever had a sprained vagina where you know you can still play from it lol? I am just saying you put it out there
— LOL !!!!
Captain America says: Celtics will have their hands full with the Warriors on Wednesday.
— Yeah, the celtics will have their hands full of offensive and defensive rebounds.
Kobeef — Hornet’s look good if they can stay healthy.
November 20th, 2007 at 10:45 am
Austin Burton says:
You want the C’s ranked ahead of a team they just lost to? A team that is the only one in the NBA with 10 wins so far? Jed = EXTREME homer.
November 20th, 2007 at 10:46 am
Myrie in NY says:
NYK ranked 28th? Why so high?..LOL
Tis a shame. My beloved NYK are sickening. Ugh. Someboday please have mercy and send help!!
Colangelo, Jerry West— if your listening/reading….please come to NYC. We need you badly!!
November 20th, 2007 at 10:58 am
Austin Burton says:
Why do people keep talking about T-Mac like he’s injured all the time? Look at the numbers:
In his rookie year he played 64 games. Not because he was hurt, but because he was an 18-year-old rookie and Butch Carter/Darrell Walker didn’t give him much PT.
How many games did he miss in the following seasons? One, three, five, six and seven.
In ’03-04 he played in 67 games. His first real “injury-prone” season. He played in 78 games the following year.
In ’05-06 he had his second injury-plagued season, playing in 47 games. The following year he played 71 games.
That’s not bad when you think about it, to have two real injury-plagued seasons in an 11-year career. But some of you talk about T-Mac like he’s Grant Hill or Baron Davis or something.
Now go look up Kobe’s numbers. You’ll find he’s actually been more injury-prone than T-Mac. But no one ever talks about him that way.
November 20th, 2007 at 11:11 am
Myrie in NY says:
Kobe gets out of the first round.
November 20th, 2007 at 11:14 am
Austin Burton says:
That wasn’t the point. Kobe misses more games due to injury than T-Mac. And don’t act like he’s made it past Round 1 without Shaq.
November 20th, 2007 at 11:21 am
Myrie in NY says:
hahahe. since you decided to take a shot at Kobe (you could’ve named any other player in the L), I decided to let you know Kobe has gotten out of the 1st round; thats why no one complains about him missing games.
Nope. Never get anywhere without Shaq Daddy. No argument there. But Tmac has had Vince, Grant Hill and Yao. Whats his excuse?
November 20th, 2007 at 11:27 am
Amar says:
Myrie — having his period.
November 20th, 2007 at 11:43 am
Austin Burton says:
Amar, is this residual anger from T-Mac dropping 47 on Utah’s head? Say what you want, but I can’t blame T-Mac alone for any of those first-round playoff losses. He regularly averages 30-6-6 in those series.
November 20th, 2007 at 11:47 am
Myrie in NY says:
Amar–
yeah. come suck me where i bleed.
November 20th, 2007 at 11:51 am
djKianoosh says:
damn.. getting all personal.. you guys get a room!
lol
power rankings in the nba are practically meaningless until after the all star break anyway. so much can happen from now till then. injuries, trades, coaches getting fired for sexual abuse in new york.. oh wait, that didn’t happen yet…
November 20th, 2007 at 12:14 pm
Myrie in NY says:
if we get a room, we’ll let you hold the video camera and direct.
November 20th, 2007 at 12:22 pm
smity says:
Myrie-
Amar was answering your question about what t-mac’s excuse for not getting out of the first round with the talent that he’s had around him. You had asked what his excuse was and thats why amar said “having his period”. he wasnt saying that you were having your period.
Question- Does ATL make the playoffs? What about Charlotte?
November 20th, 2007 at 12:36 pm
Myrie in NY says:
Smity–
Thanks for the clarification.
Amar– If Smity is correct; then I misunderstood your post. My apologies. No hard feelings.
See/write to you all next week. I’m outta here.
My lady is forcing me to buy a turkey and help her cook it…bah. I just wanna eat.
November 20th, 2007 at 12:59 pm
Captain America says:
It will be interesting to see how the Celtics rank once they face serious competition, starting in mid-December. As it stands, the 2-8 Heat were a missed shot away from dropping them on their home court last Friday (after they had time off). This was followed by a home loss to the Magic.
Other teams better than the C’s include: Spurs, Suns, Jazz, Magic, Pistons, Mavs. On equal footing with C’s: Rockets, Lakers, Denver.
Exit question: Will the C’s ever find a center?
November 20th, 2007 at 1:10 pm
Mike says:
BOLD PREDICTION: The Lakers will top the Hit List next week after they run the table this week and beat the Cs in the process. You heard it here first.
November 20th, 2007 at 1:52 pm
Amar says:
hey Myrie, Smitty was right, I was just answering your question. no hard feelings.
Austin — dude, which wing player DOESN’T score big vs. the jazz? the only thing tmac did that was different was that he won the game this time. (guys like mike redd routinely go over 40 points vs the jazz) To be perfectly honest, Yao was the reason that the rockets lost in the playoffs to the jazz. (but he has diplomatic immunity to bad press, otherwise the great Red Dragon will awaken) Tmac played his heart out, but you know what? at the end of the season people will look at his failures and take the easy way out and suggest that they are all due to him. (again, instead of putting the blame on yao) But then again, he said that it was “all on him”, so therefore, he’s encouraging criticism. maybe he should have said “it’s all on yao’s ability to be punked on the glass by guys a foot shorter than him”
November 20th, 2007 at 4:16 pm
DOC says:
The Knicks stink. For something to fall apart it has to be together in the first place. Get rid of Marburied and they’ll improve like any other team in history.
November 20th, 2007 at 8:02 pm
MoxInTheWest says:
On a lighter note, how about poor Al Jefferson. Goes from being on the lowly Celts then exiled in Minny with that group of No talent ass clowns. He’s a baller! Wish the Lake show would make a trade for him.
November 21st, 2007 at 4:06 am
kowtz says:
Lake Lover here…
a bit biased at LA and KOBE, so won’t comment there… except the fact that I am afraid when Kwame gets back… LA seems to have this curse, players get injured, others step up… injured players come back, they lose momentum and barely make the playoffs… and I do mean any body… Kwame (Bynum was banging), Lamar (Luke walton was killing), Kobe (Everyone else stepped up)…
Phil Jackson better than Isaiah thomas? I don’t there should be any arguement there… hands down, even without the Rings…