NBA Hit List Power Ranking, 2.6
Paul Pierce, Dime #51. Los Angeles Lakers (40-9) — You have to give it to them after last night’s win at Boston, but somebody needs to remind L.A. fans you don’t get a trophy for winning the regular season series. The Lakers’ defense has struggled without Andrew Bynum, but at the same time, Pau Gasol’s production has gone past “All-Star” numbers into “MVP” territory (28.6 ppg, 14.3 rpg since Bynum’s injury), Lamar Odom had his first 20-point game of the season, and Kobe reminded us all that he’s still Kobe.
2. Boston Celtics (41-10) — Kobe’s 61. LeBron’s 52-10-11. Paul Pierce can’t go into MSG tonight and drop 15 points and continue thinking he’s better than those two. Speaking of numbers, has anyone noticed that Rajon Rondo is currently sixth in the League in assists?
3. Cleveland Cavaliers (39-9) — Before you go and hand Kobe (sans Bynum) the MVP, don’t forget LeBron. His 52-point effort against the Knicks pulled him into a first-place tie with D-Wade for the League scoring lead. With Kobe just one point behind those two, how sick would it be for this to come down to a David Thompson/George Gervin-esque three-way battle on the last day of the season?
4. San Antonio Spurs (33-15) — We’re guessing Pop will run with a full squad when the Spurs go to Boston this weekend. Love that message sent to the Nuggets, though: We’re not worried about you AT ALL. Even Carmelo said he thought Pop was playing mind games.
5. Orlando Magic (37-11) — Before Anthony Johnson’s first start as Jameer Nelson’s replacement, the Orlando announcers predicted he’d get a ton of wide-open shots because teams were now not so worried about doubling on Dwight Howard and getting lit up from the PG spot. AJ knocked down six threes that night on the Clippers. We’ll see how real NBA teams defend him from now on.
6. Denver Nuggets (33-16) — Take a guess at the League’s top three leaders in dunks this season. Of course Dwight Howard is #1. Amare Stoudemire is #3. Coming in at #2: Nene.
7. Portland Trail Blazers (30-18) — If there’s any truth to the LaMarcus-for-Amare rumors, do you think Brandon Roy is secretly hoping the deal gets made? Or is Aldridge’s style better for Roy’s game?
Chris Paul (photo. Zach Wolfe)8. New Orleans Hornets (28-18) — Four losses in a row, the last 1.5 without Chris Paul in the lineup. CP isn’t supposed to be out for too long, so don’t expect N.O. to rush out and make a trade, but their offense looks pretty lost at the moment.
9. Utah Jazz (28-22) — Even without Booz and AK, the team is averaging 109.5 points in its last four games. Up next on the schedule? The Kings and Warriors. Expect that number to rise.
10. Dallas Mavericks (29-20) — Last week we said the Mavs were one of the hardest teams in the League to figure out. Now? They’re definitely the hardest team in the League to figure out. Dallas looked dangerous while knocking off the Magic and Blazers back-to-back, then went to Utah on Thursday and get destroyed.
11. Houston Rockets (30-20) — With Golden State, Chicago, Memphis, Minnesota, Milwaukee, Sacramento and New Jersey on the recent schedule, the Rockets had a chance to put together a big win streak. Losing one to the Grizzlies put a dent in that plan, but they’ve still got four very winnable games ahead of them.
12. Detroit Pistons (26-21) — Don’t be surprised to see Allen Iverson’s name pop up in rumors leading up to the trade deadline.
13. Phoenix Suns (26-21) — Would it be the worst idea in the world to get rid of Terry Porter and bring back former D’Antoni assistant Marc Iavaroni?
14. Miami Heat (26-22) — Kevin Durant and Derrick Rose will get their numbers (O.J. Mayo, too), but don’t be surprised if Mike Beasley goes nuts in the Rookie/Sophomore Game and drops about 30.
15. Atlanta Hawks (28-20) — Mike Bibby got his stroke back just in time for the Three-Point Shootout, knocking down 50 percent of his triples over the last three games while averaging 22 points a night. With his hometown crowd behind him in Phoenix, don’t count him out as a dark horse to dethrone Jason Kapono.
16. New Jersey Nets (23-27) — Brook Lopez has been a beast the last three games, especially on the boards. He’s pulling down 13.6 rebounds in that stretch, and throwing in 19.3 points and 2.3 blocks on top of that.
Elton Brand17. Philadelphia 76ers (24-24) — Year 1 of the Elton Brand era didn’t exactly go according to plan.
18. Chicago Bulls (22-28) — Four wins in their last five. Don’t get too excited, though: the W’s were against the Kings, Clips, the self-destructing Suns and the CP-less Hornets. Three tough tests lie ahead with the Mavs, Pistons and Heat going into All-Star break.
19. New York Knicks (21-27) — Paul Pierce takes his crack at the 50-Point Club tonight at MSG. After a quick West Coast road trip going into All-Star break, the Knicks return home for the chance to get lit up by Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker and/or Tim Duncan. Then it’s Chris Bosh, then Danny Granger … how long can this go on?
20. Golden State Warriors (16-34) — Taking the Spurs down to the wire, then beating the Suns by dropping 124 points on them, this is the fun, competitive GS team we remember.
21. Milwaukee Bucks (24-28) — Ridnour’s out for a month, Bogut’s out for two, and Redd is done for the year. Welcome to the Ramon Sessions and Charlie Villanueva Show.
22. Charlotte Bobcats (19-29) — Four losses in their last five games, but naturally that lone win came against the Lakers on the road. You figure them out. And how are we looking on that “Larry Brown makes it through two complete seasons” bet?
23. Minnesota Timberwolves (17-31) — Just in time to commemorate his mention on the “NBA players who overrate themselves” list, Rashad McCants sees daylight for the first time in damn near a month, getting off the bench for 15 minutes in Wednesday’s loss to the Hawks. McCants played just one game in January, scoring a total of three points.
Danny Granger (photo. Stephen Hill)24. Indiana Pacers (19-31) — Our in-house Pacers fan thinks the team should rest Danny Granger to ensure he’s healthy for the All-Star Game. Do you agree?
25. Toronto Raptors (19-32) — After putting together a three-game win streak upon Jose Calderon’s return, the Raps have since dropped four in a row. Apparently it all fell apart once Calderon missed that free throw.
26. Memphis Grizzlies (13-35) — O.J. Mayo’s last two games have seen him average 32.5 points per, and the Grizzlies are 2-0. We’re thinking he likes Lionel Hollins’ system.
27. Sacramento Kings (11-39) — Chris Webber’s jersey is being retired during tonight’s game against the Jazz. Aren’t you supposed to do things like that on nights when you might actually win the game?
28. Oklahoma City Thunder (11-38) — Almost-fatal halftime show accidents, fans coming out specifically to boo the team; just when Kevin Durant (25.1 ppg) has OKC looking halfway decent, they still have that bad aura surrounding them.
29. Washington Wizards (10-39) — So did we all give up on the Gilbert Arenas thing for ’08-09, or what?
30. Los Angeles Clippers (10-39) — Zach Randolph is back, and from the looks of things, he gained some weight while he was out. Dude can still get buckets, though. He dropped 21 on Miami in his first game.
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February 6th, 2009 at 4:31 pm
SparkyJay23 says:
Seems to make sense to me but i’ve got magic ahead of spurs
February 6th, 2009 at 4:32 pm
GEE..."Hick a Doodle!" says:
Um that last pic is really Granger isn’t it?
Again no probs with the list. Basically said everything I feel and everthing I been saying.
February 6th, 2009 at 4:34 pm
creamio says:
Before you go and hand Kobe the MVP (sans Bynum)….
What a ridiculous statement. Without Bynum the Lakers are still a top three team; Lamar Odom would start on almost any other team in the league, and Pau Gasol is way better than any second option on the Cavs. So, please don’t act like Kobe has to start ball hogging so that the Lakers can squeak by the Grizzlies.
The mvp is still safely Lebrons seeing as he’s dominating everyone statistically this season while playing all nba defense, and leading the cavs to the second best record in the league as of now.
February 6th, 2009 at 4:45 pm
Jonny Drama says:
Although the bottom half of the East is still struggling, good to see that the top teams aren’t all in the West…3 of the top 5 teams here are from the East.
February 6th, 2009 at 4:57 pm
ERIC says:
According to NBA.COM-
“The NBA reviewed the tape and ruled LeBron was short of a triple-double. ” Only 9 rebounds.
February 6th, 2009 at 4:59 pm
Rafa23 says:
hey dime, seems like lebron didn’t have a triple double after all:
http://realgm.com/src_wiretap_archives/57060/20090206/nba_takes_away_lebrons_triple_double/
February 6th, 2009 at 5:00 pm
Rafa23 says:
ok ERIC, you beat me…
February 6th, 2009 at 5:04 pm
calvin brodus says:
I was wondering where the power rankings were this week. One of my favorite posts that Dime does. I’ll take the nuggies at 6. That’s were they’re at the FOX rankings too.
February 6th, 2009 at 5:07 pm
Karma says:
sigh..Pistons are the biggest disappointment this year.
Kinda like the Heat last year.
February 6th, 2009 at 5:25 pm
Blue says:
@ creamio…
“The mvp is still safely Lebrons seeing as he’s dominating everyone statistically this season while playing all nba defense, and leading the cavs to the second best record in the league as of now.”
not saying that d-wade is gonna win the MVP, but he leads lebron in everything but rebounds and is tied in scoring. he’s ahead in blocks, steals, & assists. so, he’s not dominating everyone statistically.
February 6th, 2009 at 5:28 pm
lol says:
http://www.ihateashley.info/index.php?id=f14b06eeec87963017ba3b1b5b49e13c
February 6th, 2009 at 5:48 pm
Kobeef says:
Nice work Blue
Question:
Does that fact that Lebron took credit for a rebound he didn’t get make his New York Triple-Double Ricky Buckets-esque?
February 6th, 2009 at 5:49 pm
Luigi says:
i gave up on Gilbert this year. just play our bench kuz they need that experience
GO WIZ!
10-39..going on 20-62
February 6th, 2009 at 5:53 pm
Luigi says:
oh wait. who say Deron Williams. abseloutly Destroy the Jet?. anyone who has a vid of it?
February 6th, 2009 at 6:08 pm
Luigi says:
*saw
February 6th, 2009 at 6:12 pm
Shrink This says:
Enjoyed the power ranking as usual. Prefer the worst to first listing however.
February 6th, 2009 at 6:32 pm
SteveNash says:
LeBron 9 rebounds againsts knicks… no triple double
February 6th, 2009 at 6:35 pm
LAballer says:
@ Blue..
great point dude. Ive been saying this all year, if wade had half of a team or a similar team to the cavs..he would be in the MVP convo and he very well should be. The guy is playing AMAZING bball and has come back this year better than he was the year they took the chip..he needs to be talked about..he is literally carrying a team with NO frontline, rookie or undrafted PG’s, and a shell of marion..
February 6th, 2009 at 6:46 pm
Dilf says:
I guess David Stern took away LeBrons rebound and gave it to Kobe. NBA is fixed.
February 6th, 2009 at 6:55 pm
Drink the Haterade (KB24 Chip 09) says:
@ Dime– How can you rank the Lakers #1 and then put a picture of PP up there and not Kobe? WTF is that? More Laker Hate?
February 6th, 2009 at 7:16 pm
KDizzle(That breeze is your team finally breathin) says:
Damn, Dime. Granger gets ZERO respect…
February 6th, 2009 at 7:21 pm
Kobeef says:
@Dime
“Apparently it all fell apart once Calderon missed that free throw”
ZZZING!
February 6th, 2009 at 8:35 pm
Kermit The Washington says:
That’s all you had to say about the HEAT?! The Rook/Soph game?! Wow…
February 6th, 2009 at 10:41 pm
jay says:
i dont hate p2 butt he was not going to score 50+ when espn was riding on what p2 was going to do to follow up kobe and bron…yeah sure…..get off the C-ade!!!!
February 7th, 2009 at 1:08 am
Lets Go Hawks says:
@ Blue- LeBron thou is shooting a better percentage from three (not good but better) and the field overall than D-Wade. In terms of stats, they may as well be equal.
My only problem is with where the Hawks are (surprise). They have a better record in their last ten (6-4) than both the Heat (5-5) and the Pistons (4-6)in addition to having a better record overall, despite having to deal with numerous injuries all season to Josh Smith, Al Horford and now Joe Johnson. They are no where near the Celtics, Cavs or Orlando (if they have Nelson) but they are the clear 4th best team in the east.
February 7th, 2009 at 1:47 am
Powerslave says:
Kobe’s not getting MVP, unless it’s in ball hogging
February 7th, 2009 at 12:36 pm
douglas says:
Damn creamio you dont take a day off, you hate even on weekends “The mvp is still safely Lebrons seeing as he’s dominating everyone statistically this season while playing all nba defense, and leading the cavs to the second best record in the league as of now”Why does everything you say surround hating on Kobe, your boy tried to get a tripple double a real greasy way and the nba found him out now the only record he holds is the 2nd person to score 50 or more points twice in the garden and I would double check that too, probably some ass pirate fan of his keeping the stats that might have added a couple points on for him too, how embarassing? Kobe got 61 points and he’s the only person to ever do that a 1 of 1, in the garden. Powerslave you and homio need to get a life and appreciate greatness people aint feeling LeBron because the minute dude got into the league the media and hypes like you guys were shoving down our throats, “oh lebrons the greatest, the best all around player” This cat still has so much to prove and by his own admission has went on records several times as saying Kobe is best player in the L. He an other greats that have stated it so it’s not a debatable point amongs people who have played the game at the pro level and have any sense. Kobe had to work year after year to get this title of best player, he earned it with his body of work. Now please give LeBron time to earn it to, stop hyping after a couple of good seasons that only include two allstar mvps, a finals sweep and no defensive first teams all of which Kobe had before the age of 24(3 titles, allstar MVP and named defensive first team)yall amaze me, in a bad way.
February 7th, 2009 at 3:23 pm
doc (i like kobe AND bron) says:
@douglass-A lot of people feel Lebron,so dont do what you say other people do dickhead.
February 7th, 2009 at 6:19 pm
doug says:
your an idiot Doc, you feel him because he’s shoved down your throat by media and endorsers you queer, what you fucking sheep, develop a mind of your own. Some of yall are such idiots they’ve been calling this guy king james since he got in the league and he has never been the best player in the undisputed best player L accept amongst you fags, man your an idiot and i don’t respect your opinion motivated by your innated desire to be a human pair of briefs for bron. Fall back you douche, come to me with that shit when this cat can hold a candle to Kobe’s resume or maybe you didn’t read my blog dumb fuck, Lebron’s career up until now two allstar mvps, a finals sweep and no defensive first teams all of which Kobe had before the age of 24(3 titles, allstar MVP and named defensive first team) a couple of times by now and nba first team(offensive).your in denial homo
February 7th, 2009 at 6:22 pm
doug says:
“doc (i like kobe AND bron)” what a fucking queer who puts that? your a fucking politician make up your mind you ass pirate, there both good but Kobe is the best in the L, you and the other homo cleveland fans are the only ones who think otherwise. They should’ve never given you guys computers you guys intellect goes only as far as your john deere tractors take you.
February 7th, 2009 at 11:34 pm
Powerslave says:
“Before you go and hand Kobe (sans Bynum) the MVP” – whoever out there is serious about this: please kill yourself.
February 7th, 2009 at 11:39 pm
Powerslave says:
You don’t get the MVP for scoring sh*tload of points. LeBron is an exceptional playmaker, facilitator, rebounder, and all-around better player. Kobe just lets his team do whatever they can then comes in the 4th, takes the ball, and doesn’t give it back. Last year’s MVP was more of a “lifetime achievement” award, no way in hell is he getting another one.
February 9th, 2009 at 1:33 am
Celts Fan says:
@Doug – those were Shaq’s chips, Kobe was clearly the #2. Put LeBron on them teams w/ Shaq in his absolute MDE prime and he’s got 3 rings too.