Welcome to my first power rankings of the 2014-15 NBA season! Make sure to read this every week if you want to get a bird's eye view of what's happening across the NBA.
#1. Houston Rockets (6-0): So far this team isn't missing Chandler Parsons one bit. Trevor Ariza has filled in nicely at the small forward position, averaging 15.8 points and 5.0 rebounds per contest. In addition, James Harden is putting up 26 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 7.2 assists per game, making him an early MVP candidate.
#2. Memphis Grizzlies (5-0): When the Grizzlies are knocking down the three ball, they are a really scary team. Courtney Lee scored 22 points on Wednesday on 4/5 shooting from 3-point range and as a result the Grizzlies got an easy win in Phoenix. Their upcoming schedule is relatively light with games against the Thunder, Bucks, Lakers, Kings, and Pistons over the next week. Expect them to be in my top five again next week.
#3. Golden State Warriors (4-0): If there is anything to silence the critics of the Mark Jackson firing, it's the fantastic 4-0 start that the Warriors have had. Two of their wins are against the Clippers and Trail Blazers, so they have beaten good teams. Look for Saturday's tilt against the Rockets to be a good one.
#4. Chicago Bulls (4-1): Any time Derrick Rose goes down, even when it's just a minor ankle injury, there has to be concern in the Bulls' front office and locker room. Thankfully, Rose has returned and appears to be doing ok. As for the team itself, Pau Gasol appears to be a fantastic offseason acquisition. He is averaging 18.8 points and 10.6 rebounds per game this season.
#5. San Antonio Spurs (2-2): The Spurs are doing what they do in the early season, which is chill out and let everybody else get off to an early head start. They are still the best team in the NBA in my opinion, but at the moment, I cannot be justified to put them any higher than #5 on my list.
#6. Washington Wizards (4-1): After losing their season opener at Miami, the Wizards have rallied off four straight wins against the Magic, Bucks, Knicks, and Pacers. None of these wins is all that impressive, but if you are going to be a contending team, you have to win the games you are supposed to win.
#7. Toronto Raptors (4-1): The Raptors get power forward Amir Johnson back tonight from an ankle injury. He's been averaging 15 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.
#8. Portland Trail Blazers (3-2): After a puzzling loss to the Kings and going absolutely brain dead against the Warriors, the Trail Blazers have bounced back, throttling the Cavaliers and Mavericks. These guys are looking prime to run away with the Northwest Division.
#9. Sacramento Kings (4-1): It's always really hard to figure where to rank teams who are projected to stink but put up a solid record early in the season. I think I have the Kings ranked appropriately here at #9. Not to take away from their early success, but two of their wins have been against the Denver Nuggets. Tonight's game in Phoenix will give us a better sense of where they are at.
#10. Dallas Mavericks (3-2): Getting thumped in Portland after two days of rest was rather embarrassing.
#11. Los Angeles Clippers (3-2): This team really needed the time to regroup after getting waxed 121-104 by the Warriors on Wednesday. They better bounce back on Saturday when the Trail Blazers come to town.
#12. Miami Heat (3-2): Chris Bosh is turning back the clock to his Toronto days, averaging 24.2 points and 11.0 rebounds per contest. If he keeps playing like this, the Heat will be hanging around all year in a wide open Eastern Conference.
#13. Phoenix Suns (3-2): Getting slaughtered in Utah was surprising even though it was a back-to-back. However, the biggest surprise has to be the way Isaiah Thomas has taken over as the team's number one player, averaging 18.6 points, and 4.0 assists per game.
#14. Minnesota Timberwolves (2-2): So far, the Timberwolves look like they're going to be a fun team to watch all season. All the young talent they've acquired, including Anthony Bennett, appear to be quite promising.
#15. Cleveland Cavaliers (1-3): All I'll say is that they're a work in progress. LeBron James, Kyrie Irving, and Kevin Love are too talented of a trio to not become a contender by May and June. However, one does have to wonder whether or not their head coach David Blatt is the right man for the job.
#16. New Orleans Pelicans (2-2): Anthony Davis is averaging 23.8 points, 13.3 rebounds, 1.8 steals, and 4.0 blocks per game. That's an MVP candidate if I ever saw one. He alone makes them a dangerous team every night.
#17. Brooklyn Nets (2-2): This team desperately needs Brook Lopez healthy if they are going to make any sort of dent in the Eastern Conference playoff picture.
#18. Charlotte Hornets (2-3): Lance Stephenson is still adjusting to his new role in Charlotte, averaging just 6.6 points per game. They need to get more scoring production out of him, though he is still doing his part in other areas, averaging 10 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game.
#19. Utah Jazz (2-3): Gordon Hayward's game winning shot to beat the Cavaliers is just what the doctor ordered in terms of boosting Hayward's confidence and validating the max contract he signed this summer.
#20. Milwaukee Bucks (2-3): Since you are probably looking for a Jabari Parker update, here it is: He's averaging 10 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 1.2 steals per game. His season/career high is 13 points on the road against the Wizards.
#21. New York Knicks (2-3): I just found out that Amar'e Stoudemire is the #2 highest paid player in the NBA. That kinda sums it up about where this team is.
#22. Atlanta Hawks (1-2): Not a whole lot of data on this team yet with just three games, but so far, Al Horford and Paul Millsap are under performing. The good news of course is that they are healthy and able to play together. So long as that continues they should be fine.
#23. Boston Celtics (1-3): With Marcus Smart waiting in the wing to be the next point guard of this franchise to go along with their poor start, this team has to seriously be looking at what offers they can get for Rajon Rondo.
#24. Denver Nuggets (1-3): Once JaVale McGee and Danilo Gallinari get back up to full speed, this team should be much improved.
#25. Detroit Pistons (1-3): I told you they would stink in my Central Division preview. So far I have no reason to change my mind.
#26. Indiana Pacers (1-4): After a really strong outing to start the season (22 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 blocks), Roy Hibbert has fallen back to earth. He's averaging 12.4 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 4.2 blocks per game. Not bad numbers defensively, but offensively he has to be doing a lot more. The fact of the matter is that with Lance Stephenson in Charlotte and Paul George out for the year, this team is going to struggle.
#27. Oklahoma City Thunder (1-4): It feels like a meteor has hit this team. Kevin Durant is out for a while, Russell Westbrook is out for a while, Perry Jones III is out indefinitely with a knee injury, etc. As a result, they are where they are.
#28. Orlando Magic (1-4): This team's only win is against the 76ers and it came via buzzer beater by Tobias Harris. This team really is struggling without Victor Oladipo and will continue to do so until he comes back.
#29. Los Angeles Lakers (0-5): Kobe Bryant is averaging 27.6 points per game, but has no help around him. Ironically enough a lot of that is his own fault. If he wasn't so selfish he may have attracted higher quality free agents.
#30. Philadelphia 76ers (0-5): Knowing them, they'll keep Michael Carter-Williams out for as long as possible. It's November, and yes, they are already eying the 2015 NBA draft.
---Ben Parker: follow me on twitter @nba_lord
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