Welcome to my second power rankings of this young and exciting NBA season! Enjoy and make sure to check this every week to get a pulse of what's happening across the league!
1. Memphis Grizzlies (8-1): We've always known this team is dangerous, but now they are morphing from "dangerous" into "legitimate title threat". The biggest difference has been Courtney Lee. He is averaging 15.3 points per game and is averaging 2.0 three point shots per game as well. Plus, he hit the game winning shot on Thursday night to stun the Kings. Even though it's early in the season, it's not too early to start thinking about this team as threat to win the NBA championship after what we've seen them do in the past.
2. Houston Rockets (7-1): In their loss to Golden State, Dwight Howard was unavailable to play, so in a way I can't really knock them for that loss. I still want to see Howard average more than 20 points per game, but the 11.3 rebounds per game is overall solid as are the 2.1 blocks per game. For all the criticism he gets, he is still the best center in the NBA and in the process is playing a big role in his team's impressive start.
3. Chicago Bulls (7-2): The most amazing part about this Bulls team is that even with Derrick Rose in and out of the lineup, they are still winning games and looking like a contender. So far, Rose's injuries only appear to be minor setbacks as he gets back in the swing of playing a full NBA season. Once he finds his groove, these guys will be really tough to stop.
4. Golden State Warriors (6-2): Winning against Brooklyn was huge since that prevented a three game losing streak. What has been most impressive about this start is that they have been playing without David Lee. Draymond Green has filled in very nicely for him, averaging 14 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.
5. Toronto Raptors (7-2): Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan are a fantastic 1-2 punch. I just wonder how far they can go without a serious number three option. Jonas Valanciunas is supposed to become that guy but right now he is still a project. His 10 points and 7.3 rebounds per game average is solid production, but not enough for a guy who supposed to round out a "Big Three".
6. Washington Wizards (6-2): If they can keep the boat afloat without Bradley Beal for a couple more weeks, that would be huge. The biggest concern for this team is health and they are being put to the test early.
7. Portland Trail Blazers (6-3): They've won five of their last six games with the only loss being a 4 point loss at the Clippers. They will certainly be happy to get Nicolas Batum back. In the meantime, they get to see what Allen Crabbe can do.
8. Dallas Mavericks (6-3): Dirk Nowitzki is still going strong. He's now #9 on the all-time scoring list and #1 all-time among foreign born players. He appears to have a lot of gas left in the tank and the capability to lead this team in another deep playoff run.
9. Miami Heat (5-3): Puzzling loss at home against the Pacers. But they should get back on track against the Hawks, Bucks, and Nets before the Clippers come to town. This team is truly the definition of a "sleeper team". Everybody assumes that with LeBron James gone they are no longer a threat. Nothing could be further from the truth. Dwyane Wade is still productive and Chris Bosh appears to have found new life.
10. Cleveland Cavaliers (3-3): I admit I'm reaching a bit by putting the Cavaliers in the top ten this week, but I think that they are a top five team in the NBA overall, it's just that right now they're not warranted to be ranked any higher than #10. The emergence of Kyrie Irving will be something to watch over the course of the season. He's scored over 30 points in two of his last three games and appears to be on the verge of a breakout season.
11. Phoenix Suns (5-3): I picked them to win 50 games this year. So far they are right on track to do just that. As for the team itself, the back court of Isaiah Thomas, Goran Dragic, and Eric Bledsoe appears to be working out ok. I still think odds are good one of them gets dealt at the trade deadline, but all three are playing well enough that some team will make a good offer to get one of them.
12. Atlanta Hawks (4-3): Kyle Korver is flat out balling right now. He leads the team in scoring (16.7 points per game) and he's making 3.7 three pointers per game. In addition, the team is starting to wake up, winning three straight games over this past week.
13. San Antonio Spurs (4-3): The win at Golden State was a statement game in a way. They sent a message to the rest of the West that they are still the team to beat. However, I can't rank them any higher than this given their record, but they should continue to rise up the rankings as the season goes on.
14. Los Angeles Clippers (4-3): I think I can speak for the vast majority of NBA fans when I say I expect more out of this team. To be fair, their schedule has been fairly rigorous so far, but even so, they are supposed to be an "elite" team.
15. New Orleans Pelicans (4-3): So far they are hanging around in the playoff mix, seeded #7 in the Western Conference. It's early yet, but so long as Anthony Davis keeps up his fantastic play (24.9 points, 12.9 rebounds, and 4.4 blocks per game), they should remain in the playoff picture all season.
16. Sacramento Kings (5-4): They had an opportunity to really make a statement in Memphis and they absolutely booted it. Courtney Lee made a fantastic play at the rim, but no way he should have been wide open on a backdoor cut to the rim with .3 seconds to go. This team is heading in the right direction, but they still have a lot of growing pains to go through first.
17. Brooklyn Nets (4-4): This team has had a rough trip out west with losses in Phoenix and Oakland. It's not going to get any easier when they visit Portland on Saturday.
18. Milwaukee Bucks (4-4): Hats off to them for hanging around the .500 mark. I doubt they can keep it up all year, but as Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker continue to develop, they should increasingly become a team that you cannot sleep on.
19. Charlotte Hornets (3-5): Slow start for this team, but I still really like their squad. I think Al Jefferson and Kemba Walker alone is a really good 1-2 punch and the addition of Lance Stephenson was huge just for his rebounding and defense alone. They'll climb up the rankings as the season goes on, I'm sure.
20. Oklahoma City Thunder (3-6): This team is looking hard pressed to be a playoff team at this rate, but I like how they are fighting despite losing their best two players for the first few weeks. They just need to win the games against cupcake teams. The game at Boston was one of those games as is their upcoming game at home against the woeful Pistons.
21. Boston Celtics (3-4): The future of Rajon Rondo is an ever darkening cloud over this team. They need to soon make a decision on his long-term future and roll with it.
22. Indiana Pacers (3-6): Without Paul George, they will continue to struggle. However, Roy Hibbert has played well for them and that is very encouraging for their long-term future. Now is the time to find out what kind of guys they can look to put around Paul George for the future and so far Hibbert is looking like a keeper.
23. Orlando Magic (3-6): I think I overrated this team at the beginning of the season, but to be fair, they are playing without Victor Oladipo.
24. Utah Jazz (3-6): Gordon Hayward is living up to his contract and that alone means the Jazz are off to a good start, regardless of their record. Plus, Quin Snyder seems to be doing a good job and the players appear to be responding well to his coaching.
25. Minnesota Timberwolves (2-5): They are playing hard, but they are still really young and have a lot of growing pains to go through. It does hurt that Ricky Rubio is out for the foreseeable future with his ankle injury.
26. Detroit Pistons (2-6): They are on a three game losing skid in the midst of a four game road trip. This trip concludes on a back-to-back at Oklahoma City and at Memphis. Expect both of those games to be losses.
27. New York Knicks (2-7): This team is the laughing stock of the NBA. All the rest of the teams ranked this low had no expectations going into this season, but the Knicks had all this hope with the arrival of Derek Fisher and Phil Jackson. So far it's been a disaster and to make things worse, Phil Jackson doesn't seem to be showing a lot of patience.
28. Denver Nuggets (1-6): So much for "winning" the Carmelo Anthony trade. This team continues to go downhill.
29. Los Angeles Lakers (1-7): Kobe Bryant can't save this team or this season. They too are a joke.
30. Philadelphia 76ers (0-8): These guys are literally the equivalent of a D-League all-star team. Their front office should be embarrassed for putting a team like this out on the court.
---Ben Parker: follow me on twitter @nba_lord
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