The NBA Hierarchy

It's three weeks into the NBA season, and we've finally seen enough games to come up with the first power rankings of the year. Much like the Harris Poll in college football, it's best to enter a season with no conceived bias of last year. The Celtics and Lakers may be flying high, just as everyone thought, but the Spurs and Mavericks are in trouble. The struggles in those two camps definitely wasn't expected. It's taken several games to start coming up with these conclusions, and while Boston and Los Angeles are for real, San Antonio and Dallas aren't out of it. Thoughts? Disagreements?


Cream of the Crop:

1. Lakers (7-0): The only team left in the league that's undefeated and they've looked amazing doing it. Kobe Bryant hasn't even begun to dig into his deep arsenal yet. He's letting his teammates make plays for him, then finding a way to get his 20 each and every night. There is already speculation if this team can reach 70 wins.


Very Encouraged:

2. Celtics (8-1): Boston has handled the emotional high of finally being crowned champions extremely well, but are being forced to win some tough games early in the season. If you will recall to last year, they were blowing teams out all season and saving the Big Three's minutes. This year, Toronto and Atlanta have pushed the Celtics to the brink on back-to-back nights. Even with the Celtics quality depth, you wonder if this grind take its toll later in the year.

3. Hawks (6-1): It was Atlanta, and not Boston, that entered the rematch of last year's Eastern Conference First Round tilt undefeated. Mike Woodson's team carried themselves wonderfully, nearly stealing a win at the Banknorth Garden. His team proved they are legit even while losing in the final seconds.

4. Cavaliers (6-2): The Pistons face a tremendous amount of uncertainty with AI joining the fray, and Cleveland just might have enough around LeBron to take the division title. James has been simply unreal over his last five games, posting 41 on four separate occasions to reassert himself as the scoring leader for the season.


Playoff Teams with Questions to Answer:

5. Jazz (6-2): The story of Deron Williams' injury has finally faded into the background as he's returned to the starting lineup. The Jazz can now turn their attention toward the closing the increasing gap between them and the Lakers. A reliable energizer off the bench is a glaring weakness, but one Paul MIllsap hopes to fill.

6. Rockets (5-3): Ron Artest has been a good fit in Houston; his ability to create his own scoring chances makes the Rockets a much harder team to defend. On defense, Houston will be an absolute nightmare to face once Shane Battier gets back from injury. WIth Battier and Artest, Houston will have two lockdown defenders to put on the opposing teams best scorer. It will be intriguing to watch how Adelman delegates the minutes between Artest, Battier, and Tracy McGrady.

7. Pistons (5-2): Allen Iverson finally managed to grab a win in a Piston uniform, but the listless performance at home against Boston still stands out. Chauncey Billups was the team's backbone through the glorious run, and you wonder how The Answer will fit in with his new teammates. It's still early and this is the Pistons and Iverson we are talking about.

8. Hornets (4-3): New Orleans didn't do a single thing to make you think they are ready to challenge the Lakers when they hosted them last night. They got smashed in a similar fashion that Houston did, but they were at home which makes it even more discouraging. Chris Paul continues to amaze, but this team really let a big opportunity pass it by.

9. Blazers (5-3): There is no doubt in my mind that this a playoff team with or without Oden. Portland has shrugged off the injury to their center of the future, and played extremely well to grab wins over the Rockets and a sweep in the state of Florida. There is tremendous depth on this team and enough chemistry to thrive as long as it takes Oden to get 100%.


The D'Antoni Effect:

10. Knicks (5-3): It seems that Mike D'Antoni is doing just fine with his pile of money up in New York. His philosophy has translated extremely well in the early going as the Knicks have already scored at least 120 points twice.

11. Suns (6-3)


Average Teams with Something to Prove:

12. Magic (5-3)

13. Raptors (4-4): Chris Bosh looks primed to have an All-NBA First Team kind of year, which is incredible with the deep field at power forward. Jermaine O'Neal just doesn't seem the same guy he once was, and it has really hampered the potential this team has with Jose Calderon leading the way.

14. Nuggets (4-3)

15. Pacers (5-3)

16. Heat (4-4): Dwyane Wade is starting to play like his Olympic self, and it's a good thing too, because this team is very thin. Michael Beasley has played well and is the team's second leading scorer. Other than though, this is an average team from three through 12, which might make them good enough to sneak into the playoffs.

17. 76ers (3-5)

18. Bulls (3-5)

19. Kings (4-5)

20. Bucks (4-5)

21. Grizzlies (3-6): Memphis has put together a good young core with Rudy Gay, O.J. Mayo, and Marc Gasol that have helped this team become much more competitive. There is a different vibe coming from this organization than there was last year after the horrific Pau Gasol trade. Stay tuned.

22. Nets (2-5)

Championship Window Closing?:

23. Mavericks (2-5)

24. Spurs (2-5): With no Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli, San Antonio has been forced to look deep into the well to find some players to suit up. It has been a depressing process, especially for Tim Duncan who is practically playing with complete strangers at this point.

Lacking an Identity:

25. Warriors (3-5)

26: Bobcats (2-5)


The One Win Club:

27. Timberwolves (1-6)

28. Thunder (1-7)

29. Wizards (1-5): Finally broke into the win column last night, becoming the last team to do so. If there is one thing to get excited about with team, it's the potential of Javale McGee (right). Although extremely raw, he could really give Washington a boost down low, a place where the Wizards are sorely lacking in resources.

30. Clippers (1-7)