The Orlando Magic have lost eight straight, raising questions over the future of head coach Jacque Vaughn.
Happy Monday! The Super Bowl is over, and while we all wish we could have as much fun as the Left Shark from the halftime-show, sadly we woke up this morning only to realize that no, we will never have that much fun, especially if we root for a lottery team in the NBA.
But fear not, because good news has arrived for the teams at the bottom (or rather, top) of the Powerless Rankings. Minnesota is getting Ricky Rubio back, Philadelphia is getting production out of their young core, and New York hasn’t totally sucked in the past couple of weeks. See, good news!
However, the Orlando Magic are in free-fall, causing many to wonder if Jacque Vaughn’s time in Orlando is up.
1. | Minnesota Timberwolves | (8-39) Previous Ranking: 2 (-1)
Minnesota is the only remaining team with fewer than 10 wins, but there is good news; Ricky Rubio is expected to return Monday against Dallas after missing 42 games.
2. | Philadelphia 76ers | (10-38) Previous Ranking: 3 (-1)
The Sixers slip down a spot, but continue to avoid the bottom. Despite only 10 wins, the Sixers are seeing defensive improvement from Michael Carter-Williams, and Nerlens Noel has been one of the best rim protectors this season.
3. | New York Knicks | (10-38) Previous Ranking: 1 (+2)
The Knicks are, wait for it, 5-2 over the past seven games, and beat two Western Conference opponents, the Oklahoma City Thunder, and New Orleans Pelicans, in that stretch. Their upcoming schedule is very favorable as well, with only two games against teams with winning records. <— (This has to be the most positive thing I’ve written all season about the Knicks).
4. | Orlando Magic | (15-35) Previous Ranking: 6 (-2)
The pitchforks are out in Orlando, as Jacque Vaughn could be out of a job soon. The team has lost eight straight, and rumors of his replacement (Scott Skiles and Marc Jackson) are making their rounds around the web.
5. | Los Angeles Lakers | (13-35) Previous Ranking: 4 (+1)
Kobe Bryant will be out nine months due to a torn rotator, and while he’ll be back next season, sadly, the only way I see his time ending in Los Angeles is going out a la Maximus Meridius, talking of the dream that was Los Angeles.
6. | Boston Celtics | (16-30) Previous Ranking: 5 (+1)
The past two season, Boston has played competitively up until January, only to ship off veterans playing well for future picks and players. They’ll likely struggle the rest of the season, but even so, this team is still only 4 1/2 games out of the playoffs.
7. | Denver Nuggets | (19-29) Previous Ranking: 10 (-3)
While Jacque Vaughn is grabbing the coaching hot seat headlines, Brian Shaw has done himself no favors either. The Nuggets are 1-9 over the past ten games, and most recently lost to Charlotte at home, in which they trailed by 32 at halftime.
8. | Indiana Pacers | (17-32) Previous Ranking: 7 (+1)
The Pacers’ leading scorer is David West at 12.8 points a game (George Hill averages 13.6, but he’s only featured in 10 games). What’s keeping them in the mix is their defense, but its doubtful they will be able to make a playoff push unless they can get more offensive production the rest of the season.
9. | Brooklyn Nets | (18-28) Previous Ranking: 11 (-2)
The Nets continue to slide, and currently find themselves out of the playoffs. They are involved in numerous trade discussions involving Brook Lopez and Joe Johnson, but other teams haven’t bit yet.
10. |Sacramento Kings | (17-29) Previous Ranking: 9 (+1)
The best news of the season is DeMarcus Cousins making the All-Star game (but only after replacing Kobe Bryant). Unfortunately, this team just isn’t playing well enough to make the playoffs, and we may have to look back at the firing of Mike Malone and wonder what could have been.
11. | Utah Jazz | (17-30) Previous Ranking: 8 (+3)
It’s all about player development in Utah, and the league is taking notice, as three players, Dante Exum, Rudy Gobert, and Trey Burke, will represent the Jazz in the Rising Stars Challenge game during All-Star weekend.
12. | Detroit Pistons | (18-30) Previous Ranking: 12 (-)
Detroit has cooled a bit since that strong run of games they put together, having gone just 4-6 over the past ten games. Still, they remain right in the mix, though losing Brandon Jennings for the rest of the season with a torn achilles is a major set back.
13. | Charlotte Hornets | (20-27) Previous Ranking: 13 (-)
Kemba Walker is out for at least six weeks following surgery to repair a torn meniscus, yet Charlotte strives on, putting up 104 points on the road against Denver. The question however, is can other Hornets aside from Al Jefferson, particularly Cody Zeller, Gerald Henderson, and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, score consistently in Walker’s absence?
14. | Miami Heat | (21-26) Previous Ranking: 14 (-)
The have a bit of separation over the non-playoff teams in the East, but will be without Dwyane Wade for the foreseeable future. The recent play of Hassan Whiteside however (13.1 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 3.4 blocks per game over the past 10) suggests the Heat have found the surprise player of the season.
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