- Cavs – JDP – The Cavs looked awful against Milwaukee as their defense slipped 17th overall after the drubbing. LeBron is playing his best basketball, maybe ever, and Kyrie Irving continues to use his summer as a springboard to an MVP caliber season. Getting JR Smith straightened out, and Channing Frye back in the lineup should right the ship going forward. For now, Cleveland is still arguably the best team in basketball, but Golden State is playing really special basketball as well.
- Danny – Let me preface this stating that we ranked these teams before the Cavs got smacked in the mouth by Milwaukee and LA in back-to-back games. That being said, I still think the Cavs are the second best team in the NBA at worst. Every team has a few really bad games throughout the course of an 82 game season. I’m going to look at this as the Cavs having two of their worst in consecutive games.
- Ben – The Cavaliers clearly have not looked very good as of late. It is clear that the team has, to an extent, lost the focus it had to start a season. Even so, it is hard to find a team better than them outside of the Warriors. The Cavs and Warriors are still on the fast track to meet in the NBA Finals again, as long as both stay healthy.
2. Warriors – Danny – The Warriors are really, really good, and played in one of the best games of this young NBA season against the Rockets Thursday night. They lost in double-overtime, but it was a great game nonetheless. Their depth is always going to be a concern of mine, especially when facing a mobile big man such as Tristan Thompson or DeAndre Jordan. Oh, and if you tweet something about Steph Curry while living in Cleveland, you might as well not check your mentions for the next 12 hours.
Steph Curry being subbed out for a final defensive possession with the game on the line should eliminate him from any "Best Player" talk.
— Danny Cunningham (@RealDCunningham) December 2, 2016
3. Clippers – Ben – The Clippers have been almost surprisingly good this season. Once middle-of-the road at best, the Clippers have risen to the challenge this season. Chris Paul and Blake Griffin are both free agents at the end of this year. Could their looming free agency be what is fueling the Clippers to give it one last shot with this group intact?
4. Spurs – Danny – The Spurs are doing things just how they always have, extremely well and extremely quietly. This team will be around at the end of the year, the journey for them will always be under the radar, just how they like it.
5. Raptors – JDP – DeMar Derozan has cooled, if only slightly. He is still scoring at a high level, and leads the league in made bank shots. They will need more consistency from the streaky Terrence Ross, and to find a way to better maximize Valinciunas. This team is still a top three team in the East, however, and figures to remain as such for the foreseeable future.
6. Bulls – Danny – When this season started I honestly didn’t expect the Bulls to be anywhere near the top of the league in a power rankings of any sort. I’m still not sure if their combination of Dwyane Wade, Jimmy Butler, and Rajon Rondo is very good, but I’m positive the dynamic of this team is extremely interesting.
7. Rockets – Ben – The Rockets are surprising. James Harden is an MVP candidate and the losing Dwight Howard might have been addition by subtraction. We always wondered what was holding the Rockets back, after all.
8. Thunder – JDP – Russ’s trip-dub onslaught continues, as he heads into December averaging a triple double, which is insane. At some point, someone is going to need to step up and help him, and Russ is going to need to be more willing to facilitate that. His high assist totals don’t tell the whole story, as he spends so much of each possession dribbling. For now, the Thunder continue to be a top four team in the West, helped a bit by the recent slide from the LA Clippers.
9. Hornets – Ben – The Hornets have always been a solid team, but have struggled with injuries and consistency. Kemba Walker is underrated Nic Batum is nearly a max-level player with his size, length, and versatility. The Hornets also look a little better given that their division is one of the weakest in the NBA. The Hornets figure to be a middle of the road team in the East this year if they can stay healthy.
10. Celtics – Danny – In the long run I think Boston will be a team that can make noise in the East throughout the regular season. They’ve dealt with injuries to Al Horford and others which has slowed down the acclimation process and their ability to gel early on. They’ll figure it out, but Brad Stevens will remain incredibly overrated as an NBA Head Coach to me until he can advance in the playoffs.
11. Hawks – JDP – Dwight Howard is resembling the player he was in his Orlando days more than ever since leaving. His defense at the rim has made the defense feel safer to gamble to create turnovers. Dennis Schroder has been extremely solid taking over the lead guard spot for the departed Jeff Teague. One downside has been the season long regression of Kent Bazemore. Getting him rollin again will be key to maintaining their spot in the East, as well as their momentum during a strong start to the year.
12. Grizzlies – JDP – Oh, man. Mike Conley was averaging near career highs in every meaningful category, and was leading the team in just as many. It is fair to expect a significant drop from the Grizz, but this team has bounced back from a rash of injuries before. Jaymichael Green has been a revelation, and Zach Randolph appears to be adapting better to his new role on the team than we thought. Keep an eye on Memphis as a potential trade candidate, potentially involving Randolph to bring in an influx of lights out scoring.
13. Jazz – Ben – The Jazz are an interesting and fun team to watch. They have a well-rounded lineup that features Gordan Hayward and George Hill on offense and Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert are anchoring the lane on both sides of the ball. The Jazz are much improved from years past.
14. Pacers – Danny – Paul George being out with an ankle injury as of late has been confusing. Without George the Pacers were able to dominate the Clippers and then get destroyed by Portland. Make of it what you will, but this team is only going to go as far as George takes them.
15. Lakers – JDP – So…the Lakers are fun now, and that’s a thing we all have to deal with. Nick Young, before the injury, was having a career renaissance that was incredibly fun to watch. Russell being hampered with an injury is a major blow as well, but Julius Randle continuing to turn into a really good NBA player is a thing of beauty, and those injuries may cause Coach Of The Year candidate Luke Walton to incorporate him as more of a focal point in the offense. I think he can handle the load, but he must work to extend his range to truly be a difference maker on that end.
16. Pistons – Ben – The Pistons have the opportunity to climb the rankings, given that they are getting Reggie Jackson back from an injury that caused him to miss the first part of the season. The Pistons are still likely a team that will find themselves at the bottom of the Eastern Conference at season’s end.
17. Blazers – Ben – The Blazers being this low is somewhat surprising, given the success they enjoyed last season. If the Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum start playing the way they did at the end of last season, expect the Blazers to rise in the rankings.
18. Knicks – JDP – I was a bit concerned that the addition of the ball-centric Derrick Rose, and Brandon Jennings would potentially hurt the development of Kristaps Porzingis. That doesn’t appear to be the issue, as King Kristaps continues to develop into one of those most versatile big men in the league, as well as a far above average defensive player with the ability to switch on pick and rolls to guard just about anyone he gets matched against. NY must find a way to make Joakim Noah a more important part of the game plan, and use his passing abilities to complement Porzingis. The triangle is archaic, and until they aren’t so beholden to it, this is a .500 team competing not to be left out in the East playoff picture.
19. Bucks – Ben – The Bucks just really are not very exciting outside of the Greek Freak. Certainly the loss of Khris Middleton has hurt he Bucks’ chances.
20. Timberwolves – Ben – The Timberwolves really should be better than they are. Zach Lavine’s development is coming along nicely and Andrew Wiggins is probably a year away from being a bonafide superstar. Karl Anthony-Towns is one of the league’s best centers. What’s going wrong for the Timberwolves? They lack leadership and a veteran presence.
21. Heat – Danny – Miami has really been beat up injury wise this year. Justise Winslow, Dion Waiters and Josh Richardson have all missed time recently. That’s a lot for a team that isn’t exactly strapped with talent to overcome.
22. Nuggets – JDP – Jamal Murray has been great, and that stable of bigs is learning how to play together on both ends. This team is really intriguing. Wilson Chandler is out here just killing teams with an all around offensive game oozing with skill and scoring ability. Slowly but surely, Mudiay is learning how to make plays to end possessions productively instead of with a turnover. If he can figure it out, and they can keep the potentially unhappy Faried from causing a problem, they may well sneak into the playoffs with as high as a six seed. They’re sneaky good, and their second unit is must see television.
23. Pelicans – Danny – Well, at least they have Anthony Davis, because they don’t have much else..
24. Kings – JDP – DeMarcus Cousins is still a monster, and this team is still a disaster. Disjointed offense, a defense that doesn’t communicate, and a roster that doesn’t seem to have a lot of direction are all things that going to be hard to overcome. Willie Cauley-Stein must find a way to earn more steady minutes, and the coaching staff has to meet him half-way in that regard. There’s talent here, but without a true identity, direction, or point guard, they appear to be mired in the state they’re in, which is…not good.
25. Magic – Ben – The Magic have an identity crisis. They have some good piece to their roster, but the pieces do not always fit what Frank Vogel wants to do and that’s play tenacious defense. Neither the offense nor the defense has been real good for the Magic and it may be only a matter of time before there is a pretty significant shakeup to Orlando’s roster.
26. Wizards – Danny – I’m not sure how a team with the talent the Wizards possess is as poor as the Wizards are. If John Wall wants to be respected and beloved as one of the best at his position in the NBA, he needs to be able to figure out how to help this team win.
27. 76ers – JDP – I’ve started calling Joel Embiid’s minutes restriction, and the recent increase, as “Embiid Savings Time”. His minutes were just upped to a cap of 28 per game from 24. There are worse things you could spend four minutes doing than watching extra Embiid, so just watch it. It has also been fun to watch Sergio Rodriguez reclaim his spot as a legitimate NBA rotation point guard. Nerlens Noel is doing a rehab stint in the D League, and it may well serve as an audition for other teams. I still think the best move for this team is to move Okafor rather than Noel, but it isn’t as if Noel has demonstrated an enormous amount in terms of possessing a meaningful skill-set other than being elastic and switchy in pick and rolls, and a monster swatting shots off the ball. The problem with moving either is that their value is hard to define. Okafor is a talent and skill-set from a bygone era, and Noel hasn’t played terribly well enough, or often enough for league execs to know what they’d be trading for.
28. Suns – Ben – Much like the Magic, the Suns lack a well-rounded lineup. While they have some serious talent with Eric Bledsoe and Brandon Knight, their front court is young and not much to talk about yet.
29. Nets – Ben – What haircut is Jeremy Lin wearing these days?
30. Mavericks – Danny – The Mavericks are bad, really, really, really bad. Watching the Cavs put 80+ points on them in a half was enough Mavs basketball for me for the time being. I do feel bad for Dirk, however.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
