It’s January 11th, and eight NBA teams have played 40 games (or more). Though it feels like only yesterday that the 2016-17 season was beginning, we have essentially reached the halfway mark. Everyone is excited about All-Star ballots. The Western Conference playoff picture is becoming clearer, as seven teams are at least seven games above .500. The East is less settled, but also starting to take shape. Since our last edition of the Powerless Rankings, Atlanta, Indiana, and Washington have moved into the top-eight in the East. Meanwhile, Detroit, Chicago, and New York have plummeted.
14. New Orleans Pelicans (15-24)
The Pelicans are the only squad in these ranks with an above .500 record in the last 10 games (6-4), and New Orleans is now 13-11 with Jrue Holiday in the lineup. If Portland can’t turn things around soon, the Pels could swoop in and steal the eighth spot.
13. Detroit Pistons (18-22)
Even the team’s best players have noticeable flaws, and Detroit just blew an 18-point-lead against the Sacramento Kings. Perhaps I’m crazy, but I still think the Pistons are a promising young team. Shooting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is becoming more and more well-rounded with each passing game, Andre Drummond has a lot of time left to become an underhanded free-thrower, and Reggie Jackson is yet to hit its stride.
12. Philadelphia 76ers (10-25)
Philly is finally fun again, and Ben Simmons isn’t even in the backcourt yet.
11. Minnesota Timberwolves (12-26)
The Timberwolves have failed to live up to lofty offseason expectations, but yet another solid first round pick in a highly-touted draft class awaits. Things could be much worse.
10. Chicago Bulls (19-20)
The Bulls are (more or less) who we thought they would be. Rajon Rondo has proven himself as an awful signing (no kidding), Dwyane Wade’s early-season three-point shooting fell of a cliff rather quickly, and Jimmy Butler, who has taken his game to a new MVP-level, is dealing with an injury.
9. Sacramento Kings (16-22)
In all likelihood, an eighth-place finish means a four-game sweep versus the Golden State Warriors. Nevertheless, Kings’ management, the players, and the fans might be more hyped up than Will Ferrell in Semi-Pro.
[protected-iframe id=”88e3fcc2ef5a2ee64e822be49f051bd9-114320562-56121583″ info=”https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/embed/14435c1b-bf84-4dfc-b890-322673d9df97?autoplay=false” ]8. Los Angeles Lakers (15-27)
The honeymoon was sweet but short for Lakers fans, but it might be for the best. The prospects of L.A. holding onto its top-3 protected pick aren’t all that encouraging at the moment, but a couple more months of steady losing could certainly change that.
7. Denver Nuggets (14-23)
Right when it looked like sophomore sensation Nikola Jokic was nudging the Nuggets into the playoff conversation, Denver suffered five straight losses. Still, this team was not expected to reach the postseason, and Michael Malone is experimenting enough to learn what works and what doesn’t.
6. New York Knicks (17-21)
It’s getting ugly in the Big Apple, and Derrick Rose is the worm inside the core. Unfortunately, Joakim Noah isn’t what he used to be either, and this team could be an unmitigated disaster during the second half of the season after going 3-11 in the last 14 games.
5. Dallas Mavericks (11-27)
If Mark Cuban can make some trades and keep Rick Carlisle and company from winning too many games, the multi-guard lineups could be in full force next year. Dirk Nowitzki deserves to close his career out running pick-and-pops with the University of Washington’s Markelle Fultz.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pI2I-7MyO_o
4. Phoenix Suns (12-26)
With a logjam at both point guard and center and an odd mix of veterans and youth, the Suns are simply one of the weirdest teams in the league. There’s obviously a draft pick at the end of the dark tunnel, but the lack of direction is evident in the desert. Will Phoenix be making any moves at the trade deadline?
3. Miami Heat (11-29)
Losers in 12 of the last 14 games, Miami may be in full tank mode. A top-five pick is on the horizon, and this season could go a long way toward helping the Heat restock a cupboard that already boasts some decent ingredients, namely Hassan Whiteside, Justice Winslow, Tyler Johnson, Josh Richardson, Rodney McGruder, and Willie Reed.
2. Orlando Magic (16-23)
I attempted to muster up some excitement about Orlando’s outlook a while ago, which wasn’t looking so stupid on Dec. 26 following a win over the Memphis Grizzlies (that improved their record to 15-18). However, having now dropped five of the last six contests, including a 16-point loss to the land-sliding L.A. Lakers, the Magic aren’t even mediocre anymore. Currently sporting the 10th-worst record in the NBA, where does this middling franchise go from here?
1. Brooklyn Nets (8-29)
Unless Jeremy Lin gets healthy and starts playing at Linsanity levels, Brooklyn is on the verge of affording Boston the best odds for the top pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. On the bright side, while the team has lost 12 of the last 13 games, the win came against a quality Charlotte Hornets club, and four of the 12 losses were by four points or less.
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