January Power Rankings (10-1)
Mar 14, 2019 15:29:04 GMT
Ian Noble, Chris Mullin, and 4 more like this
Post by Jerry West on Mar 14, 2019 15:29:04 GMT
10 - Miami Heat (0) Shaquille O'Neal (28-19) (9-6)
The Miami Heat are all in.
They were the third party in the blockbuster trade of the month in which they received Domantas Sabonis, Harrison Barnes and Patrick Beverley. Contracts aside, the Heat now bolster a starting line-up consisting of players that fit well around each other, and solid bench players in Kanter, Lance and Rivers. Not only that but their 2 stars are playing at an All-Star level, with Steven Adams even making the big game.
Problem is, this is their year. They are arguably at the same level of Boston and the Raptors, and while the Raptors will probably take a step back due to an incredible number of 8 expiring players on the team (not to mention Draymond’s player option that he is likely to decline), the Celtics on the other hand, will probably only get better. And both the Bucks and Hornets are 3 steps ahead already.
Without much cap flexibility and some of their players being overpaid like Kanter, Barnes and Beverley, the championship clock is already ticking in Miami.
9 - Sacramento Kings (+2) Ghazny Dimalen (27-18) (10-6)
The Kings are back in the Top 10, as it should be expected of a team with two All-Stars, after a poor month of December threw them out.
Despite starting the month slow, with losses to the Hawks and Pacers, and a game against the Clippers which they won despite scoring only 81 points, they improved during the month, managing to finish it off 9-4 and beating teams like the Rockets, Grizzlies, Heat and the almighty Nuggets.
But that doesn’t mean they still don’t have moves to make this season/offseason, with them being expected to have 149 million in the books. Which means they’ll won’t be able to either use their draft pick or use their MLE, but even if they lose one of them, the Kings will be in a good spot for the future.
8 - Oklahoma City Thunder (+8) Kevin Hollis (26-18) (12-3)
The Thunder are the biggest risers in this monthly Power Rankings, and deservedly so. I mean, who needs KD when you can have Josh Jackson right?
No, but seriously, stealing away Indiana’s 3 big man line-up was the best thing they ever did, showing immense improvement as a team after relegating Josh Jackson to the bench and him replacing with Julius Randle, which led the team them to lead the league in rebounds this month and move them to Top 3 overall in the season in total rebounds while also being a Top 5 shot blocking team.
It’s to early to tell what’s the real ceiling on this team with their new starting 5 but having the second best record of the month is a great way to start things out.
7 - Boston Celtics (-1) Ian Noble (30-15) (10-5)
Look I could sit here and write about the Celtics, but stats don’t lie so let’s checks them, shall we?
November: 10-5
December: 20-10
January: 30-15
February: 40-20
March: 50-25
April: 55-27
Playoffs: 2-1
Conclusion: Celtics are bound to lose in the Eastern Conference finals.
6 - Minnesota Timberwolves (+1) Walt Frazier (29-14) (10-5)
So, in case you didn’t notice my Power Rankings are creating a little rivalry between the Wolves and Celtics, with them trading with each other the 6th and 7th spot every month. So why do the Wolves win this month?
They won vs the Celtics twice and defeated the number 1 team, Denver Nuggets.
Seems simple enough for a team who has a low-key MVP candidate in Blake Griffin who is averaging 22-10-6 while also adding more than a block and a steal per game. But want to know the crazy part? He is doing it while averaging less than a turnover per game! Are you kidding me? That’s historical levels of efficiency with the ball, especially for a big man who nearly averages 6 assists per game. His Assist/Turnover Ratio is nearly 6.5, just to have an idea for comparison, Tyus Jones leads the NBA with 6.3 and he is a Point Guard that plays half of Blake’s minutes and is often a negative for his team when he is on the floor, unlike Blake.
So I’m putting this out there, Blake Griffin Dynasty Five 2018-2019 MVP.
5 - Memphis Grizzlies (0) Jeremiah Hill (30-14) (10-5)
Gatekeeping the Top 5 once again this month, going a solid 10-5 and ending the month on a 4-game winning streak where they defeated Houston, Pelicans, Pistons and Wolves by a margin of 22 points per game. It’s yet again, the Memphis Grizzlies, who are probably the better team in the league outside of the Top 4 with their young Big 3.
Moving J.J. to the starting line-up and Mitchell to Point Guard still proves to be the right move for them with both putting in an average of 4 3-pointers a game combined despite being the 3rd and 4th scoring options on the team. Oh, and being the best free throw shooting team in the league while also being the team with most free throw attempts per game helps.
4 – Milwaukee Bucks (-1) Glenn Robinson (34-11) (10-7)
Since the start of the season the top 4 spots on our Power Rankings have been occupied by the same 4 teams, with Denver remaining fixed at the top. And despite there being teams outside of it with a shot at winning the title, I like to believe that the teams in this Top 4 are the true contenders, where it’s a case of championship or bust.
The Milwaukee Bucks are one of those teams, with them having the best player in the Eastern Conference in Anthony Davis. But truth be told they are still underperforming. 6th man of the year candidate, Lou Williams is struggling this season, only averaging 5.6 points per game, and to make it even worse young big man Lauri Markkanen and Myles Turner aren’t doing any better for themselves, which leaves the Bucks with only 4 players averaging above 10 PPG (Jeff Teague has 11.9). That’s horrible for a roster with this much talent.
If the Bucks want to compete with the other Top 3 teams, their players will have to step up and play at level we know they can.
3 – Golden State Warriors (-1) Chris Mullin (33-9) (8-3)
A combination of the small number of games combined with some rough losses made the current champions drop a spot in the Power Rankings, since going 8-3 in a month where they had time to rest isn’t really a thing to be proud of. Specially when two of those wins come against the Clippers despite the combined 101-point difference. Yeah you read that right.
Still, it’s all meaningless games from here on now until the playoffs for the Warriors, you can’t blame them for having a month worse than usual.
They also are the only team in the league with 2 All-Star game starters, not even the Nuggets managed to do that.
2 – Charlotte Hornets (+2) James Kay (34-11) (12-3)
While the Warriors are the only team with 2 starters, the Hornets are the only team with 3 All-Stars. Not only that but they are currently the best team in the league outside of the Denver Nuggets who right now are on a category of their own.
They managed to go .800 this month and climb all the way up from 3rd to 1st in the East. Not only that but they also managed to go undefeated at home this month, which is scary considering that they would have home court advantage all the way up to the NBA finals.
I guess that’s what happens when you replace Josh Jackson with KD in a roster that had already made the NBA finals the prior year.
1 – Denver Nuggets (0) Alex English (41-6) (14-2)
Best record of the month? Check. Best record in the league? Check. Best player in the league? I don’t know, maybe. Guess who it is? It’s obviously the Nuggets who am I kidding.
What’s there else to say about this team? Even the fear of trading away Brook Lopez in the middle of a record-breaking season turned out to be nothing to worry about with Pascal Siakam sliding into the starting line-up and fitting in like a glove, while their bench remained solid defensively with WCS, Anunoby and JaMychal Green.
Also, if someone will take the MVP away from Blake he is Harden, the “Beard” is the top scorer in the league, top 5 in assists and top 3 in steals while leading his team to the best record in the league, the only question is if MVP stands for most valuable player or better player in the league.
The Miami Heat are all in.
They were the third party in the blockbuster trade of the month in which they received Domantas Sabonis, Harrison Barnes and Patrick Beverley. Contracts aside, the Heat now bolster a starting line-up consisting of players that fit well around each other, and solid bench players in Kanter, Lance and Rivers. Not only that but their 2 stars are playing at an All-Star level, with Steven Adams even making the big game.
Problem is, this is their year. They are arguably at the same level of Boston and the Raptors, and while the Raptors will probably take a step back due to an incredible number of 8 expiring players on the team (not to mention Draymond’s player option that he is likely to decline), the Celtics on the other hand, will probably only get better. And both the Bucks and Hornets are 3 steps ahead already.
Without much cap flexibility and some of their players being overpaid like Kanter, Barnes and Beverley, the championship clock is already ticking in Miami.
9 - Sacramento Kings (+2) Ghazny Dimalen (27-18) (10-6)
The Kings are back in the Top 10, as it should be expected of a team with two All-Stars, after a poor month of December threw them out.
Despite starting the month slow, with losses to the Hawks and Pacers, and a game against the Clippers which they won despite scoring only 81 points, they improved during the month, managing to finish it off 9-4 and beating teams like the Rockets, Grizzlies, Heat and the almighty Nuggets.
But that doesn’t mean they still don’t have moves to make this season/offseason, with them being expected to have 149 million in the books. Which means they’ll won’t be able to either use their draft pick or use their MLE, but even if they lose one of them, the Kings will be in a good spot for the future.
8 - Oklahoma City Thunder (+8) Kevin Hollis (26-18) (12-3)
The Thunder are the biggest risers in this monthly Power Rankings, and deservedly so. I mean, who needs KD when you can have Josh Jackson right?
No, but seriously, stealing away Indiana’s 3 big man line-up was the best thing they ever did, showing immense improvement as a team after relegating Josh Jackson to the bench and him replacing with Julius Randle, which led the team them to lead the league in rebounds this month and move them to Top 3 overall in the season in total rebounds while also being a Top 5 shot blocking team.
It’s to early to tell what’s the real ceiling on this team with their new starting 5 but having the second best record of the month is a great way to start things out.
7 - Boston Celtics (-1) Ian Noble (30-15) (10-5)
Look I could sit here and write about the Celtics, but stats don’t lie so let’s checks them, shall we?
November: 10-5
December: 20-10
January: 30-15
February: 40-20
March: 50-25
April: 55-27
Playoffs: 2-1
Conclusion: Celtics are bound to lose in the Eastern Conference finals.
6 - Minnesota Timberwolves (+1) Walt Frazier (29-14) (10-5)
So, in case you didn’t notice my Power Rankings are creating a little rivalry between the Wolves and Celtics, with them trading with each other the 6th and 7th spot every month. So why do the Wolves win this month?
They won vs the Celtics twice and defeated the number 1 team, Denver Nuggets.
Seems simple enough for a team who has a low-key MVP candidate in Blake Griffin who is averaging 22-10-6 while also adding more than a block and a steal per game. But want to know the crazy part? He is doing it while averaging less than a turnover per game! Are you kidding me? That’s historical levels of efficiency with the ball, especially for a big man who nearly averages 6 assists per game. His Assist/Turnover Ratio is nearly 6.5, just to have an idea for comparison, Tyus Jones leads the NBA with 6.3 and he is a Point Guard that plays half of Blake’s minutes and is often a negative for his team when he is on the floor, unlike Blake.
So I’m putting this out there, Blake Griffin Dynasty Five 2018-2019 MVP.
5 - Memphis Grizzlies (0) Jeremiah Hill (30-14) (10-5)
Gatekeeping the Top 5 once again this month, going a solid 10-5 and ending the month on a 4-game winning streak where they defeated Houston, Pelicans, Pistons and Wolves by a margin of 22 points per game. It’s yet again, the Memphis Grizzlies, who are probably the better team in the league outside of the Top 4 with their young Big 3.
Moving J.J. to the starting line-up and Mitchell to Point Guard still proves to be the right move for them with both putting in an average of 4 3-pointers a game combined despite being the 3rd and 4th scoring options on the team. Oh, and being the best free throw shooting team in the league while also being the team with most free throw attempts per game helps.
4 – Milwaukee Bucks (-1) Glenn Robinson (34-11) (10-7)
Since the start of the season the top 4 spots on our Power Rankings have been occupied by the same 4 teams, with Denver remaining fixed at the top. And despite there being teams outside of it with a shot at winning the title, I like to believe that the teams in this Top 4 are the true contenders, where it’s a case of championship or bust.
The Milwaukee Bucks are one of those teams, with them having the best player in the Eastern Conference in Anthony Davis. But truth be told they are still underperforming. 6th man of the year candidate, Lou Williams is struggling this season, only averaging 5.6 points per game, and to make it even worse young big man Lauri Markkanen and Myles Turner aren’t doing any better for themselves, which leaves the Bucks with only 4 players averaging above 10 PPG (Jeff Teague has 11.9). That’s horrible for a roster with this much talent.
If the Bucks want to compete with the other Top 3 teams, their players will have to step up and play at level we know they can.
3 – Golden State Warriors (-1) Chris Mullin (33-9) (8-3)
A combination of the small number of games combined with some rough losses made the current champions drop a spot in the Power Rankings, since going 8-3 in a month where they had time to rest isn’t really a thing to be proud of. Specially when two of those wins come against the Clippers despite the combined 101-point difference. Yeah you read that right.
Still, it’s all meaningless games from here on now until the playoffs for the Warriors, you can’t blame them for having a month worse than usual.
They also are the only team in the league with 2 All-Star game starters, not even the Nuggets managed to do that.
2 – Charlotte Hornets (+2) James Kay (34-11) (12-3)
While the Warriors are the only team with 2 starters, the Hornets are the only team with 3 All-Stars. Not only that but they are currently the best team in the league outside of the Denver Nuggets who right now are on a category of their own.
They managed to go .800 this month and climb all the way up from 3rd to 1st in the East. Not only that but they also managed to go undefeated at home this month, which is scary considering that they would have home court advantage all the way up to the NBA finals.
I guess that’s what happens when you replace Josh Jackson with KD in a roster that had already made the NBA finals the prior year.
1 – Denver Nuggets (0) Alex English (41-6) (14-2)
Best record of the month? Check. Best record in the league? Check. Best player in the league? I don’t know, maybe. Guess who it is? It’s obviously the Nuggets who am I kidding.
What’s there else to say about this team? Even the fear of trading away Brook Lopez in the middle of a record-breaking season turned out to be nothing to worry about with Pascal Siakam sliding into the starting line-up and fitting in like a glove, while their bench remained solid defensively with WCS, Anunoby and JaMychal Green.
Also, if someone will take the MVP away from Blake he is Harden, the “Beard” is the top scorer in the league, top 5 in assists and top 3 in steals while leading his team to the best record in the league, the only question is if MVP stands for most valuable player or better player in the league.