End Of 2019 Regular Season Power Rankings (30-21)
May 23, 2019 18:14:27 GMT
Ian Noble, Walt Frazier, and 2 more like this
Post by Jerry West on May 23, 2019 18:14:27 GMT
30 – LA Clippers (0) Mike Krzyzewski (12-70)
Worst record in the league? Check. Last place in the Power Rankings? Double check.
Only two teams had a worse record in D5 during the past 5 years than the Clippers, but at least those teams got KAT and Ayton out of it. Does this mean that the Clippers will get lucky and get the number one pick and the coveted Zion Williamson? I sure hope so, because without their draft pick next year and no cap space this team is in no man’s land.
Portland is in a horrible spot but if the Clippers strike out on the draft they’ll probably be crowned the new team with the darkest future in the league.
29 – Detroit Pistons (0) Chauncey Billups (15-67)
For the longest time the Pistons were dead last in our Power Rankings, but they left the Clippers in the dust during the month of March and kept their spot until the end of the season.
The lottery is obviously important to the Pistons, but they aren’t in the same boom or bust position of the Clippers. They already have the ROY candidate Ayton on the team and will probably add another Top 5 player in this draft to him. The big season for them will be the next where they own their own and the Clippers pick.
28 – Brooklyn Nets (0) Andrei Kirilenko (18-64)
This is it for Brooklyn. In 2020 they’ll owe their pick to the Cavs and there won’t be reason to tank.Fortunately, KP and Fultz will be coming back making up an incredible promising starting 5. And did I mention the 70 million in cap space?
With them adding another promising you player and possibly a max-player in the off-season don’t be surprised to see a 30-win improvement from the Nets.
27 – New Orleans Pelicans (-2) Brian Scalabrine (25-57)
Can you say top 3 or bust? The Pelicans have the best odds of getting Zion and the best odds to move to the Top 4. Can you imagine adding Zion or Barret to a team who already has Trae and JJJ? What if they manage to get them both? Might as well just start making plans to tank in the West in 5 years.
Despite where they land the Pelicans will see an improvement next season with another year on top of their young players and with a full off-season of training/healing for Hayward. They might even be a sneaky playoff contender.
26 – Dallas Mavericks (+1) Danny Longley (24-58)
If anyone needs to get this draft right it’s the Clippers, but right behind them, it’s the Dallas Mavericks. They don’t own their pick next season who is owed to the Pelicans, but worst of all, Dirk is retiring and with that fan’s patience will start growing short.
The Mavs will start the lottery with the 4th best odds, and if we pretend that Zion doesn’t exist, a backcourt of Ja Morant and Malik Monk might be as fun to watch as it sounds.
25 – Phoenix Suns (+1) Jared Montini (25-57)
Things aren’t looking up this year for the Suns, they owe their draft pick to the Cavs and despite having 4 picks, this draft is shaping up to be shallow, and their first pick will only come at 30.
But not everything is bad news, LeVert is back and next year they’ll own 6 picks that might shape up to be in the Top 40. I would expect to see movement from their part to try to dissolve their assets, there isn’t much value to gain in having so much 2nd rounders, and they might add them to a future first to jump into this year lottery.
24 – Utah Jazz (-4) Elton Brand (30-52)
I don’t know how to describe this season for the Jazz. Bagley? Was alright, but Trae Young was still on the board. Zach Collins? Still a good prospect but his development in Portland won’t happen with Leonard, Kanter and Nurkic ahead of him. Tatum? No clue where his Rookie season hype went. Sexton? Well I know I’m supposed to be unbiased on this, but I think he had the most overrated rookie season of all rookies. And yet, despite all of this, you could still argue they have a good future ahead of them with this young core. But I’m starting to get my doubts about this Jazz team, let’s see what the draft Gods bring for them.
23 – Indiana Pacers (-4) Larry Bird (30-52)
Everything I said for Utah you can invert for the Pacers. Jarret Allen had an amazing breakout year and seems a lock to become a Top 5 defensive Center for a long, long time in the league. Val moved to Memphis in the NBA where he average 20-10. Bobby Portis move to the Wizards also helped him flourish. They got 2 perfect prospect 3 and D players in Taurean Prince and Josh Hart. A solid young center in Zubac and Bojan “20 points” Bogdanovic. So, there’s just this feeling that this team value increased a lot during the season. Not to mention, another Top 10 pick in the draft to add to their young core alongside the 20th pick and an early 2nd rounder.
Besides that, there are only 3 teams who traded away their coveted 2022 first round picks (that’s us, Portland), and Indiana owns 2 of those, making them have a total of 3 first round picks in 2022. Long story short, Indiana is one Adam Silver decision away from striking gold.
22 – Washington Wizards (0) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (29-53)
The Wizards don’t have their pick this year, but they got a future All-Star in D’Angelo Russel, and that’s a great place to start. The Wizards don’t have cap space next year and are already projected to have 16 players on the roster, without even signing draft picks (they own Golden State 1st round pick) or using their MLE. So, expect at least one trade from the Wizards this off-season.
21 – Philadelphia 76ers (+2) Allen Iverson (31-51)
It’s All or Nothing in Philly and I love it. Jakob Poeltl had an amazing year in D5, finishing 4th in rebounds per game only behind Andre Drummond, DeAndre Jordan and Rudy Gobert. Those 4 were the only players to achieve 1000 rebounds this year, that’s a great achievement for a 23-year-old that next year will be joined by one of the best PF’s in the league in LaMarcus Aldridge.
Add to them one of the best young point guards in the league, Malcom Brogdon, Dillon Brooks returning from injury, and a potential great sixth man in Jordan Clarkson, and it would be unfair to say that the 76’rs won’t be making noise next year. Not only that but they have cap space to add a max-level player and a lottery pick this year. And with them already achieving 31 wins this year, reaching 42 and a playoff spot next year doesn’t sound of the radar.
Worst record in the league? Check. Last place in the Power Rankings? Double check.
Only two teams had a worse record in D5 during the past 5 years than the Clippers, but at least those teams got KAT and Ayton out of it. Does this mean that the Clippers will get lucky and get the number one pick and the coveted Zion Williamson? I sure hope so, because without their draft pick next year and no cap space this team is in no man’s land.
Portland is in a horrible spot but if the Clippers strike out on the draft they’ll probably be crowned the new team with the darkest future in the league.
29 – Detroit Pistons (0) Chauncey Billups (15-67)
For the longest time the Pistons were dead last in our Power Rankings, but they left the Clippers in the dust during the month of March and kept their spot until the end of the season.
The lottery is obviously important to the Pistons, but they aren’t in the same boom or bust position of the Clippers. They already have the ROY candidate Ayton on the team and will probably add another Top 5 player in this draft to him. The big season for them will be the next where they own their own and the Clippers pick.
28 – Brooklyn Nets (0) Andrei Kirilenko (18-64)
This is it for Brooklyn. In 2020 they’ll owe their pick to the Cavs and there won’t be reason to tank.Fortunately, KP and Fultz will be coming back making up an incredible promising starting 5. And did I mention the 70 million in cap space?
With them adding another promising you player and possibly a max-player in the off-season don’t be surprised to see a 30-win improvement from the Nets.
27 – New Orleans Pelicans (-2) Brian Scalabrine (25-57)
Can you say top 3 or bust? The Pelicans have the best odds of getting Zion and the best odds to move to the Top 4. Can you imagine adding Zion or Barret to a team who already has Trae and JJJ? What if they manage to get them both? Might as well just start making plans to tank in the West in 5 years.
Despite where they land the Pelicans will see an improvement next season with another year on top of their young players and with a full off-season of training/healing for Hayward. They might even be a sneaky playoff contender.
26 – Dallas Mavericks (+1) Danny Longley (24-58)
If anyone needs to get this draft right it’s the Clippers, but right behind them, it’s the Dallas Mavericks. They don’t own their pick next season who is owed to the Pelicans, but worst of all, Dirk is retiring and with that fan’s patience will start growing short.
The Mavs will start the lottery with the 4th best odds, and if we pretend that Zion doesn’t exist, a backcourt of Ja Morant and Malik Monk might be as fun to watch as it sounds.
25 – Phoenix Suns (+1) Jared Montini (25-57)
Things aren’t looking up this year for the Suns, they owe their draft pick to the Cavs and despite having 4 picks, this draft is shaping up to be shallow, and their first pick will only come at 30.
But not everything is bad news, LeVert is back and next year they’ll own 6 picks that might shape up to be in the Top 40. I would expect to see movement from their part to try to dissolve their assets, there isn’t much value to gain in having so much 2nd rounders, and they might add them to a future first to jump into this year lottery.
24 – Utah Jazz (-4) Elton Brand (30-52)
I don’t know how to describe this season for the Jazz. Bagley? Was alright, but Trae Young was still on the board. Zach Collins? Still a good prospect but his development in Portland won’t happen with Leonard, Kanter and Nurkic ahead of him. Tatum? No clue where his Rookie season hype went. Sexton? Well I know I’m supposed to be unbiased on this, but I think he had the most overrated rookie season of all rookies. And yet, despite all of this, you could still argue they have a good future ahead of them with this young core. But I’m starting to get my doubts about this Jazz team, let’s see what the draft Gods bring for them.
23 – Indiana Pacers (-4) Larry Bird (30-52)
Everything I said for Utah you can invert for the Pacers. Jarret Allen had an amazing breakout year and seems a lock to become a Top 5 defensive Center for a long, long time in the league. Val moved to Memphis in the NBA where he average 20-10. Bobby Portis move to the Wizards also helped him flourish. They got 2 perfect prospect 3 and D players in Taurean Prince and Josh Hart. A solid young center in Zubac and Bojan “20 points” Bogdanovic. So, there’s just this feeling that this team value increased a lot during the season. Not to mention, another Top 10 pick in the draft to add to their young core alongside the 20th pick and an early 2nd rounder.
Besides that, there are only 3 teams who traded away their coveted 2022 first round picks (that’s us, Portland), and Indiana owns 2 of those, making them have a total of 3 first round picks in 2022. Long story short, Indiana is one Adam Silver decision away from striking gold.
22 – Washington Wizards (0) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (29-53)
The Wizards don’t have their pick this year, but they got a future All-Star in D’Angelo Russel, and that’s a great place to start. The Wizards don’t have cap space next year and are already projected to have 16 players on the roster, without even signing draft picks (they own Golden State 1st round pick) or using their MLE. So, expect at least one trade from the Wizards this off-season.
21 – Philadelphia 76ers (+2) Allen Iverson (31-51)
It’s All or Nothing in Philly and I love it. Jakob Poeltl had an amazing year in D5, finishing 4th in rebounds per game only behind Andre Drummond, DeAndre Jordan and Rudy Gobert. Those 4 were the only players to achieve 1000 rebounds this year, that’s a great achievement for a 23-year-old that next year will be joined by one of the best PF’s in the league in LaMarcus Aldridge.
Add to them one of the best young point guards in the league, Malcom Brogdon, Dillon Brooks returning from injury, and a potential great sixth man in Jordan Clarkson, and it would be unfair to say that the 76’rs won’t be making noise next year. Not only that but they have cap space to add a max-level player and a lottery pick this year. And with them already achieving 31 wins this year, reaching 42 and a playoff spot next year doesn’t sound of the radar.