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http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/powerranking?season=2007&week=-1
"For the purposes of review, allow me to share my usual reminder that this set of rankings is a barometer of each team's standing heading into camp. How good a team is projected to be is only part of the equation at this early stage. How good its summer was factors in as well, along with a dash of totally subjective whim. For example: Sacramento, Memphis and Philadelphia have better talent than their rankings suggest but all took a big tumble because of their offseasons."
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Power Rankings: Heat start off on top with West trio not far behind
By Marc Stein
ESPN.com
You survived 163 days without a fresh batch of NBA Power Rankings.
You can exhale now and soak in our annual training camp edition, with two-a-days commencing over the weekend for the four teams bound for Europe and on Tuesday for everyone else.
For the purposes of review, allow me to share my usual reminder that this set of rankings is a barometer of each team's standing heading into camp. How good a team is projected to be is only part of the equation at this early stage. How good its summer was factors in as well, along with a dash of totally subjective whim. For example: Sacramento, Memphis and Philadelphia have better talent than their rankings suggest but all took a big tumble because of their offseasons.
The next set of rankings will appear on Oct. 30, one day before Opening Night, after all 30 teams have a month to impress us. The rankings will then continue every Monday through the regular season.
Rank - (last week) - Team - Record - comments
1 (6) Heat 52-30 Why wouldn't my Heat get the same treatment every defending champ gets from the committee (of one)? They start on top and shame on you for suspecting otherwise.
2 (3) Mavericks 60-22 On paper, Mavs are even deeper than they were. But they still have to keep Nowitzki fresh, cope with the brutal West and prove they can get over their Finals heartache.
3 (2) Spurs 63-19 Tell me you're not buying this Spurs Are Slipping stuff. Don't forget they won 63 games last season playing more small ball than they've ever played before.
4 (4) Suns 54-28 If we knew what to expect from Amare -- and if it's good news -- Suns would be my pick to win it all. They still might be, but I'll need October to scout it out.
5 (1) Pistons 64-18 Wrenching as it was to lose Darko and Big Ben in a five-month span, Detroit still ranks no worse than No. 2 in a weakened (at the top) East in spite of that No. 11 summer.
6 (12) Bulls 41-41 Skeptics will say Bulls haven't even won a playoff series yet. My counter: Chicago played Miami tougher than anyone in the East and just added Ben, P.J. and more.
7 (8) Cavaliers 50-32 Cavs have proven they're East top-four material. But Bulls look stronger from here unless Hughes makes a splashy return or LBJ can carry even more of the load.
8 (13) Clippers 47-35 Clips came within one win of the West finals and bring back almost the exact same team. Still trying to work out which of those developments is more extraordinary.
9 (23) Rockets 34-48 Signing a desperate Bonzi on the cheap? Had to do it. Now can T-Mac and Yao stay healthy? Had to ask . . . no matter how much better their supporting cast looks.
10 (19) Hornets 38-44 What stuns me even more than Hornets' first-ever summer splash are all the negative reactions. Would another summer of non-spending have been better?
11 (5) Nets 49-33 A year ago, Rod Thorn said J-Kidd's Nets were deeper than ever. No one's even pretending to say so now about a small, thin crew at risk for exiting the East elite.
12 (10) Lakers 45-37 Remember how we picked Lakers to make the playoffs just because Phil was back? In this West, Phil and Kobe might have to have better years just to keep them there.
13 (22) Warriors 38-44 Still not totally sure which seven West teams will finish below Warriors. But that's Nellie's problem. I only made the playoff guarantee; it's his job to live up to it.
14 (14) Nuggets 44-38 The roster looks better and so does 'Melo, but the concerns haven't changed: Nuggets need shooters and (uh-oh) need Furious George and K-Mart to co-exist somehow.
15 (16) Jazz 41-41 If Jazz miss the playoffs again, that would be four straight trips to the lottery. Tough to imagine Jerry Sloan going out that way, but the West could well be that brutal.
16 (18) Pacers 41-41 Clutch as it was to snare Harrington, starting fast would be one of our man Carlisle's best tricks yet, given that Pacers have to work in, oh, about 10 new faces.
17 (17) Bucks 40-42 Praise for the Charlie V. trade was nearly unanimous. But Stotts' seat is warming, as he'll be expected to do more with a more mobile frontcourt.
18 (15) Wizards 42-40 No one expects tiny Wiz to challenge Miami for the division title. But we do demand a big rebound from Arenas after his FT playoff nightmare and Team USA snip.
19 (9) Magic 36-46 Funny thing about all that great press Magic received last April. Now Dwight and Darko -- Dwight especially after talking Orlando up even louder -- have to live up to it.
20 (25) Timberwolves 33-49 Last season's 33-49 slog was Wolves' worst season since KG's rookie mark of 26-56. But he was on the rise back then. Now even KG admits: "Clock is ticking, man."
21 (11) Kings 44-38 There will be questions -- lots -- about Muss and Artest, but the bigger red flags to me remain (A) replacing Bonzi with Salmons and (B) the absence of further tweaks.
22 (24) Celtics 33-49 Can this really be Ainge's fourth season in charge? Perhaps it's not just Ainge's coach and all his kiddies who are due to pick it up a notch.
23 (7) Grizzlies 49-33 Grizz nearly went for 50 wins last time they were confronted with doomsday projections in October. Of course, they weren't facing months without Pau last October.
24 (26) Raptors 27-55 The two questions being asked in many languages: How long will it take for all these worldly newcomers to settle and mesh? And how long will Sam get to coach them?
25 (29) Knicks 23-59 Coach and GM are on the same page at last and, like I said, Knicks Nation can't lose. Either Isiah's coaching results in a drastic improvement . . . or his dismissal.
26 (21) SuperSonics 35-47 They're not a lottery lock like their neighbors (for now) in Portland, but Sonics need another everything-goes-right season (like '04-05) just to finish eighth out West.
27 (28) Hawks 26-56 Hawks are still my favorite bad team to watch, but that's strictly because of the on-the-rise lefty (Josh) and Joe. (Yes, Marvin, that's us trying to get a rise out of you.)
28 (27) Bobcats 26-56 We haven't heard a Bobcats-related peep out of His Airness since he went for Morrison on draft day. Sorry, MJ, but that won't fly once the season starts.
29 (20) 76ers 38-44 Jokes are already starting about Spain being a perfect camp site for Philly's Ole! defense. The mood is that dark for a team that finished 8-16 and changed so little.
30 (30) Trail Blazers 21-61 There is one consolation when you're the only team eliminated from West playoff consideration on media day. It does put Blazers up there in the Oden Sweepstakes.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/powerranking?season=2007&week=-1
"For the purposes of review, allow me to share my usual reminder that this set of rankings is a barometer of each team's standing heading into camp. How good a team is projected to be is only part of the equation at this early stage. How good its summer was factors in as well, along with a dash of totally subjective whim. For example: Sacramento, Memphis and Philadelphia have better talent than their rankings suggest but all took a big tumble because of their offseasons."
-----------------------------------------------------
Power Rankings: Heat start off on top with West trio not far behind
By Marc Stein
ESPN.com
You survived 163 days without a fresh batch of NBA Power Rankings.
You can exhale now and soak in our annual training camp edition, with two-a-days commencing over the weekend for the four teams bound for Europe and on Tuesday for everyone else.
For the purposes of review, allow me to share my usual reminder that this set of rankings is a barometer of each team's standing heading into camp. How good a team is projected to be is only part of the equation at this early stage. How good its summer was factors in as well, along with a dash of totally subjective whim. For example: Sacramento, Memphis and Philadelphia have better talent than their rankings suggest but all took a big tumble because of their offseasons.
The next set of rankings will appear on Oct. 30, one day before Opening Night, after all 30 teams have a month to impress us. The rankings will then continue every Monday through the regular season.
Rank - (last week) - Team - Record - comments
1 (6) Heat 52-30 Why wouldn't my Heat get the same treatment every defending champ gets from the committee (of one)? They start on top and shame on you for suspecting otherwise.
2 (3) Mavericks 60-22 On paper, Mavs are even deeper than they were. But they still have to keep Nowitzki fresh, cope with the brutal West and prove they can get over their Finals heartache.
3 (2) Spurs 63-19 Tell me you're not buying this Spurs Are Slipping stuff. Don't forget they won 63 games last season playing more small ball than they've ever played before.
4 (4) Suns 54-28 If we knew what to expect from Amare -- and if it's good news -- Suns would be my pick to win it all. They still might be, but I'll need October to scout it out.
5 (1) Pistons 64-18 Wrenching as it was to lose Darko and Big Ben in a five-month span, Detroit still ranks no worse than No. 2 in a weakened (at the top) East in spite of that No. 11 summer.
6 (12) Bulls 41-41 Skeptics will say Bulls haven't even won a playoff series yet. My counter: Chicago played Miami tougher than anyone in the East and just added Ben, P.J. and more.
7 (8) Cavaliers 50-32 Cavs have proven they're East top-four material. But Bulls look stronger from here unless Hughes makes a splashy return or LBJ can carry even more of the load.
8 (13) Clippers 47-35 Clips came within one win of the West finals and bring back almost the exact same team. Still trying to work out which of those developments is more extraordinary.
9 (23) Rockets 34-48 Signing a desperate Bonzi on the cheap? Had to do it. Now can T-Mac and Yao stay healthy? Had to ask . . . no matter how much better their supporting cast looks.
10 (19) Hornets 38-44 What stuns me even more than Hornets' first-ever summer splash are all the negative reactions. Would another summer of non-spending have been better?
11 (5) Nets 49-33 A year ago, Rod Thorn said J-Kidd's Nets were deeper than ever. No one's even pretending to say so now about a small, thin crew at risk for exiting the East elite.
12 (10) Lakers 45-37 Remember how we picked Lakers to make the playoffs just because Phil was back? In this West, Phil and Kobe might have to have better years just to keep them there.
13 (22) Warriors 38-44 Still not totally sure which seven West teams will finish below Warriors. But that's Nellie's problem. I only made the playoff guarantee; it's his job to live up to it.
14 (14) Nuggets 44-38 The roster looks better and so does 'Melo, but the concerns haven't changed: Nuggets need shooters and (uh-oh) need Furious George and K-Mart to co-exist somehow.
15 (16) Jazz 41-41 If Jazz miss the playoffs again, that would be four straight trips to the lottery. Tough to imagine Jerry Sloan going out that way, but the West could well be that brutal.
16 (18) Pacers 41-41 Clutch as it was to snare Harrington, starting fast would be one of our man Carlisle's best tricks yet, given that Pacers have to work in, oh, about 10 new faces.
17 (17) Bucks 40-42 Praise for the Charlie V. trade was nearly unanimous. But Stotts' seat is warming, as he'll be expected to do more with a more mobile frontcourt.
18 (15) Wizards 42-40 No one expects tiny Wiz to challenge Miami for the division title. But we do demand a big rebound from Arenas after his FT playoff nightmare and Team USA snip.
19 (9) Magic 36-46 Funny thing about all that great press Magic received last April. Now Dwight and Darko -- Dwight especially after talking Orlando up even louder -- have to live up to it.
20 (25) Timberwolves 33-49 Last season's 33-49 slog was Wolves' worst season since KG's rookie mark of 26-56. But he was on the rise back then. Now even KG admits: "Clock is ticking, man."
21 (11) Kings 44-38 There will be questions -- lots -- about Muss and Artest, but the bigger red flags to me remain (A) replacing Bonzi with Salmons and (B) the absence of further tweaks.
22 (24) Celtics 33-49 Can this really be Ainge's fourth season in charge? Perhaps it's not just Ainge's coach and all his kiddies who are due to pick it up a notch.
23 (7) Grizzlies 49-33 Grizz nearly went for 50 wins last time they were confronted with doomsday projections in October. Of course, they weren't facing months without Pau last October.
24 (26) Raptors 27-55 The two questions being asked in many languages: How long will it take for all these worldly newcomers to settle and mesh? And how long will Sam get to coach them?
25 (29) Knicks 23-59 Coach and GM are on the same page at last and, like I said, Knicks Nation can't lose. Either Isiah's coaching results in a drastic improvement . . . or his dismissal.
26 (21) SuperSonics 35-47 They're not a lottery lock like their neighbors (for now) in Portland, but Sonics need another everything-goes-right season (like '04-05) just to finish eighth out West.
27 (28) Hawks 26-56 Hawks are still my favorite bad team to watch, but that's strictly because of the on-the-rise lefty (Josh) and Joe. (Yes, Marvin, that's us trying to get a rise out of you.)
28 (27) Bobcats 26-56 We haven't heard a Bobcats-related peep out of His Airness since he went for Morrison on draft day. Sorry, MJ, but that won't fly once the season starts.
29 (20) 76ers 38-44 Jokes are already starting about Spain being a perfect camp site for Philly's Ole! defense. The mood is that dark for a team that finished 8-16 and changed so little.
30 (30) Trail Blazers 21-61 There is one consolation when you're the only team eliminated from West playoff consideration on media day. It does put Blazers up there in the Oden Sweepstakes.
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