jay dubb
G-League
By InsideHoops.com | 2006-07
NBA power rankings, rating the entire league from top to bottom. This of course is highly subjective. The InsideHoops.com NBA power rankings mostly focus on how good a team really is, with recent performances partially taken into account. Minor streaks that don't really affect the big picture won't cause a team to fly up or down the NBA power rankings.
NBA Power Rankings last updated Oct. 16, 2006. Records are final 2005-06 regular season wins-losses.
The Championship Contenders
1) Miami Heat (52-30) - The champs automatically get the top spot. Though, Shaquille O'Neal and Gary Payton are in decline, Jason Williams is hurt, and as energetic and terrific as Alonzo Mourning is, there's no guarantee he's as good this season. The Heat aren't a lock to return to the finals.
2) Dallas Mavericks (60-22) - Good enough to reach the finals last season, and in 2006-07 the Mavs have a deeper, better bench. Keith Van Horn remains unsigned, but that's alright. Dallas is a true championship contender.
3) San Antonio Spurs (63-19) - A healthy Tim Duncan could have his best season in years. The only concern is the age of Bruce Bowen, the center position and the lack of depth. But the Spurs remain an elite title contender thanks to Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker.
4) Phoenix Suns (54-28) - Without Amare Stoudemire at the top of his game we can't see the Suns beating the Mavericks or Spurs in the playoffs. But if Amare's a superstar again by the start of postseason, a championship is possible.
Could Rise to Become Contenders
5) Detroit Pistons (64-18) - Even without Ben Wallace the Pistons have all-star level talent at three or four positions and players who won't accept losing. But have we overrated them?
6) Los Angeles Clippers (47-35) - Balanced and talented, the Clippers return all key parts from last year. Vladimir Radmanovic is gone but Tim Thomas steps in to replace him. As Sam Cassell is expected to finally show his age, Shaun Livingston may soon be ready to step up.
7) Cleveland Cavaliers (50-32) - A nice, balanced, deep team that needs Larry Hughes to be a star on both ends of the floor. That LeBron James guy isn't too shabby.
8) New Jersey Nets (49-33) - The Nets padded their bench with young talent, but they are still weak up front, limiting their potential.
9) Sacramento Kings (44-38) - A well-balanced, talented team that was much better last season once they got Ron Artest. They could be scary this season.
10) Chicago Bulls (41-41) - The defensive-minded Bulls added Ben Wallace, so they'll be even tougher to score on. But with a very short frontcourt and little inside game, the Bulls can be very good, but probably not great.
11) Houston Rockets (34-48) - The Rockets rocked this summer, adding Bonzi Wells and Shane Battier. If Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady both stay healthy this could be a 50+ win team. But as we speak, Yao's toe issue lingers.
In the Playoff Mix
12) Denver Nuggets (44-38) - Still need a shooting guard. But there's talent at every other position. Carmelo Anthony keeps rising, Nene's back, Kenyon Martin says he's healthy, and Joe Smith is on board for an extremely deep group of big guys.
13) Los Angeles lakers (45-37) - The Lakers barely improved this summer. It's still Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom and bench fodder. Is this the year Kwame Brown steps up? Will Jordan Farmar take the point guard job from Smush Parker?
14) Utah Jazz (41-41) - With health and a good coaching job from Jerry Sloan, Deron Williams, Matt Harpring, Andrei Kirilenko, Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur should finally have a special year. Will it happen?
15) Indiana Pacers (41-41) - Jermaine O'Neal, Al Harrington and Danny Granger is a nice front line. Jeff Foster is back to clean the glass and set hard picks. The backcourt isn't too hot.
16) New Orleans/OKC Hornets (38-44) - Chris Paul and David West are joined by Peja Stojakovic and talented, rugged rookies. Will last season's chemistry get thrown off?
17) Washington Wizards (42-40) - Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison still carry the squad. Can Jarvis Hayes stay healthy and contribute? The Wizards still lack talent up front. Have they gotten as good as they're going to get?
18) Orlando Magic (36-46) - Great team basketball in Orlando. With Jameer Nelson continuing to rise and Dwight Howard getting better by the month everyone will be watching Darko Milicic to see how good he can get. And Grant Hill is still around.
19) Milwaukee Bucks (40-42) - Michael Redd, Bobby Simmons, Charlie Villanueva and Andrew Bogut is a nice core, but it's tough to tell how good they'll be as a unit, especially with Bogut and Simmons hurt to start the season.
20) Philadelphia 76ers (38-44) - The Sixers have been on a downward trend for a while now, and there isn't much reason to think it'll reverse. Will Andre Iguodala get more of an offensive role this season?
Making the Playoffs will be Tough
21) Memphis Grizzlies (49-33) - With Pau Gasol injured and Shane Battier gone, this team should struggle. Damon Stoudamire, Eddie Jones, Mike Miller and Rudy Gay have to carry the load until Gasol is back.
22) Minnesota Timberwolves (33-49) - The additions of Mike James and Randy Foye helps Minnesota's offense. They and Ricky Davis provide scoring punch that takes some pressure off of Kevin Garnett, but making the playoffs will still be tough.
23) Seattle Sonics (35-47) - Chris Wilcox got paid, and now needs to yank this team up. Defense is still an issue in Seattle, not to mention new ownership and the possibility of moving. We've probably robbed them.
24) Golden State Warriors (34-48) - Don Nelson taking over as coach means tons of points and lots of fun, but will it amount to wins? The Warriors have the potential to be about 10 spots higher than this.
25) New York Knicks (23-59) - We're sure the Knicks will be better than last season, but it's not automatic, so for now there's no reason to project them higher. They'll have to earn it.
26) Boston Celtics (33-49) - It's still Paul Pierce, sidekick Wally Szcerbiak, and unrealized potential from the rest of the roster.
27) Toronto Raptors (27-55) - The Raptors like many other teams have the potential to be much better than we're ranking them. But as of right now, Chris Bosh, TJ Ford, Mo Pete, an international rookie and a nicer bench doesn't scare us just yet.
28) Charlotte Bobcats (26-56) - Raymond Felton, Gerald Wallace, Adam Morrison and Emeka Okafor is a very nice core. The future is bright. But they'll start at the bottom.
29) Portland Trail Blazers (21-61) - A great summer with nice new additions. But like a bunch of teams above, Portland has to earn it before we'll raise them.
30) Atlanta Hawks (26-56) - Added point guard Speedy Claxton (currently hurt) and PF/C Shelden Williams. Joe Johnson is great. Josh Smith and Marvin Williams have potential. But they're the Hawks so we can't give them the benefit of the doubt
NBA power rankings, rating the entire league from top to bottom. This of course is highly subjective. The InsideHoops.com NBA power rankings mostly focus on how good a team really is, with recent performances partially taken into account. Minor streaks that don't really affect the big picture won't cause a team to fly up or down the NBA power rankings.
NBA Power Rankings last updated Oct. 16, 2006. Records are final 2005-06 regular season wins-losses.
The Championship Contenders
2) Dallas Mavericks (60-22) - Good enough to reach the finals last season, and in 2006-07 the Mavs have a deeper, better bench. Keith Van Horn remains unsigned, but that's alright. Dallas is a true championship contender.
3) San Antonio Spurs (63-19) - A healthy Tim Duncan could have his best season in years. The only concern is the age of Bruce Bowen, the center position and the lack of depth. But the Spurs remain an elite title contender thanks to Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker.
4) Phoenix Suns (54-28) - Without Amare Stoudemire at the top of his game we can't see the Suns beating the Mavericks or Spurs in the playoffs. But if Amare's a superstar again by the start of postseason, a championship is possible.
Could Rise to Become Contenders
6) Los Angeles Clippers (47-35) - Balanced and talented, the Clippers return all key parts from last year. Vladimir Radmanovic is gone but Tim Thomas steps in to replace him. As Sam Cassell is expected to finally show his age, Shaun Livingston may soon be ready to step up.
7) Cleveland Cavaliers (50-32) - A nice, balanced, deep team that needs Larry Hughes to be a star on both ends of the floor. That LeBron James guy isn't too shabby.
8) New Jersey Nets (49-33) - The Nets padded their bench with young talent, but they are still weak up front, limiting their potential.
9) Sacramento Kings (44-38) - A well-balanced, talented team that was much better last season once they got Ron Artest. They could be scary this season.
10) Chicago Bulls (41-41) - The defensive-minded Bulls added Ben Wallace, so they'll be even tougher to score on. But with a very short frontcourt and little inside game, the Bulls can be very good, but probably not great.
11) Houston Rockets (34-48) - The Rockets rocked this summer, adding Bonzi Wells and Shane Battier. If Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady both stay healthy this could be a 50+ win team. But as we speak, Yao's toe issue lingers.
In the Playoff Mix
13) Los Angeles lakers (45-37) - The Lakers barely improved this summer. It's still Kobe Bryant, Lamar Odom and bench fodder. Is this the year Kwame Brown steps up? Will Jordan Farmar take the point guard job from Smush Parker?
14) Utah Jazz (41-41) - With health and a good coaching job from Jerry Sloan, Deron Williams, Matt Harpring, Andrei Kirilenko, Carlos Boozer and Mehmet Okur should finally have a special year. Will it happen?
15) Indiana Pacers (41-41) - Jermaine O'Neal, Al Harrington and Danny Granger is a nice front line. Jeff Foster is back to clean the glass and set hard picks. The backcourt isn't too hot.
16) New Orleans/OKC Hornets (38-44) - Chris Paul and David West are joined by Peja Stojakovic and talented, rugged rookies. Will last season's chemistry get thrown off?
17) Washington Wizards (42-40) - Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison still carry the squad. Can Jarvis Hayes stay healthy and contribute? The Wizards still lack talent up front. Have they gotten as good as they're going to get?
18) Orlando Magic (36-46) - Great team basketball in Orlando. With Jameer Nelson continuing to rise and Dwight Howard getting better by the month everyone will be watching Darko Milicic to see how good he can get. And Grant Hill is still around.
19) Milwaukee Bucks (40-42) - Michael Redd, Bobby Simmons, Charlie Villanueva and Andrew Bogut is a nice core, but it's tough to tell how good they'll be as a unit, especially with Bogut and Simmons hurt to start the season.
20) Philadelphia 76ers (38-44) - The Sixers have been on a downward trend for a while now, and there isn't much reason to think it'll reverse. Will Andre Iguodala get more of an offensive role this season?
Making the Playoffs will be Tough
21) Memphis Grizzlies (49-33) - With Pau Gasol injured and Shane Battier gone, this team should struggle. Damon Stoudamire, Eddie Jones, Mike Miller and Rudy Gay have to carry the load until Gasol is back.
22) Minnesota Timberwolves (33-49) - The additions of Mike James and Randy Foye helps Minnesota's offense. They and Ricky Davis provide scoring punch that takes some pressure off of Kevin Garnett, but making the playoffs will still be tough.
23) Seattle Sonics (35-47) - Chris Wilcox got paid, and now needs to yank this team up. Defense is still an issue in Seattle, not to mention new ownership and the possibility of moving. We've probably robbed them.
24) Golden State Warriors (34-48) - Don Nelson taking over as coach means tons of points and lots of fun, but will it amount to wins? The Warriors have the potential to be about 10 spots higher than this.
25) New York Knicks (23-59) - We're sure the Knicks will be better than last season, but it's not automatic, so for now there's no reason to project them higher. They'll have to earn it.
26) Boston Celtics (33-49) - It's still Paul Pierce, sidekick Wally Szcerbiak, and unrealized potential from the rest of the roster.
27) Toronto Raptors (27-55) - The Raptors like many other teams have the potential to be much better than we're ranking them. But as of right now, Chris Bosh, TJ Ford, Mo Pete, an international rookie and a nicer bench doesn't scare us just yet.
28) Charlotte Bobcats (26-56) - Raymond Felton, Gerald Wallace, Adam Morrison and Emeka Okafor is a very nice core. The future is bright. But they'll start at the bottom.
29) Portland Trail Blazers (21-61) - A great summer with nice new additions. But like a bunch of teams above, Portland has to earn it before we'll raise them.
30) Atlanta Hawks (26-56) - Added point guard Speedy Claxton (currently hurt) and PF/C Shelden Williams. Joe Johnson is great. Josh Smith and Marvin Williams have potential. But they're the Hawks so we can't give them the benefit of the doubt
Last edited by a moderator:
