Monroe: NBA power rankings February 7, 2010

[duncan228]

NBA power rankings
Mike Monroe

TOP 10

(Last week’s rank in parentheses; through Friday’s games)

1. Cavaliers (1): Shaq, The Big Counselor, tells LeBron: Be more like Kobe. “He won’t let the Lakers lose. Time for you to show that.”

2. Nuggets (4): Forget that home-court loss to Suns. They beat Lakers at Staples without Carmelo. ’Nuff said.

3. Lakers (2): Trouble in La-La Land? Gasol whines about Kobe taking all the shots, and Nuggets embarrass them at home.

4. Jazz (5): Shocking development for hottest team in the West: Okur driving ball to the basket instead of shooting threes.

5. Hawks (3): Josh Smith’s triple-double makes big pre-All-Star statement: How come I’m not on Eastern team?

6. Mavericks (6): Shocking home-court loss to Wolves has them reeling. Cuban ranting that too many Mavs suck.

7. Celtics (7): Uh-oh. Perkins and Rondo tell Boston Herald “different agendas” creeping inside the locker room.

8. Magic (8): Van Gundy, after loss to Wizards: “Stop talking about turning corners. Just play hard.”

9. Trail Blazers (12): If McMillan and Miller ever had problems, they’re all in the past after Andre’s huge week.

10. Spurs (9): Parker’s back, and Manu’s driving to rim again, but great start to rodeo trip ended with crunch-time lull.

THE REST

11. Suns (19)
12. Raptors (10)
13. Thunder (16)
14. Rockets (11)
15. Grizzlies (18)
16. Bobcats (14)
17. Bulls (13)
18. Heat (15)
19. Hornets (17)
20. Clippers (20)
21. Bucks (21)
22. 76ers (23)
23. Knicks (22)
24. Pacers (24)
25. Wizards (28)
26. Pistons (26)
27. Kings (27)
28. Timberwolves (29)
29. Warriors (25)
30. Nets (30)

[ohmwrecker]

I think we are lucky to be in the top ten. It seems like a lot of teams are having issues right now with the exception of the Nuggets and Cavs. I think what is happening league wide is that the gap between the upper echelon and the bubble teams is shrinking significantly. Most of the top teams have suffered losses to lesser, and even bottom dwelling teams. However, I believe that the closer we get to the playoffs, the more clearly defined that gap will be and the cream will rise to the top.