NBA Preseason Rankings (2nd Edition)

1) Spurs-This team is cooking stew and it’s going to taste really good. Mike Finley and Nick the Quick make all the difference in the world. Suddenly Tony Parker has a backup. Suddenly the Spurs are really deep on the wings. Suddenly Tim Duncan is poised to repeat.

2) Heat- One Preseason game down and it looks like Walker’s coming off the bench. It can’t hurt and it might help. If he thrives as the sixth man, he might be that firepower the Heat needs to get past anybody.
3) Pistons- Nothing big from the camp yet. No injuries, no trades. Maybe Prince gets an extension soon. For a team as consistent as the Pistons, no news is good news.
4) Pacers- Rumor has it that Ronnie might be coming off the bench. Maybe the Lakers should bring Kobe off the bench. See? It just doesn’t sound like a good plan. Still, this team is deep enough that you could conceivably do it.
5) Rockets- It hurts that Bob Sura’s status is still up in the air. It hurts a lot less when you bring in one of the best handles in the game, in Rafer Alston.
6) Mavericks- The Mavs team will be good. Devin Harris should be able to shoulder a lot more of the point-guard duties, which should mean Jason Terry is able to focus more on scoring. Finley being gone isn’t going to hurt as much as you’d think the Mavs were deep on the wings. Now you’ll see some new faces shining.
7) Nuggets- Word on the street is that Nene’ is in the best shape of his life. This should make a strong frontcourt even stronger. The three-guard rotation in the backcourt is going to help too. And don’t ever forget about Melo.

8) Suns- Amare’s out for the next four months. This makes the Suns a lot less deep. Brian Grant could see Stoudemire’s minutes at the 4. While they’re still a good team, they’re going to have to overcome a lot to be anywhere near as good as they were last year.
9) Cavs- Reports out of camp is that Lebron and Larry are gellin’. If that happens, watch out. Other reports say defense is being played. That hasn’t happened in Cleveland since the mid Nineties so it would be a welcome change. It might even be enough to change the fortunes of the Cavs.
10) Nets- The Nets shouldn’t move to Brooklyn. They should move to JFK. It’s going to be like an airport with all the people flying around the swamp. A healthy Jason Kidd is going to the play air-traffic-controller for the Carter and Jefferson Airlines.
11) Bulls- Well, Eddy Curry isn’t a factor anymore. It looks like Sweetney is big enough of to fill the hole Curry left. But, is he quick enough to stay on the floor? If he is, the Bulls won’t loose too much of a step. They’ll be really deep in the front if the Knicks release AD and he is able to resign with the Bulls.

12) Sonics- The Sonics have brought back Reggie Evans. They might not belong this high, but they made it to the second round last year. The bottom line is, things are looking up for any team with Ray Allen. Last I checked, the Sonics still had Ray-Ray.
13) Wizards- The Wiz won’t miss Larry, but they will miss Kwame. They’re extremely thin in the front. This will hurt them as soon as they get into the half-court sets.
14) Clippers- Things are looking up if you’re a Clippers fan too. Bill Crystal may finally get to see a playoff game. They’re deep at the 1, passable at the 2 and 3 and they’ve got enough firepower up front to handle anyone in the West.

15) Grizzlies- Pau and his boys are going to be good this year as long as they can get solid minutes from Mighty Mouse and Bobby Jackson. If either of them goes down in the preseason, it’s going to be a rough climb up until they come back.
16) Kings- Great offense. Offensive defense. The Kings need some help on D. Maybe Rick Adleman just isn’t the answer in Sacramento anymore. But if not him, who is?
17) Knicks- Adding Eddy Curry, if he can play, makes the Knicks better than this. If they can play together they will be better than this. Larry Brown hasn’t killed anyone yet for forgetting to play defense so things aren’t looking so bad.
18) 76rs- Chris Webber says he loves AI. AI Says he loves Mo Cheeks. Mo Cheeks loves everybody. We all love the potential this team has, but the window of opportunity is going to close really soon. Maybe Webber can pry it open with his leg.
19) Timberwolves- If you have the best player in the game of basketball on your team and the best lineup you can put around him is what the Wolves are trotting out, maybe its time to trade that player. KG can’t be happy playing center, and it looks like he’s going to have to spend some time in the middle this season. If I’m McHale I see what kind of youth package I can get from a team.
20) Bucks- The Bucks are going to be better than this. But I say let them win a few games and prove me right.
21) Warriors- You can’t help but love the Warriors at the 1, 2 and 3. It’s when you get up front that things start to get a little shady. They’re at best 3 deep in the front, and this if you count Andris Biedrins ready to play. If trading one player from a crowded backcourt can bringing in somebody up front, the Warriors should go for it.
22) Magic- The Magic could be magical, but they’re a few player moves away from finding that special something. Still, they’ve got someone solid sitting on the bench. Brian Hill could make something like this team into a playoff roster. The key is that I’m talking about “something like this team.”

23) Lakers- Phil, Kobe and Lamar. Phil, Kobe and Lamar. Phil, Kobe and Lamar. It just doesn’t ring the same as Phil, Michael and Scottie. If the Lakers can tune this team up maybe they can get the song right.
24) Celtics- As long as you have Paul Pierce you’ve got something to smile about. Danny says he’s not going to trade Pierce so Celtics fans should be smiling. But with the youth movement in full swing wouldn’t a trade make more sense?
25) Jazz- The Jazz are the last of the teams that could be in serious contention for a playoff spot. Everyone here and above could, if the pieces fall into place be a playoff team. Derron Williams is the key to the puzzle that is the Utah Jazz.
26) Blazers- Portland could be a playoff team a few years down the road. It’s easy to love the upside the Blazers have. If the management can love it through the hard times, this team could really be something special in a few years.
27) Bobcats- Here’s a question. Can Emeka Okafur play serious minutes at center? If he can, the Bobcats can play the beast that is Sean May at the power forward spot and really improve their frontcourt offense. If not, they may have wasted a draft pick.

28) Hawks- In 6’8’’ wonderland everyone has upside and the team has a plan. I must not be tall enough to see what the plan is because as far as I can tell, there is no plan. Unless the Hawks are cagey and they’re going to make a trade during the season… Does anyone else wish Spud Webb were still on this team?
29) Hornets- From Katrina to actually having to start PJ Brown to countless trade demands from players, the Hornets are having a rough go of it all around. Maybe basketball will be a nice distraction from the usual drama this team is facing.
30) Raptors- Dude Where’s My Center? Actually dude, where’s the center, the bench, the small forward, the point guard and the shooting guard? Chris Bosh is a lonely man.