2011-2012 NBA Power Rankings Week 1: Mavs #1 and Heat #2

Benjamin Parker December 24, 2011 0

2011-2012 NBA Power Rankings Week 1: Mavs #1 and Heat #2

The new and fresh season of NBA is finally here. The top NBA teams will battle it out in a reduced or abbreviated season for the supremacy on the US basketball circuit. With the regular season starting from Christmas Day, here are my NBA Power Rankings for the start of the season. Enjoy!

1. Dallas Mavericks (0-0)

Despite the loss of Tyson Chandler and JJ Barea, look for the Mavs to be in the mix once again for an NBA title. People forget that the main guy on that team was Dirk Nowitzki. He found out the winning formula last season, and now that he has it, I expect him to not back down at all in the Playoffs. The best player in the NBA last season was Dirk Nowitzki, not LeBron or some other member of the Heat. Shawn Marion said nobody is respecting the Heat, well I am gonna give Marion and the Mavs their due and rank them #1. Doesn’t mean they will be ranked #1 come seasons end, but for now, I gotta give them the #1 ranking.

2. Miami Heat (0-0)

A lot of the noise that accompanied them last season has greatly subsided, and that should greatly help them out. They’ve added Shane Battier has a veteran piece, but the real key to their success lies in being able to find a better balance of attack in their starting 5. If the Heat don’t win the NBA title this season, it will be an upset like it was last year. There’s no reason these guys shouldn’t have possession of the Larry O’Brien Trophy come June.

3. Oklahoma City Thunder (0-0)

Every year they keep getting better, and they will be even hungrier this year. They’ll have more time to work in Kendrick Perkins, which will be nice, along with a more playoff seasoned Core. Expect Durant, Westbrook, and the Thunder to win the West and give Miami a run in the Finals.

4. Chicago Bulls (0-0)

While Dirk Nowitzki was the MVP of the playoffs, Derrick Rose was the MVP of the regular season, and he deserved every ounce of that award. He was the youngest player to ever win the award at the age of 22. Incredible!!!! Look for Rose and the Bulls to be back in the mix for the NBA championship, only with more experience. The Rip Hamilton signing will help them out as well, but what they will carry with them the most is the experience of last years playoff run. Unless they pull off some blockbuster deal (Dwight Howard anyone?).

5. Boston Celtics (0-0)

It’s hard to really predict where the Celtics are going this year. Father time catches up with even the best of players. Just ask Michael Jordan. But even with an “old” team, they still have a young PG, and a good core of veteran guys. Look for Brandon Bass to infuse them with some energy this year and help beefen up their post. The loss of Jeff Green is a bitter pill to swallow, going into the regular season.

6. New York Knicks (0-0)

Amare Stoudemire says the Knicks are “Hunting Heat” or something like that. I don’t expect them to be a real threat for the title, but they will be improved. Finish 4th in the East win a series, something along those lines. They will be better with Carmelo and Amare together for a full season (66 games), and the addition of Tyson Chandler is nice, but don’t expect Baron Davis or Mike Bibby to fix their backcourt troubles.

7. Los Angeles Lakers (0-0)

Last I checked, they still have Kobe Bryant, Andrew Bynum, and Pau Gasol. Even with the loss of Lamar Odom, they still are very large upfront, and with Kobe Bryant in there to close games, expect the Lakers to be a tough out in the playoffs.

8. Memphis Grizzlies (0-0)

Definitely a dark horse to win the whole Western Conference, but with them retaining Marc Gasol, they will be bringing back the same crew as last year, only with a healed Rudy Gay. Look for the Grizzlies to be a threat again this year in the West. The loss of Darrell Arthur will be a tough one for them to over come, but I think they’ll be able to manage.

9. San Antonio Spurs (0-0)

Interesting move to get rid of George Hill to get Kawhi Leonard. They must see something in Leonard, otherwise that deal wouldn’t have gone down. But at any rate, they are an old, grizzled, beat up team with lots of miles. But they are also a smart and crafty team. With all the young inexperienced teams and coaches wandering about, expect the Spurs to get their share of wins and be a playoff team again this year.

10. Atlanta Hawks (0-0)

They knocked out the Magic last year after a horrendous 2010 post-season. 2011 was better for them, and don’t be surprised if 2012 is even better for the Hawks. They are a young and explosive team with a lot of potential. Don’t be surprised if they win a series and give a team like Miami or Chicago fits.

11. Los Angeles Clippers (0-0)

All the buzz in LA is about the Clippers. Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan, Chris Paul, Chauncey Billups, and Caron Butler. Very very nice starting 5. But until they get a solid bench, they won’t be much more than a team who might win a playoff series. But who wouldn’t want to see a Lakers/Clippers series? How fun would that be?

12. Orlando Magic (0-0)

Glen Davis well help them out, but what will help them more is having Dwight Howard for the whole season. With Dwight Howard they are a borderline top ten team in the NBA, without him, they are a run of the mill Eastern Conference team fighting fora playoff spot. The Dwight Howard Drama is a concern, but I expect them to be good until he goes somewhere else.

13. Portland Trail Blazers (0-0)

I expect Portland to once again exceed expectations. Wes Matthews will have another year under his belt, as will LaMarcus Aldridge. Not to mention the addition of Jamal Crawford to give them some outside shooting. Very very nice team in Portland. They will be a playoff team, but I don’t expect them to win a series.

14. Indiana Pacers (0-0)

You want to talk a team that is trying to get better, look at the Indiana Pacers. They’ve added George Hill and David West to go along with Danny Granger. Very very nice additions to their team, and if they gave the Bulls problems last season, imagine what they could do this season (if they stay healthy).

15. Denver Nuggets (0-0)

Without Carmelo Anthony, they won’t be as competitive, but they did get some nice pieces out of that trade with the Knicks. Too bad half their team is in China right now. That really doesn’t help them out very much. But to make up for that, they are keeping Nene. If they wanted any chance of making the playoffs this year, they had to keep Nene.

16. Utah Jazz (0-0)

This team looks very different from a year ago. Jerry Sloan: Gone. Deron Williams: Gone. Andrei Kirilenko: Could Be Gone. Mehmet Okur: Gone. But with the additions of Derrick Favors, Devin Harris, and also Enes Kanter, they got a beefy front court. Al Jefferson is going to be a workhorse night in and night out. Gordon Hayward is going to be an improved player, etc. Expect the Jazz to be hard working team that plays smart disciplined basketball. This team could be scary in 2-3 years with all the young talent they got. But for now, they are a potential #8/#7 seed out West.

17. Milwaukee Bucks (0-0)

Adding Stephen Jackson to their team has given them a veteran player who has tasted playoff success. Mike Dunleavy will also provide some veteran leadership as well. Andrew Bogut will give another quasi-all-star caliber season, and Brandon Jennings will be improved. Expect the Bucks to be a solid team in the 2011-2012 season.

18. Philadelphia 76ers (0-0)

Doug Collins had this team playing well at seasons end against the Heat. Which was nice to see, but they really aren’t going anywhere this year. As long as they have Andre Iguodala they will not be an easy win, but still don’t expect Philadelphia to win a series or do anything of that nature.

19. Houston Rockets (0-0)

With Kevin Martin, Terrence Williams, and Luis Scola, they’ll be good. But not a playoff team. But with Kevin McHale at the helm don’t expect this team to make a lot of mistakes either. They’ll be sneaky. So do be ware of them.

20. New Jersey Nets (0-0)

This team would be better if Brook Lopez was not out for 6-8 weeks. But with Deron Williams, Mehmet Okur, Deshawn Stevenson, MarShon Brooks and possibly Andre Kirilenko they could be kinda interesting, in a laughable kind of way. I like what they are doing with the whole, let’s move into Brooklyny and crowd the Knicks crap. That I do like. But the organization otherwise seems to be run by a bunch of cathartic idiots.

21. Phoenix Suns (0-0)

These guys are really in the mode of retooling. It’s nice that Grant Hill and Steve Nash are still there, but realistically speaking, this team isn’t going anywhere any time soon.

22. Minnesota Timberwolves (0-0)

They are still a weak team, but I like where they are going. Derrick Williams, JJ Barea, Kevin Love, Michael Beasley, and Ricky Rubio along with others. Expect them to no longer be bottom feeders of the West.

23. Golden State Warriors (0-0)

The Monta Ellis Sexual Harrassment fiasco along with the one year 7 million dollar signing of Kwame Brown is not the best way to kick off the Mark Jackson era. These new owners don’t seem to know what they are doing.

24. New Orleans Hornets (0-0)

The Chris Paul trade with the Clippers gave them Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman, Al-Farouq Aminu, and a future first round draft pick. Not bad. Much better than that Laker deal that would have sent them some veteran guys who would have been useless in 3-5 years.

25. Charlotte Bobcats (0-0)

Kemba Walker will be the only real bright spot on this team. Corey Maggette will give them some points, and Bismack Biyombo may start to develop nicely at seasons end, but Kemba is their brightest star right now. That’s for sure.

26. Sacramento Kings (0-0)

They got Jimmer Fredette, who I expect to be a nice player in the NBA. Tyreke Evans has already proven that he has all-star caliber basketball in him, and DeMarcus Cousins will be one year older. They’re getting there, but they still need work.

27. Cleveland Cavaliers (0-0)

Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson are giving this team and city a lot of life and hope. They won’t be a very good team, but with all the LeBron drama behind them, they’ll be a much more focused team that will win some games, and start to look ok at the end of the season. I have them pretty low on the rankings, but that doesn’t mean I don’t think they got a future. Look for an improved and focused Cavs team in 2012.

28. Washington Wizards (0-0)

They got talent, but it’s young talent, and they really need a veteran that is actually good. If John Wall is their best player going into the season, don’t expect the Wizards to be very good. However, I do like their new uniforms. Going back to the red, white, and blue is nice to see. Jordan Crawford, Andre Blatche, JaVale McGee, Nick Young, and Jan Vesely are a nice young squad to accompany Wall, but they still lack a good vet.

29. Detroit Pistons (0-0)

Rip Hamilton is gone, Chauncey Billups is long gone, Larry Brown is way long gone, and all that remains of that once great championship team of 2004 is Ben Wallace and Tayshaun Prince. Watching them still play for the Pistons is like looking at a Ghost town. They are only the remnants of a once great dynasty that was the best defensive team in the NBA. All they have now is Brandon Knight to put their future in. The future looks grim in Detroit, but history does tell us that the Pistons will be relevant again. But we just aren’t sure when.