2007-08 Power Rankings: Training Camp
RANK (LAST WK) TEAM REC. COMMENT
1 (2) Spurs 58-24 Is this the season, after three titles in five seasons, San Antonio finally goes back-to-back? Here's what we do know for sure: Defending champs always start up here with the committee, even if they never repeat.
2 (29) Celtics 24-58 Sobering fact: No team with three 20-point scorers has ever won it all. But all Boston has to do is get to the Finals to meet expectations, which (again) is very plausible now after the NBA's most spectacular offseason.
3 (3) Suns 61-21 A trade demand on the eve of camp from someone of Marion's stature would normally lead to a bigger rankings slide. But Phoenix has years of practice dealing with (and winning in spite of) a mopey Matrix.
4 (5) Rockets 52-30 No West team did more to help itself over the summer. But championship material? We're starting to hear such chatter, which seems a tad premature until T-Mac and Yao win a playoff series together. Agreed?
5 (7) Pistons 53-29 Maybe we're in the minority, but the committee keeps looking at a roster that wasn't blown up as many expected and keeps seeing the best Pistons team -- at least on paper -- since the squad that won it all in 2004.
6 (1) Mavericks 67-15 Dallas isn't starting so low because its season for the ages ended in first-round humiliation. Dallas is down here because it has to prove it can rebound from two extraordinarily painful playoff implosions in a row.
7 (12) Cavaliers 50-32 It's one thing to make zero changes to the roster, but now Varejao and Pavlovic don't plan to come to camp. In other words, "Saturday Night Live" was likely the last time you'll see LeBron smile for a while.
8 (10) Jazz 51-31 The major doubt is not whether Utah has the talent to repeat last season's various breakthroughs. It's whether Utah will have the togetherness, after a trade demand from Kirilenko far more unsettling than Marion's.
9 (11) Warriors 42-40 As if the prospect of training camp in Hawaii isn't appealing enough, Golden State will have the unexpected privilege of claiming the brighter outlook of the two California teams based in the land of the luau. Sorry, Lakers.
10 (4) Bulls 49-33 The Bulls are on the short list of favorites to win the East, but you have to wonder -- given their inability to trade for KG or Pau -- how much they're second-guessing themselves for letting Tyson Chandler go.
11 (9) Nuggets 45-37 We didn't remember this at first, either, but the Iverson-and-Melo Nuggets were 10-1 in April. So maybe they were right to tweak minimally in the offseason, saving the spotlight for K-Mart's mountain of a comeback.
12 (6) Raptors 47-35 J-Kidd recently decreed that Raps, as defending division champs, deserve Team To Beat status in the Atlantic. They'd settle for second place and a return to the playoffs, honestly, but welcome the rare props.
13 (15) Magic 40-42 No team from last season's eight playoff qualifiers in the East did more in the offseason than Orlando. Yet you'd struggle to find anyone picking newcomers Rashard and SVG to lift D-Howard into the elite just yet.
14 (13) Nets 41-41 The suspicion here remains that the Nets have a better shot than anyone at eventually trading for Jermaine O'Neal. In the interim, they'll settle for a smooth return for Krstic and a resurrected Magloire.
15 (18) Wizards 41-41 He's an Internet legend with his blogs, interviews and quirks. He's also the new NBA Live video-game cover boy. But is he a leader? Maybe this is the season Arenas -- in his contract year -- lets us know.
16 (19) Hornets 39-43 No one knows for sure what sort of support awaits the Hornets in their full-time return to the Crescent City, but a return to the playoffs sounds realistic if they can find some consistent health there.
17 (27) Bucks 28-54 The Bucks were busier than most teams over the summer and spent a lot more than they usually do. So Sen. Kohl will inevitably demand big things from the team GM Larry Harris has assembled, starting with the Big Yi.
18 (20) Bobcats 33-49 Sam Vincent might be facing an unusual amount of pressure for a rookie coach if the guy who hired him (Michael Something or Other) shares the growing belief that the Bobs, in Year 4, should make a real playoff push.
19 (14) Lakers 42-40 Confidence in Lakerland is high that Kobe will indeed attend all of training camp. The mere fact that was ever in doubt, though, lets you know how turbulent this season is bound to be for the Zen Men.
20 (8) Heat 44-38 It's probably not encouraging that Riles -- who recently gave himself 'an F' for Miami's lack of offseason upgrades to a brittle roster -- responded testily last week to questions about Wade and Shaq's health.
21 (30) Grizzlies 22-60 Losing 60 games must have been a torturous farewell for Jerry West, but the Grizz have found credibility without The Logo faster than anyone expected after hiring Iavaroni and a flurry of summer improvements.
22 (24) SuperSonics 31-51 Blanket coverage of the team's uncertain future in the Pacific Northwest can only help Durant. He'll undoubtedly welcome focus on other matters given how much he and his young team figures to struggle in Year 1.
23 (23) Trail Blazers 32-50 Don't know that this will provide much consolation for devastated Blazermaniacs, but we've been assured Greg Oden will be eligible to win Rookie of the Year in the 2008-09 season if he sits out all of this season.
24 (25) Knicks 33-49 The new season begins with Balkman freshly injured and Isiah corralled in a Manhattan courtroom instead of introducing Zach Randolph at media day. It's a calamitous start, even by Knicks standards.
25 (22) Kings 33-49 We repeat: Sacramento's turn-of-the-century rise from perennial doormat to title contender was a fairy tale, but rebuilding this castle -- nearly three years after exiling Webber -- is proving a much tougher job.
26 (28) Hawks 30-52 The Hawks have a new logo, color scheme and pair of hot rookies. But Hawks Fever isn't exactly rampant when they've also inherited the league's longest playoff drought, at eight seasons and counting.
27 (17) 76ers 35-47 Philly's first full season AAI (After Allen Iverson) begins with numerous question marks. The biggest of those: Do you see a core on the roster worth building around? Without a clear-cut franchise player, not yet.
28 (16) Clippers 40-42 If the injured Elton Brand is right about what the teammates he's left behind can do, this ranking and zillions of skeptics are all wrong: 'You tell us we suck? Well, they're going to show you that we don't.'
29 (21) Pacers 35-47 Why do we keep dredging up the melee in Detroit? Because that turning point in Pacers history happened in the fall of 2004, but things in Pacerland are getting progressively worse nearly three years later. Not better.
30 (26) Timberwolves 32-50 You suspect that Mr. McHale won't mind starting Life After KG with what has to be the most faraway training camp in NBA history. Can't imagine he'll encounter too many disgruntled Wolves fans in Turkey.

Posted by MS:

2007-08 Power Rankings: Training Camp
RANK (LAST WK) TEAM REC. COMMENT
1 (2) Spurs 58-24 Is this the season, after three titles in five seasons, San Antonio finally goes back-to-back? Here's what we do know for sure: Defending champs always start up here with the committee, even if they never repeat.
2 (29) Celtics 24-58 Sobering fact: No team with three 20-point scorers has ever won it all. But all Boston has to do is get to the Finals to meet expectations, which (again) is very plausible now after the NBA's most spectacular offseason.
3 (3) Suns 61-21 A trade demand on the eve of camp from someone of Marion's stature would normally lead to a bigger rankings slide. But Phoenix has years of practice dealing with (and winning in spite of) a mopey Matrix.
4 (5) Rockets 52-30 No West team did more to help itself over the summer. But championship material? We're starting to hear such chatter, which seems a tad premature until T-Mac and Yao win a playoff series together. Agreed?
5 (7) Pistons 53-29 Maybe we're in the minority, but the committee keeps looking at a roster that wasn't blown up as many expected and keeps seeing the best Pistons team -- at least on paper -- since the squad that won it all in 2004.
6 (1) Mavericks 67-15 Dallas isn't starting so low because its season for the ages ended in first-round humiliation. Dallas is down here because it has to prove it can rebound from two extraordinarily painful playoff implosions in a row.
7 (12) Cavaliers 50-32 It's one thing to make zero changes to the roster, but now Varejao and Pavlovic don't plan to come to camp. In other words, "Saturday Night Live" was likely the last time you'll see LeBron smile for a while.
8 (10) Jazz 51-31 The major doubt is not whether Utah has the talent to repeat last season's various breakthroughs. It's whether Utah will have the togetherness, after a trade demand from Kirilenko far more unsettling than Marion's.
9 (11) Warriors 42-40 As if the prospect of training camp in Hawaii isn't appealing enough, Golden State will have the unexpected privilege of claiming the brighter outlook of the two California teams based in the land of the luau. Sorry, Lakers.
10 (4) Bulls 49-33 The Bulls are on the short list of favorites to win the East, but you have to wonder -- given their inability to trade for KG or Pau -- how much they're second-guessing themselves for letting Tyson Chandler go.
11 (9) Nuggets 45-37 We didn't remember this at first, either, but the Iverson-and-Melo Nuggets were 10-1 in April. So maybe they were right to tweak minimally in the offseason, saving the spotlight for K-Mart's mountain of a comeback.
12 (6) Raptors 47-35 J-Kidd recently decreed that Raps, as defending division champs, deserve Team To Beat status in the Atlantic. They'd settle for second place and a return to the playoffs, honestly, but welcome the rare props.
13 (15) Magic 40-42 No team from last season's eight playoff qualifiers in the East did more in the offseason than Orlando. Yet you'd struggle to find anyone picking newcomers Rashard and SVG to lift D-Howard into the elite just yet.
14 (13) Nets 41-41 The suspicion here remains that the Nets have a better shot than anyone at eventually trading for Jermaine O'Neal. In the interim, they'll settle for a smooth return for Krstic and a resurrected Magloire.
15 (18) Wizards 41-41 He's an Internet legend with his blogs, interviews and quirks. He's also the new NBA Live video-game cover boy. But is he a leader? Maybe this is the season Arenas -- in his contract year -- lets us know.
16 (19) Hornets 39-43 No one knows for sure what sort of support awaits the Hornets in their full-time return to the Crescent City, but a return to the playoffs sounds realistic if they can find some consistent health there.
17 (27) Bucks 28-54 The Bucks were busier than most teams over the summer and spent a lot more than they usually do. So Sen. Kohl will inevitably demand big things from the team GM Larry Harris has assembled, starting with the Big Yi.
18 (20) Bobcats 33-49 Sam Vincent might be facing an unusual amount of pressure for a rookie coach if the guy who hired him (Michael Something or Other) shares the growing belief that the Bobs, in Year 4, should make a real playoff push.
19 (14) Lakers 42-40 Confidence in Lakerland is high that Kobe will indeed attend all of training camp. The mere fact that was ever in doubt, though, lets you know how turbulent this season is bound to be for the Zen Men.
20 (8) Heat 44-38 It's probably not encouraging that Riles -- who recently gave himself 'an F' for Miami's lack of offseason upgrades to a brittle roster -- responded testily last week to questions about Wade and Shaq's health.
21 (30) Grizzlies 22-60 Losing 60 games must have been a torturous farewell for Jerry West, but the Grizz have found credibility without The Logo faster than anyone expected after hiring Iavaroni and a flurry of summer improvements.
22 (24) SuperSonics 31-51 Blanket coverage of the team's uncertain future in the Pacific Northwest can only help Durant. He'll undoubtedly welcome focus on other matters given how much he and his young team figures to struggle in Year 1.
23 (23) Trail Blazers 32-50 Don't know that this will provide much consolation for devastated Blazermaniacs, but we've been assured Greg Oden will be eligible to win Rookie of the Year in the 2008-09 season if he sits out all of this season.
24 (25) Knicks 33-49 The new season begins with Balkman freshly injured and Isiah corralled in a Manhattan courtroom instead of introducing Zach Randolph at media day. It's a calamitous start, even by Knicks standards.
25 (22) Kings 33-49 We repeat: Sacramento's turn-of-the-century rise from perennial doormat to title contender was a fairy tale, but rebuilding this castle -- nearly three years after exiling Webber -- is proving a much tougher job.
26 (28) Hawks 30-52 The Hawks have a new logo, color scheme and pair of hot rookies. But Hawks Fever isn't exactly rampant when they've also inherited the league's longest playoff drought, at eight seasons and counting.
27 (17) 76ers 35-47 Philly's first full season AAI (After Allen Iverson) begins with numerous question marks. The biggest of those: Do you see a core on the roster worth building around? Without a clear-cut franchise player, not yet.
28 (16) Clippers 40-42 If the injured Elton Brand is right about what the teammates he's left behind can do, this ranking and zillions of skeptics are all wrong: 'You tell us we suck? Well, they're going to show you that we don't.'
29 (21) Pacers 35-47 Why do we keep dredging up the melee in Detroit? Because that turning point in Pacers history happened in the fall of 2004, but things in Pacerland are getting progressively worse nearly three years later. Not better.
30 (26) Timberwolves 32-50 You suspect that Mr. McHale won't mind starting Life After KG with what has to be the most faraway training camp in NBA history. Can't imagine he'll encounter too many disgruntled Wolves fans in Turkey.

They obviously don't know what Curry and Starbury know, that the Knicks should come out of the East and steal a trophy.

ESPN IS HATING ON THE KNICKS AGAIN. THESE JERKS WOULDN'T KNOW TALENT IF IT SLAPPED THEM IN THE FACE! WE GOT ZACH RANDOLPH!!!! A LEFT-HANDED SOUTHPAW SWITCH-HITTER!!!! THE PLAYOFFS ARE A GIVEN!!! WE SHOULD COME OUT OF THE EAST, MAYBE WIN THE WHOLE THING!! GO KNIX!!!

... or something.

They have every right to rank us at 24 until the knicks prover otherwise.

Our talent is way beyond the 24th spot with hardly an abilty to prove that it knows how to blend that talent.

This is how it is, not as we wish it to be. The truth is hateful for this team. Wins and only wins can count, the rest just talk!

so we're one of the worse teams in the league because balkman's going to miss a month, and isiah did'nt introduce zach? i did'nt know poor zach was that sensitive.

Posted by Bonn1997:

ESPN has been extremely accurate in their Knick predictions over past seasons.

Yeah I'm not saying they are right this year but for all the times we say that they hate on us, in the end they have been dead on accurate.

We are better than 24. What sets this team back is the lack of balance.

If Curry & Randolph are going to be the frontcourt then around them need to be outside shooters to provide them space as they colapse the middle. Marbury has proven he can't run a 5 man offense, and also isn't a good post passer. He is a great 2 man player preferably with the PF though. I say his role this season should be be that of a spot up 3pt shooter like he did at the end of last season. Isiah should throw in plenty of pick and roll plays for Marbury & Randolph to throw at opponents. Marbury should also focus on his perimeter defense and stopping penitration. As for Crawford Ive lost confidence in him for this team. He would be a better fit for an uptempo fast break type of system.

Starting lineup will have to be Marbury-Crawford-Richardson-Randolph-Curry.
The bench would have to be Collins-Nate-Jefferies(until balk returns)-Lee-Morris. When Balk returns Jefferies probably mans the backup center spot. Unless Morris has a great camp. If Richardson goes down we will be in trouble for the fact that we lack shooters to spread the floor at SF. Balkman, Lee, Jefferies aren't good shooters. I doubt Isiah give Chandler time over those players.

I would go with the rotation of Marbury-Crawford-Richardson-Randolph-Curry-Lee-Balkman-Nate-Collins. If Richardson goes down then Chandler whould get burn over Jefferies for the fact that he can shoot way better. Id have the first unit run post up offense. With the 2nd unit running an uptempo offense. For that I would sub Curry for Lee & Marbury for Collins or Nate. Id move Randolph to center. Of course Nichols & Chandler will battle Nate & Collins for rotation time in camp. But I would expect Nate & Collins to beat them out.

Cuts wise I would cut James & Malik. Only hold Jones to see what his expiring deal could get me.

Posted by EnySpree:

Enough is enough with this nonsense. They have the supersonics and portland ranked higher than the knicks? Come on man that's some dirty **** right there.

The knicks are gonna rock the league next year. The time is now. Isiah got something for everybodies ass. Espn = everlasting suckage of the penis and nuts.

Go knicks! Don't let me down (again)!

Right on call.

Seriously, can you blame anyone for underestimating the Knicks? They've underachieved for at least six years in a row. I think the majority is expecting the Zach Randolph acquisition to be a disaster where Zach is arrested/fined repeatedly/suspended/waived and the team chemistry goes to hell. Can you really blame anyone for expecting this? The Knicks are the laughing stock of the league until they prove something on the court.

Granted that we have the future international greatest point guard to ever live in Marbury, ...

24 (25) Knicks 33-49 The new season begins with Balkman freshly injured and Isiah corralled in a Manhattan courtroom instead of introducing Zach Randolph at media day. It's a calamitous start, even by Knicks standards.

Like I said, it's not basketball anymore.

Posted by EnySpree:

Enough is enough with this nonsense. They have the supersonics and portland ranked higher than the knicks? Come on man that's some dirty **** right there.

The knicks are gonna rock the league next year. The time is now. Isiah got something for everybodies ass. Espn = everlasting suckage of the penis and nuts.

Go knicks! Don't let me down (again)!

Your not even sure of your self, of what your saying judging from that last sentance. This is hallarious!

Now all of the Isiah & suckbury lovers are on thier knees begging 'please help us'. A few of us saw this crap coming from a mile away and it sort of hurts to be right. I'll let you's know when we one day have a chance, when we have a real bonified team.

I don't care how much losing we've done, no self respecting basketball man should ever put Portland and Seattle ahead of this Knicks team. I mean COME ON!!! How can you make a case for that? It doesn't mean anything, but it's just stupid to make that kind of assessment, which defies any logic.