http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/powerranking?season=2006&week=-1

1 (3) Spurs 59-23 The committee loves it when someone makes it this easy. It doesn't get much easier than putting the champs up here after they added Finley, Van Exel and Oberto at bargain prices.
2 (5) Pistons 54-28 You could argue that Larry Brown's departure should result in a steeper drop. Then you might recall that we're talking about defiant Detroit, which rallies around such causes.
3 (1) Suns 62-20 People seem to forget that these guys beat Dallas in the second round without Joe Johnson and with no bench. Now they have a bench (a good one) and still have two MVP candidates (Nash and Amare).
4 (15) Pacers 44-38 Ron-Ron reinstated. J. O'Neal healed. Uncle Reg retired ... but replaced by our man Saras Jasikevicius. In other words, you shouldn't be surprised to see Indy back among the elite.
5 (6) Heat 59-23 If all the new, uh, personalities click, Riles wins Executive of the Year and we eat crow. Stan VG, meanwhile, wins Coach of the Year if he can last the whole season.
6 (7) Rockets 51-31 Yao had his first-ever restful summer and now has the athletic frontcourt sidekick (Swift) he needed as much as rest. Rockets thus move to the brink of the elite, in spite of the Sura situation.
7 (4) Nuggets 49-33 Furious George can't expect to go 32-8 every 40 games with Denver, but Nuggets don't strike us as fluke material. Especially not if K-Mart rebounds from his knee woes and Camby stays healthy.
8 (2) Mavericks 58-24 With their Big Three down to a Big One, Mavs weren't an automatic top-10 selection. But they're here out of respect for Nowitzki, since he somehow led essentially the same team to 58 wins last season.
9 (20) Cavaliers 42-40 There are several newcomers to track -- Hughes, Donyell, D-Jones and Ferry -- but let's face it: LBJ and his quest to finally make the playoffs remain the overwhelming focus.
10 (12) Kings 50-32 The additions of Bonzi and Reef look like trademark Petrie scores. But the moves slam home the idea that Kings, as we knew them, are a memory.
11 (11) Grizzlies 45-37 Grizz might indeed be at risk for slipping out of the West's top eight, as stated in Wednesday's chat. Then again, they might not slip at all after dumping all the unhappy souls (Bonzi, J-Will, Swift and Posey) for the good of team chemistry.
12 (13) Nets 42-40 They're perhaps deeper than they've ever been in the J-Kidd Era, but so is the top of the East. Nets will have to settle for battling Cavs for the No. 4 seed.
13 (17) Warriors 34-48 Everyone seems to be picking Warriors to end their decade-long playoff drought at last. Of course, that only increases the pressure on GS to finally do so.
14 (16) Wizards 45-37 Wiz won't be as dynamic as they were with Hughes, but they're deeper. Which is enough to retain their playoff ticket in the East.
15 (23) Bucks 30-52 Larry Harris had a summer to rival that of any GM in the league. All the moves should ease the burden on Bogut and take Bucks back to the playoffs.
16 (25) Lakers 34-48 Don't ask for an explanation, because you can't find one looking at Kobe's roster. Basically our respect for the Zenmeister is such that we expect L.A. to push for the No. 8 seed. Somehow.
17 (24) Knicks 33-49 The bottom of the East's playoff ladder is more wide-open than the bottom of the West's ... meaning Larry has a much better chance than Phil of turning his turnoff roster into a No. 8 seed.
18 (8) SuperSonics 52-30 Asked in a chat to name West playoff teams at risk for dropping out of the top eight, we somehow forgot to mention Seattle and what's left of its Cinderella squad. It's preseason for the committee, too.
19 (19) Timberwolves 44-38 Word is KG has bulked up a bit, but his readiness has never been a worry. The concern is that his new supporting cast , while certainly more coachable, doesn't exactly scream "playoffs."
20 (9) Bulls 47-35 Bulls were a big-time surprise in '04-05. It'll be a bigger surprise if they can top that run in '05-06, with the surprise factor gone and the Curry cloud to contend with.
21 (10) Celtics 45-37 Maybe Celts should be higher. But betting men (and women) will favor a Paul Pierce trade between now and February over the notion that Ainge's toddlers will be playoff-ready come April.
22 (14) 76ers 43-39 This is one of the few places where the Webber-Iverson partnership still gets a chance. Yet we don't deny that the grace period is running out.
23 (27) Jazz 26-56 Instinct says a Jerry Sloan team can't have another season like the last one down here. Then again, Sloan's Jazz have never had a season like that one, so who knows how they'll respond?
24 (22) Magic 36-46 Even with a (relatively) healthy Grant Hill and a reasonable Amare facsimile (Dwight Howard), Magic still look like a playoff maybe. It all depends which Stevie Franchise they get, and we're skeptical.
25 (18) Clippers 37-45 On paper, Clips look as though they have the starters to beat the Lakers to the Staples Center title again. It all depends which Cassell they get, and we're skeptical.
26 (26) Trail Blazers 27-55 Seattle undoubtedly will miss Mr. Sonic, but McMillan is bound to pine for the fairy-tale feel of last season after a couple of months nursing Portland's kiddie corps.
27 (30) Hawks 13-69 Go ahead. Admit it. The whole Joe Johnson-Steve Belkin saga will tempt you to follow the Hawks more closely than you ever have.
28 (28) Bobcats 18-64 Bobcats far exceeded expectations with last season's win total. Now they have two Tar Heels (Felton and May) to distract the locals in case they can't overachieve again.
29 (29) Hornets 18-64 It doesn't feel right to be talking about basketball in the same sentence with New Orleans, but the harsh reality is that Hornets will be shown no mercy in a conference where there are so many playoff-worthy teams.
30 (21) Raptors 33-49 If we were ranking our favorite NBA cities, Toronto would be tops. But we're ranking teams, and this one starts the season with even the under-fire GM forecasting gloom.

I had predicted 46 wins and I still feel the same way. I think people are underestimating the talent we have and how it will work under LB's direction. Had he been here last year we would have been in the Playoffs. I just think some guys know how to get a team to perform at a high level of efficiency and when you limit mistakes and wasted possessions and also increase the attention to the defensive end, it totally changes the success rate of a team. Even a mediocre team like the Knicks were last year.

IMHO, I think we actually should be ahead of the Bucks on that list. I expect them to be improved but I think we'll be just a little better than them.

when do the grizzlies move to the east?