NBA Power Rankings week 2

Knicks take top spot, Mavs drop, Wizards are who we thought they were.

1. New York Knicks 5-0 (#2 last week 3-0)
An easy week of just two games in the last week has kept the Knicks on this amazing run to open the season. Their best opening since the 93-94 season when the Knicks made it to the Finals. Too early to say that history will repeat itself, but Knick fans can hope.

2. San Antonio Spurs 7-1 (#4 last week 4-1)
Spurs continue to be a great regular season team with yet another great start to the season. Two tough close victories against the Trailblazers & Lakers have the Spurs ranked second this week.

3. Memphis Grizzlies 6-1 (#5 last week 3-1)
A runaway win against the Miami Heat followed by a double digit win on national T.V. against the Thunder has the Grizzlies up to 3rd place. No O.J. Mayo, no problem. Insert Wayne Ellington & Quincy Pointdexter. No, seriously!

4. Los Angeles Clippers 6-2 (#8 last week 3-2)
Jamal Crawford, who looked so lost last year with Portland, has found his "swagger" (as the kids say) and it's showing. Crawford is leading the Clippers in scoring off the bench with 20.5 ppg while shooting over 51% from the field. Tough week ahead for the Clippers tho

5. Miami Heat 6-3 (#1 last week 4-1)
After opening the season winning 5 of their first 6 games, the Heat have lost 2 of the last 3 including a blow-out to the Grizzlies. Dwayne Wade sprained his left foot against the Rockets & has struggled since then including a miserable 2-10 fg, 5 turnover performance last night in a loss to the Clippers.

6. Oklahoma Thunder 6-3 (#13 last week 2-2)
Since starting the season at .500, the Thunder have won 4 of their last 5. While two of those wins came against the lowly Detroit Pistons, the Thunder are back in the top 4 in the Western conference. Keep an eye on Russell Westbrook who's currently shooting 39% & his worst scoring average (19 ppg) since his second year in the league (16.1). Westbrook must get his game back together as they approach the first quarter of the season, the 20 game mark.

7. Boston Celtics 5-3 (#12 last week 2-2)
Celtics won 3 of the 4 games they played last week including avenging their loss to the Milwaukee Bucks the week before. However Rondo rolled his ankle in last night's win vs the Jazz. As of now, Rondo has been listed as "day to day", we shall see.

8. Milwaukee Bucks 5-2 (#11 last week 2-1)
An exciting backcourt of Monte Ellis & Brandon Jennings have kept the Bucks achieving more this season than most expected. While still early in the season, Monte has exploded for 32 pts (vs Celtics) & Jennings for 33 (vs 76ers) & the Bucks are worth watching again. Catch them when you can. Ignore Coach Scott Skiles mean glare, he's always like that

9. Brooklyn Nets 4-2 (#26 last week 1-2)
After an unimpressive start as the Brooklyn Nets, the chants of "BROOOOKKLYN" can now be heard as the the Nets have won 3 games straight. While the opponents they faced were not of the highest caliber (Magic twice, Cavs), it's always important to start off the season strong. Especially with so much hype as the Nets have received in their new digs.

 10. Chicago Bulls 5-3 (#6 last week 2-1)
Joakim Noah is healthy and wants to remind everyone that he is one of the best power forward/centers who's name does not come up enough but should! With 4 double-doubles out of 8 games so far, Noah has been an important piece for the Bulls as they wait for the return of Derrick Rose. Gotta love Noah's floppy, long hair too!

11. Minnesota Timberwolves 5-3 (#7 last week 2-1)
Whoever's plunging pins into voodoo doll versions of the Timberwolves, please stop. The 'Wolves continue to play well despite starting the season without Kevin Love & Ricky Rubio. Eight games into the season the Wolves have now lost Chase Budinger for 3-4 months, as well as Brandon Roy, Nikola Pekovic  & J.J. Barea who have all missed games due to injury. Ouch

12. Charlotte Bobcats 4-3 (#25 last week 1-2)
Were the Mayans right about this being the end of the world? I'm not sure if they follow the  NBA, but if they did the Bobcats going 3-1 this past week would probably be one of the signs. Victories against the Mavericks & Timberwolves have put the Bobcats on the radar again & owner Michael Jordan glad he doesn't have to come out of retirement.....again.

13. Dallas Mavericks 5-4 (#4 last week 4-1)
"It was all good just a week ago" is a line from a classic Jay Z song & fits the Mavericks perfectly. After a strong start, tho against weak opponents, the past week was a disaster. Losing 3 of 4 with the only victory coming against the win-less Washington Wizards. Dirk, come back soon!

14. Golden State Warriors 4-4 (#9 last week 3-2)
After starting off the season 6th in the league in scoring, the Warriors have dropped to 21st & the next four games on the schedule could have them falling way below .500 if they can't get the scoring back up soon.

15. Denver Nuggets 4-4 (#19 last week 2-3)
Denver won 2 of the 3 games they played this past week and not surprisingly , Kenneth Faried had double-doubles in all three games. A strong performance from the whole team will be needed this coming week as they have 4 tough games starting with the Heat tonight.

16. Philadelphia 76ers 4-4 (#14 last week 2-2)
Philly continues to maintain at .500 as they hope to get Bynum back, but with recent reports suggesting that Bynum will not be back till January 2013 , it's looking grim.

17. Houston Rockets 4-4 (#16 last week 2-2)
There's been no sign of "Linsanity" thus far in Houston as Jeremy Lin struggles more and more with each game. In the last 3 games, Lin hasn't even broken double-digits in scoring, including a pathetic 2-10 in a win last night to the mediocre Hornets. Harden has picked up his shooting again tho he is shooting a miserable 2-13 from the 3pt line in his last two games combined. Maybe "Linsanity" just hasn't been unpacked yet since arriving in Houston. Better hope so

18. New Orleans Hornets  3-3 (#17 last week 2-2)
26th in scoring (89.5 ppg) & yet 3rd in points allowed (89.5) explains how a team who can't score is still at .500 . Four games this coming week including the Knicks and Thunder will test how long they can last with great defense & paltry offense.

19. Phoenix Suns 4-5 (#22 last week 2-3)
Despite being 8th in scoring (99 ppg) the Suns are under .500, why? They're second to last in points allowed (104 ppg). Newly signed point guard Goran Dragic has had a nice season thus far with 16.1 ppg & 7.2 assists.

20. Utah Jazz 4-5 (#20 last week 2-3)
A team with two talented post scorers who avg double-doubles in Al Jeffereson & Paul Milsap should be better than 4-5, but I still believe the Jazz will end up making the playoffs. Mo Williams has done a nice job, they are right on the edge of breaking through.

21. Atlanta Hawks 3-4 (#10 last week 2-1)
General Manager Danny Ferry blew up the Hawks roster by getting rid of Joe Johnson and Marvin Williams, while waiting to see how summer of 2013 works out for them in free agency with all the salary cap that will be available for the Hawks. However, it's still Fall & 2012 where the Hawks have lost 3 of their last 4 games while not breaking 100 pts in any of those games. Long way to Summer.

22. Los Angeles Lakers 3-5 (#27 last week 1-4)
After losing their coach, Mike Brown, & while awaiting for their new coach, Mike D'Antoni, the Lakers have won 2 of their last 3 games. In reality, they had a chance to win their game against the Spurs, but Pau Gasol ended up taking a 3 pointer with no time left...........Hurry up Coach!

23. Portland Trailblazers 3-5 (#15 last week 2-2)
Giving up 101 points a game will get you under .500 every time

24. Indiana Pacers 3-6 (#21 last week 2-3)
With Danny Granger out for three months & Paul George yet to step up as a scorer, it's not looking good for Indiana after showing so much promise during last  year's playoff run.

25. Orlando Magic 2-5 (#18 last week 2-2)
The Magic have seen enough of teams from the tri-state area after last week. Two losses to the Nets & a loss to the Knicks has them falling fast.

26. Cleveland Cavaliers 2-6 (#24 last week 2-3)
Despite Anderson Varejao's effort (15.9 ppg & 13.7 reb), the Cavs lost three games straight & don't look like they will be getting any better anytime soon.

27. Sacramento Kings 2-6 (#23 last week 2-3)
The Kings have only broken a 100 points once thus far. That's probably all you need to know

28. Toronto Raptors 2-6 (#28 last week 1-4)
Not having Kyle Lowry the last four games has really taken the air out of the Raptors. Demar DeRozan has had a nice breakout season

29. Detroit Pistons 1-8 (#30 0-5 last week)

It's still cold in the D

30. Washington Wizards 0-7 (#29 0-3)
The most excitement in Washington was the presidential election.......other than that.

Deja Vu all over again: Mike D'Antoni hired as head coach for the Lakers

I can't really say too much about this cause a legendary Laker by the name of Magic Johnson (ya may have heard of him) said it best to ESPNLA.COM. But to sum up , this is the main quote that matters:

"I don’t feel Mike D’Antoni is the right coach for the Lakers. Especially when you have Phil Jackson sitting out there, who wanted to be the Laker coach." ~ Magic Johnson


The Lakers danced with Phil Jackson for a few days & by most reports it seemed that "the Lakers organization had concluded Jackson was the best -- and perhaps only -- choice to take over the star-laden roster with the hope it will fulfill its championship potential." 
However, 11 championship rings, including 5 with the Lakers, were not enough for L.A. Lakers owner Jerry Buss as apparently wanted "SHOWTIME" back---or something closely resembling it !



Phil Jackson hasn't made a formal statement , however I'm confident it looks like this

Mike Brown Fired after 5 games: should he be mad?

Well, after taking a team with the highest payroll in the league, the best Center in the league, an all time legend at shooting guard & a solid roster to a record of 1-4,  Mike Brown has been fired as coach of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Really if you were paying attention , you could see this coming. Espn's Marc Stein had already reported that the upcoming 6 game home stand could determine whether or not Mike Brown would still have a job depending on how the Lakers came out of those 6 games. This was reported on November 9th in the afternoon & by the of that same day, Mike Brown was relieved of his coaching duties.

Mike Brown's strong point is defense and the Lakers were simply terrible. Allowing 3 of the first 5 teams they faced to score at least 100 points & every opponent shooting at least 45% against them.

The only team the Lakers were able to beat were the lowly Detroit Pistons who were on their way to starting the season 1-9 with their first win coming last night against the Philadelphia 76er's.

In the end Mike Brown was just the wrong man for the job. While 71 games (66 last year & the 5 he coached this year) isn't even a season's worth of games, the writing was on the wall. While the Lakers did win their division last year and obtain the 3rd best record in the Western conference, They took 7 games to beat the Denver Nuggets followed by a throttling from the Oklahoma Thunder.

Let us not weep for Mike Brown as he is still getting paid $11 million dollars for the last 3 years of his contract & by all reports is ok as he was seen enjoying some Chick-fil-a after being fired & taking pics with a fan.

NBA Power Rankings Week 1

1.Miami Heat (4-1)

The Celtics are considered the best bet to meet the Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals. However, the Heat put them away rather easily on their opening night. The next game was against the New York Knicks which was the team that Heat put away in the playoffs rather easily in the first round, the Heat lost. Overall, though after five games the Heat look strong with Ray Allen already shooting just under 60% from not only the field , but the 3 point line as well! Yikes

2. New York Knicks (3-0)

What if I told you the Knicks added five new players who were 35 and older, didn’t have Amar’e Stoudemire & are undefeated for the first time since the 1999-2000 season (ended the season 50-32 & third in the conference) would you believe me? Well, they are. Strong defense, great passing & Carmelo leading by example has really made the difference. Let’s see if it holds up though….

3.San Antonio Spurs (4-1)

As far as we know, the sun will come out tomorrow, the USA still has Barack as president for the next 4 years & the Spurs are a team that will get the job done all season long. Doesn’t matter if they are getting older, injured or whatever may happen, this team will have a winning season. However, the playoffs have shown a different story. Till then, Spurs are still a team to not take lightly at all.

4. Dallas Mavericks (4-1)

Owner Mark Cuban envisioned opening this season with either Deron Williams or Dwight Howard in a Mavs uniform, perhaps even both! However, it was not to be , but the Mavs kept working the phones. They added a great young guard in O.J. Mayo, a nice point guard in Darren Collison & other fine pieces with Elton Brand, Chris Kaman among others. With Dirk Nowitzki out till about mid-December after knee surgery, the Mavs have been an early surprise. Having the Bobcats & Raptors early in the schedule kind of helped, ya think?

5. Memphis Grizzlies (3-1)

An easy first week has helped the Grizz get to a good start though we must give credit as not all teams beat the teams they’re “supposed to win”. The Grizzlies are fourth overall in scoring with a defense that ranks 10^th overall. A nice start, but upcoming games against the Knicks, Heat & Thunder will give us a better idea of what this team is about.

6.Chicago Bulls (3-1)

No Derrick Rose? No problem! While the Bulls have also been given an easy start to the year, you can’t help but think they deserve it. Starting off the year with Kirk Hinrich at the point instead of their top 5 player is not the best feeling. However, the Bulls are forging ahead. With the Thunder, T-Wolves & Celtics in the next week, we will see how this team holds up.

7. Minnesota Timberwolves (3-1)

Other than a mind-boggling blow out loss to the Raptors, the Wolves have looked solid. An easy first week with victories over teams like the Kings & Magic have them sitting on top of the Northwest division. Time & some tougher competition against the Bulls & Mavericks this week will tell us more about this team.

8. Los Angeles Clippers (3-2)

The Clippers continue to be a real tease for any NBA fan. They have one of the best, if not the best, point guards running their team, an exciting franchise player in Blake Griffin, one of the last centers left in the NBA in DeAndre Jordan & added some nice pieces in the off-season with new players Jamal Crawford, Matt Barnes, Grant Hill & Lamar Odom. Yet, they lose to the Cavs & Warriors while giving San Antonio Spurs their first loss. Only the first week, but consistency is the next step for this team.

9. Golden State Warriors (3-2)

Coach Mark Jackson is in year 2 of his coaching career & while the Warriors continue to score (6^th in the league) in a frantic pace, they are actually out-rebounding their opponents. They beat the Clippers then lost to the lowly Sacramento Kings. The Warriors need a good finish to the season, especially Mark Jackson.

10. Atlanta Hawks (2-1)

The Hawks started the season with three tough opponents and ended up with 2 wins. Point guard Jeff Teague continues to show that last season was no fluke as he averages 15 ppg with 6 assists while shooting just under 55%. This coming week has the Clippers and Heat on the agenda, but with the Hawks number one in steals thus far in the season, the Hawks may still be up there on the power rankings for a ling tome to come.


11. Milwaukee Bucks (2-1)

After opening the season with a win on the road against Boston, the Bucks have a 2-1 record in their first week. The question of whether the small backcourt of Brandon Jennings & Monte Ellis can work out for a full season will need about 30 games for a clearer answer. So far, a good start.

12. Boston Celtics (2-2)

The Celtics lost Ray Allen to their hated rival the Miami Heat & despite adding Jason Terry, re-signing a healthy Jeff Green & other pieces added. They are 21^st in scoring (96 ppg) & 23^rd in points allowed (99.8). If not for two wins against the lowly Washington Wizard, they could be lower. They probably should be lower.

13. Oklahoma Thunder

A last second Tony Parker jumper in the opening game against the San Antonio Spurs robbed the Thunder of a chance to win the game in overtime to push their record to 3-1. While it did shock many to see James Harden traded away after a nice run last year to the NBA finals, Harden’s replacement, Kevin Martin, has done a great job so far averaging over 19 ppg while shooting over 60% from the 3 point line. As long as K-Mart can stay healthy the Thunder should have another strong season. 


14. Philadelphia 76er’s (2-2)

Back to back losses to the Knicks still shouldn’t take away from the 76er’s effort to maintain a solid record until Andrew Bynum returns.

15. Portland Trailblazers (2-2)

Rookie Point Guard Damian Lillard has been really impressive to start the season with 19 ppg & 8 ast. His shooting percentage certainly needs to approve, fewer than 41%, & his turnovers are a bit too high (3 to’s), but he’s done a great job thus far.

16. Houston Rockets (2-2)

Newly traded & now 80 million dollar man, James Harden exploded for 82 points in his first 2 games, both wins. However, the party stopped and the Rockets lost their next 2 games with Harden hitting only 13 of 39 shots for a paltry 33%. Jeremy Lin has been solid, but “Linsanity” has yet to emerge. Maybe he didn't unpack it yet.

17. New Orleans Hornets (2-2)

A team with a great foundation, one of the best young coaches in the league & a franchise player in Anthony Davis makes the Hornets future look very bright. For now, injuries are their biggest obstacle. Not the best way to start for a team with young players. They really need time to work on their team chemistry.

18. Orlando Magic (2-2)

Now that Dwight Howard is posing for Hollywood & Ryan Anderson has left for bigger money and a brighter future with the Hornets, the Magic are depleted & headed towards the draft lottery. Second year guard E’Twaun Moore has been a nice surprise in his first year with the Magic averaging around 14 points, 5 rebounds & 4 assists.

19. Denver Nuggets (2-3)

 After opening up with 3 losses, the Nuggets have won their last two games. This team has the deepest roster & with George Karl at the helm to lead them, they should have a solid year. Still have to wonder who takes the last shot during crunch time. 

20. Utah Jazz (2-3)

As the role of the “big man” in the post dwindles down each year with more athletic big men who can shoot, pass and bring up the ball, the Jazz still have the old school big man. Actually, they have THREE! Al Jefferson, Paul Milsap & Derrick Favors all make the Jazz an interesting team to keep an eye on.


21. Indiana Pacers (2-3)
Unfortunately, sharpshooting leading scorer officially out for 3 months as the Pacers announced that Granger had received an injection "to treat left patellar tendinosis". The Pacers have Gerald Green & Paul George to fill those minutes, but it’s going to be a grind till Granger returns.

22. Phoenix Suns (2-3)
With three of the five starters on the Suns in their first year on the team (Michael Beasley, Goran Dragic & Luis Scola) it will take time for them to mesh. There’s a chance the Suns could make some noise, but chemistry always requires time. 77 games enough fellas?

23. Sacramento Kings (2-3)
Lost their first three, won their last two, so that’s something. DeMarcus Cousins is averaging a double-double including a 23pt , 15 rb night in a win against the Warriors. Is Jimmer a star yet?

24. Cleveland Cavaliers (2-3)
A surprise win over the Clippers, point guard Kyrie Irving avg nearly 25 pts per game in this early season and with Anderson Varejao averaging a double-double (14pts/15rbs!!) has given the Cavaliers some hope for this season. It’s going to be tough for Irving & Varejao to maintain this standard, but it’s the Cavs only hope.

25. Charlotte Bobcats (1-2)
With one win in the first week of the season, the Charlotte Bobcats are on their way to breaking last year’s painful franchise-low 7 win season.

26. Brooklyn Nets (1-2)
The Nets are now in Brooklyn. That is all

27. Los Angeles Lakers (1-4)
Imagine a team with Kobe Bryant & Dwight Howard for five games together and they have the worst record in the Western Conference. No need to imagine thus far. 

28. Toronto Raptors (1-4)
Chris Bosh's last year with the Raptors, they won 40 games. In the two years since Bosh left, including the first 5 games of this season, They have won 46 games total. Think about this the next time someone tells you that Chris Bosh is "over-rated"

29.Washington Wizards (0-3)
No Nene. No John Wall. No chance

30. Detroit Pistons (0-5)
It's so cold in the D

Chan-chan-changes

So anything happen while I was away?

That’s sacrasm people, a rhetorical question.  You should be used to it by now!

So hello & welcome to the 2012-2013 NBA season. A full season of 82 games, drama, rumors, surprises, dissapointments & the hope that the Charlotte Bobcats are so bad that Michael Jordan (owner of the Bobcats) & Scottie Pippen throw on some unis and get on the court to JUSTIFY the Charlotte Bobcat’s existence!

There were many trades, signings and so on in the NBA , however with the season already over a week old , it’s best to not focus on that too much.

However, if anyone has opinions on the biggest transactions that went down which were obviously the Lakers trading for Dwight Howard and signing Steve Nash, James Harden getting traded to the Rockets & Andrew Bynum getting his wish of being “the man” in Philadelphia.

Feel free to leave your comment here

Or hit me up on Twitter @NycNbaBlog

Tonight's Knick game: at MSG vs Pacers. (Preview)

Well, now that the afterglow has faded from the Knicks beating up on a team more dysfunctional than they are, the Trailblazers, it's back to reality. Tonight the Knicks face the Indiana Pacers who are on a two game winning streak, including a blow out win over the same hapless Blazers, at MSG and will be a tough match up for the Knicks.

The Pacers (25-16) have had a nice season with impressive wins that have fallen under the radar. They have been a good road team beating the Lakers, Mavericks, Bulls and Timberwolves (with Rubio) without much fanfare around the league. Such is the life for a small-market team.

The Pacers have a diverse set of players that can hurt the Knicks in different ways. From David West & Roy Hibbert and their inside game to outside shooters including three players shooting at least 40% from the three point line (Jones, Collison, George). While Danny Granger has never become the franchise player many thought he would be after back to back seasons with a 25 ppg avg ('09, 10), he's still the Pacers leading scorer at 18 ppg. However, Granger is shooting a career low 40% from the field. To be fair, Granger has played a lot better since the all-star break.

Overall, this looks to be a tough game for the Knicks , who must face them again tomorrow at Indiana, and will be a true test for Woodson's new system especially on defense. If the Knicks, especially the "stars" Stat/Melo, don't put pressure on their shooters, this could get ugly.

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Check Out These Sneakers Coming Soon To A Store Near You

Well , first let me apologize on my lack of updates regarding kicks on this blog. My aggravation towards the Knicks got the better of me, but then I remembered "I HAVE A BLOG, VENT THAT ISH!!"

Let's get back to kicks for a minute! The next few weeks will have a couple of interesting releases coming up. Some I like and some I would like better if they send me a free pair. (Just saying)

Nike Kobe VII (7) System Supreme ‘Year Of The Dragon

Release date: March 17th (tomorrow) 

Price: $180

Interesting colors, I like the design on the back of the kicks. Interesting that you can take out the lining to use as slipper (?). I wouldn't use them as basketball sneakers (I don't like "lows"), but they are unique.

Photo Credit:Sneakerfiles.com

NIKE AIR FOAMPOSITE ONE ELECTROLIME/ELECTROLIME-BLACK 

Release Date: March 17th (tomorrow)

Price: $220

Ah, the Foamposites! How the kiddies love them. Ok , grown men love them too. Me, personally, I like some of their colors, but I like the OG, original versions. Anyway, here we have them in "Electrolime-black". Who comes up with these names? Anyway, it has the funky ridges you always get from a pair of 'Foams in a bright yellow topped off with black topping and a nice clear outsole on the bottom. I like these a lot!

AIR JORDAN 10 “STEALTH”

Release Date: March 24th

Price: $160

How could I post about kicks without a mention of some J's or (for the non-sneakerheads) Air Jordans.

The Jordan Brand has come out with a few different retros of this style including the Chicago 10's. Overall, not bad. All black is always a good thing and the white bottoms add a nice touch. Overall, I think it's a pass. I'm more a fan of the 1's, 5's , 6's and 8's. 

Let me know which pair of kicks you see yourself in or that you are looking forward to.

Follow me on Twiter : @NycNbaBlog