Nosebleeds: Midseason Power Rankings

It’s been a while since our last piece, so we will quickly catch up on some of the biggest storylines before we power rank the top five teams in the NBA. Just call it your Winter Break CliffsNotes.

The Atlanta Hawks Rise to Power

Jacob Durst: Who saw the Hawks coming? At the time I’m writing this, the Hawks have rattled off 13 straight, along with an insane 28 game stretch of 26-2. They might be the best team in the league, or at least they are coached like it. Atlanta Hawks Head Coach Mike Budenholzer has to be the favorite for coach of the year. The only other reasonable candidate is Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors, but he has much more talent at his disposal. I’m already looking forward to the Hawks-Warriors finals in June.

Nathan Janick: For the record, I do not think this match-up will be the Finals. These two teams are playing the best basketball in the NBA right now, but the Finals are not won in January.

The Release of Josh Smith and the Rise of the Pistons

NJ: There is addition by subtraction and then there is what happened with the Pistons. The Pistons preformed what is called addition by subtraction of $26 million. Disappointing results in the win-loss column and even more disappointing shot selection has marked Josh Smith’s time in Detroit. The Pistons chose to cut him and pay him the $26 million left on his contract instead of trying to trade him, which would have required them to give up at least one first round pick. While this decision has left experts and executives puzzled around the league for the cost they were paying him to just go away, the Pistons won the first seven games and have gone 11-3 after his release. This team went from contending for the worst record in the NBA to contending for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference.

JD: To be fair, that’s not much of a difference.

The Wild, Wild West

JD: The West continues to beat up on the East when they play each other and, to be frank, outside of the Hawks I don’t know if the East stands a chance. The Golden State Warriors are by far the best team in the league, and once you include the Hawks, I wouldn’t put another East team in the top nine. As of right now, three games separate the third seed Portland Trail Blazers from the sixth seed LA Clippers. Only 10 games separate the first seed Warriors from the eighth seed Phoenix Suns, not to mention the fact that the Oklahoma City Thunder might not even make the playoffs due to a series of early injuries to Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. James Harden is playing like the best player in the league, and the MVP at the end of this year will be him or Stephen Curry. All I know is that there is going to be some really entertaining basketball when playoff time rolls around out West.

It’s still too early ... IT’S TIME TO PANIC IN CLEVELAND!

NJ: The idea that LeBron James could instantly turn Cleveland into a title contender turned out to be a farce. The team was major steps away from contending for a title before their center, Anderson Varejao, went down for the season with a torn Achilles. Then, they traded away Dion Waiters and ended up receiving J.R. Smith, Iman Shumpert and Timofey Mozgov from the Dion Waiters trade and another trade. Then, LeBron took two weeks off to rest and treat various injuries and the team responded by going 1-7. The Cavs have gone 3-1 since LeBron’s return, but the major issues still remain. Kevin Love has struggled, especially on defense, without a big man to play with who can take much of the physical load on the inside of the court. LeBron, who has reportedly been acting as Cleveland’s General Manager, is likely already looking into the off-season because his third ring appears to be out of reach, at least for another season. Almost 200 words and I haven’t even mentioned that reports say all the players want the organization to fire their coach David Blatt ... Yeah, it’s time to panic in Cleveland.

Midseason Power Rankings

1. Golden State Warriors

NJ: Number one seed right now in the Western Conference. That sums up why they are here.

2. Atlanta Hawks

JD: Best team in the East by far. I fully expect them to run away with the East. They’re the only team in the East that’s held its own against the West.

3. Portland Trail Blazers

NJ: Damian Lillard appears to be making a leap this year and is becoming an elite NBA point guard. We doubted their bench in our NBA preview but it has preformed well during the first half of the season.

4. Houston Rockets

JD: We could have put Dallas or Memphis here, but when in doubt, you have to go with the team with the best player, and right now that’s James Harden.

5./6. Dallas Mavericks and Memphis Grizzlies

NJ: Both Dallas and Memphis have added key offensive players through trades with the additions of Rajon Rondo and Jeff Green, respectively. Dallas is one of the best offensive teams in the league and Memphis is one of the best defensive teams, and both teams have strong veteran leadership that will be invaluable in the incredibly competitive Western Conference playoffs.

7. San Antonio Spurs

JD: You can never count out Tim Duncan and Pop. They’re 8-2 over their last 10 and showing no signs of slowing down.

8. Washington Wizards

NJ: I really liked this team in our NBA preview and now that everyone is healthy, they have proven to be legitimate contenders to make the NBA Finals. Paul Pierce has proven to be one of the best offseason acquisitions and the backcourt of John Wall and Bradley Beal is one of the best in the NBA.

9. Oklahoma City Thunder

JD: Say what you will about when Durant and Russell Westbrook were injured. The Thunder is back and as good as ever, and will likely cause problems for the first seed Warriors in the playoffs.

10. LA Clippers

NJ: This team, while frustrating to watch at times, is one of the most talented teams in the NBA. This team is one injury to Blake Griffin or Chris Paul away from missing the playoffs, but they could also make a push towards a top three seed in the Western Conference if they continue to figure things out on both ends of the floor.

 

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