NBA Power Rankings: 1/29/2012

With the NBA season is about a quarter of the way in, now is probably a good time to unveil our first power rankings of the season here at SJO.

30. Charlotte Bobcats (3-18) - The Bobcats are allowing the second-most points in the league (101.1), and outside of Gerald Henderson, lack any perimeter defense. Rookie Kemba Walker (11.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists) is having a good season, and third-year center B.J. Mullens (11.7 points, 5.2 rebounds) is emerging as a scoring option. Charlotte is clearly in rebuilding mode this season.
29. New Orleans Hornets (4-15) - The Chris Paul trade hasn't worked out well for the Hornets, as centerpiece Eric Gordon has only appeared in two games due to a bruised right knee. More concerning for the franchise is that it didn't reach a contract extension with Gordon, who could command big money on the free agent market this summer, though his "restricted" tag could scare teams away.
28. Washington Wizards (4-16) - Management fired head coach Flip Saunders after a 2-15 start to the season, and the team won its first game under interim coach Randy Wittman against the equally bad Bobcats. The team is so bad, the only category it does better than opponents is block shots (+2.5/game).

27. Detroit Pistons (4-17) - The Pistons give up 47.9% shooting to opponents (29th out of 30), and shoot just 42.6% from the field. Sophomore center Greg Monroe (15.2 pts, 9.4 rebs, 2.8 assists) is clearly the team's best player, but still will have salary cap issues as Ben Gordon (3 years, $37.2 million) and Charlie Villanueva (3 years, $24.2 million) have yet to live up to their current contracts.
26. Sacramento Kings (6-14) - After a poor start to the season and a blow-up with young center DeMarcus Cousins, the Kings fired Paul Westphal. Keith Smart is now the interim coach, and inherits a team that  shoots just 39.4% from the field and lack a true point guard, as both Tyreke Evans and Jimmer Fredette (listed as point guards) have games better suited for the off-guard position.
25. Toronto Raptors (6-14) - DeMar DeRozan has struggled in his sophomore season (38% FG), and the team lacks a low post scorer, as "center" Andrea Bargnani is having a very good year (23.4 points, 6.5 rebounds), but is more of a stretch four than a true center. This team will benefit when 2012 first round pick Jonas Valanciunas comes over next season.
24. Golden State Warriors (6-12) - Rookie head coach Mark Jackson claims that his team is close to being a playoff contender, and while their record might not indicate it, he's actually right. The team has wins over Chicago, Miami and Portland, and has had single-digit losses to the Spurs, Lakers, Jazz and Pacers. The playoffs aren't a far-fetched dream, but will likely have to wait another year.
23. Phoenix Suns (7-12) - The Suns are stuck in the predicament of deciding whether to try and sneak their way into the postseason, or blow things up and rebuild. Steve Nash will turn 38 next month, and the team still lacks a successor playing behind him. Marcin Gortat (15.4 pts, 9.9 rebs, 1.7 blk) is a double-double threat every night, but its run-and-gun style of basketball hasn't yielded its usual high-production results (92.7 points, 33.4% 3PT).
22. New Jersey Nets (7-13) - With Deron Williams in a contract year, the team has struggled without injured center Brook Lopez. Rookie SG MarShon Brooks (15.4 pts, 4.6 rebs) has played very well alongside Williams, but are lacking low-post scoring.
21. New York Knicks (7-13) - With the acquisition of C Tyson Chandler, many (including myself) thought this team could be have homecourt in a playoff series. What I was blinded to was the fact that after using the Amnesty clause on PG Chauncey Billups, this team lacks a true facilitator. Both Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire are largely isolation players, which causes the offense to stagnate. All the hopes that Knicks fans had to start the season could turn to frustration if the ship isn't righted soon.
20. Cleveland Cavaliers (7-11) - Rookies PG Kyrie Irving (16.8 pts, 3.2 rebs, 4.6 ast) and PF Tristan Thompson (8.0 pts, 5.1 rebs) have shown flashes of brilliance, and if they can continue to progress, this team may have a shot at sneaking into a playoff spot in the east.
19. Milwaukee Bucks (8-11) - The Bucks still play erratic basketball, and will miss Andrew Bogut, who recently suffered a broken ankle. If Steven Jackson can shoot the ball better (37.3% FG), and the other big men can be respectable in replacing Bogut, then Milwaukee should still have a good chance to reach the postseason.
18. Minnesota Timberwolves (9-10) - Kevin Love (25.3 pts, 13.7 rebs) has been his usual stellar self, but the early success of Ricky Rubio (11.4 pts, 4.6 rebs, 8.8 ast, 2.4 stl) has been the biggest surprise about this team. With a solid young nucleus to build around, this team has an outside chance to make a playoff run in a compacted NBA season.
17. Memphis Grizzlies (10-9) - The injury to PF Zach Randolph has put a lot of pressure (and additional defensive attention) on frontcourt mate C Marc Gasol (15.1 pts, 10.4 rebs, 3.1 ast, 2.4 blk), but is playing far too many minutes (37.9/game), especially for a physical player like him. The Grizzlies will need recent acquisition Marreese Speights (7.8 pts, 6.1 rebs) to shoulder more of the load until this team returns to full strength.
16. Boston Celtics (9-9) - The Celtics frontcourt has struggled, as PF Kevin Garnett (13.4 pts, 7.5 rebs) is nt the player he once was, and their defense clearly misses Kendrick Perkins (now with Oklahoma City). With exec Danny Ainge saying he'd be willing to trade any of the "Big Three" (Garnett, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce) if it'd help the team, the window for a championship in Boston is starting to close.
15. Utah Jazz (11-7) - The team is two-deep at both power forward (Paul Millsap, Derrick Favors) and center (Al Jefferson, Enes Kanter), but PG Devin Harris (9.2 pts, 4.6 ast) hasn't done anything for Jazz fans that miss having Deron Williams. Throw in poor shooting from their wing players (Hayward, Howard, Miles), and the fact they've played twice as many home games (12) as away (6), it will be difficult for them to maintain their early success.
14. Houston Rockets (12-8) - With solid backcourt play from Kyle Lowry (14.8 pts, 6.6 rebs, 8.3 ast) and Kevin Martin (20.1 pts), as well as steady play from C Samuel Dalembert (9.0 pts, 8.9 rebs, 2.2 blk) and Luis Scola (15.5 pts, 6.0 rebs), Houston is a team appearing to be on the rise. Throw in some solid, young complimentary players (Budinger, Parsons, Lee, Dragic, Hill), and the Rockets could be a tough out should they reach the playoffs.
13. Orlando Magic (12-7) - The Magic are in a state of disarray. After blowing a 27 point lead against the Celtics, they were blown out by New Orleans the following game, prompting franchise cornerstone Dwight Howard to question his teammates' effort. If things don't improve soon, the team will have no choice but to try and trade Howard, instead of potentially losing him in free agency this coming offseason.
12. Dallas Mavericks (12-8) - Whether it's old age or some missing pieces from this team, Dallas just doesn't look at all like the team that won the NBA Finals this past June. Dirk Nowitzki (17.5 pts, 5.4 rebs) is having his worst year since the 1999-2000 season, and the team is struggling from both three (31.4%) and the charity stripe (73.3%).
11. Los Angeles Lakers (11-9) - The Lakers are just 7-7 against teams with a .500 winning percentage on the season, and have struggled to shoot the three (27.2%, worst in the league). Los Angeles also needs better point guard play, as Derek Fisher is past his prime, and Steve Blake is an average role-player. A 1-7 road record won't suffice for a good team like the Lakers.
10. Portland Trailblazers (12-8) - Like most teams this season, the Blazers have been very successful at home (9-1). Outside of a win in Oklahoma City against the Thunder, the Blazers have been very poor on the road. Guards Raymond Felton (36.8%) and Jamal Crawford (36.1%) will need to shoot near their career averages for the Blazers to avoid being bounced in the first round of the postseason again this season.
9. Indiana Pacers (12-6) - Indiana is two-deep at every position, and have eight players currently getting 24+ minutes a night. SF Danny Granger and second-year SG Paul George provide solid defense on the wings, and acquisition David West has been solid alongside C Roy Hibbert. The Pacers have the young legs to stay fresh throughout the season, and could very well find themselves as either a 4 or 5 seed come playoff time.
8. San Antonio Spurs (12-8) - While Tim Duncan's steady decline continues (12.8 pts, 7.6 rebs; both career lows), fellow big men DeJuan Blain and Tiago Splitter (19.7 pts, 11.1 rebs combined) have been consistent contributors, and PG Tony Parker has returned to form (17.7 pts, 7.8 ast). When SG Manu Ginobili returns from a broken hand, the Spurs are still a scary team.
7. Los Angeles Clippers (10-6) - The Clippers have played an NBA low five games on the road this season, and would be lower on my list were it not for the fact that Chris Paul (16.7 pts, 8.6 ast, 2.6 stl) hadn't missed almost a third of their games dealing with injury. The one area I'm concerned about with the Clippers is their free throw shooting, as opponents would rather foul both Blake Griffin (50.4%) and DeAndre Jordan (47.3%) than allow them an easy bucket.
6. Atlanta Hawks (14-6) - The Hawks could conceivably have an even better record, but the shoulder injury to C Al Horford will have him missing at least the next couple of months. In spite of the injury, the team has a good mix of veterans in both the starting lineup (Joe Johnson, Josh Smith), as well as the bench (Tracy McGrady, Zaza Pachulia, Kirk Hinrich), and should be battling for playoff seeding when Horford returns.
5. Philadelphia 76ers (14-6) - Head coach Doug Collins has done a wonderful job with the Sixers, who used a balanced attack with seven players averaging in double figures. Philly is currently among the league leaders in three point percentage (3), field goal percentage (4rd), rebounds (6th), assists (6th) and steals (6th). While their frontcourt doesn't have a single "star", their two deep at both power forward and center.
4. Denver Nuggets (14-5) - Like the 76ers, the Nuggets use their youth, depth and high altitude home court advantage well, gradually using their high pace to wear opponents down. With a bench including PG Andre Miller (10.5 pts, 7.1 ast), its not hard to believe that Denver is #1 in the league in assists. Throw in their 48.2% field goal shooting (2nd) and their aptitude for getting to the free throw line (29.2 attempts/game, tops in the league), and this team will be a tough out for any team in the playoffs.
3. Chicago Bulls (17-4) - The team will no doubt miss SF Luol Deng (sprained wrist), but has still done a fantastic job this season. Richard Hamilton has provided them a scorer at shooting guard that can alleviate some of the pressure on PG Derrick Rose (21.9 pts, 7.9 ast). Joakim Noah has regressed some from last year, but both Taj Gibson and Omer Asik have done a good job of providing solid minutes off the bench for the Bulls frontcourt.
2. Miami Heat (14-5) - While this team still lacks a defensive stopper at center, there's little doubt the Heat are one of the elite teams in the NBA. LeBron James has used his post-up game much more frequently this year, and its showing in his numbers (29.2 pts, 8.0 rebs, 7.1 ast, 54.9% FG). The Heat are currently #1 in FG percentage and #5 in three point percentage, and with two legitimate closers in James and Dwyane Wade, the Heat are a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses.
1. Oklahoma City Thunder (16-3) - The Thunder only have three legitimate threats to score, but when two of those are Kevin Durant (26.3 pts) and Russell Westbrook (20.8), you could be doing a lot worse. James Harden (16.9 pts, 4.1 rebs, 3.2 ast) has a very good shot at being the Sixth Man of the Year, and the rest of the roster has clearly defined roles that they all fill well.