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NBA.com Power Rankings:
August 3, 2006
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by John Schuhmann

August 3, 2006 -- Welcome to NBA.com's 2006 offseason Power Rankings. Please note that these rankings are the view of one humble NBA.com Features Editor and are not "official" rankings. Have a comment? Let us know (http://www.nba.com/chat_and_mailboxes/clickandroll_mailbox.html).

There are still some details to iron out as far as player movement (http://www.nba.com/transactions/movement2006_index.html), but we've got a pretty good idea of who did what this summer. Will Ben Wallace make the Bulls a contender? Will the 5-8 seeds in both conferences be as jumbled as they were last year? Can any rookie make the impact that Chris Paul did last season? Lets get to the rankings ...
Based on 2005-06 playoff results and regular season record:
High jump of the week: Chicago, NO/Okla. City, Houston (+6)
Free fall of the week: Sacramento (-6)
TEAM (LAST WK)REC.BREAKDOWN1
1. http://www.nba.com/media/mia_25px.gif (http://www.nba.com/heat/)Miami (http://www.nba.com/heat/) (1)52-30 They're the champs and Dwyane Wade is the best player in the league, but will that translate into the best regular season record? And does it matter?2

2. http://www.nba.com/media/dal_25px.gif (http://www.nba.com/mavericks/)Dallas (http://www.nba.com/mavericks/) (2)60-22 They've improved their bench with the additions of Anthony Johnson, Austin Croshere, Devean George and Gregg Buckner.3

3. http://www.nba.com/media/sas_25px.gif (http://www.nba.com/spurs/)San Antonio (http://www.nba.com/spurs/) (5)63-19 A healthier and rested Tim Duncan could get the Spurs back on top, and he's got a little more help down low with Francisco Elson and Jackie Butler.4

4. http://www.nba.com/media/pho_25px.gif (http://www.nba.com/suns/)Phoenix (http://www.nba.com/suns/) (4)54-28 Look out league. Amare is back.
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5. http://www.nba.com/media/det_25px.gif (http://www.nba.com/pistons/)Detroit (http://www.nba.com/pistons/) (3)64-18 Ben is gone, but they still have that swagger and they could have done a lot worse than Nazr Mohammed as a replacement. Flip Murray gives them a little more offense off the bench.6

6. http://www.nba.com/media/cle_25px.gif (http://www.nba.com/cavaliers/)Cleveland (http://www.nba.com/cavaliers/) (6)50-32 We're still waiting on Drew Gooden to stay or go, but if essentially the same squad returns, the Cavs have a shot at their first division crown since 1976.7

7. http://www.nba.com/media/njn_25px.gif (http://www.nba.com/nets/)New Jersey (http://www.nba.com/nets/) (7)49-33 With a full season under their belt together, Kidd, Carter and Jefferson should be sharp from the get-go this time around and Nenad Krstic should continue to develop.
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8. http://www.nba.com/media/chi_25px.gif (http://www.nba.com/bulls/)Chicago (http://www.nba.com/bulls/) (14)41-41 We're taking a bit of a wait-and-see approach before we put the Bulls on the level of Big Ben's former team. Mostly, we want to see who will do the scoring.9

9. http://www.nba.com/media/lac_25px.gif (http://www.nba.com/clippers/)L.A. Clippers (http://www.nba.com/clippers/) (8)47-35 They essentially traded Vladimir Radmanovic for Tim Thomas, so the key for the Clips may be the improvement of Chris Kaman and Shaun Livingston.
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10. http://www.nba.com/media/was_25px.gif (http://www.nba.com/wizards/)Washington (http://www.nba.com/wizards/) (13)42-40 They've added Darius Songaila to strengthen their bench and from what we've seen from Gilbert Arenas this summer, he could be an MVP candidate.1
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11. http://www.nba.com/media/mem_25px.gif (http://www.nba.com/grizzlies/)Memphis (http://www.nba.com/grizzlies/) (9)49-33 A great regular season was followed with another playoffs sweep. Dealing Shane Battier for Rudy Gay and Stromile Swift could work in the long run, but will most likely hurt in '06-07.12

12. http://www.nba.com/media/noh_25px.gif (http://www.nba.com/hornets/)NO/Okla City (http://www.nba.com/hornets/) (18)38-44 No team looks to have improved more than the Hornets this summer and that's not even taking into account that Chris Paul has been working on his jumper.13

13. http://www.nba.com/media/den_25px.gif (http://www.nba.com/nuggets/)Denver (http://www.nba.com/nuggets/) (12)44-38 They seem to be putting the Kenyon Martin issue behind them and we're calling it here right now: Carmelo Anthony is definitely an All-Star and a fringe MVP candidate this season.14

14. http://www.nba.com/media/lal_25px.gif (http://www.nba.com/lakers/)L.A. Lakers (http://www.nba.com/lakers/) (10)45-37 We will be keeping a close eye on the Lakers early this season. Specifically, we want to see how much Andrew Bynum has been working on his game this summer.15

15. http://www.nba.com/media/orl_25px.gif (http://www.nba.com/magic/)Orlando (http://www.nba.com/magic/) (20)36-46 The 2006-07 season is the official coming-out party for one Mr. Dwight Howard.16

16. http://www.nba.com/media/hou_25px.gif (http://www.nba.com/rockets/)Houston (http://www.nba.com/rockets/) (22)34-48 They were 21-10 with both Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming last year and we like the addition of Battier.17

17. http://www.nba.com/media/sac_25px.gif (http://www.nba.com/kings/)Sacramento (http://www.nba.com/kings/) (11)44-38 A full season of Ron Artest and the development of their young guys off the bench should help. The loss of Bonzi Wells (still not sure where he lands) should hurt.18

18. http://www.nba.com/media/mil_25px.gif (http://www.nba.com/bucks/)Milwaukee (http://www.nba.com/bucks/) (16)40-42The jury is out on the deals they have made, but the key could be making Andrew Bogut more of a focus in the offense.19

19. http://www.nba.com/media/uta_25px.gif (http://www.nba.com/jazz/)Utah (http://www.nba.com/jazz/) (17)41-41 If they can get 80-plus games from Andrei Kirilenko and more consistency from Deron Williams, they should battle for a playoff spot.20

20. http://www.nba.com/media/ind_25px.gif (http://www.nba.com/pacers/)Indiana (http://www.nba.com/pacers/) (15)41-41 With Peja gone and a whole new bench, much will depend on the development of Danny Granger and the health of Jamaal Tinsley.21

21. http://www.nba.com/media/sea_25px.gif (http://www.nba.com/sonics/)Seattle (http://www.nba.com/sonics/) (21)35-47 We're still waiting onsomething to be worked out with Chris Wilcox (http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/basketball/279626_sonx01.html), but basically, the Sonics need to improve from within.22

22. http://www.nba.com/media/min_25px.gif (http://www.nba.com/timberwolves/)Minnesota (http://www.nba.com/timberwolves/) (24)33-49 Randy Foye and Mike James will give the Wolves some much needed punch in the backcourt, but losing Rashad McCants for a significant amount of time is a tough blow.23

23. http://www.nba.com/media/phi_25px.gif (http://www.nba.com/sixers/)Philadelphia (http://www.nba.com/sixers/) (19)38-44 So Allen Iverson is staying, but the question remains: Where are the Sixers going (http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060727/SPORTS12/607270349/1033/SPORTS)?24

24. http://www.nba.com/media/bos_25px.gif (http://www.nba.com/celtics/)Boston (http://www.nba.com/celtics/) (25)33-49 The Celtics made a lot of changes, but none of them involved Paul Pierce. They will battle the Raptors for the title of Suns-East.25

25. http://www.nba.com/media/tor_25px.gif (http://www.nba.com/raptors/)Toronto (http://www.nba.com/raptors/) (26)27-55 T.J. Ford should give the Raps the pass-first point that they needed last year to be more consistent and Anthony Parker and Fred Jones should give them a lot more firepower off the bench.26

26. http://www.nba.com/media/gsw_25px.gif (http://www.nba.com/warriors/)Golden State (http://www.nba.com/warriors/) (23)34-48 With Ike Diogu and Monta Ellis, we like the Warriors' future, but they'll need more chemistry than what they had last year among the vets to improve their present.27

27. http://www.nba.com/media/cha_25px.gif (http://www.nba.com/bobcats/)Charlotte (http://www.nba.com/bobcats/) (27)26-56 Adam Morrison will give them the scorer that they so desperately needed last year, and don't overlook the return of Sean May, who showed signs of excellence before his injury last season.28

28. http://www.nba.com/media/atl_25px.gif (http://www.nba.com/hawks/)Atlanta (http://www.nba.com/hawks/) (28)26-56 We're expecting a lot from Marvin Williams this year, but trades just don't come easy (http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/hawks/stories/0802hawks.html) in Atlanta, do they?29

29. http://www.nba.com/media/nyk_25px.gif (http://www.nba.com/knicks/)New York (http://www.nba.com/knicks/) (29)23-59 With Isiah taking over on the bench, we might get a better idea of who was to blame last season.30

30. http://www.nba.com/media/por_25px.gif (http://www.nba.com/blazers/)Portland (http://www.nba.com/blazers/) (30)21-61 Be patient Portland. Things are turning around and Brandon Roy is the future, but it will take some time.

Pistons at 5 might come as a surprise to some of the doomsayers here, and the Magic at 15 might not be popular here as well.

5 is too high. i think they'll be 50 + wins, but they wont be one of the top 5 teams in the league.

last year we couldnt get motivated in the playoffs. now, its going to be 2x as hard to win a regular season, but we're going to not miss a beat? we'll see. plus, 1/2 the reason for our 'injury free' teams has been mentality. will they keep that mentality without ben? im not so sure.

right now i'd switch cavs and pistons. and theyre right about the bulls, keep an eye on them.

one thing i think they got wrong is minnesota. theyve got to make the playoffs this year. though im still shocked they missed the last two years.

Pistons at 5 is perfectly fine and 15 for the Magic is too high. Rockets > Magic any day of the week.

The Blazers are also better than the Hawks and the Knicks.

I think the Blazers are the worst team right now. If Dixon gets traded for crap, then the Blazers are even worse.

There bigs are all medicore or unproven while Webster and Outlaw have yet to show me anything. Roy and Jack will show something in the the regular season.

i think the Pistons at 5 is good. We could be top 5 in the season but playoffs, maybe

Rockets > Magic any day of the week.

agree100%

5 is too high. i think they'll be 50 + wins, but they wont be one of the top 5 teams in the league.

last year we couldnt get motivated in the playoffs. now, its going to be 2x as hard to win a regular season, but we're going to not miss a beat? we'll see. plus, 1/2 the reason for our 'injury free' teams has been mentality. will they keep that mentality without ben? im not so sure.
Though i also think 5 is too high. I don't think we'll have any problem with motivation. Ben wallace said "fuck ya'll" thats motivation enough. My issue is that we just aren't coached well enough to increase our talent as a team to full potential. we will be weaker than our talent in the postseason. At about our talent range or better in the regular season.

We should be 8th overall.

thats one school of thought. the other is that ben WAS a derisive (is that a word?) force in the lockerroom, and now flip and his boy chauncy are going to be running the show with unquestioned authority, meaning we'll see the real flip saunders (who's always been known to use his bench effectively).

we shall see.

So the over-rated Nuggets are above both the Lakers and the Kings?

I'm smelling Carmelo Man Love, here.

Was Bonzi REALLY that important to Sac?

thats one school of thought. the other is that ben WAS a derisive (is that a word?) force in the lockerroom, and now flip and his boy chauncy are going to be running the show with unquestioned authority, meaning we'll see the real flip saunders (who's always been known to use his bench effectively).

we shall see.

add to that, the immense pressure of "NBA Finals or bust" is off of him now. not to be a Flip apologist, but if you're best chance to win a title that year was to ride out the starters, why would you develop the bench?

i'm hyped for this coming season, as far as seeing a new look for the team.

#5 sounds right to me. Bulls fans must be livid that they're not in the top 5, lol.

#5 in the L and #2 in the East? Wow, I can roll with that. I think that definitely overrates us, but I feel it.

I'd say we're about the 10th best team in the L now and about # 4 in the East.

I'd say we're about the 10th best team in the L now and about # 4 in the East.

I'd like to see the list of 9 teams better than us.

As things stand right now 5 is about right. Depending on what happens in Cleveland with Gooden, if Harrington to Indy goes down or if Bonzi lands with somebody comparable to us we could drop down to 8. Truth be told though once you get out of the top 4 elite teams (Heat, Spurs, Mavs and Suns) there is a serious drop off. There isn't a huge difference between teams 5-10. All those guys are playing for is the right to get their asses kicked by one of the big 4.

If Harrington goes to Indy, Granger isn't going to get playing time right? Foster or Harrison will most likely start and have JO and the 2 while Harrington or GRanger is at the 3 OR they might do JO/al/Granger. I don't think indy will be better than us though.

If the Cavs lose Gooden and get Reggie Evans, we are in even better shape. Gooden's a lot better than Evans and Drew is young. Evans was a nobody until he grabbed Kaman's balls.

If Bonzi lands in DEnver via S&T, which is unlkiely bullshit, we are still much better than the Nuggets. Fuck the Nuggets.

Even with all the offseason movement etc, we are still number 5 at best possibly number 6.

cross expect harrington to play PF in Indy and granger SF and maybe vice versa. they played granger at PF a few times and harrington plays there mostly as of late. gives them better speed and both guys can rebound.

cross expect harrington to play PF in Indy and granger SF and maybe vice versa. they played granger at PF a few times and harrington plays there mostly as of late. gives them better speed and both guys can rebound.

Then where does JO and Jeff Foster go, then you got the Pacer ,which Pacers fans think will be the next Shaq, DAvid Harrison.

cross expect harrington to play PF in Indy and granger SF and maybe vice versa. they played granger at PF a few times and harrington plays there mostly as of late. gives them better speed and both guys can rebound.

Then where does JO and Jeff Foster go, then you got the Pacer ,which Pacers fans think will be the next Shaq, DAvid Harrison.
JO is center and foster is useless. they need all scorers on the court. unlike croshere, granger and harrington can crash the boards just as hard as foster, but score too. with JO at center and harrison and foster on the bench. their frontline is pretty much set i think.

them losing fred jones was big. he's one of those gritty tough guys who win you more games then carmelo anthony's do. indiana done fucked up there. you could win a championship with a team of joneses and grangers. if they got harrington and kept jones, i think theyd definitly be better than us. now they might be, but i doubt it. i think that team will implode, yet again, this year. with as much shit thats gone down, they still have rick "tick tick tick" carlisle.

How the fuck is NOK #12?

5 sounds good to me. we all reeled at the loss of ben (my only pistons jersey and inflatable defender are now pointless) but we didnt lose a whole lot if you really look at it. yes we lost the 'heart and soul' and 'anchor of the defense'. thats big, dont get me wrong. but we lost a guy who caused 4 on 5 for our offense, and im pretty sure nazr can sit under the basket and jump at people driving in the lane. ben was awesome, i love him as a piston, but i dont see how the team drops off that much with his loss. we still have arguably top 3 players at 1, 2, and 4. prince is not at all far behind. how many teams can really claim that? think back to bulls teams 10 years ago... given we dont have a jordan, but he won rings without ever having even a decent 5 player. cartwright? c'mon lol. id take nazr over him any day. i think our biggest issue is the coach. he better bring a larry brown mentality of defense, or the players better make him. last year we saw that we can score, but that doesnt mean shit if the other team scores too. a yellow light on 3's instead of green, and some more defensive emphasis, and i dont see why we cant at least get back to the conf finals. oh yeah, less butt-ramming by stern would be nice lol. go pistons [smilie=paca.gif]

edit: my roommate is a bulls fan. the issue of inflatable ben has yet to come up, but if a bulls jersey ends up on him hes getting popped lol. also, i think ill just find a decent looking 6 and add it to my jersey. ghetto, but sheed is now my fav piston.

whoa, drinking the juice, huh? pistons have top 3 at the 1, 2, and 4? lol. bill davidson might agree with you (until he lets chauncy walk).

i dont know if that comment was most absurd, or if it was 'if you really look at it, we didnt lose alot'.

haha. hope you stick around and try to defend this for the next year.

whoa, drinking the juice, huh? pistons have top 3 at the 1, 2, and 4? lol. bill davidson might agree with you (until he lets chauncy walk).

i dont know if that comment was most absurd, or if it was 'if you really look at it, we didnt lose alot'.

haha. hope you stick around and try to defend this for the next year.

first off, i said ARGUABLY top three at the 1,2,4 spot. chauncey is a great point, rip is considered one of the best in the game, and so is sheed. second off, im a fan and i believe. rip on me for that all you want. whats a fan who doesnt believe? i will be around next year and many to come. im not sayin we win a title, im just saying we will still be good. the last couple seasons were all about the team and not the man. so how does one player affect that so much? it does affect it, but the team is still there, and the team concept can still thrive in detroit to help compensate for nazr.

I think the Blazers are the worst team right now. If Dixon gets traded for crap, then the Blazers are even worse.

There bigs are all medicore or unproven while Webster and Outlaw have yet to show me anything. Roy and Jack will show something in the the regular season.

I'm not convinced.

Atlanta is going to lose Al Harrington and has to make up 18 ppg with...Speedy Claxton and Lorenzen Wright. Eek. Unless Marvin Williams steps it up in a HUGE way (I still think he's a bust), this team may have trouble returning to form. Their signings are nice, but the team is still horrible and will be even worse once contract years come up.

The Knicks just suck. Come ON. They blew millions on Jared Jeffries because they think he's the answer at SF. And their draft picks won't do anything.

Regarding the last paragraph, I half-agree. LaFrentz and Magloire are mediocre, Zach is 18 and 8 a game (very respectable), Joel has defensive prowess, and unless Aldridge is a poor man's Rasheed Wallace he will be run out of town by year 3. Jack will show promise in the regular season, but I hated the Roy trade and I don't believe he'll be very good. If he is, well, fuck, I was wrong. But it's all for the better.


How the fuck is NOK #12?

This team is really young and has a very high ceiling, and a lot of people believe that Chris Paul helps them achieve that high ceiling.

Personally, I like most of their pieces except Hilton Armstrong, who's a cocksucking faggot, but I agree with your sentiment.

The Pacers want to run next season. Harrington will play the 4 and a lighter JO plays the 5 if Al goes to Indy. There is no chance Granger isn't a starter next year, even if LeBron went to Indy they'd just start the kid at PF.

I agree with whoever said the "outside of the top 4 it doesn't really matter where the Pistons are ranked". They will win a good number of regular season games.

The Pacers want to run next season. Harrington will play the 4 and a lighter JO plays the 5 if Al goes to Indy.
You mean "a lighter JO misses 40 games with injuries trying to muscle at the 5"?

JO probably needs to lighten up just to stay healthy enough to play at the 4.

i always forget jermaine o'neal is even in the NBA, he's so often injured.

The Pacers want to run next season. Harrington will play the 4 and a lighter JO plays the 5 if Al goes to Indy. You mean "a lighter JO misses 40 games with injuries trying to muscle at the 5"?

JO probably needs to lighten up just to stay healthy enough to play at the 4.

IMO much of JO's latest injuries were from the weight he added so I agree he needs to lighten up to stay healthy. But I don't think his position has much of an effect on his health. Where ever he plays he'll still get the same guy guarding him and the team will still have him cover the same player (depending on if they want to save him for help D or not).

Regardless, dude still probably misses half the season out of habit.

During one of his offseason recaps, Stein says that he's got Pistons at #2 in the East.


The following is a team-by-team ranking for the Western Conference based on who has done the best summer shopping and tweaking. Just to be clear: These are offseason assessments, not my predicted order of finish for the coming season ... and we obviously have to say that louder judging by the number of Detroit-based e-mails I received bemoaning the Pistons' No. 11 slot.

That means they had the 11th-best summer in the East, folks. (For the record, I'm not picking the Hornets to win the West, either.) Yet since some of my Michigan friends are clearly edgy, I'll spoil the suspense and tell you now that Detroit will indeed still be the second-highest Eastern team in the new season's first batch of Power Rankings.

During one of his offseason recaps, Stein says that he's got Pistons at #2 in the East.

At least Mark Stein gets it!

Pistons should be in the 7 to 9 range IMO. If Nazr can provide 12-14 PPG and 7-9 RPG with good defense than maybe we are a top 5 team. That would also assume Sheed gets his butt in the post some as well. Otherwise I see this as a step back this year to maybe take two steps forward next year (if Delfino, Amir, Max can make some leaps as players).