Power Rankings - February 23, 2009

I'm not really sure the relevance of the picture above, but 1) I wanted to show Wade some respect after dropping 50 on Orlando, 2) I couldn't find a picture of him in his suit from the rookie game, 3) he looks very casual in his all-white Sox cap & 4) it was a fairly slow week...

I think Anthony should have something up on the trade deadline, so I'll allow for him to post and then add my two cents... but in all honesty, nothing really big happened. In a shocking move, both Cleveland & Portland held on to their most valuable trade chips & Amare stayed put in Phoenix and then tore his cornea and is out for the year... ouch.

30. Sacramento (12-45) – 1-2 week, traded B-Rad Miller & John Salmons, yup… still the worst team in the league. [pv wk 30]

29. Clippers (13-43) – 0-3 since the break… I think Dunleavy’s tenure is coming to an end sooner rather than later. [28]

28. Washington (13-43) – Really, not much better than Sac-Town or the Clippers… [29]

27. Memphis (15-43) – 0-3 since the break. Kinda a common theme amongst these bottom teams…. [27]

26. Oklahoma City (13-43) – 0-3 since the break & not getting Tyson Chandler cause drop below Minnesota for the Thunder. [25]

25. Minnesota (18-37) – 1-3 since break allows for jump above struggling Thunder. Still, without Al Jefferson, there aren’t many wins left for this team. [26]

24. Golden State (20-36) – The best of the worst teams in the West… [24]

23. Toronto (22-36) – Marion has looked better up North. Bosh counting down until 2010… [22]

22. Charlotte (22-34) – Surprised the Bobcats didn’t find a way to move Boris Diaw to the Knicks. [21]

21. Indiana (24-34) – 3-1 since the break & Indiana nearly cracks the top 20. [23]

20. New York (23-32) – Biggest question remains what do they do with David Lee & Nate-Rob this offseason. [20]

19. New Jersey (24-32) – Nets rise was momentary, as 0-3 record since break proves bleeding was only slowed down… [18]

18. Milwaukee (28-31) – Still holding on to the 8th spot in the East, but for how long? [17]

17. Detroit (27-27) – 0-3 since All-Star break, Iverson’s haircut not bringing them back… DEEEEEEEEETROIT BASKETBALL. [16]

16. Chicago (25-31) – 2-1 week plus additions of Miller & Salmons move Bulls up to highest ranking of 2009. [19]

15. Philadelphia (27-27) – 0-3 to start second half, but had a cushion on those behind them. [15]

14. Miami (29-26) – 1-2 since the break, including blowout loss to Orlando. D-Wade scores career high 50 though in defeat and still is in my top tier for MVP. [14]

13. Phoenix (31-24) – Alvin Gentry has Suns back to playing D’Antoni ball… scored 140-142-140 their first three out of the break, however, didn’t fare well against Boston and Amare is done for the year… [13]

12. Utah (33-22) – 3-0 since break has them currently sitting 8th in the West. [12]

11. Dallas (33-22) – Holding down the 6 seed. [11]

10. Atlanta (32-23) – 1-2 since break, but Hawks are grasping on to 10 seed with Dallas & Utah nipping at their heels. [10]

9. New Orleans (32-22) – Tyson Chandler trade gets rejected by Thunder’s trainer. For a team that drafted Robert Swift, Saer Sene, Nick Collison & Johan Petro at center, you’d think they’d even take Chandler on one foot. That does not bode well for Chandler’s long-term career. [9]

8. Houston (35-21) 3-0 since break… is this team better without T-Mac? [8]

7. Portland (35-20) – Oden has bone chip in his knee… so this might actually be Bowie over Jordan all over again… and they’re still 4th in the West. [7]

6. Denver (37-19) – Denver better without Iverson, Philly better without Brand, Rockets better without T-Mac…. Interesting. [6]

5. San Antonio (37-17) – Roger Mason scores 25 in a winning effort the other night, however Manu’s injury could be worrisome. However, it could also allow Coach Pop to rest him and get him healthy for the playoffs where a likely meeting with the Lakers awaits. [4]

4. Orlando (41-14) –No Jameer, No Problem. 3-1 since break, including a blowout win over Miami. Dwight is truly a joy to watch. [5]

3. Boston (45-12) – Garnett’s knee injury could cost them #1 seed in the East… [2]

2. Cleveland (43-11) – 3-0 since break, West looked great in his return, however Cavs are still looking up at LA. [3]

1. Lakers (46-10) Lakers 9-1 since Bynum’s injury, including 4-0 since the break. Gritty performance in overtime win over New Orleans on Friday night. 13 of next 19 for the Purple & Gold are on the road… time to rack up those Hilton Awards points. [1]

Thoughts on All-Star Weekend, A Couple Trade and Power Rankings: February 16, 2009

Milk... it was a bad choice.

First off, you just have to be impressed by Shaq’s performance last night, even if everyone in the game pretty much decided to let Shaq have his in what could be his last All-Star game. He has shown this year that he still has it in small spurts.

Second, Kobe is really a bad actor. How much did it pain him to pretend to be enjoying himself with Shaq?

Third, the trades:

Lakers get rid of Vladrad’s contract, get Adam Morrison, Shannon Brown. Adam Morrison is terrible. I have criticized him here numerous times and will not stop doing so just because he is a Laker. He plays no defense and because of that and the complexity of the triangle offense, I doubt he plays much for the Lakers this year. He becomes an expiring contract next year, but in reality, the Lakers made this trade to add depth at guard (Brown is capable of playing 5-10 minutes a game to give Fisher/Farmar during the regular season – I don’t imagine him playing much in the playoffs) and addition by subtraction (Vladrad was terrible. Terrible shot selection. Soft. Bad defense. He’s mainly bummed about the trade because he is no longer 2 hrs from Big Bear. Snowboarding, not a weekend option anymore for Vladrad).

Heat get Moon & O’Neal, Raptors get Marion and Banks. I think it was Hollinger that wrote about this, but Moon is really the key to the deal for the Heat. He’s a worse defender than Marion, but is a very similar offensive player. O’Neal is a huge upgrade on defense at center for the Heat, so now the Heat can trot out a lineup of Chalmers, Wade, Moon, Haslem, J. O’Neal. Not terrible. Could probably get themselves in position to win a round or two in the playoffs. Still see them having a hard time getting by Boston or Cleveland, although having O’Neal to defend Garnett and the rim will help.

Fourth – the contests:

Dunk contest: I was wholly unimpressed. I thought the judges were TERRIBLE. There is no way Nate Robinson should have advanced after using Wilson Chandler as a stepping stool to dunk. My buddy Adam did that in 10th grade off my friend Samir’s back. Adam is 5’7 and white. Nate Robinson, for your second dunk, you shall receive no points and may god have mercy on your sole – geez, a simple no would have sufficed. Sorry for that tangent. Also, I thoroughly criticized Rudy Fernandez. I said he didn’t belong. Under the rules of the contest, he should have faced off w/ Dwight Howard in the Finals, however it taking him over 2 minutes to complete his dunk w/ Pau should have rightfully eliminated him. Howard’s dunk on the high rim was cool. His dunks in the finals were not. When are people going to stop recycling dunks? The jump from the free-throw line isn’t cool anymore. Stop doing it. It’s why you lost to Nate Robinson…. Well that, and you let him jump over you. The entire time Nate-Rob was setting up for that dunk, I kept thinking to myself, how great would it be if D-Howard put him arms up right as Nate was going to dunk it and just swatted it…


3-point contest: props to Daequan.

G-E-I-C-O: The Durantula!

The Rookie Game: see above. Also, Michael Beasley just looked so much more comfortable in that game than he does in NBA games. He just knew that nobody in that game could stop him. He needs to bring that to the court every night… that and maybe some effort on defense.

And now… onto the power rankings.


30. Sacramento (11-43) – 0-4 week to close out the first half. Sac-town faithful hope this is rock bottom for their once proud franchise. [pv wk 30]

29. Washington (11-42) – Barely squeaked past Sacramento here. Not a lot going for the Wizards right now. At least with Barack in office, nobody in Washington even pays attention to the Wizards… [28]

28. Clippers (13-40) – 2-2 to get to the All-Star break. If the Clippers went 29-0 to close the season, they’d still miss the playoffs. Ladies & Gentlemen Charles Kellett’s 2009 Western Conference Surprise Team! [29]

27. Memphis (15-37) – Tell me Marc Gasol wasn’t impressive in the rookie game. Gasol-Mayo-Gay form a trifecta that could win some games down the line for you…. [27]

26. Minnesota (17-34) – Power Rankings jinx shows now mercy to struggling T-Wolves who only won 1 of last 8 & with Al Jefferson’s injury, I don’t see many more on the horizon. Even though their record is superior, with their injury situation as is, they fall all the way past the Thunder. [22]

25. Oklahoma City (13-40) – The Durantula! I love Kevin Durant. He’s awesome. I don’t care if nobody was playing defense in the rookie game. He was filthy. Portland, you made a mistake. I don’t think this is going to be Bowie-Jordan all over again… but…. Yikes. [26]

24. Golden State (19-35) – 4-1 since last power ranking. They inch closer to the fourth tier of the east. [25]

23. Indiana (21-33) – I’ve exhausted all I can say this season about the Pacers. Danny Granger – very good. Everyone else on the team – very bad. [24]

22. Toronto (21-34) – I think this trade is good for Toronto. Frees up Bosh more inside and Marion can go back to being Marion. [23]

21. Charlotte (21-31) – Jordan admits drafting Adam Morrison was a mistake. Jordan trades Morrison for VladRad. Laker fans rejoice. Addition by subtraction. Bobcat fans wonder when D.J. Augustin returns. [21]

20. New York (21-31) – At least Nate Robinson won the dunk contest. [18]

19. Chicago (23-30) – 2-3 week keeps them steady at 19. Lot of smoke around a potential Amare trade… [19]

18. New Jersey (24-29) – Nets stop bleeding with 3-2 mark leading up to All-Star break. [20]

17. Milwaukee (26-29) –Bucks surprised me by holding on to the 8th spot in spite of Redd’s injury. [17]

16. Detroit (27-24) – Wow. I mean… wow. DEEEEEEEEETROIT BASKETBALL. [15]

15. Philadelphia (27-24) – 4-1 to close the first half. Somehow this team is far superior without Elton Brand. And Clippers far worse without him. Can Philly & Clipps get a mulligan on their 2008 offseasons? [16]

14. Miami (28-24) – Somehow D-Wade is being left out by everyone on the MVP debate. The Heat won like 10 games last year. [14]

13. Phoenix (28-23) – Steve Kerr should suffer the same fate as Terry Porter. He never should have fixed something that wasn’t broke (referring mainly to the Shaq-Marion trade)… [12]

12. Utah (30-23) – Still like them to eventually get fully healthy and secure a playoff spot in the West. [13]

11. Dallas (31-21) – 3-2 to close the first half causes slip to 11th. [10]

10. Atlanta (31-21) – 4-1 close to the break gets them back in the top 10. [11]

9. New Orleans (30-20) – I think this is New Orleans lowest ranking of the year… Tyson Chandler involved in trade talks? [8]

8. Houston (32-21) – Par for the course for the Rockets last week… 3-2 close to break, coupled with New Orleans struggles moves them to 8th overall. [9]

7. Portland (32-20) – I can’t help but wonder where this team would be with a lineup of Roy-Fernandez-Outlaw-Durant-Aldridge. [7]

6. Denver (36-17) 5-1 before the All-Star break allows them to hold strong at 6. Could see them moving up above Orlando if they struggle with Jameer’s injury. [6]

5. Orlando (38-13) –Jameer Nelson’s injury could be devastating, combined with Dwight Howard’s loss in the dunk contest… not a good week to be a fan of the Magic. [4]

4. San Antonio (35-16) – Roger Mason gets worst score of 1st round of three point contest. At least I didn’t pick him to win or anything – oh, I did… Awesome. Thanks… for that. [5]

3. Cleveland (40-11) – Loss to Lakers causes drop to 3rd. Lebron is still my first half MVP. [2]

2. Boston (44-11) – 4-2 to close break, but loss to Lakers causes drop out of #1 overall spot. I still think their lack of depth off the bench (i.e. not re-signing Posey) comes back to haunt them this year… [1]

1. Lakers (42-10) – No Bynum, No Problem. Lakers 5-1 since Bynum’s injury, including road wins in Boston & Cleveland. Close defeat in Salt Lake was only blemish. [3]

All Star Weekend!

• Thoughts on the celebrity game: None. Celebrity games are horrible. I got 0 laughs from it in the 12 minutes I watched.


• Picks for the weekend: JR Smith wins the dunk contest because he is still smarting from not getting to the second round with this dunk in 2005: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T85WnlYIwzs


• There is zero reason to not choose Jason Kapono in the 3 point contest. He's our new Craig Hodges. My official pick is Kapono. I think the only guy who is giving him a run for his money is Rashard Lewis because he is the only other guy with a really easy stroke. Cook could have the highest score of the night early, because he is a very good shooter and also gets very very hot. But his legs won't hold up.


• In G-E-I-C-O, I like Kevin Durant obviously. Even though that is a lovely batch of shooters in that game. However, if it was up to me I would go Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, and James Posey in that contest to get it real heated. The transisition from Kobe doing the Michael Jordan smile and laugh with KD and Posey, to going completely insane after getting the letter "I" would be absolutely priceless - as would Posey tripping Durant mid-shot. Paul Pierce would certainly attempt the bounce shot if he were involved.


• Dwight Howard and Dwyane Wade were wearing phenomenal suits last night by the way.

All-Star Weekend - Saturday Night Contests

Just so we all look stupid, I'm putting up a thread for anyone who wants to predict the outcomes of the Saturday Night Contests....

1. G-E-I-C-O: The Durantula, OJ Mayo & Joe Johnson - Bickel takes... the Durantula.

Here's my main thing here - shouldn't Paul Pierce be in this contest. He defines old man rec moves and I guarantee he could have put together some outrageous shots that he practices... like feigning a knee injury and coming back two minutes later in the NBA Finals... oh wait... i'm not bitter or anything...

2. 3-Pt Shootout: Daequan Cook, Jason Kapono, Mike Bibby, Danny Granger, Rashard Lewis, Roger Mason

I'm taking a final of Mason-Kapono with Roger Mason coming out on top. I'm tired of him sticking it to me when I've doubted him in the past. You've converted me Roger Mason. I will now jam a pair of dull scissors in my eye.

3. Slam Dunk Contest: Dwight Howard, Nate Robinson, J.R. Smith, Rudy Fernandez

In the biggest sham in Slam Dunk Contest history, Nate Robinson won in 2006. It was a travesty. Obviously, Iggy Hop should have won that year. Also obvious, Dwight Howard should have won last year... and he did. I'm just excited to see what crazy stunts he pulls off this year.

I'm predicting a Dwight Howard victory and a Rudy Fernandez last place finish (there's a reason you're going off at 5:1. You should have been in the G-E-I-C-O contest, the League must have sent you the wrong memo and were too embarassed to fix the mistake.)

That's what I got for now....

(also, I probably just jinxed Durant, Mason and Howard - and for that I apologize)

Double Dribbles

• A few more quick and stupid thoughts:

1. Two things I noticed from the Spurs-Celtics game on Sunday.  First of all, the Celtics played better than San Antonio.  San Antonio just happened to make dozens of shots with a huge level of difficulty. This was not  Ginobili, Parker and Duncan either.  George Hill and Roger Mason each made about 4 shots from over 30 feet with a man guarding them in the last quarter and a half of this game.  I came out of this game thinking the Celts could win a 7 game series against the Spurs.  Secondly, I commented in my last roundup that sitting the Big 3 was one of Popovich's ways of finding out who could fill the Stephen Jackson role of 4th playmaker behind the big 3.  Well, they have found it in Roger Mason.  He has gone from making clutch shots as an open spot up shooter to creating them and draining them.  Very encouraging for San Antonio
2. The dirty so and so Bill Simmons stole my Russell Westbrook thunder in my trade column by saying he is not a point guard.  Well, I knew that all along.  Westbrook is a classic 2 guard in today's NBA.  Why the hell is Earl Watson not playing 35 minutes next to Russ every game?!  They are good compliments since Durant and Green can provide you good spot up shooting from the forward spots.

• That's all for now...  Bickel, nothing about Adam Morrison?  The newest Laker?

Oden`

Oden has been taking a lot of flack for that Thunder-Blazers game last night. Mainly because he scored 4 points while Durant dropped 31. Realistically, though, Durant made little other impact in that game, statistically. However, the one thing you can slam Oden for - the Thunder's battery of centers - Joe Smith and Nick Collison - went for a combined 27 points and 19 rebounds.

If you don't think the Blazers would trade for Durant, straight up, and play him at center. You're nuts.

HOLY CRAP: BASKETBALL ROUNDUP

• More crazy crap has happened since the last time I blogged that I don't know what to do with myself. The highlights:


• 1) 52,11,10 AND 61,0,3 at MSG. I didn't look up the King's night. But I can't imagine a more impressive triple double. Although, I will still take David Robinson's Quad-Double: 34-10-10-10 as the most impressive statline of my lifetime.


• 2) Jameer Nelson goes down for the Magic. This is terrible, terrible news for Orlando's legitimate championship aspirations. The leader of the team goes down, the team's hottest 3-point shooter goes down, and the number one backup is Anthony Johnson. People have been talking about Stephon Marbury going to Orlando. I'm sorry, I still think Marbury can play. But he's not a point guard anymore. There are two types of PGs: Steve Nash and Chauncey Billups. The Nash's are Nash, CP, Deron Williams, Jason Kidd, Devin Harris, and any other ball-dominating, huge assist, wildly unselfish playmakers. The Chaunceys are Chauncey, Jameer Nelson, Mike Bibby - and every other guy who gets their team into the offense with the first pass, can drain open shots, surprise the other team buy getting into the paint and dishing, and moves the ball to the open man when teams are scrambling. Marbury is neither. Marbury, even when he was a statistical dynamo, was neither as ridiculously unselfish as the Nashs, nor could he play within the flow of the team like the Chaunceys. For Orlando, the most important cog of their success is A)Ball movement, and B) Dead-eye outside shooting. Marbury doesn't move the ball fluidly and has always been a dreadful (if frequent) outside shooter. Stephon could definitely help some team who needs a 6th man -a guy who can immediately make plays and even unlock some tough defenses - think Super Eddie House. But that's it. If Orlando expects to plug him into the starting lineup right away, there will be a ton of unhappy customers.
• Andrew Bynum: Same thing as last year. The Lakers are officially into plan B. If anyone in LA or that organization thinks they will rely on a center with a limited offensive repertoire to come back from an injury and make an impact in the postseason, they've got another thing coming. And that other thing coming is the exact same team in the postseason they had last year.
• The Spurs! No one made a big deal about this. But Popovich sat Parker, Ginobili, Finley, and Duncan on the road against the Nuggets on Tuesday night, and nearly played Denver to a draw. Granted, this was no easy task for Denver who certainly wasn't scouting Jacque Vaughn and Fabricio Oberto, but it was still impressive that San Antonio managed 96 points. I particularly like Roger Mason who embraced the role of playmaker heaving 21 shots, 10 3 pointers, 6 assists, 8 TOs. It was an extraordinarily active game from him. And Popovich surrendering a game rather than make his older and fragile players get drained in a game in the high altitude is almost certainly another brilliant Pop move - and an easy way to spot who could possibly be a 4th playmaker (hint, hint: It's still not Bruce Bowen.)
• Kevin Durant and THE LEAP: I have been biding my time and waiting to make this announcement. But I think the 31,7, and 8 that the Durantuala put on the Nuggets last night makes it official, Durant is officially here. You keep wanting to say it. You want to say it when he goes for 46 and 15 against the clippers.; You want to say it when he hangs 29 and 10 in Utah; you want to say it when his "bad game" on the road against Sacramento results in 33 points; you'd love to say it when he swats 4 shots against Memphis. But now that all 4 performances have occurred since January 23rd, we can finally say that the Kevin Durant we all know, and we all love HAS ARRIVED. I will now officially tell all the people who like Oden to get a spoon and eat my butt. In November, KD had 6 games under 20 points, in December, he had 3, in January, he had 2, and so far in February he has gone over 30 in both games. KD is rounding into form in just the same way Wade and LeBron did about midway through their second years. The only question I have is, how many forwards are you taking over KD for your stretch run RIGHT NOW. I have 4: LeBron, Danny Granger, Chris Bosh and KG. (No, Tim Duncan is not a forward. He is a highly skilled center. When you are 6'11", and play the low block and guard the other team's center, you are a center.) I'm not taking Dirk, Gasol, Amare, Millsap, or even Paul Pierce over Kevin Durant. Sorry Caron Butler (though you are awfully close), Josh Howard, David West (that hurts), and Rashard Lewis. Kevin Durant is the 5th best forward in the game RIGHT NOW. And that Bayliss, Roy, Outlaw, Durant, Aldridge starting 5 would have been the most electric in the league by 2010.
• Kudos to David Bickel for carrying the blog in my absence. Just like intramural football and basketball, while I may be the emotional leader of the blog, Bickel just produces.

Power Rankings - February 3, 2009

No, that's not a picture from last night. But it is Kobe in the Garden. And it does appear Nate-Rob is in danger of getting his ankles broken in said picture. KOBE! By the way Kobe, dynamite rebound and assist numbers last night... 0 & 3 respectively. Are we about to see take-over mode Kobe for the next 8-12 weeks?

30. Sacramento (11-39) – Sac-town gets drubbed by almost 50 by Phoenix… Ouch. Also, Kevin Martin’s point total did not surpass Larry Fitzgerald’s longest reception -11.5 yards in the Super Bowl… Fitz! [pv wk 29]

29. Clippers (10-38) – 0-4 last week. The Clippers have to be the most disappointing team in the NBA this year. [28]

28. Washington (10-38) – With a win last week (and 1-3 record overall) they become the last team to hit double digit wins.. [30]

27. Memphis (12-35) – Loss to Thunder causes drop to 27th. Mayo leads rookies in scoring… [26]

26. Oklahoma City (11-37) – Win over Grizzlies in overtime allows for them to move to their highest spot of the year. Loss to Kings on Super Bowl Sunday was an extreme disappointment, even if Russ Westbrook went 20-22 from the foul line. [27]

25. Golden State (15-34) – 1-3 since last power rankings however, due to complete ineptitude of the bottom 5, they hold strong at 25. [25]

24. Indiana (19-29) – 2-2 week for Indiana and they hold on to 24th. [24]

23. Toronto (19-29) – Season started with such high expectations… [22]

22. Minnesota (16-30) – Yeah, they went 0-3 this week. Yeah, I’m aware they’re moving up in the rankings. Yeah, I meant to rank them here last week. Yeah, I’m an idiot. [23]

21. Charlotte (19-29) – 1-3 week highlighted by win at Staples. Gerald Wallace suffered cracked ribs and a collapsed lung in their victory, so even that turns out to be a net loss. [21]

20. New Jersey (21-27) – Devin Harris is an all-star, but the Nets slide continues. [18]

19. Chicago (21-27) – 3-0 week for the Bulls leads to move ahead of the Nets. [20]

18. New York (21-26) – Wilson Chandler falls to the Power Rankings jinx. After praising his defense against Kobe in their matchup at Staples, Chandler and the Knicks surrender a Madison Square Garden record 61 to Kobe last night. Otherwise, the Knicks are kinda on a tear… winning 6 of last 8 overall. [19]

17. Milwaukee (24-27) –Milwaukee grasping onto the 8 seed as the Knicks, Nets and Bulls remain within striking distance. Add Michael Redd’s season ending injury to the mix and this could be the last time the Bucks see the top 20. [17]

16. Philadelphia (23-23) – 76ers fight their back to .500. This team is slowly locking themselves into the 7 seed… good luck against Boston or Cleveland in round 1…. [16]

15. Detroit (25-21) – Anytime you’re tweaking your lineup to find the best mix 30 games after someone like AI’s arrival means trouble. After another 1-2 week, there’s no reason to alter their blurb. [14]

14. Miami (26-121) – 2-2 week + confusion in Detroit and the Heat have earned their highest ranking of 2009. [15]

13. Utah (27-22) – Much like Houston, this team just cannot get healthy. Deron’s back on the shelf, but they’re still tough as nails in Salt Lake. [13]

12. Phoenix (26-20) – 1-2 week salvaged by absolute beatdown of the worst team in the league last night. [11]

11. Atlanta (27-20) – Josh Childress better be enjoying life in Greece because the Hawks certainly aren’t going to be looking for him to return with the way they’ve been playing. [10]

10. Dallas (28-19) – 3-0 week capped off with a win over Orlando allows for move all the way to 10. [12]

9. Houston (29-19) – Par for the course for the Rockets last week… Yao returns, T-Mac goes down, team goes 1-1. Wait, what did their blurb say last week? Interesting…. [9]

8. New Orleans (28-17) – Rough week for New Orleans as they go 1-3 and CP3 injures groin in loss to Portland. CP3 has the third most double-doubles in the league, just behind Dwight Howard (obvious) and… David Lee…. [7]

7. Portland (30-17) – 3-0 week including a win over New Orleans last night, although that win comes with an asterisk… Portland was down 15 until CP3’s groin injury and outscored the stunned Hornets 42-17 after. [8]

6. Denver (31-16) 2-1 week allows for them to hold down the 6 spot. Nuggets season appears to be moving in the opposite direction of the Pistons… interesting… didn’t these two teams make a trade? [6]

5. San Antonio (33-14) – A 4-0 week keeps San Antonio solidly in the 5-hole. This team just finds ways to win. [5]

4. Orlando (36-11) – Another ho-hum 3-1 week for Orlando as they hold down the #4 spot. Week included a win over Cleveland and a loss to the Mavs last night. [4]

3. Lakers (38-9) – Déjà vu for the Lakers as Bynum goes down. Upset Alert: Lakers start 6-game road trip 3-0, with Boston on Thursday and Cleveland coming up on Sunday, will it be hard for the Lakers to not overlook Toronto? Kobe’s 61 in the Garden was magical. [2]

2. Cleveland (37-9) – 3-1 week coupled with Bynum injury and Lakers’ loss to the Bobcats allows for jump to #2. Cleveland hosts the Lakers on Sunday with their perfect home record on the line. [3]

1. Boston (40-9) – Boston’s last loss was on January 9th. Matchup with Lakers on Thursday night is revenge time for the Celtics after the Christmas Day victory for the Lakers. [1]

Déjà vu….

[Note: this was written prior to Kobe's 61 pt, 3 ast, 0 rebound performance in the Garden on Monday night]

It happened again. Andrew Bynum goes on an absolute tear for about two weeks, averaging 26 and 13 over that stretch & then the Lakers play the Grizzlies. Bynum starts the game strong and then out of nowhere, down he goes. Grabbing his knee. Looking as if Tonya Harding just called in a hit. Screaming in pain. And the look on Kobe’s face says it all. Stunned. Angry. He can’t believe he rolled up Bynum’s knee. He can’t believe this team had this happen to them. This was going to be his first post-Shaq championship. This team had filled the holes last year’s team had. Bynum was the cog in the middle. Bynum was learning how to defend the rim, averaging over 3 blocks per game in that same two week stretch. Bynum was going to be there waiting every time Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo drove the lane against the Lakers in the Finals in June.

And like POOOOF, he’s gone. After seeing this, I immediately freaked out. Not again. Not Bynum’s knee. He’s 21. And is now going to have had major surgery on BOTH knees. A torn MCL. At least it wasn’t the Tom Brady Ligament cocktail, right?

8-12 weeks? we’ve all heard that before. Right around this time last year. And after 8 weeks, the news was an additional 4-6… as the fourth week was approaching in that timeline, the Lakers spilled it, Bynum was done for the year.

The Lakers can only hope Bynum has a recovery similar to Jordan Farmar’s. That his youth will allow him to heal closer to the 8 than the 12 weeks required. If it’s a full 12 weeks, the Lakers will get Bynum back the first week of May. They’ll be lucky if he’s game ready by the time the Western Conference Finals start.

The only silver lining you can draw on this if you’re a fan of the Purple and Gold right now is that this is essentially the same exact team that carried them last year, trading Ronny Turiaf and an injured Trevor Ariza for Josh Powell and a healthy Trevor Ariza. Another year of experience for Jordan Farmar and Sasha and Pau…. Coupled with another year of wear and tear on the bodies of D-Fish and Kobe….

And the X-Factors are Trevor Ariza & Josh Powell if Bynum cannot come back. I still have nightmares of Paul Pierce torching the Lakers and KG, Leon Powe and Kendric Perkins punking the Lakers big men. Trevor will have to be the guy who defends the other team’s best player when Kobe needs a breath. Powell will have to be the enforcer in the middle that Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom aren’t.

Fortunately, the Lakers have lost only 9 games over halfway through the season… and they have essentially the same roster that they had last year when they came from behind to earn the best record in the Western Conference… they currently sit six games atop the San Antonio Spurs. Home Court throughout the Western Conference playoffs is still very much expected. But now, the Lakers will most likely struggle to compete with the likes of the Cavs, Magic and Celtics for home-court in the Finals. Cleveland is 20-0 at home. The Lakers get their first taste of Lebron City on Sunday… two days after meeting up with KG & Co. in Boston.

This is the week for the Lakers to prove that they learned from last year. To prove that while Bynum is a key part of the team, the Lakers can still be great without him. That said, championships are won in June, not February. And Kobe, more so than anyone else, hopes it’s closer to 8 weeks than 12 weeks… because he knows, the Lakers best shot at a Title, and his best shot at another ring & a Finals MVP Trophy comes with a healthy Andrew Bynum manning the middle.