HoopsHype Team Rankings - 8/30

[Way Of The Ray <wayray@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

http://www.hoopshype.com/power_rankings.htm

(Toronto is too low; Knicks fluctuate depending on McDyess and what
Lampe/
Sweetney can contribute (McDyess a big key, if he's healthy, the Knicks
can deal Thomas and/or Sweetney for a PG.  Van Exel would be a nice
addition.)

29. Utah Jazz If you are going to lose, lose big (and cheap). That's
apparently the philosophy in Utah this year.
28. Milwaukee Bucks Since Glenn Robinson's early days in the league, the
Bucks had never fielded a team this bad.
27. Atlanta Hawks The Philips Arena was already quite a depressing place
to play last year. With the kind of offseason the Hawks are having,
there is no reason to believe it won't get worse.
26. Golden State Warriors Unless Mike Dunleavy develops into the star he
never hinted to be last season, the Warriors are the worst team by far
in the Pacific Division.
25. Toronto Raptors Jerome Moiso has been the main free agent addition
of a team that didn't make the playoffs last year. You get the picture.
24. Denver Nuggets Andre Miller, Earl Boykins and Jon Barry? This is not
the kind of offseason Kiki Vandeweghe had dreamt of.
23. Memphis Grizzlies James Posey is the perimeter defender they needed.
The frontcourt has seen no upgrade, though.
22. Washington Wizards They'll have a couple of borderline All-Stars --
Stackhouse and Arenas -- in the backcourt and unproven players
everywhere else.
21. Cleveland Cavaliers With LeBron and several other emerging young
players, the Cavs should rank high on the list of most improved teams.
20. New York Knicks It's all up to Antonio McDyess in New York. If he is
not healthy, the Knicks are a mediocre team again.
19. Chicago Bulls Jay Williams' accident takes them one step backwards
in the rebuilding process -- unless Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler prove
otherwise.
18. Los Angeles Clippers There is still a good amount of young talent in
the Clippers roster, but they have already lost their shot at something
special.
17. New Orleans Hornets The Hornets haven't made much noise in the
market and they should have. One-and-out again?
16. Seattle SuperSonics You can live without an inside presence in the
Eastern Conference. It's a whole different story in the West coast.
15. Miami Heat The addition of Lamar Odom gives Miami one of the most
talented starting lineups in the Eastern Conference. They'll be quite
weak on the boards and on the bench, though.
14. Boston Celtics Another lost summer for the Celtics. They will once
again be a two-man show next season.
13. Orlando Magic Orlando is still thin at the point guard and center
spots, but there is enough talent in the team to be optimistic about
this season.
12. Indiana Pacers Rick Carlisle took a team with less talent than this
one to the Eastern Conference Finals last season.
11. Philadelphia 76ers Glenn Robinson is the latest of many candidates
to take offensive burden off Iverson. The best of them all, by the way.
10. Houston Rockets With Jeff Van Gundy in Houston, Yao Ming will get
more touches. And that's good news for the Rockets.
9. Detroit Pistons Joe Dumars continues to stockpile talent in Detroit.
The Pistons should really give the Nets a fight in the East.
8. Portland Trail Blazers While the other top teams in the West got
stronger, the Blazers have done nothing to improve.
7. Phoenix Suns The Suns are now deeper with first-round picks Zarko
Cabarkapa and Leandrinho Barbosa. Watch out for the Montenegrin forward.
They may have a strong contender for Rookie of the Year there.
6. New Jersey Nets The addition of Alonzo Mourning is a risk, but even
without him the Nets are clearly the best team East of Minnesota.
5. Minnesota Timberwolves Cassell, Sprewell, Szczerbiak, Garnett and
Olowokandi. On paper, the Timberwolves have the most talented team in
franchise history. But chemistry will not fall into place easily.
4. San Antonio Spurs The NBA champions were short on talent in the
backcourt last season. Last month's trade has pretty much solved the
problem.
3. Sacramento Kings In the last few seasons, the depth of their roster
was one of the Kings' biggest assets. It's no longer there.
2. Dallas Mavericks Nash, Finley, Jamison, Nowitzki... It will be hard
to beat the Mavericks without scoring in triple-digits.
1. Los Angeles Lakers They would probably be the favorites to win it all
even if Kobe Bryant was not there to play.