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The 14th Blogger Power Rankings

Published: February 4, 2009

Back at the start of the season, I launched a Blogger’s Power Rankings that has been passing its way around the blogosphere. Today, it returns to Hornets247 for your reading enjoyment.

The fine blogs that joined us in voting and providing commentary this week are;

3 Shades of Blue
A Stern Warning
Blue Blitz
Bust a Bucket
CelticsBlog
Denver Stiffs
Fear the Sword
Hardwood Paroxysm
The Lakers Nation
Queen City Hoops
RaptorsHQ
With-Malice

Whenever voting of this type occurs, fairly clear tiers of teams shake out, so I will group them accordingly below. An example of tiers are the Contenders at the top. The difference between the number one team and the number 3 team is only 5 points, but the 4th team is 20 points behind team 3. That forms a tier. Here we go:

The Contenders

1. Boston Celtics

Back on track with 11 straight. Where are all the naysayers now? Oh, are you looking at me? – A Stern Warning
After a hiatus they are back on top. How couldn’t they be, having won 10 of their last 10. – Raptors HQ
Long winning streaks do not cover for some apparent chinks in the armor. Don’t tell their fans. They’ll bite you. – Hardwood Paroxysm
Only ahead of the Cavaliers because they’ve played more games – Blue Blitz

2. Los Angeles Lakers

Bynum goes down…again. But Kobe is still Kobe, just in case anyone forgot. – 3 Shades of Blue
Bynum’s injury confirms that the basketball God won’t let Kobe win a championship without O’Neal…even if the spat was for marketing reasons. – Raptors HQ
Get well soon, Andrew. This is one Bobcat fan who does not delight in your misery. – Queen City Hoops

3. Cleveland Cavaliers

Will they ever lose at the Q? – A Stern Warning
Scary how good they’ve been without Z and Delonte. – CelticsBlog
LeBronaliers are strong with Z back. – Bust a Bucket

The Threats

4. Orlando Magic

The Rodney Dangerfield of the NBA: they just can’t get no Respect. – Hornets247
Jameer is out, and this team has plenty of weaknesses – Bust A Bucket
Two-and-a-half all-stars plus Hedo? They’re a great team — for the regular season. – A Stern Warning
Thay’re still in it for now, but I’d expect them to drop massively before seasons end. They need to play more Adonal Foyle. – Blue Blitz

5. San Antonio Spurs

I’m going to enjoy seeing the reaction when the Thunder trade either Nick Collison or Joe Smith to the Spurs for peanuts in return. They need new people to feed the zombie horde. – 3 Shades of Blue
They. Won’t. Go. Away. – CelticsBlog
Should have kicked them when they were down. – Fear the Sword
YOU HAVE TO SHOOT IT IN THE HEAD! IN THE HEAD! – Hardwood Paroxysm
They’re winning, but they’re still playing dangerously close to inferior teams. – Blue Blitz

The Unproven

6. Portland Trailblazers

The injury to Steve Blake has allowed for more playing time for Jerryd Bayless…and he hasn’t disappointed. – 3 Shades of Blue
A snowball rolling downhill, gaining steam and heading for the village. This team has incredible momentum. – Hardwood Paroxysm
Blazer fans are starting to nitpick about Jerryd Bayless’ role. it’s been that good of a year for them – The Lakers Nation

7. Denver Nuggets

Melo’s back, and Denver will be stronger – both for his return, and for learning to win without him. – With Malice
Carmelo Anthony deserves some respect.. for real – The Lakers Nation
Nene is efficient, Billups is more of an All-Star than AI, and I hate all of it. – Bust a Bucket

8. New Orleans Hornets

On Principle, I’m not allowing any mention of the meltdown against Portland – Hornets247
As Paul goes, the Hornets go. So, down they go, I guess… – A Stern Warning
Chris Paul is not allowed to ever get hurt again. That collective gasp from Hornets Nation almost opened a hole in the fabric of existence. – Hardwood Paroxysm
Something just seems missing with the Hornets. CP3 is good. West has his numbers… I can’t figure it out. – Fear the Sword
Amazing that even despite being lead by All Stars Paul and West, this team still appear to be struggling at times. Many pundits have recognized that something’s not quite right… I’d put it down to a lack of trust in the coach. – With Malice

Pretenders

9. Houston Rockets

Trying . . . to . . . avoid . . . mentioning . . . constant . . . injuries. Damn. – Hornets247
Yao hates Philly (who doesn’t?), but what he should really hate is the fact that his teammates jack up too many three-pointers, to the tune of over 20 attempts per game. – 3 Shades of Blue
If you’re Dayrl Morey, do you have a dartboard with McGrady on it in your office? – Hardwood Paroxysm
Seriously why isn’t Coach Adelman being mentioned as a COY candidate? All those injuries yet still winning games. – Raptors HQ

10. Dallas Mavericks

Why won’t you die already? Oh, that’s right…because Dirk won’t let you. – 3 Shades of Blue
Unexpectedly hot. – Blue Blitz
When does the fire sale for the Mavs start? This summer? – CelticsBlog

11. Atlanta Hawks

This has turned into a bit of a thematic for the Hawks – average play, but no-one around playing well enough to supplant them. – With Malice
When they get Horford back expect them to start rolling again. Where is the real Josh Smith? – Raptors HQ

1st Round Fodder

12. Phoenix Suns	Shaq Daddy is the main draw on this team — who woulda thunkit? – A Stern Warning I have no idea what this team is doing. I miss the old Suns. – CelticsBlog Trade Amare. Seriously. You play better with Shaq on the court than STAT. Check the numbers, I’ll wait. – Queen City Hoops The sooner Kerr/Porter realizes that Shaq is done, the Suns might start making progress – Fear the Sword How many meetings does it take to fix a team? 5? 10? We could soon find out. – RaptorsHQ
13. Utah Jazz	No Boozer, no AK-47, no Deron…are they trying to ensure that Jerry Sloan finally gets that Coach of the Year award that he deserves? – 3 Shades of Blue Would not be in the playoffs if they started today. This makes me happy. – Fear the Sword Terrific bench. Too bad their stars spend more time in the hospital than Amy Winehouse. – Hardwood Paroxysm
14. Miami Heat	Where will Marion go? That’s about the only interesting story here. – A Stern Warning Who needs Marion with Beasley rounding into form? – Raps HQ At this point I think Riley’s just really into delayed satisfaction. It’s like he keeps waiting for that last second offer for Marion that’s the basketball equivalent of a super pog, a walkie-talkie wristwatch, and a porn featuring Jessica Alba. – Hardwood Paroxysm
15. Philadelphia 76ers	Been doing better than most of the East lately. – Blue Bucket If Brand wants to end all the trade rumours he needs to adapt and quickly. Doesn’t a Brand for Amare deal make too much sense?. – Raptors HQ Starting to work… with Brand in a minor role. Is he worth it? Or are the 76ers shopping him in the hope of getting a piece that actually might work… I for one would not be surprised to see Brand sporting a different set of colours come trade deadline. – With Malice
16. Detroit Pistons	Detroit seemed to have entered a period of freefall, and it’s not altogether impossible that they could miss the playoffs – the first time since 2001. – With Malice They don’t make any sense to me. Iverson needs to bow out. – Bust a Bucket The worse that Michael Curry’s suits look, the worse the team plays. Opposing fans are raiding Craig Sager’s closet to replenish his wardrobe as we speak. – 3 Shades of Blue

Mediocre At Best

17. Minnesota Timberwolves	Go go JV Celts! – CelticsBlog Mike Miller is shooting fewer and hitting fewer 3-pointers than Ryan Gomes. What’s up with that? – 3 Shades of Blue Kevin Mcfail either knows what he’s doing, or he’s using the last of his super mario stars, and will go right back to being awful any day now – Lakers Nation So, McHale sucks not only as a GM, but also as a coach? – Fear the Sword
18. Milwaukee Bucks	Redd gone, but some how the Bucks are managing to hold on to a half game lead for 8th spot in the Eastern Conference over New York. With the Knicks facing LA, Cleveland and Boston in the next week, they should be able to protect it… at least from New York. – With Malice Holy Villaneuva! Easily playing the best basketball of his career. – Raptors HQ If Michael Redd gets hurt in Milwaukee, does the rest of the NBA hear a sound? – CelticsBlog
19. New York Knicks	Guys, you just gave up 61 to The Mamba. What’s next? A visit from LeBron you say? Good luck with that. – 3 Shades of Blue thanks for the easy game, Knicks. signed, The Rockets (minus T-Mac and Artest) – Fear the Sword Congrats, Knicks – you let Kobe take one of MJ’s records. – Queen City Hoops Thanks for putting Kobe back in the forefront, assclowns. You’re all fired. Except for you, David Lee. You’re beautiful like a star. – Hardwood Paroxysm
20. Chicago Bulls	Even with the Bulls running a 5 game win streak, I’m with Bulls Owner Jerry Reinsdorf on his calling them a “disaster”. I can’t begin to imagine what it must feel like for the players to have the guy who signs your check tell everyone that you’re an embarrassment, and that he often boos the team. Ouch. – With Malice Yuck – CelticsBlog Get it together – Bust a Bucket

In Denial

21. New Jersey Nets	Vince Carter is playing through an injury. Anything can happen. – Hardwood Paroxysm Brook Lopez…best New Jersey big man since….since I can remember. – Raptors HQ The recent play of Brooke Lopez has to be an encouraging sign for the Nets, who can now scratch “quality big man” off their needs list. Lopez mightn’t end up being anything near an All Star, but he’s solid, and will only get better with time. – With Malice
22. Indiana Pacers	The Pacers are actually able to put together some good wins at home. Typically of a lot of teams this season, they struggle on the road. Jamal Tinsley continues to be shopped, but I’d be amazed if anyone bit. – With Malice Don’t look now but actually playing mediocre basketball. Unfortunately with TJ Ford that is the ceiling. – Raptors HQ The most inconsistent team in NBA History. – Blue Blitz
23. Toronto Raptors	First O’Neal was going somewhere, now it’s Bosh as well. Can we just focus on the great play of Bargnani? Oh, and get my boy Jawai on the court! – A Stern Warning My Canadian soul weeps – The Lakers Nation I think we’re witnessing the beginning of the end of the Bosh years at the (C)Raptors… rumors fly with abandon on trade possibilities! – With Malice
24. Charlotte Bobcats	And that is why you never pick Gerald Wallace on your fantasy team. He’s a very nice player, but he seems to get a freaky injury every year – CelticsBlog Without Gerald, this may be too high. But putting them any lower will crush my hope. – Queen City Hoops, ranking them 22nd He played the four, and got a concussion. So they brought in Diaw. Now he plays the three, and goes in the hospital. I don’t know whether they should just put him at small guard, or go the opposite way and have him play center. But Jesus, Gerald Wallace has some bad luck. – Hardwood Paroxysm
25. Golden State Warriors	Ellis ruined everything. – Bust A Bucket Lottery-bound, the Dubs are still going to upset a few teams here and there that are going to be in the playoffs. – With Malice Ellis still needs to round into form…in another jersey preferrably. – Raptors HQ

Man, I Hope You’re Rebuilding

26. Memphis Grizzlies	Congratulations Memphis. You suck on a level that would make Ron Jeremy smile…– With Malice I think it is pretty clear it wasn’t the coaching. – Raptors HQ Finally snapped an 11 game losing streak with a win over the woeful Wizards. Mike Conley averaged 14 ppg, 7 apg (to 2 TOpg), 2 spg, 3.3 rpg on .469 FG% and hitting 5/9 3-pointers in the last 3 games. This team needed someone other than Mayo and Gay to step up and Conley has. – 3 Shades of Blue
27. Oklahoma City Thunder	Kevin Durant improved tremendously in the offseason…which is a scary proposition for the rest of the league once his teammates start to follow suit. Also, Russell Westbrook frightens me…more than a little bit. – 3 Shades of Blue Without Desmond Mason, this team is screwed. – Blue Blitz Along with Minnesota, another of the teams thought to be cellar dwellers the season long proving to be a pleasant surprise. Not quite on the same level as the T-Wolves, but Oklahoma residents have to be breathing a sigh of relief. – With Malice
28. Sacramento Kings	The Kings have stated that they’re open to trade offers. Rumor is the entire team’s going to be traded for a half empty pack of pringles, and $28 in casino chips. – With Malice Was Artest really the difference between last year and this? – Lakers Nation They can give you fits if you don’t play defense. – Blue Blitz
29. Los Angeles Clippers	How much longer until Mike Dunleavy is unemployed? – 3 Shades of Blue If the games were won on who had the best injured list, this team would be hands-down titlists. – A Sterm Warning Somewhere Elgin Baylor is making sweet love to the rest of the Clipper’s respectability. – The Lakers Nation
30. Washington Wizards	Blake Griffin would be perfect here but if their luck continues they will probably lose the lottery. – Raptors HQ You guys remember a guy named Gilbert Arenas? Used to play basketball? Blogged? Anybody? – Hardwood Paroxysm Even without Agent Zero, the team still has Jamison and Butler. There is no excuse to be this bad. – Fear the Sword