| 2008-09 Power Rankings: Preseason | | | | |
| RANK (LAST WK) | TEAM | REC. | COMMENT | |
| 1 (1) | Celtics | 66-16 | He hasn't done too much in Charlotte, but Michael Jordan has fired up at least one Celtic amid all those doubts about Boston's hunger to repeat. Sayeth Ray Allen: ''MJ told me when you win one, you've just [been] lucky.'' |
| 2 (2) | Lakers | 57-25 | It's a good thing L.A. is so stacked, because it has some history to overcome along with all that tough comp out West. The losing team in the Finals, remember, hasn't won the next season's title since 1989. |
| 3 (3) | Hornets | 56-26 | Too soon to say Posey's arrival is already paying off? The Hornets have already won something -- they were preseason ''champs'' at 7-0 -- and are third favorites to win it all according to the league's annual survey of GMs. |
| 4 (6) | Cavaliers | 45-37 | Q: Why are folks like me making such a big deal about the Mo Williams acquisition? A: Because LeBron's Cavs took Boston to seven games in the second round without a No. 2 scorer/shooter in Williams' class. |
| 5 (5) | Spurs | 56-26 | Is Pop's long, gray, unruly beard meant to mock folks who have written off the Spurs as too old? Better question: Have you considered how dangerous they might be if Manu is healed and rested come playoff time? |
| 6 (4) | Rockets | 55-27 | Who knows how many games T-Mac, Yao and Ron-Ron actually play together? But I question anyone saying Artest might mess up Houston's chemistry. Mess up what? Houston hasn't won a playoff series since 1997. |
| 7 (7) | Pistons | 59-23 | Who doesn't think the Pistons are slipping? In that league survey of GMs, more than half (55.6 percent) picked the team that didn't make a major offseason move over Cleveland (44.4 percent) to win the Central Division. |
| 8 ( | 76ers | 40-42 | Funny old game, isn't it? You can go to Duke, go No. 1 overall in the draft, play in major media markets with the Bulls and Clips ... and you can still, as Elton Brand would tell you, find a whole new level of scrutiny in Philly. |
| 9 (9) | Jazz | 54-28 | An early injury scare with D-Will isn't the best of starts, but he's the last guy I'd worry about in Jazz country. Far bigger question marks, to me, are Utah's suspect D and the pitfalls of having eight potential free agents. |
| 10 (11) | Mavericks | 51-31 | Just thinking out loud (again): If they won 51 games last season when everyone in Mavsland was so miserable, shouldn't we hold off on all those obituaries until we see how the Mavs look (and feel) under Carlisle? |
| 11 (12) | Suns | 55-27 | Skepticism was a constant in the D'Antoni Era, when the Suns averaged 58 wins over four seasons. Now? With an older team and such a drastic change in philosophy, you can see why skepticism is through the roof. |
| 12 (10) | Raptors | 41-41 | There are lots of Jermaine O'Neal haters out there, but we're completely on the other side. Which means we're already sold on the trio of JO, Bosh and Calderon. All our questions, frankly, are about the crew around them. |
| 13 (14) | Magic | 52-30 | The Magic are big favorites to win their division ... but there's a reason we call it the Southleast. Dangerous as Rashard, Hedo and Dwight are, doubts persist when the starting guards are Jameer Nelson and Mickael Pietrus. |
| 14 (13) | Trail Blazers | 41-41 | I know, I know: Oden had a rough preseason and eight of Portland's top 10 players are 25 or younger. But after the Blazers played .500 ball without Oden and Rudy Fernandez, where's the fun in preaching patience? |
| 15 (1 | Nuggets | 50-32 | George Karl keeps trying to tell us that the Nuggets won't fall as far without Marcus Camby as most media pests claim. Of course, even if he's right, No. 8 in the West is realistically the highest Denver can finish. |
| 16 (15) | Wizards | 43-39 | Someone asked me the other day if the Wiz can stay competitive while Arenas is out, as if that would be sufficient. After re-upping Gil for $111 mil? Proving they can continue to win without him isn't much consolation. |
| 17 (17) | Bulls | 33-49 | Maybe rookies Rose and Del Negro can overcome Chicago's low-post limitations and glut of guards to lead a postseason run. But who wants to go out on that limb after last season's team underachieved so badly? |
| 18 (20) | Warriors | 48-34 | With Baron Davis in L.A., Monta Ellis out indefinitely and unmistakable tension in the front office, Golden State is asking its famously patient fans to be understanding again. At least there's some good young talent here. |
| 19 (19) | Clippers | 23-59 | On paper? Baron Davis, Eric Gordon, Al Thornton, Chris Kaman and Marcus Camby are an intriguing fivesome. On hardwood? Hard to say when Camby didn't play any exhibition games and Baron played in one of eight. |
| 20 (22) | Hawks | 37-45 | It's true they played the Celts far closer in the playoffs than the Lakers did. Yet it's also true that the Hawks, beyond their solid starting five, have no depth to combat the much tougher competition for the East's No. 8 seed. |
| 21 (16) | Bucks | 26-56 | We normally don't like to make too much of preseason results, but the Bucks' 1-7 showing suggests that we might have underestimated the size of the task Skiles and new GM John Hammond have taken on here. |
| 22 (25) | Pacers | 36-46 | You know by now that the committee (of one) never tires of trotting out our pet Indy .500 line, but the sense here remains that the Pacers will wind up below it again, even if Dunleavy shakes his early knee problem. |
| 23 (24) | Heat | 15-67 | With the holes they have at point guard and center -- and a serious lack of depth, too -- let's be honest: D-Wade might have to be better than he was in the '06 Finals if he wants to take the Heat to the '09 playoffs. |
| 24 (2 | Timberwolves | 22-60 | The theory, if you subscribe, is that the Wolves have flanked Al Jefferson with multiple quality shooters ... and that players named Kevin (Love, in this case) tend to do well in this town. We haven't subscribed yet. |
| 25 (21) | Bobcats | 32-50 | If you noticed that the Bobcats went 0-8 in exhibition play and then found yourself wondering why Larry Brown ever agreed to take this job after his Knicks nightmare, here's your answer: It's the only job Larry could get. |
| 26 (26) | Knicks | 23-59 | I, for one, am fascinated to see how long it takes D'Antoni and Walsh to bring winning back to MSG. But Marbury's still here, which sadly will be all anyone talks about (along with the latest Isiah episode) until Steph goes. |
| 27 (27) | Nets | 34-48 | As if a full-on rebuilding project isn't tough enough for Nets die-hards to digest, now we're being told that arena construction in Brooklyn is on hold indefinitely. Do we even bother mentioning LeBron without Brooklyn? |
| 28 (23) | Kings | 38-44 | Like the way Adande said it recently: The scrappy Kings will give you everything they've got, but unfortunately that (probably) won't be a whole lot. Especially early, with Brad Miller suspended for the first five games. |
| 29 (29) | Grizzlies | 22-60 | With the highlight-reel potential Gay and Mayo have, Memphis had a real shot to rank as my favorite lottery-bound team this season. Then the Kings inked our guy Bobby Brown over the summer, denying the Grizz yet again. |
| 30 (30) | Thunder | 20-62 | Might be misleading to say that Kevin Durant and Co. have nothing to play for in their maiden season in Oklahoma City. You have to figure they've got a shot to be crowned Most Raucously Supported Bad Team in NBA history. |
