POWER RANKINGS!!

We're rounding the corner on the NBA season; this month should truly separate the pretenders from the contenders as the Trade Deadline leads into the regular season's final month. Before the madness, let's see where everyone sits in this month's Power Rankings:

30 (30) New Jersey Nets
What's there to be said that hasn't been already? Seriously, nothing.

29 (29) Minnesota Timberwolves
Luckily for the L-Wolves, New Jersey's been stealing the spotlight from their wayward season with their unrivaled awfulness. The constant trade talk surrounding their best player isn't entirely unfounded; this team needs a serious identity check.

28 (27) Detroit Pistons
At this point I'm willing to give them "Disappointment of the Year" status. They're too talented a team in too weak a conference to be routinely losing by double digits and shuffling through lineups like old socks. At least that $100 mil they threw at BG and Charlie V's looking like money well spent...

27 (28) Golden State Warriors
The struggles continue for the most erratic team in the Association; Monta Ellis is doing everything he can but this team's way undersized, way too useless on D and, dare I say, in need of a coaching change. Don Nelson's a historically frustrated coach in the twilight of his career and likely lacking the patience to deal with the massive re-building effort the Warriors need to undertake.

26 (22) Sacramento Kings
Down goes Tyreke, and likewise, the Kings. Even with Kevin Martin back in form, it's becoming clear that Evans is a much more dynamic presence in the backcourt and is vital to Sac-Town's success. There's little to salvage of the season at this point, but having nabbed (arguably) the best prospect in the draft can't hurt going forward.

25 (26) Washington Wizards
Now that the dust has settled from Gilbertgate, the Wizards can hopefully shift their priorities back to basketball and the impending trade deadline. Of course any moves they make will be clouded by the possibilty of Arenas' contract being voided, but their mangled roster needs some adjustments and with the Wiz at rock bottom, now seems like a great time to blow this mess up.

24 (24) Indiana Pacers
Chugging along in irrelevant obscurity, the Pacers contiue to betray the hopes of their basketball-crazy state by playing an uninspired, lazy game that has them destined for another lottery gamble. Still fighting to regain their standing after the Malice at the Palace fallout, at least they've finally learned to stay away from wanted felons, gang-rapes and high-speed shootouts.

23 (25) Philadelphia 76ers
Samuel Dalembert's been making headlines lately; obviously touched by the tragedy in his homeland, the Hatian-born center's been co-ordinating League-wide charity efforts while delivering inspired performances on the court. If only the same could be said for the rest of his team, who've been getting more ink in trade rumors than win columns.

22 (23) New York Knicks
Luckily they had the T-Wolves in town the day after Dallas bitch-slapped them by 50 at home; the worst loss in MSG history. Inconsistency's been the name of the game for a Knicks team that was one of the hottest teams around in December, but has dropped 7 of its last 10 to fall well outside the playoff chase. David Lee's been your buddy's couch: shamelessly slept on.

21 (21) Milwaukee Bucks
Michael Redd's career is in serious jeopardy, which doesn't bode well for a Bucks team that looks completely screwed without him. Brandon Jennings' shooting woes continue as this team aimlessly searches for a scoring punch. Suffice to say Carlos Delfino, Ersan Ilyasova and Luc-Richard Mbah a Moute aren't frightening too many people.

20 (19) Los Angeles Clippers
Hopefully they don't have an Oden on their hands, but the other franchise with a terrible track record of drafting big men will have to wait until next season for Blake Griffin to be a factor. Meanwhile, LA fans are surely crying foul about Chris Kaman's All-Star snub, which is setting the tone well for what's shaping up to be another crappy season for the Empty Clips.

19 (17) New Orleans Hornets
Things were looking up in New Orleans; not only did the Saints survive a scare to make the Super Bowl, but the Hornets were playing well and pushing back towards the playoffs...then Chris Paul went down for at least a month and sent their season straight down the toilet.

18 (11) Houston Rockets
The Rockets, once the surprise of the West, have fallen off more than a bit. Their last six games came against the Spurs, Bulls, Hawks, Nuggets, Suns and Blazers, but with Miami as their only playoff opponent in the next seven, now seems like an ideal time to make up for lost ground in the playoff chase.

17 (14) Miami Heat
This shallow squad once had as firm a grip as it could've on the 5th seed, and has tumbled all the way down to 8th thanks to some lackluster efforts from everyone on the team not wearing #3. Wade may have once wanted to finish his career in South Beach, but you have to wonder if his mind hasn't drifted elsewhere over several disappointing seasons.

16 (20) Chicago Bulls
Looking more like a legit playoff team with each passing week, DaBulls celebrated Derrick Rose's first All-Star nod with a 5-game winning streak, leaving San Antonio, Phoenix and OKC as casualties.

15 (18) Charlotte Bobcats
It seems a safe bet at this point that they'll pop their playoff cherry in April. Chalk up another franchise turnaround for Larry Brown, which means it's only a matter of a year or two before he gets bored and deserts them.

14 (12) Oklahoma City Thunder
The rest of the West is catching up these youngsters and their playoff ambitions, but they've shown an ability to contend with tough competition, so there's no reason to assume they won't win some needed games and push themselves into the postseason...Especially not with Kevin Durant being absolutely unguardable.

13 (16) Memphis Grizzlies
It seems kinda strange seeing them this high, but with a 7-3 surge over their last ten, the Grizzlies leave me with no choice. Zach Randolph's been a beast, Marc Gasol's making a serious charge for MIP, and aleeged trade bait Rudy Gay couldn't be helping his own cause much more with a series of high-scoring exploits en route to Memphis W's.

12 (15) Toronto Raptors
It seems kinda strange seeing them this high, but with a 7-3 surge over their last ten, the Raptors leave me with no choice. Even with Hedo Turkoglu being relatively useless, the Raps have been winning through improved defense and a more balanced attack between the uptempo physicality of Jarrett Jack and the passive efficiency of Jose Calderon. Chris Bosh continues to impress and tempt opposing GMs, and Bryan Colangelo continues to insist that he won't trade him. Time will tell which of these forces prevails; hopefully it won't be too late for the Raptors to salvage their franchise player.

11 (6) Phoenix Suns
Playing away from home against tougher competition, the Suns have looked like a shell of the team that jumped to a West-best start and had Steve Nash atop MVP discussions back in November. Now it looks like Amar'e's finally getting shipped and this team might have to hit up the 'ol drawing board. Advice for Steve Kerr: look ahead a couple of years before the next time you give a 36-year old near-max dollars; Nash surely doesn'y want to spend the twilight of his career mired in a re-building effort.

10 (3) Boston Celtics
Sound the alarm. Even with KG back, the Celts have dropped 7 of 10 and look to be having trouble closing out tight games. They outplayed the Lakers for 9/10ths of their painful home loss on Sunday, and took similar Ls to the Magic and Hawks last week (the latter having swept the season series). This is the wrong time to have the wheels start falling off.

9 (10) Portland Trailblazers
It's a miracle that they're still here after all the injuries they've weathered, but the current rotation looks to be doing the job, and the trade deadline could yield another big body to shore up their front line. Their steady ascent to Western Supremacy took a hit, but how they've responded can't be anything but inspiring to Oregon basketball fans.

8 (8) San Antonio Spurs
Losing Tony Parker (and subsequently a Sunday showdown with the Melo-less Nuggets) can't help a team that, outside of Tim Duncan's awesomeness, is struggling to live up to expectations. Calling them a playoff team is safe, but anything beyond that's a serious stretch for a squad that had the whole A on edge preseason.

7 (13) Utah Jazz
Finally playing to their potential, the Jazz have shot up to the 4th seed in the West behind brilliant play from Deron Williams. His partner in crime, Carlos Boozer, is looking all the more expendable with Paul Millsap producing well in extended minutes, which introduces a new dilemma: stay the course and cut costs?...Or give the playoffs a shot with one the League's most thorough rosters?

6 (5) Dallas Mavericks
Getting dusted by the Raptors must've hurt because the ensuing 50-point pummeling of New York might be the W of the year, and saw the Mavs show more determination than at any point this year. Still, Dallas' perimeter continues to fuel its success, and legitimate contention might rest on a deadline deal.

5 (9) Atlanta Hawks
I hated on the Hawks last month, and they responded by sweeping the season series with the Celtics and briefly usurping the Magic for the Southeast lead. They certainly look more comfortable than the Celtics right now, and arguably should've had 3 All-Stars. No longer 'safely 4th in the East', I've been forced to eat my words.

4 (7) Orlando Magic
They took the division lead back and now look to regain their health as they try to fend off the Hawks. There's no doubting that they're talented enough to make another Finals run, but there have been more bumps in the road to a return than anyone would've anticipated.



3 (4) Denver Nuggets
Even without Melo, they've been stepping up and winning big games thanks to the steady hand of Chauncey Billups and an increased scoring punch from Kenyon Martin. They're still a ways away from fucking with the Lakers, but the bridesmaid's gown in the West never looked so good on them.



2 (1) Los Angeles Lakers
They've been playing a lot of close games, albeit winning most of them, but the Lakeshow seems to have lost some of that championship swagger that carried them through the early part of the season. Only a serious skeptic is doubting their status as favorites to repeat, but they're not the best team in the NBA right now.


1 (2) Cleveland Cavaliers
I'm stoked as a Cavs fan. My squad's here not as a matter of personal bias, but because they're unquestionaly the class of the Association right now. They've won both meetings with the Lakers this year, and continue dusting the opposition even as Mo Williams nurses a separated shoulder. "Separate" might as well be the Cavs' word of the month, as it's also what they've been doing relative to the rest of the East, and what Lebron's been doing vs. his one-time MVP competition.