Week 7 Power Rankings
Nov 27, 2018 1:08:16 GMT -5
Golden State Warriors (Caleb), Chicago Bulls (Charlie), and 5 more like this
Post by The Athletic on Nov 27, 2018 1:08:16 GMT -5
Alright boys, I am sorry but I just got caught up in the festivities and wasn't able to come out with an edition of power rankings last week. Luckily for you guys I am back and here to break down what went on the past couple weeks. We've got some awesome story lines, and the playoff picture is finally starting to take place. Let's break it all down.
New Items:
30. Boston Celtics (0-5)- The Celtics continue to bring up the rear, and it'll be a huge game when they meet up with the Bucks in the ultimate tankathon. The Celtics had a plan coming in and while they never expected to win many games this year they have to be concerned with how their young core has performed up until this point.
29. Milwaukee Bucks (0-6)- The Bucks are doing exactly what they set out to do this season and that's lose. Again it pains me to see a year of Giannis wasted, but no doubt the Bucks will be back in due time. #tankforzionorbarrett
28. Miami Heat- (0-6)- The Heat are also doing exactly what they came into the season looking to do. They are losing, but at the same time their young pieces are showing signs. Ayton, Bagley, and Fox have all shown why they are in the future plans of the Heat. Obvioulsy those 3 wont be enough to lead a team to a championship but the Heat are on a good path.
27. Los Angeles Lakers (0-5)- I was one of the few Laker believers at the start of the season. Maybe I didn't think they were gonna make the playoffs, but I thought they would be good enough for a couple sneaky wins and who knows maybe they could sneak into the playoffs at the end things. Unfortunately that really hasn't been the case, the Lakers are win-less through 6 weeks and are probably looking at another loss this week in Golden State. The team does have 2.5 building blocks with Embiid, Tobias, and Prince. With a good pick this year, things could be turning around in LA soon.
26. Orlando Magic (1-5)- Wow. This Magic team came into the season with high expectations and I was a full believer. This team has crumpled and one has to wonder if Perry is ready to blow this thing up. Myles Turner apparently is in the best shape of his life, but that hasn't really translated into much this year. Enes is still Enes but he's on the bench because of his defense. Tatum is still awesome, but his game doesn't translate as to here ad well as others, and there are a million mouths to feed in Boston. Isaac has shown flashes but hasn't been as consistent as Perry could have hoped. This weeks loss to the Hornets is probably the lowest it can get. The team has talent and I wouldn't be surprised if the Magic went on a run but it starts with Perry. He's got a big decision to make.
25. Charlotte Hornets (3-3)- For as tough as the season started for the Hornets they are now sitting at a very respectable 3-3 and just beat and a talented Magic team. Despite 3-3 they are still only 25 for me, because as we look a little closer the other two wins for the Hornets have come against the Heat and Bucks both of whom are win-less. Either way, I love the way Kennan has gone about continuing to get better. Lonzo, Ingram, and Collins are the foundation of the rebuild, and while the Hornets will definitely need more it's a good trio to have moving forward.
24. Oklahoma City Thunder (1-4)- The Thunder won their first game of the season and will look to get this thing turned around with another win against the Rockets. Kyrie and Sabonis has been a hell of a 1-2 punch so far this year, and some of the other guys finally chipped in this week. Getting Bogey back is a nice boost, but the Thunder are still missing Portis and Barton. They'll hope to scratch and claw to win games so that when Portis and Barton come back this team is in somewhat of a position to make a run.
23. San Antonio Spurs (1-5)- The 1-5 tag is probably a little harsh for this decent Spurs team, but without Payton it has been tough sledding. When Chris is 1-5 that's when you know the league is finally somewhat balanced from top to bottom. Capela has blossomed from his first couple years and is a legit building block, but other than that it's tough. We've never seen Chris go full rebuild and blow it all up from ground up, but we may see it this year. Guys like Payton, Batum, and Ariza among others would be of interest to many other teams. The Spurs will look to bounce back against the defending champs next week.
22. Houston Rockets (2-4)- After a nice start to the season the Rockets have faltered a little bit and a loss to the Blazers bumps them down to 22. This team is still really balanced and has a lot of talent, but the lack of star power makes it tough to hang on weeks where the guys have down weeks. Still Teague should be solid the rest of the way without Jimmy, and Harrison has been pretty good this year as well. I really liked buying low on Jordan Bell who is seeing an uptick in run now. It's a tough spot for the Rockets who aren't bad enough to be bottom dwellers but probably aren't good enough to make any significant run come playoff time.
21. Portland Trailblazers (2-3)- The Blazers got a much needed win against the Rockets this past week moving them to 2-3. Kemba has been excuse my language a fucking beast this year, and he really hasn't had much help in Portland this year. Beal has been solid, but there is just so much dysfunction in Washington he probably benefits from a trade. Laurri is making porgress and probably makes a comeback soon, but this team probably needs more than just him to make a real run. Again the Blazers have one of the more inactive front offices in the league so it's hard to envsion anything more than a middle of the pack team the rest of the way, but there is talent here.
20. Washington Wizards (2-4)- After a tough 0-4 start the Wizards have bounced back with two straight wins and are looking to get right back into it. A lot of it has to do with the extended run Schroeder got with Westbrook out, but he continues to get a lot of run even with Russ back. Saric has been a huge disappointment this year, but Porter has started to pick it up and Ryan Arrcidiaccano has been a really good pick up. It's still an uphill climb but the Wizards have a shot to make the playoffs with a late push.
19. Minnesota Timberwolves (1-4)- With a 1-4 record it's tough to have the Wolves higher than 19. I still firmly believe they are better than their record indicates. AD is about as good as anyone in the league fantasy wise, the obvious thing with him is just health. John Wall hasn't been as good as we've been used to but he's still a stud the rest of the team just has to catch up. Brown has been disappointing but Wendell has been really good. Obviously the 1-4 start is not ideal, but I think the Twolves still have a shot they just need to get hot.
18. Detroit Pistons (3-3)- The Pitons have fallen off a little bit, and the loss of Kevin Love may be finally catching up to them. Lavine and Leonard have continued to ball but Leonard will continue to rest periodically, and I just don't think the Pistons have enough depth around the two to handle the loss of Love. Rooting for a playoff appearance for the Pistons but it behoove them to look for some depth.
17. Phoenix Suns (3-3)- The Suns are still very much in the thick of things at 3-3. Gary Harris going down for a little bit hurts, but they key to this team all year has been its depth. A win over the Jazz this past week would have been massive, but they just couldn't quite pull it off. I'm still not sure I have the Suns as a playoff team but it'll be very close. It's going to come down to how consistent Harris, Allen, and Bledsoe are.
16. Utah Jazz (3-2)- TJ has the Jazz back up and running at least for the time being. Had they kept Tristan this team really could be making noise. Conley, Nurk, and Niko are going to carry this team all year with Tross chipping in, but it looks by the trades made that the Jazz will like more towards rebuilding than making all out push for this year. Either way the Jazz look pretty good for the time being.
15. LA Clippers (3-3)- The Clipps are one of the toughest teams in the league to peg. After a 3-1 start they've dropped the last two and are now 3-3. I'm not sure how much the Jimmy Butler trade helps him, but atleast he is settled and moved on. Trae has been colder lately but he'll definately have his crazy games as well. Hassan has also cooled off a tad. Either way, this Clippers team can get hot really quickly and hopefully for Clippers Dwight can come back soonish as well.
14. Brooklyn Nets (3-2)- Tough drop for the Nets but without Levert life as been tougher as expected. Kevin Durant is eating without Steph, but he'll probably take a slight step back when Steph returns although his efficiency probably spikes a little. The Nets played well but the Pacers were just too good. White has been a disappointment thus far but again it is still early for the youngin. The Nets are still on the radar as a title team if Levert returns in time.
13. Sacramento Kings (4-2)- The Kings took a tough loss the Thunder who just got really hot. The Kings have been a weird team to evaluate they have some big wins, but really haven't played to their peak. Dragic has been out almost all year, Hayward hasn't been at his best and honestly Simmons hasn't either. This team is as deep as anyone and if they get healthy and everyone plays at their peak this is a very good team.
12. Memphis Grizzlies (3-3)- The Grizzlies have struggled the past couple weeks and it starts obvioulsy with setting their lineup. The Grizz probably still lose to the Pelicans last week, but it certainly didn't help. CP3 being out hurts, but the Grizz have the depth to try and handle it. The Grizz will look to get back on track against a sneaky Blazers team.
11. Cleveland Cavs (4-2)- The Cavs make a big jump to just outside the top 10 and come in off a huge win against the 76ers. Jamaal Murray is about as inconsistent as they come but he had a good week, and continues to make strides into becoming that franchise player he's capable of being. Jokic is an abslute monster and the heart of this year, but the biggest X-factor has been the sudden resurgence of Tristan Thompson. Thompson has become an every night stud and the Cavs will look to ride it out for as long as possible. The rooks Holiday and Jackson have been really awesome this year as well, would not wanna play this team come playoff time, and it looks like the Cavs made the jump a year earlier than expected.
10. Dallas Mavericks (4-2)- Like we talked about in the headliner, man have the Mavs gotten hot. This blistering effort was led by Bron, Marc Gasol, and Trey Burke. Fiz has been moving things around like crazy, and there is a chance Burke eventually falls out of the rotation, but he's by far the most talented between Mudiay and Trier so I would be surprised. Lin has even got hot too. I doubt this team stays this hot all year, but this team is right back in the thick of things and will look to make a serious run this year.
9. Philadelphia 76ers (3-2)- After a hot start the Sixers have fallen off a little bit and a loss to the Cavs last week definitely hurts. It's been weird that Tyreke hasn't been more productive without Oladipo. KAT has been feasting without Jimmy, and Russell has been really good without Caris. Demar and Hood have been really good this year as well but it looks like losing Melo and Rondo have hurt more than expected. Either way this is a championship team in my eyes, and Rondo should be back soon. The 76ers will get a nice rebound game against the win-less Bucks.
8. Toronto Raptors (5-0)- The Raptors are 5-0, but I can't have them higher than 8 because their wins have been against the Celtics, Heat, Magic, Pistons, and the Caris Levert-less Nets. Either way all you can do is play you are matched up against and the Raptors have done just that. Lowrly is having an awesome year and is the clear head dog of this Raptors team. Outside of Lowry there is a lot of depth. Gallo, Horford, Crowder, and even Turner has turned in a good year. The Raps have a huge prove it me game agains the red hot Pacers this week.
7. Indiana Pacers (5-1)- After a somewhat slow start the Pacers are red hot. DSJ has been pretty inconsistent this year, but Randle, Adams, and Drummond have been playing at a really high level of late. This team I really don't think gets enough hype as being one of the better teams in the East. They have just as much depth as anyone and even guys like Etwaun Moore are having really good years. The Pacers have a huge game this week against the Raptors and will hope that DSJ and Donovan can get back in time.
6. Atlanta Hawks (5-1)- OH my we almost have a Trey siting in the top 5. I don't Trey has ever been near the top 5. He deserves all of it. The Hawks are led by two true superstars in Damian Lillard and James Harden. With CP3 being out Harden usage rate has been insane leading to some just ridiculous numbers. Outside of the stars the Hawks have a perfect amount of depth. They just recently acquired Joe Ingles, Mack has been good, Zeller has been solid, Matthews, and Plumlee have been good and then don't even get me started on Harrell. This team is as good as anyone out East and I'm pumped for Trey.
5. New York Knicks (4-1)- The Knicks steamrolled the Bucks and have been in cruise control pretty much all year. Middleton and Jrue are probably the two most underrated players in the league but the Knicks don't care as they continue to ball all year. The Knicks are one of the favorite teams in the league and while they could stand to add maybe one more piece for depth this is a very good team.
4. Golden State Warriors (5-1)- The Warriors have been able to somewhat limit the damage without Steph with huge wins against good teams in the Mavs and Twolves. Blake and Vooch have been incredible. Having zeros from Wood and JR Smith is going to hurt this team eventually, but for now this team has a lot of depth and star power at the top.
3. Chicago Bulls (4-1)- The Bulls are coming off a bye, but are locked in as one of the best three teams in the league right. This team is unbelievablydeep and is scoring with the best of them all with Kris Dunn and Demarcus Cousins still out. Covington looks comfortable in Minny and really everyone on this team contributes. It's gonna be a really fun race out East and I don't know who will come out on top but the Bulls have to probably be the favorite as of now.
2. Denver Nuggets (5-0)- The Nuggets continue to do their thing in the most Nuggets way, depth. Jeremy Lamb has gone mental right now, and Millsap has picked it up as well. If there were a time to play the Nuggets it would have been this or last week as Oladipo is out, but it looks like the Nuggets are going to escape the Oladipo injury without a loss. The Nuggets will play a struggling Spurs team and will look to keep the undefeated streak alive.
1. New Orleans Pelicans (5-1)- The Pels are almost back to full strength and when they are healthy it's really not fair. The Pelicans have ridiculous depth and star power and we really haven't seen a team like this in league histroy. The league still is as balanced as it's been and like we've already seen all it takes is a couple injuries here and there and things change drastically.
New Items:
- Surging Cavs win a huge game against title contender 76ers- I was the first to admit I wasn't completely sold on the Cavs after their week one upset over the Pacers. But with the addition of Tristan Thompson the Cavs have been among the leagues best and now have to be seen as a contender in the East. They still could probably do with adding another piece but the Cavs rise has been one of the more fun stories in the league this year.
- OKC breaks out of win-less funk- The Thunder grabbed their first win of the year against the previously 4-1 Sacramento Kings. The Thunder have absolutely had some bad luck this year but this win hopefully gets them on track. It's a tight race out West but the Thunder still have a chance if they can grab some wins over the next couple weeks
- Dallas Mavs on the rise- It wasn't too long ago I thought the MAvs were dead in the water. Not Milwaukee Bucks not gonna sniff a win dead in the water, but the probably even more dreaded we have aging stars and are mediocre but don't have our pick dead in the water. Things have turned around quick. Trey Burke is going off, Taj has been great, and nobody really saw JLin's breakout coming either. Mavs probably won't have another week this high again, but the Mavs cannot be counted out of the race in the West.
30. Boston Celtics (0-5)- The Celtics continue to bring up the rear, and it'll be a huge game when they meet up with the Bucks in the ultimate tankathon. The Celtics had a plan coming in and while they never expected to win many games this year they have to be concerned with how their young core has performed up until this point.
29. Milwaukee Bucks (0-6)- The Bucks are doing exactly what they set out to do this season and that's lose. Again it pains me to see a year of Giannis wasted, but no doubt the Bucks will be back in due time. #tankforzionorbarrett
28. Miami Heat- (0-6)- The Heat are also doing exactly what they came into the season looking to do. They are losing, but at the same time their young pieces are showing signs. Ayton, Bagley, and Fox have all shown why they are in the future plans of the Heat. Obvioulsy those 3 wont be enough to lead a team to a championship but the Heat are on a good path.
27. Los Angeles Lakers (0-5)- I was one of the few Laker believers at the start of the season. Maybe I didn't think they were gonna make the playoffs, but I thought they would be good enough for a couple sneaky wins and who knows maybe they could sneak into the playoffs at the end things. Unfortunately that really hasn't been the case, the Lakers are win-less through 6 weeks and are probably looking at another loss this week in Golden State. The team does have 2.5 building blocks with Embiid, Tobias, and Prince. With a good pick this year, things could be turning around in LA soon.
26. Orlando Magic (1-5)- Wow. This Magic team came into the season with high expectations and I was a full believer. This team has crumpled and one has to wonder if Perry is ready to blow this thing up. Myles Turner apparently is in the best shape of his life, but that hasn't really translated into much this year. Enes is still Enes but he's on the bench because of his defense. Tatum is still awesome, but his game doesn't translate as to here ad well as others, and there are a million mouths to feed in Boston. Isaac has shown flashes but hasn't been as consistent as Perry could have hoped. This weeks loss to the Hornets is probably the lowest it can get. The team has talent and I wouldn't be surprised if the Magic went on a run but it starts with Perry. He's got a big decision to make.
25. Charlotte Hornets (3-3)- For as tough as the season started for the Hornets they are now sitting at a very respectable 3-3 and just beat and a talented Magic team. Despite 3-3 they are still only 25 for me, because as we look a little closer the other two wins for the Hornets have come against the Heat and Bucks both of whom are win-less. Either way, I love the way Kennan has gone about continuing to get better. Lonzo, Ingram, and Collins are the foundation of the rebuild, and while the Hornets will definitely need more it's a good trio to have moving forward.
24. Oklahoma City Thunder (1-4)- The Thunder won their first game of the season and will look to get this thing turned around with another win against the Rockets. Kyrie and Sabonis has been a hell of a 1-2 punch so far this year, and some of the other guys finally chipped in this week. Getting Bogey back is a nice boost, but the Thunder are still missing Portis and Barton. They'll hope to scratch and claw to win games so that when Portis and Barton come back this team is in somewhat of a position to make a run.
23. San Antonio Spurs (1-5)- The 1-5 tag is probably a little harsh for this decent Spurs team, but without Payton it has been tough sledding. When Chris is 1-5 that's when you know the league is finally somewhat balanced from top to bottom. Capela has blossomed from his first couple years and is a legit building block, but other than that it's tough. We've never seen Chris go full rebuild and blow it all up from ground up, but we may see it this year. Guys like Payton, Batum, and Ariza among others would be of interest to many other teams. The Spurs will look to bounce back against the defending champs next week.
22. Houston Rockets (2-4)- After a nice start to the season the Rockets have faltered a little bit and a loss to the Blazers bumps them down to 22. This team is still really balanced and has a lot of talent, but the lack of star power makes it tough to hang on weeks where the guys have down weeks. Still Teague should be solid the rest of the way without Jimmy, and Harrison has been pretty good this year as well. I really liked buying low on Jordan Bell who is seeing an uptick in run now. It's a tough spot for the Rockets who aren't bad enough to be bottom dwellers but probably aren't good enough to make any significant run come playoff time.
21. Portland Trailblazers (2-3)- The Blazers got a much needed win against the Rockets this past week moving them to 2-3. Kemba has been excuse my language a fucking beast this year, and he really hasn't had much help in Portland this year. Beal has been solid, but there is just so much dysfunction in Washington he probably benefits from a trade. Laurri is making porgress and probably makes a comeback soon, but this team probably needs more than just him to make a real run. Again the Blazers have one of the more inactive front offices in the league so it's hard to envsion anything more than a middle of the pack team the rest of the way, but there is talent here.
20. Washington Wizards (2-4)- After a tough 0-4 start the Wizards have bounced back with two straight wins and are looking to get right back into it. A lot of it has to do with the extended run Schroeder got with Westbrook out, but he continues to get a lot of run even with Russ back. Saric has been a huge disappointment this year, but Porter has started to pick it up and Ryan Arrcidiaccano has been a really good pick up. It's still an uphill climb but the Wizards have a shot to make the playoffs with a late push.
19. Minnesota Timberwolves (1-4)- With a 1-4 record it's tough to have the Wolves higher than 19. I still firmly believe they are better than their record indicates. AD is about as good as anyone in the league fantasy wise, the obvious thing with him is just health. John Wall hasn't been as good as we've been used to but he's still a stud the rest of the team just has to catch up. Brown has been disappointing but Wendell has been really good. Obviously the 1-4 start is not ideal, but I think the Twolves still have a shot they just need to get hot.
18. Detroit Pistons (3-3)- The Pitons have fallen off a little bit, and the loss of Kevin Love may be finally catching up to them. Lavine and Leonard have continued to ball but Leonard will continue to rest periodically, and I just don't think the Pistons have enough depth around the two to handle the loss of Love. Rooting for a playoff appearance for the Pistons but it behoove them to look for some depth.
17. Phoenix Suns (3-3)- The Suns are still very much in the thick of things at 3-3. Gary Harris going down for a little bit hurts, but they key to this team all year has been its depth. A win over the Jazz this past week would have been massive, but they just couldn't quite pull it off. I'm still not sure I have the Suns as a playoff team but it'll be very close. It's going to come down to how consistent Harris, Allen, and Bledsoe are.
16. Utah Jazz (3-2)- TJ has the Jazz back up and running at least for the time being. Had they kept Tristan this team really could be making noise. Conley, Nurk, and Niko are going to carry this team all year with Tross chipping in, but it looks by the trades made that the Jazz will like more towards rebuilding than making all out push for this year. Either way the Jazz look pretty good for the time being.
15. LA Clippers (3-3)- The Clipps are one of the toughest teams in the league to peg. After a 3-1 start they've dropped the last two and are now 3-3. I'm not sure how much the Jimmy Butler trade helps him, but atleast he is settled and moved on. Trae has been colder lately but he'll definately have his crazy games as well. Hassan has also cooled off a tad. Either way, this Clippers team can get hot really quickly and hopefully for Clippers Dwight can come back soonish as well.
14. Brooklyn Nets (3-2)- Tough drop for the Nets but without Levert life as been tougher as expected. Kevin Durant is eating without Steph, but he'll probably take a slight step back when Steph returns although his efficiency probably spikes a little. The Nets played well but the Pacers were just too good. White has been a disappointment thus far but again it is still early for the youngin. The Nets are still on the radar as a title team if Levert returns in time.
13. Sacramento Kings (4-2)- The Kings took a tough loss the Thunder who just got really hot. The Kings have been a weird team to evaluate they have some big wins, but really haven't played to their peak. Dragic has been out almost all year, Hayward hasn't been at his best and honestly Simmons hasn't either. This team is as deep as anyone and if they get healthy and everyone plays at their peak this is a very good team.
12. Memphis Grizzlies (3-3)- The Grizzlies have struggled the past couple weeks and it starts obvioulsy with setting their lineup. The Grizz probably still lose to the Pelicans last week, but it certainly didn't help. CP3 being out hurts, but the Grizz have the depth to try and handle it. The Grizz will look to get back on track against a sneaky Blazers team.
11. Cleveland Cavs (4-2)- The Cavs make a big jump to just outside the top 10 and come in off a huge win against the 76ers. Jamaal Murray is about as inconsistent as they come but he had a good week, and continues to make strides into becoming that franchise player he's capable of being. Jokic is an abslute monster and the heart of this year, but the biggest X-factor has been the sudden resurgence of Tristan Thompson. Thompson has become an every night stud and the Cavs will look to ride it out for as long as possible. The rooks Holiday and Jackson have been really awesome this year as well, would not wanna play this team come playoff time, and it looks like the Cavs made the jump a year earlier than expected.
10. Dallas Mavericks (4-2)- Like we talked about in the headliner, man have the Mavs gotten hot. This blistering effort was led by Bron, Marc Gasol, and Trey Burke. Fiz has been moving things around like crazy, and there is a chance Burke eventually falls out of the rotation, but he's by far the most talented between Mudiay and Trier so I would be surprised. Lin has even got hot too. I doubt this team stays this hot all year, but this team is right back in the thick of things and will look to make a serious run this year.
9. Philadelphia 76ers (3-2)- After a hot start the Sixers have fallen off a little bit and a loss to the Cavs last week definitely hurts. It's been weird that Tyreke hasn't been more productive without Oladipo. KAT has been feasting without Jimmy, and Russell has been really good without Caris. Demar and Hood have been really good this year as well but it looks like losing Melo and Rondo have hurt more than expected. Either way this is a championship team in my eyes, and Rondo should be back soon. The 76ers will get a nice rebound game against the win-less Bucks.
8. Toronto Raptors (5-0)- The Raptors are 5-0, but I can't have them higher than 8 because their wins have been against the Celtics, Heat, Magic, Pistons, and the Caris Levert-less Nets. Either way all you can do is play you are matched up against and the Raptors have done just that. Lowrly is having an awesome year and is the clear head dog of this Raptors team. Outside of Lowry there is a lot of depth. Gallo, Horford, Crowder, and even Turner has turned in a good year. The Raps have a huge prove it me game agains the red hot Pacers this week.
7. Indiana Pacers (5-1)- After a somewhat slow start the Pacers are red hot. DSJ has been pretty inconsistent this year, but Randle, Adams, and Drummond have been playing at a really high level of late. This team I really don't think gets enough hype as being one of the better teams in the East. They have just as much depth as anyone and even guys like Etwaun Moore are having really good years. The Pacers have a huge game this week against the Raptors and will hope that DSJ and Donovan can get back in time.
6. Atlanta Hawks (5-1)- OH my we almost have a Trey siting in the top 5. I don't Trey has ever been near the top 5. He deserves all of it. The Hawks are led by two true superstars in Damian Lillard and James Harden. With CP3 being out Harden usage rate has been insane leading to some just ridiculous numbers. Outside of the stars the Hawks have a perfect amount of depth. They just recently acquired Joe Ingles, Mack has been good, Zeller has been solid, Matthews, and Plumlee have been good and then don't even get me started on Harrell. This team is as good as anyone out East and I'm pumped for Trey.
5. New York Knicks (4-1)- The Knicks steamrolled the Bucks and have been in cruise control pretty much all year. Middleton and Jrue are probably the two most underrated players in the league but the Knicks don't care as they continue to ball all year. The Knicks are one of the favorite teams in the league and while they could stand to add maybe one more piece for depth this is a very good team.
4. Golden State Warriors (5-1)- The Warriors have been able to somewhat limit the damage without Steph with huge wins against good teams in the Mavs and Twolves. Blake and Vooch have been incredible. Having zeros from Wood and JR Smith is going to hurt this team eventually, but for now this team has a lot of depth and star power at the top.
3. Chicago Bulls (4-1)- The Bulls are coming off a bye, but are locked in as one of the best three teams in the league right. This team is unbelievablydeep and is scoring with the best of them all with Kris Dunn and Demarcus Cousins still out. Covington looks comfortable in Minny and really everyone on this team contributes. It's gonna be a really fun race out East and I don't know who will come out on top but the Bulls have to probably be the favorite as of now.
2. Denver Nuggets (5-0)- The Nuggets continue to do their thing in the most Nuggets way, depth. Jeremy Lamb has gone mental right now, and Millsap has picked it up as well. If there were a time to play the Nuggets it would have been this or last week as Oladipo is out, but it looks like the Nuggets are going to escape the Oladipo injury without a loss. The Nuggets will play a struggling Spurs team and will look to keep the undefeated streak alive.
1. New Orleans Pelicans (5-1)- The Pels are almost back to full strength and when they are healthy it's really not fair. The Pelicans have ridiculous depth and star power and we really haven't seen a team like this in league histroy. The league still is as balanced as it's been and like we've already seen all it takes is a couple injuries here and there and things change drastically.
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