NBA Power Rankings: Week 4 Rankings
By Seth Klein
21. Phoenix Suns (26, +5): Phoenix started the season playing way above their head. Led by Eric Bledsoe’s 20.4 ppg and a surprising Miles Plumlee (11.7 points and 9.6 rebounds), the Suns won five of their first seven games, but with Bledsoe missing the last three games because of an elbow injury, and Plumlee falling back down to Earth (8.4 points and 8.2 rebounds), the Suns have dropped four of their last five.
22. Philadelphia 76ers (19, -3): The Sixers’ start was too good to be true. It was like walking up to a slot machine and hitting all “7’s” on the first pull. After a 3-0 start caused a stir among the NBA faithful, the team that was deemed most likely to lead the Andrew Wiggins Sweepstakes, has taken their rightful place back at the bottom of the heap. Losers of seven of their last nine, the Sixers are looking like lottery contenders again after all.
Nov 16, 2013; Washington, DC, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Kyrie Irving (2) high fives guard Earl Clark (6) in the fourth quarter against the Washington Wizards at Verizon Center. Mandatory Credit: Evan Habeeb-USA TODAY Sports
23. Detroit Pistons (14, -9): Some may say it’s hard to understand what’s going on in Detroit, but really, it’s smack dab in front of our faces. On one hand, the Pistons have gotten great performances from guys like Andre Drummond (12.3 points, 12.3 rebounds, 66.4 FG%) and Rodney Stuckey (14.8 ppg, 46.1 FG%), but on the other hand, the their two big free agent acquisitions, Josh Smith and Brandon Jennings, are literally shooting themselves in the foot. Smith is shooting a paltry 40.1 percent from the field while jacking up 5.2 three-pointers a game, and only making 29 percent of them. To top that off, he was disciplined on Friday for missing practice, although for a good excuse (to be with his ailing father). Jennings is the prototypical underachiever. Every year you think he’ll finally shine, but every year he disappoints you with bad field goal percentages (37.4%) and a lack of motivation. The Pistons are in for a long season.
24. Cleveland Cavaliers (23, -1): Just like the Pistons, the Cavs are dealing with many shortcomings on the offensive end. They’re 26th in points per game (93.2) and 25th in team field goal percentage (42.3%), and aside from Kyrie Irving, Jarrett Jack and Dion Waiters, they don’t have anyone who can initiate the offense. Top draft pick Anthony Bennett looks like he already has “bust” written all over him. He’s averaging an abysmal 2.0 ppg in only 11.1 minutes per contest.
25. Charlotte Bobcats (25, NC): Hey, the Bobcats are playing .500 ball, and with an all-time franchise winning percentage of .349, that’s not something to be taken lightly. They may be winning, but it’s not pretty. They’re second to last in points per game (89.6), last in FG% (40.9) and 28th in both 3-point % (30.8) and FT% (69%). Getting Al Jefferson back from an ankle injury will give them a legit big man in the middle, but the team is just bad. Don’t let their record fool you.
26. Sacramento Kings (27, +1): DeMarcus Cousins is truly putting on a show this season, averaging 21.7 points, 10.7 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.3 blocks, but the team chemistry is being thrown off by coach Mike Malone constantly messing with the lineups. Kings fans thought they were done with these antics when former coach Keith Smart was booted from town, but the misery has continued. Why Greivis Vasquez (9.8 points, 5.1 assists) is starting over Isaiah Thomas (18.7 points, 4.7 assists) is beyond me.
27. Brooklyn Nets (13, -14): It’s been a disastrous start for the Brooklyn Nets, but hard to say we didn’t see it coming. Age, injuries and a new coach learning on the job have befallen the “other” New York team. Brook Lopez and Deron Williams, the youngest of the Nets’ core, are nursing severely sprained ankles, and the outlook isn’t bright. Lopez has dealt with numerous injuries in his career, and Williams missed all of preseason with the same ankle injury, only to re-aggravate it last week. He’s missed all but 18 minutes in the last five games, and stubbornly tried to play on it during Wednesday’s loss to Charlotte, further complicating the injury. With the team being up there in age, one might wonder if they can make a run, even if they are healthy. The odds are stacked against them.
28. Boston Celtics (28, NC): After a going on a four-game winning streak highlighted by a last-second win in Miami, the Celtics have resumed their role as one of this year’s Eastern Conference doormats. Before breaking their losing streak on Saturday vs. the Hawks, the Celts had gone winless in six straight games. The worst frontcourt in the league got even worse with news that rookie Kelly Olynyk “could miss a couple of weeks” with a sprained ankle. The city of Boston is praying that Rajon Rondo can return before Christmas.
29. Milwaukee Bucks (29, NC): Injuries have piled up all season long for the Bucks, but even at full strength, they still wouldn’t be very good. Ersan Ilyasova (19 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists on Friday) and Brandon Knight (7 assists on Saturday) returned to the lineup this weekend, but it wasn’t enough as they fell to the Sixers and Bobcats. Caron Butler followed up a 38-point performance on Friday by putting up a 2-8, 5-point dud on Saturday. Off the top of my head, I can think of some pretty good college freshmen that are better than 2/3 of this team.
30. Utah Jazz (30, NC): The good news of the week for the Jazz was that top draft pick Trey Burke finally made his NBA debut. The bad news is that they are the worst team in the league with a 1-13 record. Gordon Hayward is dealing with a knee issue and Enes Kanter is on the verge of being benched. Can you say “tank”?