Post by Trunks on Mar 28, 2009 3:32:34 GMT -5
Preseason Power Rankings
1.
Charlotte Hornets - Need to say more? With a lineup of Zo, Malone, LJ, Wilkins and Darrell Armstrong, it's kind of scary. They have a good bench as well. Though maybe some front court depth at the backup position is where they might lack but Zo and Malone could play mostly 40 minutes.
2.
Golden State Warriors - Defending champs, got to put them up high. They have a returning core, with Stockton, Rodman, Magic and Daugherty. Should be a tough conference now with teams making huge transaction. Lets see how they do, I think they will drop a few rankings throughout the season.
3.
Denver Nuggets - Good all around starting lineup, with Divac, Blair Rasmussen, Drexler, Jackson and Brandon. Like the Hornets, they lack some frontcourt depth. They just recently acquired Clifford Robinson, to hopefully fill that depth. This team like the Warriors could slip a few spots in the rankings as well.
4.
Minnesota Timberwolves - Hard to see them not being #1, but they lack a good bench. With the starting lineup of soon to be Larry Nance, Charles Barkley, Steve Smith, Mitch Richmond, Tim Hardaway, who all could or could of been franchise players, wreck some havoc in UOSLR.
5.
Toronto Raptors - One man, Michael Jordan has this team ranked this high. The rest of their lineup has to produce to keep this team on top, Grant and Richardson has to step it up and help Jordan out if this team expects to win. Many believe they are one person away from winning it all, lets see if the Raptors GM can swing a deal and land that right person.
6.
Cleveland Cavaliers - Kenny Anderson, Chapman, Nick Anderson, LaPhonso Ellis, Shawn Kemp. They have a great lineup. Great young team that will compete for a long time. Their lack of a bench could cause some close losses throughout the season. They also picked up Dennis Scott from Dallas, which helps them solidify the bench. Though they should be one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference.
7.
Boston Celtics - Great veteran team. After signing Vernon Maxwell, this team wants to win big. The lack of a starting quality power forward may hurt them in certain matchups but for most of the time, they have a good backcourt to help them win games. Look for them to stay at this spot for a while. They probably won't move up or down from here until the second half of the season where they have a track record of falling.
8.
Seattle Supersonics - Was the #1 team in the Western Conference this past season. They hope to do it again. With Tarpley taking less money to stay and try to win a championship. Look for this team to be in the running for #1 seed in the West.
9.
Orlando Magic - Recently acquired Wayman Tisdale, this team hopes to prove that they belong in playoff contention. With the hopes of Scottie Pippen leading the way, and hoping Dikembe could score a few more baskets in the post, this team could be could be look at the 4th or 5th seed in a rough Eastern conference.
10.
New York Knicks - Great backcourt, with Spud Webb, Harper and Reggie Miller. One thing is they don't lack depth at the frontcourt position. They have solid defenders and bench players. Watch for them to land the 5th or 6th seed when the season is over.
11.
San Antonio Spurs - They hope Patrick Ewing will lead them into championship contention. With Reggie Lewis and Mark Jackson backing him. They may need some help at the small forward position but they have some good depth to try to hide that weakness.
12.
Washington Bullets - Losing Vernon Maxwell hurt them a lot. They now lack a #2 scorer, but they hope Hakeem "The Dream" could lead them into the playoffs. He probably be could but he sure needs the rest of the team to step it up.
13.
Detroit Pistons - Glen Rice. He lead them into the playoffs last season singlehandedly. Pistons hope he could do it again. Rice may need the assistance of Price to get him there. Watch for them to make it as a 7th or 8th seed.
14.
Phoenix Suns - As certain rumors around the league that people said Christian Laettner would be a bust. So far he has exceeded expectations in training camp and hopefully will boom once the season starts. They may have a tough time but look for them to contend for the playoffs as a 6th seed.
15.
Sacramento Kings - Kind of hard to rank this team with only 4 players on their roster. So far they have 3 good starters in Andrew Lang, Danny Manning and Kenny Smith. Probably could end up as a 7th or 8th seed in the Western Conference.
16.
Vancouver Grizzlies - A remarkable turnaround from last season. From the worst team, this team has the potential to still, make the playoffs. Obviously drafting Shaquille O'Neal at #1 definitely helps them. Also the acquisitions of Rod Strickland and the signing of Lionel Simmons has probably boosted this team into playoff hopefuls.
17.
Utah Jazz - Could have a rough time making the playoff this season, as opposed to last season. A lot of teams improved and they've gone no where aside from drafting Penny Hardaway, whom wanted to go back to college but couldn't say no to the money.
18.
Philadelphia 76ers - David Robinson. This team definately needs to get help for him. With the recent hiring of a new GM, it may be possible for Robinson to see some.
19.
Houston Rockets - Some say they should be ranked higher, and yes i agree. But I completely forgot about them. So I'm putting them here. Sure they got Chris Webber and Dale Davis as their front court, and Kevin Johnson running the point. Yeah they should be ranked higher.
20.
Indiana Pacers - Could prove many wrong and make a run for the playoffs. They got some good players, but will it be enough. Stanley Roberts looks like he can play.
21.
Los Angeles Clippers - They will struggle. The loss of Wayman Tisdale hurt them big time. They hope Bird can pull off some magic and win some ball games for them, but it's tough to see them do it.
22.
Los Angeles Lakers - No starter quality PF. They may do something but their team is kind of young. Michael Adams may have to put up MVP type numbers for them to make the playoffs. You could see them competing for a playoff spot but it will be tough.
23.
Portland Trailblazers - Nothing really stands out on this team besides Benoit Benjamin. They may want to trade him off for something or he could leave after this season. They also have a young PF in Vin Baker, who could turn out to be something.
24.
Miami Heat - Abdul-Rauf or Armen Gilliam seems to be their best players. Nothing to really say about this team aside from their good defensive small forwards.
25.
Chicago Bulls - Dee Brown seems to be their bright spot. Smits and John Williams could be good together. Doesn't look to well for this team. Maybe a great lotto pick can put this team back on top, or at least a great trade.
26.
Atlanta Hawks - Good young core with Cassell, Sprewell and Mashburn. Though they are putting Mashburn on the trade block, Atlanta fans may see him go if they get the right pieces.
27.
Buffalo Braves - Nice young team. Certainly gotten some good pieces to rebuild though not having their pick this season could hurt them. NVE will probably put up some big numbers as well as Weidong, if they so choose to keep him around.
28.
Milwaukee Bucks - Having PJ Brown and Predrag Danilovic, may have just put them at the 28th from the 29th. At least they got two nice pieces to build around.
29.
Dallas Mavericks - Completely depleted their team. Two good players in Rick Fox and Michael Finley could turn this team around a few years down the road. Don't expect them to win many games though. Possibly 15 games.
And that wraps up of this edition of the 1993-1994 power rankings.
1.
Charlotte Hornets - Need to say more? With a lineup of Zo, Malone, LJ, Wilkins and Darrell Armstrong, it's kind of scary. They have a good bench as well. Though maybe some front court depth at the backup position is where they might lack but Zo and Malone could play mostly 40 minutes.
2.
Golden State Warriors - Defending champs, got to put them up high. They have a returning core, with Stockton, Rodman, Magic and Daugherty. Should be a tough conference now with teams making huge transaction. Lets see how they do, I think they will drop a few rankings throughout the season.
3.
Denver Nuggets - Good all around starting lineup, with Divac, Blair Rasmussen, Drexler, Jackson and Brandon. Like the Hornets, they lack some frontcourt depth. They just recently acquired Clifford Robinson, to hopefully fill that depth. This team like the Warriors could slip a few spots in the rankings as well.
4.
Minnesota Timberwolves - Hard to see them not being #1, but they lack a good bench. With the starting lineup of soon to be Larry Nance, Charles Barkley, Steve Smith, Mitch Richmond, Tim Hardaway, who all could or could of been franchise players, wreck some havoc in UOSLR.
5.
Toronto Raptors - One man, Michael Jordan has this team ranked this high. The rest of their lineup has to produce to keep this team on top, Grant and Richardson has to step it up and help Jordan out if this team expects to win. Many believe they are one person away from winning it all, lets see if the Raptors GM can swing a deal and land that right person.
6.
Cleveland Cavaliers - Kenny Anderson, Chapman, Nick Anderson, LaPhonso Ellis, Shawn Kemp. They have a great lineup. Great young team that will compete for a long time. Their lack of a bench could cause some close losses throughout the season. They also picked up Dennis Scott from Dallas, which helps them solidify the bench. Though they should be one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference.
7.
Boston Celtics - Great veteran team. After signing Vernon Maxwell, this team wants to win big. The lack of a starting quality power forward may hurt them in certain matchups but for most of the time, they have a good backcourt to help them win games. Look for them to stay at this spot for a while. They probably won't move up or down from here until the second half of the season where they have a track record of falling.
8.
Seattle Supersonics - Was the #1 team in the Western Conference this past season. They hope to do it again. With Tarpley taking less money to stay and try to win a championship. Look for this team to be in the running for #1 seed in the West.
9.
Orlando Magic - Recently acquired Wayman Tisdale, this team hopes to prove that they belong in playoff contention. With the hopes of Scottie Pippen leading the way, and hoping Dikembe could score a few more baskets in the post, this team could be could be look at the 4th or 5th seed in a rough Eastern conference.
10.
New York Knicks - Great backcourt, with Spud Webb, Harper and Reggie Miller. One thing is they don't lack depth at the frontcourt position. They have solid defenders and bench players. Watch for them to land the 5th or 6th seed when the season is over.
11.
San Antonio Spurs - They hope Patrick Ewing will lead them into championship contention. With Reggie Lewis and Mark Jackson backing him. They may need some help at the small forward position but they have some good depth to try to hide that weakness.
12.
Washington Bullets - Losing Vernon Maxwell hurt them a lot. They now lack a #2 scorer, but they hope Hakeem "The Dream" could lead them into the playoffs. He probably be could but he sure needs the rest of the team to step it up.
13.
Detroit Pistons - Glen Rice. He lead them into the playoffs last season singlehandedly. Pistons hope he could do it again. Rice may need the assistance of Price to get him there. Watch for them to make it as a 7th or 8th seed.
14.
Phoenix Suns - As certain rumors around the league that people said Christian Laettner would be a bust. So far he has exceeded expectations in training camp and hopefully will boom once the season starts. They may have a tough time but look for them to contend for the playoffs as a 6th seed.
15.
Sacramento Kings - Kind of hard to rank this team with only 4 players on their roster. So far they have 3 good starters in Andrew Lang, Danny Manning and Kenny Smith. Probably could end up as a 7th or 8th seed in the Western Conference.
16.
Vancouver Grizzlies - A remarkable turnaround from last season. From the worst team, this team has the potential to still, make the playoffs. Obviously drafting Shaquille O'Neal at #1 definitely helps them. Also the acquisitions of Rod Strickland and the signing of Lionel Simmons has probably boosted this team into playoff hopefuls.
17.
Utah Jazz - Could have a rough time making the playoff this season, as opposed to last season. A lot of teams improved and they've gone no where aside from drafting Penny Hardaway, whom wanted to go back to college but couldn't say no to the money.
18.
Philadelphia 76ers - David Robinson. This team definately needs to get help for him. With the recent hiring of a new GM, it may be possible for Robinson to see some.
19.
Houston Rockets - Some say they should be ranked higher, and yes i agree. But I completely forgot about them. So I'm putting them here. Sure they got Chris Webber and Dale Davis as their front court, and Kevin Johnson running the point. Yeah they should be ranked higher.
20.
Indiana Pacers - Could prove many wrong and make a run for the playoffs. They got some good players, but will it be enough. Stanley Roberts looks like he can play.
21.
Los Angeles Clippers - They will struggle. The loss of Wayman Tisdale hurt them big time. They hope Bird can pull off some magic and win some ball games for them, but it's tough to see them do it.
22.
Los Angeles Lakers - No starter quality PF. They may do something but their team is kind of young. Michael Adams may have to put up MVP type numbers for them to make the playoffs. You could see them competing for a playoff spot but it will be tough.
23.
Portland Trailblazers - Nothing really stands out on this team besides Benoit Benjamin. They may want to trade him off for something or he could leave after this season. They also have a young PF in Vin Baker, who could turn out to be something.
24.
Miami Heat - Abdul-Rauf or Armen Gilliam seems to be their best players. Nothing to really say about this team aside from their good defensive small forwards.
25.
Chicago Bulls - Dee Brown seems to be their bright spot. Smits and John Williams could be good together. Doesn't look to well for this team. Maybe a great lotto pick can put this team back on top, or at least a great trade.
26.
Atlanta Hawks - Good young core with Cassell, Sprewell and Mashburn. Though they are putting Mashburn on the trade block, Atlanta fans may see him go if they get the right pieces.
27.
Buffalo Braves - Nice young team. Certainly gotten some good pieces to rebuild though not having their pick this season could hurt them. NVE will probably put up some big numbers as well as Weidong, if they so choose to keep him around.
28.
Milwaukee Bucks - Having PJ Brown and Predrag Danilovic, may have just put them at the 28th from the 29th. At least they got two nice pieces to build around.
29.
Dallas Mavericks - Completely depleted their team. Two good players in Rick Fox and Michael Finley could turn this team around a few years down the road. Don't expect them to win many games though. Possibly 15 games.
And that wraps up of this edition of the 1993-1994 power rankings.
