OK, so we left the Lakers in the top spot in our Power Rankings last week. Sue us. Apparently some of you would like to. But we can tell you that we won't make the same mistake this week. The Lakers are not the best team in the league now. It should be noted, however, that the reason we left the Lakers at No. 1 was not because we are partial to them or love them or anything like that: the team that's No. 1 is in our view the best team, and so on down the line. So check back on Tuesday at Noon ET to see who deserves No. 1 this week. We're sure fans of the Jazz, Sixers, Spurs, Suns and a few other teams will be watching.
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| Are we not giving Jason Kidd and the Suns enough love? Tell us. |
Here are some of the best e-mails we got on last week's Power Rankings. And by the way, Click here if you want to send more comments.
Now that the Lakers have lost just as many games as they have won. I believe everyone is beginning to see that this is not the same team as last year's team. With Shaq and Kobe not having much of a supporting cast around them, I believe that the Lakers will have a rougher year than most believe. They definitely should not be at the top of the power rankings at this time.
Ken
Provo, Utah
You bunch of losers. I realize that hindsight is 20/20, but in comparing the current standings with your Power Rankings, your picks and your reasoning stink! You go mouthing off about the age of the Jazz players' ages and the dominance of the Lakers when, ever since you made that statement, the Jazz won two more games (5-0) and the Lakers lost a pair (3-3).
So, your rankings are based on youth and "hip-hop," huh? How many more losses before you drop your omniscient Lakers to a No. 2 spot or lower? How many more wins until you push the Jazz up a notch or two?
Hey, that felt pretty good.
Nate Welch
Springville, Utah
Stockton and Malone aren't going to slow down. If you ever paid attention to there stats, you would notice they get better with age. You have been saying they would slow down for several years now. Have they? No. Will they? No. They are the best two-man tandem of all-time and they will remain that way still. You tell me if anybody can stop Karl yet? Again the answer is no. Stockton is still producing double figure assist marks and playing like an All-Star. That is all I have to say.
Sterling Young
Salt Lake City, Utah
As I write this the Grizzlies are 4-1 and up by 3 points over Houston. They've been leading all night.
What steams me is that you and the other "experts" write from afar, predicting preseason that the Griz would finish 28th or 29th, with 22 or so wins. Did you see any games last year? Sure you know the boxscore, but did you know that they were in about 25 or so of the games they lost and blew leads at the end? The team was clearly better than their record, plagued by ownership problems and inexperience, and I'd bet the half of Florida owned by Al
Gore that they will win more than the owners' goal of 35 this year. They will easily win 40 and probably make the playoffs. At this rate they'll have 20 wins by Christmas.
Do us all a favor and do some REAL research before telling us what you think.
Oh yeah, and the Grizzlies are now up by 6.
Simon Clews
British Columbia
You wrote this past week about how Cleveland Cavaliers fans
like myself are overzealous about the Cavs' season and future.
Well, the Cavs beat the New York Knicks this week and are
now 4-0. This record has been achieved with the new crew
and with Zydrunas Ilgauskas still healing from surgery and
cleaning off the rust. Just wait, he will be the top
performing center in the East this season and when the team
is more comfortable playing with each other this season they
will start wowing fans. GO CAVS!
Joe Walter
Columbus, Ohio
I disagree with you ranking the Denver Nuggets 27th. As of Nov. 8th, they are 2-3 without their star Antonio McDyess scoring in double digits. Where would the 76ers be without Iverson putting up nearly 30 points a game? Or Utah with Karl Malone. Some say the Nuggets are the sleeper team of the West. So I believe 27th is unfair.
JJ DiGennaro
Denver
I think you have the Pacers ranked right where they belong. After being barely brushed aside by the Spurs, and then thumped by the Mavs, I was starting to wonder. But they showed that they are an above average team, with lots of young, energetic talent. Plus, they thumped the Bucks last night pretty good. Reggie still has his "A" game going. But, I think when they start gelling, watch out. They will be a force to be reckoned with.
Jon Thompson
Ruidoso, N.M.
I guess the Cavaliers will have to win 20 games in a row by a cumulative margin of 40 points to be ranked No. 1? Granted no one would give them a snowball's chance against the Lakers in a seven-game series, but I do believe that for the first time in a long time the Cavaliers are an exciting team to watch. I remember when the Cavaliers were being run like a three-ring circus with Ted Stepien in charge. Now the Cavaliers are an enthusiastic team that truly has a chance to become a decent NBA squad.
Thomas Duncan
Tulsa, Okla.
I strongly disagreed when you ranked the Lakers first, and that was when they were 3-1. Now with them sitting at 3-3 while Philly and Utah remain perfect, I hope you can now see that was a mistake. There are far more deserving teams out there. Power Rankings are based on performance, not reputation. The Lakers have the rest of the season to be No. 1. Why overlook teams that have gotten out to a more promising start?
Chris Bedford
Vancouver, B.C.
Hey there! I completely agree with your theory behind the Power Rankings but the Lakers have now lost three games. They have to drop out of the top spot this next week. Their record last year shows they have the potential to be the best team in the league but they are not currently up to form. I believe the Lakers are going to have some trouble this year and do not have enough experience to deal with it. There will be no repeat in La La Land!
Robert
Newport Beach, Calif.
Phoenix is ranked No. 5, but should be ranked No. 1. The Suns are the best team.. They have blown out the Spurs and Blazers and had a bad game against GS. Just because Phoenix doesn't have a dominant big guy, that doesn't matter. They have Jason Kidd. Also, the Suns are doing this good without Penny, Googs and Chapman, who can help some. So put that into consideration next week.
Jeff
Saginaw, Mich.
Um, I thought the Power Rankings were supposed to show the "best team at the moment" -- not the "best team from last year that already dropped one at home to the aging Jazz but we think they'll rebound and retake the top spot later on down the road."
Come on guys, "at the moment" there are four other undefeated teams who happened to show up when it counted during their first few games. When the Lakers play better, they deserve the top spot. You don't give the top spot on the axiom that the Lakers are "going" to play better. Oh, it's your Rankings ... I guess you do!
Dave Kaylor
Bellevue, Wash.
Your No. 14 ranking of the Kings is an outright snub!! There are at least five teams ahead of the Kings
that will prove to be imposters. They are; the Hornets, T-Wolves, Magic, Mavs and Knicks. Once again, the Kings are suffering
from their small-town image, although real fans nationwide will look through your silly rankings and recognize the Kings for what they are: an exciting team with an improved defense, that has the deepest bench in the league, and will finish as a No. 4 or 5 seed in the powerful Western Conference!!
Jesse Alberson
Sacramento, Calif.
Every
Suns
Player
Needs love..
And you're not giving it to them. Philadelphia is better than Phoenix? I hope you're talking about food. If my NBA team beats 4 YMCA teams (whoops -- I meant Eastern teams), will they be ranked No. 4, too?
Aaron Gough
Phoenix, Ariz.
Thanks for correcting the major error of ranking the Wolves 17th
last week, but now you'll have to correct it again next week.
Even as a die-hard Wolves fan, I can't put them above 10th.
But KG is the best all-around and second-most dominant player in
the league (after the Shaq "the human offensive foul") and
Terrell Brandon is proving to be the ideal PG. IF Joe Smith
returns, look for a No. 4 seed in the West, otherwise 7 or 8.
Craig R. Schwartau
Maplewood, Minn.
