NBA Power Rankings

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30. New Jersey Nets (0-13) — Lawrence Frank is the Charlie Weis of the NBA, only without the actual expectations to win. If the Nets challenge the record for most consecutive losses to start a season, will Frank survive with his job?

29. Minnesota Timberwolves (1-12) — Syracuse already has more wins in NBA arenas than the Wolves. At least Jonny Flynn can look at his pay stubs the next time he gets depressed about that.

28. Charlotte Bobcats (4-9) — Tyson Chandler is hurt again, this time dealing with a back issue.

27. New York Knicks (3-10) — A couple days after deciding they don’t need Allen Iverson, NY gets a combined seven points from their starting backcourt (Duhon, Hughes) in a loss to Boston.

26. Los Angeles Clippers (5-9) — Blake Griffin has a lot of catching up to do in the Rookie of the Year race.

25. Philadelphia 76ers (5-8) — Elton Brand responded to whispers of his being benched by averaging 19.7 points, 10.3 boards and 3.7 blocks in three games last week.

24. Memphis Grizzlies (4-9) — Zach Randolph (18.4 ppg, 9.9 rpg) is headed for another season of 20-10 with no All-Star consideration.

23. Indiana Pacers (5-6) — Friday’s loss to Cleveland was a replay of so many games last season, where the Pacers couldn’t hang onto a fourth-quarter lead as Danny Granger came up short in crunch time.

22. Sacramento Kings (5-7) — Tyreke Evans has averaged 24 points per game since moving to two-guard in Kevin Martin’s absence.

21. Golden State Warriors (4-8) — Monta Ellis played both ends of the floor like a leader and franchise player should in Friday’s win over the Blazers.

20. Washington Wizards (3-9) — Apparently that win over the Cavs last week was a fluke. The Wizards went back to underachieving and getting hurt right after.

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19. Detroit Pistons (5-9) — Winless on their four-game West Coast road trip, but at least Rip Hamilton is expected to return soon.

18. Oklahoma City Thunder (7-7) — James Harden is starting to come around; he dropped 24 points on Orlando and 25 on the Wizards last week.

17. Toronto Raptors (6-8) — Obviously no matter what jersey he wears, Vince Carter will always be a thorn in their side.

16. San Antonio Spurs (5-7) — No truth to the rumors that Manu Ginobili’s latest injury (groin) was caused by a hitman working for PETA.

15. New Orleans Hornets (6-9) — Outside of Brandon Jennings and Tyreke Evans, Marcus Thornton has been the hottest rookie in the League. He’s averaged 21 points in his last three games as interim coach Jeff Bower gives him increased playing time.

14. Chicago Bulls (6-6) — Derrick Rose had his best game of the year over the weekend, giving the Nuggets 28 points, but Chicago blew a big lead in the process and got ripped apart by Chauncey and J.R. Smith.

13. Miami Heat (8-5) — Snapped a three-game losing streak by knocking off the streaking Hornets on Sunday. Miami’s defense is struggling; the last four games they’ve given up 106 points a night.

12. Milwaukee Bucks (8-3) — Yes, Brandon Jennings has been lighting it up (25.3 ppg, 5.5 apg) and has been the talk of the Dime office. But don’t let the record fool you just yet. Six of Milwaukee’s eight wins have been over the Wolves, Knicks, Warriors, Nets, Bobcats and Grizzlies. And you could really argue against the Pistons as a “quality” win.

11. Utah Jazz (7-6) — The Boozer handoff to Ronnie Brewer along the baseline play has been almost as reliable as the pick-and-roll lately.

10. Houston Rockets (8-6) — Ariza is awkward with the ball, Brooks is too skinny, the frontline is too short … and yet nobody is gonna want to see these guys in a playoff series.

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9. Portland Trail Blazers (10-5) — If only they could play the Wolves every night. In three games against Minnesota this season (already?), Portland has won by an average of 24 points.

8. Denver Nuggets (9-4) — Super-easy schedule this week: Nets, at Minnesota, Knicks, then home for Minnesota. They could start Malik Allen and go 4-0.

7. Dallas Mavericks (10-3) — Squeaking out wins against teams they should beat, stepping it up against contenders; Dallas looks like one of those teams that is playing up or down to their competition.

6. Boston Celtics (10-4) — Before hitting the game-winner at MSG, Kevin Garnett missed an alley-oop and came down limping. Boston fans had flashbacks of last year, but there’s been no word that KG is feeling any after-effects.

5. Orlando Magic (11-3) — With Jason Williams holding down the fort at PG currently, and seeing Rafer Alston guide the Magic to the Finals in ‘09, is it possible that Jameer Nelson really isn’t all that crucial to Orlando’s success?

4. Cleveland Cavaliers (10-4) — Forget LeBron: How do you think Anderson Varejao would fare playing in the NFL?

3. Phoenix Suns (11-3) — Is Grant Hill having another resurgence at 37 years old? He’s rocking the old-school-ish fade, putting up 12 points and 7.6 rebounds per game, and we’ve seen him dunk on a couple guys.

2. Atlanta Hawks (11-3) — Mike Bibby’s ankle injury put the brakes on the League’s hottest team. He’s listed as day-to-day and Atlanta doesn’t play again until Thursday, though, so he has time to recover.

1. Los Angeles Lakers (10-3) — Pau Gasol is back, Andrew Bynum might be the best center in the West, and Kobe is just toying with defenses at this point. The Lakers should put in light work this week against the Knicks, Warriors and Nets.

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