Updated: January 17, 2012, 9:04 am ET

NBA Power Rankings Week Two

1/9/12 – If there’s one thing the early 2011/12 NBA Season has shown, the Washington Wizards are once again not very good. Most teams still believe they can compete, even the six squads with just two wins apiece. The Miami HEAT and Chicago Bulls the most obvious stand-outs in the East, but what of the Indiana Pacers, Philadelphia 76ers and Orlando Magic? In the West, the Oklahoma City Thunder just won a back-to-back-to-back set. Meanwhile the Dallas Mavericks and Phoenix Suns are starting to figure it out, but a number of teams are already dealing with injuries (San Antonio, Memphis, New Orleans and Golden State). The NBA two weeks in . . .

NBA Power Rankings Week Two

Team Rank Last Standing Comments
1 1 8-1 The HEAT have one loss, rolling despite games with Dwyane Wade and/or LeBron James sitting out with minor injuries.
2 2 7-2 The Bulls two losses were on road back-to-backs. They’ve played more road games than any other franchise.
3 3 8-2 Sad to hear Eric Maynor out for the year (ACL). Time for Reggie Jackson to get a shot.
4
 7 6-2 The Blazers are rock solid. If there’s a weakness, it’s their early road record of 1-2.
5
 4 6-3 It’s going to be difficult for the Spurs to keep position with Manu Ginobili out 6-8 weeks with a broken hand, but they won’t drop far.
6
 8 6-3 The Nuggets are tops in the Western Conference with a winning margin of eight a game.
7 11 6-2 This may be high for the Pacers long-term but they’re perfect at home and above .500 on the road (3-2).
8 14 5-2 Lou Williams is Philly’s leading scorer, coming off the bench . . . 17.1 points in just 26 minutes a game.
9 10 4-2 The Clippers finally have their full lineup in action with Chauncey Billups over a minor injury Reggie Evans added to bolster rebounding.
10 6 6-3 Had the Hawks not lost to the Lebron/Wade-less HEAT in triple-overtime . . . in Atlanta, they’d be ranked higher.
11
 5 6-3 Ryan Anderson is quietly putting up very strong numbers alongside Dwight Howard with 17.9 points a game while shooting 41.9% from three.
12
 9 6-4 The Lakers are in a groove at home but have yet to win on the road (0-3).
13
 27 5-3 The Jazz are all over the map. Last week was too low. This is too high, but they have won four straight.
14
 12 4-4 The Celtics are better with Paul Pierce, that’s a given. The question is how much better?
15
 13 4-4 Iman Shumpert can play. He’s a bit raw but not shy. Meanwhile, the Knicks have a better record on the road than at home.
16
 22 4-5 The Mavs are predictably improving but they’ve got a long way to go to near last year’s championship squad.
17
 19 4-4 The Suns are searching for their offense at times but are improving. Rookie Markieff Morris has made a quick impact.
18
 20 4-4 Rookie Kyrie Irving has been very solid, very quickly, averaging 14.1 points and 5.3 assists while shooting 43.8% from three.
19
 16 3-5 The Grizzlies have to survive at least two months without Zach Randolph. That’s not going to be easy and may mean a return to the lottery for one of last year’s playoff Cinderellas.
20
 23 3-5 Ricky Rubio may actually be for real.
21
 25 3-5 The Raptors remain below the radar while Andrea Bargnani continue at career highs in points (22.8), boards (6.4) and field goal percentage (52.3%).
22
 18 2-6 There’s no pretending the Rockets aren’t struggling, especially defensively.
23
 24 3-6 This was a team that needed a coaching change in the worst way but it’s not like Keith Smart is suddenly going to turn this oddly constructed roster around quickly.
24
 28 2-6 Both Gerald Henderson and Byron Mullens are both emerging as a solid rotation players.
25
 17 2-6 The Bucks need Andrew Bogut, who has been overseas tending to personal matters. He’s expected to play this week for Milwaukee, so look for a better result . . .
26
 26 2-6 Tayshaun Prince re-signed for $28 million over four years but is struggling so far this season at 8.9 points per game while shooting 36.3% from the field.
27
 15 2-6 The Warriors have very little margin for error. If Stephen Curry isn’t healthy (ankle), this roster is going to struggle.
28
 21 2-6 The Hornets started well but have since lost six straight. A big part of that is Eric Gordon is sidelined with a knee injury.
29
 29 2-7 Deron Williams is struggling without help inside, dishing a relatively low 6.9 assists a game while shooting 34.6% from the field.
30
 30 0-8 The Wizards don’t seem to have any clue how to win a basketball game. That doesn’t bode well for Coach Flip Saunders
<Next Article
Last Article>

Your comments are important to us, so please share your thoughts. We will be rolling out prizes and giveaways for our active Commenters. Please keep the comments above board and respectful to everyone and you could win some great stuff from us at HOOPSWORLD.