NBA Power Rankings Week 13: The Chicago Bulls Might Be Good Now


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On the morning of Dec. 8, the Chicago Bulls had a 3-20 record and, frankly, few were surprised. It is fair to say that the Bulls won’t expected to win only three of the team’s first 23 games but, in the same breath, many projected Chicago to finish with the worst record in the NBA and their early-season performance served as confirmation for that hypothesis.

On cue, Nikola Mirotic returned and, since then, the Bulls have a shiny 14-7 record that would have been absolutely unthinkable. Is the team’s entire turnaround attributable to Mirotic’s presence? Well, no. Still, his infusion of positive performance has helped in aiding Chicago’s rise and the Bulls have enjoyed some favorable bounces in close games along the way.

Chicago’s net rating (+0.9 points per 100 possessions) over that 21-game sample is nothing to be overly excited about and it underscores the fortunate run in terms of a win-loss showing. The Bulls have certainly turned things around, however, and their winning spurt has basically erased any notion of Fred Hoiberg’s team finishing “ahead” of the Hawks, Kings, Suns and Magic (among others) for the worst mark in the sport.

It is fair and, potentially, accurate to believe that the Bulls will have all kinds of trouble replicating this level of success over the last 45 percent of the season. In fact, a simple look at the roster (even with Mirotic and Zach LaVine healthy) would provide a quick reminder that this team is playing over its head. There is something to be said for getting up off the mat, though, and the Bulls have done that while whispers of the team “ruining” its tanking effort occurring in the background.

How high has Chicago’s performance vaulted them in our Dime Power Rankings this week? Let’s find out.

1. Golden State Warriors (36-9, Last week — 1st)

The Warriors sent another clear message of their dominance on Monday and no one was surprised. It is Golden State and everyone else, but you already knew that.

2. Boston Celtics (34-10, Last week — 2nd)

It’s been a weird stretch for Boston in that it included a lengthy trip to London. That voyage did result in a win, though, and the Celtics have won seven straight to keep a stranglehold on the No. 2 spot.

3. Minnesota Timberwolves (29-16, Last week — 5th)

It is hard to gather just how “real” the Wolves are but they are playing incredibly well of late. Minnesota just swept through a five-game homestand and the previously porous defense has been downright solid in recent days. This is a fun team with real upside.

4. Houston Rockets (30-12, Last week — 4th)

The incredibly weird postgame scene in Los Angeles on Monday stands on its own, but the Rockets just flatly lost to the Clippers. That has to matter for the purposes of our process so here they stand.

5. Toronto Raptors (29-13, Last week — 3rd)

Back-to-back losses aren’t ideal but, when they come against the Warriors (by two points) and the Sixers (on the road in narrow fashion), the impact is lessened. Toronto is still very good and we have no reason to believe otherwise.

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6. Los Angeles Clippers (22-21, Last week — 18th)

Okay, I don’t actually believe this ranking is accurate. With that said, the Clippers are playing great and they have recent wins over the Warriors and Rockets. More importantly, no one else in this range is playing well so let’s get weird.

7. San Antonio Spurs (29-16, Last week — 6th)

It is remarkable that San Antonio has this record considering the roster it has been deploying. Losing to the Hawks, however, is not something we can just ignore, even without Kawhi Leonard available for that contest.

8. Miami Heat (25-18, Last week — 8th)

Goran Dragic and company have no business being this high based on their net rating and a crash is likely coming, but Miami has still won eight of ten and the most recent loss to the Bulls (on the road) suddenly doesn’t look so bad after all.

9. Oklahoma City Thunder (24-20, Last week — 9th)

This is still a maddening basketball team but it is one that appears to be figuring it out little by little. The Thunder have flaws but their peripherals are better than even this perch indicates and OKC should continue to rise.

10. Cleveland Cavaliers (26-17, Last week — 7th)

It seems rather unfathomable that this Cavs team, with LeBron healthy, could lose four straight but they’ve just done it. Granted, Cleveland’s losses all came against playoff-bound opponents but there are some actual issues at the moment and they shouldn’t be fully overlooked as simply a result of the calendar.
11. Washington Wizards (25-19, Last week — 10th)

This ranking places some safety and trust in the Wizards. I’m not sure they’ve earned that but then again neither has anyone else in this tier.

12. Indiana Pacers (24-20, Last week — 13th)

Another strong run from the Pacers brings the team back into very solid playoff position. There has been quite a bit of ebb and flow but, in general, Indiana is a pretty good team.

13. New Orleans Pelicans (22-20, Last week — 16th)

Lost in the speculation about Boogie Cousins and potential trade winds pushing him out of New Orleans is that Anthony Davis is preposterously good at basketball. Sometimes, we forget that. We shouldn’t and it’s the biggest reason the Pelicans remain an above .500 squad.

14. Milwaukee Bucks (23-20, Last week — 14th)

The Bucks may have a head-to-head claim against the Wizards after two wins in a short span but they haven’t done much else. In fact, Milwaukee can be added to the list of frustrating, slightly above-average teams and that grouping is large.

15. Philadelphia 76ers (20-20, Last week — 11th)

Joel Embiid and company fell short in London after blowing a big lead and that is what many will remember about this week. Looking beyond that, though, the Sixers have won four of five and are playing some of their best basketball of the season.


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16. Chicago Bulls (17-27, Last week — 24th)

The Bulls are still six full games out of the playoffs in the East but… but… no, no they couldn’t. Right?

17. Detroit Pistons (22-20, Last week — 17th)

The Pistons did very little to even stay put this week, losing to the Hornets (at home) and Bulls, but with the lack of anyone else making a strong move, here they remain.

18. Portland Trail Blazers (22-21, Last week — 12th)

This dip is a product of scheduling, as the Blazers have lost three straight to quality opponents. There is nothing damning about that but Portland needs every win it can get in the tight Western Conference playoff race.

19. Denver Nuggets (22-21, Last week — 15th)

The Nuggets beat the Grizzlies this week. That is the only positive thing for a Denver team that has dropped four of five, including a 32-point drubbing in San Antonio. Hurry back, Paul Millsap.

20. Charlotte Hornets (17-25, Last week — 19th)

For almost a month now, the Hornets have been the team they were expected to be. The trouble is that Charlotte underachieved so violently in the early going that there is a difficult hole to emerge from in a season-long sense.
21. New York Knicks (20-24, Last week — 20th)

Kristaps Porzingis and his crew are 2-6 in their last eight and the only wins come against the Nets and Mavs. Everyone kind of knew that the Knicks were going to settle down and, well, here we are.

22. Dallas Mavericks (15-29, Last week — 25th)

The Mavs just lost, at home, to the Lakers but they are in a weird grouping with the Grizzlies, who just beat the Lakers. Those head-to-head victories cancel each other out and we’re left with the team playing the best of the three in an overall sense. Dallas has been solid since their awful start to the season.

23. Memphis Grizzlies (14-28, Last week — 26th)

Break up the Grizzlies! Two wins in three games is now a landmark occasion for Marc Gasol and company. That is a brutal reality.

24. Los Angeles Lakers (15-28, Last week — 28th)

Four straight wins helped to silence some of the negative chatter for the Lakers before the most recent loss to Memphis. It has to be noted that Los Angeles beat the Kings, Hawks and Mavs over that stretch, taking at least some of the positive mojo away as a result of context.

25. Utah Jazz (17-26, Last week — 22nd)

The Jazz are 4-15 in their last 19 games. If anything, we should be talking more about the fact that Utah is playing so poorly and it remains jarring in the grand scheme of things.

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26. Brooklyn Nets (16-28, Last week — 23rd)

God bless Spencer Dinwiddie. Without him, the Nets would be in a world of trouble and, even so, two of Brooklyn’s last three victories have come against the Hawks and Magic.

27. Phoenix Suns (16-28, Last week — 21st)

Only the Kings (we’ll get there) are worse than the Suns from a net rating perspective. Phoenix just dropped back-to-back home games by (very) lopsided margins and, even if there is some level of hope, this still isn’t a great basketball team in 2018.

28. Atlanta Hawks (12-31, Last week — 29th)

Atlanta put together an impressive home win over San Antonio on MLK Day and that helps. Still, the Hawks dropped their previous game, at home, to the Nets and that is a reminder of what we’re dealing with here.

29. Sacramento Kings (13-30, Last week — 27th)

It is difficult to be the worst team in the NBA on both sides of the ball but the Kings have accomplished that feat to this point. Honestly, it is a miracle of good fortune that Sacramento doesn’t have the worst record in the league by a wide margin and, in the end, that just might happen.

30. Orlando Magic (12-31, Last week — 30th)

The Magic just keep losing. Orlando has an active seven-game losing streak and, while they’ve been the worst team in the league for a while, Frank Vogel’s team has now tied the Hawks for the worst record in the NBA to drive that point across.

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