Everyone knew this was coming. The Atlanta Hawks allowed Paul Millsap to flee to Denver without so much as a contract offer to the multi-time All-Star and, in sending Dwight Howard to the Charlotte Hornets, new general manager Travis Schlenk seemingly took a poor deal for the simple purpose of jettisoning the center from the roster. With those moves combined with future-leaning maneuvers in free agency, the writing was on the wall for the Eastern Conference’s longest playoff streak to come to a disappointing end and, through 20 games, that appears to be a foregone conclusion.
The Hawks sit at 4-16 on the season and, even with the caveat that Atlanta’s net rating is closer to that of a 6-14 team, the hole dug by this particular squad is likely too deep to emerge from as currently constituted. On the bright side, there are encouraging signs for the future when it comes to the young core, as rookie John Collins has been both electric and efficient while Taurean Prince and even Dennis Schröder display flashes of talents that project as strong rotational pieces. However, Atlanta is still without the makings of a future No. 1 option on its roster and, even with an apparent home run in Collins at the No. 19 overall selection, the team will be heavily reliant on ping-pong balls (and execution thereafter) to buoy a return to real prominence.
In many ways, Atlanta’s decision to rebuild was overdue and the 43-39 season (one that came with a negative net rating and non-existent entertainment value) in 2016-2017 was simply the final straw. There are arguments to be made for cohesion and maintaining a playoff-worthy product on an annual basis but, aside from a three-month explosion in 2015, the market in Atlanta wasn’t terribly excited for the product in the way that teams like Memphis were supported by their city and overall persona.
Mike Budenholzer is coaching up a mediocre roster and, frankly, the Hawks are playing harder than most 4-16 teams that are on display in today’s NBA. The talent cupboard simply isn’t very full, though, and Atlanta can now officially join the parade of teams needing draft help to provide optimism and hope for both the near and distant future.
With that as the backdrop, let’s roll through this week’s NBA power rankings.
1. Golden State Warriors (15-6, Last week — 1st)
The Dubs are screwing around a little bit right now and they have every reason to do so. There is no incentive for Steve Kerr’s team to push guys through injuries (or even play Jordan Bell, apparently) but the benefit of the doubt is here, at least when it comes to any non-injury result in November. No, I don’t care that the Durant-less, Curry-less Warriors were unable to upend the Kings.
2. Houston Rockets (16-4, Last week — 3rd)
Houston has been preposterously good at times this season and the return of Chris Paul is a welcome sign for all parties. The Rockets are certainly looking the part as the biggest (maybe only?) challenger to the Warriors and, with a win in Oakland on the resume from the opener, you could argue Houston belongs in the top spot.
3. Boston Celtics (18-4, Last week — 1st)
It is Boston that (still) owns the best record in the NBA but two losses in four games will send anybody but the Warriors careening out of the top spot. The Celtics still have an impressive profile to work with but this is closer to the actual level of Brad Stevens’ team than the No. 1 spot from a week ago.
4. Cleveland Cavaliers (13-7, Last week — 6th)
Hello, Cleveland. The Cavs have won eight straight and all is right with the world. It should be pointed out that LeBron and company don’t really have the statistical fundamentals of a team with a 13-7 record but, given that James exists, that’s not as big of a concern as it would be in other places.
5. San Antonio Spurs (13-7, Last week — 5th)
There is a sense that Kawhi Leonard is “very close” to making his 2017-2018 debut and that would obviously help San Antonio quite a bit. In the meantime, though, it remains easy to marvel at what Gregg Popovich and company have accomplished in his absence. Describing the Spurs as solid almost undersells it.
6. Detroit Pistons (13-6, Last week — 8th)
Detroit’s 10-point road win in Boston was intriguing on a number of levels. For starters, Andre Drummond was utterly dominant in a way that underscores his season-long contributions and that really matters. Beyond that, there is a growing sense that the Pistons are “real” and, while that may not be as a team that wins 50-plus games, they are becoming firmly entrenched in the playoff picture.
7. Toronto Raptors (12-7, Last week — 4th)
It was an uneven week for the Raps but a 34-point road win (albeit in Atlanta) is always helpful as the most recent result. From a net rating perspective, Toronto is a top-four squad, though, and we’ll see if they can jump back up in the coming weeks.
8. Portland Trail Blazers (13-8, Last week — 10th)
Portland’s roster has some real issues to work through but the results have been so good that they are impossible to ignore. The Blazers have won three straight (all on the road) and five of six to climb into this position and, in short, the backcourt duo of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum remains dynamic.
9. Minnesota Timberwolves (12-8, Last week — 9th)
Stop me if you’ve heard this before but the Wolves are being outscored for the season, have a myriad of defensive issues and still look to be a virtual lock for the playoffs. Sounds about right.
10. Denver Nuggets (11-8, Last week — 11th)
The absence of Paul Millsap is going to hurt Denver on the defensive end but, weirdly, it may help offensively if the Nuggets filter everything through Nikola Jokic. It will take time to see the overall effect but Denver is doing enough to remain in the top ten for now.
11. Washington Wizards (10-9, Last week — 7th)
This is a maddening basketball team. The Wizards have dropped four of five and this really feels like a team that doesn’t concern itself much with giving high-end effort on a nightly basis. That would be fine if Washington was as accomplished as Cleveland or even Houston but, in short, the Wizards aren’t good enough to coast and try the old “flip the switch” method come spring.
12. Philadelphia 76ers (11-8, Last week — 13th)
Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons and company ran into a motivated LeBron James on Monday and that rarely ends well for anyone outside of Cleveland. Prior to that, though, the Sixers were rolling and Philly remains must-see television each time they take the floor with a full roster available.
13. Indiana Pacers (12-9, Last week — 12th)
Not every early season success story is continuing (we’re looking at you, Orlando) but Indiana continues to impress. Victor Oladipo has been a revelation and, after six wins in seven games (with a lone loss to Boston), the Pacers can reasonably be discussing the playoffs again.
14. Oklahoma City Thunder (8-11, Last week — 14th)
Candidly, there is no scenario in which most people would pick the Pacers to beat the Thunder in a series that began today. Still, there have to be some consequences for losing games and the Thunder just keep doing it. OKC firmly has a top-10 net rating but the clutch performance of this squad has been awe-inspiring in the worst way and there is a “prove it” stage that has to be navigated in the near future.
15. Miami Heat (10-9, Last week — 19th)
A 3-0 week vaults Miami into the top half of the rankings and Erik Spoelstra’s team resembled what we thought it would be in the process. This might just be a .500 squad long-term but, in the East, that is probably good enough for a playoff spot, even if it isn’t good enough to justify the huge salary investment from July.
16. New Orleans Pelicans (11-9, Last week — 15th)
It is remarkable to consider that New Orleans has never cracked the .500 barrier through the first 20 games in a season since Anthony Davis arrived but it’s true nonetheless. The Pelicans have a unique ability to keep everyone’s guard up based on just how much the team relies on Davis and Boogie Cousins for success but they’re doing it… so far.
17. Utah Jazz (9-11, Last week — 23rd)
The Rudy Gobert-less Jazz saw the bandwagon emptying and promptly won three of four to restore order. In fact, Utah has a positive net rating for the season and, with teams like Memphis struggling, the door is cracked open to stay afloat for a while in pursuit of the No. 8 spot.
18. Milwaukee Bucks (9-9, Last week — 16th)
It is disappointing to see Milwaukee hovering at the .500 mark. Part of that is out-sized expectations for a still-young team but the Bucks should be better than this in the Eastern Conference. It’s just that simple sometimes.
19. Los Angeles Clippers (8-11, Last week — 26th)
Facing off against the Hawks, Kings and Knicks can apparently work wonders for a struggling basketball team. The Clippers lost nine straight before this recent stretch and, while all is not necessarily well, it helps to win games to fight back against the slide. Unfortunately, there is now fear that Blake Griffin suffered a serious knee injury on Monday and that would be brutal.
20. New York Knicks (10-10, Last week — 17th)
New York’s resume is better than that of the Clippers but a head-to-head loss this week lands the Knicks here. Frankly, though, the far more disappointing result was Jeff Hornacek’s team spoiling Tim Hardaway Jr.’s return to Atlanta in blowing a 15-point lead to the uninspiring Hawks.
21. Charlotte Hornets (8-11, Last week — 18th)
Charlotte has cooled after a hot stretch but there is no shame in losing to the Spurs and Cavs in back-to-back games. The Hornets are better than this but they have to show it after losing the benefit of the doubt last season.
22. Los Angeles Lakers (8-12, Last week — 22nd)
What kind of odds would there have been on Kyle Kuzma leading the Lakers in scoring through 20 games? Is someone rich out there after betting big on the “other” Lakers rookie? I have questions.
23. Brooklyn Nets (7-13, Last week — 25th)
From a roster standpoint, the Nets have no business winning 35 percent of their games. Here they are anyway. Defense is optional for Brooklyn but they play fast, entertaining basketball and that helps when it comes to watchability.
24. Memphis Grizzlies (7-12, Last week — 20th)
If you fire your coach in November, a strong decline in the rankings is required. Mike Conley’s absence is a big reason for Memphis falling apart but there is real turmoil to sift through here after eight losses in a row.
25. Orlando Magic (8-13, Last week — 21st)
Remember when the Magic were the talk of the town? In defense of Orlando’s performance, the team’s nine-game losing streak featured seven road games and did not include a single favorable match-up. On the negative end, the Magic were still unable to win and, at some point, you have to beat teams that you aren’t “supposed” to beat to continue a storybook early-season run.
26. Dallas Mavericks (5-16, Last week — 28th)
Over the last five games, the Mavs have beaten three playoff-caliber teams and lost by single-digits to two more. Dallas is turning the corner but their record won’t show it for a while.
27. Phoenix Suns (7-14, Last week — 24th)
Signs of life have percolated in Phoenix but three straight losses to end the week prevented them from holding above the bottom five in the rankings. Granted, the three defeats came to playoff-caliber teams but, if anything, the Suns are overachieving to win one-third of their games.
28. Atlanta Hawks (4-16, Last week — 27th)
One of Atlanta’s more encouraging attributes was an avoidance of full-fledged blowout losses. That ended this week with a drubbing at the hands of the Raptors and, even on the third game in four nights, we saw a lot of the Hawks’ weaknesses on full display. They give effort and John Collins is a lot of fun but the roster remains less than inspiring when it comes to present-day success.
29. Sacramento Kings (6-14, Last week — 29th)
Yes, the Kings beat the Warriors on Monday night. That should probably help them in these rankings but, considering the state of Golden State’s roster on that particular evening, I just can’t do it yet. Sacramento’s net rating remains ghastly and, because the Hawks beat them by 46 points, Atlanta wins that “tiebreaker” this time around.
30. Chicago Bulls (3-15, Last week — 30th)
I’ve long felt the Bulls would be the worst team in the league this season and, at this point, there is very little that could sway me from that viewpoint. Zach LaVine will bring a watchability element to the proceedings but Chicago owns the worst offense (by a wide margin) and the worst overall metrics in the league for a reason. It’s very bad.
