The Portland Trail Blazers weren’t supposed to be a thing during the 2015-2016 NBA season. Terry Stotts’ team entered the season with one of the lowest over/under projections in the entire league and it was a stunning revelation when Portland raced to 44 wins. However, someone forgot to tell the Blazers that they likely overachieved a season ago.
Following that encouraging campaign, the Blazers tossed money around in a way that only the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers can match. Portland owns the second-highest payroll in the NBA at north of $120 million, and the roster doesn’t exactly resemble what you would think when seeing that number. Yes, the Blazers have some tremendous assets, headlined by Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum. With that said, Portland violently overpaid the likes of Evan Turner and Meyers Leonard while matching what is probably an aggressive contract for Allen Crabbe in restricted free agency.
The result of that spending? Well, the Blazers are struggling in a mighty way. On Nov. 13, the team was 7-4 and looked to be heading toward a repeat playoff appearance. Since then, Portland is just 6-16 including a current losing streak of six games. Defense has been the primary issue for the Blazers, as the team is allowing a comical 110.5 points per 100 possessions. While teams with questionable defenses (i.e. Houston) can succeed by simply being average on that end, the team from Portland isn’t even approaching average right now.
Can it be fixed? Absolutely. With all of the couching about roster management, this is still a franchise that has much more talent than their current record indicates. Beyond that, the Blazers are within striking distance of the playoffs at this moment with teams like the Kings and Nuggets not exactly forming a murderer’s row. The early returns on Paul Allen’s off-season investment appear to be ugly, though, and righting the ship in full won’t be easy.
Where will the Blazers fall in this week’s NBA Power Rankings? Let’s find out.
1. Golden State Warriors (27-5, Last week — 1st)
Golden State might have a Cleveland problem, but losing to the Cavs by a point on the road isn’t enough to remove the Warriors from the top spot. This is still the team with easily the best net rating (+12.3) in the NBA. And the Warriors reeled off seven straight wins before the controversial loss on Christmas. Everybody breathe.
2. Cleveland Cavaliers (23-7, Last week — 2nd)
Even with everything stated above, I’d have no issue with anyone ranking the Cavs in the top spot. Cleveland did lose to the Pistons in their last contest, but LeBron was nowhere to be found – and that matters. The champs continue to own the Warriors in the recent past and there is no question about who the best team in the East is.
3. San Antonio Spurs (25-6, Last week — 3rd)
Ho-hum. The Spurs have won seven of eight in an attempt to chase down the Warriors in the standings. Meanwhile no one is talking about San Antonio. Gregg Popovich is almost certainly fine with that, but the Spurs are back to their old tricks (third best defense in the NBA) and they seem bound for 60 wins again.
4. Toronto Raptors (22-8, Last week — 5th)
The casual NBA fan continues to sleep on the Raptors. Toronto has won eight of nine (sandwiched around a bizarre home loss to Atlanta) and there is no reason to question the validity of this offense. The defensive end is less than stellar, but there is a clear separation between Toronto and everyone else in the “Non-Cleveland” portion of the East.
5. Houston Rockets (24-9, Last week — 4th)
After a 10-game winning streak, dropping two out of five games may seem like cause for alarm. With the Rockets, there’s no need for that. Houston bounced back with a solid road win on Tuesday and the Rockets are playing like a solid No. 3 in the West right now. That James Harden guy is pretty good.
6. Oklahoma City Thunder (20-12, Last week — 10th)
Russell Westbrook tied Oscar Robertson for yet another statistical record and the Thunder are being buoyed by his greatness. Do I believe Oklahoma City is actually the sixth-best team in the NBA? Probably not. In the same breath, I didn’t think Westbrook was capable of this level of play into late December and I have been proven wrong once already.
7. Utah Jazz (19-13, Last week — 7th)
I continue to build in some cushion for the Jazz based on what I believe they’ll be when George Hill is healthy and on the floor. In the meantime, Utah is doing just enough to stay in position for a run at 50 wins and a top-four seed. The signs are there.
8. Boston Celtics (19-13, Last week — 8th)
When Al Horford plays, the Celtics are 14-8. When Isaiah Thomas plays, the Celtics are 18-10. When both play together, the Celtics are 13-5. That is more indicative of Boston’s performance than their current record.
9. Los Angeles Clippers (22-11, Last week — 6th)
It is pretty tough to evaluate the Clippers right now. That is fairly obvious given the absence of both Chris Paul and Blake Griffin during the team’s three-game losing streak. What remains to be seen is just how good Los Angeles will be with Paul in the lineup sans Griffin.
10. Charlotte Hornets (17-14, Last week — 9th)
A three-game winning streak for Charlotte came to a crashing halt in a loss to the Nets and that’s never okay. That said, the Hornets continue to do what the Hornets do: grind out wins. There may not be a more boring “good” team to follow, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t good.
11. Memphis Grizzlies (20-14, Last week — 11th)
Is it too much to ask to evaluate Memphis with their full complement of guys for a while? The 20-14 record is obscenely impressive given all this team has been through, but best of luck in trying to determine the actual ceiling of the Grizzlies right now.
12. Washington Wizards (14-16, Last week — 13th)
The Wizards have won seven of ten games with all three losses coming on the road. That might not seem like much, but for a team with woeful struggles in the early going, it represents a titanic shift. Washington looks much more like the team projected to win in the mid-40s in the preseason and that is reflected here.
13. Milwaukee Bucks (14-15, Last week — 14th)
Over the last six games, Milwaukee has faced off against just three different teams. That is bizarre scheduling in that the Bucks encountered three consecutive back-to-backs against identical opponents. I’ve never seen anything like it. Oh, and they’re decent at basketball, too.
14. Chicago Bulls (15-16, Last week — 16th)
I’ll be honest in saying that I have no idea if the Bulls are good. Chicago dropped six of seven before picking up a win over the struggling Pacers. That brings Fred Hoiberg’s team to a record closer to what I would’ve projected before the season but they own a positive net rating to make things more difficult. Shrug.
15. Detroit Pistons (15-18, Last week — 18th)
After five straight losses and a Stan Van Gundy blow-up, the Pistons looked good in beating up the LeBron-less Cavs in their last outing. Detroit also shook up the starting lineup a bit and that could (?) help in the short term. If anything, this ranking is probably too high with the possibility of some stubbornness on my part. I just think the Pistons are good and will get this figured out sooner rather than later.
16. New York Knicks (16-14, Last week — 17th)
Knicks fans have not enjoyed the power rankings this season. This week probably won’t change their minds. At the moment, New York is in sole possession of fifth place in the East and that would translate to a (much) higher landing spot. Still, the Knicks are 20th in net rating with a bottom-five mark on the defensive end. That is a truer indication of their performance level.
17. Sacramento Kings (14-17, Last week — 22nd)
Break up the Kings! Four straight wins send Sacramento shooting up the list and all is quiet again on the Boogie Cousins trade front. I don’t believe for a second that this is some sort of new normal for the Kings, but they are fun at the moment.
18. Atlanta Hawks (15-16, Last week — 12th)
Since Nov. 17 (when they were 9-2), the Hawks have the 3rd-worst net rating (-8.1) in the NBA. That isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement of the current product in Atlanta, and this ranking would be even lower if not for an implicit trust in Mike Budenholzer. If the Hawks continue their current level of play for another month, trouble will be on the horizon in a big way.
19. Denver Nuggets (13-18, Last week — 19th)
If not for some comical officiating in a one-point loss to Atlanta, the Nuggets would be sitting on five wins over a six-game stretch. One of the themes in this space has been unbridled love for Denver and that continues. I’m actively trying to be modest and this is where that manifested itself this week.
20. Orlando Magic (15-18, Last week — 21st)
If you told me Orlando was 18th in the NBA in defensive rating, I’d tell you they were one of the league’s worst teams. One of those things is true. The other is not. The Magic have succeeded to some degree offensively using smoke and mirrors but the defense needs to pick things up in short order. I’m enjoying the Elfrid Payton renaissance off the bench, though.
21. Indiana Pacers (15-17, Last week — 15th)
Indy’s net rating exceeds five teams on this list but the Pacers are being punished for three straight losses. Any notion that this was a 50-win club is probably out the window. Paul George is quietly struggling right now.
22. New Orleans Pelicans (12-21, Last week — 23rd)
Did you know Anthony Davis is averaging 29.6 points, 11.6 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game? He has been preposterous. Russell Westbrook and James Harden are garnering the headlines (with good reason) but Davis is singlehandedly carrying the Pelicans back to respectability.
23. Minnesota Timberwolves (10-21, Last week — 24th)
Karl-Anthony Towns and company just swept the season series with the Hawks over a one-week period. That’s impressive! Unfortunately, those wins were sandwiched around losses to the Kings and Thunder, and Minnesota is having trouble putting it all together for more than one night at a time.
24. Portland Trail Blazers (13-20, Last week — 20th)
Okay, this is probably harsh for the Blazers but they’ve earned it. See above for full details.
25. Dallas Mavericks (9-23, Last week — 26th)
Dirk is back! Regardless of how ugly things are in Dallas, the fact that a first-ballot Hall of Fame inductee is on the court makes everything more intriguing. The workload is small right now, but with Nowitzki in the lineup, the Mavs are worth monitoring on a nightly basis.
26. Miami Heat (10-22, Last week — 25th)
Goran Dragic missed the team’s most recent game with back spasms, and Miami has dropped five out of six. For me, Erik Spoelstra is doing all he can but the talent just isn’t there right now and tanking should absolutely be in the calculus for the Heat.
27. Los Angeles Lakers (12-23, Last week — 29th)
The loss of Larry Nance Jr. for a bit won’t do the Lakers any favors but there are signs of positivity. Los Angeles hung with Utah for 48 minutes on Tuesday after toppling the Chris Paul-less Clippers on Christmas. That counts for something.
28. Brooklyn Nets (8-22, Last week — 28th)
Randy Foye knocked down a buzzer-beating three to send the Nets past the Hornets with a victory. That was a very surprising result and one that helps to buoy Brooklyn’s position a bit. In the same breath, this is a team that posted five straight losses prior to that (including one to Philly) and we probably shouldn’t get carried away at this stage.
29. Phoenix Suns (9-22, Last week — 27th)
A recent home win over the Sixers (we’ll get to them in a moment) keeps Phoenix out of the basement. However, the Suns have been woeful recently, and the youth movement should be on in full swing at this point. What is up for debate, though, is whether Earl Watson should be the voice to lead the rebuild from the bench.
30. Philadelphia 76ers (7-23, Last week — 30th)
Brett Brown’s team has dropped five out of the last six games and the lone victory came at home, by one point, over the Brooklyn Nets. That is probably a decent descriptor of just how things have gone in Philly this season. On the “bright side”, the Sixers’ net rating (-7.7) is a vast improvement from previous seasons and Ben Simmons will (hopefully) be on the floor in the relatively near future.
