The Dallas Mavericks have been the picture of consistency over a 16-year period. While the San Antonio Spurs garnered the great majority of accolades for a similar (and, admittedly, better) profile, Dirk Nowitzki and company reeled off 16 consecutive seasons with a winning record, including 12 different 50-win campaigns and a memorable NBA Championship run in 2011. Frankly, the Mavericks have been a model franchise under Mark Cuban’s direction and it certainly helps to have Nowitzki and, more recently, one of the best coaches in the NBA in Rick Carlisle.
That, however, brings us to 2016-2017. There is real trouble in Dallas. The Mavericks currently own the worst record in the NBA (2-11) in late November, and while Nowitzki has been on the shelf for 10 of those decisions, Dallas is digging a hole that they cannot be expected to emerge from this season. There have been positives, most notably the strong start from free agent acquisition Harrison Barnes, but not even the day-to-day brilliance of Carlisle can save this roster from a ghastly offense that ranks at the bottom of the league in scoring 95.7 points per 100 possessions.
Will the Mavericks be better, especially on offense, when Dirk returns? Absolutely. Still, “banking” 11 losses before Thanksgiving is not optimal for any NBA franchise, and given their limited roster resources, the run of exceeding competence seems to be coming to an end with the 2016-2017 campaign. The common sentiment when projecting the Mavs this season revolved around “never underestimate Dirk and Carlisle” and it was easy to fall into that trap. However, Dallas just isn’t very good right now, and that is a weird reality.
Now, on to this week’s NBA power rankings, featuring a repeat performance at the top from a team other than the Warriors and Cavaliers.
1. Los Angeles Clippers (13-2, Last week — 1st)
After being crowned one week ago, the Clippers promptly dropped a home game to Memphis, making this lofty perch seem silly. Since then, Los Angeles has reestablished the dominance that provides them with the league’s best net rating, and there is zero shame in taking care of business with relative obscurity. Diehards have already noticed just how well the Clippers are playing, and everyone else is beginning to come along.
2. Golden State Warriors (12-2, Last week — 3rd)
Eight consecutive wins and, perhaps more impressively, a four-game sweep on a recent road trip is enough to catapult the Warriors to this position. It probably won’t be the last time that the Cavs and Warriors flip-flop in this space, but Golden State is looking a lot more like the entity we all expected with an offense that is thoroughly unguardable. Defense is, well, a problem but the firepower is what it is and talent wins more often than not.
3. Cleveland Cavaliers (10-2, Last week — 2nd)
The Cavs keep rolling and, even when they lose by 10 on the road in Indiana, there is an excuse. LeBron James did not appear in that contest and, when he plays, Cleveland is 10-1 on the year. That seems pretty good, and this is a team that is probably cool with being “overlooked” and “disrespected” in sitting behind the Clippers and Warriors. Ho-hum.
4. San Antonio Spurs (11-3, Last week — 4th)
The Spurs are doing the Spurs thing in which they (always) beat teams they should beat. San Antonio has won six straight, and even when only two of those teams are likely/possible playoff contenders (Houston, Detroit), taking care of business is all Gregg Popovich and company can do. Disrespect the Spurs at your own peril.
5. Charlotte Hornets (8-5, Last week — 8th)
It seems weird that the Hornets would elevate after two consecutive losses, but Charlotte’s win over Atlanta on Friday was impactful and Steve Clifford’s team continues to be dangerous. To be fair, Charlotte rises because of some flawed play elsewhere, but when all else fails, they are a fantastic safety valve.
6. Toronto Raptors (8-6, Last week — 6th)
Toronto continues to hover in the same area, even after losing 4 of 5. Much like Charlotte, there is some level of safety associated with the Raptors, but two of the four losses (Cleveland and Golden State) were unavoidable and the other two came during a road back-to-back in California. Defense is a problem, as Toronto is allowing 106.1 points per 100 possessions, but if they can clean that up a bit, the Raptors will be around.
7. Boston Celtics (8-6, Last week — 10th)
I’ve been accused of placing too much trust in Boston, and this ranking won’t assuage that belief. Still, the Celtics are now 4-1 this season when Al Horford is in the lineup and they picked up two quality road wins this week. How high the ceiling is for this Boston team is up for debate, but this is a no-doubt home court advantage team in the Eastern Conference if everyone is healthy and that belief should be strengthened in the near future.
8. Memphis Grizzlies (9-5, Last week — 17th)
The argument against Memphis is that they boast a negative net rating, but that is unfairly influenced by a couple of “punt” games without Mike Conley and/or Marc Gasol, and the Grizz are rolling right now. This is the team with the longest winning streak in the NBA at five straight, and four of those wins came away from the FedEx Forum. There is just something about Memphis that is easy to buy, and they look great at anything approaching full strength.
9. Atlanta Hawks (9-5, Last week — 5th)
Uh-oh time in Atlanta? The Hawks have lost three straight and they were housed in their own building by a suddenly hot Pelicans team on Tuesday evening. The hot start was probably a mirage considering a soft schedule, but the Hawks are going to be forced to bounce back in the midst of their longest road trip (five games) of the season beginning on Wednesday. We’ll learn a lot about Atlanta over the next 10 days.
10. Houston Rockets (9-5, Last week — 12th)
As the Rockets improve defensively, they will rise in these rankings. The James Harden show continues to roll on with incredible statistical production and, frankly, we knew Houston would be great offensively under Mike D’Antoni. Still, staying out of the bottom-5 of the NBA defensively is necessary for success and the Rockets are now doing that.
11. Chicago Bulls (9-6, Last week — 9th)
I’ve been heavily reluctant to buy into Chicago, and losing two of their last three games will allow me a dip this week. Jimmy Butler is playing arguably the best basketball of his career, but the point guard position (cough, Rajon Rondo, cough) will be a problem at some point, and the defensive end remains perilous. Can the Bulls keep up this offense to offset it? I’m skeptical.
12. Utah Jazz (7-8, Last week — 7th)
As the world’s largest Utah Jazz supporter when it comes to 2016-2017, there is no way around dropping them this week after four straight losses. On paper, none of their defeats (Memphis, Chicago, at Houston, at Denver) are awful, but playing without George Hill has not suited Quin Snyder’s team, and dreams of a 50-win season will fly out the window in a hurry if the Jazz cannot arrive to opposing arenas in full health occasionally.
13. Oklahoma City Thunder (8-7, Last week — 14th)
Despite Russell Westbrook’s heroics, the Thunder have dropped six of eight games and the offense is as inefficient as some feared. On a given night, Oklahoma City can look great, but Westbrook is carrying a load that not even he should be carrying and, at some point, he needs help to sustain a reasonable offensive product.
14. Los Angeles Lakers (8-7, Last week — 19th)
Are the Lakers … good? Los Angeles deploys the 7th-best offense in the NBA and, with that, a positive net rating through 15 games. No one could have credibly seen that coming, but the Lakers continue to impress during Luke Walton’s maiden voyage. There is no reason to believe in them long-term based on an ugly defense, but there is fun to be had in watching this Lakers team.
15. Portland Trail Blazers (8-8, Last week — 13th)
Only the Sacramento Kings have been worse on the defensive end this season than the Portland Trail Blazers and, to be honest, that makes me want to drop them even further here. There is a level of respect for Terry Stotts and Damian Lillard in play with this ranking, but Portland has to start stopping people before the bottom falls out entirely. Oh, and the Evan Turner thing isn’t working. Let’s just agree on that.
16. Indiana Pacers (7-8, Last week — 16th)
We can throw out a 37-point loss to Golden State earlier this week based on the unavailability of Paul George, but the Pacers are still a team I have trouble reconciling. They can look great when Jeff Teague and Monta Ellis have it going on offense, but defense is an issue and they boast a -4.0 net rating for the season. Some of that is, again, attributed to the most recent result, but I’m not sure Indy is good right now.
17. Milwaukee Bucks (6-7, Last week — 15th)
Milwaukee was spunky this week, despite losing three of four. The Bucks had control in Atlanta before faltering late and they battled to the end in a three-point loss to the terrifying Warriors. Giannis is ridiculous and Milwaukee looks like a .500-ish team. This is where that kind of team lives.
18. Detroit Pistons (6-9, Last week — 11th)
Reggie Jackson can’t return quickly enough. Detroit is riding a four-game losing streak, and while three of those losses (Cleveland, Boston, Houston) aren’t “bad”, the difference between the Pistons at full strength and what they are now is stark. Stan Van Gundy should be commended for banking some victories without his primary offensive creator, but staying afloat needs to be the message until Jackson returns.
19. Minnesota Timberwolves (4-9, Last week — 18th)
The Wolves have a positive net rating with a 4-9 record. I don’t know, either. Minnesota is lights-out offensively, relatively poor on defense and ghastly in the third quarter. Roll that up and … shrug? Yes, shrug. I still believe but to what extent remains to be seen.
20. Denver Nuggets (6-8, Last week — 20th)
Back-to-back wins over Utah and Chicago at home are nice for the Nuggets, and they are clearly playing improved basketball. There is reason for skepticism based on the fact that Jusuf Nurkic and Nikola Jokic don’t look comfortable long-term, but that is more of a long-term problem than anything and Denver looks more like the team the stat-nerds loved prior to the season.
21. New Orleans Pelicans (5-10, Last week — 29th)
Don’t look now, but the Pelicans are competent again. New Orleans is 3-0 since the return of Jrue Holiday and, as noted above, this team went into Atlanta and blasted the Hawks earlier this week. Even with Holiday and Anthony Davis healthy, this probably isn’t a playoff team, but they aren’t a 2-10 product either and New Orleans might be playing the role of spoiler quite effectively from this point forward.
22. New York Knicks (7-7, Last week — 25th)
The Knicks catch a bump this week after home wins over Atlanta and Portland, even as the year-long product leaves something to be desired. The defense has been (marginally) improved lately, and that is what has to happen to make New York into a fringe playoff contender in the East. It also helps that Kristaps Porzingis is incredible.
23. Sacramento Kings (5-9, Last week — 21st)
The worst defensive team in the league lands here. There are nights when I can talk myself into the Kings and then … there are the rest of the nights. The win over Toronto earlier in the week was nice, though.
24. Brooklyn Nets (4-9, Last week — 25th)
No team in the NBA garners less attention than the Nets, and that is probably okay when they lose four straight.
25. Miami Heat (4-9, Last week — 26th)
The Heat are very tough to evaluate. Hassan Whiteside (15.9 rebounds per game) is putting up video game numbers and Justise Winslow has been both injured and ineffective. This isn’t a great roster right now, but Erik Spoelstra have them competing based on a sub-100 defensive rating and they muck things up to the point where the opposition probably doesn’t want to see Miami on the other side of the floor. That counts for something.
26. Orlando Magic (6-8, Last week — 27th)
Orlando’s defense has come on strong and, by the end of the year, the Magic might be as good on that end as we all thought they could be. Still, this is a brutal offensive basketball team (tied for league-worst to this point) and the pieces still don’t fit together. The record is better than the Magic have been, and their net rating (-6.8 per 100) tells the more accurate story.
27. Washington Wizards (4-9, Last week — 24th)
Bradley Beal is coming alive and that would be a huge help to John Wall and the Wizards. Beal has 76 points over the last two games and, with him on the floor this season, Washington is actually outscoring opponents by 1.7 points per game. Keeping him healthy is always the question mark, but Beal and the pending addition of Ian Mahinmi should catapult the Wizards in these rankings.
28. Phoenix Suns (4-11, Last week — 28th)
Only a win over the Paul George-less Pacers keeps Phoenix from a six-game losing skid, and the Suns aren’t very good at anything. Eric Bledsoe (18.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.1 assists per game) is playing well on both ends and Devin Booker continues to be wildly entertaining, but wins aren’t likely to follow in bunches considering the overall direction of this team.
29. Dallas Mavericks (2-11, Last week — 22nd)
Dallas shouldn’t be this bad all season, especially when Dirk comes back. Today? They are this bad.
30. Philadelphia 76ers (4-10, Last week — 30th)
I see you, Philly. The Sixers have won three of their last four (!) games and there is temptation to remove them from the basement. Still, I need to see a little bit more than toppling three bad teams (Washington, Miami, Phoenix) at home before thrusting Brett Brown’s team ahead of anyone else. There are positive signs, though, and that is fun.
