Week 15 NBA Rankings

1. Boston Celtics (40-9) (1) The combination of Scalabrine, Powe and Big Baby is doing more than it's fair share to ease the loss of KG.
2. Detroit Pistons (38-13) (2) They just keep quietly rolling along, winning nine in a row to stay well within striking distance of that top spot in the East.
3. New Orleans Hornets (35-15) (5) Everyone in the media's buzzing about the Lakers, Suns and Mavs and their big trades, but New Orleans remains in the thick of things after winning their second straight in Phoenix.
4. Phoenix Suns (36-15) (3) Shaq says all the right things, but is he really ready to take a backseat to Nash and Amare? Time will tell.
5. Los Angeles Lakers (34-17) (4) Frankly, I haven't seen Kobe this happy since 2002, and to think, Bynum isn't even back yet.
6. San Antonio Spurs (33-17) (8) I keep getting that feeling that they're just saving their energy for the second half, much like last year.
7. Dallas Mavericks (34-17) (7) Now Dallas is trying to keep up in the West! But did they give up too much for Kidd? Never a good idea to trade a PG who's more than 10 years younger and has a chance to be a top-tier guard by 28.
8. Utah Jazz (33-19) (6) And I hope every aspiring star learned a good lesson from Deron Williams. If you get snubbed and play out of your mind as a result, good things will happen as Williams gets on the team as an injury replacement.
9. Denver Nuggets (32-19) (10) And look who's right on Utah's heels again after four straight road wins and winning six of their last seven.
10. Houston Rockets (31-20) (12) 11 wins in their last 12 games, yet the Rockets still can't quite get over the hump and into that 8th seed.
11. Golden State Warriors (31-20) (11) What is the NBA coming to when Mickeal Pietrus starts making trade demands?
12. Orlando Magic (32-21) (9) Then again, it could be worse if you're a Magic fan and stuck with JJ Redick's griping. At least Pietrus has shown some level of talent in the NBA.
13. Cleveland Cavaliers (29-22) (13) LeBron can't do everything, that much is apparent, but they need Gooden and Varejao healthy for the stretch run, as they got dominated without them against Houston and Denver.
14. Toronto Raptors (27-23) (15) Great minds do think alike! I say Jamario's gonna jump over the moon two weeks ago and now he says he's got a dunk that will defy gravity! Stay Tuned...
15. Portland Trail Blazers (28-23) (14) The same early road magic that helped propel the Blazers on their 15-game winning streak seems to have deserted them lately.
16. Sacramento Kings (23-27) (16) All these Western Conference Bigwig teams are making moves, but the Kings' best move is to stand pat, let this group of young talent develop, and eventually hop into the playoff picture when all the good teams fall.
17. Washington Wizards (24-27) (17) Yet another Eastern Conference team with a big losing streak that's somehow still seeded. Just getting Butler and Arenas back may be enough for this team to trudge into the playoffs around the .500 mark.
18. New Jersey Nets (23-29) (20) Getting Harris, Stackhouse and a few expiring contracts is a great long-term move for New Jersey. Now all they gotta do is trade Vince and Jefferson and they'll have even more cap room.
19. Atlanta Hawks (21-27) (18) What if the Suns are playing on the same day as the "overtime redo" game the Hawks play against the Heat? Can Shaq be in two places at once?
20. Philadelphia 76ers (22-30) (21) So with the Nets rebuilding and no other team making any real move for the final spot, could this young Sixers team actually make the playoffs and thus be a year ahead of schedule?
21. Indiana Pacers (21-31) (24) One of the few bright spots has been the strong-but-largely-unnoticed play of Danny Granger. Good thing this fantasy owner notices.
22. Chicago Bulls (21-32) (19) The funny thing is, the Bulls were in a similar position two years ago when they caught fire down the stretch and snuck into the playoffs as a 7th seed.
23. Milwaukee Bucks (19-33) (22) Look at it this way, Milwaukee, you still have two months before the Brewers' season starts and you still have good beer and cheese.
24. Los Angeles Clippers (17-32) (25) I wonder if Cassell was going Tonya Harding on Rondo, who he may have to back up in a couple weeks once the Clippers put him on waivers.
25. Charlotte Bobcats (18-34) (23) As the injuries and losses pile up, the 'Cats can look forward to another year in lottery-land.
26. New York Knicks (15-36) (26) You know it's getting bad when this team is joyously celebrating a one-point road win in Milwaukee.
27. Memphis Grizzlies (14-37) (27) I'll give Rudy Gay this: at least he has the foresight to get suggestions through YouTube instead of stealing other players' dunks, as Slam Dunk competitors have done in the past.
28. Seattle Supersonics (13-37) (29) Oklahoma City Supersonics? Keep them in Seattle, let the Utah Jazz hold their reign as the team with the most puzzling nickname in the NBA.
29. Minnesota Timberwolves (10-40) (29) How does McHale defend trading Garnett without TWolves fans throwing him through a plate-glass window?
30. Miami Heat (9-41) (30) This team is either really bad, snakebitten, or both, but the losing never seems to stop. And how does Riley not get any draft picks for Shaq?