Show Me The Savings And Weekly NBA Power Rankings

Saving money stinks. Well, the act of saving money isn’t so bad. Krissy and I aren’t the most “elaborate” people, so it’s not like we have had to make some huge lifestyle changes to stash away extra doe, but saving up with a specific goal in mind sucks. We have been trying to save up for a down payment on a house, but the process is painfully slow. And it’s not like we’re a couple of hobos! We both have good jobs and make a decent amount of money. And we’re not asking for a McMansion either…just a nice house in a decent neighborhood, preferably with other houses not built directly on top of said house. I mean, is that too much to ask? Anyway, it’s the 1st week in February…time for some NBA power rankings. I will try to make this a weekly thing, but who knows…this could wind up being the 1st and only edition of the Postell Power Rankings. Get ‘em while they’re hot! (For simplicity, I will just do the top 5 and the bottom 5 in the league.)

Love it or hate it, as long as they stay on the court they are the prohibitive favorites.

1. Miami Heat (16-6)…Technically, they are tied for the 3rd best record in the league, but it’s tough to argue that they aren’t the team to beat when they are firing on all cylinders. As long as LeBron continues to be indestructible and Wade can stay healthy (relatively), it’s going to take a lot for someone to knock them off of the top spot.

2. Oklahoma City Thunder (17-4)…Have rattled off 12 out of 14 to gain ownership of the league’s best winning percentage (and 1 of those losses in that stretch was inexplicably to Washington). This team has taken a step forward each year with its current core, so it only makes sense that they have quietly risen to conference favorites this season.

3. Chicago Bulls (19-6)…As the Bulls and Thunder have shown, it pays to be both young and good in this condensed season. Those young legs have proven especially useful for Chicago, as the schedule has not been kind (they have played the most games in the league), and yet they still have the East’s best record. As if they haven’t been tested enough, they finish out a brutal 9 game road trip next Sunday in Boston.

4. Denver Nuggets (15-7)…You have to root for a team that’s built like the Nuggets. Deep and talented, but no star power…somewhat reminiscent of the Pistons championship team made up of Chauncey, the Wallace brothers, Rip, and company a few years back. George Karl’s got to be the top candidate for coach of the year so far.

5. LA Clippers (13-7)…This team is definitely flawed and has been helped by a very home-heavy schedule so far (and 1 “road” game at Staples Center), but I’m not quite sold on any of the other top 5 candidates so far either. They ran into a buzzsaw against Denver last night playing their 4th game in 5 nights, but they have also shown they can be a problem for other top teams like Miami, Oklahoma City, and the Lakers (not to mention beating said Nuggets earlier this week) among others.

26. Toronto Raptors (7-16)…When I’ve watched them play, Bargnani has played better, but I’m not exactly sure what else this team has going for it. They also boast losses to the woeful Wizards and Nets…yikes.

27. Washington Wizards (4-18)…Seem to be playing harder for Randy Wittman than they were for Flip Saunders at least, who was never the right fit as a coach for this young immature roster. I also wonder if that change in effort has to do with 1 of their knuckleheads (Blatche) being out of the lineup. Nick Young’s nightly assist totals (or lack thereof) have become a constant source of entertainment thanks to Tony Kornheiser though.

28. New Orleans Hornets (4-19)…Poor New Orleans...they get taken over by David Stern, then Chris Paul is traded to both LA teams, they end up getting the worse of the 2 deals, and the best player they got back in the trade (Eric Gordon) hasn’t even played since the 2nd game of the year.

29. Detroit Pistons (4-20)…My apologies to my boy, Mac, but I have wondered for years what Joe Dumars has been doing with this roster. Frankly, outside of Greg Monroe it seems like a mess. At least the name “Jonas Jerebko” is fun to say, right?

30. Charlotte Bobcats (3-20)…A few weeks ago, I wondered if this year’s Wizards team was the worst team ever assembled…until they beat the Bobcats twice in a week. Charlotte has the worst record in the league, has a starting frontcourt of Boris Diaw, DeSagana Diop, and Tyrus Thomas, and their leading scorer (Gerald Henderson) just got shelved for a 2-4 weeks with a pulled hammy…is MJ even trying?

Other notes…Upstarts Philly and Indy were just on the outside of the top 5. The Sixers have relied on outworking their opponents and beating up on lesser teams for the most part so far. A win tonight against Miami will almost assure them of a top 5 spot next week. And if the Knicks don’t start improving, they might be in the bottom 5 next week just out of spite.

Henderson getting hurt was just adding insult to injury (or injury to insult, maybe).