Chasing Warriors
Cleveland is among the teams trying to catch up to Golden State. NBA Powers Rankings
With the chaotic summer in the books and less than a week remaining until opening night of the 2017-18 season, we rank the NBA’s 30 teams.
1. Golden State Warriors: The Warriors come out of the offseason on top, again, after re-signing (deep breath) Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Andre Iguodala, Shaun Livingston, JaVale McGee, Zaza Pachulia and David West and acquiring Nick Young and Omri Casspi (exhale). That sound you hear? It’s the NBA’s 29 other teams scrambling to keep up.
2. Houston Rockets: What do you get when you combine a guard-friendly head coach with a backcourt made up of elite floor generals in Chris Paul and James Harden? An offense capable of going toe-to-toe with any team on any night. As for defense, the additions of Paul, P.J. Tucker and Luc Mbah a Moute will help.
3. Cleveland Cavaliers: Will Isaiah Thomas be back to his old self after returning from his hip injury in January? Can Dwyane Wade and Derrick Rose turn back the clock? Is Tristan Thompson best suited coming off the bench? The Cavs roster, albeit much improved, is littered with questions.
4. Oklahoma City Thunder: Russell Westbrook, Paul George, Carmelo Anthony and the new-and-improved Thunder will make for must-see TV. But as far as title contention goes, there’s still a gap between them and the Warriors. But how big?
5. San Antonio Spurs: Even though they roster a top-three talent in Kawhi Leonard and employ one of the greatest coaches of all time in Gregg Popovich, the Spurs have ground to make up in the championship contention department. Aside from signing a proven scorer in Rudy Gay, who’s coming off a ruptured Achilles, their summer was underwhelming.
6. Boston Celtics: The additions of Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward helped narrow the gap on the Cavs, but the Celtics — made up of a dozen (no, seriously, a dozen) new faces — will surely miss the defensive presence of Avery Bradley and Jae Crowder. Don’t expect smooth sailing from the get-go.
7. Washington Wizards: Aside from re-signing John Wall and Otto Porter to deals worth a combined $276 million, the Wizards stayed relatively quiet. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as they’re looking to build off what was the franchise’s best season since 1979. But what’s their ceiling?
8. Minnesota Timberwolves: Not only are the Timberwolves poised to end their league-worst 13-year playoff drought, but — led by Jimmy Butler, Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns — they’re talented enough to fight for a top-four seed in the Western Conference.
9. Toronto Raptors: The Raptors re-signed Kyle Lowry and Serge Ibaka and brought in C.J. Miles from Indiana, but they lost Patrick Patterson, P.J. Tucker, DeMarre Carroll and Cory Joseph. They’ll win 45-plus games for the fifth consecutive season, but then what?
10. Milwaukee Bucks: With Giannis Antetokounmpo set to continue his rise to superstardom, Khris Middleton healthy and Thon Maker and Malcolm Brogdon poised for second-season success, the Bucks enter with a legitimate shot to contend for a top-four seed in the Eastern Conference.
11. Los Angeles Clippers: You might not be able to recognize the Clippers after the face lift, but don’t expect their six-season playoff streak to come to an end. Led by $173 million man Blake Griffin, along with DeAndre Jordan, Danilo Gallinari and Pat Beverley, the Clips are still going to compete.
12. Denver Nuggets: With the front line of Paul Millsap and Nikola Jokic expected to be one of the most dynamic in the league, this Nuggets team is ready to get back in the postseason for the first time since 2013.
13. Miami Heat: The Heat were big spenders, signing James Johnson, Kelly Olynyk and Dion Waiters each to $50 million-plus deals. But for now, despite last season’s 30-11 finish, there’s nothing that suggests Miami is anything more than a middle-of-theroad team.
14. Utah Jazz: Led by Rudy Gobert, Ricky Rubio and Derrick Favors, the Jazz are still capable of sneaking into the playoffs. But the days of 50-win seasons and second-round playoff trips — though short-lived — are over.
15. Portland Trail Blazers: We know what Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum are capable of, but the real X factor is Jusuf Nurkic, who emerged as a legitimate third option during the latter por- tion of last season after being traded from Denver.
16. Memphis Grizzlies: With the departures of Tony Allen and Zach Randolph, these won’t be the Grit ’n’ Grind Grizzlies of yesteryear. Memphis enters as nothing more than a fringe playoff team trapped in a brutal Western Conference.
17. Philadelphia 76ers: There’s good reason for excitement in Philly, as the 76ers are poised for a playoff push after posting a 109-301 record over the last five seasons. Health permitting, this team — headlined by Joel Embiid, Markelle Fultz and Ben Simmons — will turn some heads.
18. Charlotte Hornets: Charlotte’s ceiling is the sixth seed in the East while their floor is somewhere closer to the 10th. Can the Hornets take advantage of good coaching, a solid roster and a weak conference, or will they fall short for the second season in a row?
19. New Orleans Pelicans: The Big Three in The Big Easy — Jrue Holiday, Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins — have what it takes to make noise and work their way into the postseason. But will they? The future of coach Alvin Gentry might depend on it.
20. Detroit Pistons: The Pistons, who have been mired in mediocrity for a good portion of the last decade, don’t appear to be ready to take a significant step forward or back. The addition of Avery Bradley is underrated, but when you factor in the losses of Marcus Morris and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, don’t expect Detroit to be all that inspiring. 21. Sacramento Kings: Look at the bright side: With a roster that features a nice mix of veteran leadership (Zach Randolph, George Hill and Vince Carter) and young talent (Buddy Hield, De’Aaron Fox and Willie Cauley-Stein), the Kings might not be unwatchable.
22. Dallas Mavericks: The highlight of the Mavs’ summer was drafting Dennis Smith Jr., which — as bright as his future might be — doesn’t do much as far as this season is concerned. For just the fourth time since the turn of the millennium, the Mavericks are bound for the lottery.
23. Los Angeles Lakers: While we can already chalk this season up as one that will end at Game No. 82, the future is as bright in Laker Land as it has been in some time. Despite an oncourt product that will, at times, be difficult to watch, the spotlight will still shine bright on the Purple and Gold this season.
24. New York Knicks: Even though the NBA’s most dysfunctional franchise took some steps in the right direction, namely parting ways with Phil Jackson and finding a new home for Carmelo Anthony, the waiting game — and the frustration — will surely continue for the Knicks faithful.
25. Indiana Pacers: Fleeced by Oklahoma City in the Paul George deal, the Pacers enter with little to be excited about. And aside from Myles Turner and Victor Oladipo, the future doesn’t look all that bright either.
26. Phoenix Suns: Another year, another lottery-bound season for the Suns, who will use this season to focus on the development of franchise cornerstones Devin Booker and Josh Jackson as well as former lottery picks Marquese Chriss, Dragan Bender and Alex Len.
27. Orlando Magic: Will the Magic be better than last season after drafting Jonathan Isaac and adding Jonathon Simmons, Arron Afflalo, Shelvin Mack and Marreese Speights in free agency? Probably. But that’s not saying much. More than anything else, all eyes will be on Aaron Gordon and Elfrid Payton, who both have a lot to prove during their fourth NBA seasons.
28. Brooklyn Nets: After bringing in 2015 No. 2 overall pick D’Angelo Russell from the Lakers, the Nets have a potential franchise player to build around, as well as some complementary pieces in Allen Crabbe, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Caris LeVert. It might not seem like much, but it’s a start.
29. Atlanta Hawks: You’d be hard-pressed to find a team that has undergone the type of roster turnover Atlanta has the last two seasons, as this Hawks team features only three members of that 60-win team from three years ago.
30. Chicago Bulls: The Bulls didn’t just say so long to Jimmy Butler this summer, they also said so long to the inevitable success that came with him on the roster. Yes, Chicago finally has a direction, but for now that direction is down.