Portland Trail Blazers Are Unanimous Top-5 Pick In NBA Power Rankings
by Ben Golliver on Jan 9, 2012 9:33 AM PST
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PrintHere's a collection of various NBA Power Rankings released at some point this week. The 6-2 Portland Trail Blazers are a unanimous top-5 selection. Portland just concluded a 3-1 week with wins over the Oklahoma City Thunder, Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers and an ugly loss to the Phoenix Suns.
Here's the round-up. Last week's rankings, if available, appear in parentheses.
Marc Stein, ESPN.com: Blazers are No. 5 (No. 6)
We interrupt the Blazers' best start since launching at 7-1 in 1999-2000 with a question. One of my eds jumped on me for using the term "cornerstone" in reference to Nicolas Batum. You tell me, Blazermaniacs. Even as a sixth man, don't you see him that way?
John Schuhmann, NBA.com: Blazers are No. 3 (No. 5)
Gerald Wallace's offense has come and gone, but his defensive impact has been huge. The Blazers have allowed just 89 points per 100 possessions in 263 minutes with him on the floor, compared to 109 in 121 minutes with him on the bench. Portland's improved D will host the Clippers' No. 2 offense Tuesday.
David Aldridge, NBA.com: Blazers are No. 4 (No. 5)
Blazers unbeaten (5-0) at home, winning by an average of 13 in the Rose Garden.
Tom Ziller, SBNation.com: Blazers are No. 5
It looks like good teams will mix in those atrocious road losses -- like Portland's 102-77 drubbing in Phoenix -- more often this season. At least that's what Blazers fans are telling themselves right now.
Mitch Lawrence, New York Daily News: Blazers are No. 3
OK, so the Blazers beat the Lakers again at home, Kobe Bryant's 24th defeat in Portland in 30 games. But they ran this poll up in Portland asking fans if the Blazers have a brighter future than the Lakers. Guys, that's just plain dumb.
Kurt Helin, ProBasketballTalk.com: Blazers are No. 3 (No. 5)
Best team in the West so far. Beat the Thunder and Lakers, but then looked tired against the Suns (we've chosen to ignore that game, good teams are having ugly losses do to the schedule this year). Interesting game against the Clippers Tuesday in a matchup of the West's new guard.
Chris Sheridan, SheridanHoops.com: Blazers are No. 4 (No. 4)
Would have had them up a spot in 3rd if they hadn't lost by 25 to the Suns. But like the Bulls, I will allow them one toilet game. Tuesday night brings a chance to avenge one of their two losses. Six players scoring in double figures. One of them is not Marcus Camby (3.3 ppg).
Sean Sweeney, DIMEMag.com: Blazers are No. 3 (No. 5)
The Blazers are quickly becoming my favorite team in the league. So many athletes. So much versatility. Their big win over the Lakers at the end of last week played out exactly like I knew it would. Portland is just too balanced and athletic for nearly everyone else in the league. They even have a budding superstar who's completely underrated in LaMarcus Aldridge. Actually, he might be my pick for breakout star this year. Basketball heads know he can play. The rest of the country doesn't. They'll find out this year when Portland goes deep in the playoffs.
Jeff Sagarin, USA Today: Blazers are No. 5 and ranked No. 1 in the Northwest Division
John Hollinger of ESPN.com's advanced stat rankings...
- No. 14 in Offensive Efficiency
- No. 5 in Defensive Efficiency
- No. 3 in Pace
- No. 6 in Rebound Rate
Blazers forward LaMarcus Aldridge is currently No. 8 in the NBA in dunks with 13, according to the CBSSports.com Dunk-O-Meter.
This post will update with more NBA Power Rankings once they go up around the web.
-- Ben Golliver | benjamin.golliver@gmail.com | Twitter
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Just to double check...
The Blazers moved to 6-0 at home thanks to Sunday night’s win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
I’m pretty sure we’re 5-0 at home now, 1-2 on the road.
by andrewgolfsalot on Jan 9, 2012 9:49 AM PST reply actions 1 recs
Preseason maybe?
I’ll take the extra win though.
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by Oh. Em. Gee. on Jan 9, 2012 10:24 AM PST via mobile up reply actions
I like the Clancy book
"Say his NAME, Portland. Gerald Wallace is...awesome." -Dave, 4/9/11
Lookin Good
I agree with these rankings. They seem fair enough for how weve played so far. Its still really early to me, but our team has a real good chance this year of going deep in the playoffs or to the western conference final. OKC is playing really good and they are going to be a thorn all season, similar to past Denver teams. But I see us as the1-3 seed in the west this year. Keep up the good work Blazers!
by cavejunctionblazer on Jan 9, 2012 10:00 AM PST reply actions
I can agree with that.
These next two games will be huge in determining how good this team is. The Clippers and Magic are both good teams that should make the playoffs this year. These are games the Blazers need to win if they are going to be as good as some of us are hoping they are. Quality wins at home against good opponents are about as good of a measuring stick as there is in the NBA.
Ben II Blazersedge.com || New to Blazers' Edge?
in some recently past post
i posted that we would have 18 wins by the end of the month, if everything goes right I think we are on target to hit that
by cavejunctionblazer on Jan 9, 2012 3:40 PM PST up reply actions
i love our stat rankings. especially the stat with us being top 5 in defense.
Last year i think we were 15th in about almost every statistical category. its a wonderful improvement
Portland just concluded a 3-1 week with wins over the Oklahoma City Thunder, Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m preeeety sure that’s the first time the Cavs have ever been mentioned in the same sentence as OKC and LAL. And this is the second time.
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by Oh. Em. Gee. on Jan 9, 2012 10:23 AM PST via mobile reply actions
Batum as Cornerstone? No.
When the term was coined, there was only one cornerstone in a building. It was the point of reference from where the building was built. Batum is not that.
hes a player that has the "potential" to be outstanding tho. I know we throw the word "potential" around alot but......its never been more true fora player than batum.
So in theory…….he could perhaps develop into one of our cornerstones. Behind LMA of course
Marc Stein's editor is correct in the usage of the word.
There is only one cornerstone. Unless you believe that the team is constructed around the contributions of Batum, he cannot be the cornerstone. If Stein wants to convey Batum’s importance, there are other words to use. He is a professional writer (with an editor watching his back) and should use words properly.
I would suggest that the cornerstone to this team’s successes has been the emphasis on increasing the pace of play (embodied by GW, and to a lesser extent Batum). When they can dictate the pace, they’’ve been able to wear the opponents down (Bynum for example).
I love Batum’s game, BTW.
Yes, but we're Blazermaniacs, not structural engineers.
(Apologies to any Bedgers who are, in fact, structural engineers.)
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by Oh. Em. Gee. on Jan 9, 2012 10:31 AM PST via mobile up reply actions
So, is anyone beside Howard and Lebron a cornerstone in the NBA?
It seems that “tent poles” are a better descriptor for most elite NBA players.
Phase 1: Collect underpants
Phase 2: ???
Phase 3: Profit!
I don't even think LeBron qualifies.
I mean, if you can only have one per team, I’d have to give it to Wade. Not to mention LeBron hasn’t really earned anything yet. Kobe or Duncan would be more fitting.
huh?
Kobe maybe, but Duncan? Have you watched the guy play this year? No way you’re building a team around him over LeBron.
LBJ is the best player in the game right now, period, point-blank.
"If you type two spaces after a period, you're doing it wrong."
I'm not saying Duncan is going forward...
Just that he is still the cornerstone of the Spurs. Same for Dirk and the Mavs.
And I think “best player in the game” is pretty hard to define, and I’m not sure I’d give it to LBJ. Leading scorer? Sure. Best guy to have on your fantasy team. Absolutely. Franchise cornerstone? We’ll see.
To be honest, I haven't seen enough this year to make a judgement.
Rose? It seems to me Chicago begins and ends with him. But really, that is a guess on my part.
Cleveland era LeBron seems more “Cornerstone” than Miami era. Post-Shaq/Pre-LeBron Wade seems more “Cornerstone” than Present-day Wade. What I mean by that is that is I consider the Heat’s cornerstone to be “the Big 3”, not LeBron or Wade or Bosh. And that is not a slam on any of them.
To me, it is easier to think of the Cornerstone as a game strategy rather than a player. Especially after seeing how the Blazers of the last few years haven’t folded up after an injury.
so is Mitch Lawrence saying we do or dont have a brighter future than the lakers?
i understand that the laker have the best tradition and player (kobe) in the nba…….but at the same time……they’re old and fading away. i definitely think our immediate future is better
He's saying it's a no-brainer
when asking if Portland has a brighter future than the l*kers.
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by Oh. Em. Gee. on Jan 9, 2012 10:34 AM PST via mobile up reply actions
I think he's saying
that it’s dumb to run a poll in Portland asking Blazer fans to vote between the Blazers and the Lakers because the outcome will be obviously Blazer-biased. But I’m not sure. Definitely a confusing sentence.
by tripdoubsalldetime on Jan 9, 2012 11:37 AM PST up reply actions
I think he's implying the Lakers have a brighter future
and he’d be correct. I mean, when have the Lakers suffered for more than a year or two in a row? They are a premier destination for FAs, they can spend as much as they want, and the NBA clearly smiles on them when it comes to schedules, reffing, and weird, lopsided trades that fall into their lap.
Mark my words, the day Kobe retires (or sooner), they’ll somehow land the #1 pick in a great draft, and acquire the most coveted FA on the market.
Wow, #3 in overall pace through 8 games. Nate McMillan and his staff have done a tremendous job. Especially when you consider how SLOW this team has been known to play in recent memory.
"You know, when you are in the game, you hear 20,000 people behind you, you don't feel anything."
- Nicolas Batum on playing through his shoulder injury during the 2010 playoffs.
Our (Sagarin) record against top ten opponents jumps out to me.
Five of our first six games have been against other top ten teams, and we are 4-1 in those contests. Only one other team (Chicago) has 3 wins against top-ten competition (For comparison, both the Nuggets and the Lakers are 1-3).
I think its a tad inflated.
I’d give you 9th or 10th but top 5? Naw, too easy to take this team out of its game still. I give the Clippers some credit as they needed that first home win, but Phoenix… that was embarrassing and inexcusable. Show me some consistency Portland and then maybe I would be comfortable ranking you 5th.
Good question
Will take a while to look into the all the leagues play to give you my answer and to be totally honest, i’m too lazy to do it. So throw me into that lazy uninformed doomsayer bin if you’d like, don’t matter to me :)
i think we're getting overrated
i don’t think we’ve really played all that well for a complete 48 minutes yet.
5/8 games that we’ve played have been at home, which is inflating our record. plus, our schedule has been relatively spread out so far.
PHILLY!
I just can't decide if the fact that we haven't played a complete 48 minutes means that we should be ranked higher or lower.
Are we a really good team that hasn’t quite put it all together yet or a good team that can’t?
"If you type two spaces after a period, you're doing it wrong."
Since most of them are weekly rankings, I'd say you should err on the low side
If the team puts it all together, you can justify the low ranking by saying “well, they weren’t this good at that point” but you probably won’t need to, since everyone will be more interested in your latest ranking.
If the team doesn’t put it all together, then you don’t look like an idiot for putting a bubble team in the top 3.
That said, it does feel like we’re getting overrated, but I think the rest of the West, at this point, is so bad that what feels like us being overrated is just everyone else sucking/getting underrated.
Phase 1: Collect underpants
Phase 2: ???
Phase 3: Profit!
Miami & Chicago at #1 and #2 and a lot of teams way back fighting over #3.
Over-rated or under-rated, it is so early that only newspapers and magazines selling ads care at this point. Right now our schedule speaks for itself. We can win big games at home and the road games are up and down.
by 52therim on Jan 9, 2012 2:10 PM PST via mobile up reply actions
How many teams have played a good 48 minute game
on any consistent basis? People put too much into this, like every other team, even good ones, never struggle through a quarter?
Just a bunch of guys trying to jinx our home record
This is a terrible team. We’ll probably lose all of our games and never make the playoffs…sweeping every team out of the way for the NBA title.
I think the only thing we can count on...
is that the Blazers will be fun to watch this season. I have no illusions about what their record will end up being this year or if they’re ’re in the playoffs how far they will go. Just taking it one day at a time and enjoying the ride so far…
RCTID
Look fellas
if you’re gonna say the Blazers are overrated and not deserving of being top 5, then at least tell us who should replace them. Because as far as I can tell there aren’t a lot of teams killing it out there. Home games, spaced out schedule, bad loss at PHX (classic letdown game)…I get all that. But aside from OKC, CHI, and MIA, who are you putting ahead of us? LAC? Certainly not DEN, SA, LAL, or DAL at this point.
"If I had a dime for every basket I made today, you'd still suck!" - from the book 'John Dies @ the End'
by sammymohawk on Jan 9, 2012 11:16 AM PST reply actions 2 recs
marc stein ranked Denver ahead of Portland on the ESPN rankings.. SMH.
A displaced Sonics fan that has somehow emerged as a Blazers fan (and loves it).
by anitachampionship on Jan 9, 2012 11:26 AM PST up reply actions
Honestly, Philly has a pretty decent argument
Yeah, same record and we already beat them, but that game was in Portland and came down to the last couple possessions, and they’ve been crushing teams since then, even with a 2/5 home/road game split so far. They haven’t had the most difficult schedule (12th easiest schedule, although they did blow out the Suns in Phoenix, as opposed to us), but they do currently lead the league in margin of victory, defensive rating, and SRS and are 4th in offensive rating.
It’s strange, given that a lot of it is on the backs of Lou Williams and Spencer Hawes, but maybe Hawes is just so fired up about the GOP primary that he’s upped his game.
PHI is a good call, but similar to Denver I'd give us the edge for the win (even at home)
Indiana is also much improved and off to a good start. Atlanta and Orlando are each 6-3 but I can’t put either in front of us right now
"If I had a dime for every basket I made today, you'd still suck!" - from the book 'John Dies @ the End'
Why are fans marking down the home wins at a discount?
There’s a little bit of hubris here, methinks. “Well of course we win those. It’s THE ROSE GARDEN for goodness sake!”
Our home wins are no more and no less valuable at the end of the day than those of other teams… and if it’s true that the PTB have an even bigger edge than other teams because of the RG and it’s atmosphere, then I think that’s just as legitimate a consideration as any other. In other words, if the Rose Garden has a special “power” it should be reflected in the Power Rankings.
In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice they're not.
Denver has always received this benefit as well
I suppose you could argue that altitude is more real than “fan fervor”, but a W is a W.
Matthews is Shooting 45%
Felton and Crawford are shooting 35% and 34%, respectively. If these guys could get their numbers anywhere close to Matthews’ this team would be scary good.
"I'm not trying to brag or anything, but I'm exciting."
- Jamal Crawford
Matthews is probably a 45% shooter
Felton and Crawford are 40-43% career shooters. I expect both their numbers to improve but I don’t expect better We$ is FG%
the truth hurts. fox news is painless
My current top 5, for whatever it's worth
1. Heat – Blowing people out.
2. Bulls – The blazers are one superstar away from looking like this team.
3. Thunder – They have bounced back after the Blazers loss and are playing great bball.
4. Blazers – Playing the best “team” game in the league.
5. Hawks – Playing second best “team” game in the league, with the only win over the Heat
A displaced Sonics fan that has somehow emerged as a Blazers fan (and loves it).
by anitachampionship on Jan 9, 2012 11:52 AM PST reply actions
I'd put SA at 5, and Philly at 6, but ATL is right behind those two teams
It probably won’t look this way come playoffs, but for right now that’s how they’re playing.
Phase 1: Collect underpants
Phase 2: ???
Phase 3: Profit!
they did, but they also beat them in Miami with I believe both of those guys
although I may be way off on that
"If I had a dime for every basket I made today, you'd still suck!" - from the book 'John Dies @ the End'
nope, you're correct! handed the heat their only loss. that's gotta count for something, especially considering they almost beat them again but Bosh got lucky on his 3
A displaced Sonics fan that has somehow emerged as a Blazers fan (and loves it).
by anitachampionship on Jan 9, 2012 12:02 PM PST up reply actions
In a game without Wade/Lebron
Losing to Miami without both of them (and Miller, but he’s only a part-time NBA player these days) and at home is an awful loss, regardless of the number of OTs or their previous impressive win over Miami.
I absolutely agree.
Charles was killing them all game for the lack of effort and toughness and I agree 100%.
Kinda makes me shake my head when I see the Blazers blow one like they did at PHX, the difference being that I don’t think it was due to lack of effort, but tiredness and a complete inability to put the ball in the basket.
"If you type two spaces after a period, you're doing it wrong."
was that 3OT ATL/MIA game a back to back for ATL or something?
only explanation I can think of for their poor play.
"Say his NAME, Portland. Gerald Wallace is...awesome." -Dave, 4/9/11
They are just notorious for that
settle in, shoot long jumpers, get complacent. That’s what happens when you have a guy like Josh Smith, who one night looks like a top five player, and the next night turns it over 10 times and shoots a dozen shots with his foot on the three point line.
"If you type two spaces after a period, you're doing it wrong."
Nope, they had a day off after playing the Bulls two nights before
Hilariously, though, it was a back to back for the Heat, coming off a demolition of Indiana at home.
They beat them in their first matchup for the Heat's only loss, then lost in 3OT for the second matchup
That’s a good hawks team. They’re flying under the radar right now, IMO.
A displaced Sonics fan that has somehow emerged as a Blazers fan (and loves it).
by anitachampionship on Jan 9, 2012 12:00 PM PST reply actions
So far, two things have aided this team.
1. Playing a majority of home games and only one back-to-back on the road.
2. Opposing teams shooting an unsustainable 23.4% from the beyond the arc.
Defensively, Portland can continue forcing turnovers at a high rate and hitting the defensive glass — which have been staples in the past — yet, opponents shooting that poorly from downtown won’t last. It can’t last.
"I Am Mine"
Portland's 3pt shooting can't last either
Law of Logical Argument
Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.
wasn't felton supposed to be a good three point shooter, 12%.
he has to start hitting some of those
Methinks you give too much credit to opposing teams' ability to suck at 3's
The defensive rotations and overall perimeter defense are much better than last year. You’re probably right, we won’t hold them to 23% all season, but unless we see some serious regression in the coming weeks, even you have to admit that the traps on the perimeter are working well this season.
It’s been 8 games, including 4 wins and a loss against good teams. The elite defense so far is not an accident at this point.
Phase 1: Collect underpants
Phase 2: ???
Phase 3: Profit!
Devil's advocate here, but
kinda like a Nate McMillan team can never run?
"If you type two spaces after a period, you're doing it wrong."
No, this team's 3PT defense will regress toward the mean.
What Nate did was a remarkably rare philosophical change — call it a “Reverse Riley,” since Pat pulled off a similar feat leaving the Showtime Lakers for the grind-it-out Knicks — which was improbable, albeit not impossible.
However, the team’s 3PT defense so far is just a statistical aberration. It can’t continue.
"I Am Mine"
Haven't you argued that homecourt advantage is overrated?
but yes, back to backs on the road are exhausting.
As the for the opponents 3 percentage, I agree with some of the posters above that the Blazers have defended it very very well. The team is built for that, certainly.
scrappy
by Honka Playboy on Jan 9, 2012 8:36 PM PST up reply actions
"Haven't you argued that homecourt advantage is overrated?"
No, I never argued that. Do I have to explain myself in greater detail?
Guess so.
Anyhow, here’s one of my comments regarding homecourt advantage:
“Traveling, however, is my biggest worry when the Seahawks are away from home. Those long East Coast trips and adjusting to the three-hour time zone difference is seemingly a bigger hindrance than road crowds.”
http://www.blazersedge.com/2011/12/26/2662960/gameday-open-thread-sixers-at-blazers-first-half#86727902
So, as we can see, what I argued was homecourt advantage is due to the road team being travel weary rather than anything the home crowd brings to the arena.
Get it? Got it? Good, glad you understood.
"I Am Mine"
Well, in the case of the Sehawks, it'd be homefield advantage instead of homecourt advantage.
Yet, point remains the same. But anyway, I do think back-to-backs are the biggest issue in the NBA.
Combine playing two games in two nights with traveling and, well, that’s when a team breaks down physically.
"I Am Mine"
Ugh, I misspelled *Seahawks* there. That's so, so stupid of me.
When I get frustrated, I’m prone to spelling errors. Oh well, whatever.
"I Am Mine"
Don't get frustrated. You don't have to explain anything.
I’m glad you keep track of your own comments. And I agree with you, somewhat. But since you like to do things like this, what are the records of home teams in, say, deciding final games of playoff series, where both teams have done the same traveling and have the same amount of rest?
scrappy
by Honka Playboy on Jan 10, 2012 6:45 AM PST up reply actions
People tend to over-react
First everyone was “oh no, Blazers are a one and done again this year—stuck in perpetual mediocrity with B.Roy out”
Now it’s “Blazers best in West!”
I think we end the year a 4 or 5 seed, win the first series in 6, lose the second series in 7.
that seems pretty reasonable
and is about where my expectations are as well. win 40 games, grab a home playoff seed hopefully, get that 2nd round.
"Say his NAME, Portland. Gerald Wallace is...awesome." -Dave, 4/9/11
I like the 5 ranking.
Along with the picture of Camby. Since an injury to him sends us down to at spaceship speed :)
A strong bench is valuable to every contender. Cornerstone is not a stretch. When the players change yearly, it wont happen in 2 weeks. Euro league and the NBA play a different defense. Even I can see that, and as I have been reminded for years, I am a girl.
A lot of Nico hate going aroung for no reason. The small forward is a position of strength , we have the best duo in the nba right now for that position. They cant both start and play 48 minutes. Let Nate do his job without armchair quarterbacks please. Nico shows growth EVERY YEAR.
Problem lies when 3’s have to play out of their position because of the lack of depth AGAIN of big men. Thanks brain trust !
just win baby !
Is there Nico hate right now?
I don’t see it at all. Personally, I’m more concerned about his role and minutes on the team, and how he can play effectively and consistently considering how he is used. The hand-wringing is more about concern about his happiness and fit than displeasure with how he is playing.
"If you type two spaces after a period, you're doing it wrong."
Haters will always hate.
joelor, your concerns are with Nate and the system them, with the players he has. Call it what it is. Were 2 weeks into the season. Give Nico and Nate slome slack. I’m the most impatient Blazer fan there is. Everyone would agree to that :). @ weeks is not 4+ years.
Nico is not what we need to we to be concerned about. It’s what the media drama is feeding us right now. God forbid, we actually notice the real elephant in the room.
just win baby !
Enjoy your Power Ranking while you can!
All the fun ends tomorrow at the Rose Garden ;)
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