Early Season NBA power rankings – Teams 10 through 6

10. Boston Celtics

I put them in the top 10 under the assumption that they will not look as old/slow/inattentive/lackadaisical all season as their 9-9 start would suggest, and that right now they don’t particularly care about their record as long as they make it through the regular season a) healthy and b) somewhere in the East’s top 8. However, even if they do make the playoffs with everyone healthy, it is impossible to imagine this team beating the Bulls and/or the Heat in a seven game series. It was evident in their five game series with the Heat last year that they are at least two levels below them, and since then the following four things have happened:

1. Danny Ainge tried to trade Rondo to New Orleans for Chris Paul, which of course went public and has caused Rondo’s confidence to suffer.

2. They lost Jeff Green to heart surgery.

3. Pierce, Garnett, and Allen have all gotten a year older, which is really showing during this condensed schedule.

4. The front office inexplicably didn’t resign Delante West, and then made up for it by signing the immortal Keyon Dooling.

The only thing that has gone right for the Celtics in the last six months was the trade of Glen Davis to Orlando for Brandon Bass. But don’t get too excited Celtics fans. Did I mention they will are paying Jermaine O’Neal, Keyon Dooling, and Chris Wilcox (roughly worth a combined 3 million) a combined 11.4 million dollars this season.

9. San Antonio Spurs

I could copy and paste a lot of what I said about the Celtics here: even if they make it to the playoffs healthy, its impossible to imagine them winning three straight series in the West to make the Finals. Tim Duncan just doesn’t have the chops at the four spot to get it done anymore. There is no shame in that. The guy will one day retire with the following resume: four-time champion, two-time MVP, 21/11/3 career average, greatest power forward ever, top 10 player ever. But he just doesn’t have it anymore.

8. New York Knicks

No I am not crazy and yes I already know the reasons why shouldn’t they be ranked this high: They are 7-12, their defense is atrocious, head coach Mike D’Antoni has been incompetent, D’Antoni’s entire offensive system is predicated on having a play making point guard and the Knicks have none, Amare Stoudmire is playing awful– lowest scoring average since his rookie year. So let me give you three reasons why they are still a threat in the playoffs.

1. They still have two of the 15 best basketball players in the world, Amare and Carmelo, who can carry them through the playoffs by scoring in crunch time and when the offense breaks down. Other than Miami, and maybe the Thunder, Clippers and Lakers, no other teams can say that.

2. The good news for Knicks fans is that they may be able to receive reinforcement from the outside. In March, players like Kenyon Martin, JR Smith, and Wilson Chandler will be able to leave their Chinese team (with whom they signed contracts without opt outs during the lockout). The Knicks would become attractive signing destinations because a) Its New York. It’s the Knicks. And its MSG, b) They’d have a chance to compete for a title, and c) They would get playing time right away because the Knicks have no bench. And finally….

3. Baron Davis. Don’t laugh at B-Diddy. Anyone who has watched Baron Davis throughout his career knows that when there is something to play for, Baron plays like we know he can – as the biggest, strongest, and one of the hardest to defend point guards in the league. And when there isn’t anything to play for, Baron accepts mediocrity, gets overweight, coasts through games, and collects his pay check. Baron Davis will have more to play for than ever with the Knicks. Believe me, he is chomping at the bit to play with Amare and Carmelo in front the crowd at MSG. If he can first get in shape and then come back and be 80% of the old Baron, the Baron that averaged 20 and 8, this Knicks team will get a major upgrade at point.

7. Memphis Grizzles

The Griz have been the NBA’s most snake bitten team with injuries so far this season – first losing Darrell Arthur for the season to a torn Achilles and then losing Zach Randolph for 8 weeks to a torn MCL.

Despite this, the good news: They have a 10-7 record.. if they keep playing the way they are virtual locks to make the playoffs… they were able to acquire a post player to replace Randolph and Arthur, Marreese Speights, for the cheap price of Xavier Henry…despite many expecting a post-big-contract-swoon from him, Marc Gasol is having the best season of his career, averaging 15 points, 10 rebounds, 2.4 blocks… Mike Conley is also having the best season of his career, averaging career highs in assists and steals… Rudy Gay has returned to form (18 ppg, 6 rpg) after missing last year’s playoffs with a torn shoulder… finally, OJ Mayo has bounced back from a bad 2011 and has accepted his role of coming off the bench to be a defensive stopper.

6. Los Angeles Lakers

To be honest, this is probably too high, but in my defense, at this point in the season there are not six NBA teams that you can say have looked considerably better, largely because most playoff teams don’t care about their seeds, just that they are in the playoffs and are thus coasting through this ultra-condensed, borderline inhumane 66 game schedule.

As a Lakers fan, this is what I have liked: Kobe putting together one of the gutsiest string of games in recent NBA history, and leading the league in scoring despite a torn ligament in his shooting wrist… Andrew Bynum averaging an impressive 16-13, and most importantly staying healthy… Pau Gasol bouncing back from a atrocious 2011 playoffs to average 16-9… Pau Gasol coming out and saying the Lakers “could use the post game a little more,” which of course is Pau’s way of saying, “Kobe! Pass me the m-effin ball,” and then backing it up by scoring 23 on 9 of 13 shooting vs. the Clippers.

As a Lakers fan, this what I haven’t liked:

1. With over 1,300 games of balls-to-the-wall basketball worth of mileage already on his body, 33 year old Kobe Bryant has to play 38 minutes per game just for this team to have a chance at winning.

2. After the top 3 of Bynum, Gasol, and Bryant, we have no idea who we’re getting production from. This team’s 4-10 has been inconsistent all season and putrid at times. The Lakers have become a three man team. Seriously, who is stepping up in a playoff game when Kobe is having an off-shooting night and Bynum is in foul trouble? Matt Barnes? Josh McRoberts? Steve Blake? Now you know why I want to light myself on fire sometimes.

3. I would like to end this post by going on a much-overdue Mike Brown rant. Let me start off by saying that I’m sure he is very nice guy outside of basketball and I will give him credit for vastly improving the Laker’s defense this season. But I can honestly say he is the worst coach at managing player’s minutes that I have ever seen. I could use one of about seven players as an example, but let’s look at Devin Ebanks. Mike Brown started him at small forward for the first four games this season and Ebanks rewarded him with quality minutes. He wasn’t Elgin Baylor 2.0 or anything, but he played as well any of the other Laker’s role players. How does Mike Brown reward Ebanks? By only giving him significant minutes in two of the next 15 games! That’s inexplicable. Newsflash Mike Brown: You don’t develop young players into steady contributors by giving them erratic minutes and killing their confidence. Again, Ebanks is only one of many examples. He has done the same thing with season with every Laker not named Bryant, Gasol, Bynum, and Fischer. But then again, we shouldn’t be surprised by this because Mike Brown did the same thing while coaching the 2010 Cavaliers. Remember when Shaq complained about not getting any minutes during the 2010 playoffs? That was Mike Brown. Its like he forgets that some of his players are on the team, and then looks down the bench one night and says, “Oh yeah! Devin! I could use you. Get in there!” The Lakers will be in trouble come playoff time if Mike Brown can not narrow down the Lakers rotation to nine or ten guys and then keep their minutes steady.