In the spirit of all that is tanking, there have been a large number of teams who have been flat out terrible this season, especially in the Eastern Conference, where only Miami and Indiana seem like legitimate playoff teams. However, the Atlantic Division may be the absolute worst in the league, with two team (Philly and Boston) as Tankapalooza favorites. You have two teams (Brooklyn and New York) whom expected to be in contention for a title back in October, but have been nowhere near that this season, and you have Toronto, who has been a decent squad this season, but does not have the look of a division leader.
In fact, Toronto figured themselves to be a team fighting for the lottery before the season started, but have now found themselves in the unfortunate position of eventually losing to the Heat or Pacers in the second round. The team partially owned by Drake may have started from the bottom, but they still have a long way to go until they reach the top with Miami and Indiana. The New York teams both came out the gates with horrendous starts, but each got a little win streak going heading into the new year. However, while Brooklyn has turned it around just enough to be a playoff squad in this terrible conference, the Knicks have been a hot dumpster fire as a team. JR Smith has been anything but worthy of his new contract extension, Tyson Chandler looks to be aging a bit, and they're still not certain if Melo will be back next season. Oh, and Raymond Felton was just arrested today for pointing a loaded gun at his ex fiancee.
Philly and Boston, however, have been terrible, but are a controlled terrible and have a rebuilding plan in mind. The reason why the Philly, Boston, and Toronto teams can be title contenders in a couple of years while the Knicks and Nets are in turmoil is because of the Front Offices in charge of each squad. The Knicks and Nets are led by James Dolan (probably the most incompetent owner in all of sports right now) and Mikhail Prokhorov (who spends about one week a year in the United States) respectively, and each man seems more interested in anything but the teams they run. Philly, Boston, and Toronto have Sam Hinkie, Danny Ainge, and Masai Uriji as their GMs, all of whom are widely respected across the league.
While the Atlantic Division is absolutely terrible now, it could be the best division in basketball in three years because of the planning and rebuilding that the 76ers, Celtics, and Raptors GMs are able to do.
Without further ado, here are your Week 18 NBA Reverse Power Rankings:
The Contenders:
30) Indiana Pacers (42-13)
29) Oklahoma City Thunder (43-14)
28) Miami Heat (40-14)
27) San Antonio Spurs (40-16)
26) Houston Rockets (38-18)
25) Los Angeles Clippers (39-20)
The Rest Of The Best Out West:
24) Portland Trailblazers (38-18)
23) Golden State Warriors (35-22)
22) Dallas Mavericks (35-23)
21) Phoenix Suns (33-22)
20) Memphis Grizzlies (31-24)
The Slightly Above Average Teams In The East:
19) Toronto Raptors (31-25)
18) Chicago Bulls (29-26)
17) Washington Wizards (28-28)
Just Below .500:
16) Minnesota Timberwolves (27-29)
15) Brooklyn Nets (26-28)
14) Charlotte Bobcats (27-30)
13) Atlanta Hawks (26-29)
Can We Maybe Try This Season Again?:
12) Denver Nuggets (25-30)
11) New Orleans Pelicans (23-33)
10) Detroit Pistons (23-34)
9) Cleveland Cavaliers (22-35)
8) New York Knicks (21-36)
Tankapalooza Contestants:
7) Utah Jazz (20-36)
6) Sacramento Kings (20-36)
5) Los Angeles Lakers (19-37)
4) Boston Celtics (19-39)
3) Orlando Magic (17-41)
2) Philadelphia 76ers (15-42)
1) Milwaukee Bucks (11-45)
By: Dan Goggin
Philly and Boston, however, have been terrible, but are a controlled terrible and have a rebuilding plan in mind. The reason why the Philly, Boston, and Toronto teams can be title contenders in a couple of years while the Knicks and Nets are in turmoil is because of the Front Offices in charge of each squad. The Knicks and Nets are led by James Dolan (probably the most incompetent owner in all of sports right now) and Mikhail Prokhorov (who spends about one week a year in the United States) respectively, and each man seems more interested in anything but the teams they run. Philly, Boston, and Toronto have Sam Hinkie, Danny Ainge, and Masai Uriji as their GMs, all of whom are widely respected across the league.
While the Atlantic Division is absolutely terrible now, it could be the best division in basketball in three years because of the planning and rebuilding that the 76ers, Celtics, and Raptors GMs are able to do.
Without further ado, here are your Week 18 NBA Reverse Power Rankings:
The Contenders:
30) Indiana Pacers (42-13)
29) Oklahoma City Thunder (43-14)
28) Miami Heat (40-14)
27) San Antonio Spurs (40-16)
26) Houston Rockets (38-18)
25) Los Angeles Clippers (39-20)
The Rest Of The Best Out West:
24) Portland Trailblazers (38-18)
23) Golden State Warriors (35-22)
22) Dallas Mavericks (35-23)
21) Phoenix Suns (33-22)
20) Memphis Grizzlies (31-24)
The Slightly Above Average Teams In The East:
19) Toronto Raptors (31-25)
18) Chicago Bulls (29-26)
17) Washington Wizards (28-28)
Just Below .500:
16) Minnesota Timberwolves (27-29)
15) Brooklyn Nets (26-28)
14) Charlotte Bobcats (27-30)
13) Atlanta Hawks (26-29)
Can We Maybe Try This Season Again?:
12) Denver Nuggets (25-30)
11) New Orleans Pelicans (23-33)
10) Detroit Pistons (23-34)
9) Cleveland Cavaliers (22-35)
8) New York Knicks (21-36)
Tankapalooza Contestants:
7) Utah Jazz (20-36)
6) Sacramento Kings (20-36)
5) Los Angeles Lakers (19-37)
4) Boston Celtics (19-39)
3) Orlando Magic (17-41)
2) Philadelphia 76ers (15-42)
1) Milwaukee Bucks (11-45)
By: Dan Goggin
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