Midsummer power rankings

[FreshJive]

From NBA.com

TEAM 2003-04 BREAKDOWN
1
Detroit Detroit
54-28
KEY ADDS: Antonio McDyess
Champs had one goal this offseason -- re-sign Rasheed Wallace. Done and done. McDyess, if healthy, will fit in well as a replacement for the departed Mehmet Okur.

2
San Antonio San Antonio
57-25
KEY ADDS: Brent Barry
The sharpshooting Barry, last year's No. 2 3-point marksman (.452), is a huge upgrade over Hedo Turkoglu, and the Spurs held on to free agent regulars Bruce Bowen and Manu Ginobili.

3
Minnesota Minnesota
58-24
KEY ADDS: None
Resisting the temptation to tinker, conference finalists will go with the squad that finished first in the West last year despite suffering through several injuries to key players.

4
Indiana Indiana
61-21
KEY ADDS: Stephen Jackson
With Reggie Miller's minutes decreasing each year, last season's winningest team brought in Jackson to be a potent third scorer alongside Jermaine O'Neal and Ron Artest.

5
Miami Miami
42-40
KEY ADDS: Shaquille O'Neal
The Heat have paired the league's most unguardable force with one of its hottest young talents in Dwyane Wade, but without further moves, depth will be an issue.

6
Sacramento Sacramento
55-26
KEY ADDS: Greg Ostertag
More important than signing Ostertag to replace Vlade Divac, the Kings hope a fully healthy Chris Webber and Bobby Jackson will be their difference-makers.

7
Denver Denver
43-39
KEY ADDS: Kenyon Martin
Adding K-Mart to complete a frontcourt rotation of Carmelo Anthony, Marcus Camby and Nene gives the Nugs some toughness and swagger in addition to All-Star talent.

8
Houston Houston
45-37
KEY ADDS: Tracy McGrady, Juwan Howard
Steve Francis-Yao Ming wasn't working, so Houston effectively traded its backcourt for T-Mac. Whether the two-time scoring champ can share will determine the success of the Rockets' season.

9
L.A. Lakers L.A. Lakers
56-26
KEY ADDS: Lamar Odom, Brian Grant, Caron Butler, Vlade Divac
L.A. fans are mourning the loss of Shaq, but the new squad isn't terrible. Divac and Grant are serviceable up front, while Odom will team with Kobe for perhaps the top SG-SF combo in the league.

10
Utah Utah
42-40
KEY ADDS: Carlos Boozer, Mehmet Okur
Last season's biggest overachievers have bolstered their frontcourt and will have Matt Harpring, who missed 51 games, back in the lineup to provide additional offense.

11
Dallas Dallas
52-30
KEY ADDS: Jerry Stackhouse, Devin Harris
The departure of Steve Nash hurts, and since Stack plays the same position as Michael Finley and Marquis Daniels, Don Nelson will have to get creative with his rotations.

12
Memphis Memphis
50-32
KEY ADDS: Brian Cardinal
They won 50 games behind Coach of the Year Hubie Brown, but unlike many West counterparts, the Grizzlies haven't really upgraded. A return trip to the playoffs will be a difficult task.

13
Portland Portland
41-41
KEY ADDS: Nick Van Exel
Blazers are still looking to move Shareef Abdur-Rahim and re-sign Darius Miles, but their current roster is decent enough to finish at approximately .500 again in the West.

14
New Orleans New Orleans
41-41
KEY ADDS: Byron Scott, Chris Andersen
Coach Scott takes over at the Hornets' helm as they shift to their new home in the West. Jamal Mashburn's return will make them competitive, but they'll also feature five regulars over 30.

15
Philadelphia Philadelphia
33-49
KEY ADDS: Jim O'Brien, Brian Skinner, Andre Iguodala
Allen Iverson, Glenn Robinson and Derrick Coleman combined to miss 112 games last year while Samuel Dalembert and Willie Green emerged as legit talents; could be top five in the East.

16
Phoenix Phoenix
29-53
KEY ADDS: Steve Nash, Quentin Richardson
Nash will provide enough leadership and stability offensively to help the Suns stay in the hunt, but they still need an able big man and how Q-Rich fits with Joe Johnson will be an interesting sub-plot.

17
Milwaukee Milwaukee
41-41
KEY ADDS: Zaza Pachulia
Another surprise last season under rookie head coach Terry Porter, the Bucks are hoping T.J. Ford will be ready to go after the spine injury he suffered late in the year.

18
New York New York
39-43
KEY ADDS: None
With the Knicks mentioned in so many trade rumors, who knows what their roster will look like when the season starts? Last year was pure upheaval, though, so they should be able to ride Stephon Marbury and Allan Houston back to the playoffs.

19
New Jersey New Jersey
47-35
KEY ADDS: Rodney Buford, Jacque Vaughn
K-Mart and Kerry Kittles are gone in exchange for draft picks, Jason Kidd just had knee surgery and reportedly wants out -- after two Finals berths in three years, the Nets are rebuilding.

20
Boston Boston
36-46
KEY ADDS: Doc Rivers
The C's roster is basically unchanged, but if summer leagues are any indication, Boston had a very nice draft in selecting Al Jefferson, Delonte West and Tony Allen in the first round.

21
Cleveland Cleveland
35-47
KEY ADDS: Eric Snow, Drew Gooden, Luke Jackson
Can Gooden help Cleveland forget Carlos Boozer? Can Snow and Jeff McInnis co-exist? What has experience done for LeBron? Questions abound in Cleveland, but the East is wide open.

22
Orlando Orlando
21-61
KEY ADDS: Steve Francis, Cuttino Mobley, Dwight Howard
An early candidate for most-improved team (that's not saying much), the Magic now have an All-Star point guard and Howard has looked fierce on the boards. And if Grant Hill plays ...

23
Golden State Golden State
37-45
KEY ADDS: Mike Montgomery, Derek Fisher, Dale Davis
Fisher and Davis are needed veterans for a young squad, and if it can reclaim the defensive intensity from the last month of '03-04 (12-5 record), new coach Mike Montgomery will be very pleased indeed.

24
Seattle Seattle
37-45
KEY ADDS: Danny Fortson
The Sonics have yet to address any needs this summer unless Fortson reverts to his 2001-02 self and grabs double-digit rebounds. The loss of Brent Barry was a blow to the backcourt.

25
L.A. Clippers L.A. Clippers
28-54
KEY ADDS: Kerry Kittles, Shaun Livingston
Elton Brand and Corey Maggette form a solid core, and scouts are projecting Livingston as a future star, but the team needs time to continue developing its young talent.

26
Toronto Toronto
33-49
KEY ADDS: Sam Mitchell, Rafer Alston, Rafael Araujo
New coach Sam Mitchell may be on the verge of losing his best player as Vince Carter reportedly wants a trade, and the squad has little depth on its bench to cushion the blow.

27
Washington Washington
25-57
KEY ADDS: Antawn Jamison, Anthony Peeler
Adding the Sixth Man of the Year is a good place to start, but the Wizards' starting lineup remains very young. A breakout year from Kwame Brown would be a huge bonus.

28
Chicago Chicago
23-59
KEY ADDS: Ben Gordon, Luol Deng
The Bulls could still get some help as they look to move restricted free agent Jamal Crawford, but as it is, they've only added two rookies to the East's second-to-last-place team.

29
Atlanta Atlanta
28-54
KEY ADDS: Mike Woodson, Al Harrington, Josh Childress
The Hawks roster remains sparse for new coach Mike Woodson as the top free agents continue to get snatched up -- Harrington and Jason Terry the only safe picks to crack the starting lineup.

30
Charlotte Charlotte
N/A
KEY ADDS: Emeka Okafor, Gerald Wallace, Jason Kapono
It'll be a long year for the Bobcats, but the plus side for youngsters like Okafor and Wallace is that they'll get plenty of playing time to realize their potential as solid NBA players.

[samoan-maverick]

It just makes it a lot sweeter when we can shove this list down their throats when we do better than expected. Summer is not over.

[jayC]

1) Detroit dessimated a team with Kobe and Shaq. Really didn't lose much in Okur.
2)San Antonio- a key case to the argument the whole isn't as big as the pieces that surround it. Duncan is always an MVP candidate and Parker is only 21
3) Sacramento still have three all-stars peja, webber and Miller.
4) Miami- Shaq means that much. They have a better cast around Oneal then in LA. Eddie Jones and Dwayne Wade.
5) Minneosta-KG he is a beast they resigned Spree, but the cast is older and might be more injury prone
6)Indiana- team won 60 games traded for Stephen Jackson, a guy that can give them some perimeter scoring. Big ? marks at point guard.
7) Dallas- Still have four all-star type players stackhouse, finley Dirk and Walker. The key is whether they can improve on a league worst defense.
8) Denver they went k-mart shopping and overpaid. I mean he is a nice player but definitely not worth the max. Question marks are in the backcourt.
9) Houston- wait they added T-Mac yes but Yao Ming has yet to put up dominant numbers night in and night out. They also lost defense with Cato and Jackson's departures.
10)Memphis- They are still two deep at every position. ? can Gasol improve his game to take that next step.
11)Phoenix- Amare Stoudamire, Steve Nash and Shawn Marion get them into the playoffs from a western conference worst record.
12) Lakers swing men anyone this team al it has is swing men key subtraction Diesel.

After that who cares?

[EricaLubarsky]

4
Dallas Dallas
52-30
KEY ADDS: Jason Kidd, Jerry Stackhouse, Devin Harris, Didier Ilunga-M'Benga
We all felt the pain after the departure of Steve Nash at the beginning of the NBA hunting but who would have thought that it would have sparked a domino effect where Dallas ended up with Vince Carter and Jason Kidd. The resigning of Marquis Daniels and the trade that brought Devin Harris to Dallas were genius moves that invigorated Dallas with youth. Stackhouse was a steal in the Jamison trade after coming off a lousy season but comes to training camp 3" taller and with 40 more pounds on him. The signing of unknown center Didier Ilunga-M'Benga was the real steal, costing Dallas only the LLE.