Power Rankings--Week 5

[Minnesota Timberwolves]

1. Los Angeles Clippers--Winners of the early-season poll, the Clippers held onto the top spot this week with a decisive victory over a Knicks team that looks like they might be heating up. As long as Griffin and Paul are healthy, it’s hard to imagine the Clips falling far from the top. (poll: 1st) 
2. New Orleans Pelicans--Sitting at 3-2, the Pelicans are actually pouring in points at a league-leading rate. Their two losses came courtesy of the fellow Power Rank-topping Clippers and Spurs. (poll: 2nd) 
3. San Antonio Spurs--The Spurs recovered nicely from their surprise loss to the Knicks with a convincing victory over the better-than-even-they-expected Raptors. (poll: 3rd)
4. Los Angeles Lakers--Here they are, the last undefeated team in the Basketball Guru league. Their relatively weak SOS so far is all that’s holding them back from climbing further up the ranks. This already was something of a prove-it week for this young Lakers team, but a win over the defending champion Kings this week would be impossible to ignore. (poll: 5th) 
5. Philadelphia 76ers--This Sixers team is looking much more motivated than the one that started the season. Lowry’s regression is worrying, but Chandler and Dieng seem to have stepped up to make up for it. Finding a way to bring Dirk back to life may be what makes or breaks this team this season. (poll: 7th)
   
6. Minnesota Timberwolves--Already, there are some worries that the move to bring in sharpshooter Danilo Gallinari may not have been worth the risk. He wasn’t missed against the Blazers, but this week the Wolves face a Detroit squad that seems at least a little more interested in winning. (poll: 4th)
   
   
7. Milwaukee Bucks-- The Bucks fell this week to the upstart Lakers in their first loss. The gaudy record is obscuring the underperformance from some of Milwaukee’s biggest names, however, and it’s hard to walk two feet in the league office without hearing rumors of the owner’s efforts to move some of their biggest contracts. (poll: 6th)
   
   
8. New York Knicks--They’ve finally arrived. After a rocky start, the Splash Brothers and Draymond look like they’re comfortable in the new situation, and the Knicks look ready to give any team in the league a run. (poll: 10th)
   
9. Charlotte Hornets--For each player that seems to be starting a breakout year (Barnes, Randle), the Hornets seem to have one who is struggling to live up to expectations (Gordon, RHJ). This team promises to be one of the more interesting ones to watch this year. (poll: 8th)
   
   
10. Oklahoma City Thunder--The unexpected loss of Middleton for this season was bad enough, but the injuries just seem to keep piling on for OKC, with Bayless and Warren both missing time. Strong play from new arrivals Wiggins and Fraizer have kept them competitive, but they’re going to need more. (poll: 10th)
    
    
11. Detroit Pistons--New ownership and noise about the return of Reggie Jackson signal a change in fortune for the Pistons. It couldn’t come soon enough for a team that is clearly built to “win-now” but hasn’t figured it out yet. (poll: 11th)
    
12. Sacramento Kings--Despite inheriting the title of defending champ, the Kings new ownership will have quite the conundrum on their hands: how will they stay competitive with a lack of tradeable assets, no cap and an unhelpful pile of health issues at the wing? (poll: 12th)
    
    
13. Boston Celtics--This is not how it was supposed to happen. The return of Olynyk and additions of Tyler Johnson and Pau Gasol will help, but even so this team is still looking for its first win. They’ll likely find it this week in Portland. (poll: 13th)
    
    
14. Toronto Raptors-- The best worst team in the league. I can’t imagine what’s motivating the likes of DeRozan and Porzingis to play the kind of basketball they’re playing, but it sure isn’t the prospect of winning. (poll: 14th)
    
    
15. Portland Trail Blazers--The beginning of the season has gone exactly according to plan. The Blazers are destined for a place in the bottom three this year, but if you squint hard enough, it’s not hard to see this team producing wins in a couple of seasons. (poll: 15th)
    
    
16. Chicago Bulls--This is a master class in assuring yourself the #1 lottery spot. The only question is, “How many years will it take to turn this back into a basketball team?” (poll: 16th)