January 2009 NBA Power Rankings The Top Ten and Bottom Five NBA Teams

1.LA Lakers - Kobe Bryant has come alive,  leading his Lakers  to  the best record in the NBA and defeating the Boston Celtics 92-83 in late December. They’ve also won six straight.

2. Boston Celtics - Still a powerhouse, but  dropping  some  games  lately. They’ve won just six of their last ten, which isn’t typical for them.

3.Cleveland  Cavaliers  -  They’ve been  tough all  season and are making a case for LeBron James to sign an extension.

4.Orlando Magic  - Dwight Howard is  officially  the  best  center  in  the NBA.

5.San Antonio Spurs - They’ve quietly climbed their way back into relevance after losing several key players to injury earlier in the season.

6.New  Orleans  Hornets  -  They’re still finding  themselves  this  season. They don’t have the energy they had last  season. Yet, Chris Paul  is good enough to carry them for now.

7.Atlanta Hawks - Mike Bibby gives them a whole new dimension and Joe Johnson has capitalized the most.

8.Detroit  Pistons  -  They’ve  won seven straight and are starting to figure out how to play with Allen Iverson. Though, Rodney Stuckey is fast emerging as their best guard.

9.Denver  Nuggets  -  Chauncey  Billups was a better ft for Denver than Iverson ever was, but Denver hasn’t proven  that  they  can  hang with  the other  top  teams  of  the  league  on  a consistent basis.

10.Phoenix Suns - Shaquille O’Neal is  showing  he  still  has  some  juice left in the tank and has helped carry the squad with Steve Nash out with injury.

2008-2009 Conference Regular Season Standings

The Bottom Feeders

30. Oklahoma City Thunder  - OKC fans  don’t  really  have  the  right  to boo this team like they do. After all, they’re  only  bad,  because  the  owners dumped salary  in order  to move them  their  in  the  first  place.  Still, OKC  is on pace  to have one of  the worst  season  in  the  history  of  the NBA. The most games ever  lost by an NBA team in an 82-game season is  73.  The  Thunder  are  on  pace  to lose 72-73.

29. Washington Wizards  -  Injuries continue  to  plague  this  team  and now  sources are  saying  that Gilbert Arenas  might  miss  the  whole  season.  Apparently  they’re  not  better without him as some Arenas skeptics suggested.

28. LA Clippers - Injuries have been their  biggest  problem. They  should be  better  than  this,  but  Baron  Davis,  Marcus  Camby,  Chris  Kaman and Zach Randolph have all missed games. A recent rumor suggests Marcus Camby  could become past of  a three-way deal that would send him back to the New York Knicks.

27.  Sacramento Kings  - The Kings are  bad,  but  they  do  have  a  lot  of talented prospects. With as much as they’re struggling, one wonders how long  it will be before  certain veterans,  like  Brad Miller,  are  seriously shopped in trade bait.

26.  Minnesota  Timberwolves  -  Al Jefferson  continues  to be  the bright spot for the Wolves, but Randy Foye has  looked  solid  in  the  past  few games. Kevin  Love  has  been  good on the boards, but doesn’t seem to fit well alongside Jefferson.