East
1. Boston Celtics 9-2
This team is just tougher than the other top teams in the East, and they proved it by beating the Heat twice already this season.
2. Miami Heat 7-4
I still think the Heat will be the team to beat in the East by the end of the season, but they are clearly behind the Celtics at this point. Miami is in desperate need of an inside presence. Bosh is not strong enough to bang down low, and Ilgauskas is too slow to keep up with the tempo of their offense. The Heat might want to try giving Dexter Pittman or Jamaal Magloire some more minutes, or look elsewhere for a serviceable center.
3. Orlando Magic 7-3
The Magic got off to a 5-1 start, then dropped two in a row at home (one of them to the Raptors). They have since righted the ship with two straight victories, and they are getting everyone involved with 12 guys averaging 12 minutes are more on the season. They will be one of the best teams in the East, and they're a lock to make the playoffs.
4. Chicago Bulls 6-3
The Bulls are already a pretty good team, and they will be much stronger once Carlos Boozer gets back. Derrick Rose is a lock for the All-star game, and Joakim Noah is making a strong case as well.
5. Atlanta Hawks 8-4
The Hawks cooled off after a 6-0 start, losing 4 straight before winning their last two. The 4 losses were all to good teams, so there's really no reason to panic. Atlanta is still a solid playoff team, and should have no problem being one of the top 8 teams in the East.
6. Milwaukee Bucks 5-6
The Bucks got off to a horrible start, but it seems they now have their act together. Ersan Ilyasova needs to play more because when he does, Milwaukee wins. As long as this team stays healthy, we should see them in the playoffs.
7. Indiana Pacers 4-5
Roy Hibbert has been really good at the center position this year, and the rest of the team has plenty of talent to be one of the top 8 teams in the East. They beat Denver by 31 points, and that's enough to make me a believer.
8. Charlotte Bobcats 4-7
The Bobcats haven't beaten anyone good, but they have played everyone close and won on the road against several of the teams below them in the East. This team isn't great, but they might be good enough to sneak in the playoffs. For that to happen, they have to get better at closing out games. Their lack of a superstar player is very evident late in the game, and they can't continue to blow 4th quarter leads and expect to be in the top 8.
9. New Jersey Nets 4-7
After winning their first two games, the Nets dropped five straight before winning two of their last three (with the loss by one to the Magic). The production of Brook Lopez dropped off tremendously during the losing streak, but he has picked it back up in the last two games. New Jersey will need him to do a better job on the glass if they hope to make the playoffs.
10. Detroit Pistons 4-8
The Pistons have had a brutal early season schedule, and it shows in their record. They did beat Golden State and get a few nice wins on the road on the West coast, but their schedule doesn't do them any favors for quite a while. If Detroit can avoid losing confidence early in the season, they will have a chance to go on a nice run later on and make a solid bid for a playoff spot.
11. New York Knicks 3-8
The vagaries of the New York Knicks continue. They seemed to have things figured out after a big win in Chicago and a beatdown of the Wizards, but they followed those two victories with 6 straight losses, with 4 of the 6 to teams with losing records. Toney Douglas started the season out on fire, but his production has fallen off dramatically during the current losing streak. Wilson Chandler have been a pleasant surprise all season long, but the Knicks have to start playing defense if they want to win consistently. Coach Mike D'Antoni has never been one to preach defense, so it might be up to Raymond Felton to show the way. Felton and Stoudamire need to watch videotape of Steve Nash and get the pick and roll figured out as well, because right now Amare is not being used effectively. Stoudamire was the best in the league at the pick and roll with Nash in Phoenix, so there is no reason they shouldn't be able to run it successfully in New York.
12. Toronto Raptors 3-9
This team has been much more competitive than the names on their roster would suggest. The Raptors got a shocking win in Orlando on Friday night, and with two spots up for grabs in the East, maybe they have an outside shot at the playoffs. Andrea Bargnani has been great, and with solid contributions from DeRozan and Weems, this team has been much better than expected despite their record.
13. Cleveland Cavaliers 5-5
The Cavs have been better than everyone thought, but making the playoffs still seems like a tall task. They've been getting nice contributions from Daniel Gibson, J.J. Hickson, Mo Williams, Antawn Jamison, Ramon Sessions, and Anderson Varejao, but they still may need more if they hope to sneak in one of the last 2 spots in the East. Their solid 5-5 record is due much more to an easy schedule than good play.
14. Washington Wizards 3-7
John Wall is great. He has been every bit as good as advertised and then some, and right now has to be the leader for rookie of the year honors. His team might be a little too young to contend for a playoff spot, but there is no doubt this team is loaded with talent. If they can all get on the same page soon and take better shots, they might have a chance.
15. Philadelphia 76ers 2-10
The 76ers had a terrible start to the season, but they have shown signs of improvement despite not getting the wins. Lou Williams, Thaddeus Young, Jrue Holiday, and Evan Turner have all shown flashes of brilliance, but they will have to find some consistency for this team to be successful.
West
1. Los Angeles Lakers 10-2
The Lakers are on cruise control, and look poised to enter the playoffs as the team to beat yet again.
This might be the surprise team of the season so far. They finally lost their first game of the season on Monday after an 8-0 start, but they avenged the loss to the Mavericks tonight in New Orleans. Chris Paul has to be high on the list for MVP of the league.
3. Utah Jazz 8-4
After an ugly 0-2 start to the season, the Jazz started reeling off wins (including consecutive road victories at Miami, Orlando, and Atlanta) and look more like the team I expected coming into the season. Deron Williams is on the short list of MVP candidates at this point in the season, and Paul Milsap has played at an all-star level as well.
4. Dallas Mavericks 7-3
No one is really talking about Dallas, but Dirk Nowitzki is once again leading this team to one of the best records in the West. Jason Kidd is still playing great despite his age. All the weapons he has at his disposal in Dallas make it much easier for him to continue putting up staggering assist numbers, even at 37 years old.
5. Denver Nuggets 6-5
Denver is one of only two teams to beat the Lakers this season, and they have as much talent as anyone in the league. As long as Carmelo Anthony plays for the Nuggets, this team will be a contender.
6. San Antonio Spurs 8-1
The Spurs have quietly (as always) started the season 8-1, but they have had one of the West's easiest schedules. Despite that, the Spurs are one of the best run franchises in the NBA, and they find a way to get it done year after year. I don't expect 2010-2011 to be any different.
7. Oklahoma City Thunder 7-4
I expected the Thunder to make a jump up the standings in the West this season, but it appears they might not be in the upper half of the playoff picture just yet. Kevin Durant is once again leading the league in scoring, and Oklahoma City is getting great contributions from Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka. With the West being so close, there is still a chance this team could get homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs.
8. Portland Trail Blazers 7-5
Portland is an extremely talented team, but they can't ever seem to escape the injuries that do major damage to their playoff seeding. Greg Oden has already been ruled out for the season, and Brandon Roy is once again having trouble with his knees. The Trail Blazers are getting good contributions from a lot of different players this season, but they made need a few guys to step up even further if they want to make any noise in the Western Conference playoffs.
9. Phoenix Suns 6-5
The Suns have been surprising this season. I thought they might have a pretty steep dropoff after losing Amare Stoudemire in the offseason, but Hakim Warrick has filled in admirably in the high-flying-dive-to-the- basket-off-the-pick-and-roll-from-Steve Nash-role, and Jason Richardson and Nash have both increased their scoring from last season.
10. Memphis Grizzlies 4-8
The Grizzlies have endured a brutal schedule to start the season. Rudy Gay has played great in trying to live up to his huge contract, but Memphis still isn't beating the top teams it needs to if it wants to make the playoffs. There's still plenty of time to turn it around, but with all the talent in the West, they can't afford to fall too far behind.
11. Golden State Warriors 7-4
The Warriors are off to a great start, but part of that is due to a very favorable early season schedule. Monta Ellis and Stephen Curry are playing at a very high level in the backcourt, but Golden State can't afford to be without David Lee for too many games. He has already missed several games due to surgery on his elbow after Wilson Chandler's teeth gave him an infection, and the Warriors will need him back soon to avoid tumbling down the West standings.
12. Houston Rockets 3-8
The Rockets would be in the playoffs in the East, but their very difficult early season schedule has them in a big hole in the West. The Rockets have lost a lot of close games, and they will have to start winning most of those if they want to make a run at the top 8. Luis Scola should be an all-star if he keeps up his current level, as he is averaging 23 points and 10 rebounds on the season.
13. Minnesota Timberwolves 4-9
Minnesota has been very competitive of late, and they've even won three of their last five games. Michael Beasley has turned up the scoring in that stretch, and he's now averaging 21 on the season. Kevin Love is leading the league in rebounding with over 14 a game, and he's coming off a legendary 31-point, 31-rebound performance last Friday against the Knicks. If the T'Wolves can find some consistent production at the point (ironic since they seemingly drafted a point guard with their last 10 draft picks), they might be able win some games this year. Luke Ridnour was doing a serviceable job before he was injured, and they will need him to stay healthy if they want to stay competitive. Sebastian Telfair is just too inconsistent to be the answer for this team.
14. Los Angeles Clippers 1-11
The Clippers have started the season 1-11, but they too have had an extremely difficult early season schedule. Injuries have once again hurt the "other team from L.A., " as veterans Baron Davis and Chris Kaman have both missed several games. The Clippers have no chance at the playoff this year, but they have a good nucleus of players that should be ready to compete for a playoff spot in the next few years.
15. Sacramento Kings 3-6
Just as I suspected, the Kings fast start was just a facade. They had a very easy schedule to start the season, but they've lost lost 5 straight and haven't really been close to winning any of them. Tyreke Evans is a great player, but Sacramento is inconsistent and I expect the losses to pile up all year.
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