2012-13 Power Rankings
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jwoo
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2012-13 Power Rankings
Getting these up right before the NCAA tournament tips! Get those brackets in ASAP! Like literally now!
As I wrote this I found myself super impressed with how much deeper the league is getting. I think 20ish teams are in the playoff mix to start the season which is awesome. This is really hard to rank without seeing any box scores especially, so don't take it personally if I put you lower than you expected lol. Super excited to see box scores today, feels like Christmas.
***
29. Nets
Anthony Davis is here and the Nets should still be pretty ass. Bottom of the league is starting to get tougher. Another year of tanking is probably in order but it shouldn’t be too much longer before the Brow is rolling.
28. Timberwolves
Seems like Pankin is planning to tank this season again based on what’s on the roster. Harden got supercamped and could be in for a big leap, but I don’t think there’s nearly enough infrastructure around him for Minnesota to push for a playoff spot. Having said that, Pankin could be in the mix for a top pick and land a running mate for the Beard as he presumably hits his rookie max next season.
27. Pacers
Another rebuilding year for the Pacers, but Jimmy Butler is trending in a good direction and should take an individual leap. I liked the Drummond fit a lot and I think Tonger is probably one more young star away from being in great shape. They don’t figure to win much, though.
26. Cavs
A team transitioning down into the tank. I figure they lose a lot but am interested to see how these younger guys look. Think that’s a leaguewide trend this year with a lot of teams starting to rely on guys who haven’t gotten full cracks at minutes yet.
25. Lakers
Lakers are going in the tank. We’ll see how much Chauncey can elevate them and whether someone comes in to get him. He’s just sitting there, guys!
24. Heat
Miami looks like a crazy fun team to box-score-watch from afar this season as the young fellas start to cut their teeth. The roster is probably still a couple years away, since KG is getting up there and the depth is pretty thin. But I think we’re all super curious how these pieces fit.
23. Spurs
Sweet off-season for Jordo who was one of the winners of free agency and also got better through the draft. Spurs are on a good trajectory. Not sure Isaiah Thomas is ready to be a starting PG and that probably drags the team down a bit. But this team is very much on the right track.
22. Warriors
Trading Blake hurts the bottom line as far as wins go, but Baron Davis should be a good upgrade and Monta Ellis is a stud. Not sure there is enough here for Golden State to be significantly better, though.
21. Clippers
Well, you know the Clips are going to be trying after Bobby solid his pick for cash. On the other hand, I don’t think they really got much better in the off-season, so I have a hard time being more bullish than this in terms of whether LA can crash the playoff party. The frontcourt leaves something to be desired right now, but D-Rose and DeMar are a cool duo and maybe Bobby will let Jeremy Lin cook more, idk.
20. Hawks
I love some of the pieces on this team. Worry a little bit about the depth. Feels like Atlanta is on the cusp of being fully back but it’s just taking time for Russ to get to superstar status. I love Tyreke and the frontcourt is solid. A lot hanging on somebody breaking out at small forward.
19. Raptors
I think my team is entertaining as hell but I don’t have a handle on how good we are. The East is crazy crowded. Definitely a wide range of outcomes. Possible we way outkick this spot if things click, but also relying a lot on some unproven players. Kobe will help and I think we get into the 8-seed mix once I figure the bench out. Hoping my off-season additions fix what ailed us last year.
18. Hornets
Hard to be too bullish after the Hornets lost AI but Jack did a great job keeping his other guys around and salvaging the off-season. Not sure where the ceiling is for this team, but as long as Yao lives and breathes they are a tough squad to play. So we’ll see where they land, ultimately. Randy Foye and Sasha Paxlovid gotta pick up the slack.
17. Mavericks
Dallas is a pretty interesting team on paper. I think losing Kobe hurts quite a bit and I wonder about the bench being way overstretched, but at the same time you have Whiteside and Holiday emerging and AK and Francis are both still awesome. Just points to how deep the league is that they’re ranked here. Wonder about the frontcourt and the overall shape of the bench, but leaps from the young guys could lead to them outpunching this spot.
16. Pistons
Dirk and Lou Williams is a nasty pairing. But I’m not sure about the rest of the roster, as well as the impact of Kyrie’s stip, so I’m airing on the conservative side until we see the Pistons really put it together. I worry a little about the depth. But this team could easily outpunch this ranking. Wide range of outcomes.
15. Rockets
Hard for me to put Houston too much higher than this after some middling preseason sims but also hard to go lower due to the collection of talent and addition of Blake Griffin. The question is how long it takes Nolan to find an optimal DC, but there’s a ton of firepower here. Maybe not much depth. But a very interesting team with a wide range of possible outcomes this year.
14. Bullets
Bullets seemed fine in preseason without Hedo and still have one of the league’s best guard pairings. I’m not convinced Jeff Green is magically good, however, and I don’t think the big man depth is great, so this feels more like a back half playoff roster to me unless Weston can add a little more talent.
13. Kings
Hard to bet against Jesse even with an experimental roster, adding Pau should be a big lift, and I think the Kings have a good season as long as Brandon Jennings can handle his duties. Another move or two could vault them higher than this.
12. Jazz
Utah feels pretty safe and proven but I also wonder if this roster is butting up against its ceiling. This middle group of teams is extremely deep this season and I think we’re only going to see more of that. I think Utah will be firmly in the playoff mix, and having Al Jefferson healthy for a full season should lead to more than 45 wins.
11. Celtics
I once said that Devin Harris guarantees you 50 wins; we’ll see if that is the case, but I think Joe has ensured a pretty good baseline for his squad by grabbing Harris, Gomes and Biedrins. They should be in contention within the next 2-3 seasons depending on how PG develops and if Joe can keep Harris around. I’m optimistic.
10. Sonics
You are a fool if you think the Sonics are going to be that much worse this season, I think Nick kind of made out like a bandit in the Dirk deal and now has a pretty deep and complete team. I think he gets the most out of Oden and the Sonics roll to a playoff spot again. Tons of quality players here and Nick will figure out a way to make this spicy.
9. Knicks
Despite the hard cap woes I think the Knicks are in pretty good shape, grabbing Jaric off the bench and still able to rely heavily on Chris Bosh. We will see if Rip is washed or not but I think New York has a pretty high floor with Crawford/Bosh/Granger
8. Magic
I think this team is poised to be very solid again and should be in the mix for homecourt in the East. Classic team that adds up to more than the sum of its parts, with no true superstar but a ton of very good players and quality depth. Also positioned to be an elite rebounding team. We’ll see if the Magic miss Clack off the bench ultimately.
7. Grizzlies
I liked what Josh did this off-season other than losing Pau. Hibbert was a good MLE snag and Amundson was potentially a key addition. I think the Grizz are pretty firmly a playoff team — but we’ll see if they still have Finals level upside leaning on Wade. I would still expect a strong season.
6. Nuggets
I really like the Nuggets and not only because of the sheer number of ex-Raptors on this roster (although I don’t know if Tony Allen can be a great scoring option). It’ll be interesting to see how Kipke replaces Jamison’s minutes, but this team has elite rebounding, two elite scorers in Melo and Steph, and good defensive pieces filling in the gaps. They might be a third scorer away from hitting another gear but I like it on paper.
5. Suns
Two scalding preseason sims has everyone very bullish on Los Suns. This has to be Tyler’s best team in a really long time, and other than Ray Allen, the whole team is pretty young. Seems like there is enough defense to support Kevin Love and JJ Redick. Good bigs and a sweet PG in Mike Conley. A lot to like!
4. Sixers
Broken record here, LeBron is just so good lol. And while I do worry about the depth here, I think it’s easy as ever to pencil in the Sixers for 50ish wins. I don’t think the Vince Carter move is going to necessarily help, but if Good Boozer keeps showing up this is a really tough team to match up with. LeBron has to win a title eventually right? SLN imitating life. Lol.
3. Bucks
Thought Adam Morrison was a pretty interesting addition for the Bucks, who should be a bit more offense-skewed this season. Curious if they can continue rebounding at a high level but this should be an offensive juggernaut. I like KD at the four, and having two efficient bigs is such a cheat code in theory.
2. Bulls
Bulls are pretty much the same, although Haywood regressed and I actually think he’ll miss J-Rich a little (worry about Hedo’s subpar bench defense a bit). The top of the East is tight and the conference is increasingly tough but I think it runs through the Bulls for at least another season or two.
1. Blazers
I really like the cut of Portland’s jib this season and would call them the soft frontrunners — Jameer is a Hall of Famer, Dwight is dominant, and the Grizz and Sonics — perennial thorns in Portland’s side — each lost a star in the off-season. Thabeet is an interesting bench piece and Ben Gordon is a good pivot at the two, I think. I don’t know if they win it but I think they get deep in the mix.
As I wrote this I found myself super impressed with how much deeper the league is getting. I think 20ish teams are in the playoff mix to start the season which is awesome. This is really hard to rank without seeing any box scores especially, so don't take it personally if I put you lower than you expected lol. Super excited to see box scores today, feels like Christmas.
***
29. Nets
Anthony Davis is here and the Nets should still be pretty ass. Bottom of the league is starting to get tougher. Another year of tanking is probably in order but it shouldn’t be too much longer before the Brow is rolling.
28. Timberwolves
Seems like Pankin is planning to tank this season again based on what’s on the roster. Harden got supercamped and could be in for a big leap, but I don’t think there’s nearly enough infrastructure around him for Minnesota to push for a playoff spot. Having said that, Pankin could be in the mix for a top pick and land a running mate for the Beard as he presumably hits his rookie max next season.
27. Pacers
Another rebuilding year for the Pacers, but Jimmy Butler is trending in a good direction and should take an individual leap. I liked the Drummond fit a lot and I think Tonger is probably one more young star away from being in great shape. They don’t figure to win much, though.
26. Cavs
A team transitioning down into the tank. I figure they lose a lot but am interested to see how these younger guys look. Think that’s a leaguewide trend this year with a lot of teams starting to rely on guys who haven’t gotten full cracks at minutes yet.
25. Lakers
Lakers are going in the tank. We’ll see how much Chauncey can elevate them and whether someone comes in to get him. He’s just sitting there, guys!
24. Heat
Miami looks like a crazy fun team to box-score-watch from afar this season as the young fellas start to cut their teeth. The roster is probably still a couple years away, since KG is getting up there and the depth is pretty thin. But I think we’re all super curious how these pieces fit.
23. Spurs
Sweet off-season for Jordo who was one of the winners of free agency and also got better through the draft. Spurs are on a good trajectory. Not sure Isaiah Thomas is ready to be a starting PG and that probably drags the team down a bit. But this team is very much on the right track.
22. Warriors
Trading Blake hurts the bottom line as far as wins go, but Baron Davis should be a good upgrade and Monta Ellis is a stud. Not sure there is enough here for Golden State to be significantly better, though.
21. Clippers
Well, you know the Clips are going to be trying after Bobby solid his pick for cash. On the other hand, I don’t think they really got much better in the off-season, so I have a hard time being more bullish than this in terms of whether LA can crash the playoff party. The frontcourt leaves something to be desired right now, but D-Rose and DeMar are a cool duo and maybe Bobby will let Jeremy Lin cook more, idk.
20. Hawks
I love some of the pieces on this team. Worry a little bit about the depth. Feels like Atlanta is on the cusp of being fully back but it’s just taking time for Russ to get to superstar status. I love Tyreke and the frontcourt is solid. A lot hanging on somebody breaking out at small forward.
19. Raptors
I think my team is entertaining as hell but I don’t have a handle on how good we are. The East is crazy crowded. Definitely a wide range of outcomes. Possible we way outkick this spot if things click, but also relying a lot on some unproven players. Kobe will help and I think we get into the 8-seed mix once I figure the bench out. Hoping my off-season additions fix what ailed us last year.
18. Hornets
Hard to be too bullish after the Hornets lost AI but Jack did a great job keeping his other guys around and salvaging the off-season. Not sure where the ceiling is for this team, but as long as Yao lives and breathes they are a tough squad to play. So we’ll see where they land, ultimately. Randy Foye and Sasha Paxlovid gotta pick up the slack.
17. Mavericks
Dallas is a pretty interesting team on paper. I think losing Kobe hurts quite a bit and I wonder about the bench being way overstretched, but at the same time you have Whiteside and Holiday emerging and AK and Francis are both still awesome. Just points to how deep the league is that they’re ranked here. Wonder about the frontcourt and the overall shape of the bench, but leaps from the young guys could lead to them outpunching this spot.
16. Pistons
Dirk and Lou Williams is a nasty pairing. But I’m not sure about the rest of the roster, as well as the impact of Kyrie’s stip, so I’m airing on the conservative side until we see the Pistons really put it together. I worry a little about the depth. But this team could easily outpunch this ranking. Wide range of outcomes.
15. Rockets
Hard for me to put Houston too much higher than this after some middling preseason sims but also hard to go lower due to the collection of talent and addition of Blake Griffin. The question is how long it takes Nolan to find an optimal DC, but there’s a ton of firepower here. Maybe not much depth. But a very interesting team with a wide range of possible outcomes this year.
14. Bullets
Bullets seemed fine in preseason without Hedo and still have one of the league’s best guard pairings. I’m not convinced Jeff Green is magically good, however, and I don’t think the big man depth is great, so this feels more like a back half playoff roster to me unless Weston can add a little more talent.
13. Kings
Hard to bet against Jesse even with an experimental roster, adding Pau should be a big lift, and I think the Kings have a good season as long as Brandon Jennings can handle his duties. Another move or two could vault them higher than this.
12. Jazz
Utah feels pretty safe and proven but I also wonder if this roster is butting up against its ceiling. This middle group of teams is extremely deep this season and I think we’re only going to see more of that. I think Utah will be firmly in the playoff mix, and having Al Jefferson healthy for a full season should lead to more than 45 wins.
11. Celtics
I once said that Devin Harris guarantees you 50 wins; we’ll see if that is the case, but I think Joe has ensured a pretty good baseline for his squad by grabbing Harris, Gomes and Biedrins. They should be in contention within the next 2-3 seasons depending on how PG develops and if Joe can keep Harris around. I’m optimistic.
10. Sonics
You are a fool if you think the Sonics are going to be that much worse this season, I think Nick kind of made out like a bandit in the Dirk deal and now has a pretty deep and complete team. I think he gets the most out of Oden and the Sonics roll to a playoff spot again. Tons of quality players here and Nick will figure out a way to make this spicy.
9. Knicks
Despite the hard cap woes I think the Knicks are in pretty good shape, grabbing Jaric off the bench and still able to rely heavily on Chris Bosh. We will see if Rip is washed or not but I think New York has a pretty high floor with Crawford/Bosh/Granger
8. Magic
I think this team is poised to be very solid again and should be in the mix for homecourt in the East. Classic team that adds up to more than the sum of its parts, with no true superstar but a ton of very good players and quality depth. Also positioned to be an elite rebounding team. We’ll see if the Magic miss Clack off the bench ultimately.
7. Grizzlies
I liked what Josh did this off-season other than losing Pau. Hibbert was a good MLE snag and Amundson was potentially a key addition. I think the Grizz are pretty firmly a playoff team — but we’ll see if they still have Finals level upside leaning on Wade. I would still expect a strong season.
6. Nuggets
I really like the Nuggets and not only because of the sheer number of ex-Raptors on this roster (although I don’t know if Tony Allen can be a great scoring option). It’ll be interesting to see how Kipke replaces Jamison’s minutes, but this team has elite rebounding, two elite scorers in Melo and Steph, and good defensive pieces filling in the gaps. They might be a third scorer away from hitting another gear but I like it on paper.
5. Suns
Two scalding preseason sims has everyone very bullish on Los Suns. This has to be Tyler’s best team in a really long time, and other than Ray Allen, the whole team is pretty young. Seems like there is enough defense to support Kevin Love and JJ Redick. Good bigs and a sweet PG in Mike Conley. A lot to like!
4. Sixers
Broken record here, LeBron is just so good lol. And while I do worry about the depth here, I think it’s easy as ever to pencil in the Sixers for 50ish wins. I don’t think the Vince Carter move is going to necessarily help, but if Good Boozer keeps showing up this is a really tough team to match up with. LeBron has to win a title eventually right? SLN imitating life. Lol.
3. Bucks
Thought Adam Morrison was a pretty interesting addition for the Bucks, who should be a bit more offense-skewed this season. Curious if they can continue rebounding at a high level but this should be an offensive juggernaut. I like KD at the four, and having two efficient bigs is such a cheat code in theory.
2. Bulls
Bulls are pretty much the same, although Haywood regressed and I actually think he’ll miss J-Rich a little (worry about Hedo’s subpar bench defense a bit). The top of the East is tight and the conference is increasingly tough but I think it runs through the Bulls for at least another season or two.
1. Blazers
I really like the cut of Portland’s jib this season and would call them the soft frontrunners — Jameer is a Hall of Famer, Dwight is dominant, and the Grizz and Sonics — perennial thorns in Portland’s side — each lost a star in the off-season. Thabeet is an interesting bench piece and Ben Gordon is a good pivot at the two, I think. I don’t know if they win it but I think they get deep in the mix.
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mantypas/CavsCzar
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- Joined: December 20th, 2023, 12:06 pm
2012-13 Power Rankings
I agree we Cavs are gonna stink it up! Go young Cavs go!
FOR THE LAND - believe!
2012-13 Power Rankings
Tie for meme of the year
Promos:
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Raw Dog with Gradey - Half Off Hot Dogs - 11/7
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Just the Tip-Off Opening Night- 10/31
Raw Dog with Gradey - Half Off Hot Dogs - 11/7
Go Balls Deep - Mini Basektball Giveaway- 12/24
No Pull Out Night - Gradey Plays 48 Minutes - 1/19
Wet Dick Night - Free Pepsi- 2/14
Load Management 3/4
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