CheChe23's NBA Power Rankings (Dec. 26. 2007)

With the new year approaching, there are some new trends appearing in the NBA. One thing is for sure: you better get used to hearing about the Portland Trail Blazers. Not only are they a team to watch for in the future, but they've shown over the recent win streak that they're worth watching now. After winning 11 in a row, the Trail Blazers must now be considered a top 10 team.

The Pistons will start 2008 with the No. 1 ranking after winning against Boston at the Garden (the first time they have been ranked No. 1 and just the third team to be ranked first overall). Los Angeles may have a roster containing some no-names (Ariza, Turiaf, Vujacic), but it does contain arguably the best player in the NBA (Kobe Bryant). A Lakers win over the Suns on Christmas Day pushed them into the top five -- and to their highest ranking of the season. Here are my NBA power rankings for the final week of 2007 -- comments with your thoughts or your own rankings are always appreciated.

BIGGEST RISE: Indiana Pacers from 18th to 12th.
BIGGEST FALL: Houston Rockets from 14th to 18th.

(Editor's note: "LW" indicates each team's ranking from CheChe23's previous week. —RTW)

CheChe23's Power Rankings: December 26, 2007
TEAM	RK (LW)	W-L	COMMENT
	1 (2)	20-7	Detroit overthrew the Celtics for number one in the power rankings after Chauncey Billups was able to get Tony Allen to bite on a pump fake. It's scary to think that Detroit is the best team in the NBA -- considering how great San Antonio and Boston play.
	2 (1)	22-3	The Celtics' perfect home record, to go along with their No. 1 ranking, were both destroyed by the Detroit Pistons last week. In Boston's first real test of the season, they weren't able to finish in the clutch. It's not like anyone is jumping off this bandwagon yet, but they aren't as elite as everyone might have suspected.
	3 (4)	19-9	Dallas loves it at home (13-2) and is working on a five game winning streak which includes four against playoff teams (ORL, HOU, NO, PHO). Utah tonight and Cleveland tomorrow will pose a tough back-to-back. But if the Eastern Conference teams ahead of Dallas start to slow-up and the Mavs continue adding to the win column -- Dallas could find themselves at the top of the NBA.
	4 (5)	19-7	The Spurs have yet to finish a game in the month of December with Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker and Tim Duncan all healthy. Along with injuries, they have lost an un-Spurslike four of their last six. But there is nothing to worry about, yet.
	5 (7)	18-10	Los Angeles has won three straight and five of its last six. Led by Kobe Bryant, Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom as the big three -- the Lake-show has proved to be a legit contender for the NBA title. In recent years the Lakers have started well and have failed to produce in the playoffs. After winning its first two games in its first two tries against the Suns (who ousted LA in the last two playoffs), things are looking like they have grown-up for what was once thought to be a young Laker ball club.
	6 (3)	19-9	Phoenix has been playing typical Suns basketball, but truly cannot compile any more losses to mediocre teams. Leandro Barbosa should be an All-Star, the Suns could send five to the ASG (Nash, Marion, Amare, Barbosa, Hill). The Suns should start working on a win streak with two games against the Clippers, a game against Sacramento and a game against Seattle a week from Thursday. Should-wins are must-wins in order to move up the rankings.
	7 (6)	18-7	With only 25 days left to vote for the 2008 NBA All-Star team, Dwight Howard leads all Eastern Conference centers and ranks in the top three overall behind only Kevin Garnett and LeBron James. Orlando's quick start and consistent play has kept Howard's name in the media and his team flirting with the top five. But after losing seven of their last nine, the Magic have started falling back a bit.
	8 (8)	16-11	Denver needs to put together a win streak if they want to put together a sizable climb in the power rankings. Games against Golden State on Friday and Sunday will give better understanding to the bottom half the of the top 10.
	9 (10)	14-11	New Orleans is a tough team to keep in the top 10, but their play and their record has been worthy of a higher ranking than the Warriors, Raptors and Jazz. Match-ups with Cleveland on Saturday and Toronto on Monday should shed some light on a where the Hornets should be ranked.
	10 (13)	15-10	Portland has a versatile style of offense. They are able to run at a high tempo as well as slow down and play a solid half court game. Watching Portland play Seattle Tuesday night gave a glimpse of the NBA future. Granted Greg Oden wasn't on the floor for what would have been the match-up of No. 1 overall versus No. 2 overall (Kevin Durant) in last year's draft -- both the Sonics (Durant, Jeff Green) and Blazers (Channing Frye, Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge, Jarrett Jack) have rosters filled with potential.

OUTSIDE THE TOP 10:

11. Golden State Warriors (16-12): Golden State has a chance to prove they deserve a spot in the top 10 with two games in a row against Denver and another against Houston. Baron Davis is getting help from Stephen Jackson who continues to play well averaging a career best 21.1 points per game.
12. Indiana Pacers (15-13): This seems to be the week of the NBA where teams are playing other teams twice. Indiana has the unfortunate circumstance of having to go to Detroit and host the Pistons on back-to-back nights.
13. Atlanta Hawks (14-12): The Hawks have won four straight. Josh Smith quietly had his fourth double of the month with 16 points and 14 rebounds against Washington on Friday. Al Horford is still playing well enough for Rookie of the Year runner-up.
14. Utah Jazz (15-14): The Jazz are averaging a win per week in the month of December which has caused a free fall in their ranking (losses to Charlotte and Miami, yikes). If you are a Jazz fan, don't panic. With two MVP candidates to go along with a strong group of role players and defenders -- next month will be kinder. But not next week, the next four games are against four playoff teams (DAL, LAL, BOS, POR).
15. Toronto Raptors (15-14): The Raptors got a career best 42 points from Chris Bosh Saturday night, but lost against the Suns. Three straight losses and three straight playoff teams ahead -- Toronto is facing a tough stretch (12/18 @ SA, 12/29 @ HOU, 12/31 @ NO).
16. Cleveland Cavaliers (13-16): The Cavs will always have a chance with LeBron James (who is leading the NBA in scoring with 29.5 ppg). They need more from Sasha Pavlovic and Drew Gooden to get back into the top 10.
17. Washington Wizards (13-13): Washington lost Antonio Daniels for three weeks and has lost three straight games. Injuries are slowly taking their toll on the Wizards, but they should be fine with three winnable games this week (CHA, NJ, MIA).
18. Houston Rockets (13-15): The Rockets have lost four of their last five and six of their last eight. With T-Mac and Yao both sidelined with injuries, Houston could have a problem.
19. New Jersey Nets (12-15): New Jersey has won two in a row, but has Detroit at home tonight. It's hard to determine which team will show up for the Nets -- the one that will lose to Sacramento or the one that will win against Golden State.
20. Sacramento Kings (11-15): Sacramento has six guys averaging double digits scoring each night. They have also started to play defense holding opponents under 100 in six of their past nine games (but still allowing an average of 101.4 a game).
21. Philadelphia 76ers (11-16): Willie Green continues to pour in production, but did not see action against Memphis Saturday (his first DNP of the season).
22. Chicago Bulls (9-16): The Bulls win streak and rise up the rankings may come in the first weeks of January. Most of the Bulls losses this month have been to quality teams, which makes me think there is hope in Chicago.
23. Memphis Grizzlies (8-19): The Grizzlies had a rare win against San Antonio last Wednesday, but managed to drop games at Detroit and to Philadelphia to begin a losing streak.
24. Milwaukee Bucks (11-15): Milwaukee is 9-3 at home and 2-12 on the road. Playing three out of the next four on the road could be ugly.
25. Los Angeles Clippers (9-17): Clippers have had four days of rest going into two in a row, home and away, back-to-back against the Suns.
26. Charlotte Bobcats (10-15): Charlotte has seen a vast improvement to the flow of the offense since acquiring Nazr Mohammed from Detroit. The guards on the Bobcats will benefit from having Mohammed as a focal point at center.
27. Seattle Sonics (8-20): The Sonics felt the Blazer buzz-saw Tuesday and will hit the Boston buzz-saw on Thursday.
28. Miami Heat (8-20): Pat Riley is not looking good right now. The Heat have very little upside and rank better than just two teams.
29. New York Knicks (8-19): Stephon Marbury, who has missed seven of the last 11 games, is set to return to the Knicks -- New York is 3-8 during his absence.
30. Minnesota Timberwolves (4-22): People often ask me how bad Minnesota really is. Sadly, I have to tell them that they could possibly be the worst team in NBA history.

HOT HOT HOT

1. Joe Johnson -- Hawks guard Joe Johnson has scored 20 or better in eight of his last nine games as well as adding 8.5 assists per game over the last week. Atlanta has been using the services of Johnson to lead the Hawks for the past few seasons, he might finally have a supporting cast who can actually support him this year.
2. Yi Jianlian -- It appears that it might be a two person race for ROY after Yi Jianlian has begun to match Kevin Durant's progress on the offensive end of the floor. Yi had a career high 29 points Saturday and has averaged 11 rebounds per game over the past week.
3. Nazr Mohammed -- Since becoming a Bobcat, Mohammed has made himself a target on offense and on the glass. Mohammed has scored 17, 20 and 14 in three straight starts for Charlotte -- to go along with his 8, 14 and 11 rebounding games.

NOT NOT NOT

1. Yao Ming -- Before leaving Sunday's loss to the Pistons with a facial laceration, Yao had not been playing too bad. He had 26 points and 19 rebounds in a one-point loss to Denver on the 20th. Although more recently he has struggled -- Yao totaled just 13 rebounds over his past two games, has had 10 turnovers and is shooting under 39% from the floor during that same stretch.
2. Drew Gooden -- If Cleveland wants to remain in the same breath as Detroit and Boston in the Eastern Conference, they will need to get more production from Gooden. As a compliment to LeBron on the glass as well in the scoring department, Gooden has been lame lately. The 18 points that his scored Tuesday is what Cleveland needs on a regular basis.
3. Ronnie Brewer -- Utah's early season success could have been credited to the outstanding play they got from Brewer. But back-to-back games of 4 and 2 points isn't the same as his 13.4 (what he averaged in November) and therefore Utah has dipped in the standings.

NBA Rumor Mill (12/21/07)

With the Jason Kidd trade smoke clearing, I've tried to come up with where the next trade will come from. Over the past week I have read about player-wants and team-needs and have tried to match trades to go with those rumors. While playing with the Trade Machine on ESPN.com, nothing seemed to be a good fit -- the job of an NBA GM is hard.

The first and loudest rumor has involved the Kings Mike Bibby and Ron Artest. Miami is in desperate need of a shake-up if they want to make this season worth playing for (we are reaching a breaking point in the season). If the Heat want to scrap this season after seeing Mourning have to retire due to injury -- they might want to start focusing on building for their run in 2009. Rumors have it that Artest and Bibby could be traded for the expiring contracts of Miami's Ricky Davis and Jason Williams. In order for this trade to go down the Heat would have to send along another player to make trading the two best players on an already weak team away worht while. Compensation of a player like Udonis Haslem would be the only contract and talent level that would make the Kings willing to give away Artest and Bibby.

Potential Trade:
Miami Gets -- Ron Artest and Mike Bibby
Sacramento Gets -- Ricky Davis, Jason Williams and Udonis Haslem

The reason why this won't happen is because Ricky Davis has some restriction on his contract first of all. I'm not sure what it is, let me know if you know. Secondly, the Heat would have a large void to fill at the forward position by giving up Haslem. It would like really nice on paper to see Bibby, Wade, Artest and Shaq on the same starting five -- but what would the rest of the line-up be?

The Kings would probably like to get rid of Artest, and Bibby's contract is big enough where if they could dump it for two contracts that will go off the books this summer -- the Kings could be a major player in what appears to be a very deep free agent pool.

If this trade happens the Heat will rely heavily on Alexander Johnson who has only played nine games this season. They would need Dorrell Wright to play a lot bigger than his 6-8 frame. And Mark Blount, who needs to become relevant with Mourning out, would need to become even more important if Haslem went missing.

Another rumor has the Suns trading away Boris Diaw, while another rumor puts Andre Miller out of Philadelphia.

The Suns would be a good fit for Miller. Phoenix needs a back-up point guard who is better than Marcus Banks if they are going to use Leandro Barbosa at shooting guard. If the Suns were able to trade Diaw and his $9 million contract to the 76ers for Miller's $9 million contract, Phoenix would have great depth which would allow Nash to rest and give them a boost all the way through July.

The 76ers would want Marcus Banks to be thrown into the deal to replace Miller. And because Phoenix doesn't have a deep big man bench and because it works money wise -- Calvin Booth (6'10") would go to the Suns.

Potential Trade:
Phoenix Gets -- Andre Miller and Calvin Booth
Philadelphia Gets -- Boris Diaw and Marcus Banks

This trade won't happen because the 76ers don't really need Diaw as much as the Suns need Miller. Plus, the Suns like Marcus Banks and I don't see them giving him up unless they receive a quality guard like Miller. Diaw has been seen yelling at his team on the bench which means that the Suns are selling him pretty low. There could be some draft picks or cash involved to sugarcoat the trade, otherwise I doubt that this will happen.

The Sixers might still do this trade because apparently they aren't satisfied with Miller's production and the way he runs the offense. Philadelphia has seen great things from Willie Green as well as Kevin Ollie and are confident that Andre Iguodala can handle bringing the ball up the court. With Diaw filling a strong need at big small forward and Miller's buzzkill game out of the way, maybe the 76ers could start progressing.

Another trade that won't happen is anything involving Chicago and Pau Gasol. The Bulls can't trade for Gasol unless they want to give up:
A) Luol Deng,
B) Kirk Hinrich or
C) Both Ben Gordon and Tyrus Thomas.
With the way Gasol is playing right now, they are better off with what they have.

CheChe23's NBA Power Rankings (Dec. 19, 2007)

Just another week in the NBA. Boston keeps winning, and the Spurs, Pistons, Suns and Mavericks are familiar faces in the top five. But following the NBA's fab five there is a drop off in team talent. Teams six through 10 do not have the fire power that the top five teams seem to possess. There is a clear tier of top teams (SAS, DET, PHX, DAL, BOS) and then a somewhat larger second tier of teams who will try to pull an upset in order to capture NBA glory (ORL, LAL, DEN, UTAH, TOR, HOU, NOR, GS). The tier of bottom feeding contenders (CLE, WASH, POR, ATL, IND, CHI) is where Cleveland, last year's Eastern Conference Champions, stands as of today. The playoff wishful thinkers of the NBA (NJ, LAC, SAC, MIA, PHI, MIL) need to put together a strong run to make a case to move up a tier. And the rest of the NBA (MEM, CHA, NY, SEA, MIN) is playing for next year already. Here are my rankings for mid-December, as always feel free to comment with where I've gone wrong.

BIGGEST RISE: Portland Trail Blazers from 18th to 13th.
BIGGEST FALL: Miami Heat from 20th to 25th.

(Editor's note: "LW" indicates each team's ranking from CheChe23's previous week. —RTW)

CheChe23's Power Rankings: December 19, 2007
TEAM	RK (LW)	W-L	COMMENT
	1 (1)	20-2	Boston is unbeaten at home and in December (nine straight wins). Besides the Boston Three Party, the Celtics have formed a formidable four to fill in off the bench. Rajon Rondo, Eddie House, James Posey and Kendrick Perkins have helped to keep Boston at the top of my power rankings.
	2 (3)	17-7	Who wants to bet that Primoz Brezec becomes effective when playing with a quality supporting cast? Well, I don't know what the odds would be for that bet, but I like what Brezec could do as a role player. I'm getting my popcorn ready for tonight's Pistons/Celtics showdown. If the Pistons win, we might be seeing a new No. 1 next Wednesday.
	3 (6)	18-7	Nash & Co. knocked off San Antonio on Monday night and move to third overall this week. If the Suns beat Dallas tonight, Toronto on Saturday and the Lakers next Tuesday -- I won't be able to move them high enough.
	4 (5)	17-9	The Mavericks have won five of their last six and are starting to look like the team that made it to the NBA Finals two years ago and the team that had the most wins in the NBA last year. In order to settle the debate over which team should be ranked higher, the Mavericks face the Suns tonight.
	5 (2)	18-6	In Tim Duncan's second game back after missing four with a sprained ankle he recorded season-highs in both points (36) and rebounds (17), but his effort wasn't enough to top Amare Stoudamire and the Phoenix Suns. The Spurs have dropped three of their last four games and move to their lowest ranking (No. 5) of the season. I assume a climb back to the top will only come with time.
	6 (4)	17-9	Orlando moved down again and could drop even more after this week with tough match-ups against Houston, Utah and Boston. Dwight Howard is still rebounding and shooting amazingly and is an MVP wanna-be. Freaky stat: Hedo Turkoglu (19.0) averages more points per game than Rashard Lewis (18.8).
	7 (11)	15-9	Phil Jackson's Lakers have won six of their last seven and find themselves back in the top 10. The Lakers were able to take advantage of the Spurs when they didn't have Tony Parker or Tim Duncan -- but a win over San Antonio is a win over San Antonio. Derek Fisher and Andrew Bynum have consistently played great, it's now time for Luke Walton and Jordan Farmar to start doing the same.
	8 (9)	14-10	The Nuggets move up again and again it is by default. Utah and New Orleans didn't have a great week while the Warriors, Raptors and Rockets are still a tier below Denver (within the tier listed in my intro). Role players Linas Kleiza, Kenyon Martin and J.R. Smith all average more than 10 points per game. Anthony Carter has found a nice role as back-up to A.I. -- he's scored 8.7 points per game and added 5.0 assists per game since see his first action on November 23.
	9 (10)	14-11	Baron Davis came through on his promise Friday when he said that Golden State would end its nine game losing streak to Los Angeles. Davis put on his usual late-game cape and knocked down a game deciding 3-pointer with 16.8 seconds to play dropping the Lakers and at the same time vaulting himself into MVP discussions. Davis has had a great season, a typical Davis-like season, which is good and bad. B-Diddy can be the NBA's most valuable player if he plays every game this season. But injury-prone, Davis hasn't played all 82 since his days in Charlotte. What else is new for Golden State? The more you take, the more you make -- The Warriors are making the most three point field goals in the NBA (9.5) because they are attempting the most shots from deep (27.3).
	10 (8)	15-10	The Hornets have gone 4-4 in December. Quality wins over Phoenix and Dallas and quality losses over Detroit, Dallas and Denver. The next four games come against winable opponents: Seattle, Minnesota, Memphis and Charlotte.

OUTSIDE THE TOP 10:

11. Utah Jazz (14-12): Utah is 2-6 this month and has only beat Miami and Seattle (dropping two of the six to Portland). I said last week that Utah has a roster talented enough to keep them in the top 10 all season. But the Jazz are 11th this week and will only find their way back in when they start to play as a team again.
12. Toronto Raptors (15-11): Toronto takes shot selection very seriously, they are shooting the best percentage from three while attempting the NBA's 13th most overall.
13. Portland Trail Blazers (13-12): I couldn't put Portland into the top 10 like ESPN's Marc Stein did this week, but I'll agree it's easy to see that the Blazers are the hottest team in the NBA. Portland is again the biggest riser of the week and has won eight in a row including "show-me" wins versus Denver and New Orleans over the weekend.
14. Houston Rockets (12-12): The two headed monster of T-Mac and Yao have played as good as they can, but Houston needs a third head to help shoulder some of the load. Bonzi Wells, Shane Battier, Mike James or Rafer Alston are prime role players, but don't compare to what the best of the West are taking the floor with. So much for that Rudy Gay for Shane Battier trade.
15. Atlanta Hawks (12-12): Atlanta has been playing great and is staying in the Eastern Conference playoff race. The Hawks are now entering the phase where they need to win against "non-playoff" teams -- starting tonight against Miami.
16. Cleveland Cavaliers (11-14): Cleveland is 2-6 this month and has only beat Indiana and Milwaukee (dropping two of the six to New Jersey) -- sound familiar? See: Utah Jazz.
17. Washington Wizards (13-10): DeShawn Stevenson is making life without Arenas a little easier in Washington. Stevenson was flirting with the HOT list after making an average of 5.0 three point shots per game over his last three. If Washington keeps winning I won't be able to avoid moving them up any longer.
18. Indiana Pacers (13-12): Mike Dunleavy has taken over as the Pacers go-to guy. Dunleavy is scoring 19.5 in December and scored a career high 36 points Monday.
19. Chicago Bulls (8-14): Chicago is slowly progressing back to .500, but with a trip to Boston on the schedule for Friday and a flight to San Antonio next Wednesday -- adding victories will not come easy.
20. Sacramento Kings (10-14): The Kings are getting over the Kevin Martin injury by getting outstanding play from Francisco Garcia and John Salmons. Quickly becoming the scoring replacement, Salmons poured in a career high 31 points last night and has notched double figures in his last nine games.
21. Philadelphia 76ers (10-14): Don't look now, but since losing to Boston two Wednesday's ago, the 76ers have won five of their last six. The Sixers are one of five NBA teams (Suns, Warriors, Pacers and Raptors) that get double figures in scoring from six players.
22. Los Angeles Clippers (9-15): Elton Brand has declared he's coming back ASAP regardless of the Clippers playoff potential. Los Angeles continues to get career numbers from Chris Kaman, who is starting to cement himself as one of the top centers in the league.
23. New Jersey Nets (10-15): New Jersey has lost focus and has dropped six of their last seven.
24. Milwaukee Bucks (10-14): The most underrated Big Three in the NBA is Michael Redd, Mo Williams and Andrew Bogut. Yi Jianlian is making his case for Rookie of the Year by averaging 10.4 points per game, scoring double figures in his last four games.
25. Miami Heat (7-17): Rumor is that the Heat are still interested in landing Ron Artest and Mike Bibby from Sacramento -- I might have to have that be Friday's Rumor Mill post.
26. Memphis Grizzlies (7-17): Memphis has lost seven of their past eight games. Pau Gasol has missed the last three games with a jammed big toe, his return from injury doesn't matter because Memphis is a lottery team with or without Gasol in the line-up.
27. Charlotte Bobcats (8-14): "Be Like Mike" -- Good message...good luck!
28. New York Knicks (7-17): The Knicks have dropped six of their last seven and the "Fire Isiah!" chants are getting louder.
29. Seattle Sonics (7-18): This team might be the best of the lousiest, but I'm holding Seattle at 29th again this week.
30. Minnesota Timberwolves (3-20): The Timberwolves do the same thing every game. It's three quarters of "How are we in this game?" and one quarter of "Here we go again". The Wolves can't add to the win column with "good efforts" and "good tries", the Timberpuppies need to grow up and stop accepting pats on the back just for "working hard". NBA's first to 20 losses, the Wolves are a tier below the lowest tier.

HOT HOT HOT

1. Dwyane Wade - Wade is scoring 22.9 points per game but has recently started showing his ability to put the ball in the bucket. After having three straight 30+ scoring outbursts last week, Wade had 30 again Monday when he lead the Heat past Minnesota.
2. Anthony Johnson - Atlanta may have found a shoe that fits with Anthony Johnson. After averaging 4.0 points and 3.8 assists per game in November, Johnson has taken advantage of increased playing time and has increased his production this month to 7.8 points and 6.0 assists per game.
3. Zach Randolph - The Knicks might stink, but Randolph has delivered since arriving from Portland. Over the past five games, Randolph has scored 20 or more points and has averaged 12.8 rebounds during that stretch.

NOT NOT NOT

1. Kevin Garnett - Yea, even when KG is NOT, Boston can remain HOT. Garnett has not recorded double-digit rebounds in his past eight games, his season high assist output is seven, he hasn't had a block over his last three and has just four free throw attempts in his last four. The once daily double-double has opted to allow his team to do more as long as the result is the same.
2. Luke Walton - No one expected Luke to be anywhere near as good as his father, but his recent play needs a tie-dye. Walton's 7.7 points per game and 3.7 rebounds are down from 11.4 and 5.0 a year ago.
3. Al Harrington - The Warrior forward has the potential to average 20 points per game. Over the last six games, Harrington has scored single digits two times and has totaled seven assists. His 14.0 ppg is down from 17.0 last season.

NBA Rumor Mill (12/13/07)

There have been rumors surrounding Jason Kidd and where he could potentially end up. All things point to Kidd landing in Dallas. But how is this possible? Kidd has a contract that is huge ($19.7 million) so it is hard to match a trade that will fit both teams needs and salary.

First, the question we ask is: What do the Nets need?

After recently learning that Nenad Krstic admitted he came back too soon from surgery as well as getting little production from Jamaal Magloire, the Nets will need to get a decent big man in exchange for Kidd. The rebounder will need to mentor Josh Boone and replace a solid chunk of the Nets rebounding that they will lose from Kidd's 8.7 per game.

The Nets will also need a point guard who can take over right now. The guard needs to be willing to distribute the ball like Kidd has done and provide an additional scoring outlet for Vince Carter and Richard Jefferson. Darrell Armstrong and Marcus Williams are not strong enough to keep the Nets in the playoff hunt.

The Nets also lack a defender who can replace Carter if he's hurt and who can allow Jefferson to rest without worry. Ideally the Nets would like the land a lock up small forward who can be the third shooting guard to Antoine Wright or the third option at small forward behind Bostjan Nachbar.

Potential trade:
Dallas Gets: Jason Kidd
New Jersey Gets: Devin Harris, Erick Dampier, Trenton Hassell

Dallas has been reported to be the best or only suitor that fits all of the Nets needs. Dallas is getting great production from point guard Devin Harris, but could easily use Jason Terry (who they pay $8.89 mil and is coming off the bench) at that position. And with Kidd on board, Harris could be shipped out.

The Mavericks drafted big this year with Nick Fazekas and they have seen an upgrade in DeSangana Diop. So, in order to fit the big man need, Dallas could send veteran Erick Dampier to the Nets and move Diop into the starting line-up. Dampier's 6.4 rebounds per game along with Harris's 2.7 boards a game will make up for Kidd's 8.7.

The Mavericks could send known defender Trenton Hassell and his expensive contract to cover for Kidd's money. The Mavericks are already deep at SG/SF with Jerry Stackhouse, Eddie Jones, Devean George, Brandon Bass and Maurice Ager. Giving up Hassell will be an afterthought when Kidd is dropping dimes to Josh Howard or driving and dishing to Dirk for three.

The Nets would actually accept this trade because it gives them a good chance of winning now and also covers their concerns for the short future. Devin Harris, 5th overall pick in 2004, is only 24 years old. His scoring ability will easily make up for the loss of Kidd, Harris averages over 13 points per game which would likely go up in New Jersey. His assists per game numbers will probably never get to Kidd's, but not many players have Jason's vision, and dropping just over five per game already -- Harris will be able to find Kidd and Jefferson much the same as he's been finding Nowitzki and Howard.

Hassell has been unproductive as a Maverick, but in New Jersey he might be able to get into a position to rack up minutes and be a contributor. He's capable of scoring 10 a night, adding two steals and a few rebounds. As a Net, Hassell won't be as buried as he is on the Mavericks deep and talented bench.

Erick Dampier will become the Nets savior at center much like Mikki Moore was as a surprise break out last season. Dampier has veteran leadership to help up and comer Josh Boone as well as the paint presence to replace Magloire and Krstic.

New Jersey would get faster and younger in Devin Harris who would play alongside Marcus Williams for years to come. The Nets would replace the lack of a strong consistent big man by acquiring Dampier. With Hassell covering the dollars and cents as well as the teams best offensive option when Jefferson or Carter need a rest -- New Jersey shouldn't go anywhere but up with this trade.

The Mavericks would immediately jump to the level of the Spurs and Celtics after a trade for Kidd. Adding a triple-double machine to a team that had the best record in the NBA last season, Dallas will support a big three that is as good as any in the league. And Jason Terry would still be a sixth man.

CheChe23's NBA Power Rankings (Dec. 12, 2007)

I felt some heat for moving the Suns down last week, but after dropping games to Miami and Minnesota, Phoenix fell even further. Boston and San Antonio remain on top, led by early MVP favorites Kevin Garnett and Manu Ginobili. Other potential MVP candidates also find their teams in the top 10. MVP candidate Deron Williams is averaging 21.2 points and 8.9 assists while his teammate, Carlos Boozer is another candidate scoring 25.1 points and grabbing 11.4 rebounds a game for the Jazz. Allen Iverson is making his case for MVP in Denver scoring 25.3 and adding 7.5 assists while his teammate Carmelo Anthony is giving his best effort (24.7 ppg, 4.2 apg, 5.2 rpg) as well. Other top 10 teams supporting a candidate for MVP are Orlando (Dwight Howard), Phoenix (Steve Nash), New Orleans (Chris Paul) and Golden State (Baron Davis). As always, let me know which teams need to get more love and what teams should move down the list -- on top of it, comment with your MVP candidates.

BIGGEST RISE: Portland Trail Blazers from 25th to 17th.
BIGGEST FALL: Milwaukee Bucks from 21st to 27th.

(Editor's note: "LW" indicates each team's ranking from CheChe23's previous week. —RTW)

CheChe23's Power Rankings: December 12, 2007
TEAM	RK (LW)	W-L	COMMENT
	1 (1)	17-2	The Celtics are getting 59.1 points, 12.4 assists and 20.7 rebounds per game from the Big Three. Boston is still leading the NBA in point, rebound and field goal percentage differential. It's hard not to put Kevin Garnett as the front runner for MVP for everything he's done to the Timberwolves -- and the Celtics.
	2 (2)	17-4	I'm starting to get sick of hearing about the Spurs being so perfect; they are turning into the Patriots of the NBA -- it's only a matter of time before the Cowboys (Celtics) are ousted as the No. 1 team. San Antonio's Big Three is averaging 59.4 points, 14 assists and 17.4 rebounds per game. The Warriors were able to create more possessions (out-shot the Spurs by 19) and got beat the Spurs by 12 on Tuesday. Dictating the style of play is something that the Spurs do great, especially when Tim Duncan is the pace setter. The one game letdown was inevitable; Duncan should be back by Friday's game against Denver. Phoenix visits Monday.
	3 (6)	15-6	It is good to see Tayshaun Prince playing well again. After three straight games of poor shooting and low scoring, Prince got back on track with 19 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists last night against the Grizzlies. Prince and Chauncey Billups combined to go 18/18 from the free throw line and Detroit won the seventh of eight. Don't look too far ahead, but next Wednesday the Pistons visit Boston.
	4 (3)	16-6	The Magic had just two games this past week and they lost both. Orlando will need to get better production from Jameer Nelson at point if they want to remain a top three team. Even though Nelson is averaging a career best 6.1 assists per game this year, Orlando needs more like 8.1 from him. The Magic are fourth in the NBA in rebounds, thanks to Dwight Howard's league leading 15.2 per night.
	5 (7)	14-8	Dallas has won two in a row after losing back-to-back games in San Antonio and against Denver. The Mavericks have been coming up in whispers about possibly going after Jason Kidd -- that would make for a crazy threesome in Dirk, Josh Howard and Kidd. But the Big Three they are boasting right now (Dirk, Jo-Ho, Jason Terry) isn't all that bad averaging 60.7 points, 10.1 assists and 18.3 rebounds pre game. The Mavericks play their next five games against five playoff teams, how they do will over that stretch will determine which way they will move in my rankings.
	6 (4)	16-6	Phoenix must have been looking ahead when dropping back-to-back games to the Heat and Wolves because the Suns are looking at six straight games against playoff bound teams. Utah tonight, in New Orleans Saturday followed by San Antonio and Dallas in Texas, then Toronto at home before the Lakers in Los Angeles. The Nash/Amare/Marion Big Three is averaging 54.9 points, 15.2 assists and 22.8 rebounds per game.
	7 (5)	13-9	Maybe the Jazz got caught looking past Portland because they are preparing to out gun the Suns tonight in Phoenix (2nd and 4th in points per game). Utah has lost four in a row, but they have the talent to remain in the Top 10 for the entire season. Utah's Big Three of Boozer, Williams and AK47 average 56.6 points, 16 assists and 20.8 rebounds per game.
	8 (8)	14-7	Chris Paul is looking like an MVP with 21.0 points, nearly 10 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game. His Hornets are playing consistent and sit eighth overall for the third week in a row. I can't move them up or down, but a developing Big Three of Paul, Tyson Chandler and David West is forming and they average 50.7 points, 12.8 assists and 24.0 rebounds per game.
	9 (10)	13-8	Denver has a date with New Orleans tonight and the Spurs on Saturday which will help shape up the rankings. Allen Iverson is hoping to give the Spurs a better showing than the one he gave them in the playoffs last season. The Nuggets won game one and stole home court advantage from the Spurs before losing the next four in a row and eventually the NBA title. Either Iverson or Carmelo Anthony have been the leading scorers and Camby has been the leading rebounder in every game for the Nuggets this season. The Nugget Big Three is averaging 58.8 points, 14.9 assists and 23.0 rebounds per game.
	10 (11)	12-9	Golden State cracks the top 10 for the first time this year after beating the Spurs. Before Tuesday night's game even started I had the Warriors penciled in ahead of the Lakers and Raptors in my rankings. And after the result last night, the "Starting Eight" of Davis, Ellis, Biedrins, Harrington, Jackson, Pietrus, Barnes and Azubuike are showing they deserve a spot in the top 10.

OUTSIDE THE TOP 10:

11. Los Angeles Lakers (12-8): Three wins in a row for LA almost vaults them into the Top 10. Derek Fisher is playing the best basketball he's ever played as a Laker (this is his ninth year as a Laker, 12th in the NBA).
12. Toronto Raptors (12-10): The Raptors need to regain focus after watching T.J. Ford go down last night, they play the Mavericks tonight and have the Celtics coming to town on Sunday.
13. Houston Rockets (11-11): The Rockets play four straight against playoff teams, they need to show they belong if they want to flirt with the top 10 again. A .500-team won't cut it in the West.
14. Cleveland Cavaliers (10-12) : A LeBron-less Cavaliers team would probably rank near the bottom. The Cavaliers with everyone healthy is a top 10 team. A Cavaliers team after acquiring Jason Kidd from New Jersey could be as good as any.
15. Indiana Pacers (10-11): The Pacers have six players averaging in double figures and two others putting in nine a game -- the "Team" concept could be working for Indiana. Upcoming games against Miami and Chicago this week will be a potential playoff play-in before we know it.
16. Atlanta Hawks (10-11): Slow and steady wins the race to the playoffs in the East. Atlanta is starting to show they are legit winning four of six games so far this month. A game versus Detroit on Friday will be a good measuring stick to see where the Hawks belong.
17. Washington Wizards (11-10): Caron Butler is averaging 24.0 points per game in the month of December and should carry this team through the winter. With or without Arenas the Wizards will be hunting for a playoff spot -- Nick Young has been playing well when he's given the chance (7.6 ppg on 13 mins a game).
18. Portland Trail Blazers (9-12): The Blazers will have to bench LaMarcus Aldridge for at least the next week because of plantar fasciitis. Which is too bad because Aldridge has been playing up to his 2nd overall pick potential recently, he had scored 20 or more in six of his last eight games before missing last night's game. Aldridge has nearly doubled his points per game average from his rookie season and is grabbing nearly eight rebounds a game (up for just 5.0 a year ago). Martell Webster is a baller and the Blazers are on fire -- they are the biggest riser in the rankings this week.
19. Chicago Bulls (7-12): The Bulls should work on starting a win streak after beating Seattle last night. Chicago is in Indianapolis tonight and hosts the Knicks Friday which could help get the ball rolling.
20. Miami Heat (6-15): The Heat are glad to see that Dwyane Wade can still play like the old Wade. Wade had three straight games of 30 + this week and has double digit assists in three of his last five (one game he had 9 assists, but 10 rebounds) -- could have easily been a pick for HOT HOT HOT.
21. New Jersey Nets (9-13): The Big Three in New Jersey averages 56.9 points, 17.3 assists and 18.5 rebounds per game -- the problem is the rest of the team (10 players) averages just 33.6 points, 5.0 assists and 21.9 rebounds.
22. Los Angeles Clippers (8-12): Chris Kaman continues to rebound like a madman and before Corey Maggette scored 13 points last night he had scored 18 or more in seven games since returning from injury. Tim Thomas is taking over as the second best offensive option having scored in double figures in all but four games this season. Thomas averages 13.7 points per game this season, his most since 2003-04.
23. Sacramento Kings (8-12): At this point it's about survival for the Kings having Mike Bibby and now Kevin Martin on the bench with injuries.
24. Philadelphia 76ers (8-13): Philadelphia went 2-0 against New York and then beat Houston to start a three game win streak which should continue through Minnesota tonight. A match-up against the Kings on Friday will sure-up the rankings.
25. Memphis Grizzlies (6-15): The Grizzlies have dropped six of their last seven only beating Minnesota.
26. Charlotte Bobcats (6-10): Charlotte snuck by the LeBron-less Cavaliers Saturday, but the Bobcats have lost eight of their last nine.
27. Milwaukee Bucks (8-8): Also equally as pathetic as the Bobcats, the Bucks have lost eight of their last nine.
28. New York Knicks (6-14): Fill in the blank -- because I don't know what to say.
29. Seattle Sonics (5-17): Damien Wilkins is having the best season of his career: 13.1 points, 2.4 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game.
30. Minnesota Timberwolves (2-14): With Randy Foye likely out until late January if not later, the Wolves will have to rely on Marko Jaric and Sebastian Telfair. And that's why they're last.

HOT HOT HOT

1. Deron Williams - Much of the credit for the Jazz being an NBA title contender should be given to Deron Williams. Let me take a minute to let you know that I was first introduced to Williams prior to his career at Illinois when my older brother fell in love with his swagger, his deadly shot and his ability to find the open man as a High School senior. D-Will has done a whole lot more than I had ever expected since then and his career has just begun.
2. Manu Ginobili - The Spurs leading scorer is playing beyond Sixth Man of the Year caliber and is eyeing the MVP. Career numbers in almost all statistical categories, Manu has put up 37 points in two straight and 30 plus in three of his last four. This all while starting just one game this season.
3. Craig Smith - The Rhino broke out last night scoring nearly 40 points (36), but he's been heating up before his big game. He averaged 8.5 ppg in November and has improved to 13.5 ppg in December. Smith has scored in double figures in seven of his last eight while shooting over 60% from the floor in each game. Not to mention his shooting touch (58.8 FG%), beastly defensive presence (272 lbs) and rebounding skills (4.6 rpg).

NOT NOT NOT

1. Boris Diaw - In 2005-06, Diaw averaged 13.0 points per game, nearly 7 rebounds and 6.2 assists. This season, Diaw's minutes are down and so is his production (7.1 ppg, 3.4 apg, 4.1 rpg). Grant Hill hasn't let up since signing with the Suns and it has hurt Diaw, who is struggling to figure out where to fit in and how to stay productive.
2. Eddy Curry - Curry has been disappointing lately only averaging 8.0 points and 3.3 rebounds per game over the last three. His rebound average is as low as it has ever been as a Knick.
3. Walter Herrmann - After an April scoring nearly 20 points per game, expectations were high coming into the season for second year forward Walter Herrmann. Herrmann's minutes have been limited and his season scoring high is 16 (he's averaging just 4.2 ppg). The Bobcats will need more from their bench if they expect to turn things around in Charlotte.

CheChe23's NBA Power Rankings (Dec. 5, 2007)

The Western Conference is beginning to shape up like how I see it ending up in late April. The top nine teams will battle the rest of the season for eight playoff spots, while the other six teams are playing for their spot in the lottery. The Eastern Conference isn't shaping up like I thought it would, but it doesn't appear that the standings will finish the way they are right now. Indiana is playing better than anyone had expected, and if the playoffs started today they'd be the seventh seed. It's up for grabs after that -- heck, the Knicks are thick in a playoff hunt (wow, that sounds funny). At the end of the day, the elite teams rest in the West, but the East is starting to show they aren't far behind. Each week I'm ranking all 30 teams regardless of conference, and this week the West out-numbers the East, six to four in my top 10.

BIGGEST RISE: Indiana Pacers from 25th to 16th.
BIGGEST FALL: Charlotte Bobcats from 17th to 24th.

(Editor's note: "LW" indicates each team's ranking from CheChe23's previous week. —RTW)

CheChe23's Power Rankings: December 5, 2007
TEAM	RK (LW)	W-L	COMMENT
	1 (2)	14-2	Boston is back on top. The Celtics are showing they are for real and it doesn't appear they'll be slowing down anytime soon. Through Tuesday, Boston leads the NBA in total defense (holding teams to 87.4 poins per game), total point differential (+13.5), rebound differential (+4.8), steal differential (+3.0), field goal percentage differential (+7.2%) and are second to Utah in assist differential (+6.9, Utah +7.1). Maybe the teams that Boston has played aren't that good or maybe they are making them look that way -- I choose the latter.
	2 (1)	15-3	I moved the Spurs down after personally witnessing them toy with the Timberwolves for three and a half quarters before destroying them with a 32-11 fourth quarter beat down. Duncan's injury doesn't mean much, but because I didn't see anyone besides the big three do much during the game, I had to pick Boston.
	3 (4)	16-4	Orlando is Marc Stein's sexy No. 1 this week, but I could only boost them to No. 3. The starting five is averaging double figures and Dwight Howard is showing he's a frontrunner for MVP -- and he's only 21 (OK, 22 on Dec. 8). Howard is second in the NBA in field goal percentage and first in rebounding. The Magic have avoided the radar, but I think Stein's No. 1 ranking might have changed things.
	4 (3)	14-4	Phoenix is on a three game win streak which includes a win over Orlando, and they beat Orlando previously already, yet they move down to fourth and the Magic move up? What's that about!? Well, the Suns may have the Magic's number, but the Magic have been playing better basketball. Without the three point threat that Phoenix has exploited over the last few years with players like Tim Thomas, Quentin Richardson, James Jones, Eddie House or Joe Johnson -- the Suns are relying more this season on their interior production. Last season the Suns averaged a league best 9.6 makes (out of 24.0 attempts) from three and are shooting 8.7/23.2 this season. They led the league in FGs made in '06-'07, and are doing the same this year. But with fewer shots counting for three points, the Suns might not be able to outgun like they used to.
	5 (5)	13-6	Utah is pass-happy and converts more assists than any team (27.2 -- 9.1 from DWill alone), but they need to be more conscious of their turnovers (15.8). The Jazz take their four game win streak into Texas for games against San Antonio Friday and Dallas Saturday. How they play in that back to back will make or break whether or not they remain a top five team.
	6 (9)	12-5	The Pistons are winners of four in a row and have already tallied three wins in December. Detroit is playing great defense again this season, giving up 92.7 points per game, third best in the NBA behind Boston and San Antonio. The Pistons are sharing the responsibilities this year better than ever.
	7 (6)	12-6	The Mavs are getting surprise production from Brandon Bass. The former prep star has been productive every night this season after playing two dismal seasons for the Hornets. Bass is playing more than 21 minutes per game and averaging 10.2 points and 4.7 rebounds. Dallas has the potential to go either way in the rankings over the next seven games -- six of their opponents are in my top 13 including San Antonio tonight, Denver tomorrow and Utah on Saturday.
	8 (8)	12-6	New Orleans stays at the eighth spot for the third straight week. New Orleans is ranked one spot behind Dallas despite beating them on Saturday, the reason is because both teams are a little overrated and Dallas has played a tougher schedule through the first month of the season. The Hornets are getting a little closer to gatting what they had hoped for when they acquired Peja Stojakovic -- He's averaging a career best from behind the arc (45.8%). His days of averaging 20 points per game are over, but Stojakovic's veteran experience is what the Hornets need more.
	9 (10)	11-7	Kenyon Martin looked great Sunday scoring 20 and grabbing eight rebounds in a win over Miami. Martin, who has started almost every game this season, could be a key factor in the success of the Nuggets. If Martin is able to up his averages and match Camby on the defensive end, Denver could creep up the rankings.
	10 (7)	9-10	LeBron can't be sitting for too many more games because without him the Cavs arn't very good. I do like that Daniel Gibson is doing his best B.J. Armstrong impression and Zydrunas Ilgauskas is playing some of the best ball of his career. But come on, no one takes this team seriously without LeBron in the line-up.

OUTSIDE THE TOP 10:

11. Golden State Warriors (9-8): Losing to Orlando in OT on Monday is a good sign -- the Warriors are sailing in the right direction with Captain Jack steering the ship. Before losing to the Magic (No. 3), the Warriors rattled off nine out of ten, only losing to Boston (No. 1).
12. Houston Rockets (9-9): The Rockets play three out of their next four on the road and need to come away with three of four wins. With Steve Francis sidelined, look for Rafer Alston to start outshining Mike James at point guard. Crazy stat: Mutombo has one block this season.
13. Toronto Raptors (10-8): Even with Ford, Bosh and Bargnani on the bench, Toronto was able to use their deep and talented bench to put the Bobcats away by nearly 20 points. The Raptors 15 man roster is so deep that David Stern could send half the team to Vancouver to try again. I wonder what practice is like, those scrimmages must be heated competition.
14. Los Angeles Lakers (10-8): Jordan Farmar is better than you think he is and does more than you think he would. It's too bad the Lakers can't say the same about Vlad Radmanovic or Sasha Vujacic.
15. Indiana Pacers (9-10): A close loss to Phoenix last night will give the Pacers confidence going into a big test against Orlando this Friday. But starting Friday, eight games in 11 days might bring this team back to earth.
16. New Jersey Nets (9-9): A win over a LeBron-less Cavs is a gimmie, but the Nets are still a win-one lose-one team.
17. Atlanta Hawks (7-10): You might underestimate the desire to win from this bunch, but the playoffs are expected.
18. Washington Wizards (8-9): Games against Cleveland tonight and Phoenix on Friday might reveal weaknesses. Caron Butler is playing out of his mind and taking full advantage of the void left from Gilbert Arenas's 17 shots per game. 23 points a night is the best of Butler's career and it doesn't appear he's reached his cap.
19. Chicago Bulls (4-11): The Bulls started slow again this season (3-10) which brings their record to 26-93 in November since '98 when the Jordan era ended. It's only up from here right? Not quite. Back to back games against Detroit and Boston this weekend probably won't help to start a win streak.
20. Memphis Grizzlies (6-11): Last week I said that Kyle Lowry would pick up his pace with Mike Conley sidelined, but it was Juan Carlos Navarro who stepped up instead. Navarro has put up six games of 14 points or better and is averaging 11.0 points per game, second for rookies behind Durant.
21. Milwaukee Bucks (8-8): Before overcoming the Clippers last night, the Bucks lost three straight against three mediocre teams which isn't going to move them up in the rankings.
22. Miami Heat (4-13): Believe it or not, Daequan Cook is averaging 10 points and has played a big role off the bench in the past four games. Cook is stealing Dorell Wright's minutes, because Wright has missed nine out of the last 10 games from a wrist injury.
23. Charlotte Bobcats (6-10): Just like Miami is using Daequan Cook, the Bobcats are using their late first round rookie Jared Dudley to take minutes from injured or under producing players. Dudley's produced double figures in three of the last five games, including 10 rebounds Monday night. Primoz Brezec has been a huge bum this season averaging less than 2 points and 2.1 rebounds per game, a far cry from when he averaged 13 points and 7.4 rebounds during his first season with the Bobcats in '04-'05 -- maybe if Brezec had been more productive Charlotte wouldn't have had to sign Anderson Varejao.
24. New York Knicks (5-11): Back to back games against Philadelphia this weekend means someone is adding to their win total.
25. Portland Trail Blazers (6-12): A win over Memphis on Monday showed just how good Brandon Roy is, his 26 points gave him his eighth 20-point game of the season and his 15th game in double figures.
26. Sacramento Kings (7-10): The Kings don't play defense, allowing the fourth most points per game in the NBA (103.8).
27. Los Angeles Clippers (6-10): I almost put Cuttino Mobley as one of my NOT's for the week, but another Clipper was just as NOT. Mobley needs to step up his game before people start calling for him to retire. His last six games he's 17/60 (28.3%) from the floor.
28. Philadelphia 76ers (5-12): Andre Iguodala is averaging the third most turnovers per game this season (4.0), 0.1 away from the league leader.
29. Seattle Sonics (3-15): Chris Wilcox is picking up the slack on offense reaching double figures in 10 straight and averaging 15.3 points per game to go along with 7.4 rebounds.
30. Minnesota Timberwolves (2-14): As a Minnesota native, I'm loving the idea of Michael Beasley in a Wolves uniform.

HOT HOT HOT

1. Dwight Howard - Over the past week DH recorded two games with 23 rebounds and he's shooting 61.1% from the floor.
2. Andris Biedrins - Dwight Howard second to Biedrins in FG percentage and Andris is averaging a double double per game (11.2 points, 10.4 rebounds).
3. Jamaal Tinsley - Tinsley has been the Pacers floor leader, scoring (14.3 ppg), finding the open man and producing. His up-tempo style and his basketball I.Q. lead to the best assist per game average in his career (8.4).

NOT NOT NOT

1. Pau Gasol - Gasol is averaging career lows in points, rebounds, assists, field goal percentage and blocks.
2. Brevin Knight - Just two years ago Knight was averaging nearly nine assists per game, but this season he is averaging just 4.2. The Clippers might be without Sam Cassell for a while, so it's time to see better numbers from an NBA vet -- 8 assists, 9 points last night is what we expect to see consistently.
3. Kirk Hinrich - Hinrich's points are down from 16.6 points per game last season to 10.7 -- Monday's 18 points is more like what he should be dropping every game.