Eastern Conference power rankings: Bulls charging hard
By CHRIS GOFF
ISL Assistant Editor
1. Indiana Pacers (9-1): Leading the NBA in defense and scoring differential, the schedule will get tougher. Half their games so far have been against the Central Division and eight have come against the weaker East.
2. Chicago Bulls (6-3): Tom Thibodeau’s tough-minded bunch sent a message by blowing the Pacers out of the United Center with standout play on both ends of the floor.
3. Miami Heat (7-3): The Heat and Hawks are the only teams from the East ranked in the NBA’s top 10 in points per possession. Miami’s offense is far and away the class of the conference.
4. Atlanta Hawks (6-4): The Western Conference has 10 teams at .500 or better. The East? Four. Some trends never change.
5. Philadelphia 76ers (5-7): Things are so wide-open in the East that general manager Sam Hinkie might have to trade Thaddeus Young just to make sure tanking Philadelphia doesn’t inadvertently stay in the playoff hunt.
6. Orlando Magic (4-6): That Dwight Howard trade flopped in many ways for other participants. The Lakers got a one-year rental of an injured chemistry problem. Philadelphia got literally nothing from Andrew Bynum. Denver lost Andre Iguodala after one season to free agency. Your clear-cut winner: the team whose hand was forced.
7. New York Knicks (3-6): The injury to Tyson Chandler is the biggest of the NBA season so far. Just a devastating loss. On the bright side, J.R. Smith is back in the lineup. Mike Woodson will figure it out. He always does.
8. Charlotte Bobcats (5-6): For now, the Bobcats are playing defense, but their offense is still brutal. On the much brighter side, the beautiful Queen City is enjoying 70-degree weather.
9. Cleveland Cavaliers (4-7): All things considered, Mike Brown is a good coach, but you have to wonder about the apparent lack of harmony in the locker room. Then again, maybe Byron Scott really was that lax.
10. Detroit Pistons (3-6): Defense, not offense, has surprisingly been the problem, and the rebounding has to get better. Joe Dumars is a candidate to make a trade, but what can he do, other than move Greg Monroe?
11. Toronto Raptors (4-7): It doesn’t seem like Rudy Gay and DeMar DeRozan can coexist in the same lineup, and the sooner the Raptors concede it, the better. Toronto’s true shooting percentage is in the league’s bottom five.
12. Brooklyn Nets (3-7): Injuries and a lack of timing play a big factor in this slow start, but how much ground are the Nets going to have to make up once they really get going?
13. Boston Celtics (4-7): Trading Rajon Rondo is probably the best move for both parties. There’s no sense in wasting a few years of a player’s prime when he’s already 27.
14. Washington Wizards (2-7): Imagine a big man like Julius Randle from Kentucky added to a core of John Wall, Bradley Beal and Otto Porter. Alas, the Wizards are neither bad enough to sink to the bottom nor strong enough to contend.
15. Milwaukee Bucks (2-7): About the only injury not to hit is coach Larry Drew spraining his hand drawing up a play with his Sharpie during a timeout. That’s probably next.
