2018-2019 Power Rankings

Wow, just skipping right past 2018-2019, huh?

 

Team + ref power ranking.

 

Mavs: 27

 

Pretty powerful rankings

 

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/...have-warriors-at-no-1-celtics-not-far-behind/

1. Golden State
2. Boston
3. Houston

Where do the Rockets go from here? They came so close to beating the Warriors in the Western Conference finals and they might have pulled it off if Chris Paul hadn't gotten hurt. They need to re-sign him at all costs. Daryl Morey has improved his team the last two summers. Can he do it again this offseason?
​

4. Philadelphia
5. Utah
6. Toronto
7. New Orleans
8. San Antonio
9. Minnesota
10. Oklahoma City

 

Interesting they do not have the Cavs on there - I guess they are assuming LeBron leaves but to where? If he is on Philly next season then I can see this ridiculously early power ranking to be decent, but if he isn't on Philly next season then I would put the Celtics above the Sixers right now with Kyrie and Hayward joining that team next season.


but seriously they are doing power rankings for next season a day after the NBA Finals end? There is so much fluidity right now in terms of team rosters this is just silly. They are really needing content I guess now.

 

Week One and we're Number Three. media conspiracy

https://www.nba.com/powerrankings/2018-19-week-1

3

Last week:
3
Houston Rockets
2017-18 record: 65-17
Pace: 98.1 (14) OffRtg: 114.0 (1) DefRtg: 105.6 (7) NetRtg:+8.4 (1)

Including postseason, Carmelo Anthony has started all 1,126 games of his career, a streak that will come to an end when he comes off the bench against the Pelicans on Wednesday. Of course, coach Mike D'Antoni has been subbing just four minutes into each half, staggering the minutes of James Harden and Chris Paul again, mixing his lineups quite a bit, and giving Anthony the chance play alongside the stars. Harden, Paul and Anthony combined to shoot 49-for-108 (45.4 percent) from 3-point range in the preseason, so they seem ready to get the real games started.

One Team, One Stat: Iso-fest in Houston

Week 1: vs. NOP, @ LAL, @ LAC
​

 

Espn has us at 4...

Obv GS deserves to be 1, and I can’t argue that the Celtics don’t deserve to be up there, considering they didn’t have GH the entire season and Kyrie for much of the playoffs. Same with Toronto. They were number one in east last season and have “upgraded” from DeRosen to Kawhi.

It’s clear these are the top 4 teams going into the season. I think we deserve to be 2, but meh it’s preseason power rankings.

 

early returns. Sports Illustrated:

https://www.si.com/nba/2018/10/22/n...-lakers-rockets-warriors-celtics-opening-week

12. Rockets | Record: 1-2 | Preseason: 5

This is not Carmelo Anthony’s fault. As of now.

Getting trounced by New Orleans at home is not how you can start the season when the last time we saw you in a meaningful game you missed 27 consecutive threes. And to follow up the win over the Lakers with a loss to the Clippers is just not a good look.

As much as the Rockets want to be on Golden State’s level, they are not. And unlike the Warriors, Houston’s season did, in fact, start in October and we will not wait until May to care about what’s happening there.

Carmelo agreeing to come off the bench shows this team has faith in what Mike D’Antoni is trying to do. However, getting smacked left and right by the Pelicans shows this team might not have the raw talent it did last season.

At a certain point, we need to focus more on the facts Chris Paul is 33 and coming off an injury and James Harden still doesn’t care about defense. There’s only so much P.J. Tucker and Clint Capela can do for the defense after losing Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute.

This team is going to right the ship and rip off at least one 10-game winning streak this season. Houston fans will get a chance to convince themselves they can take down the Warriors as long as Melo can hit just one three Ariza couldn’t. It will get better from this week.

However, after watching what New Orleans did to them, just how much better do you think they will get?​

 

ESPN

. . . so we got THIS going for us, which is nice

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/25009643/nba-power-rankings-lakers-raptors-pelicans-moving-week-1

5. Houston Rockets
2018-19 record: 1-2

PREV. RANK LAST WEEK THIS WEEK
4 1-2 UTAH, LAC
Houston is 15-12 without Chris Paul (including the two losses in the Western Conference finals) since trading for the point guard, who will have to sit out Wednesday's game against the Jazz due to a suspension stemming from his fight with Rajon Rondo. Speaking of future Hall of Famers who have decided to come to Houston, it hasn't been a smooth transition to a reserve role for Carmelo Anthony (8.3 PPG, 37.5 effective field goal percentage). -- MacMahon​

 

After their pathetic performance against the Pelicans and Clippers, they don’t deserve to be ranked highly at this point. They need to man up and D up if they want to win.

 

wow, the media cutting the Rockets WAY more slack than the average clutchfan. Media Conspiracy.

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/...-james-era-with-spitting-punching-and-losing/

3

Rockets An uninspiring start to the Rockets' season after an uninspiring offseason. After getting smashed in their home opener by the Pelicans, the Rockets then brawled their way through Los Angeles, losing Chris Paul to a two-game suspension in their win over the Lakers, then losing to the Clippers. (How could CP3 have not gotten more than two games, by the way?) Early returns from Carmelo Anthony are uninspiring, too: He has yet to break into double-figures scoring in the first three games, and his minus-18 in Sunday's loss to the Clippers was the worst on his team, and telling. Still, the Rockets nearly upset the Warriors last season. They deserve a bit of leeway. 1 1-2​

 

this is more like it

https://www.nba.com/article/2018/10/19/power-rankings-week-2

11

Last week:
3
Houston Rockets
Record: 1-2
Pace: 105.0 (7) OffRtg: 110.8 (12) DefRtg: 114.2 (24) NetRtg:-3.4 (21)

Time will tell if the Rockets' Week 1 was a sign that they're not as good or just some growing pains for a retooled contender, with Saturday's melee at Staples Center being the only thing worth remembering. But the defense was pretty terrible (124 points allowed per 100 possessions) with Carmelo Anthony and James Harden both in the game and Michael Carter-Williams (5-for-16 shooting) has destroyed the offense when he's been on the floor. With just two games in the next eight days, they should have a couple of practices to figure some things out, but they'll be without Chris Paul for a big game against the Jazz on Wednesday.

Week 2: vs. UTA, vs. LAC
​

 

I suspect today is going to be brutal . . . so let me just say it now. media conspiracy.

 

they are too shortsighted
rockets are the best team in the nba... they are just coasting ...much like last years worriers only better

 

Shooting for the 8th seed. Knock gsw out early.

 

#12 on ESPN

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/25085244/nba-power-rankings-raptors-bucks-more-surprise-teams

12. Houston Rockets
2018-19 record: 1-4

Carmelo Anthony, but when Mike D'Antoni says Houston doesn't have the personnel to stick with its switch-everything scheme, it's a safe bet that Melo is the first name on his mind. According to NBA Advanced Stats, Anthony gave up 32 points as the primary defender during the defensive debacle against the Clippers that convinced D'Antoni that he needed to figure out a new defensive scheme five games into the season. -- MacMahon​

 

Any PR that has Houston in the top 20 is a joke! All these rankings are a joke! Sad! Sixth? Are you serious?! Last year's team is not walking through that door!

http://www.nba.com/powerrankings

17. Houston Rockets
Record: 1-4
Pace: 103.2 (12) OffRtg: 107.0 (19) DefRtg: 114.7 (27) NetRtg: -7.7 (26)

Not that a healthy James Ennis is the answer to the Rockets' problems, but Ennis' hamstring injury has exposed how thin (in the context of Houston as a title contender) this roster is at the forward positions. Michael Carter-Williams' tenure as a replacement starter lasted just a game and a half before Carmelo Anthony took over. With the Rockets having been outscored by 24 points per 100 possessions in 48 minutes with Anthony and Carter-Williams on the floor together, it's probably not a coincidence that they've reportedly made another offer for Jimmy Butler. After their second loss to the Clippers (one without Chris Paul, one without James Harden), the Rockets have already trailed by 20 or more points for more time this season (21 minutes and 41 seconds) than they did all of last season (a league-low 12 minutes and 51 seconds).

Week 3: vs. POR, @ BKN, @ CHI

http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/25085244/nba-power-rankings-raptors-bucks-more-surprise-teams

12. Houston Rockets | 2018-19 record: 1-4

The Rockets' defensive problems run much deeper than Carmelo Anthony, but when Mike D'Antoni says Houston doesn't have the personnel to stick with its switch-everything scheme, it's a safe bet that Melo is the first name on his mind. According to NBA Advanced Stats, Anthony gave up 32 points as the primary defender during the defensive debacle against the Clippers that convinced D'Antoni that he needed to figure out a new defensive scheme five games into the season. -- MacMahon

https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/...-out-eastern-conference-has-new-frontrunners/

6. Houston Rockets

To be "going back to the drawing board" on defense, as Chris Paul said after the Rockets' blowout loss to the Clippers Friday, is not a great position to be in five games into a season where the Rockets were expected to provide the biggest challenge to the Golden State Warriors. But the Rockets' switch-everything defense, its most underrated strength last season, has been atrocious. The Rockets rank 25th in the NBA in defensive rating after finishing last season ranked seventh. Injuries and Chris Paul's suspension have hurt, but early returns on the Rockets are not encouraging.

https://www.si.com/nba/2018/10/29/n...aliers-raptors-lakers-tyronn-lue-lebron-james

18. Rockets | Record Last Week: 0-2 | Overall Record: 1-4 | Previous Ranking: 12

It would be really easy and really lame of me to make a joke about Houston having a problem right now. Instead, I will simply make note of the fact that there are issues to address. Another week of blowout losses and Mike D’Antoni is going to need to do something major with his lineups. There’s only so long into the season until the Rockets are going to need to show if they are good or not, and considering how the last season ended, it needs to be sooner rather than later.