ESPN: Power Rankings Rox fall to 14th

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/powerranking


1 (1) Lakers 14-3 As loud as you can make a statement in November, Lakers just blared one with handy wins over Spurs and Pacers. They're starting to roll, people.
2 (2) Pacers 14-3 Can't come down on them too hard for losing in L.A. Rest of West Coast trip (Phoenix, Portland, Seattle and Sacramento) will determine how tough they are.
3 (6) Kings 12-4 Since blowing that big lead in Portland, Kings are 7-0 with 18-point average margin of victory. Without Webber. Impressive even with a cushy, home-heavy schedule.
4 (3) Mavericks 11-6 Unsavory as it is to even suggest, Fortson foul was a rare bit of nasty from Mavs, something critics always say they need. More critical: Mavs need to start playing like the road juggernaut they've been in recent seasons; 2-6 is shocking from them.
5 (7) Pistons 12-6 With Chauncey getting all the pub, Rip heats up and goes for 44, then 25. Easiest thing to say is they make a good backcourt tandem.
6 (4) Spurs 9-8 Sorry. Even without Admiral Dave -- and even accounting for the ankle injuries suffered by Duncan and Parker -- Spurs shouldn't be 2-6 on the road. Just like we said about Mavs.
7 (5) Hornets 11-6 Why do the Hornets always do this? As soon as they start looking good ... they lose to the Heat and Knicks and almost lose to Cavs.
8 (15) Jazz 9-6 We've been looking for a legit No. 10 team. Not picking Jerry Sloan's kids to stay up here, but Utah legitimately cracks top 10 for now with wins over several No. 10 wannabes: Minnesota (twice), Houston, Portland, Phoenix and Seattle.
9 (16) Nuggets 10-6 Even with Carmelo shooting just 38 percent, and even with Andre shooting more than he's passing, Nuggets have home wins over Spurs, Kings and Mavs. Even if it's just a hot start, that puts them alongside Utah atop the November Surprise standings.
10 (8) Timberwolves 9-8 As with Spurs, injuries have undoubtedly been a factor. Like Spurs, Wolves still should be better than 9-8 with whoever's healthy. They won't be up here much longer if it continues.
11 (17) Warriors 8-7 Four-game win streak gives Warriors winning record to bring into December for first time since 1994-95. That season, incidentally, started Warriors' nine-year playoff drought, the league's longest.
12 (10) Trail Blazers 8-7 Bonzi Wells was stripped of his co-captaincy ... and replaced by Damon Stoudamire. Nah, Blazers don't miss Pippen and Sabonis.
13 (18) 76ers 9-9 All in all, AI has to be happy with things, in spite of a 12-point game in Indy and a $10,000 fine for his one-finger salute in Milwaukee. A win over Larry Brown and a 50-point game vs. Atlanta more than evened things out.
14 (9) Rockets 9-7 Defensive numbers still look good for these Van Gundys, at No. 3 in points allowed (84.3) and No. 1 in opponent FG shooting (.386). Fact remains, though, that Houston has just two wins over teams with winning records.
15 (20) Bucks 8-8 .500 records in the East are so scarce that you have to laud Bucks for winning half their games in Month 1. Only five East teams did.
16 (11) Suns 7-8 They weren't ready for the big jump, apparently. After losing to Denver by 30, then beating Mavs by 31, only thing that's clear is that Frank Johnson is still under fire.
17 (12) Grizzlies 7-8 Comeback in Cleveland, with assist from Cavs, showed some grit. The rest of their week -- big loss in Sacto, home loss to struggling Minny -- showed that our hesitation about last week's promotion was justified.
18 (13) Nets 7-9 Sad news of 'Zo's retirement means Kidd just lost one of the main reasons he stayed in Jersey. Staying in the easier East was another reason, but Nets, at best, rank fourth in East after a month ... and won't climb with effort they're giving.
19 (14) SuperSonics 8-6 Flip Fever hit a lull this week when the Sonics suffered heavy losses to Nets and Jazz and rumblings started bubbling about ball movement. Murray came off the bench for first time all season in Saturday's win over Houston.
20 (24) Knicks 7-10 Could this little 4-1 run be a sign/warning to delay Dice's comeback a little longer? After three knee surgeries in two years, that certainly wouldn't hurt, even if Dice looks as good in practice as everyone says.
21 (21) Raptors 8-8 Rose better bloom quickly in his new city. Raps gave up a huge fan favorite to finally make the deal happen, and departures of Antonio and JYD (the fans' guy) put more immediate pressure on Bosh.
22 (19) Celtics 7-9 Pierce called them soft and two folds against Knicks make it tough to argue. Weird thing is, Celts are 2-0 against West teams (Grizz and Kings).
23 (27) Heat 5-12 Maybe the East's Van Gundys aren't as bad as their record looks. Miami is a .500 team when it gets to play in the East.
24 (26) Bulls 4-12 Skiles is fifth coach in two-plus seasons for Curry and Chandler. Let's hope fifth is the charm, because Chicago now has vets (Antonio and JYD) to play in the Baby Bulls' places.
25 (22) Wizards 6-10 So moved by Wiz comeback attempt in Seattle, Coach Jordan is said to have been near tears. Touching story, but it'll be full-blown bawling if he has to go for a long stretch without Arenas and Stack.
26 (23) Clippers 4-8 Loved the throwback unis, with a capital L. The big question now: How long before Q heats up again? His shot's been off since that twisted ankle.
27 (25) Hawks 6-12 'Reef is averaging close to 20 and 10 and shooting 51 percent from the field. And getting no closer to that long-awaited first playoff berth.
28 (28) Cavaliers 4-13 Amazing as it is to see LeBron at No. 2 in the league in minutes already -- so much for bringing the kid along slowly -- it's tough to focus on any other stat beyond those 31 straight road losses.
29 (29) Magic 1-15 Look on most Magic faces suggest they don't believe a win is coming. Grant Hill, meanwhile, says he wants to come back in February, whether it helps or not.