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There have been very few constants thus far in the NBA season. Only LA/Phoenix... maybe Boston? Promises to be a great match-up tomorrow between the Lakers and Suns (hopefully Andrew Bynum laces up the big boots)...
With Malice Power Rankings...
1. LA Lakers - No Gasol, no Bynum (Bynum due back very soon)... yet Kobe/LA go on a tear winning 5 in a row (longest current streak in the NBA). Go figure. And while you're figuring, get me a coffee.
2. Phoenix Suns - I guess they didn't get the "you're in a re-building phase" memo... Nash playing out of his mind.
3. Boston Celtics - The big, mean, green machine is just churning out victories. What the hell was that in Minnesota tho'?
4. Dallas Mavericks - Running appears to suit the Mavericks well, as does the return of Josh Howard to the fold. Dirk continues to be nigh on unstoppable.
5. Miami Heat - At #5??? Sheesh... I'm still not a believer. A very thin rotation once you get beyond Dwyane Wade.
6. Portland Trail Blazers - I might cop some flack by having them at 6, but I don't really care: really starting to look good with the 3-guard line-up. I'm really liking what I see with Aldridge too.
7. Denver Nuggets - I don't believe this is an accurate position for Denver either - I think they're a bit better than recent play would suggest. JR... whoops... I mean "Earl3" is a welcome return.
 8. Atlanta Hawks - A really balanced unit with youth and energy on their side. Did NOT look that great against LA tho', and the loss against Charlotte was hugely troublesome. Now, where's my coffee? 9. Orlando Magic - Magic at 9? Can't imagine I'll have them this low again... Oh yeah... Stan: relax a bit.
10. Chicago Bulls - Rounding out the top 10 is Chicago. Yes, I know I've left the Cavs out. But at the moment, matching these two teams up, I'd back the Bulls. O... we did that on the 5th!
11. San Antonio Spurs - Pre-season, I said that the biggest hurdle to SA repeating would be the health of their big 3 (Timothy/Manu/Mr Longoria). Struggling at times due to - guess what? - the health of Timothy, Manu and Mr Longoria.
12. Cleveland Cavaliers - LADIES AND GENTLEMEN... YOUR CLEVELAND CAVALIERS!!!
 It's too early to say that the Shaq-xperiment is a bust... but, can I say the Shaq-xperiment is beginning to look like a bust? You can tell the time by Danny Ferry's hair loss.
13. Houston Rockets - Are Laker fans regretting the Ariza/Artest swap yet? Ummm... no, not really. He's found his niche tho'.
Know what I think? The Houston Rockets are going to regret the return of Tracy McGrady. And that's why they're on different pages on his slated return...
14.Utah Jazz - This is where it all starts to get a bit muddy. Utah are better than their record would suggest, but it could well get worse before it gets better. It all depends on Deron's health.
15. Toronto Raptors - Hard to say at this point whether they're going to compete at the upper levels, or devolve into the Craptors again.
One things for sure, if they're not competing with the elite of the East soon, then we're watching the last days of Chris Bosh in Canada.
16. Sacramento Kings - I hate to say it, but injury to Kevin Martin is the best thing that's happened to this team in years. The forced minutes for Evans/Thompson is a godsend... and there's no-one to defer to.
I'm in a state of shock at having the Queens Kings so highly rated.
17. Oklahoma City Thunder - An awesome core - Durant/Westbrook/Green, but beyond that really, really lacking any substance.
18. Detroit Pistons - In a season that was supposed to be a 'rebuild', Detroit have found themselves to actually pretty good. Not 2004 good... but not as anaemic as feared. Did anyone foresee the resurgence of Big Ben?
19. New Orleans - Rumor is that there's a warrant out for the arrest of the team for underachieving... everyone not named Chris Paul is named.
That said - if CP3 starts the All Star game over Nash/D-Williams, it's criminal.
20. Milwaukee Bucks -I think their position flatters them overly. They've done nothing per se, beaten no-one of import, and lost to some pretty average teams. Happy to see Andrew Bogut actually ON the court tho'...
21. Philadelphia 76ers - City of Brotherly love? No brotherly love for Marreese Speights, that's for sure.
22. Charlotte Bobcats - Whilst the Thunder lack depth, the 'Cats lack any real 'star'. No "go-to guy". Gerald Wallace is tearing up the boards, but that's an indication of being dead last in FG% as much as anything else.
Stephen Jackson would be a perfect match for this team, like ... umm... Craig Sager and bad jackets.
23. LA Clippers - Actually looks good. Like the blond at 3am after an evening full of booze. I keep wondering if we're going to wake up and realise that the beer goggles were firmly on last night.
24. Indiana Pacers - Some nice pieces, and some nice performances. Hibbert joining Danny Granger actually gives this team a core to build around.
25. Golden State Warriors - Whoa Nellie!!! Someone's gotta put the brakes on this outta-control, run-a-way megalomaniac!
Stephen Jackson outta there might help short term, but the issues this franchise has to deal with before returning to prominence run a lot deeper than that.
26. Washington Wizards - I hate to say "I told you so.", but... ok, the truth: REVELLING in being able to tell you "I told you so." The return of Gilbert Arenas actually might be a negative for Washington. Now rather than share the ball, they - yet again - defer.
27. Memphis Grizzlies - I actually like the roster. Mayo, Conley, Gasol and Gay... and Zach's not killing them by merely being there. Not like... say, AI was. AI's a cancer for young franchises.
28. Minnesota Timberwolves - There are bits 'n' pieces that I like at Minnesota... but I fear this is going to be a long, cold, hard winter for the T-Wolves.
29. New York Knicks - LeBron? Look: the two teams most-touted to procure your services outside of Cleveland: #s 29 and 30.
The Knicks suck.
You know how bad it is when you're looking forward to the return of Nate Robinson.
30. New Jersey Nets - Taking a leaf out of the Clippers of old notebook, the Nets are managing to be completely sucktastic with a pretty good roster. 0-8.
OH-AND-EIGHT!!!
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