Post by FLCeltsFan on Nov 4, 2013 14:24:18 GMT -5
Tank Rank: New first on worst listWith the Suns and Sixers off to surprising starts, it's bottom's up for BostonBy Chad Ford | ESPN.com
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The Celtics have moved on from the Big Three era and now occupy the coveted top spot in Tank Rank.
Maybe Andrew Wiggins is overrated after all.
After predicting an all out Tank-pocalypse this season, our top two tanking suspects -- the Suns and 76ers -- went a combined 5-1 this week. Still, a week is a week. Last season, theCharlotte Bobcats started the year with a win over the Pacers and sported a 7-5 record going into Thanksgiving weekend before losing 18 straight games and finishing with the second-worst record in the league.
In short, games in late October and early November rarely mean much in the larger scheme of things. Here's our weekly look at where the 10 worst teams in the NBA stand in their quest for the No. 1 pick in the draft.
1. Boston Celtics | Status: Tank-building | Record: 0-3
The Celtics aren't the worst team in the NBA; they're just playing like it right now. One of four winless teams after the first week of the season, Boston looks fairly inept on both ends of the floor and has already lost to two teams that look bound for the lottery, blowing a 16-point halftime lead in its home opener versus the Bucks and getting killed on the boards on opening night versus the Raptors. The C's also have the fourth-worst defensive efficiency rating in the NBA despite playing at the slowest pace in the league. To top it off, rookie Kelly Olynyk, who the team is very high on, has just an 8.64 PER in his first three games.
Still, I have my doubts the Celtics stay here for long. They have winnable games against the Jazz at home on Wednesday and the Magic on the road on Friday. And at some point, Rajon Rondo is coming back.
(Last week: 3 )
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2. Utah Jazz | Status: Tank-building | Record: 0-3
This season's Jazz team was going to be either a pleasant surprise (if their young players took a big step forward) or a major disaster. It's been a little of both so far. The Jazz are 0-3 and one of those losses came at the hands of the Phoenix Suns. That's the good news for those in the Jazz tanking camp.
But the bad news for those hoping the Jazz score the No. 1 pick in June is that the team has played both the Thunder and Rockets pretty tight and Alec Burks, Enes Kanter, Gordon Hayward and Derrick Favors all look improved. Once they get a point guard running the team, they should start winning some games and likely slide a few spots down this chart.
(Last week: 7 )
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3. Phoenix Suns | Status: Tanking | Record: 2-1
Conventional wisdom from Tank Rank last week: "It's hard to see [the Suns] winning a game in the West this year." To which the Suns responded by beating both the Blazers and Jazz to start the season. In those two games, center Miles Plumlee played out of his mind, putting up back-to-back double-doubles. To put that into perspective, Plumlee put up just three double-doubles in his last two seasons at Duke. Plumlee was sporting a 24 PER before regressing to the mean (0 points, 5 rebounds) in a loss against the Thunder on Sunday.
Expect the rest of the team to follow Plumlee's lead eventually. However, with games against a struggling Pelicans team and an even shakier Nuggets team coming up this week, they may yet put another win or two in the books.
(Last week: 3 )
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4. Charlotte Bobcats | Status: Trying | Record: 1-2
Michael Jordan may scoff at tanking, but he might want to rethink things after the Bobcats' shaky start. Although the team squeaked out a win against the Cavs on Friday, that win was sandwiched between two big losses. A 13-point loss to the Rockets on the road is understandable, but a 21-point loss to the previously winless Pelicans isn't.
The Bobcats thought their days of offensive ineptitude were behind them when they landedAl Jefferson, who has missed two games with an ankle injury, and Cody Zeller this summer. But after three games, it's the same as it ever was: The Bobcats rank 29th in the NBA in offensive efficiency.
(Last week: 6 )
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5. Orlando Magic | Status: Tank-building | Record: 2-2
The Magic got off to a great start in their "tank-building" quest with losses to the Pacers and Timberwolves. But a closer look should give Magic tanking fans a reason to pause -- Orlando was competing with Indiana until Jacque Vaughn benched a red-hot Andrew Nicholson and pushed the undefeated Wolves into overtime on the road. Also, in the Magic's first two homes games, they blew out the Pelicans and Nets with a 20.5 average margin of victory.
Orlando is right in the middle of the pack in both offensive and defensive efficiency. No wonder word came to Marc Stein this week that Jameer Nelson is on the block.
(Last week: 4 )
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6. Philadelphia 76ers | Status: Tanking? | Record: 3-0
Either Sixers GM Sam Hinkie forgot to tell his coach and players that they weren't supposed to win this season or he's a mad, analytical genius. The Sixers have four real NBA players on their roster. That's it. But somehow they've defeated the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls at home and theWashington Wizards on the road.
Michael Carter-Williams is sporting an incredible 29.5 PER in his first three games as a pro and is the early front-runner for the Rookie of the Year award; Spencer Hawes is putting up an even more ridiculous 30 PER. Evan Turner is finally playing like a former No. 2 pick, andThaddeus Young is doing it all. Thanks to those four, the Sixers rank third in the league in effective field goal percentage. The rest of the team is predictably awful and every NBA GM I have spoken to thinks they'll come back down to Earth.
(Last week: 2 )
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7. Sacramento Kings | Status: Rebuilding | Record: 1-2
Copy + paste. This Kings team looks virtually identical to the team that won 28 games last season, with an opening-night win against a struggling Nuggets team followed by losses to the Warriors and Clippers. They have the capability of eking out wins against other mediocre teams, but with offensive and defensive efficiency ratings in the 20s, this team appears destined for yet another middling lottery pick.
(Last week: 5 )
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8. Washington Wizards | Status: Trying | Record: 0-3
The Wizards made a big trade for Marcin Gortat prior to the season in an attempt to make a serious playoff push in the East, but so far they've come up empty with losses to the Pistons, Heat and Sixers. The Wizards are playing at the 10th-fastest pace in the league, but their defense is suffering for it -- they're giving up 108.3 points per game (second worst in the NBA).
While they have no intention of tanking this season, if the losses pile up, it's not out of the question the Wiz will try to see if they can find a new home for Nene and add another young player (preferably a big) to the roster.
(Last week: Not ranked )
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9. Denver Nuggets | Status: Trying | Record: 0-2
Now that Masai Ujiri, George Karl and Andre Iguodala are gone, last season's 57-win team seems like a distant memory. This Denver team is shooting under 40 percent from the field so far. The only upside is it ranks third in the NBA in rebounds per game.
The Nuggets have already lost to the Kings and Blazers -- two teams that will struggle to reach the playoffs in the West -- and the Spurs are coming up next.
(Last week: Not ranked )
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10. Milwaukee Bucks | Status: Trying | Record: 1-2
An injury to Brandon Knight and a slow start for Larry Sanders have the Bucks struggling. They rank last in the NBA in rebounding rate, have already lost to the Knicks and Raptors and would be 0-3 if it weren't for a ferocious second-half comeback against the Celtics.
A healthy Knight should make a difference for Milwaukee, but as of right now, the Bucks look like they might stay on this list all season.
(Last week: 10 )
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