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Nate's Non-Official Official Power Rankings
Mid-Season [S13]
Welcome to the second installment of the re-introduction of Nate's Power Rankings. These power rankings generate an accumulated average that stems from the combination of points differential, rebounding differential, efficient field goal differential, turnover differential and net rating. Each of these statistics listed previously are given a certain weight in the final formula that outputs the given score. Each edition of this series will offer the power rankings, change from the previous edition and a brief write-up of the rankings below. These rankings literally mean nothing outside of the formula I somewhat developed over my years of not only playing FBB, but commissioning my own leagues. Below, you will find the ranking system used to determine the quality of each team.Mid-Season [S13]
Power Rankings
The Boston Celtics have claimed the stop spot. This team is about as well rounded as they come. They're second in the league in points and rebounding differential. They're third in efficient field goal and turnover differential. The only downfall to their ranking not putting them into the elusive "The Best" category, is their eighth place ranking in net rating. The likes of Brevin Knight running the point with Yao Ming and Zach Randolph down low, this team is hard to beat. The east is a very competitive battle ground and the Celtics may be the best of the bunch.
Right on the heels of the Boston Celtics is the stacked New Jersey Nets. This squad is tops in points, rebounding and efficient field goal differential. It's really impressive to find a team that can score as well as rebound. On top of that, they're doing all of this scoring efficiently. The combination of Ray Allen pouring it in from outside and Luis Scola dominating the boards, the Nets are the real deal. Their turnovers is what's holding this team back a bit, coming in at 12th in the league. On top of that, their net ratings has them ninth. This Nets, Celtics battle should be a good one.
Third in the power rankings is another Eastern team, surprise. The New York Knicks climb into the third spot. A big part of their difference is acquiring Shaq from the Seattle Supersonics. This was a much needed move, as the Knicks rank 16th in the league in rebounding differential. The duo of Shaq and Tyson Chandler now combine for 23 rebounds per game. This rebounding differential should look a whole lot different when we re-approach these power rankings heading into the playoffs. Outside of that, the Knicks are second in efficient field goal differential and net rating, third in point differential and fourth in turnover differential. Watch out for these Knicks in the second half of the season.
We're now four teams deep and we're still in the Eastern conference. The Cleveland Cavaliers are next in our rankings. Like the Knicks, the Cavaliers aren't an excellent team in rebounding, ranking 12th. They make up for that in a different way, coming in at fourth in points and turnover differential as well as net rating. They have one of the better back courts in the league with Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton and Wally Szczerbiak and that is reflective in these rankings. If they can find a way to get a bit more rebounding, they'll be in contention for the loaded east.
We finally come across our first Western Conference team with the Houston Rockets. A lot was talked about with this team, led by the monster that is Dwight Howard. The big difference between pre-season and now is the acquisition of Kobe Bryant. What a difference that guy can make. As Howard averages 16 points and 14 rebounds, Kobe is putting in 27 points as Mike Dunleavy adds 20. The Rockets also added Stephon Marburry, who is doing a serviceable job for the West's best team. The Rockets are top 10 in every category we take into consideration and top five in points and efficient field goal differential. In a weakened West, the Rockets seem to be the best option to represent the team come June.
The Los Angeles Clippers and Atlanta Hawks come in at sixth and seventh respectively and are two very similar squads. Both are teams led by their back courts and don't offer much in terms of front court help. The Clippers are top eight in all categories except rebounding differential where they rank 13th. The Hawks are top 10 in those same four categories as the Clippers but are also second in turnover differential and are the league's best when it comes to net rating. What really hinders the Hawks, even more so than the Clippers, is rebounding differential where they rank 23rd. These are two teams that can be competitive, more so for the Clippers in the weaker Western Conference, if they can find some term of front court help.
The Orlando Magic come in at eight. They're a team under a lot of scrutiny due to have two of the league's top five players in Carmelo Anthony and Baron Davis. They come in with top 10 finishes in every category except net rating. They're the third best in rebounding differential. It's hard to figure out what's hindering this team as they seem to be well rounded with such sure fire star power. They're sixth in point differential, ninth in efficient field goal differential and tenth in turnover differential. Maybe it's just some luck they need on their side to climb these rankings.
The Minnesota Timberwolves and Charlotte Hornets round out the top ten. The Timberwolves are top 11 in every category we take into consideration. Their best finish coming in with a fourth in turnover differential. The Charlotte Hornets are the league's best when it comes to turnover differential, but have finishes such as 19th in rebounding differential and 16th in terms of efficient field goal differential. They're also third in net rating. The Timberwolves will have their horse in the race when it comes to the west with the likes of Kevin Garnett and Steve Nash leading the way. The Hornets may not have much to offer in the east. They just need a bit more out of the likes of Andre Iguodala, Chris Paul and LaMarcus Aldridge.
Other teams to keep an eye on are the Philadelphia 76ers (13th) who are fifth in rebounding differential and seventh in turnover differential, the Utah Jazz (15th) are sixth in rebounding differential and the Sacramento Kings (19th) are fourth in rebounding differential.
