NBA Power Rankings: Streaking Suns

The Suns rise to the seven spot in this week's rankings, thanks to a solid five-game winning streak in which four of the Ws came on the road. Some timing though, right? With Amar'e Stoudemire's name at the forefront of most trade rumors, the recent wave of success is going to make the decision of what to do with STAT even tougher as the trade deadline rapidly approaches.

As for everyone else? Read on to see where your favorites ended up this week.

1. Cavaliers (42-11) | Prev.: 1
This team's peaking at the right or wrong time, depending on your perspective. It's great to see them hit their stride so they can coast the last month and a half of the season (and get the Big Witness some rest), but the run may impact their willingness to pull the trigger on a trade that would put them over the top. Tough decisions. Oh, and they beat the Nets. -- Matt Moore
2. Jazz (32-18) | Prev.: 2
Unquestionably the hottest team in the league right now (with apologies to Cleveland), Utah has won nine in a row, and is 14-2 over its last 16 games. Nothing would make Jazz fans happier than to head into the All-Star break with that streak intact, considering that win number 10 would have to come against the Lakers on Wednesday. L.A. will definitely be without Andrew Bynum and might be missing Kobe Bryant, so it's certainly within the realm of possibility. -- BP
3. Lakers (40-13) | Prev.: 5
So Kobe Bryant finally sits out a couple of games, and the Lakers look better than ever without him, getting wins in both contests. Everyone else has stepped up in his absence, but whether or not they can figure out how to contribute and fit in once Bryant returns will be the key question as the regular season winds down. -- BP

4. Nuggets (35-17) | Prev.: 3
Denver managed to go 5-3 in the eight games that Carmelo Anthony missed with an ankle injury, but the team looked like world-beaters on Tuesday in his return, running the Mavericks out of the gym by 36 points. -- BP

5. Magic (35-17) | Prev.: 4
That's the Vinsanity the Magic thought they were getting. Big wins over New Orleans and Boston have this team rising from the doldrums and looking like a contender. Gotta wonder if Vince's going to bring it every night like that, though. -- MM

6. Thunder (30-21) | Prev.: 6
Kevin Durant continues to impress, and trails LeBron James by only a tenth of a point for the league lead in scoring. The Thunder were the story last week, and with a couple more wins in the books and no more games until after the All-Star break, they can enjoy the weekend by looking back on a more-successful-than-expected first half of the season. -- BP

7. Suns (31-21) | Prev.: 10
Phoenix is playing arguably its best basketball of the season, currently riding a five-game winning streak. And for as much trouble as the schedule gave them at the beginning, it's been much kinder as of late: Wednesday's home contest against the Blazers is the team's only game in a 10-day stretch. -- BP

8. Hawks (33-17) | Prev.: 7
Atlanta's not foolin'. They have a mission, and more and more it's looking like they'll be in contention for a second round homecourt advantage. After getting the night off against Washington due to the snow storm, they smacked the Grizzlies in Memphis. With a week off over the All-Star break, the Hawks have a great chance to re-energize for a late push. Jamal Crawford's winning sixth man of the year. He just is. -- MM

9. Celtics (32-17) | Prev.: 11
Some of these guys – like Kevin Garnett -- are in denial, refusing to admit that age has caught up. Garnett wasn't happy about Rondo publically questioning everyone's focus, but the facts are there. They have won only nine of their last 21 games, and the next five are on the road against the Western Conference. Rondo should speak his mind. Watch for some fireworks soon. -- Tim Povtak
10. Mavericks (32-20) | Prev.: 9
If I know Mark Cuban, the Mavericks will do something before the trade deadline next week. Just 2-5 in the most recent games and with three tough teams (Oklahoma City, Phoenix and Orlando) up next, the team needs a boost from somewhere, within or from outside. Opponents are beginning to score on the Mavs more easily, and the offense looks far from elite. Donnie Nelson better not be on a pay-as-you-go phone deal. -- Tom Ziller

11. Raptors (28-23) | Prev.: 13
Hedo Turkoglu looks good in that Halloween mask. It gives him that much-needed, tough-guy look. Chris Bosh heads home to Dallas for the All-Star Game, a much-deserved honor after carrying this franchise for so long. Raps are nervous he might not come back. -- TP

12. Bulls (25-25) | Prev.: 15
After a bit of a dip, the Bulls are back on track, getting rid of some Conseco Fieldhouse troubles and now find themselves with a great shot at the fifth seed (and possibly fourth if the Celtics keep falling). Vinny Del Negro was sharkbait two months ago and now he's got his team back in the playoff picture, with Derrick Rose looking very much like the All-Star he is. One big move on the horizon, though, and if it's a cap-saver, this team could plummet back to the lowly Eastern middle. -- MM

13. Trail Blazers (26-23) | Prev.: 19
Picked up a nice win over the Spurs, before dropping two straight at home to the Lakers and the Thunder. It's going to be an up-and-down time for this team until Brandon Roy returns, but right now he's still nursing that injured hamstring, which will keep him sidelined through the All-Star break and beyond. -- BP

14. Spurs (29-21) | Prev.: 14
As disheartening as losing to the Lakers minus Kobe may look, I sense Spurs fans are used to it this season. Usually, by this time the team has hit its stride, which is to say consistent execution isn't a problem. But that's not the case right now, with the porous defense (just 10th in the league) is as guilty as the flighty offense. Manu Ginobili is still playing better than two-thirds of the league's starting two-guards, but he's a shell of his peak self (making S.A.'s decision not to extend his contract last summer look prescient). The Spurs don't typically make massive midseason adjustments, but I wouldn't put anything past Buford and Popovich right now. -- TZ

15. Sixers (20-31) | Prev.: 24
Without Iverson on the floor – he has been away from the team because of a family illness -- the 76ers are winning games again, crushing Minnesota for their fifth straight. It's no coincidence. The flow is better without him. -- TP

16. Hornets (27-25) | Prev.: 18
... and there's the loss of Chris Paul coming to roost. Three losses in four games for N.O., the win an unlikely victory in Charlotte. Given the status of the West and the prognosis for Paul, New Orleans has little shot of making the postseason. Whether that shapes Jeff Bower's deadline activity -- most consider the team, which has sunk under the tax threshold, as spectators -- remains to be seen. In the meantime, man! Darren Collison is fun kid to watch. -- TZ

17. Rockets (27-24) | Prev.: 16
Complicating the patient Tracy McGrady auction is the fact that for the first time since preseason, Houston looks in real trouble of missing the postseason. That serves two ends: it makes the Rockets' own first-round draft pick more valuable (the difference in draft position for the eighth and ninth teams in the West will be pretty big, given the East's trouble keeping more than five teams above .500) and it makes getting real players for McGrady more urgent. (Hence this week's louder rumors.) The problem is that the team is so weird it's hard to figure where it most needs help. A defensive reliever for Chuck Hayes would be a good bet, and perhaps some more outside shooting. -- TZ

18. Grizzlies (26-25) | Prev.: 12
Nothing has gone right for Memphis since the big win over the Lakers. Losses to the Cavaliers and Hawks are explainable. But if the Grizzlies want to get back to the postseason, it needs to beat the Rockets in Memphis and the Wolves everywhere. Post defense and defending the three-point line are real problems for Memphis, and Rudy Gay can only score so much. -- TZ

19. Bobcats (25-25) | Prev.: 16
Snapped a losing streak by downing the lowly Wizards, and becoming an absolute lock for the playoffs. Should be in contention for a trade deadline move, with Glen Davis the latest rumor. They just got back Tyson Chandler to pair with Nazr Mohammed (who's having a career year), Augustin's trade value is rising, and Gerald Wallace is an All-Star. Even MJ showed up for a game! For a team many expected to plummet back to earth, the surprises are at every turn. -- MM

20. Heat (25-27) | Prev.: 19
Things are not well in Miami. Even with last night's drubbing of the Rockets, the Heat find themselves on their heels staring at the abyss, with Milwaukee showing signs of getting itself back together. The Heat simply do not have enough weapons to do anything of consequence besides win a few losables and lose a few winnables this year. Which is probably why Pat Riley's all of a sudden clamoring for Amar'e Stoudemire. -- MM

21. Bucks (23-27) | Prev.: 21
Showing signs of life and still playing well at home. But the Bucks seem to stall out for long periods of time as the did last night against Detroit. Bogut's playing at a really high level, but they need a wing contributor that right now simply doesn't exist. But hey, at least the weather's better there than in Washington. -- MM

22. Clippers (21-30) | Prev.: 20
Everyone clamoring for the past few seasons for Mike Dunleavy to fire himself finally got their wish last week. But is Kim Hughes any better? That has yet to be determined, and to be fair, less than a half a season with this roster isn't likely going to be enough to tell. But 0-2 in his first two games with the losses coming by an average of over 13 points per isn't exactly the best way to start. -- BP

23. Pistons (18-32) | Prev.: 25
Two in a row! They're going streaking! They got Rip Hamilton and Prince back on the floor at the right time, in order to showcase them before the deadline. But it's still going to take a major wizard's wand to undo the mess Dumars has created. They have guys playing well, but not together. Dumping the money he invested in Ben Gordon could net them the package they need to really start building another contender. -- MM

24. Pacers (18-34) | Prev.: 23
You can have the Nets. If you're asking me what the worst team in the league is, I'll give you the Pacers. The Nets at least know what they're doing, waiting until summer and developing talent. If anyone knows what the Pacers are doing, please submit it in a paper to "Explaining Bad Decisions Monthly." -- MM

25. Wizards (17-33) | Prev.: 26
It's snowing, which means games are canceled and power's out for some. Which is about the only good news for fans, since it means they don't have to watch the Wizards. -- MM

26. Knicks (19-32) | Prev.: 22
Knicks still trying hard to dump Jared Jeffries and his contract before the trade deadline to create more salary cap space for this summer. Winning games now is hardly a concern. They still are talking about a package to land Tracy McGrady and his expiring contract. -- TP

27. Kings (13-34) | Prev.: 27
The Kings finally got a win on Tuesday in New York, but that hardly solves anything, at least not yet. The team is 2-13 over its last 15, and until the trade deadline comes and goes and we find out if Kevin Martin will still be around, everything will remain in a bit of a holding pattern in Sacramento. -- BP

28. Warriors (16-31) | Prev.: 26
With Golden State inexplicably discarding expiring contracts just days before the trade deadline, it's clear that money is the concern in the Bay right now -- and virtually nothing else. Add in the fact that Anthony Randolph is likely out for the season (which will make trading him almost impossible), and things aren't looking like they'll improve at any time in the foreseeable future for this franchise. -- BP

29. Timberwolves (11-38) | Prev.: 29
A little win streak was a sight for sore eyes in Minny, as four straight (including a road W in Dallas) can do a lot for a young team's confidence. The recent loss to the Sixers was a bit of a downer, but when you give up 73 points in the first half on the road, well ... that's pretty much what you can expect. -- BP

30. Nets (4-47) | Prev.: 30
New owner Mikhail Prokhorov, the billionaire from Russia, is heading to Dallas for All-Star Weekend. He'll be huddling with team coaches and executives. Don't be surprised to see a real house cleaning in the coming months. It can't be much fun owning a team as bad as this one. -- TP