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| | Thursday, October 28 | |||||
| Not everyone who checks out the NBA Power Rankings on ESPN.com is a New York Knicks fan. But it sure seemed like it this past week. Hordes of Knicks fans chimed in to throw in their clean thoughts on why the Knicks at No. 9 is a travesty. And according to the fans, a few of the other teams that were most underrated by us were the Timberwolves, 76ers, Bucks and Sonics. Overrated teams included the Suns, Pacers, Nuggets and Nets.
The season doesn't begin until Nov. 2, and our first in-season Power Rankings will debut on Nov. 8. Check us out then and every Monday after that when we update the Power Rankings. Here are your recent comments from our pre-training camp rankings:
Why are the Blazers not listed at number one? Are you just waiting for them to really rack up some wins, or what? Is it because they have not really played together in a game situation? Is it not enough that they acquired Scottie
Pippen and Steve Smith, not to mention Detlef Schrempf coming off the bench? When will the Blazers get some respect from you guys and from the league?
The Spurs are not the same team that won the championship last year -- the loss of Sean Elliott and Will Perdue left big chinks in the armor that Samaki Walker and Felton Spencer can't fill.
I think you have the Hornets ranked too low. Aside from the Spurs, they finished last season the strongest of any team. With a healthy Anthony Mason added to the underappreciated and under-recognized ex-Lakers, Eddie Jones and Elden Campbell, this team should flourish. The big question mark, but a good gamble, is Baron Davis. If he shines, the East will belong to the Hornets.
I can't believe that the Timberwolves aren't ranked much higher in your poll. They are definitely one of the 10 best teams in the league. With the athleticism on that team they will go to the Western Conference finals this year. Wally Szczerbiak only made a good team 10 times better. This is going to be the most exciting team to watch this season.
The Warriors in 24th?!?! You seem to be forgetting that these guys were only a few games behind the overachieving Kings. Now we have a better backcourt and suddenly we are ranked 24th??
The Knicks certainly deserve to be ranked higher than this. My God, they finished in the NBA Finals!! You worry about Patrick Ewing being injured? We beat the Pacers without Ewing!! Have you done any basketball reading in the summer? It's true that Ewing is on his way out, but look at the talent contained in the trio of Allen Houston/Latrell Sprewell/Marcus Camby. Not to mention that the Knicks acquired some size in the post-season by signing John Wallace, size being their real weakness in the finals.
Every year, the Knicks put on impressive performances, and every year, you media-types who have no clue about basketball denigrate them in favor of more marketable teams. You people should start paying more attention to basketball and less attention to the latest Sprite commercial.
Shouldn't the Clippers be last by default?
Okay, I can see teams like the Spurs and Blazers ahead of the 76ers, but Sacramento? Phoenix? Charlotte? Minnesota???? No other team in the NBA plays such inspired basketball as the Sixers do when they're hot. Allen Iverson, Larry Hughes and Matt Geiger are only going to get better, and now that the team has the only element they were missing last year, an outside shooter (Jumaine Jones), I fully expect them to be in the finals.
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