Power Rankings

How teams stack up on paper heading into the season

The 2003-04 NBA season is about to tip off, and it should be an entertaining race to the title. While the Lakers may be the consensus favorites on paper, they are not without issues. The defending champion Spurs, the deep Kings, the explosive Mavs, the revamped T'wolves, the run-and-gun Nets and the stifling Pistons lead a pack of title contenders.

To help set the stage, we present our preseason power rankings. This list represents how we see the teams stacking up on paper going into the season. It doesn't reflect how these teams are playing right now (we'll do that next week), only how we project them over the course of the season.

Obviously, a lot can change once the ball goes up in the air, the sweat starts flying and the giants in the paint start trading blows. Injuries always play a critical role as well. But here's how the NBA race breaks down on paper:

SI.com's Marty Burns Rank LW   Team 1 - Los Angeles Lakers Gary Payton and Karl Malone join Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant in a Hall of Fame starting lineup. But can coach Phil Jackson keep all those egos in check? And will Kobe be able to handle the seasonlong distraction of his pending criminal case? 2 - San Antonio Spurs Two-time MVP Tim Duncan and star point guard Tony Parker have some intriguing new weapons in Rasho Nesterovic, Hedo Turkoglu and Ron Mercer. But will they be able to replace the intangibles of the retired David Robinson? 3 - Sacramento Kings As long as Chris Webber returns to form after offseason knee surgery, they'll be right back in the title hunt. With Brad Miller joining their deep cast, they also again figure to be the NBA's best passing team and one of its most fun to watch. 4 - Dallas Mavericks With Antoine Walker and Antawn Jamison added to the Big Three, they might average 140 points a game. Unfortunately, they might give up 150. The only thing that's certain is that coach Don Nelson will put on his labcoat and try every trick he can think of to make it work. 5 - New Jersey Nets They have Jason Kidd back, a slew of greyhounds and Alonzo Mourning in the middle. Doesn't matter. They still don't have enough shooters to win it all, and halfway through the season 'Zo is liable to be a no-go. 6 - Detroit Pistons Ben Wallace is a defensive terror, but new coach Larry Brown's playbook is thicker than Allen Iverson's rap sheet. They might need a season just to learn the plays. They could make it to the Finals, but they're probably still a year away. 7 - Minnesota Timberwolves With Sam Cassell, Latrell Sprewell and Michael Olowokandi aboard, Kevin Garnett might finally get past the first round of the playoffs. Unfortunately, they would still have three more rounds to play to win the NBA crown. 8 - Indiana Pacers New president Larry Bird and coach Rick Carlisle are hoping to take them where Isiah Thomas could not. Jermaine O'Neal gives them a chance, but Scot Pollard has to hold down the middle and Ron Artest has to hold his temper. 9 - Houston Rockets New uniforms. New arena. New coach. If Jeff Van Gundy can find a way to get Stevie Franchise and Co. to run the offense more through Yao Ming, there could be a new surprise team in the West. 10 - Phoenix Suns Last year's surprise team, they should be potent again with Stephon Marbury, Amare Stoudemire and Shawn Marion. But they still don't have a center, and they won't be able to sneak up on anybody this season. 11 - New Orleans Hornets Who says there are no second chances in life? If Jamal Mashburn and Baron Davis can go more than six weeks without getting hurt, Tim Floyd just might be able to repair his putrid record. 12 - Portland Trail Blazers With Rasheed Wallace, Bonzi Wells, Derek Anderson, Dale Davis and the emerging Zach Randolph, they can definitely light up foes. As in past years, however, chemistry issues could send their playoff hopes up in smoke. 13 - Philadelphia 76ers Allen Iverson finally has a second scorer in Glenn "Big Dog" Robinson and no more Larry Brown to make his life miserable. Unfortunately for AI, they're going to need a lot of "prac-tice!" to get their team defense in shape. 14 - Orlando Magic Tracy McGrady has emerged as perhaps the NBA's best all-around player, and he has more help now with the addition of Juwan Howard. If T-Mac's back holds up, they could surprise in the East. 15 - Seattle SuperSonics Think of them as the Mavs Light. With Ray Allen, Rashard Lewis and Brent Barry, they can shoot from all over the court and light up scoreboards. Unfortunately, they can't stop anybody inside, either. 16 - Toronto Raptors Vince Carter is healthy again and primed to regain his place among the NBA's brightest stars. Also, with Jerome Moiso and Michael Curry, their team defense should be improved. But Vince has to stay healthy. 17 - Memphis Grizzlies The additions of James Posey, Bo Outlaw and Jake Tsakalidis should improve their defense. If Jason Williams can continue his improvement under coach Hubie Brown, Pau Gasol and Co. could be looking pretty good. 18 - Chicago Bulls With Scottie Pippen and Kendall Gill joining veterans Jalen Rose and Donyell Marshall, their five-year playoff drought might soon be history. But youngsters Eddy Curry and Jamal Crawford will need to do their parts. 19 - Boston Celtics Paul Pierce takes over as the Lone Ranger for new boss Danny Ainge. Coach Jim O'Brien should still be able to get them to play decent team defense, but inexperience at point guard looks like a major problem. 20 - Denver Nuggets Carmelo Anthony is the real deal. Andre Miller and Earl Boykins are a tough 1-2 combo at the point. Nene is a presence in the middle. With a new uptempo style of play, they will give plenty of teams fits in the Mile High altitude. 21 - New York Knicks Allan Houston starts over with Dikembe Mutombo and Keith Van Horn. They will miss Latrell Sprewell, especially on defense, but they look more balanced on paper. If Antonio McDyess makes it back, they could be decent. 22 - Washington Wizards Gilbert Arenas joins new coach Eddie Jordan in a lineup that also features Jerry Stackhouse and Larry Hughes. If their big men can play solid -- and Stackhouse's knee recovers from surgery -- they have a shot at the playoffs. 23 - Golden State Warriors The departures of Arenas, Jamison and Boykins have them back to rebuilding mode after a 38-win season a year ago. Nick Van Exel and Cliff Robinson will have to play very well to match last year's win total. 24 - Atlanta Hawks The loss of Big Dog looks bad on paper, but they sure won't miss his defense. With Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Theo Ratliff, Jason Terry and Stephen Jackson, they have enough size and scoring to stay out of the basement. 25 - Cleveland Cavaliers The LeBron James Era officially begins. With Zydrunas Ilgauskas in the middle and Ricky Davis on the wing, the rookie will have some help. But it's going to take time for all their young studs to learn to play. 26 - Miami Heat The real reason Pat Riley stepped down as coach? He knows Lamar Odom isn't going to be enough to carry them to the playoffs. With no center to replace 'Zo, coach Stan Van Gundy will have his hands full. 27 - Los Angeles Clippers New coach Mike Dunleavy has some pieces in Elton Brand, Corey Maggette and Quentin Richardson. But few teams survive the loss of their starting PG and C, and all the turnover has left them thin on the bench. 28 - Milwaukee Bucks No more Big Three. No more George Karl. No more playoff hopes in Brew Town. Desmond Mason and Michael Redd are two good building blocks, but new coach Terry Porter is going to need lots of patience. 29 - Utah Jazz From Stockton-and-Malone to Clark-and-Arroyo? Ouch! Keon Clark and Carlos Arroyo won't make anybody forget Utah's Hall of Fame duo, and Andrei Kirilenko isn't good enough to carry them alone.