| NBA Player Power Rankings |
1 |
2 |
 |
Not merely the best player on the best team; Nowitzki's team is the best in the NBA because he's the best player in the NBA. We're not just glomming on to the leading scorer on the squad with the best record, because Dirk's all-around play (and an injury to Dwyane Wade) has put this 7-footer in a class by himself. He can't defend like Kevin Garnett, but Garnett is no threat to drop 45 every night out, unlike Nowitzki (even in Dallas' walk-up offense, currently the third slowest in the NBA). He can't score in the post like Tim Duncan, but Nowitzki can shoot over the top of any double team (unlike TD) and hit for high percentages. And, unlike Steve Nash and Kobe Bryant, Dirk doesn't need the ball in his hands to be effective. Nowitzki is far and away the sound thinker's choice for MVP. |
| 2 |
5 |
 |
It's safe to say San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich enjoyed his February. The Spurs won seven of 10 contests despite playing just three times at home, and in all 10 games Dr. Duncan came through with borderline-dominant play in an average of just 33.7 minutes as the coach keeps him fresh for the postseason. Duncan's stats in those games -- 19.3 points, 11.3 boards, 3.3 assists and 2.1 blocks -- are All-Star numbers for someone playing 39 minutes a night, but they take on a life of their own when you factor in the truncated minutes and the active defense. |
3 |
3 |
 |
If KG seems a little angrier these days, it's because he's a little angrier these days. His "thank God for opt-outs" comment was just the tip of the iceberg; though Garnett has never been the patient type on the court, he's attacking opponents with a Game 7-like intensity that still isn't showing up in the standings. The Timberwolves are 1˝ games out of the playoff bracket, but Garnett is averaging 23.8 points and 14.3 rebounds over his last six games. The T'wolves lost five of those contests. |
| 4 |
4 |
 |
Kobe came through with an MVP-level February, rising above an achy knee and Los Angeles' band of walking wounded to average 29.7 points over 12 games, though the Lakers were only 5-7. Kobe is starting to gamble a bit more on defense -- he averaged 2.7 steals last month -- but this isn't helping matters. The Lakers' offense is fine so they don't need the transition buckets; Bryant would be better served to hang tight on his man and try to do something about Los Angeles' 20th-ranked defense.
|
| 5 |
7 |
 |
McGrady and his Rockets came back to earth a bit in February. Houston won six of 12, and McGrady's play was down from his phenomenal January run. And yet, the Rockets are firmly ensconced as the West's fifth seed, and T-Mac has regained his edge over his last five games: 31.3 points on 46 percent from the floor (40 percent from behind the arc), with nearly 10 combined assists/rebounds. |
| 6 |
9 |
 |
The comeback of the millennium continues: After Amaré struggled through an up-and-down preseason, the best anyone could have hoped for was about 14 points and 6 boards as he eased his way back up to 30 minutes a game. And, really, that preseason had to be termed "encouraging," relative to the way he played in three games last year and the summer's World Championship team tryouts. But dig this 24-year-old, over his last 10 games: 28.3 points on 53 percent shooting, 12.5 rebounds, an 84 percent clip from the free throw line and 40.6 (!) minutes. The guy with two surgically repaired knees who looked like he needed help getting into his car last October is now playing 40 minutes a night and dominating. Solid work. |
| 7 |
8 |
 |
We try not to concern ourselves with a team's overall success when cobbling together these Rankings; you won't find many Josh Howard or Rip Hamilton mentions, mainly because basketball is a team sport that sees thousands of little factors push teams toward victory. And yet, it really deserves mentioning that the Toronto Raptors are 32-26, and it's hardly because top pick Andrea Bargnani is setting the world on fire or that GM Bryan Colangelo's free-agent pickups (Fred Jones, we hardly knew ye) have made much of an impact. So Bosh deserves a little nudge up this week's list because his team is surprising us so much. The 23 points and 10.7 rebounds per game help, too.
|
| 8 |
10 |
 |
Even with Nash hampered by a bum right shoulder that either has left him sitting out (the Suns lost three of those four games, wrapping up the MVP debate for the TV talking heads who get to vote for these things) or playing through pain, the Suns are still comfortably on top of the Pacific Division. Though you can still see Nash grimacing from time to time while clutching that right shoulder, this isn't the time to dust off Marcus Banks to see what he can offer. Banks has been in the league for four seasons now, and he's not going to surprise anyone. Nash averaged 16 points and 11 assists in February, making more than half his shots from the field for the fourth straight month. |
9 |
12 |
 |
Though his up-and-down Cavaliers (playing to their talent level, really) have managed just .500 ball over their last six games, LeBron has showcased a white-hot touch from the floor. Shooting 54 percent while mostly firing over double teams or bailing out his team with a jumper with just seconds left on the shot clock, James has averaged 33.2 points over those contests. The fourth-year forward has done well to keep his mates in games, and they still own the second seed in the East -- though Chicago, Washington and Toronto are just a game back. |
10 |
- |
 |
It's probably safe to point out that the Clippers have reached their nadir. They have lost their last three games (to New York, Toronto and Cleveland) by an average of 13.7 points, and the kick-fight between Corey Maggette and coach Mike Dunleavy has started up again. Brand continues to play strong basketball (23.2 points on 60 percent shooting, 11.6 rebounds, 2.8 blocks, 2.8 assists over his last five games), but it's going to take a lot more than All-Star numbers to pull this team out of the doldrums. Curiously, GM Elgin Baylor hasn't made a move to shake up this roster. |
