Commish Rankings - Training Camp Edition

Team	Ranking	Comments
	1	Miami, coming off a second straight title, is the clear number one heading into the season. A solid off-season, adding guys such as Zach Randolph, and Monta Ellis. Losing Tyson Chandler will definitely hurt this team though, and I question their ability to dominate the CSL again this coming season.
	2	Lebron. Dirk. Kobe. Couldn't dream of a better trio than those guys. Dirk and Kobe are definitely up there in age though, and I question their ability to play at a high level at this point in their careers. But regardless, with Lebron now a Pacer, this team is immediately one of the top contenders in the CSL.
	3	These guys earned it. We all doubted them, including me, but they proved us all wrong. Coming off a CSL finals appearance, the Rockets are back and as good as ever. They got Iggy back and added Mario "I'm not that good but have all the confidence in the world for some reason" Chalmers, finally giving them a real point guard.
	4	Very hesitant to rank them this high, simply because they moved Lebron. I mean, how do you trade Lebron James? I don't know, but they still have a real nice looking squad. Paul George, Dwight Howard, Roy Hibbert (how on earth is that going to work...) and they brought back Kyle Lowry. Good looking squad no doubt, but Lebron James!
	5	Age? Just a number. These dudes will always stick around and be in contention. They went out and got Amir Johnson and Greg Oden with Johnson in particular being a perfect fit for San Antonio. But still, with great coaching, a top GM and a rock solid team who just fit, the Spurs will once again be right in the thick of contention.
	6	From bottom feeder last season to contender this season.Hey might have had the best off-season of any team in the CSL. A healthy Westbrook and improved Beal, with newly acquired Al Horford, Luol Deng and Pau Gasol. This team on paper looks as good as anyone, and could very well bring success back to La La Land.
	7	There have been mixed reviews on what the Hawks have done this off-season, but I personally love it. Boogie is one of the best players in the entire CSL and an elite center, definitely a franchise player. Josh Smith is no joke, Harrison Barnes is an all-star and Tony Parker is Tony Parker. Add that to a ridiculously deep bench, the Hawks are for real.
	8	The team I left was ready to become a contender. I don't love what they did this off-season, though. Hayward was avery nice piece and they didn't really get anything good for him. Still, with a superstar in Favors, a terrific defensive anchor in Ibaka and also with Batum and Conley, Utah will definitely compete this year. Title team though? Probably not.
	9	This is one of my favorite teams in all of the CSL. You got a legit superstar in Lillard, Aldridge turned it around last season and managed to put together a solid year, and they have so many other solid pieces. I honestly believe Lillard is one of the ten best players in the CSL and could lead this team to the promised land.
	10	Brooklyn had a nice off-season, adding two really solid pieces in Rudy Gay and Boozer. Add that to Lopez and Rondo, and you have yourself a solid core. The bench is pretty much non-existent though, and the Nets might run into some issues because of that. Either way, Brooklyn should be a playoff team this season.
	11	Another team that had a terrific off-season. Added Jeremy Lin, Chandler Parsons, Andrew Bogut and Danny Granger. Add that to Kevin Love and Ben McLemore, and it kind of speaks for itself. We'll see how far Kevin Love can take them though, as he's pretty much their anchor. If he were to leave this off-season, the Wovles are screwed.
	12	This team's talent is off the chart, no doubt. But The issue is going to continue to be defense. If they can improve defensively, which they should with the addition of Bledsoe, Chandler and Kirilenko, then this team could be really, really good. A lot of talent here, but unless they can play some defense, the talent won't do much.
	13	Lost Kobe? Whatever! Added Dragic, Sessoins, Tyreke Evans, Amare and Varejao. Definitely a bunch of solid pick ups for the Cats. The only issue I see in Charlotte is they lack a true superstar. Is MKG one? Maybe. Even if he is an elite defender, I'm not sure he does enough otherwise to be considered a superstar. You need one to win and take down Miami, that's for sure.
	14	Honey nut cheerios. Melo is the new man in Detroit and he should led the Pistons to some success. They better hope he scores over 25 a game, though, because he's their entire offense. Wilson Chandler and Brandon Knight are their next two scoring options. Yuck. Should still be a solid team though.
	15	The talent is there, no question. Rose, Joe Johnson, Noah, Splitter, Hardaway Jr. the list goes on. They should have a good year, but they're in salary cap hell, and that's going to be an issue for them going for. Little to no flexibility and are hovering around the hard cap. Going to be a tough next couple years for Chicago.
	16	The two seed in the East last year, is back and ready for another run. But they don't have any good wings. They desperately need Waiters back, but that won't happen until the middle of the season. We'll see how much of the load Kyrie can handle once again. He's going to have to carry them into the playoffs and beyond.
	17	Marcus Smart is no longer a rookie. Anthony Davis had another entire off-season and training camp to improve. Eric Gordon is still Eric Gordon. This team is going to be GOOD. Even if it's not this year, this team is the future of the CSL (along with Orlando). I'm ready to be blown away by Smart, because he just might be ready to take over.
	18	Rubio! The talented Spaniard has become the man in NYC. How will that work out? Well, in my opinion, not too well. I'm trying to teach myself not to doubt Jamal, because he always figures it out, but I just don't love this team on paper. Rubio is good, yeah, but I don't love everyone else. Bosh is old, Javale's Javale and who else? Budinger? Farmar? Not core guys.
	19	I really like what the Mavs did this off-season. They now have two really really good big men in Vucevic and Gasol, who could be an awesome twin tower duo. DeRozan and Mayo will be able to put the ball in the basket, and the addition of David West is nice. They'll compete for a playoff spot, but not much other than that.
	20	I really don't see a reason to trade Boogie, and for that I have them at #20. This definitely could be a team who moves up though, as they do have loads of talent. Holiday was an all-star starter last year, Monroe and Pek are no joke as the teams bigs. Also have a really solid bench. Should move up, but again, I don't see a reason to trade Cousins.
	21	This team is a mess right now. They have talent with Chris Paul, Deron Williams and Nene, but that's literally all they have. But actually, that's all they have. Right now they have SEVEN players. The other four aren't worth a damn. We'll see what they look like when the roster is filled, but it's looking like a hard fall from the top for Lob City.
	22	Hard to count out a team with Wade and Bynum on it, but they lost Deng and like the Clippers, only have six players. We'll see what they look like with a full roster, but beyond Wade and Bynum, there really isn't much of anyone here. A tough year ahead in Philly.
	23	John Wall and Blake Griffin continues to be my favorite duo in the CSL. But the rest of the roster just doesn't look very good to me. Jonas Valancioshdosf looks good, but beyond that? Sorry, but Manu Ginobili hasn't been good in three years and Jordan Crawford isn't winning anyone games.
	24	ANDREW WIGGINS ANDREW WIGGINS ANDREW WIGGINS ANDREW WIGGINS ANDREW WIGGINS ANDREW WIGGINS ANDREW WIGGINS ANDREW WIGGINS ANDREW WIGGINS ANDREW WIGGINS  ANDREW WIGGINS ANDREW WIGGINS ANDREW WIGGINS ANDREW WIGGINS ANDREW WIGGINS ANDREW WIGGINS ANDREW WIGGINS ANDREW WIGGINS ANDREW WIGGINS
	25	Talent is there, but the team isn't ready to compete yet. Bringing back Pierce was pretty puzzling to me, as he doesn't exactly fit a team that's primarily young. Some great pieces for the future, though. I don't think Paul pierce and Al Jefferson will bring them success this year, though.
	26	I'm really liking the core that Riot is building in Milwaukee. Anderson, Faried, and Harrison is a great trio. Jeff Teague is also a solid pickup. Going to be rough this year and probably the next two, but the Bucks have a great future.
	27	Rebuilding at it's finest. Other than Kevin Garnett of course (what exactly is he doing on this team?). They have some really nice looking pieces, including the second pick of this years draft Alex Len. Gonna be a long year for Celtics fans, but it'll be worth it when everything is put together.
	28	Porter, Bennett and McGary isn't a bad core to build around at all. But a lot more help is needed in Phoenix. Beyond them, the team is terrible. I'm sure Jestor will figure it out, though.
	29	At least they have a true star to build around in Julius Randle.
	30	Lol.

**DISCLAIMER**
This was meant to be fun and is just purely my opinion. Please don't take anything i said as an insult. If it came off as an insult, it was probably a joke.

Great writeup and I think you have us slotted appropriately at the 9th spot in the West. I think the Bobcats are a little lower than I would have them but everything looks good.

I understand you don't want to rate my team high, I really do. I mean, trading James, that's unacceptably. Still, I'm very happy with what I did.

1st- Secured my team's future bringing in George who, at most (if he does not sign an extension) will be a RFA and I'm matching absolutely any kind of offer for him.
2nd- Brough depth to this team. Hibbert and Brewer off the bench is something huge. Add JR Smith and JJ Barea who are coming mid-season, and that's a very reliable bench with 2 scorers and 2 defenders. Also, Boris Diaw fits well with my 2nd unit as he will be the high post facilitator and can spread the floor.
3rd- Balanced 1st unit. I mean, I have players capable of being all-stars in 3 or 4 positions. I have 3 players who were named all-stars last season.
4th- Defense! That's the nickname of my team. A bunch of blue-collar guys, rated: 76, 83, 70, 70, 92.. (with Barea and JR Smith ->) 66, 65, 80, 63, 90.. I mean, who's the defensive liability here? Who's the one you're going to explore hard to make other teams pay for having that guy on the floor?
In crunch time our defensive lineup will be 76, 80, 83, 70 (or even 90), 92. I mean, will be really really though to score against us.
5th- Paul George. This kid has more defensive upside than LeBron. He has great scoring upside, already has 100 in FGI and FGJ (I'm assuming that's great since Durant has it too). He will develop as a facilitator and is a GREAT rebounder for an SG. Plus, this kid, whenever he's a finished product, will have the ability to shut down any James SG Harden in the league. Well, I'm high on him as you can see. He has a lot of room to grow and he'll develop. Time will show that.

Well, I think those reasons are enough to explain my move. Also, I have Hibbert benched. If it does not work well, then I can move him.
There is only one big man who's currently rated better than Hibbert's 90 on defense, at 92 (though it can change with Anthony Davis training camp, but well, he's not a Center at least). Hibbert is far from being an offensive liability, actually he can score very nicely and has room to average more than those 13ppg from last season. Also, he rebounds the ball well (can certainly improve from his alms 8 per game also), is big (7'2), long, strong, can completely shut down the paint. Interest will be high for that man if I put him on the market. Heck, interest was high even though we was not "listed as available" on TB.
Ah, forgot to say something. That other C who's better than Hibbert at defense. Well, they are currently playing on the same team. So, barring Cousins and those other great Cs who can score like no other, I think every team is interested in Hibbert. And do not forget that even though you may value low, there are some teams (and I know that because I received great offers for him already) whom values him a lot. And it takes only 1 great offer, not 29, for me to get a lot for him in return.
I mean it's like FAs. If you value a guy in 3M range, but other team values him 7M, he won't be getting your 3M, nor 5M which is the average between you and the other team. He'll get 7M which is the max he can.

Apart from that, still, trading LeBron sucks. I understand. Seriously, no joke here.

Nice rankings. I will never get tired of reading Power Rankings. One of the best articles that can be written. Great write up and I hope to move up in both Power Rankings. Love it though.

Didnt read the explanations, but it looks accurate. Expect us to make a Dylan/Utah move. Im tired of rebuilding without our pick.

Yeah, Pierce returned to help us get a few more wins I suppose. We don't own our pick so we'll be quietly trying to win a few games at least behind Jennings, Pierce and Jefferson whilst developing out kids and arming ourselves for the off season where we'll have picks and cap space.

Good read.

love the Power Rankings. Great read

Looking forward to seeing post TC rankings

Look pretty good. Will be interesting to see how this all pans out. Although I dont think your team is the worst team in the league, but usually the person writing the article always ranks their team lower. I still think Memphis owns that spot.

Great read Dylan!
I can see why everyone is putting the Nuggets down because of the Cousin trade.
Like you mentioned, I definitely see us moving up the boards throughout the season.

BTW
Is there really a 14 spot difference between:
Jrue Holiday
Aaron Affalo
Trevor Ariza
Greg Monero
Pek
+bench players like JJ Hickson, KCP, Darren Collison, Gerald Henderson

vs.
Russel Westbrook
Beal
Deng
Gasol
Horford
-only Jimmy Butler and CJ Watson

Very nice article indeed, being 3rd in PR again puts lofty expectations on us and we hope to be able to live up to them.

Looking forward to seeing what players improve and the rankings post TC.

Marcos_Beck (OKC) wrote:I understand you don't want to rate my team high, I really do. I mean, trading James, that's unacceptably. Still, I'm very happy with what I did.

1st- Secured my team's future bringing in George who, at most (if he does not sign an extension) will be a RFA and I'm matching absolutely any kind of offer for him.
2nd- Brough depth to this team. Hibbert and Brewer off the bench is something huge. Add JR Smith and JJ Barea who are coming mid-season, and that's a very reliable bench with 2 scorers and 2 defenders. Also, Boris Diaw fits well with my 2nd unit as he will be the high post facilitator and can spread the floor.
3rd- Balanced 1st unit. I mean, I have players capable of being all-stars in 3 or 4 positions. I have 3 players who were named all-stars last season.
4th- Defense! That's the nickname of my team. A bunch of blue-collar guys, rated: 76, 83, 70, 70, 92.. (with Barea and JR Smith ->) 66, 65, 80, 63, 90.. I mean, who's the defensive liability here? Who's the one you're going to explore hard to make other teams pay for having that guy on the floor?
In crunch time our defensive lineup will be 76, 80, 83, 70 (or even 90), 92. I mean, will be really really though to score against us.
5th- Paul George. This kid has more defensive upside than LeBron. He has great scoring upside, already has 100 in FGI and FGJ (I'm assuming that's great since Durant has it too). He will develop as a facilitator and is a GREAT rebounder for an SG. Plus, this kid, whenever he's a finished product, will have the ability to shut down any James SG Harden in the league. Well, I'm high on him as you can see. He has a lot of room to grow and he'll develop. Time will show that.

Well, I think those reasons are enough to explain my move. Also, I have Hibbert benched. If it does not work well, then I can move him.
There is only one big man who's currently rated better than Hibbert's 90 on defense, at 92 (though it can change with Anthony Davis training camp, but well, he's not a Center at least). Hibbert is far from being an offensive liability, actually he can score very nicely and has room to average more than those 13ppg from last season. Also, he rebounds the ball well (can certainly improve from his alms 8 per game also), is big (7'2), long, strong, can completely shut down the paint. Interest will be high for that man if I put him on the market. Heck, interest was high even though we was not "listed as available" on TB.
Ah, forgot to say something. That other C who's better than Hibbert at defense. Well, they are currently playing on the same team. So, barring Cousins and those other great Cs who can score like no other, I think every team is interested in Hibbert. And do not forget that even though you may value low, there are some teams (and I know that because I received great offers for him already) whom values him a lot. And it takes only 1 great offer, not 29, for me to get a lot for him in return.
I mean it's like FAs. If you value a guy in 3M range, but other team values him 7M, he won't be getting your 3M, nor 5M which is the average between you and the other team. He'll get 7M which is the max he can.

Apart from that, still, trading LeBron sucks. I understand. Seriously, no joke here.

Man, you are ranked 4th in the entire league without even playing a single game. What more do you want? Prove the doubters wrong on the court... as for Hibbert - I really like his presence on both ends, however, he comes at $15m per season price tag with some serious foul trouble every other game and barely 27 mins a game... will be interesting to see how much value you get for a player tha plays barely half a game but costs like an all league C...
Paul George is great though I totally agree there

So…

Another poll and another Wiggins. Can't say I'm surprised, just curious to see if he can live up to the hype.

Love reading these power rankings.

I think you have Brooklyn too high, but we'll see. Just don't see them as #4 in the east.

7th in the west seems to be around where everyone expects us to be. Can't complain, that means we make the playoffs, I'm just hoping we can beat peoples expectations.

Also, Memphis is clearly the worst team in the league. I think Sac is far better than them, even if Memphis has Randle.

Nice read Dylan!
It's always fun reading this commish rankings. Lot's of nice teams this coming season, I'm really willing to what looks like a challenging year!

Great read dylan! This is a very good List. Only see two changes,roxxy and clippers i think found player for style and up positions, and lakers down in this table.

Man my team is not playing like a Top 5 team lol.