James Ham's NBA Power Rankings

It's the holiday season and Insider James Ham is giving out rankings, stacking them up from "quite possibly the worst team in NBA history" to the world-beating Warriors...

30. Philly (1-28)

This is quite possibly the worst team in NBA history. Adding Colangelo and D’Antoni is a start, but last time we checked, neither of them can play the point.

29. Lakers (4-23)

Kobe Bryant stopped shooting the ball 20 times a night and the ball started to go in the bucket. It’s time for him to take a major step back and mentor these young players.

28. Nets (7-20)

This is probably the worst $84 million team ever assembled. And with their 2016 Draft pick already conveyed to Boston, Nets fans are secretly online shopping for Kristaps Porzingis jerseys.

27. Pelicans (8-19)

Easily the biggest disappointment in the league, it’s time to strip this team down and sell it as spare parts. Twenty-nine other teams in the league would love to have Ryan Anderson on their roster. It’s time to see what his value is on the market.

26. Trail Blazers (11-18)

There is only so much the Lillard and McCollum can do. Three-through-15 this is one of the worst rosters in basketball.

25. Bucks (11-18)

Every other week we swap the Bucks in the Knicks in the power rankings. It’s science.

24. Nuggets (11-16)

After back-to-back wins to start the week, the Nuggets lost to the Jazz and Pelicans to round out a 2-2 schedule. That is the Western Conference 7-12 grouping in a nutshell. Also worth noting: Will Barton is becoming one of the best bargains in basketball.

23. Timberwolves (11-16)

Wiggins, Towns, LaVine and Rubio isn’t just an interesting name for a law firm, it has all the makings of a really good team. After losing 8-of-9, the T'Wolves finished the week strong with wins over the Kings and Nets.

22. Wizards (11-14)

This is one of the most banged-up rosters in the league. John Wall is doing everything he can to keep this team in playoff contention while his roster recovers from a variety of ailments.

21. Jazz (11-14)

The Jazz were always just one injury away from sliding down the standings. Utah is just 3-6 without Rudy Gobert and he is expected to be out for another month at a minimum. Their hold on the eighth spot in the west is tentative at best.

20. Suns (12-17)

Brandon Knight and Eric Bledsoe are having great offensive seasons. If they can figure out a way to make the players around them better, Jeff Hornacek may have something here.

19. Kings (11-16)

Sacramento has won four of its last five and is finally playing defense. A tough loss in Minnesota was washed away by a big win over the Raptors in Toronto. The Kings are starting to take two steps forward and only one step backward. That’s a big improvement for this club.

18. Rockets (14-14)

Despite their 14-14 record, this team is a hot mess. Ty Lawson is on the block, but there are plenty of bigger issues here than him. This team has a much better shot of imploding completely than making it back to the Western Conference Finals.

17. Knicks (14-14)

The Knicks have won four straight and fought their way back to .500. Derek Fisher needs more talent to work with if the Knicks are going to sustain this pace.

16. Celtics (14-13)

Brad Stevens has his team playing well above their lot in life and he needs a few more pieces to take the next step. Danny Ainge has a bevy of picks stored up to land another piece or two to the puzzle. The ball is in Ainge’s court.

15. Magic (15-12)

This team might be too young to realize how good they can be. Scott Skiles has his team buying what he is selling. Very few teams in the league are playing an 11-man rotation, but it seems to be working for the Magic.

14. Grizzlies (15-14)

The Grizzlies continue to hover around the .500 mark. Whether that’s a good thing or not is still to be determined. In a league filled with parity, this is a team that could take a huge dip if the standings if they aren’t careful.

13. Pistons (16-12)

Andre Drummond has developed into the best center in the Eastern Conference and it’s not even close at this point. Reggie Jackson provides the offensive punch. Brandon Jennings might be a perfect addition to this team.

12. Mavs (15-12)

Eventually this team will have to start over from scratch. Until then, Rick Carlisle will continue to coach seasoned veterans that give him consistent effort and production every night. Most coaches would kill for that chance.

11. Hawks (16-12)

The Hawks won’t be sending four All-Stars to Toronto this year, but Mike Budenholzer may have a deeper and more versatile roster than he did last season. Once they put it all together, this will shoot up the rankings.

10. Raptors (17-12)

The Raptors have survived without Jonas Valanciunas and are a surprising 5-3 without DeMarre Carroll in the lineup. Dwane Casey has his team playing hard every night. If they get healthy, they may be a dangerous team come playoff time.

9. Hornets (15-11)

In the Eastern Conference, the second- and eleventh-place teams are separated by only three games. Charlotte is right in the mix of a very confusing and compacted race. So far the injury and suspension of Al Jefferson hasn’t affected Steve Clifford’s ball club in the standings.

8. Clippers (16-12)

The Clippers prized crop of additions -- Paul Pierce, Lance Stephenson and Josh Smith -- are scoring a combined 14.4 points per game. The trade block is getting crowded in Clipperland.

7. Heat (16-10)

On paper, the Heat should be this good. They have All-Star talent at almost every position on the floor and Hassan Whiteside continues to impress. At some point, their lack of depth is going to come into play.

6. Bulls (15-10)

A quadruple-overtime loss to the Pistons took the wind out of the Bulls' sails midweek. Jimmy Butler complaining to the media about Fred Hoiberg’s coaching style isn’t going to help anyone.

5. Pacers (16-10)

A 3-1 week has the Pacers on the move up board. Paul George is a star and C.J. Miles is having a breakout year in his 11th NBA season.

4. Thunder (18-9)

A healthy Thunder team is a dangerous Thunder team. OKC is 10-3 over their last 13 with Kevin Durant in the lineup. If he can stay off the injury list, the Thunder have the weapons for a deep playoff run.

3. Cavs (18-7)

Iman Shumpert delivers a baby and Kyrie Irving returns to action all in the same week. The NBA has been waiting for a third great team to arrive and it appears the Cavs are ready to ascend just in time for their Christmas matchup with the Warriors.

2. Spurs (23-5)

Shhhh... Be very quiet when hunting Warriors. They aren’t going to push for 70-plus wins like Golden State, but the Spurs may be the team to beat when it’s all said and done. Slow and steady wins the race.

1. Warriors (26-1)

This team appears obsessed with beating the 1996 Bulls record of 72-10. Greatness is measured in rings, not regular season victories. Hopefully the W’s don’t lose sight of that.