James Ham's NBA Power Rankings (2.1.16)

James Ham's Power Rankings

With the All-Stars rosters freshly named, Kings Insider James Ham stacks up the NBA's 30 teams in his latest power rankings...

30. Suns (14-35)

The Suns have lost 19 of 21, taking the whole “quitting on your coach” thing to a new level. Some team don’t have the talent to compete. The Suns don’t have the heart.

29. Lakers (9-41)

Lakers fans are already planning for the arrival of Ben Simmons and Kevin Durant this summer and Russell Westbrook the year after. It’s happening. It’s science.

28. Philly (7-41)

Brett Brown has his team playing gritty, hard-nosed ball. Ish Smith is averaging 15.9 points and 8.1 assists in 17 games since coming over from New Orleans. The Sixers are 6-11 with Ish and 1-30 without.

27. Nets (12-36)

Tony Brown should have said no when the Nets offered him the head coaching job. The losses are piling up and someone welded the escape hatch closed.

26. Timberwolves (14-35)

This is one of the few teams in the league that did the right thing by handing the season over to it’s young nucleus. This team has plenty of needs, but their talent level is off the charts.

25. Nuggets (18-30)

Michael Malone’s club has given up 100+ points in eight straight and currently ranks 27th in the league in defensive rating. It’s a process changing a team's culture.

24. Bucks (20-29)

Milwaukee has talent, but right now, they are nothing more than a collection of individuals without an identity. Jason Kidd has his work cut out for him with this group.

23. Magic (21-25)

Orlando began the season strong, taking a 19-13 record into the new year. They are 1-12 in the month of January and circling the drain. Some teams aren’t ready for the bigtime.

22. Pelicans (18-28)

No Anthony Davis or Tyreke Evans, no problem. Ryan Anderson is going to get one of those giant, Happy Gilmore-size checks this summer in free agency.

21. Kings (20-27)

It’s almost like the Kings popped champagne to celebrate a playoff season 41 games into the season. There is nothing worse than a champagne hangover. After winning five straight last week, they’ve dropped four in a row. That thud you just heard was the Kings dropping in the rankings.

20. Wizards (22-24)

The Wizards are just starting to get healthy. Now it’s up to Randy Wittman to piece this team together on the fly after running at half strength for most of the season.

19. Knicks (23-27)

With Sunday’s loss to the Warriors, the Knicks have dropped five of their last six. We’ve said it all season long, but this team needs another scorer to open up the floor for Anthony and Porzingis.

18. Jazz (21-25)

This is a gritty team that needs one or two more pieces to make a serious run. They’ve won three of four and give full effort every night, but they may not have the horses in a crowded field.

17. Trail Blazers (23-26)

Sorry Dame, no All-Star bid. On a plus note, the Kings decided to take another week off, so the eight spot is all yours.

16. Rockets (25-25)

This is the luckiest team in the NBA. There are a stack of teams sitting behind the Rockets in the standings that just can’t seem to be able to get it together. Like Sacramento, there is no telling what team will show up one week to the next.

15. Hornets (23-25)

Monday’s gutsy double-overtime win in Sacramento wiped both teams out. They finish the week with a victory over the Lakers. That still counts, right?

14. Pistons (25-23)

Andre Drummond, NBA All-Star. That has a nice ring to it. Drummond, 22, is the best rebounder in the game and he’s anchoring a solid defensive unit in Detroit.

13. Hawks (27-22)

Atlanta went 0-3 this week against the Clippers, Pacers and Heat. The east is improved overall, but the top tier no longer includes the Hawks.

12. Pacers (25-22)

The Pacers are like a lot of teams this season in the NBA -- streaky. After dropping three straight, Indiana picked up nice wins over Atlanta and Denver. Introducing rookie Myles Turner to the starting lineup may propel this team into the top four in the east.

11. Heat (27-21)

After losing seven of eight, the Heat have rattled off three in a row -- all without big man Hassan Whiteside. Spoelstra is squeezing every last drop out of his veteran roster.

10. Mavs (28-22)

Dallas wins the games they should and losses all of the others. Eventually that strategy will cost you. Dallas is 2-7 against .500 or above teams in January.

9. Celtics (27-22)

Isaiah Thomas is an All-Star doing exactly the same things he did in Sacramento and Phoenix. At least Phoenix got a first round pick for him trade. #StayParanoid

8. Bulls (26-20)

Injuries are piling up for Chicago, but they are still hanging tough in the east. With their frontline gutted, don’t expect some miracle trade to turn this team into a contender.

7. Grizzlies (28-20)

The Grizzlies' old school approach to the game has them in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race once again. They’ve won seven of eight by clogging the middle and sharing the ball.

6. Clippers (32-16)

Clearly Blake Griffin was the problem all along. Time to trade him for expiring contracts and a bag of frozen peas.

5. Raptors (32-15)

What is the best way to avoid the NBA radar? Hide out in Canada. Another 3-0 week for the Strange Brew up north.

4. Cavaliers (34-12)

Tyronn Lue is 4-1 as the head coach of the Cavs, clearly “earning” the right to coach the Eastern Conference All-Star team. Nice win over the Spurs, coach.

3. Thunder (36-13)

Not a single mention of trading away Kevin Durant before he hits free agency this summer. Winning 10-of-11 will quiet a lot of the noise.

2. Spurs (39-8)

Between losses to the Warriors and Cavs, the Spurs throttled the Rockets by 31. Pop will wait for the playoffs to fully show his hand.

1. Warriors (44-4)

The Warriors are rolling again, taking a buzz saw to the Cavs, Bulls, Pacers, Spurs, Mavs and 76ers over their last six. A near loss to the 76ers proves that there is no autopilot in the NBA this season, regardless of who you are.