By Tony Andracki & Mark Strotman
Each Monday throughout the regular season, Mark Strotman and Tony Andracki will rank all 30 NBA teams. Below are Week 5 Power Rankings. Think we're way off? Agree with our picks? Hit us up on Twitter at @BullsTalkCSN with comments or criticisms.
Past rankings: Preseason Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5
Tony
Mark Comments 1
Tony: Hottest team in the league right now.
Mark: Eight straight wins for the West's best home team.
2
Tony: Riding a five-game winning streak behind Parker.
Mark: Imagine how good they'll be when Kawhi Leonard comes back.
3
Tony: Dominated the Heat, but couldn't run with the Bulls.
Mark: Wade's shot coming back around, prompting LeBron to tell Barkley to "shut up."
4
Tony: Dynamic team, but a bit inconsistent to start.
Mark: Looked fantastic without Carmelo, but they're glad to have the early season MVP back.
5
Tony: Would be the class of the West if not for OKCSA.
Mark: Six straight wins, led by a red-hot Blake Griffin.
6
Tony: Wow, when did they become THE team in L.A.?
Mark: December has been a rough stretch. 7
Tony: Have won 8 of 10 to put them among NBA's best.
Mark: Huge jump this week, but it's deserved. You can thank Steph Curry. 8
Tony: Really looking like a playoff team.
Mark: Love what Lou Williams is doing for a bench that needs scoring. 9
Tony: Still clutching first place, but not by much.
Mark: Have lost 3 of 5, but the talent is still there.
10
Tony: Need to find a way to win on the road.
Mark: Andray Blatche puts up decent numbers, but they need Brook Lopez back.
11
Tony: If Holiday goes down, they're doomed.
Mark: Joakim Noah is a dark horse for MVP the way he's playing on both ends so far.
12
Tony: Four-game losing streak bumps them down.
Mark: Dead last in rebounds per game.
13
Tony: Have won three straight to climb over .500.
Mark: Larry Sanders leads the NBA in blocks per game. Read that again.
14
Tony: HomeRoad splits are scary.
Mark: Nash still 2 weeks away, which means L.A. is 2 weeks away from turning this around.
15
Tony: Not time to push panic button, but at least time to bring it out of storage.
Mark: Won 4 of 5 to start December. 16
Tony: Need to get their frontcourt rotation nailed down.
Mark: Al Jefferson quietly putting together a monster season for the Jazz.
17
Tony: Just too inconsistent right now, but will be there in the end.
Mark: Defense keeping them in the playoff hunt.
18
Tony: They're starting to get healthier, playoff push time?
Mark: Ty Lawson picking things up lately.
19
Tony: Ninth out of 9 teams vying for playoff spots in the East.
Mark: T-Wolves can't wait to get Rubio back, other 29 teams just fine waiting.
20
Tony: They can't even win when Lin puts up 38. Ouch.
Mark: Omer Asik now hitting 17-footers in Houston. Convinced he was trolling Chicago.
21
Tony: See? Can't hack it when injuries hit because of lack of depth.
Mark: They're winning games lately (3-of-5), but not playing anyone good (CLE, CHA, TOR).
22
Tony: Best of the worst in the East.
Mark: Likely Lottery-bound, but this is an impressive turnaround led by Greg Monroe.
23
Tony: They have talent, but that's about it.
Mark: Anthony Davis has the talent to turn the tides for the Pelicans Hornets.
24
Tony: Been better of late since their horrendous start.
Mark: 3-2 on recent West roadtrip was nice to see. Still haven't played at home in Dec.
25
Tony: Getting Anthony Davis back. Eric Gordon on the horizon?
Mark: Had won three in a row before loss in Dallas.
26
Tony: Have lost eight straight after their 7-5 start.
Mark: Fast start was fun, but reality setting in fast on Mike Dunlap's group.
27
Tony: What are they doing with Marcin Gortat? Do they even know?
Mark: Injuries just won't let this team play healthy together.
28
Tony: Kyrie coming back, but he can't do it alone.
Mark: 5-5 at home, but just 2-11 away from Phoenix.
29
Tony: All the big offseason acquisitions haven't helped, huh?
Mark: Still think Tristan Thompson has the skill set to be a star in the NBA.
30
Tony: Just flat-out awful. What is there to say?
Mark: Injuries continue to decimate an already-shallow roster.
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