NBA Pre-Preseason Rankings

1. Los Angeles Lakers - Woah! shocker right at the start. Im putting the Lakers at #1 because the thought of the imminent return of Andrew Bynum just makes the Lakers frontcourt too tantalizing to refuse. Also Ariza and Mihm will hopefully be able to contribute a lot more than last year when they both had injuries that basically made them useless for half the season and into the playoffs. To think of how strong a bench they will still have even in the loss of Ronny Turiaf makes this team hard to resist. The Lakers only need a powerful Reggie Evans or Craig Smith type PF to make up for the loss of Ronny.

2. New Orleans Hornets - What no Boston at #1 or #2? This guy must be crazy! Well maybe, but this team is looking incredibly strong. The sole important offseason move they have made turns out to be really huge. They picked up James Posey off the free agent wire. This seems like an everyday move to most people but I say that with James Posey on this team, he will provide some of the defensive toughness and playoff experience that so many people have said the Hornets have been lacking. That coupled with next years MVP Chris Paul on the team (predictions in predictions? nice.) there isnt much to argue anymore. To make this team truly unstoppable, they are going to need a solid shooting guard, and a few pieces for their almost nonexistent bench.

3. Boston Celtics - Alright everyone, you can calm down now, here are the Boston Celtics. They basically kept the same team so far in the offseason except for James Posey, which could prove to be a vital piece missing to their team. Without him, the Boston bench is a bunch of has-beens and wanna-bes. The Boston Big 3 remains intact which keeps them way up here in the top 5. But after how much talk there was about winning a championship from them and not much else, it will be interesting to see if they lose any of their focus at all. This team needs a younger bench and a decent back-up Center for Kendrick Perkins who is a very inconsistent player.

4. Philadelphia 76'ers - Never thought Id be sitting here typing Philadelphia into the top 5, but with the addition of Elton Brand, who can blame me? Granted they havent locked up Andre Iguodala so they could quickly fall to the middle of the pack if by some chance Andre doesnt sign with them, but I think we can all agree he has something to work with now. Signing Kareem Rush is also a bigger deal than people may think. The 76'ers have no 3-point shooters on their team and with the signing of Kareem Rush, an accomplished yet inconsistent 3-point shooter, it shows the obvious effort that the teams staff is putting in to make this team championship ready. This team need to hope to sign Iguodala and maybe sign a seasoned veteran for the bench to make it more mentally tough.

5. Washington Wizards - To do what they did, lock up the 5 seed, without the aid of Gilbert Arenas for much of the season, is incredible. Now that they have him back, the Wiz have a Big 3 of their own. They lost Roger Mason Jr. but they can cope with that. They need to solidify their bench and pick up a solid shooting guard.

6. Houston Rockets - The proposed deal for Ron Artest could make or break this team. Rons skills are undeniable, but his attitude and affect on his team can outweigh the good he does on the court. If he sucks up his ego and crazy, he could elevate the Rockets to Championship level. If he doesnt, The Rockets can slip out of the playoffs. Another thing to watch out for is the injury situation. The Rockets seem to always catch the injury bug, and they catch it hard. More specifically T-Mac and Yao Ming catch it. If they can make it through 1 whole season without any major injuries, they really could be trouble come playoff time.

7. Orlando Magic- They havent done much this offseason except lose Maurice Evans and Keyon Dooling. This could prove to be an advantage as they already have a solid team. They need a consistent point guard and a solid backup to Dwight Howard.

8. Utah Jazz- Another team that hasnt done much so far, but they are guaranteed to make noise next season. They should get a strong center to back up the rather weak Mehmet Okur.

9. Cleveland Cavaliers- Lebron James, 'nuff said.

10. Detroit Pistons- People always talk about how important it is that most of the Detroit players and coaching staff have been playing with each other for years. Well that chain is broken with Flip Saunders departing. Things may change even further if any of the many trade rumors involving Tayshaun Prince and Rasheed Wallace are true. Even so they still have a solid team with a good mixture of experience and youth making them still a very dangerous team. With Rodney Stuckey dominating much of the latter half of last season and through the summer league, I would almost call the starting PG spot open between him and Chauncey Billups. A little too far? Well see. They need a 3-point specialist on their bench.

11. San Antonio Spurs- They are getting old. FINALLY! I can say that the San Antonio Spurs are getting old! For years I have been waiting for this moment. But its the truth. They will make the playoffs, but not much else. What they need is some youth, any youth to remind them of being young again.

12. Portland Trailblazers- Kind of extreme isnt it? Putting the young Portland team right after the ancient San Antonio team. But these guys could be insanely good this coming season. They have all the pieces to become an elite team except a perimeter defender. Which is exactly what is keeping them from cracking the top 10. Greg Oden's performance could be key to this teams success.

13. Chicago Bulls- If they hadnt gotten the #1 pick and Derrick Rose (which they shouldnt have) they would not be this far up. Its not that the play of Derrick Rose is really going to astound anyone. Its just going to be a lot more solid than the PG play the Bulls have been getting the last few years. They could get some nice pieces if they decide to trade one of the backups. They need a defensive player.

14. Indiana Pacers- This team has been so busy this offseason, I had to check their roster like 10 times to make sure I got all of the new names down. Getting rid of Jermaine O'Neal was smart, since they got Roy Hibbert in the draft who is a very similar player. The TJ Ford trade went down with not to much noise, but I find it huge. TJ is an explosively fast and smart player. He can ignite a fastbreak all by himself and finish it in the same fashion. People worry about his injury but I say whats done is done and his injury is done. Hopefully Jamaal Tinsley can stay out of injuries and trouble next season for he is a worthy backup to TJ. The Pacers need a PF that can defend well.

15. Charlotte Bobcats- Dont worry everyone your not crazy, I did just put in Charlotte Bobcats as the middle team in this list of 30 NBA teams. By now I expect most of you are disregarding this list as pure garbage because they are in here but hear me out. The Charlotte Bobcats have a beast of a team, its just, they dont seem to play together all the time. Felton, Richardson, Wallace, Morrison (forgot about him huh?), and Okafor is an insane starting lineup. Of course, Morrison isnt really a PF so he may not be in that starting lineup but still, doesnt it seem possible that this team could finally make the playoffs this year. Plus the addition of DJ Augustin who could quickly take the starting PG spot. That would still leave Charlotte with a solid bench. The return of Sean May has to be a factor as well, as long as he becomes a defensive presence which is exactly what the Charlotte Bobcats are lacking, along with some experience.

16. Dallas Mavericks- A new coach could spell trouble. And people are still concerned with Jason Kidd after last year, but I think that J-Kidd, Dirk, and J-Howard can pull it together to become a formidable team. They need a scoring Center.

17. Los Angeles Clippers- The losses of Corey Maggette and Elton Brand are huge, but the arrival of Baron Davis and Marcus Camby could make up for that. I dont know how much experience Camby has at the PF spot, but he may have to get used to it, because I dont see him overtaking Chris Kaman for the starting Center spot. I think it will work out because Camby is pretty mobile and he has a decent 10-15ft shot. Baron Davis is instant offense, whether you want it or not. But the Clippers definitely want it. Al Thorton can prove to be huge for this team next year.

18. Milwaukee Bucks - Richard Jefferson brought new life to this team. The Bucks starting 5 isnt too shabby, and Im really excited to see what Ramon Sessions can do in some real competitive games. For those of you who dont remember, Ramon Sessions was the player to dish out 24 assists against Chicago last year, and his other games were also really impressive. If he can continue doing that next year he may help this team make the playoffs. The Bucks need a 3-point shooter.

19. Miami Heat - Do not expect the Heat to give the same effort as they did last year. Especially since they will have D-Wade back at full health and Shawn Marion will be with them the whole year. Michael Beasley will be a show for his rookie year, much like Kevin Durant, but expect him to make an impact immediately. The Heat desperately need a Center.

20. Phoenix Suns- Aging Steve Nash and Grant Hill, half in his grave Shaq, a disgruntled Amare Stoudemire, and a new head coach doesnt spell good season for the Suns. The happiest thing they have seen this offseason is probably Raja Bells naturally pissed off face. The Suns need to focus on defense this offseason to have a chance at the playoffs.

21. Denver Nuggets- There is no reason this team should be way down here. But they are. They just cant seem to take the scoring might of Melo and AI and make it into a team. The losses of Marcus Camby and Eduardo Najera will prove to be fatal to this teams chances of making the playoffs. Unless they find a way to fix their defense, they will have a hard time playing with some of the elite teams.

22. Atlanta Hawks- The loss of Josh Childress leaves Atlanta with virtually no bench. That could prove to be a serious problem. If they can find something to fill the void on the bench they do have a chance at being better than last year, but they havent done anything yet so here they remain.

23. New Jersey Nets- Richard Jefferson is gone and Vince Carter is unhappy and getting older. The Nets are going into rebuilding mode, which was clear when they traded Jefferson for Yi Jianlian. Expect them to make more moves like that in the coming years.

24. Toronto Raptors - I dont understand the move they made to get Jermaine O'Neal. They already have Chris Bosh and Jermaine isnt exactly a powerful Center. No doubt its a huge step ahead of Bologna ehem Bargnani, but still what they risk with this injury prone player may be what kills them in the end. They also lost quite a few players to Euro leagues and free-agency. The loss of TJ Ford is huge. They need a scoring SF.

25. Golden State Warriors- Without Baron Davis, the Warriors are just a average scoring team with an awful defense. Ouch. A little harsh? Okay, They do have Corey Maggette. He's a good 20 point player. Oh and they got Ronny Turiaf, that could make them slightly better defensively. But, yeah not good. They need some defense.

26. Sacramento Kings- Ron Artest is gone. You can take that as a good thing or a bad thing, but the truth is, he was their defensive toughness, now they will be a bad scoring team with a bad defense. Hmmm sounds a lot like, nahhhhhh.

27. Minnesota Timberwolves- They are still rebuilding, but I think they are on to something, If they can make one more big move, they can be hanging around the middle of the pack by next season.

28. New York Knicks- When will the madness end? This is probably the most disappointing awesome starting 5 in the NBA, if that makes sense. They cant seem to find a team that works together, or works for that matter. Then they go and skip on some real talent in the draft. I wish Mikey D luck.

29. Oklahoma City Supersonics- What, a new team? Nope, just same old Seattle Supersonics in a new location. Not going to help. They will be a force in a couple of years, but for now, they reside down here.

30. Memphis Grizzlies- Wow, I have never seen so many unrecognizable names on a roster in my life. They have Rudy Gay, which is worth a few wins. The best move they made so far is letting Kwame Brown go. Or maybe signing Marc Gasol. Or maybe adding a new Mcdonalds next to the bathroom. You decide.

There you go, this list is going to change greatly in the next few months but this is where I think the league stands right now. Got a problem with it? Comment below!