Power rankings are a fun project. Every place that covers NBA basketball has some, and every published set of rankings fosters plenty of discussion. With that in mind we here at The Friendly Bounce decided to get involved with our own set of power rankings, but as with all things here we did it with our own little twist. So welcome to the Friendly Bounce Power Rankings where we rank the league in order of fun, taking into account injuries, hot and cold streaks, off-the-court fun and anything else that deals with entertainment.
1. Golden State Warriors (Last week: 1): The more things change the more they stay the same.
2. Oklahoma City Thunder (LW: 2): The Thunder pushed the Warriors in a game that was really fun on Saturday. They now have angry Russell Westbrook playing until the All-Star break after the loss.
3. Toronto Raptors (LW: 3): Dropped a game but still remain very fun to watch.
4. Los Angeles Clippers (LW: 4): I’m not saying losing Austin Rivers for a while makes them more fun but replacing Austin Rivers badness with the unpredictability of Lance Stephenson makes them way more fun.
5. Portland Trail Blazers (LW: 8): The Portland guards are a ton of fun and now they are in some games that are pretty important. C.J. McCollum‘s journalism foundation is cool too and gives them a week late bump.
6. Denver Nuggets (LW: 10): The Nuggets have a weird combination of great passers, cutters, dunkers and slashers. Perhaps the most underrated fun group in the league.
7. Dallas Mavericks (LW: 7): The Mavericks are lasting in the top 10 basically entirely off of off-court fun and Dirk Nowitzki on-court goodness.
8. Cleveland Cavaliers (LW: 7): Turns out coaching changes aren’t easy. Still, with these three stars there is a fun floor that is above a ton of the league.
9. New York Knicks (LW: 6): The play is starting to level off a bunch. Outside of Derek Fisher throwing shade at random players there isn’t much else to enjoy with them.
10. San Antonio Spurs (LW: 5): Now have lost Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan for an extended period of time. That stinks.
11. Boston Celtics (LW: 11): Still hot but still don’t have that one super fun guy on or off the court.
12. Orlando Magic (LW: 13): They may have found something with Tobias Harris out which is great since it includes a ton of Aaron Gordon.
13. Miami Heat (LW: 14): Chris Bosh is wonderful.
14. Charlotte Hornets (LW: 18): The injuries are masking what can be a really fun team. Nicolas Batum, Kemba Walker and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is a great trio.
15. Sacramento Kings (LW: 12): Things are blowing up in a hurry in Sacramento.
16. Detroit Pistons (LW: 16): They have moments but are mostly just there.
17. Atlanta Hawks (LW: 17): Like the Pistons but more talented.
18. Washington Wizards (LW: 15): You can only take lineups with Ramon Sessions and Gary Neal together for so long.
19. Philadelphia 76ers (LW: 19): The games just don’t matter which limits their fun factor.
20. Houston Rockets (LW: 21): A mess but at least there is a moment here and there.
21. Indiana Pacers (LW: 22): When Monta Ellis gets going it makes them fun. Otherwise they can get frustrating since it is Paul George and a lot of randomness.
22. Minnesota Timberwolves (LW: 23): If only they shot more threes so we could have fun heat checks.
23. Memphis Grizzlies (LW: 25): At least they matter which is more than most of the teams down here.
24. Los Angeles Lakers (LW: 26): Still losing but the Kobe Bryant farewell tour is still producing some fun moments.
25. Chicago Bulls (LW: 24): No Jimmy Butler really hurts.
26. Utah Jazz (LW: 28): They still matter but the style of play just isn’t great for fun and Rudy Gobert hasn’t been as good at Twitter as in the past.
27. New Orleans Pelicans (LW: 20): If it wasn’t for Anthony Davis they very well may have been in the bottom two.
28. Milwaukee Bucks (LW: 27): The Bucks are just forgettable.
29. Brooklyn Nets (LW: 29): At least they aren’t the Suns.
30. Phoenix Suns (LW: 30): Maybe Earl Watson can fix them.