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Examiner.com 2009-10 NBA preseason power rankings
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The 2009-10 NBA season is nearly upon us, and Examiners across the country have provided their thoughts on where the 30 clubs rank.
Will the addition of Ron Artest solidify the Lakers' chances to repeat, or will Shaq put the Cavaliers over the top? Do the Celtics have another run in them? Can the Nuggets or Magic take the next step?
Follow all your favorite teams throughout the season with detailed analysis, exclusive features and more from our team of Examiners!
| Rank | Team/Examiner | 2008-09 Record | Commentary | |
1 |  | Los Angeles Lakers Colin Ward-Henninger | 65-17 | The world champions add Ron Artest and will rely on Shannon Brown to fill Trevor Ariza’s shoes. |
2 |  | Cleveland Cavaliers Matt Loede | 66-16 | LeBron James is the best player in the league and now he gets Shaq to run alongside him. |
3 |  | | 62-20 | If Garnett is healthy, the addition of Rasheed Wallace makes them deep enough to challenge for the Eastern title. |
4 |  | Orlando Magic Kenny Samsel Samuel Rabinowitz | 59-23 | Vince Carter won’t make up for the loss of Hedo Turkoglu, but Dwight Howard and the return of Jameer Nelson make Orlando an Eastern contender. |
5 |  | San Antonio Spurs Michael Chartier | 54-28 | With Manu Ginobili healthy and Richard Jefferson added, there’s no reason the Spurs can’t return to championship form. |
6 |  | Denver Nuggets Sean Star | 54-28 | Billups, Anthony, and a deep bench keep Denver in contention out in the west. |
7 |  | Dallas Mavericks Andrew Tobolowsky | 50-32 | A good team adds Shawn Marion, a versatile defender whose style fits Jason Kidd’s running game perfectly. |
8 |  | Portland Trail Blazers Jesse Price | 54-28 | Greg Oden looked good in the preseason and the addition of Andre Miller should make Portland a dark horse in the west. |
9 |  | Utah Jazz Jeff Lockard Nate Davie | 48-34 | Jerry Sloan always has this team competing with the best. With Boozer in a contract year, he should play at an all-star level. |
10 |  | Atlanta Hawks Fred Pennington | 47-35 | A young team that should grow up more this season. |
11 |  | New Orleans Hornets Logan Widdicombe | 49-33 | Chris Paul is still arguably the best point guard in the league and he has a new weapon in Emeka Okafor. |
12 |  | Phoenix Suns | 46-36 | Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire are both in contract years. |
13 |  | Chicago Bulls Chris Cason | 41-41 | Luol Deng’s health is paramount for the Bulls. |
14 |  | Washington Wizards George Panagakos | 19-63 | If this team is healthy, there is no reason why they can’t compete with the best. Arenas, Jamison, Butler and Mike Miller off the bench is a nice core group. |
15 |  | Toronto Raptors Ben Fisher | 33-49 | Hedo Turkoglu will help out this team immensely. They’re a playoff team in the east. |
16 |  | Miami Heat Thomas Johnson | 43-39 | Wade, Beasley, and O’Neal make a nice trio for Miami. |
17 |  | Philadelphia 76ers Andy Jasner | 41-41 | Their young players will exceed expectations and Philadelphia will surprise a lot of people. |
18 |  | Detroit Pistons Dave Ryan | 39-43 | Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva are nice additions for Detroit. |
19 |  | Houston Rockets David Hartnett | 53-29 | Houston is a gritty bunch that always seem to overachieve when Yao and McGrady are injured. |
20 |  | Los Angeles Clippers | 19-63 | Blake Griffin gives LA fans hope. He also has some nice talent around him. |
21 |  | Charlotte Bobcats David Sentendrey | 35-47 | Larry Brown will get the most out of his players. |
22 |  | Golden State Warriors Mike Massa | 29-53 | If you aren’t familiar with the name Anthony Randolph, you soon will be. |
23 |  | Indiana Pacers Kyle Winslow | 36-46 | They get Dahntay Jones from Denver, but besides Danny Granger, Indiana has a long way to go. |
24 |  | Oklahoma City Thunder | 23-59 | This team has the best young players in the league. |
25 |  | New Jersey Nets Gregory Hrinya | 34-48 | The Nets need a lot to go right this season, but they have plenty of young talent. Harris, Lopez, Lee, and Douglas-Roberts should excite the crowd at the very least. |
26 |  | New York Knicks | 32-50 | The Knicks are gearing for 2010-11, but there’s still a season to play. David Lee and Nate Robinson are both in contract years and Danilo Gallinari gives Knicks fans reason for optimism. |
27 |  | Memphis Grizzlies John Hoffman | 24-58 | Rudy Gay and O.J. Mayo will light up the scoresheets. Iverson and Thabeet are risks that could pan out or blow up in the Grizzlies’ face. |
28 |  | Milwaukee Bucks Kris Gilson | 34-48 | The Bucks were slashing prices like Crazy Eddie this offseason. Their fans have little reason to be optimistic. |
29 |  | Minnesota Timberwolves Adam Holt | 24-58 | Minnesota’s success goes hand-in-hand with Al Jefferson’s recovery from knee surgery. He’s the T-wolves’ best player. |
30 |  | Sacramento Kings Patrick Ibarra | 17-65 | The Kings are better on paper than their recent results. The younger players need to put it together on the floor now. |
Thanks to New Jersey Nets Examiner Gregory Hrinya for his team-by-team commentary.
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