Words: Brad GrahamCan it be that it was all so simple?
Short of actually waiting around until June 2010, there are literally dozens of ways to predetermine who should (and will) win the NBA title. When this particular hoops junkie started loving this Game (like the NBA’s theme song of ‘94 told me that I should), my eighth grade math skills were put to good use for the very first time, creating a simple and easy to follow formula (you simply rank each C, PF, SF, SG, PG, Sixth Man, Head Coach and Bench from 30 down to one, then add them all up) to determine the NBA’s best. Simple enough, right?
Having recently dusted off the cobwebs from this long forgotten gem, I spent the better part of the 2009/10 NBA season opener between the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers, speculating whether or not this over simplified equation could be applied to the 30 NBA teams of today (instead of the 27 that were ranked back in ’94). Why? Because box score calculations, positive / negative performances, and any number of exact science accumulations are emotionless formulas lacking understanding and that all important real world human-based response.
More so, they aren’t the complete truth anyway...and debate is always fun.
What’s interesting is determining who rules the NBA’s landscape by positional rank, which not only highlights positional match-ups and their weaknesses, but it’s a far more interesting recipe for determining projected NBA success.
With specific players (we’re looking at you, Yao) sidelined for the season, certain teams are obviously without their strongest core each night on the NBA hardwood. On that tip, let's consider the Houston Rockets. They could be ranked as highly as 2nd in the Centre standings, or as low as 27th, pending on their full-time starter. This alteration subsequently affects their bench ranking while simultaneously having the potential to elevate their Head Coach’s position, pending the team’s success of course. Plus, overall rankings may not be as adversely affected as one may think, given this basic system of addition rewards overall franchise strength, not muscle at a singular position (which explains how Cleveland and the Detroit Pistons ended up in their respective spots). Point being, it’s better to score average in all eight categories than to standout in a few, this time around.
With the 2009/10 season in its infancy, and my inability to let the thought go, it was time to see if the following 15 year old formula still held any universal truth. Is it accurate? Time to find out…
Note: following each Overall Team Ranking there are the respective positional (C, PF, SF, SG, PG, Sixth Man, Head Coach and Bench) placements as well as Conference and Division breakdowns. Enjoy.
OVERALL TEAM TOTALS.
(C + PF + SF + SG + PG + Sixth Man + Coach + Bench). Max: 240 pts. Min: 8 pts.
01. Los Angeles Lakers: 197
02. Boston Celtics: 178
03. Utah Jazz: 176
04. Dallas Mavericks: 168
05. Orlando Magic: 167
06. San Antonio Spurs: 164
07. Houston Rockets: 162
08. Denver Nuggets: 157
09. Portland Trail Blazers: 143
10. Washington Wizards: 142
11. New Orleans Hornets: 135
12. Atlanta Hawks: 132
13. Detroit Pistons: 126
14. Phoenix Suns: 124
15. Cleveland Cavaliers: 122
16. Toronto Raptors: 117
17. Philadelphia 76ers: 114
18. New York Knicks: 112
19. Miami Heat: 110
20. Chicago Bulls: 109
21. Memphis Grizzlies: 109
22. Los Angeles Clippers: 108
23. Charlotte Bobcats: 105
24 Milwaukee Bucks: 95
25. Indiana Pacers: 94
26. Golden State Warriors: 81
27. New Jersey Nets: 71
28. Sacramento Kings: 67
29. Oklahoma City Thunder: 60
30. Minnesota Timberwolves: 60
STARTING CENTERS.
01. Dwight Howard (Orlando Magic) – 30pts.
02. Yao Ming (Houston Rockets) – 29pts.
03. Nene (Denver Nuggets) – 28pts.
04. Al Jefferson (Minnesota Timberwolves) – 27pts.
05. Shaquille O’Neal (Cleveland Cavaliers) – 26pts.
06. Mehmet Okur (Utah Jazz) – 25pts.
07. Tyson Chandler (Charlotte Bobcats) – 24pts.
08. Emeka Okafor (New Orleans Hornets) – 23pts.
09. Andrew Bogut (Milwaukee Bucks) – 22pts.
10. Andrea Bargnani (Toronto Raptors) – 21pts.
11. Jermaine O’Neal (Miami Heat) – 20pts.
12. Al Horford (Atlanta Hawks) – 19pts.
13. Chris Kaman (Los Angeles Clippers) – 18pts.
14. Andrew Bynum (Los Angeles Lakers) – 17pts.
15. Marc Gasol (Memphis Grizzlies) – 16pts.
16. Ben Wallace (Detroit Pistons) – 15pts.
17. Greg Oden (Portland Trail Blazers) – 14pts.
18. Samuel Dalembert (Philadelphia 76ers) – 13pts.
19. Andris Beidrins (Golden State Warriors) – 12pts.
20. Eric Dampier (Dallas Mavericks) – 11pts.
21. Kendrick Perkins (Boston Celtics) – 10pts.
22. David Lee (New York Knicks) – 9pts.
23. Nenad Krstic (Oklahoma City Thunder) – 8pts.
24. Fabrico Oberto (Washington Wizrads) – 7pts.
25. Brook Lopez (New Jersey Nets) – 6pts.
26. Joakim Noah (Chicago Bulls) – 5pts.
27. Roy Hibbert (Indiana Pacers) – 4pts.
28. Robin Lopez (Phoenix Suns) – 3pts.
29. Sean May (Sacramento Kings) – 2pts.
30. Matt Bonner (San Antonio Spurs) – 1pt.
STARTING POWER FORWARDS.
01. Tim Duncan (San Antonio Spurs) – 30pts.
02. Kevin Garnett (Boston Celtics) – 29pts.
03. Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas Mavericks) – 28pts.
04. Amar’e Stoudemire (Phoenix Suns) – 27pts.
05. Pau Gasol (Los Angeles Lakers) – 26pts.
06. Chris Bosh (Toronto Raptors) – 25pts.
07. David West (New Orleans Hornets) – 24pts.
08. Carlos Boozer (Utah Jazz) – 23pts.
09. LaMarcus Aldridge (Portland Trail Blazers) – 22pts.
10. Elton Brand (Philadelphia 76ers) – 21pts.
11. Rashard Lewis (Orlando Magic) – 20pts.
12. Boris Diaw (Charlotte Bobcats) – 19pts.
13. Josh Smith (Atlanta Hawks) – 18pts.
14. Antawn Jamison (Washington Wizards) – 17pts.
15. Udonis Halsem (Miami Heat) – 16pts.
16. Luis Scola (Houston Rockets) – 15pts.
17. Troy Murphy (Indiana Pacers) – 14pts.
18. Zach Randolph (Memphis Grizzlies) – 13pts.
19. Kenyon Martin (Denver Nuggets) – 12pts.
20. Blake Griffin (Los Angeles Clippers) – 11pts.
21. Jason Thompson (Sacramento Kings)– 10pts.
22. Anderson Varejao (Cleveland Cavaliers) – 9pts.
23. Tyrus Thomas (Chicago Bulls) – 8pts.
24. Jeff Green (Oklahoma City Thunder) – 7pts.
25. Hakim Warrick (Milwaukee Bucks) – 6pts.
26. Kevin Love (Minnesota Timberwolves) – 5pts.
27. Charlie Villanueva (Detroit Pistons) – 4pts.
28. Yi Jianlian (New Jersey Nets) – 3pts.
29. Ronny Turiaf (Golden State Warriors) – 2pts.
30. Jared Jeffries (New York Knicks) – 1pt.
STARTING SMALL FORWARDS.
01. LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers) – 30pts.
02. Carmelo Anthony (Denver Nuggets) – 29pts.
03. Paul Pierce (Boston Celtics) – 28pts.
04. Kevin Durant (Oklahoma City Thunder) – 27pts.
05. Caron Butler (Washington Wizards) – 26pts.
06. Danny Granger (Indiana Pacers) – 25pts.
07. Hedo Turkoglu (Toronto Raptors) – 24pts.
08. Shawn Marion (Dallas Mavericks) – 23pts.
09. Tayshaun Prince (Detroit Pistons) – 22pts.
10. Ron Artest (Los Angeles Lakers) – 21pts.
11. Gerald Wallace (Charlotte Bobcats) – 20pts.
12. Rudy Gay (Memphis Grizzlies) – 19pts.
13. Grant Hill (Phoenix Suns) – 18pts.
14. Andrei Kirilenko (Utah Jazz) – 17pts.
15. Al Harrington (New York Knicks) – 16pts.
16. Stephen Jackson (Golden State Warriors) – 15pts.
17. Richard Jefferson (San Antonio Spurs) – 14pts.
18. Shane Battier (Houston Rockets) – 13pts.
19. Luol Deng (Chicago Bulls) – 12pts.
20. Michael Beasley (Miami Heat) – 11pts.
21. Thaddeus Young (Philadelphia 76ers) – 10pts.
22. Julian Wright (New Orleans Hornets) – 9pts.
23. Michel Peitrus (Orlando Magic) – 8pts.
24. Ryan Gomes (Minnesota Timberwolves) – 7pts.
25. Marvin Williams (Atlanta Hawks) – 6pts.
26. Francisco Garcia (Sacramento Kings) – 5pts.
27. Martell Webster (Portland Trail Blazers) – 4pts.
28. Carlos Delfino (Milwaukee Bucks) – 3pts.
29. Al Thorton (Los Angeles Clippers) – 2pts.
30. Chris Douglas-Roberts (New Jersey Nets) – 1pt.
STARTING SHOOTING GUARDS.
01. Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers) – 30pts.
02. Dwyane Wade (Miami Heat) – 29pts.
03. Vince Carter (Orlando Magic) – 28pts.
04. Brandon Roy (Portland Trail Blazers)– 27pts.
05. Joe Johnson (Atlanta Hawks) – 26pts.
06. Tracy McGrady (Houston Rockets) – 25pts.
07. Ray Allen (Boston Celtics) – 24pts.
08. Michael Redd (Milwaukee Bucks) – 23pts.
09. Andre Iguodala (Philadelphia 76ers) – 22pts.
10. Richard Hamilton (Detroit Pistons) – 21pts.
11. Josh Howard (Dallas Mavericks) – 20pts.
12. Kevin Martin (Sacramento Kings) – 19pts.
13. Mike Miller (Washington Wizards) – 18pts.
14. John Salmons (Chicago Bulls) – 17pts.
15. Raja Bell (Charlotte Bobcats) – 16pts.
16. JR Smith (Denver Nuggets) – 15pts.
17. OJ Mayo (Memphis Grizzlies) – 14pts.
18. Jason Richardson (Phoenix Suns) – 13pts.
19. Wilson Chandler (New York Knicks) – 12pts.
20. Eric Gordon (Los Angeles Clippers) – 11pts.
21. Michael Finley (San Antonio Spurs) – 10pts.
22. Ronnie Brewer (Utah Jazz) – 9pts.
23. Anthony Parker (Cleveland Cavaliers) – 8pts.
24. Mike Dunleavy (Indiana Pacers) – 7pts.
25. DeMarr DeRozen (Toronto Raptors) – 6pts.
26. Morris Peterson (New Orleans Hornets) – 5pts.
27. Thabo Sefolosha (Oklahoma City Thunder) – 4pts.
28. Corey Brewer (Minnesota Timberwolves) – 3pts.
29. Courtney Lee (New Jersey Nets) – 2pts.
30. Stephen Curry (Golden State Warriors) – 1pt.
STARTING POINT GUARDS.
01. Chris Paul (New Orleans Hornets) – 30pts.
02. Deron Williams (Utah Jazz) – 29pts.
03. Chauncey Billups (Denver Nuggets) – 28pts.
04. Steve Nash (Phoenix Suns) – 27pts.
05. Tony Parker (San Antonio Spurs) – 26pts.
06. Gilbert Arenas (Washington Wizards) – 25pts.
07. Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls) – 24pts.
08. Devin Harris (New Jersey Nets) – 23pts.
09. Baron Davis (Los Angeles Clippers) – 22pts.
10. Jason Kidd (Dallas Mavericks) – 21pts.
11. Mo Williams (Cleveland Cavaliers) – 20pts.
12. Jameer Nelson (Orlando Magic) – 19pts.
13. Derek Fisher (Los Angeles Laskers) – 18pts.
14. Rajon Rondo (Boston Celtics) – 17pts.
15. Mike Bibby (Atlanta Hawks) – 16pts.
16. Jose Calderon (Toronto Raptors) – 15pts.
17. TJ Ford (Indiana Pacers) – 14pts.
18. Monta Ellis (Golden State Warriors) – 13pts.
19. Rodney Stuckey (Detroit Pistons) – 12pts.
20. Chris Duhon (New York Knicks) – 11pts.
21. Mike Conley (Memphis Grizzlies) – 10pts.
22. Tyreke Evans (Sacramento Kings) – 9pts.
23. Jonny Flynn (Minnesota Timberwolves) – 8pts.
24. Brandon Jennings (Milwaukee Bucks) – 7pts.
25. Mario Chalmers (Miami Heat) – 6pts
26. Raymond Felton (Charlotte Bobcats) – 5pts.
27. Aaron Brooks (Houston Rockets) – 4pts.
28. Steve Blake (Portland Trail Blazers – 3pts.
29. Lou Williams (Philadelphia 76ers) – 2pts.
30. Russell Westbrook (Oklahoma City Thunder) – 1pt.
SIXTH MEN.
01. Manu Ginobili (San Antonio Spurs) – 30pts.
02. Allen Iverson (Memphis Grizzlies) – 29pts.
03. Rasheed Wallace (Boston Celtics) – 28pts.
04. Lamar Odom (Los Angeles Laskers) – 27pts.
05. Jason Terry (Dallas Mavericks) – 26pts.
06. Ben Gordon (Detroit Pistons) – 25pts.
07. Paul Millsap (Utah Jazz) – 24pts.
08. Marcus Camby (Los Angeles Clippers) – 23pts.
09. Trevor Ariza (Houston Rockets) – 22pts.
10. Andre Miller (Portland Trail Blazers) – 21pts.
11. Brad Miller (Chicago Bulls) – 20pts.
12. Rafer Alston (New Jersey Nets) – 19pts.
13. Leandro Barbosa (Phoenix Suns) – 18pts.
14. James Posey (New Orleans Hornets) – 17pts.
15. Jamal Crawford (Atlanta Hawks) – 16pts.
16. Randy Foye (Washington Wizards) – 15pts.
17. Nate Robinson (New York Knicks) – 14pts.
18. Andres Nocioni (Sacramento Kings) – 13pts.
19. Marreese Speights (Philadelphia 76ers) – 12pts.
20. Delonte West (Cleveland Cavaliers) – 11pts.
21. Corey Maggette (Golden State Warriors) – 10pts.
22. Charlie Bell (Milwaukee Bucks) – 9pts.
23. Chris Andersen (Denver Nuggets) – 8pts.
24. Brandon Bass (Orlando Magic) – 7pts.
25. Jarrett Jack (Toronto Raptors) – 6pts.
26. DJ Augustin (Charlotte Bobcats) – 5pts.
27. James Harden (Oklahoma City Thunder) – 4pts.
28. Quentin Richardson (Miami Heat) – 3pts.
29. Dahntay Jones (Indiana Pacers) – 2pts.
30. Damien Wilkins (Minnesota Timberwolves) – 1pt.
COACHES.
01. Phil Jackson (Los Angeles Lakers) – 30pts.
02. Jerry Sloan (Utah Jazz) – 29pts.
03. Greg Popovich (San Antonio Spurs) – 28pts.
04. Rick Adelman (Houston Rockets) – 27pts.
05. Stan Van Gundy (Orlando Magic) – 26pts.
06. Mike D’Antoni (New York Knicks) – 25pts.
07. Larry Brown (Charlotte Bobcats) – 24pts.
08. Flip Saunders (Washington Wizards) – 23pts.
09. Nate McMillian (Portland Trail Blazers) – 22pts.
10. George Karl (Denver Nuggets) – 21pts.
11. Doc Rivers (Boston Celtics) – 20pts.
12. Eddie Jordan (Philadelphia 76ers) – 19pts.
13. Don Nelson (Golden State Warriors) – 18pts.
14. Scott Skiles (Milwaukee Bucks) – 17pts.
15. Rick Carlisle (Dallas Mavericks) – 16pts.
16. Lawrence Frank (New Jersey Nets) – 15pts.
17. Bryon Scott (New Orleans Hornets) – 14pts.
18. Erik Spoelstra (Miami Heat) – 13pts.
19. Alvin Gentry (Phoenix Suns) – 12pts.
20. Jim O’Brien (Indiana Pacers) – 11pts.
21. Mike Woodson (Atlanta Hawks) – 10pts.
22. Mike Brown (Cleveland Cavaliers) – 9pts.
23. Paul Westphal (Sacramento Kings) – 8pts.
24. Mike Dunleavy (Los Angeles Clippers) – 7pts.
25. Scott Brooks (Oklahoma City Thunder) – 6pts.
26. Kurt Rambis (Minnesota Timberwolves) – 5pts.
27. Vinny Del Negro (Chicago Bulls) – 4pts.
28. Lionel Hollins (Memphis Grizzlies) – 3pts.
29. Jay Triano (Toronto Raptors) – 2pts.
30. John Kuester (Detroit Pistons) – 1pt.
BENCHES.
01. Portland Trail Blazers – 30pts.
02. Orlando Magic – 29pts.
03. Los Angeles Lakers – 28pts.
04. Houston Rockets – 27pts.
05. Detroit Pistons – 26pts.
06. San Antonio Spurs – 25pts.
07. New York Knicks – 24pts.
08. Dallas Mavericks – 23pts.
09. Boston Celtics – 22pts.
10. Atlanta Hawks – 21pts.
11. Utah Jazz – 20pts.
12. Chicago Bulls – 19pts.
13. Toronto Raptors – 18pts.
14. Indiana Pacers – 17pts.
15. Denver Nuggets – 16pts.
16. Philadelphia 76ers – 15pts.
17. Los Angeles Clippers – 14pts.
18. New Orleans Hornets – 13pts.
19. Miami Heat – 12pts.
20. Washington Wizards – 11pts.
21. Golden State Warriors – 10pts.
22. Cleveland Cavaliers – 9pts.
23. Milwaukee Bucks – 8pts.
24. Charlotte Bobcats – 7pts.
25. Phoenix Suns – 6pts.
26. Memphis Grizzlies – 5pts.
27. Minnesota Timberwolves – 4pts.
28. Oklahoma City Thunder – 3pts.
29. New Jersey Nets – 2pts.
30. Sacramento Kings – 1pt.
BY CONFERENCE.
EAST.
Boston Celtics: 178
Orlando Magic: 167
Washington Wizards: 142
Atlanta Hawks: 132
Detroit Pistons: 126
Cleveland Cavaliers: 122
Toronto Raptors: 117
Philadelphia 76ers: 114
New York Knicks: 112
Miami Heat: 110
Chicago Bulls: 109
Charlotte Bobcats: 105
Milwaukee Bucks: 95
Indiana Pacers: 94
New Jersey Nets: 71
WEST.
Los Angeles Lakers: 197
Utah Jazz: 176
Dallas Mavericks: 168
San Antonio Spurs: 164
Houston Rockets: 162
Denver Nuggets: 157
Portland Trail Blazers: 143
New Orleans Hornets: 135
Phoenix Suns: 124
Memphis Grizzlies: 109
Los Angeles Clippers: 108
Golden State Warriors: 81
Sacramento Kings: 67
Oklahoma City Thunder: 60
Minnesota Timberwolves: 60
BY DIVISION.
SOUTHEAST.
Orlando Magic: 167
Washington Wizards: 142
Atlanta Hawks: 132
Miami Heat: 110
Charlotte Bobcats: 105
ATLANTIC.
Boston Celtics: 178
Toronto Raptors: 117
Philadelphia 76ers: 114
New York Knicks: 112
New Jersey Nets: 71
CENTRAL.
Detroit Pistons: 126
Cleveland Cavaliers: 122
Chicago Bulls: 109
Milwaukee Bucks: 95
Indiana Pacers: 94
PACIFIC.
Los Angeles Lakers: 197
Phoenix Suns: 124
Los Angeles Clippers: 108
Golden State Warriors: 81
Sacramento Kings: 67
MIDWEST.
Dallas Mavericks: 168
San Antonio Spurs: 164
Houston Rockets: 162
New Orleans Hornets: 135
Memphis Grizzlies: 109
NORTHWEST.
Utah Jazz: 176
Denver Nuggets: 157
Portland Trail Blazers: 143
Oklahoma City Thunder: 60
Minnesota Timberwolves: 60
