1. San Antonio. The defending champs are in for a long run of success.
2. Detroit. The futures of Larry Brown and Darko Milicic could be tied together.
3. Phoenix. Lock up Amare Stoudemire and Joe Johnson and add some depth.
4. Miami. Keep Shaq happy and healthy and Dwyane Wade will continue to blossom.
5. Indiana. Stephen Jackson, you're no Reggie. But you're going to have to be close.
6. Dallas. If Avery Johnson preaches defense enough, it eventually will sink in.
7. Houston. Yao Ming will get the first real offseason break of his pro career -- will it matter?
8. Denver. Played defense, found a transition game and finished 25-4. Things are good.
9. Seattle. It's tough to repeat such success after being forced to retool.
10. Minnesota. Kevin Garnett will turn 30 next May. He needs help. Now.
11. Sacramento. A tough summer is ahead for president Geoff Petrie, but his track record is impressive.
12. New Jersey. Keep everyone healthy and the Atlantic Division could be sewn up.
13. Cleveland. Free agent Zydrunas Ilgauskas notwithstanding, shooters are needed most.
14. Chicago. The mysterious heart ailment of free agent Eddy Curry is a question mark.
15. L.A. Lakers. It's nice to have Phil back, but he needs a point guard and a big man.
16. Boston. Trade Paul Pierce? Talk of that has died down, but that's Danny Ainge's big decision.
17. Golden State. A post scorer and better perimeter defense could fuel a playoff run.
18. Memphis. Mike Fratello covered up warts admirably last season, but the Grizz needs major changes.
19. Washington. The Wizards are unlikely to find what is needed most -- an intimidating interior defender.
20. L.A. Clippers. They're dying for a perimeter shooter (they attempted 669 3s, 563 below the league average.)
21. Philadelphia. The Sixers must make the Webber-Iverson combo work; the perimeter defense was awful.
22. Utah. The Jazz needs to get more from Carlos Boozer and pick up a pass-first point guard.
23. Portland. The talent is there; the Blazers simply must shuffle it correctly.
24. New York. The Stephon Marbury-Jamal Crawford backcourt is going nowhere.
25. Orlando. No chance for a mulligan on that Tracy McGrady-Steve Francis trade.
26. Milwaukee. This is a huge summer for the future of the organization.
27. Toronto. Terrible roster, terrible attitudes. The Raptors need talent around Chris Bosh, fast.
28. Charlotte. The Bobcats have a solid frontcourt, which is the hard part. Now, they need to fill in the wings and point guard.
29. New Orleans. Traded for a boatload of youngsters. Not sure any of them can play.
30. Atlanta. The cap space is there, but, please, don't just dump it on the first taker.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=seandeveneyspowerpoll&prov=tsn&type=lgns
Surprising to see us as high as we are. Its usually safe to assume failure with Cleveland. Times are a changin'.
2. Detroit. The futures of Larry Brown and Darko Milicic could be tied together.
3. Phoenix. Lock up Amare Stoudemire and Joe Johnson and add some depth.
4. Miami. Keep Shaq happy and healthy and Dwyane Wade will continue to blossom.
5. Indiana. Stephen Jackson, you're no Reggie. But you're going to have to be close.
6. Dallas. If Avery Johnson preaches defense enough, it eventually will sink in.
7. Houston. Yao Ming will get the first real offseason break of his pro career -- will it matter?
8. Denver. Played defense, found a transition game and finished 25-4. Things are good.
9. Seattle. It's tough to repeat such success after being forced to retool.
10. Minnesota. Kevin Garnett will turn 30 next May. He needs help. Now.
11. Sacramento. A tough summer is ahead for president Geoff Petrie, but his track record is impressive.
12. New Jersey. Keep everyone healthy and the Atlantic Division could be sewn up.
13. Cleveland. Free agent Zydrunas Ilgauskas notwithstanding, shooters are needed most.
14. Chicago. The mysterious heart ailment of free agent Eddy Curry is a question mark.
15. L.A. Lakers. It's nice to have Phil back, but he needs a point guard and a big man.
16. Boston. Trade Paul Pierce? Talk of that has died down, but that's Danny Ainge's big decision.
17. Golden State. A post scorer and better perimeter defense could fuel a playoff run.
18. Memphis. Mike Fratello covered up warts admirably last season, but the Grizz needs major changes.
19. Washington. The Wizards are unlikely to find what is needed most -- an intimidating interior defender.
20. L.A. Clippers. They're dying for a perimeter shooter (they attempted 669 3s, 563 below the league average.)
21. Philadelphia. The Sixers must make the Webber-Iverson combo work; the perimeter defense was awful.
22. Utah. The Jazz needs to get more from Carlos Boozer and pick up a pass-first point guard.
23. Portland. The talent is there; the Blazers simply must shuffle it correctly.
24. New York. The Stephon Marbury-Jamal Crawford backcourt is going nowhere.
25. Orlando. No chance for a mulligan on that Tracy McGrady-Steve Francis trade.
26. Milwaukee. This is a huge summer for the future of the organization.
27. Toronto. Terrible roster, terrible attitudes. The Raptors need talent around Chris Bosh, fast.
28. Charlotte. The Bobcats have a solid frontcourt, which is the hard part. Now, they need to fill in the wings and point guard.
29. New Orleans. Traded for a boatload of youngsters. Not sure any of them can play.
30. Atlanta. The cap space is there, but, please, don't just dump it on the first taker.
http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=seandeveneyspowerpoll&prov=tsn&type=lgns
Surprising to see us as high as we are. Its usually safe to assume failure with Cleveland. Times are a changin'.
