THE TIMES’ RANKINGS

*--* No. Team (Rec.) Comment (last week’s rank) 1 LAKERS (7-2) Kobe goes back to passing. Shaq holds his tongue. What could go wrong now? (1) 2 HOUSTON (6-2) Good fundamentals: No. 7 in shooting, No. 1 in opponents’ percentage. (5) 3 INDIANA (8-2) Tinsley has played 40 minutes total as Pacers put Kenny Anderson at point. (2) 4 DALLAS (6-4) Mavericks still OK, if more like they were at end of last season, rather than start. (6) 5 SAN ANTONIO (6-5) West race can start now: Champs put first team on floor for first time. (10) 6 SACRAMENTO (5-4) Webber working out, but Adelman says he won’t play until December or January. (8) 7 NEW ORLEANS (7-3) Yawn: As people get excited, Hornets lose at home to Bulls and by 28 in Dallas. (4) 8 SEATTLE (6-2) Live by the three, die by the three, and Sonics try even more than Mavericks. (11) 9 DETROIT (6-4) Stop me if you’ve heard this one: East power looked OK until it came West. (3) 10 PORTLAND (5-4) Randolph averaging 21 to Wallace’s 17, so free agent-to-be Rasheed can be had.(16) 11 PHILADELPHIA (5-5) Brown’s going-away gift: Dalembert, whom he nurtured, is now somebody. (15) 12 MINNESOTA (5-5) As with Clippers, Olowokandi off slowly, but these guys can’t wait for years. (11) 13 BOSTON (5-4) Pierce shooting 39% with free-throw attempts almost cut in half. (13) 14 NEW JERSEY (5-5) Not that this should be a surprise, but long knives already out for Scott. (9) 15 PHOENIX (3-6) Bad sign: Hawks on last game of long trip, win first there since ’91. (14) 16 CHICAGO (4-7) Stung by rips he’s “Duckworthian,” Curry averages 18-10 over five. (18) 17 MILWAUKEE (5-4) Look out if he learns: Larry Brown calls Ford, shooting 34%, “sensational.” (20) 18 CLIPPERS (4-2) All of a sudden, Wilcox, who would be sitting if Brand were OK, gets it. (24) 19 GOLDEN STATE (4-4) Something’s happening here: Try Dampier first in NBA at 14.6 rebounds a game. (17) 20 UTAH (5-5) Jazz still winning games when team looks overmatched, as at Minnesota. (21) 21 WASHINGTON (3-6) Arenas averages 20-5-5, but Eddie Jordan sits him to cool off his hot head. (12) 22 MEMPHIS (5-4) Mike Miller, who got $7.8-million-a-year deal, averaging 10, shooting 37%. (22) 23 DENVER (5-4) More TV nonsense: In hyped shootout, Anthony gets 17 to McGrady’s 51. (25) 24 TORONTO (4-5) Carter’s comeback real. Unfortunately, he’s only Raptor in double figures. (19) 25 ATLANTA (3-7) Components OK. Hawks like car left on street that’s stripped for parts. (28) 26 MIAMI (2-7) Stan Van Gundy won’t be winless, after all. What are odds he’ll be back? (29) 27 NEW YORK (2-7) McDyess is due back soon. After that, Chaney better show something fast. (23) 28 CLEVELAND (3-7) Diop, considered prep bust, No. 12 in blocks, playing 16 minutes a game. (26) 29 ORLANDO (1-9) McGrady muses about retiring, but lots of Magicians will go before he does. (27)

*--*