Mark Heisler’s NBA rankings
| RANKINGS, COMMENTS THROUGH SATURDAY |
| CAVALIER TREATMENT | |
| 1. CLEVELAND (34-11) | Now LeBron can try carrying them without Mo Williams, Delonte West. (1) |
| 2. LAKERS (33-10) | If Knicks beat them, Kobe might have shown guys his “Wolfman” imitation. (2) |
| FEELING BETTER ABOUT THEMSELVES | |
| 3. BOSTON (28-13) | KG back after Rivers made him take 10 games off and they went 4-6. (3) |
| 4. ORLANDO (29-15) | Howard averaged 15 as they went 4-8, gets 19-32-20 as they go 3-0. (7) |
| 5. DENVER (29-14) | Billups should rest sore groin more often: averages 24 as they go 7-1. (5) |
| ANYTHING-CAN-HAPPEN-IN-PLAYOFFS CLUB | |
| 6. ATLANTA (28-14) | Right there with struggling Celtics, Magic, but 10 of next 14 on road. (4) |
| 7. DALLAS (28-15) | With lots of teams in dump mode, Cuban, who’ll pay, stands to land someone. (6) |
| 8. SAN ANTONIO (25-17) | Ginobili, Parker averaged 35, shot 50% in last title run in ‘07, now at 30, 45%. (8) |
| 9. UTAH (25-18) | Averaging usual 19, shooting usual 49%, can Williams finally be an All-Star? (12) |
| 10. PORTLAND (27-18) | Hits keep happening: Roy comes back from hamstring injury, lasts a week. (10) |
| 11. OKLAHOMA CITY (24-20) | How good is Durant? At 29 points, 7.2 rebounds, lone OKC player over 16, 6.1. (11) |
| 12. PHOENIX (26-19) | 12-16 since 14-2 start amid reports Sarver doesn’t want to re-sign Stoudemire. (9) |
| 13. HOUSTON (24-19) | Concern getting to point of worry with gritty Rockets 4-6 this month. (13) |
| 14. MEMPHIS (23-19) | GMs lick chops at buzz that Heisley won’t pay and would deal Rudy Gay. (15) |
| 15. NEW ORLEANS (23-20) | George Shinn Alert: Still a smidge over tax threshold, so no one’s safe. (14) |
| 18. CHARLOTTE (21-21) | Now 18-14 with Stephen Jackson. If they win 45, he should get MVP votes. (18) |
| 17. MIAMI (23-20) | Thought they had a lock on No. 5, but Bobcats, Raptors could win 42 too. (16) |
| 18. TORONTO (22-22) | Move that sank Magic hasn’t helped them either: Turkoglu averaging 13, 41%. (17) |
| 19. CHICAGO (20-22) | Confused: Just lost to Warriors, Clippers on West trip, beat Suns, Rockets. (19) |
| 20. CLIPPERS (19-23) | Must really want to be All-Star: Last time Kaman didn’t score 18 was Dec. 8. (20) |
| STILL IN IT, AT LEAST IN EAST | |
| 21. NEW YORK (17-25) | Eddy Curry needs knee surgery. Must have hurt himself thinking about playing. (23) |
| 22. MILWAUKEE (18-24) | Reality check: Jennings averaged 22, shot 42% in November, at 15 and 34% since. (21) |
| 23. PHILADELPHIA (15-28) | Iguodala, who insists on being introduced last, must love original AI’s All-Star nod. (28) |
| 24. INDIANA (15-29) | Pacers, Pistons, Bucks, Knicks within four games of No. 8 in Birdbath East. (24) |
| 25. SACRAMENTO (15-28) | With all their players, it would be nice to win a few: Just went 2-13. (22) |
| 26. DETROIT (15-28) | Prince, who remembers better days, yells at Kuester on sideline. (26) |
| 27. GOLDEN STATE (13-29) | Must really want to be All-Star: Ellis averages 31 over 13 games. (25) |
| 28. WASHINGTON (14-28) | 4-11 since Arenas story broke, just waiting for tickets to ride. (27) |
| 29. MINNESOTA (9-36) | Rambis, whose Lakers teams won 10 by Thanksgiving, should still do it by Easter. (29) |
| BLACK HOLE OF EAST RUTHERFORD | |
| 30. NEW JERSEY (3-40) | On 6-76 pace, which would break record for most losses -- by three. (30) |
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