The NBA Season So Far

With the NBA taking some time off for the All-Star game, this would be a great time for Mid-Season power rankings.

The Los Angeles Lakers have not blinked an eye this year so far. They went on a long east coast road trip and beat some of the toughest teams in the league.

While the Boston Celtics have been pushed the hardest so far. Since they are the defending champs, they have gotten every one's best, and have still maintained a top level of performance.

1. Los Angeles Lakers, Even without Andrew Bynum, the Lakers haven't skipped a beat. Lamar Odom had one of his best games last Saturday at Cleveland while Kobe was struggling with the flu. This proved that even if Kobe isn't 100 percent the Lakers are a tough team to beat.

2. Cleveland Cavaliers, Mo Williams was finally given a all-star spot and it was well deserved. His play has helped the Cavaliers to the reach the top of the East. Lebron James has improved his free throw shot and his leadership qualities.

3. Boston Celtics, They have responded to every one's best shot so far in the season. The Celtics though have missed the presence of P.J. Brown so far. But they will end the season with a top seed in the east and will be tough to play against in the playoffs.

4. San Antonia Spurs, You just can't kill these guys. They are like Jason or Freddy, they keep coming back to scare people. And trust me, they scare plenty people.

5. Orlando Magic, While they will miss Jameer Nelson, they still have Dwight Howard. Even though they are worried about him participating in the dunk contest.

6. Denver Nuggets, Denver has not looked back since trading Allen Iverson for Chauncey Billips. Even Carmelo has made a bigger commitment to defense and has improved. They are feeling real good in Denver right now.

7. Portland Trailblazers, While GM Kevin Pritchard has gotten on a lot of people's nerves, the Blazers have played up to expectations. While they are worried in Portland about Brandon Roy and LeMarcus Aldridge's playing time, the Blazers haven't skipped a beat.

8. Houston Rockets, While Tracy McGrady has been a shell of his former self, the Rockets have played well this season. Their coach, Rick Adelman, doesn't get enough credit as a coach.

9. New Orleans Hornets, The Hornets have struggled this season with the toughest competition. And Chris Paul's injury hasn't helped. There has been rumors of the Hornets that they might want to dump salary and the colossal disappointment Tyson Chandler could be first.

10. Utah Jazz, I don't now how Jerry Sloan does it. Carlos Boozer has already said that he is leaving after the season and he has only played in limited action this season. They keep on winning with the combination of youth and experience.

11. Dallas Mavericks, While they lost a heart breaker to the Celtics last night, the Mavericks keep chugging along. On the plus side, Mark Cuban has only had one argument with the refs so far this season.

12. Phoenix Suns, How's that Terry Porter move working out so far. While the team has dismissed rumors that they are considering firing the first year coach, the season hasn't turned out the way they would have wanted it. At least they are not thinking about trading Amare, oh wait.

13. Philadelphia 76ers, While Thaddeus Young has been a surprised, the whole Elton Brand situation hasn't been what they expected. The Sixers though have played better without him.

14. Miami Heat, While Michael Beasley will enjoy the break, Shawn Marion will enjoy packing his bags for Toronto.

15. Atlanta Hawks, The Hawks have played well despite injuries. And with Mike Bibby on the bench, Acie Law didn't exactly play well. They should still stay in the hunt for a playoff bid.

16. Detroit Pistons, The Pistons have looked very average this season. They sure could use the rest right now.

17. Chicago Bulls, The Bulls probably have been the biggest disappointment this season. Their coach Vinny Del Negro is way in over his head and could be right behind GM John Paxon on the way out.

18. New Jersey Nets, The Nets are happy to be were they are at, but they need an trade to improve their prospects. Only one problem, they don't now what to do at the deadline.

19. New York Knicks, No team is happier to see the break than the Knicks. They have found several ways to lose this season.

20. Charlotte Bobcats, Good thing for the Bobcats, North Carolina doesn't care about pro basketball. As usual Larry Brown hates his players and wants new ones all the time.

21. Oklahoma Sonics, They have improved from their horrible start. Kevin Durant has looked like the real deal, and they could be in the thick of things when it comes to free agents this off season.

22. Golden State Warriors, With Monte Ellis back the Warriors have received an injection of energy in their lineup. And their home court advantage has come back also.

23. Minnesota Timberwolves, They will miss Al Jefferson but they won't miss the lottery.

24. Indiana Pacers, Well at least Danny Granger has played great.

25. Milwaukee Bucks, It's been kind of depressing in Wisconsin this year. First Michael Redd goes down, while ownership is having a hard time trying to keep the Bucks in Milwaukee.

26. Toronto Raptors, Well at least they got rid of that albatross of an contact known as Jermaine O'Neal out of town. At least they made the right decision in getting rid of Matt Bonner and George Mason. Oh wait...

27. Los Angeles Clippers, Nothing can be going right when your former GM is suing you for age and racial discrimination.

28. Memphis Grizzlies, Hey look on the bright side, it can't get worse. And here is a plan for your future.

29. Washington Wizards, I guess signing Gilbert Arenas was the right move. All they can do for the rest of the season is work hard.

30. Sacramento Kings, I am so depressed over my Kings, that I'd rather move on.

The rest of the season should be interesting. Look for a lot of moves before the trade deadline to free cap space for the 2010 season.