Lakers #7 in ESPN Power Rankings

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<td colspan="5">2007-08 Power Rankings: Week 3</td>
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<td width="15%" colspan="2">RANK (LAST WK)</td>
<td width="90">TEAM</td>
<td width="40">REC.</td>
<td>COMMENT</td>
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<td align="center">1 (4)</td>
<td>Suns</td>
<td align="center">8-2</td>
<td>I'm getting a feeling that folks aren't too impressed with the Suns so far. Which tells me folks don't realize that only one other team in franchise history had a better record after 10 games: Phoenix was 9-1 in 1980-81.</td>
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<td align="center">2 (5)</td>
<td>Mavericks</td>
<td align="center">7-2</td>
<td>No argument here: Dallas has looked pretty average on more than one occasion. The Mavs have, however, won their three biggest games so far: opening night in Cleveland and home Ws over Houston and San Antonio.</td>
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<td align="center">3 (1)</td>
<td>Spurs</td>
<td align="center">8-2</td>
<td>Duncan is easing into the season like never before -- averaging just 17.6 points and 9.5 rebounds -- but I'll go out on a limb and predict that you won't be reading a Shaq-like flurry of What's Wrong With Timmy? stories.</td>
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<td align="center">4 (8)</td>
<td>Magic</td>
<td align="center">9-2</td>
<td>Remember what we said last week about being more impressed by this start than last season's 13-4 start? Who would argue now when SVG's guys are 6-0 on the road and 1-0 against the new darlings from Boston?</td>
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<td align="center">5 (2)</td>
<td>Celtics</td>
<td align="center">8-1</td>
<td>Somebody loves these guys besides Simmons. The schedule-makers, namely. Rebounding from their first L shouldn't be too tough for the Celts when they don't make their first real road trip until the day after X-Mas.</td>
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<td align="center">6 (9)</td>
<td>Hornets</td>
<td align="center">9-2</td>
<td>The Hornets lost out to Orlando on Team O' The Week honors, but they'll settle for a 4-0 week and the best start in club history. Better yet: Chris Paul (ankle) should be back for Friday's showdown with D-Will in Utah.</td>
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<td align="center">7 (10)</td>
<td>Lakers</td>
<td align="center">6-3</td>
<td>Kudos to every other Laker. They got a little more help with T-Mac going down Wednesday and Chauncey sitting out Friday, but they've also been nails through all the Kobe chatter. Especially compared to Chicago.</td>
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<td align="center">8 (7)</td>
<td>Jazz</td>
<td align="center">7-4</td>
<td>We should spend more time dissecting Utah's disappointing back-to-back defeats at Cleveland and Indiana, but we can't take our eyes off the schedule: D-Will's next three matchups are J-Kidd, Chris Paul and Billups.</td>
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<td align="center">9 (13)</td>
<td>Nuggets</td>
<td align="center">7-3</td>
<td>The teams beaten in this five-game win streak aren't of the highest stock. But don't forget that the Nuggets have already lost two players they were counting on -- Atkins and Nene -- to long-term injuries.</td>
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<td align="center">10 (6)</td>
<td>Pistons</td>
<td align="center">6-4</td>
<td>The good news: Detroit finished a road-heavy start (eight of the first 10 games) over .500 despite two injuries already (Billups and Dice). The better news to offset a bad loss in Sactown: Sheed has just one T in 10 games.</td>
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<td align="center">11 (3)</td>
<td>Rockets</td>
<td align="center">6-5</td>
<td>T-Mac has his detractors, true, but I'm guessing we can all agree that Houston has big problems without him. The Rockets are 0-3 including the game he got hurt and 11-41 sans T-Mac over three-plus seasons.</td>
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<td align="center">12 (12)</td>
<td>Cavaliers</td>
<td align="center">5-5</td>
<td>As covered here recently, LeBron knows by now not to expect sympathy from anyone. But don't you have to feel for him just a little bit when he goes for 39, 13 and 14 against Orlando . . . and it's still not enough?</td>
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<td align="center">13 (11)</td>
<td>Raptors</td>
<td align="center">5-5</td>
<td>Losing four of five at home would typically justify panic, but bouncing back from November nightmares is nothing new in the Bosh era. Counting the last two seasons, too, Toronto is 10-30 in the season's first month.</td>
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<td align="center">14 (17)</td>
<td>Bobcats</td>
<td align="center">5-4</td>
<td>The Bobs are one of just four East teams with a record over .500 and one more W will secure a new franchise record for wins in November. The best previous November in team history was a 5-11 mark in 2005-06.</td>
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<td align="center">15 (20)</td>
<td>Bucks</td>
<td align="center">4-4</td>
<td>Yi's omission from the All-Star ballot isn't a huge problem. If his Chinese fans are determined to get their rook to New Orleans, there's a write-in slot available. The real problem: Milwaukee is 3-24 on the road in 2007.</td>
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<td align="center">16 (24)</td>
<td>Wizards</td>
<td align="center">4-5</td>
<td>All four victims in Washington's revival streak are sub-.500 teams. But the Wiz can't be picky with Arenas missing Saturday's win over Portland . . . and missing a lot of shots on that still-ailing knee when he does play.</td>
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<td align="center">17 (22)</td>
<td>Heat</td>
<td align="center">2-8</td>
<td>Bold prediction: The only team in the East yet to win a home game will finally do so this week. As bad as the Heat looked in that humbling home loss to Seattle, D-Wade's return has already restored a hint of credibility.</td>
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<td align="center">18 (15)</td>
<td>Clippers</td>
<td align="center">5-4</td>
<td>Given that the five teams they've beaten -- Warriors, Sonics, Bulls, Pacers and Knicks -- began the new week at a combined 12-35, perhaps it's time to scale back some on the Clippers Don't Miss Elton nonsense.</td>
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<td align="center">19 (18)</td>
<td>Pacers</td>
<td align="center">4-6</td>
<td>With all the Kobe-Knicks-Chicago madness going on, here's a wild one you might have missed: Indy ends a six-game skid by scoring 117 points to hammer Utah by 20 . . . with J. O'Neal going for eight points, five boards.</td>
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<td align="center">20 (25)</td>
<td>Warriors</td>
<td align="center">2-6</td>
<td>First he's named a team captain. Next . . . a few MVP votes? Given how jacked up Golden State looked while S. Jackson was suspended (1-6) and how much better things look already with Jack back, how crazy are we?</td>
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<td align="center">21 (14)</td>
<td>Nets</td>
<td align="center">4-6</td>
<td>Carter was struggling mightily when he was healthy, at a mere 17.0 ppg on .395 shooting, but now look. New Jersey has scored just 77 ppg in its last four outings and is 0-5 without VC including the game he got hurt.</td>
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<td align="center">22 (16)</td>
<td>Trail Blazers</td>
<td align="center">4-6</td>
<td>Just like Milwaukee, Portland can't buy a road win and can't seem to lose at home. The difference? Three of the young Blazers' home wins are of the highest quality, coming against New Orleans, Dallas and Detroit.</td>
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<td align="center">23 (27)</td>
<td>Kings</td>
<td align="center">4-6</td>
<td>Didn't see this coming: The only King yet to clash with the new coach might be Artest. That said, Sacramento has already generated a few surprises in the Theus Era, going 3-2 since Udrih became Reggie's QB.</td>
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<td align="center">24 (19)</td>
<td>Hawks</td>
<td align="center">3-6</td>
<td>No one was expecting the Hawks to match what they did in the preseason and start 7-1, but we had a right to expect more than six losses in the past eight games after they beat Dallas on opening night. Didn't we?</td>
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<td align="center">25 (21)</td>
<td>Bulls</td>
<td align="center">2-7</td>
<td>Of all the long November trips that the Bulls have taken since MJ retired, this might be the longest. Deng is out now, for starters, and they'll just be going home to more 'Ko-be, Ko-be' chants when it finally ends.</td>
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<td align="center">26 (26)</td>
<td>76ers</td>
<td align="center">3-6</td>
<td>The AI comparisons are way premature. But if Louis Williams insists on being called Lou, that's the least we can do after his encore to a 21-point second half vs. Toronto was a 19-point second half to beat Portland.</td>
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<td align="center">27 (28)</td>
<td>Grizzlies</td>
<td align="center">2-7</td>
<td>After stunning Houston, Memphis lost each of the next three games by three points or less. Plus Pau is still out of sorts and, with Navarro heating up, wasn't even the Grizzlies' most dangerous Spaniard by week's end.</td>
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<td align="center">28 (30)</td>
<td>SuperSonics</td>
<td align="center">2-9</td>
<td>One game to go on the first extended road trip of Durant's pro career. Through four games, Seattle is 2-2 and Durant is at 16.3 ppg on 21-for-59 shooting (.356) . . . offset by that buzzer-beating 3 in OT that sunk Atlanta.</td>
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<td align="center">29 (23)</td>
<td>Knicks</td>
<td align="center">2-7</td>
<td>Peter Vecsey calls him 'Steph Infection' for a reason: Minnesota (50), New Jersey (52) and Phoenix (60) all won at least 50 games in their first season after Marbury left. The Knicks, meanwhile, have yet to win 40 with Steph.</td>
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<td align="center">30 (29)</td>
<td>Timberwolves</td>
<td align="center">1-7</td>
<td>We agree: Antoine Walker is not a guard and thus stands out among West guards on the All-Star ballot. But we repeat: League rules say each team must have three guys on the ballot. So Toine had to take Ricky Davis' spot.</td>
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