Where they sit after summer

By John Schuhmann, NBA.com
Posted Aug 17 2009 3:46PM

Where they sit after summer

By John Schuhmann, NBA.com
Posted Aug 17 2009 3:46PM
NBA rosters are not quite finalized for the 2009-10 season, and there are still guys like David Lee, Ramon Sessions and Raymond Felton out on the market.
But this is the time when coaches and general managers start to take their vacations, with most of their summer work completed. That makes it time to take a trip around the league and rank all 30 teams as they stand in the middle of August.
This has been a summer where the rich have gotten richer and the poor have gotten poorer, with trades and free agency creating an even darker line between the haves and have-nots of the league.
As we look at it, there seems to be lines of delineation after the top five, the top 13 and the top 19. Those lines may or may not become blurred come November. There will be a team or two that will surprise, and a team or two that disappoint.
Unfortunately, there are still 71 days before the season begins, so we'll have to wait until teams can prove us right or wrong.
• Final Power Rankings of 2008-09: Still Much to be Determined

Hyperizin' Team of the Summer: Washington (+19)
Criticizin' Team of the Summer: Houston (-10)
Pace: Possessions per 48 minutes (League Rank)
Off: Points scored per 100 possessions (League Rank)
Def: Points allowed per 100 possessions (League Rank)
The league averages last season were 90.4 possessions (per team) per 48 minutes and 109.8 points scored per 100 possessions.
Last year's rankings were based on the following criteria:
1. Postseason results (how far a team made it in the Playoffs)
2. Regular season record
3. Record after the All-Star break.


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