Roll reversal
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When Philadelphia traded Allen Iverson to Denver in December, it was generally assumed that the Nuggets got the better end of the deal. They were acquiring a 30-point-a-game scorer, an NBA icon and a man who was expected to lead his new team to great heights.
The 76ers, on the other hand, were simply clearing salary-cap room by adding a couple of late first-round picks and planning for the future. Philly was expected to plummet to the bottom of the standings.
So what's happened? The Nuggets have been so-so, plodding around the .500 mark, while the Sixers have suddenly come alive.
The man Philadelphia acquired from Denver in the deal – Andre Miller – has been terrific at the point, running the team and helping Andre Iguodala emerge as a star. Suddenly, the Sixers have caught fire, winning seven games in a row and surging up the Eastern Conference standings. And with cap relief and three first-rounders in the 2007 draft, Philly doesn't have a future that looks so bleak anymore.
Here's a look at this week's rankings (records and statistics are through March 11):
1.Dallas Mavericks (52-9, Last ranking: 1) – Seventeen wins in a row for the rampaging Mavs. They pummeled the struggling Lakers on Sunday night in L.A.
2.Phoenix Suns (48-14, Last ranking: 2) – It hasn't been pretty, but the Suns have won nine out of 10 since the All-Star break.
3.San Antonio Spurs (45-18, Last ranking: 3) – Manu Ginobili continued his ridiculous hot streak with a huge game in Sacramento.
4.Utah Jazz (43-19, Last ranking: 4) – Ask most general managers around the league, and they'd rather have Deron Williams than Chris Paul. Looks like the Jazz made the right choice.
5.Detroit Pistons (39-22, Last ranking: 5) – Rasheed Wallace's 16th technical landed him a one-game suspension, but the Pistons beat the Clippers in L.A. without him.
6.Houston Rockets (39-24, Last ranking: 8) – Yao Ming is back and had 37 points in a win over Orlando. Can he and Tracy McGrady stay healthy the rest of the season?
7.Cleveland Cavaliers (38-25, Last ranking: 7) – Anderson Varejao's late bucket beat Milwaukee. It was Varejao's second game-winner since the break.
8.Chicago Bulls (37-28, Last ranking: 6) – Very quietly, the Bulls are making a strong push in the East. They're 8-3 in the season's second half.
9.Miami Heat (33-29, Last ranking: 13) – Udonis Haslem's buzzer-beater defeated the Wizards, and suddenly the Heat are within a game of the lead in the Southeast Division.
10.Washington Wizards (34-28, Last ranking: 9) – The division was waiting to be taken over, but the Wizards let Miami hang around. Now it appears the Heat will overtake them.
11.Toronto Raptors (34-29, Last ranking: 10) – Memphis and Seattle showed up at the right time: The Raptors had lost three straight before winning a pair of games against two of the NBA's bottom feeders.
12.Los Angeles Lakers (33-31, Last ranking: 11) – Look out belooooooowwwww.
13.Los Angeles Clippers (29-33, Last ranking: 12) – The Clips aren't heading out on their six-game road trip on a good note: They've lost three in a row.
14.Denver Nuggets (30-31, Last ranking: 16) – The honeymoon is over in Denver, where George Karl publicly called out Carmelo Anthony for his selfish play.
15.New Orleans Hornets (28-35, Last ranking: 14) – The Hornets have lost five in a row, but the schedule softens up this week. They have to make a move soon.
16.New York Knicks (29-34, Last ranking: 17) – Stephon Marbury has played his best ball of the season since Jamal Crawford went down. Marbury is averaging 30 points per game in his last five.
17.Sacramento Kings (28-34, Last ranking: 18) – Ron Artest returned from his suspension, but he couldn't help the Kings get by Denver.
18.Golden State Warriors (29-36, Last ranking: 22) – The Warriors' almost perfect week was spoiled by a wipeout loss in Portland. Still, 3-1 isn't bad.
19.New Jersey Nets (28-35, Last ranking: 15) – The "Texas Triangle" was not kind to the Nets, who lost to all three Texas teams last week by a total of 50 points.
20.Orlando Magic (29-35, Last ranking: 21) – The Magic have to be considered one of the most disappointing teams in the league this season. They're in danger of sliding out of the playoff picture.
21.Philadelphia 76ers (25-38, Last ranking: 23) – Sixers fans are trying to figure out if this winning streak is a good thing or not. After all, they'd love to have Greg Oden or Kevin Durant, and each win makes the teams' lottery chances a little slimmer.
22.Minnesota Timberwolves (27-35, Last ranking: 20) – Ricky Davis is averaging 25 points over his last five games, but the only stat that matters is that the Wolves are 1-4 during that span.
23.Indiana Pacers (29-33, Last ranking: 19) – The collapse continues. Can the Pacers hold on and make the playoffs?
24.Atlanta Hawks (25-39, Last ranking: 27) – Joe Johnson could be out for the season, but the Hawks played well without him last week, winning three in a row.
25.Portland Trail Blazers (26-36, Last ranking: 24) – Brandon Roy is making a late push for Rookie of the Year. He's the guy the Blazers go to in the clutch.
26.Seattle SuperSonics (25-38, Last ranking: 26) – After showing signs of life after the break, the Sonics lost three in a row last week.
27.Milwaukee Bucks (23-40, Last ranking: 28) – The Bucks are getting healthy and having their moments, but the injury to Michael Redd earlier in the season killed any postseason hopes.
28.Charlotte Bobcats (22-41, Last ranking: 25) – The Bobcats' losing streak is up to eight. They're counting the days until the end of the season now.
29.Boston Celtics (18-44, Last ranking: 29) – Al Jefferson's hot play continues: He had 31 and 16 in a win over Seattle.
30.Memphis Grizzlies (16-48, Last ranking: 30) – What will happen this summer with the Grizzlies? Jerry West has talked about leaving, the team might be for sale and they may hire a new coach. Other than that, not much is going on.
