Meanwhile, nobody knows what to make of the Rockets or Knicks
Is anyone still on the "Spurs aren't ready" bus? Yeah, yeah, I know they "have to show it in the playoffs," but let's call it what it is: San Antonio is a top-tier contender because the Spurs are an incredibly well-rounded and deep team with a player in Victor Wembanyama who geometrically alters an NBA floor to a degree we haven't seen since prime Stephen Curry.
Curry expanded the space you had to cover. Wembanyama, who turned what has always been a clear distance of separation into blocked shots, shrinks the space in which you have to operate. It changes everything, including this so-called "have to take all the steps" timeline everyone loves to call a championship requirement. The 2015 Warriors won one playoff series with Curry before jumping from 51 wins to 67 and winning the whole thing.
I'm not saying the Spurs will do that, but if they don't it won't be because they're not ready. The West is just a torture chamber. Only one team can survive. But that's still a month and change down the road. Right now, there is no way to call the Spurs, who have won nine straight and beaten the Thunder four times, anything other than the best team in the league. With that, let's get to this week's Power Rankings.
- Note: As a general Power Rankings rule, we're going to try to strike a balance between what we've seen in the last week, the season as a whole so far, and what can reasonably be expected to play out over the rest of the season. This week there is a greater emphasis on that last factor after the trade deadline has passed and given us a clear picture of where every roster officially stands.
- We will not go so far as to rank these teams based on championship expectations, because in that case it would take a lot more to alter, at least in tiers, the generally accepted hierarchy. Winning matters, and it will get you on the move up this board form week to week. But if you're beating bad teams, just as an example, and probably playing a little above your head, it's not necessarily going to be reflected in a completely commensurate climb up the rankings. Or vice versa.
