NBA mid-summer power rankings

41. A team with a 73-9 record added Kevin Durant virtually for free. The Dubs now have the winner of the last 3 MVP awards on their team. Who else can we rank #1?. (0-0). Previous: 1st. Golden State Warriors. 1. team

Cleveland Cavaliers. 2. team. 156. The champions return with no significant losses to their roster. Even if LeBron needs to sit a little more, in a concession to his age, these guys are still loaded. LBJ, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving certainly look like Big 3, V2.. (0-0). Previous: 2nd

Previous: 3rd. San Antonio Spurs. 3. team. 29. OK, Tim Duncan has retired, but he wasn’t relevant their past few seasons. Manu Ginobli and Tony Parker are aging gracefully, and LaMarcus Aldridge is hungry for a ring. Kawhi Leonard for MVP?. (0-0)

Toronto Raptors. 4. team. 81. Our team is shaping up nicely. The roster is balanced and deep. If Jonas Valanciunas improves by 10% on both ends of the floor, and we can stay away from injury woes, a repeat of last season’s 56 wins is within view.. (0-0). Previous: 4th

18. Grabbing ultra-efficient centre/forward Al Horford in free agency is quite a coup. Their lineup is full of pests, like Jae Crowder and Isaiah Thomas, and their second unit will win some games for them. Brad Stevens is due for his first Coach of the Year award.. (0-0). Previous: 5th. Boston Celtics. 5. team

77. I may be ranking them too high, despite their impressive array of weapons (Chris Paul, Blake Griffin, DeAndre Jordan). Something about this roster seems past its best-before date. But they won 53 games last year, and continuity matters.. (0-0). Previous: 6th. Los Angeles Clippers. 6. team

34. Their starting backcourt of C.J. McCollom and Damian Lillard is superb, and they have some nice pieces up front. The Blazers are defying the cliche about never trying to rebuild too quickly. Don’t sleep on this team.. (0-0). Previous: 7th. Portland Trail Blazers. 7. team

Oklahoma City Thunder. 8. team. 149. This ranking is more out of sympathy than belief. The loss of Durant is a devastating blow, and there’s serious discussion about sending away Russell Westbrook while he’s still under control. If they are compelled to make that move, they will have gone from the penthouse to the outhouse in world record time. Unti that happens, he’s still in orange and blue, as are Victor Oladipo and Steven Adams. They can compete.. (0-0). Previous: 8th

Is the loss of Dwight Howard addition by subtraction? I’m saying Yes, although I’m having difficulty seeing how they are going to defend. The Rockets will be involved in more shootouts than any other team. James Harden and Eric Gordon are the guards, and I can’t wait to see Kyle and DeMar punish them. Still, Ryan Anderson will get a lot of open looks, which will result in a bunch of 3-balls. Remember this name: Clint Capela.. (0-0). Previous: 9th. Houston Rockets. 9. team. 169

Memphis Grizzlies. 10. team. 211. Another stable team, now that Mike Conley is getting paid crazy money to stick around. Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol will score inside, although I have to wonder if the message about pace & space didn’t find its way to Tennessee. Chandler Parsons was a nice “get” in free agency, but I don’t see the secondary scoring. Jordan Farmar – why?. (0-0). Previous: 10th