SH Blog: Latest News & Rumors Around The NBA

And if you missed Chris Sheridan’s August power rankings and how they relate to where Alridge sees things playing out, here are a few notables:

Yes, things have changed. And they will keep changing in August … and then in September when we can get rolling on all the Rajon Rondo and Pau Gasol trade rumors that will keep us occupied until mid-February, after which we can look forward to The Decision II after LeBron James opts out of his contract.

Here are Sheridan’s top-five for next season. Let the debate begin.

RANK	TEAM	THE RUNDOWN	LAST
1	HEAT (66-16)	They really didn’t need Mike Miller, who was amnestied and fell into the lap of his original team, the Grizzlies. He was nice to have around when somebody, anybody, needed to hit a big 3-point shot in a closeout game. But that job will now fall to Rashard Lewis or Ray Allen or LeBron. They are all capable.	–
2	PACERS (49-32)	If I was a gambling man, I’d pick them to win the title — and I would get some very decent odds. The Luis Scola trade put them right up there with Brooklyn as the team that improved the most over the course of the season. Chris Copeland will be a key contributor off the bench, but what will make or break this team is the play of guards George Hill and Lance Stephenson.	–
3	NETS (48-33)	Paul Pierce will not have to be the de facto point guard, as he was after Rajon Rondo’s injury. Kevin Garnett will not have to be the de facto center, which he was for the past two seasons. Andrei Kirilenko and Andray Blatche can get them past the Pacers. Jason Kidd can be the good cop, Garnett will be the bad cop. They will be fierce.	–
4	SPURS (58-24)	In case you’ve forgotten, Gregg Popovich cost this team the title. He is not a genius anymore. Great coaches don’t do things in Game 6 of the NBA Finals the same way they do things during the regular season. They adapt to the situation. It’s called tactics. It’s called adjusting on the fly. He did neither. And he acted like a jerk during his podium time. Time to lighten up, Pop. Show some class. Show some savvy.	–
5	THUNDER(60-22)	On principle, I should be ranking them beneath the Rockets (Sam Presti is no genius either, but at least he didn’t coach his team out of a championship, a la Pop.) The fact of the matter is that Kevin Durant is a more valuable player than Dwight Howard, and the same goes for Russell Westbrook when comparing him to James Harden. They’d better hope they have something in Jeremy Lamb.