2015 NBA Mock Draft -- Pre-Final Four Update

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The 2015 NBA Draft order used in our 2015 NBA mock draft is based on the inverse order of our NBA Power Rankings.

Here is my projection of our 2015 NBA mock draft:

1. New York Knicks: Jahlil Okafor, C, Duke

For most of the season, Okafor seemed to be a lock for the No. 1 overall pick. While he may no longer be a lock for the top spot, Okafor is an extremely skilled big man on the offensive end of the court . Okafor is averaging 17.5 points and 8.7 rebounds per game on the year.

For what it's worth, Charley Rosen, a Phil Jackson confidant and former assistant coach, says that Kentucky's Karl-Anthony Towns doesn't have the "big butt" needed to flourish in the triangle offense, per Marc Berman of the NY Post.

2. Minnesota Timberwolves: Karl-Anthony Towns, C, Kentucky

A much better prospect than Okafor on the defensive end, Towns is viewed by several as the top overall prospect in this year's draft class. Playing only 20.8 minutes per game for the 38-0 Wildcats, Towns ranks first in the country in Defensive Rating (77.0) and Win Shares Per 40 Minutes (.315), via Sports Reference.

3. Los Angeles Lakers: Emmanuel Mudiay, PG, China

After originally committing to Larry Brown's SMU, Mudiay decided to sign a one-year, $1.2 million contract in China. An ankle injury limited the 6-foot-5 point guard to only 12 games, but he averaged 18.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.6 steals per game. 4. Philadelphia 76ers: D'Angelo Russell, PG, Ohio State

While Okafor and Towns may have more upside, the Sixers could use backcourt help with a future front court of Joel Embiid, Nerlens Noel and Dario Saric. With the versatility to play the point or off guard spots, Russell is a talented scorer with excellent range, but he has the ability to create for others as well. The freshman averaged 19.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.6 steals per game this season.

5. Orlando Magic: Justise Winslow, SF, Duke

An athletic and strong wing player with an excellent motor, Winslow, son of Phi Slamma Jamma's Ricky Winslow, has scored in double digits in all but one of his past 18 games. During that stretch, Winslow has seven double-doubles and has averaged 14.56 points, 8.2 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game and he has made 23-of-45 (51.1 percent) three-point attempts.

6. Sacramento Kings: Kristaps Porzingis, PF, Latvia

Only 19 years old, Porzingis is a skilled seven-footer that would have likely been a first-round pick last year had he not withdrawn from the 2014 NBA Draft. Porzingis has drawn some comparisons to Dirk Nowitzki. As current Sevilla teammate Derrick Byars said, "Kristaps has a Nowitzki-like offensive skill set. He's 7-1, can shoot, can put the ball on the floor, can block shots, he's mobile and athletic. There's not much he can't do on the floor."

7. Denver Nuggets: Stanley Johnson, SF, Arizona

Small forwards Wilson Chandler and Danilo Galinari will both become unrestricted free agents after the upcoming season. Johnson already has an NBA body and excels as a defender and rebounder and has drawn some comparisons to Metta World Peace. Johnson has averaged 13.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game. Although he's not a great shooter, but Johnson has knocked down 37.1 percent of his three-pointers this season.

9. Detroit Pistons: Willie Cauley-Stein, C, Kentucky

Cauley-Stein may be the most unique prospect eligible for the draft in that the seven-footer has the versatility to defend all five positions on the floor. Although he runs the floor well and is an excellent athlete, he has plenty of limitations on the offensive end at this point in his development, however.



9. Atlanta Hawks (via Brooklyn Nets): Kevon Looney, PF, UCLA

The versatile power forward actually played point guard as a senior in high school and has had a strong freshman season -- 11.6 points, 9.2 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 0.9 blocks per game and shot 41.5 percent from three-point range. Meanwhile, Paul Millsap is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

10. Boston Celtics: Myles Turner, PF, Texas

Turner has plenty of upside as an athletic seven-footer that can rebound and block shots (2.6 per game) and has the ability to knock down shots from behind the three-point line. At the same time, he's been incredibly inconsistent this season. Later in the lottery, however, he's certainly worth the gamble on his upside.

11. Milwaukee Bucks: Kelly Oubre, SF, Kansas

Despite struggles in his last four games (7.25 PPG, 3.75 RPG, 0.75 SPG), Oubre was coming on strong in his previous five games (15.6 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 2.0 SPG and 1.2 BPG). In a way, that was his season as the freshman struggled with consistency, but he's an excellent wing defender with good size and athleticism as well as a solid jumper.

12. Philadelphia 76ers (via Miami Heat): Mario Hezonja, SF, Croatia

There is a good chance that Hezonja may not be available at this point, but the Sixers can use their second of two lottery picks on a player they can stash in Europe a little longer. Hezonja, who recently turned 20, is an athletic wing that can score and shoot from anywhere.

13. Charlotte Hornets: Bobby Portis, PF, Arkansas

Perhaps Portis will return as he recently said that he's "leaning toward coming back just because we lost and I hate losing." If he declares, however, Portis could be a potential lottery pick. Portis was named SEC Player of the Year and averaged 17.5 points and 8.9 rebounds per game.

14. Indiana Pacers: Frank Kaminsky, C, Wisconsin

The likely winner of the Naismith award as college basketball's best player, Kaminsky is having a phenomenal senior season as he leads Wisconsin in scoring (18.7/G), rebounding (8.0/G), blocks (1.5/G) and assists (2.7/G). In addition, the seven-footer is second on the squad in three-point shooting (41.5 percent).

15. Utah Jazz: Trey Lyles, PF, Kentucky

The third Wildcat in the first half of this mock, Lyles has the ability to score both inside and outside and could play either forward spot for the Jazz.

- Continue to picks 16-30 in our 2015 NBA Mock Draft

For more mock drafts, check out our 2015 NBA Mock Draft Database.

In addition, check out our 2015 NFL Mock Draft, our 2016 NFL Mock Draft and/or 2015 NFL Mock Draft Database.

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2014-15 NBA Power Rankings Week 22

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Three teams have double-digit winning streaks this season -- Atlanta Hawks (19), Golden State Warriors (16) and Cleveland Cavaliers (12).

Both the Hawks and Warriors have had nine-game winning streaks as well, but the Warriors' nine-game winning streak is currently active as we head into Week 22.

In Steve Kerr's first year as head coach, he has already set a franchise record with 60 wins (and counting), which breaks the previous record of Al Attles and the 1975-76 Warriors that finished with a 59-23 record. Of those 60 wins, 43 of them have been by double digits, which leads the NBA by a wide margin.

Despite playing less than 33 minutes per game, Stephen Curry is having a career season.

Curry is averaging 26.0 points, 8.6 assists and 4.0 rebounds with 2.3 steals per 36 minutes, all of which are career highs for him. Leading the league in free-throw percentage (91.6 percent), Curry is shooting 43.1 percent from three-point range and a career-high 52.9 percent on two-point attempts.

While Houston's James Harden leads the NBA in Win Shares (14.6) -- Curry is second (14.2), no player has more Win Shares Per 48 Minutes than Curry (.292). Harden (.265) is third as he trails both Curry and Anthony Davis (.278).

Meanwhile, Draymond Green currently leads the NBA in Defensive Win Shares (4.9).

Green is averaging nearly 10 minutes more per game this year (31.6/G) than last season (21.9/G) and stuffs the stat sheet across the board -- 11.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.3 blocks per game. On a per-36 basis, he's averaging a career high in all of those categories except for steals.

Clips continue to beat up East; real test vs. dubs next

The Clippers have the league's second-longest active winning streak of seven games.

Many of those wins have been against the league's bottom-feeder Eastern Conference teams with the three most recent wins against the Knicks, 76ers and Celtics last night.

The Clippers face the Warriors and Blazers on back-to-back nights (Tuesday and Wednesday), but then four of their final six games will be against the Lakers (twice) and Nuggets (twice).

Based on Western Conference seeding, the Clippers are currently the No. 4 seed, but they are within 1.5 games of the No. 2 seed (Rockets). On the other hand, they are only 1.5 games within the No. 6 seed (Spurs).

KD out 4-6 months

It's been a lost season for Oklahoma City's Kevin Durant.

With Jones fracture surgery in his right foot delaying the start of his season by 17 games, Durant will now miss the next four to six months as he recovers from a bone-graft procedure.

Playing a total of only 27 games this season, Durant has also missed multiple games three different times between Game 1 and 27 for him this season.

Only five of those 27 games were in February, but the Thunder have won 19 of their 26 games in February and March.

Of course, Russell Westbrook has carried the team by averaging more than 30 points and 10 assists in both February and March.

Here are Westbrook's monthly per-game splits (since December -- played only three games before then):

• December: 28. 3 points, 7.4 assists, 6.1 rebounds, 2.4 steals
• January: 21.1 points, 7.6 assists, 6.4 rebounds, 2.1 steals
• February: 31.2 points, 10.3 assists, 9.1 rebounds, 1.6 steals
• March: 30.9 points, 10.2 assists, 8.5 rebounds, 2.5 steals

Since February, Westbrook has eight triple-doubles. The rest of the league combined has a total of 12 triple-doubles during that span.

NYK: From Worse to Worst

Obviously, the New York Knicks have struggled all season and Carmelo Anthony was shut down following the All-Star Game.

As bad as things have been, things are getting even worse with the potentially season-ending rib injury to Alexey Schved. Excluding his final game this season when he played only 17 minutes, Schved averaged 19.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.4 steals in previous eight games.

In the three games he has missed since the injury, the Knicks have lost all three games by a combined margin of 56 points. The Knicks now have four losses by 30-plus points; only the Sixers have more (five).

With eight games to go, the Knicks have just 14 wins and currently own the league's worst record. The team has never won fewer than 21 games in a season and both of those seasons were in the early sixties, but there is no chance that they win seven of eight games to avoid setting a franchise-low for wins.

Here are my Week 22 NBA Power Rankings:

Rank	Team	Record	Last Week	Change
1	Golden State Warriors	60-13	1	-
2	Atlanta Hawks	55-18	2	-
3	Cleveland Cavaliers	48-27	3	-
4	Houston Rockets	50-23	5	+1
5	Memphis Grizzlies	50-24	4	-1
6	Los Angeles Clippers	49-25	7	+1
7	San Antonio Spurs	47-26	6	-1
8	Portland Trail Blazers	47-25	8	-
9	Chicago Bulls	45-29	12	+3
10	Dallas Mavericks	45-29	9	-1
11	Washington Wizards	41-33	10	-1
12	Oklahoma City Thunder	42-32	11	-1
13	Toronto Raptors	43-30	13	-
14	New Orleans Pelicans	39-34	15	+1
15	Phoenix Suns	38-36	14	-1
16	Utah Jazz	32-41	17	+1
17	Indiana Pacers	32-41	16	-1
18	Charlotte Hornets	31-41	18	-
19	Miami Heat	34-39	19	-
20	Milwaukee Bucks	36-37	20	-
21	Boston Celtics	32-41	21	-
22	Brooklyn Nets	32-40	22	-
23	Detroit Pistons	28-45	26	+3
24	Denver Nuggets	28-46	23	-1
25	Sacramento Kings	26-46	24	-1
26	Orlando Magic	22-52	25	-1
27	Philadelphia 76ers	18-56	27	-
28	Los Angeles Lakers	19-53	28	-
29	Minnesota Timberwolves	16-57	29	-
30	New York Knicks	14-60	30	-

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2014-15 NBA Power Rankings Week 12

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Since moving into the No. 2 spot of our NBA Power Rankings last week, the Atlanta Hawks have continued to play great basketball as they finished the week with a 4-0 record despite some difficult matchups.

Three of their four wins were against teams that are more than 10 games above .500 -- Clippers, Grizzlies and Wizards. The other win was against the Pistons, who have played much better since releasing Josh Smith. In fact, the Pistons have won eight of nine games without Smith with the loss to the Hawks being the exception.

Since November 28th, the Hawks have posted a 22-2 record.

The Hawks will begin a four-game road trip starting on Tuesday against a couple of beatable Eastern Conference teams (Philadelphia and Boston) and then a couple of matchups (Toronto and Chicago) against two fellow teams in the top-three of Eastern Conference standings.

Although they may lack well-known superstars, they have played efficient, team-first basketball.

Not only does Atlanta rank third in three-point percentage (.383) and fifth in shooting percentage (.467), but they also rank eighth in opponent's three-point percentage (.339) and sixth in opponent's shooting percentage (.438).

In addition, the Hawks rank third in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.89) behind only the Clippers and Mavericks.

The final All-Star ballots will be announced on January 22nd, but the Hawks don't have any players in the top 10 and Paul Millsap currently ranks 13th in voting among Eastern Conference forwards.

Who's the worst: Sixers, Knicks and Celtics?

The Sixers opened the 2014-15 NBA season with 17 consecutive losses and it seemed as though they wouldn't win any games this season.

For the second time this season, however, the Sixers have a two-game winning streak with wins over the Nets and Pacers this past weekend and they have now won three of their past four games.

While their competition for the most lottery ping-pong balls is increasing within the division, the Sixers will host the 29-8 Hawks on Tuesday so it's highly unlikely that they get their first three-game winning streak of the season.

Perhaps the Knicks will shut down Carmelo Anthony for the season, but they have now lost a franchise-worst 15 consecutive games and currently own the league's worst record (5-35, .125). In addition, they have won only one of their past 26 games.

Aside from Anthony's injury, the Knicks have traded J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert to the Cavaliers and released Samuel Dalembert as they try to improve their salary-cap situation going forward.

Earlier in the season, the Celtics traded away point guard Rajon Rondo to the Mavericks. One of the players acquired in that trade, Brandan Wright, has since been traded away as the Celtics work to stockpile draft picks.

The next player on the move will be the team's leading scorer, Jeff Green, in a trade that is expected to be completed on Monday.

Sources: Boston, Memphis and New Orleans agree on five-player trade sending Jeff Green to Grizzlies. Trade call Monday.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) January 11, 2015

In a race to not be mediocre, but instead to be as bad as you can, which one of these Atlantic Division teams is the worst?

Cavs on five-game losing streak, lost eight of nine games

It takes time for a new trio of superstars playing for a first-year head coach to gel. Making the situation more challenging is the fact that LeBron James has missed the past eight games with a knee injury.

The injury isn't too serious and he should be back soon. In fact, he has noted that he would have played if it were the playoffs.

That said, the Cleveland Cavaliers have now lost five consecutive games and eight of their past nine.

With the Cavs ranking in the bottom half of the league in team defense, they have made some moves that should help bolster their defense. Not only is newly-acquired Iman Shumpert one of the league's more talented perimeter defenders, but they acquired Timofey Mozgov from the Nuggets. Mozgov played for coach Blatt on the Russian National Team.

Despite dropping to .500 as we near the midpoint of the season, Vegas still has the Cavs installed as the favorite to win the 2015 NBA Finals at 5/1 odds. (The Warriors are a close second at 11/2 odds.)

Turnaround coming for the Hornets?

Expectations were high in the preseason for the Charlotte Hornets, who were coming off their second playoff appearance in the past decade.

Despite starting the season with a 10-24 record, the team is now on a five-game winning streak.

If the season were to end today, the Hornets would be tied with the Pacers at the No. 9 seed in the Eastern Conference, but both teams are only two games behind the Heat and Nets for the eighth seed.

Not only has Lance Stephenson been out since last playing on December 17th, but Al Jefferson has now missed seven consecutive games. With Stephenson and Jefferson out, Kemba Walker has put the team on his back.

During their five-game winning streak, Walker has averaged 30.2 points, 6.0 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.4 steals per game.

Here are my NBA Power Rankings heading into Week 12:

1. Golden State Warriors (Record 29-5, Last Week 1)
2. Atlanta Hawks (Record 29-8, Last Week 2)
3. Portland Trail Blazers (Record 30-8, Last Week 3)
4. Memphis Grizzlies (Record 26-11, Last Week 4)
5. Chicago Bulls (Record 26-12, Last Week 5)
6. Houston Rockets (Record 26-11, Last Week 7)
7. Toronto Raptors (Record 25-11, Last Week 8)
8. Dallas Mavericks (Record 26-12, Last Week 6)
9. San Antonio Spurs (Record 23-15, Last Week 13)
10. Washington Wizards (Record 25-12, Last Week 9)
11. Los Angeles Clippers (Record 25-13, Last Week 10)
12. Phoenix Suns (Record 22-18, Last Week 12)
13. Oklahoma City Thunder (Record 18-19, Last Week 11)
14. New Orleans Pelicans (Record 18-18, Last Week 14)
15. Cleveland Cavaliers (Record 19-19, Last Week 15)
16. Brooklyn Nets (Record 16-21, Last Week 16)
17. Milwaukee Bucks (Record 20-19, Last Week 17)
18. Denver Nuggets (Record 17-20, Last Week 19)
19. Miami Heat (Record 16-21, Last Week 18)
20. Charlotte Hornets (Record 15-24, Last Week 26)
21. Sacramento Kings (Record 16-21, Last Week 20)
22. Indiana Pacers (Record 15-24, Last Week 21)
23. Orlando Magic (Record 13-27, Last Week 22)
24. Detroit Pistons (Record 13-24, Last Week 23)
25. Boston Celtics (Record 12-23, Last Week 24)
26. Utah Jazz (Record 13-25, Last Week 25)
27. Los Angeles Lakers (Record 12-26, Last Week 27)
28. Philadelphia 76ers (Record 7-29, Last Week 29)
29. Minnesota Timberwolves (Record 5-31, Last Week 28)
30. New York Knicks (Record 5-35, Last Week 30)

Also, check out our Fantasy Basketball Rest-of-Season Rankings

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Michael Carter-Williams posts triple-double in loss

If you're a Sixers' fan, like I am, tonight's game was a win-win (so to speak).

The second of the team's two first-round picks in 2013, Michael Carter-Williams, posted his second career triple-double and the team lost its 17th consecutive game.

Of course, I'd prefer for the Sixers to be the best team in the league, but as opposed the long period of mediocrity, I'd prefer for them to be awful and load up on the ping-pong balls for the lottery.

[As bad as the Sixers have been, the Bucks are still ranked lower in our consensus NBA power rankings.]

MCW finished tonight's loss to the Knicks with 23 points, a career-high 13 rebounds and 10 assists and added a pair of steals as well.

On the season, the rookie point guard from Syracuse is averaging 16.86 points, 5.55 rebounds, 6.33 assists and 2.04 steals per game.

Consensus NBA Power Rankings, Week 20

As a coach, Phil Jackson has won a total of 11 NBA Championships with the Bulls and Lakers.

Of course, many will argue that he has had the all-time greats as players on those teams. After all, he had Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen with the Bulls and Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant with the Lakers.

Either way, 11 championships is 11 championships regardless of how much talent is on the roster.

11 champ;ipnsikp[ ringhs
— Phil Jackson (@PhilJackson11) March 27, 2013

But now Jackson is about to join the Knicks as part of the front office, according to ESPN's Chris Broussard.

"The Knicks have a sense of what's going to happen," the source said. "And as of right now, it looks like Phil's taking the job. There's always the possibility of something falling apart at the last minute, but the Knicks' sense is that he's joining them."

While he will be more than a consultant, the exact role is unclear except that he won't coach the team.

Broussard writes, "Whatever his title, the source said, Jackson will be an integral part of the club's basketball operations, although he will definitely not coach the team."

One year after securing the No. 2 seed and winning 54 games, the Knicks are 24-40 (.375). That said, they are on a three-game winning streak and only 3.5 games out of the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference, which reminds us of how bad the conference is.

The Knicks are the 22nd-ranked team in our updated NBA power rankings.

- See our full 2013-14 NBA Power Rankings

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Knicks C Tyson Chandler won't play Monday

When the Knicks host the Sixers tonight, they will be without center Tyson Chandler due to personal reasons.

It's unclear if Chandler will be available for Wednesday's game against the Celtics.

Over his past 10 games, Chandler has averaged 15.0 rebounds, 12.3 points and 1.1 blocks per game.

With Chandler out, Amar'e Stoudemire should see more minutes.  Over his past four games, Stoudemire is averaging 16.2 points, 6.75 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game.

For those that play daily fantasy basketball, Stoudemire is a nice value in both FanDuel leagues at $4,200 (at PF) and DraftKings leagues at $4,500 (at PF/C).

Consensus NBA Power Rankings, All-Star Break

With NBA All-Star Game upon us, we are now at the unofficial midway point of the 2013-14 NBA season.

In reality, we hit the midway point of the season about a month ago as all teams have played anywhere from 51 to 55 regular-season games so far.

Considering the break in action in the regular season, it seems to be a good time to request a bold "second-half" prediction from each of our rankers.

Without further ado, here are some bold second-half predictions:

John Trifone

My bold prediction will be that the Golden State Warriors will make the Western Conference Finals. Currently, the Warriors sit in the No. 8 spot, and the Grizzlies are just 1.5 games behind them. It's certainly plausible that the Warriors could miss the playoffs altogether.

The West, in general, is so deep, that picking any one individual team to navigate it seems like a bit of a bold prediction. The Rockets, for example, have propelled themselves up to the No. 3 seed, but as strong of a team as they have, I wouldn't be surprised if they made a first-round exit. It seems to me that just about anyone in the West could be one-and-done or make a run.

In fact, aside from Phoenix and Dallas, I wouldn't be surprised in the least at any of the other six teams advancing to the NBA Finals. As tough of a road as it will be, I think that the Warriors have the talent to make the Conference Finals and give the Thunder a real run, if that is indeed who they meet there. Who knows? If Kevin Durant cools down a bit, the Warriors may even win the series.

Kevin Hanson

My bold prediction is that T'Wolves forward Kevin Love will average 30 points and 15 rebounds per game for the remainder of the season. While that may not seem outrageously bold for Mr. Double-Double, the last time a player averaged 30/15 for a full season was Bob McAdoo for the Buffalo Braves 40 years ago (1973-74).

While I'm not predicting that he boosts his full-season averages to those numbers, the fact that nobody has done it in 40 years illustrates how difficult it would be to maintain that pace over a significant stretch of the season.

In his first 50 games this season, Love had seven 30/15 games. Looking at each of those stats on an individual basis, Love had 30-plus points in 16 of 50 games and 15-plus rebounds in 18 of 50 opportunities.

Sean Beazley

Here are a couple of bold predictions:

• The Knicks get the No. 8 seed in the Eastern Conference (not so bold), but they will beat the Pacers in the first round of the playoffs.
• The Heat sweep their way through the Eastern Conference playoffs, only to get swept in the NBA Finals by Oklahoma City.

Dan Yanotchko

This year, the MVP award will go to Kevin Durant rather than LeBron James, as Durant has been leading the Thunder to the league's best record even though the Thunder are missing All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook.

Durant has won the NBA scoring title three years in a row, and he is also on pace to win it for 2014 as well. At the All-Star Break, Durant has the following splits 31.5 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 5.5 APG and is shooting 41% from 3-point range. LeBron's splits are, 26.5 points per game, 7.0 boards per game, 6.6 assists per game.

Yes, King James has taken home the MVP award four of the last five years, but the way Durant is playing in absence of a star, will earn him his first MVP award.

- See our 2013-14 NBA Power Rankings at the All-Star Break here

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Carmelo Anthony scores 62 points vs. Bobcats

If there's one thing that Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony does exceptionally well, it's score. And he did so in record fashion on Friday night.

Against the Bobcats, Anthony set the franchise record with 62 points on efficient shooting: 23-of-35 from field, six-of-11 from three-point range and 10-for-10 from the line.

It was Anthony's fourth time scoring at least 50 points in his career, but he has had exactly 50 points in his other three games.

Not only did Anthony break the previous team record held by Bernard King (60 points, 1984), but he broke the Madison Square Record of 61 that was previously held by Kobe Bryant.

Adding 13 rebounds, Anthony became the first player with at least 60 points and 10 rebounds since Tracy McGrady did so almost 10 years ago (March 2004).

In one night, Anthony boosted his scoring average from 26.1 to 27.0 points per game and he's currently averaging a career-high 9.08 rebounds per game as well.

2013-14 NBA Power Rankings, Week 8

The Eastern Conference — and even more specifically the Atlantic Division — has been incredibly weak with the exception of the top two teams.

It's too bad we couldn't move some Western Conference teams east or fast forward to a likely Pacers-versus-Heat Eastern Conference Championship.

The good news about the Pacers and Heat is they are clearly the two best teams in the entire assocation with the league's best player (LeBron James) and one of the league's most underrated superstars (Paul George).

Roundtable question: Will any team(s) in the Atlantic Division finish the season with a winning record?

John Trifone (follow on Twitter):

As pathetic as the Eastern conference as a whole has been, and specifically the Atlantic Division, I do think at least one team, and probably two teams, will finish over .500.

The Nets have a good team on paper, and have showed some signs of putting something together.  The Knicks also are not as bad as they've played.  Prior to moving Rudy Gay and now possibly unloading Kyle Lowry, I thought that Toronto had a chance to be decent as well, although I would now take them out of the mix.

And finally, Boston has been substantially better than predicted.  Brad Stevens may just be a great coach, but I think between the Celts, Knicks, and Nets, at least one of them will end the year with a winning record.

Sean Beazley (follow on Twitter):
 
Yes, I believe Brooklyn will make a run and finish above .500 and win the Atlantic division this year.   I think the Eastern Conference playoffs will have at least three teams in it that are under .500 in the playoffs.  NBA action; it's Fantastic!

Dan Yanotchko (follow on Twitter):
 
I would have to say that this year's Atlantic Division of the NBA has to be the worst possible division in the history of sports.  Right now, we are past the quarter point of the season, and not one team is over .500.  The Celtics lead the way with a lofty 11-14 record, good enough to be three games clear of the .500 mark.

This division will have a .500 finisher though, and the only team that will finish over 41 wins, will be the Brooklyn Nets. Although the Nets have one of the worst coaches in the league, they have way too much talent, and of course, they play in the Atlantic division of the Eastern conference, so they can stockpile wins.  The Nets will eventually get to, and finish over, the .500 mark.

Kevin Hanson (follow on Twitter):
 
For a couple of reasons, I'd like to see all five of the teams in the division lose all of their games.  As a Sixers fan, I'm rooting for more ping pong balls leading to a (very) high lottery pick.  For the rest of the division, I root for them to lose, as always.

That said, I think we see the Nets finishing above .500.

Over the long haul of the NBA season, there will be plenty of games against the other teams in the division.  The trio of Deron Williams, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett will eventually get healthy and gel and finish with around 45 wins on the season.  Adding Pierce and KG, however, I'm sure that the organization and its fan base was hoping for more than a 45-37 regular-season record.

- See full power rankings here

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2013-14 NBA Power Rankings, Week 6

Going into the season, it seemed that the teams in the Central Division would pose the biggest threat to LeBron James' and the Heat's hopes of three-peating.

With one of the league's most underrated superstars in Paul George, the Pacers are off to a league-best 17-1 start this season.  Before losing the Central Division's other superstar, Derrick Rose, for the season, the Bulls were expected to be a legitimate contender to get to the Eastern Conference Finals.

Now the Eastern Conference is clearly the Heat, Pacers and everybody else.  In fact, the Heat (14-3) and Pacers (16-1) are the only teams in the Eastern Conference with a winning record through Sunday's games.

Things are especially bad in the Atlantic Division as the Raptors (6-10, .375) have a half-game lead over the Celtics (7-12, .368) in the division.

Fueled by the great start of rookie Michael Carter-Williams, the Sixers were a surprise 3-0 to begin the season, but they have since lost 12 of their past 15 games.  That said, they are middle of the pack in the division.

The biggest surprises are the Nets (5-12) and Knicks (3-13).

With a Coke-spilling first-year head coach in Jason Kidd and veteran additions like Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, it's understandable if it takes longer for them to gel.  In addition, Deron Williams has played in only nine games this season and now the Nets will be without Pierce (hand) for a few weeks.

The Knicks have lost nine consecutive games, which includes a franchise-worst seven straight games at home.  Interestingly enough, it will be the Nets that host Carmelo Anthony and the Knicks on Thursday for a chance to extend their losing streak to 10 games.  Glass-half-full view: One of these two teams has to win the game.

The Nets and Knicks are the 23rd-ranked and 27th-ranked teams, respectively, in our updated power rankings.

- See full power rankings here

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Carmelo Anthony scores 40 points vs. Magic

For the second time in three games, Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony has scored at least 40 points.

Against the Magic tonight, Melo converted on 14-of-29 shots from the field including four three-pointers and made eight-of-nine free throws to finish with 40 points.  He added six rebounds and a season-high six assists.

It was his third game of the season with 40-plus points.

Anthony is averaging 29.3 points, 6.26 rebounds and 2.27 assists per game this season.

Amar'e Stoudemire to return Tuesday

When the New York Knicks face the Portland Trail Blazers on New Year's Day, they may or may not have the services of small forward Carmelo Anthony.

Either way, however, they will have the services of power forward Amar'e Stoudemire, who will make his season debut Tuesday, according to Yahoo!'s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Stoudemire had knee surgery in late-October and he will come off the bench whether Melo plays or does not, per Wojnarowski.

Excluding his three-game season (2005), Stoudemire's numbers of 17.5 points and 7.8 rebounds last year were his lowest averages since his rookie season.

NBA Consensus Power Rankings, Week 12

Not necessarily in the same order every week, the top three teams in our NBA Consensus Power Rankings have stayed in the top three every week of the season so far.

Based on odds to win the NBA Championship (via Sportsbook.com), the Miami Heat (6/5 odds) are the prohibitive favorites to win it all. The other two teams in the top three -- the Oklahoma City Thunder and Chicago Bulls -- have 7/2 odds.

In addition to those three division leaders, the other three divisions leaders have the following odds to win the NBA Championship: Lakers (7/1), Spurs (15/1) and 76ers (25/1).

The two teams with odds of 25/1 or better to win it all that don't currently lead their division are the Clippers (13/1) and the Mavs (20/1).

Here are some more stats about this week's NBA Consensus Power Rankings:

- Biggest jump from last week: Phoenix Suns (+2.25)
- Biggest drop from last week: Portland Trail Blazers (-2.25)
- Team with widest difference between high and low ranker: Phoenix Suns and Boston Celtics (5)

[See our full NBA Consensus Power Rankings.]

Each week, we respond to one roundtable question and here's this week's question: Which current division leader is LEAST likely to win their division?

John (follow on Twitter): Philadelphia 76ers

The current division leader that is least likely to win their division would have to be the Philadelphia 76ers. They have cooled off since a hot start to the season, and have the Boston Celtics breathing down their necks. Behind Rajon Rondo, the Celtics have pulled within 1.5 games of the division lead, and seem poised to move up to the four spot in the playoffs, rather than the seven seed as things stand now. The Knicks also seem to be playing well again under interim coach Mike Woodson, with three very convincing wins in a row since Mike D'Antoni's surprising resignation this past week. The Knicks are currently four games back. Philadelphia will have to pick it up down the stretch if they want to fend off either or both of the Celtics and Knicks and claim the division championship.

Sean (follow on Twitter): San Antonio Spurs

Philly is the obvious choice with Boston only 1-1/2 back, and New York 4 back, but I really like this 76ers team. I am going to go with San Antonio even though they are up four games right now. I think Dallas or Memphis can make a run and take the Southwest.

Kevin (follow on Twitter): San Antonio Spurs

Ruling out the top three teams, the easy answer, I suppose, would be to list the Sixers here. And the easy response, I suppose, would be to say that I'm a "homer" for not listing the Sixers here. While the Sixers may have lost five of their past eight games, two of their wins during that span have come against the Celtics and Knicks, two teams that I believe don't have the ability to overtake the 76ers down the stretch. While the Pacific division is tight, Kobe and the Lakers now how to close so I don't expect them to give up their lead.

The Spurs have strong veteran presence, great coaching and they know how to win. That said, the two teams behind them in the Southwest have legitimate shots of surpassing them. After all, the Mavs are the defending NBA champions and the Grizzlies made it to the Western Conference Finals last year. Either one of these teams is certainly capable of making a final-month run to win the division.

Dan (follow on Twitter): Philadelphia 76ers

This year we still have a few different divisions that are hotly contested in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Southwest, but the team that will not end up winning will be the 76ers. The Celtics have too much veteran savvy, are only 1.5 games back and the difference between having the No. 3 seed and the No. 7 seed will be enormous. Down the stretch, the 76ers will fold as they have not been in this position at all, and the Celtics are the team that will need the No. 3 seed.

To see where all 30 teams fall in our power rankings going through Week 12, click here.

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Rajon Rondo gets 4th triple-double of season

It's becoming something of a habit for him.

Celtics point guard Rajon Rondo, who has been the subject of trade rumors, had a triple-double in today's win over the Knicks.

Although the game went to overtime, Rondo had a triple-double in regulation and he finished the game with 18 points, 17 rebounds and 20 assists. Rondo did not have a great shooting game (seven-of-20 shooting), but he set season highs in both rebounds and assists.

There have been a total of 10 triple-doubles this season and Rondo has four of them. (No other player has more than one.)

Rondo now has two triple-doubles in his his past three games and three of them in his past eight games.

NBA Consensus Power Rankings, Week 9

With the NBA All-Star Weekend now behind us, the top three teams in the NBA going into the second half are separated by only one-half game in the standings.

Based on NBA futures (from Sportsbook.com), however, the Miami Heat are the clear favorites to win it all.

Here are the odds to win the NBA Championship: Heat 6/5, Thunder 4/1 and Bulls 5/1. Coincidentally, that is the order of our top three teams in our Consensus NBA Power Rankings.

The No. 4 team in this week's rankings, San Antonio, has 15/1 odds to win it all while the Clippers (8/1), Lakers (10/1), Knicks (10/1) and Mavs (12/1) all have better odds.

Interestingly enough, the Knicks have a losing record (17-18) through the first half, but the surprising emergence of Jeremy Lin has the enthusiasm of Knicks' fans at Linsane levels. It's hard to imagine tickets for a regular-season game involving a team with a losing record going for more than tickets for the NBA Finals in the previous year, but that is what happened with Thursday's matchup between the Heat and Knicks.

When it comes to the Atlantic Division, the Sixers were the feel-good story at the beginning of the year as a surprise team. With a five-game losing streak to end the first half, they are getting little respect from oddsmakers.

Sportsbook has the 76ers at 50/1 to win it all.

While nobody should expect them to win it all, they have much higher odds than division foes with losing records: the Knicks (as noted above) and the Celtics (25/1).

Here are some more stats about this week's NBA Consensus Power Rankings:

- Biggest jump from last week: Portland Trail Blazers (+2.50)
- Biggest drop from last week: Memphis Grizzlies (-2.50)
- Team with widest difference between high and low ranker: Memphis Grizzlies and Philadelphia 76ers (5)

[See our full NBA Consensus Power Rankings.]

Each week, we respond to one roundtable question and here's this week's question: Out of the Knicks' remaining 31 games, how many will they win? (Over-Under: 18.5 games)

John (follow on Twitter):

In looking at the Knicks final 31 games, I'm going to take the under on 18.5 wins. I actually think it's reasonable to think they might get close, even 18 wins, but I'm not taking them to win more than that down the stretch. Jeremy Lin is coming back down to earth a bit, but he's not going to be facing the freak athleticism that Miami has every game. I think Lin will settle in to being a good point guard, which will help the Knicks stay firmly in playoff contention. Depending on how they gel after getting back some key players from injury, most notably Carmelo Anthony, I think the Knicks have the potential to make some noise in the playoffs. I'd also give them a 60-percent chance or so of jumping Philadelphia and winning the division.

Sean (follow on Twitter):

I'm gonna go with under 18.5 games. I think the Knicks will finish 16-15. The Knicks definitely have the pieces to be a good team, but I am selling because of one thing ... Defense. Amar'e/Melo have yet to "buy in" defensively, and that will be costly down the stretch. Mike D'Antoni looks like a deer in headlights too often. The Knicks will need a major shake up to contend with either Chicago or Miami.

Kevin (follow on Twitter):

Their first game after the break may not be so tough: Cleveland at home on February 29th. That said, the first half of March will likely dictate whether they go over or under that total. Six of their first nine games in March are on the road. Only two of those nine games are against teams with losing records (but both are on the road): Boston and Milwaukee. If they go 5-5 to start the second half, they will have a realistic shot to finish 19-12 (or .613). However, they do have a challenging start to April (at Indiana, at Orlando, vs. Chicago and at Chicago) as well. I think the Knicks, who were 17-18 in the first half, finish the season above .500 but will win 18 games or less in the second half.

[Note: Dan will return from a cruise through Central America today and won't participate in our consensus rankings this week, but it will be business as usual next week.]

To see where all 30 teams fall in our power rankings going through Week 9, click here.

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NBA Consensus Power Rankings, Week 8

Over the weekend, John Trifone wrote about the odds to win the Western Conference and Eastern Conference based on futures from Sportsbook.com.

The team that he liked (likes) the most is the San Antonio Spurs, who have 5/1 odds to win the Western Conference.

San Antonio is a dangerous team. As John put it yesterday, "Many, including myself, had written off the Spurs going into the season, as a team that was just too old to be a factor in the shortened season," but they are "poised to prove everyone wrong."

Not only are they are a 10-game winning streak, point guard Tony Parker is quietly having a great season. He's playing as well as anyone in the month of February: 25.8 points, 7.9 assists, 1.1 steals and 8.8 free throw attempts per game this month.

That said, the Spurs are still fourth in our power rankings and the top three teams have been there the entire season (although the order has not always been the same): Miami Heat, Oklahoma City Thunder and Chicago Bulls.

Here are some more stats about this week's NBA Consensus Power Rankings:

- Biggest jump from last week: New York Knicks (+4.50)
- Biggest drop from last week: Denver Nuggets (-4.00)
- Team with widest difference between high and low ranker: Orlando Magic, Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics and Toronto Raptors (4)

[See our full NBA Consensus Power Rankings.]

Each week, we respond to one roundtable question and here's this week's question: Of the teams currently seeded 9th (or lower), which team has the best chance to make the playoffs?

John (follow on Twitter): Portland Trail Blazers

I think that the Eastern Conference is actually set the way it is. There may be some swapping of position, but I don't see one of the teams on the outside looking in making a serious run at the playoffs. Milwaukee had a chance, but when Bogut went down and Jeremy Lin showed up in New York, I think that pretty much sealed it for the Bucks. I'd also be very surprised to see any of the other bottom feeders in the East get in. The West is a little more open, with some pretty decent teams currently out of the playoffs. Utah, Portland, and Minnesota all have a reasonable chance to dislodge either Memphis, Houston, or Denver. I'd give Portland the best shot at it. They're playing relatively mediocre ball at the moment, just 4-6 in their last 10 games and only a game above .500 for the season, but they have the talent to make a push down the stretch. Denver has severely cooled off since over-achieving in the first month of the season and is currently the eight seed, although they are actually tied with Houston and Memphis in record. Portland is just a game back from all three teams, so they are certainly right in the mix. I think LaMarcus Aldridge and Company have the best chance of any team currently on the outside looking in to make the playoffs.

[Note: John sent this to me before the Nuggets lost a thriller in Oklahoma City last night.]

Kevin (follow on Twitter): Minnesota Timberwolves

One of the teams that I think could surprise some folks is the Minnesota Timberwolves. They are a deep team -- only three players are averaging more than 30 minutes per game this season: Kevin Love, Ricky Rubio and Luke Ridnour. They have 12 players that are averaging more than 15 minutes per game. While Love is a double-double machine, Rubio has been the biggest difference from last year to this year. He is averaging 8.5 assists per game, which ranks fifth in the NBA, and 2.3 steals per game, which is tied for second in the league with Chris Paul.

[Note: Dan is on a cruise through Central America and won't participate in our consensus rankings this and next week. Sean had to travel unexpectedly and will miss this week only.]

To see where all 30 teams fall in our power rankings going through Week 8, click here.

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Trifone: A Look at the NBA Odds (Futures)

A little over a week ago, I was reviewing some of the odds to win the Western Conference, and saw the Spurs at 12-1. At the time, I think they had won six in a row, and were right in the mix with the Clippers for the No. 2 seed. I thought it was a fantastic bet.

Since then, the Spurs have won another four in a row, including a road win at the aforementioned Clippers. Tony Parker is quietly, or maybe not so quietly, having an MVP season, putting up another 30-point game to go along with 10 assists, while Chris Paul had 21 points and 6 assists. Many, including myself, had written off the Spurs going into the season, as a team that was just too old to be a factor in the shortened season.

It also appeared as though their window to win another title had passed.

The last time the Spurs won the Championship was 2007, and Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili haven't gotten any younger. The Lakers and the Celtics had once again become the class of the league, and then when Lebron went to Miami and Durant and Westbrook started to emerge as the most athletic team in the league, the Spurs seemed to be falling out of contention. And yet, it would seem that they are poised to prove everyone wrong.

They are currently on a 10-game winning streak, with Tony Parker playing as well as he ever has. The Spurs will be able to limit the minutes of their aging players down the stretch, and their experience, combined with their infusion of youth (with guys like DeJuan Blair and Gary Neal making an impact), make San Antonio a dangerous team.

If the Lakers fail to acquire Dwight Howard by the trade deadline, I think this year's Western Conference Finals will come down to the Spurs and Thunder. The West is certainly more wide open than the East, which seems destined to come down to the Bulls and Heat, but the Spurs are showing they may have one more championship run in them.

Win the streak aside, they are playing better ball this year than anticipated, and they have put themselves in a great position. They can certainly lock up home court against all but the Thunder, but even if they fail to do so, they have shown that they have the experience to win on the road in the past. Even this year, they are above .500 away from home, and have some impressive road wins against the likes of Memphis, Philadelphia, and the Clippers.

Current odds on the Spurs to win the West are 5-1 (on Sportsbook.com), which I feel is a decent bet. I loved them at 12-1; I think 5-1 is a more accurate number, but still a solid bet on a team that's playing great basketball. San Antonio is 15-1 to win the title, but truth be told, I don't think any of the listed odds for the NBA Championship are great. The Heat are going to be huge favorites, and justifiably so, as I see LeBron getting his first ring at season's end.

I think the real money to be made here is being able to pick the Western Conference Champ, and the Spurs at 5-1 look to have the most attractive odds.

(FYI: the Thunder are 1.6-1 or +160, and with a league as deep as it is, I don't like the bet on a team that hasn't been there before. While the Thunder may be the most likely to go, the odds to bet it just aren't good enough. I'd take a flyer on the Lakers or Clippers at 4.5-1 before putting money on OKC to win the West.)

As far as the Eastern Conference goes, I really don't see a lot of good value. The Heat are 1-2 to win the conference (-200), meaning you have to give odds if you want to take them to make the Finals. After Miami, the Bulls are 2-1 to get there, and Chicago really seems to be the only other realistic option. The next closest team is 12-1. The Heat and Bulls are such heavy favorites that it makes taking one of those long shots a pretty foolish bet, and given that the odds reflect this, I don't really care for the bet on Miami or Chicago either. I could see a team like the Knicks or Sixers potentially upsetting Chicago, but I can't see them beating the Heat as well. Because of this, I'm not a fan of any of the bets in the Eastern Conference.

For my thoughts on the futures' bets in college basketball, click here.

[Editor's note: This post is by John Trifone (@JohnnyT0122), who also contributes at our NFL site: Eat, Drink and Sleep Football (see John's archives).]

Super Lintendo scores 28 to go with career highs of 14 assists and 5 steals

The bad news: Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin had another seven turnovers today and he has now turned the ball over 52 times in his eight starts.

[And one of my fantasy teams, Super Lintendo, would definitely appreciate a reduction in turnovers.]

That said, Lin scored 28 points on 11-of-20 shooting in today's win over the defending champions while also setting career highs in assists (14) and steals (five).

Not only has Lin scored 20-plus points in eight of his past nine games, but the Knicks are 8-1 during that span.

With the addition of J.R. Smith, who knocked down three three-pointers in the first quarter today, and the expected return tomorrow of Carmelo Anthony, the Knicks are positioned well going into the second half of the season.

I'm guessing they will make a big jump in our consensus power rankings (tied for 18th last week) tomorrow.

NBA Consensus Power Rankings, Week 7

Who needs Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire?

Without both of their "superstars," the Knicks have continued to win behind their new superstar Jeremy Lin. Nearly cut by the Knicks themselves, Lin has taken the NBA world by storm.

It has led to words like Linsanity, Lincredible, Linning, etc.

No player has scored more points in his first four starts than Lin, who has scored 20-plus points in five straight games including a career-high 38 points against Kobe and Lakers on Friday night.

From getting MVP chants at Madison Square Garden and "overrated" chants on the road in places like Minnesota, how could you not root for a guy that is sleeping on his brother's couch and was an unknown about a week ago? (And this is coming from a Sixers' fan, i.e., I hate the Knicks.)

The Knicks have moved up a couple of spots in our power rankings to No. 18 from No. 20 (tied with Milwaukee) in last week's rankings.

Like last week, the top three teams all have No. 1 ranks from at least one of our four rankers, but the Thunder and Bulls are tied for the No. 1 spot. On the other hand, the bottom three teams were unanimous choices with the Wizards, Hornets and Bobcats as the worst three teams in the league.

Here are some more stats about this week's NBA Consensus Power Rankings:

- Biggest jump from last week: New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs (+2.50)
- Biggest drop from last week: Denver Nuggets (-3.75)
- Team with widest difference between high and low ranker: Indiana Pacers (7)

[See our full NBA Consensus Power Rankings.]

Each week, we respond to one roundtable question and here's this week's question: Who will win the Southwest Division this season?

John (follow on Twitter): San Antonio Spurs

The Southwest Division is one of the toughest in the league, with four of the five teams above .500, and the top three teams within 2.5 games of one another. I like the Spurs to remain atop the division. While they have been left off most people's lists as being a legitimate contender, I think the Spurs have a real shot this year. They have fallen off from what they were a few years ago, and I think most people think they're just too old now. It's tough to argue, though, that the Spurs are playing great ball. They have a 13-1 home record and have experience over most other teams in the West come playoff time. If the Lakers fail to make a big splash before the trade deadline (i.e., get Dwight Howard), I think that Oklahoma City is the clear favorite in the West, with few other teams being able to challenge them. With the Clippers losing Billups and Dirk not playing like the MVP he played like last year, I think the Spurs are the closest real contender, and I expect them challenge to represent the West. Right now, I have them in the Western Conference Finals, with a sporting chance against the KD and the Thunder.

Sean (follow on Twitter): Dallas Mavericks

I think the defending champion Mavericks win the Southwest division this year. I think they are going to make some moves towards the trade deadline to improve their team. The short season is definitely hurting them thus far since they have the oldest starting five in the NBA, but I think they will overtake the Spurs at some point this season, and never let up.

Dan (follow on Twitter): San Antonio Spurs

In what has been the most competitve divison in the league this year, the Southwest Divison will most certainly come down to the wire. I have the San Antonio Spurs coming out on top, as even in this compressed schedule I love thier veteran poise. The Spurs have also been the hottest team lately as they have won seven in a row, and are an impressive 13-1 at home. I love the Spurs to take this divison down even over the defending champs.

Kevin (follow on Twitter): Dallas Mavericks

Going into the playoffs last season, the Dallas Mavericks were widely considered to be a team ripe for an early-round exit from the postseason. Instead they kept disproving their doubters along the way to winning the NBA title. The Mavs had some key losses in the offseason like Tyson Chandler and J.J. Barea last year, but they added Lamar Odom, arguably the league's best sixth man. Although Dirk Nowitzki is averaging only 18.3 points and 6.2 rebounds per game, his lowest averages since the 1990's, I expect him and the Mavs to get on a roll and win the Southwest Division. That said, I expect half of the West's playoff teams to come from this division.

To see where all 30 teams fall in our power rankings going through Week 7, click here.

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Related: Our End-of-season NFL Consensus Power Rankings

Jeremy Lin has career-high 38 points, outscores Kobe

Coming into tonight's game against the Lakers, Knicks point guard Jeremy Lin scored 20-plus points in three straight games and had his first career double-double.

When Kobe Bryant was asked about Lin yesterday, he said, "I don’t even know what he’s done. Like, I have no idea what you guys are talking about. I’ll take a look at [the tape] tonight though."

Not only did Lin, who was undrafted out of Harvard, outscore Bryant, 38-34, but Lin has now scored more in a game than any other Knick this season.

Although he may sleep on his brother's couch, he's turning into a superstar.

"We think he needs a better haircut," [Lakers forward Metta]World Peace said (via ESPN). "I don't like that style. You're in New York, fashion's capital. Change your haircut. You're a star now. Wear some shades. Put down the nerdy Harvard book glasses, put on some black shades with some leather pants. Change your style. ... He should wear leather pants. He's the type of guy that should wear leather pants and some nice shoes and change his fashion. You're Jeremy Lin, for God's sake."

In his past four games, Lin has 114 points, 32 assists, 15 rebounds and seven steals.