Week 9 Power Rankings

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Where we ponder "should auld acquaintance be forgot, and auld lang syne?" Seriously, what the heck does that mean?

In a rematch of the "haiku" series, Park City hopes to counter Rigby with the limericks of Kevin Durant.

As we reach the season's halfway point, it's time to participate in that grand old tradition of making resolutions for the New Year. Shaq wants to drop a few pounds. LeBron wants some teammates. And Commissioner Barnes wants a shiny new Commissioner Barnes Trophy for his oversized mantle. Um, what else is new?

Team, Rank, (Previous), Record

1 (1) 44-33-4
Establish a new identity. Twin Falls has won five straight and owns the best record in the league, yet all anyone wants to talk about is Kobe. Maybe it's time Tim Duncan did something crazy, like hit the town with Tiger Woods.


2 (3) 42-38-1
A toast to Marcus Camby's health. As Camby sits on the bench for the first time this year with a hyper-extended knee, Richmond has to be wondering if the half a season that Camby is typically good for has already come and gone.


3 (5) 41-38-2
Trade everyone, sans Chris Paul. Zermatt once again leads the league in transactions by a substantial margin, including two trades in the last week. Who wants to bet a content Commish will be carefully inserting the final piece of his dream squad come playoff time?

4 (9) 42-37-2

Shoot the ball better. Park City shot over 50% for the first time all season last week as they thoroughly dominated Udorn. Dwyane Wade remains the key. When he flashes last year's EBP runner-up form, the 'Dancers win.


5 (2) 42-37-2
Start a new win streak. After winning four in a row and holding the top spot in the power rankings for three weeks, the Trojans have dropped two straight. It doesn't get any easier as they face Park City, Twin Falls, Richmond and Maracaibo over the next month.

6 (4) 39-39-3
Give Shawn Marion another shot. The once great star has been riding the pine since week 3. That would have been unheard of in the salad days of 2007-08, right Kanye?


7 (6) 41-36-4
Change their lineup. A healthy Andre Igoudala has been on the bench for the last three weeks while Andrei Kirilenko has guided the team to a 12-14-1 mark in his stead. Are the Iguanas coming down with a case of Bayside-itis?


8 (10) 36-42-3
Never ever let Steve Nash leave, ever! Some in the organization are starting to worry that owner TJ Barnes is a becoming a little too obsessed, keeping Nash chained up in his basement on off days and watching him while he sleeps.


9 (7) 38-43-0
Install bionic implants in Danny Granger's foot. The sooner Granger returns—and the longer it is before Ersan Ilyasova ever sniffs the starting lineup again—the better it will be for the Jai Rai.


10 (8) 39-41-1
Come up with more interesting excuses for losing. Everyone's getting kind of tired of "Jose has a sore hip" and "Dirk doesn't like putting his shoulder to the wheel." How about "Aliens kidnapped Pau Gasol then lost him because they couldn't tell him apart from their own kind."

11 (12) 34-44-3
Rewatch the 2006-07 Concludings highlights DVD. Better look to the past glory, because it's pretty clear that "Lachowsky Ball" just isn't going to work in the league's current competitive landscape.

12 (11) L 35-45-1
Beat Twin Falls again. As Nephi continues to drift out of the playoff picture, sweeping the current #1 team and putting an end to the longest win streak of the season would be akin to a Concludings victory.

What do you think? What would you have your team's New Year's Resolution be? Let us know in the comments. And don't forget to vote on the Game of the Week and Week 9's EBP!