Week 17 Power Rankings

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Annual "Who They Shoulda Kept" Power Rankings

This may be the last gasp for the Kings. After a big loss last week, New York finds themselves not only 6.5 out of first, but a mere 1.5 ahead of Udorn for the last playoff spot. The A-Boms, fresh off an 8-week win streak bookended by losses to the Strats, can't afford another loss with the Iguanas hot on their trail.

Two weeks remain in the regular season. For those fighting for their playoff lives—be it trying to secure a top seed, fighting for home arena convenience in round one, or merely trying to make the postseason— now is hardly the time to look back. That's where the Power Rankings come in, with our annual assessment of "Who They Shoulda Kept".

Team, Rank, (Previous), Record

1 (2) 79-59-6
Kept: Tim Duncan (12)
Shoulda Kept: Tim Duncan
Well done, Gators! Although a case could be made for keeping Gerald Wallace (13), Timmy has been steady all year for Adams' group. Besides, it's just a matter of time before Wallace collapses another lung.

2 (1) 77-62-5
Kept: Al Jefferson (55 on player rater)
Shoulda Kept: Andre Iguodala (22)
Jefferson didn't quite return from his injury as the A-Boms had hoped. Barnes has to be kicking himself over this one, especially since the SG/SF position has been his team's achilles heel all season long.

3 (7) 74-65-5
Kept: Chauncey Billups (16)
Shoulda Kept: Chauncey Billups
A case could be made for keeping Carlos Boozer (25), but due to their draft position—and Chauncey's continued great play this season—keeping a top-5 point guard made the most sense.

4 (5) 70-67-5
Kept: Vince Carter (96)
Shoulda Kept: Brook Lopez (10)
While the Trojans should be commended for drafting Lopez (and in turning him into Steph Curry [14] and Chris Kaman [83]), keeping him would have allowed Rigby to take someone else in the third round, such as Stephen Jackson (43) or Monta Ellis (51).

5 (3) 78-62-4

Kept: Dwyane Wade (5)
Shoulda Kept: Dwyane Wade
Kevin Durant (2) is the EBP candidate, but the 'Dancers were in line to draft him anyways (and he's a better keeper option for the future), so this was a relatively easy call for the Sundancers. They could arguably have held on to Bosh (8), but really, he would have just gotten in the way of Wallace and Brook Lopez (10). Of course, this all changes if Wade ends up missing any substantial time due to his calf injury.

6 (4) 71-69-4
Kept: Paul Pierce (34)
Shoulda Kept: Carmelo Anthony (35)
It doesn't seem right to say the Kings should have kept a lower-rated player, and who knew Melo would have the type of season he's having? New York's lineup could have handled Melo missing a few games, and could certainly use his rebounding and scoring (NYK is 11th and 10th in the league, respectively).

7 (8) 67-75-2
Kept: Pau Gasol (38)
Shoulda Kept: Pau Gasol
Also an easy choice, although with the problems the SnowBees have been having at point guard this season, some Salt Lakers would make a case for Derrick Rose (94). They would be wrong.

8 (10) 68-76-3
Kept: Brandon Roy (60)
Shoulda Kept: Brandon Roy
You can't blame the Strats for Roy's recent injuries. But you can blame them for not having any better options. Their next best option was Kevin Garnett (67), who is lighting things up currently at the end of the Butchers' bench.

9 (6) 67-73-4
Kept: Jason Kidd (7)
Shoulda Kept: Jason Kidd
The only real option for the Butchers ended up being the best they could have hoped for. It's safe to say Kidd's outplayed his expectations, and the best player they could have kept other than the veteran point guard would have been David West (37).

10 (9) 71-70-1
Kept: Danny Granger (59)
Shoulda Kept: David Lee (9)
This was supposed to be the year of the Jai-Rai, with their juggernaut offense and big name starters. Alas, Granger's injury changed Udorn's fate. In retrospect, Lee was their next best option as a keeper, but Jai-Rai fans can't argue with the production that Horford (15), Nene (17), and Randolph (27) have been giving them.

11 (12) 64-77-3
Kept: Devin Harris (171)
Shoulda Kept: Marc Gasol (21)
Again, we can't fault the Underdogs for Harris' injury—he was lighting things up at the end of 2009—and who knew Gasol would be as good as he is? But let's play pretend for a moment. What if the U-Dogs kept Gasol? They would have had to pass on Dwight Howard (19) in the draft, but could have snagged Steve Nash (4) or Deron Williams (26). Hindsight is 20/20. I bet the U-Dogs wish they would have had hindsight.

12 (11) 58-82-4
Kept: Caron Butler (72)
Shoulda Kept: Anyone But Caron Butler
2009 Tigers Having a Better Year than Caron Butler: Marcus Camby (18), Jason Terry (29), OJ Mayo (39), Luol Deng (42), Troy Murphy (44), Brendan Haywood (68), and Michael Beasley (70). Ladies and gentlemen, the Bayside Tigers.

Who do YOU think your team should have kept? Also, don't forget to vote on the Game of the Week and Week 17's EBP!