Final Power Rankings

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An End of An Era

Months later, Wade continues to wear the same Championship T-shirt every day, as he takes the Commissioner Barnes Trophy on a world tour.

The Commissioner may be upset about this year's outcome, but that's not going to stop the Power Rankings from doing its job. Which, of course, is to give our opinion on the final state of the WFBL, even if you really didn't ask for it. So, for those of you still paying attention:

Team, Rank, (Previous), Record

1 (1) 104-71-5

The Sundancers couldn't have asked for more of a fairy tale ending to their 2009-10 campaign, setting a new franchise record for wins by beating Zermatt in Concludings. Not even the Commish attempting to cancel the season wrap-up articles could rain on their victory parade.

2 (2) 92-81-7
When the A-Boms lose championship games, they do it big. Despite yet another Concludings appearance, this time with a team of rookies and misfits, the result has to be seen as a disappointment. Four straight trips to the Concludings are no consolation to only coming home with two Commissioner Barnes trophies.

3 (5) 101-81-7
Twin Falls defied all odds by not only beating wonder boy LeBron James in making it to the Wasatch Concludings, but actually putting up a fight against Park City. The amazing part was it all happened with Kobe half a world away, pouting it up for Udorn. It's apparent that as long as Adams is running things in Twin Falls, Gator fans can expect to compete.

4 (3) 97-86-6
We can spend all day talking about the Igs' obvious lack of green-hue discernment, but rumblings in Maracaibo have fans and players blaming coach Hopkin for their season-ending meltdown, as he "abandoned" them for his honeymoon. As for scheduling his wedding during the playoffs, Hopkin, points out that the Igs would have choked either way, so he might as well be on vacation while it happened.

5 (4) 91-90-8
LeBron keeps talking about "opting out" of his final year in Rigby so he can "test the free agent waters". We're not sure what he's talking about, since that's a term that hasn't been used since the old days of the now-defunct NBA. Sorry, your majesty, there's no way Rigby's not keeping you around for another playoff run.

6 (6) 91-95-3
Udorn seems to have the old "securing the final playoff spot after dealing with a myriad of injuries then losing to Maracaibo in the first round" routine down pat. In all likelihood Kobe will get a second chance to help break this cycle next year.

7 (7) 97-87-5
The New York Kings missed the playoffs by half a game, this is true. But if you look at it the way college football purists do, the entire season is basically a playoff. So from that perspective, the New York Kings advanced to, what, the 19th round of the playoffs? Not bad!

8 (9) 89-98-2
For the first time in a couple years, the Salt Lake SnowBees were relevant on the final day of the regular season, coming within a blowout loss to Rigby of making the playoffs. Before that, they kind of slipped in and out of relevance throughout the season. Things are looking up for next year, though, amid rumors that the WFBL playoffs may expand to 96 teams instead of 6. Most bracketologists predict that this change will improve Salt Lake's playoff chances from "long shot" to "bubble team."

9 (8) 88-94-7
Nephi took a big step back this season, falling to 9th place after their surprising 5th place finish in 2008-09. So who will still be around to help right the ship next year, Amar'e or Rondo? If we were them, we'd want to cut ties with the wrong half of the infamous Amar'e/Bosh debacle.

10 (10) 85-97-5
His last name notwithstanding, Jason Kidd isn't getting any younger. Neither is Kevin Garnett, whose erstwhile nickname, "The Kid" is now used only ironically. And while Marcus Camby often acts like a baby, he is not one. So if the Richmond Butchers are going to improve on this season's disappointment, they might need to start looking for players who aren't old enough to have played against Larry Bird and who think Dr. J is the name of a generic-brand cola. Just a suggestion.

11 (11) 82-101-6
Most collective bargaining agreements in professional sports give an obvious advantage to either the players or the owners. In the NFL, for example, the salary cap and rules against guaranteed contracts clearly favor the owners. In Major League Baseball, there is no salary cap, so players can and do exert their will on ownership. The WFBL is unique in that its labor agreement benefits no one. That's right, by allowing only one guaranteed contract per year and forcing all the other players back into a draft, the WFBL manages to limit owners' ability to keep players while at the same time giving players zero control over where they play. The one advantage to this system is that it gives ne'er-do-well teams like St. George to wipe the slate (mostly) clean every year. The U-Dogs seem likely to shake off all of the dead weight on its roster not named Dwight Howard and wait for Dwyane Wade, Pau Gasol, Deron Williams, and Carmello Anthony to fall into their lap. Easy!

12 (12) 75-108-6
Winless over their final nine weeks including the playoffs, the hapless Tigers never even escaped the bottom rung of the consolation ladder. Big surprise. For those counting at home, that's three last place finishes in five years.

Week 19 Power Rankings

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Let's Do This Thing

LeBron hopes this year's EBP trophy equates to better postseason success than 2008's.

Well, that was fun. All those weeks of laboring over statistics, scouring the waiver wire, fleecing an opponent in a trade, and we're through. It's playoff time. So for the elite, the Commissioner Barnes trophy and some custom shorts lie at the end of the three-week tournament. For the not-so-elite, a tote bag and the hopes of their name getting drawn first in the 2010 Dwyane Wade sweepstakes. Before we get too far into Round One, let's get some final thoughts on each team.

Team, Rank, (Previous), Record

1 (2) 92-66-4

With their statement-making 6-3 win over Twin Falls, Park City clinched the first-round bye and finished only a half-game behind their final record of a year ago. The 'Dancers look like the favorites this year, but will that #1 ranking prove to be their downfall yet again?

2 (1) 86-70-6
The A-Boms clinched their fourth straight first-round bye—one for every year of their existence, by the way—by only losing to the Igs 3-5-1. Coach Barnes may spin it as resting their players for the postseason, but the Power Rankings gets a stinking suspicion that this may be the worst team the two-time defending champ has ever taken to the playoffs.

3 (4) 83-73-6
Despite not reaching their goal of winning the World regular season crown, the Igs have to be pleased with not only making the playoffs again, but perhaps striking fear in the minds of the A-Boms. After five straight playoff appearances, is this the year 'Caibo breaks through?

4 (5) 80-77-5
No longer in consideration for the Most Disappointing Team WFBLy, the Trojans set their sights on upending perennial postseason powerhouse Twin Falls. Will 2010 EBP LeBron take the Trojans to the promised land, or fizzle in the first-round like 2008 EBP LeBron?

5 (3) 85-71-6
The Gators have been an odd team to explain all season long. Their players do a lot of things well, but nothing great. They're going to need someone to step up this week if they are going to sweep Rigby and force a Wasatch Conference Concludings rematch with Park City.

6 (7) 82-79-1
Along with Park City, the Jai-Rai are one of the hottest teams heading into the playoffs, having won an impressive two in a row! No really, that's impressive. Udorn has yet to win three straight this season, and has won two straight only twice. Now's as good a time as any to break that record, Jai-Rai.

7 (8) 80-78-4
Ok, so NOW it's the end of the world. New York just got cold at the wrong time of the year, losing three in a row before trying to salvage their season with last week's victory, which came up a half a category short. Now it's on to the tote bag, as the Kings try to salvage whatever pride remains in New York City.

8 (9) 74-83-5
If only there were one more week, Nephi totally would have caught Salt Lake for that 8th seed! But alas, there are only 19 weeks. Strats fans can take heart knowing that they've got the longest active win streak (four weeks), and are the early favorites to win that tote bag!

9 (6) 76-84-2
In the end, Rigby was just too much for the SnowBees. Hard to believe this once-proud franchise battled for the first-ever Concludings championship so many years ago. How much longer will the championship-starved fans in Salt Lake tolerate the losing?

10 (10) 75-83-4
Richmond lost out on the playoffs, but gained something even better: the Edgells welcomed baby #2 to the family Sunday night. Word on the street is she's a big body, and may get the start at PF next week if KG doesn't get his act together.

11 (11) 68-89-5
St. George broke the streak of "tote-bag winners one year, Concludings participants the next". Was it so long ago that everyone's favorite cartoon dog struck so much fear in the hearts of opponents?


12 (12) 65-93-4
Bayside won only one conference series all season, losing the other nine. That victory? 5-4 over New York in Week 2. To add insult to New York's injury, if Chris Bosh would have had one fewer turnover on Sunday against the Jai-Rai, the Kings would be in the postseason. Now, who said Bayside doesn't care?


Don't forget to vote on the Games of the Week and Week 19's EBP!

Week 18 Power Rankings

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Where Playoff Tickets Are Punched

While all of this week's matchups have playoff implications, only Salt Lake vs Rigby could result in the winning team making the playoffs and the losing team going home.

Remember all those weeks when your team lost a category by one assist or a hundreth of a percentage point, and you convinced yourself this one category wasn't going to affect the grand scheme of things? Well, you were wrong. It's the last week of the season. Playoff births and seeding will be determined by the slimmest of margins. Just think how nice that extra cushion would be had you gotten those two extra assists back in Week 3.

Team, Rank, (Previous), Record

1 (2) 83-65-5
Collison! Foye! Blatche! Gasol! No, the other Gasol! Even as they trot out a starting lineup like this to face the second place Igs, the A-Boms are still all but assured their fourth consecutive first round bye.

2 (5) 86-63-4

Apparently the old adage "As goes Wade, so go the Sundancers" doesn't apply when playing the U-Dogs. With Wade out resting his sore calf, Park City destroyed St. George anyway to reclaim the Wasatch driver's seat.

3 (1) 82-65-6
After giving up 5 games in the standings to the Sundancers in a single week, Twin Falls needs to beat Park City 6-3 to tie for the Wasatch crown. They would then claim the tiebreaker by virtue of their head-to-head record.

4 (3) 78-70-5
It would take a 7-2 Iguana victory to wrestle the World Crown away from Zermatt, also thanks to a head-to-head tiebreaker. Did we mention Randy Foye is starting for the A-Boms this week?

5 (4) 74-74-5
No pressure, but if Rigby blows it now, they wouldn't just miss the playoffs. LeBron could lose the EBP trophy that his name is already being etched on, and the Trojans would be a shoo-in for most disappointing team.

6 (7) 73-78-2
Better late than never, Salt Lake is finally making their long-promised playoff push. With their league leading win streak now at 4, the SnowBees are in position to steal the final playoff spot from Rigby with a 6-3 win.

7 (10) 76-76-1
With a half game lead over New York and Boshless Bayside coming to town, Udorn has a decided advantage. But it seems nothing has come easy for the Jai-Rai this year.

8 (6) 74-75-4
It's simple. New York needs to be one half game better than Udorn this week (they own the head-to-head tiebreaker). Open the gates and seize the day! Don't be afraid and don't delay! Neighbor to neighbor, father to son, one for all and all for one!

9 (8) 70-80-3
True, Nephi can sneak into the playoffs if they beat St. George 9-0 and Salt Lake beats Rigby 6-3, but that seems a little improbable. Still, stranger things have happened... like sweeping Twin Falls and Zermatt by a combined total of 24-11-1.

10 (9) 72-77-4
Richmond also needs a little help. They can crash the playoff party with a 5-3-1 win over New York and a 6-3 Bayside win over Udorn. Or, if a 4-5 Bayside loss seems more likely, they could try to beat New York 7-1-1.

11 (11) 65-85-3
It is strangely fitting that the only way the U-Dogs can affect the playoff race at this point is by losing 9-0. It's been that kind of season.


12 (12) 62-87-4
Playoffs? Don't talk about playoffs! You kidding me? Playoffs? The Tigers just hope they can win a game! P.S. They are who we thought they were.


So, who do you think makes it in? Also, don't forget to vote on the Game of the Week and Week 18's EBP!

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!