Examiner.com 2009-10 NBA preseason power rankings

The 2009-10 NBA season is nearly upon us, and Examiners across the country have provided their thoughts on where the 30 clubs rank.

Will the addition of Ron Artest solidify the Lakers' chances to repeat, or will Shaq put the Cavaliers over the top?  Do the Celtics have another run in them?  Can the Nuggets or Magic take the next step?

Follow all your favorite teams throughout the season with detailed analysis, exclusive features and more from our team of Examiners!

Rank	Team/Examiner		2008-09 Record	Commentary
1		Los Angeles Lakers  Colin Ward-Henninger	65-17	The world champions add Ron Artest and will rely on Shannon Brown to fill Trevor Ariza’s shoes.
2		Cleveland Cavaliers  Matt Loede	66-16	LeBron James is the best player in the league and now he gets Shaq to run alongside him.
3		Boston Celtics  Mark Rawden  Chris Zirpoli	62-20	If Garnett is healthy, the addition of Rasheed Wallace makes them deep enough to challenge for the Eastern title.
4		Orlando Magic  Kenny Samsel  Samuel Rabinowitz	59-23	Vince Carter won’t make up for the loss of Hedo Turkoglu, but Dwight Howard and the return of Jameer Nelson make Orlando an Eastern contender.
5		San Antonio Spurs  Michael Chartier	54-28	With Manu Ginobili healthy and Richard Jefferson added, there’s no reason the Spurs can’t return to championship form.
6		Denver Nuggets  Sean Star	54-28	Billups, Anthony, and a deep bench keep Denver in contention out in the west.
7		Dallas Mavericks  Andrew Tobolowsky	50-32	A good team adds Shawn Marion, a versatile defender whose style fits Jason Kidd’s running game perfectly.
8		Portland Trail Blazers  Jesse Price	54-28	Greg Oden looked good in the preseason and the addition of Andre Miller should make Portland a dark horse in the west.
9		Utah Jazz  Jeff Lockard  Nate Davie	48-34	Jerry Sloan always has this team competing with the best. With Boozer in a contract year, he should play at an all-star level.
10		Atlanta Hawks  Fred Pennington	47-35	A young team that should grow up more this season.
11		New Orleans Hornets  Logan Widdicombe	49-33	Chris Paul is still arguably the best point guard in the league and he has a new weapon in Emeka Okafor.
12		Phoenix Suns	46-36	Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire are both in contract years.
13		Chicago Bulls  Chris Cason	41-41	Luol Deng’s health is paramount for the Bulls.
14		Washington Wizards  George Panagakos	19-63	If this team is healthy, there is no reason why they can’t compete with the best. Arenas, Jamison, Butler and Mike Miller off the bench is a nice core group.
15		Toronto Raptors  Ben Fisher	33-49	Hedo Turkoglu will help out this team immensely. They’re a playoff team in the east.
16		Miami Heat  Thomas Johnson	43-39	Wade, Beasley, and O’Neal make a nice trio for Miami.
17		Philadelphia 76ers  Andy Jasner	41-41	Their young players will exceed expectations and Philadelphia will surprise a lot of people.
18		Detroit Pistons  Dave Ryan	39-43	Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva are nice additions for Detroit.
19		Houston Rockets  David Hartnett	53-29	Houston is a gritty bunch that always seem to overachieve when Yao and McGrady are injured.
20		Los Angeles Clippers	19-63	Blake Griffin gives LA fans hope. He also has some nice talent around him.
21		Charlotte Bobcats  David Sentendrey	35-47	Larry Brown will get the most out of his players.
22		Golden State Warriors  Mike Massa	29-53	If you aren’t familiar with the name Anthony Randolph, you soon will be.
23		Indiana Pacers  Kyle Winslow	36-46	They get Dahntay Jones from Denver, but besides Danny Granger, Indiana has a long way to go.
24		Oklahoma City Thunder	23-59	This team has the best young players in the league.
25		New Jersey Nets  Gregory Hrinya	34-48	The Nets need a lot to go right this season, but they have plenty of young talent. Harris, Lopez, Lee, and Douglas-Roberts should excite the crowd at the very least.
26		New York Knicks	32-50	The Knicks are gearing for 2010-11, but there’s still a season to play. David Lee and Nate Robinson are both in contract years and Danilo Gallinari gives Knicks fans reason for optimism.
27		Memphis Grizzlies  John Hoffman	24-58	Rudy Gay and O.J. Mayo will light up the scoresheets. Iverson and Thabeet are risks that could pan out or blow up in the Grizzlies’ face.
28		Milwaukee Bucks  Kris Gilson	34-48	The Bucks were slashing prices like Crazy Eddie this offseason. Their fans have little reason to be optimistic.
29		Minnesota Timberwolves  Adam Holt	24-58	Minnesota’s success goes hand-in-hand with Al Jefferson’s recovery from knee surgery. He’s the T-wolves’ best player.
30		Sacramento Kings  Patrick Ibarra	17-65	The Kings are better on paper than their recent results. The younger players need to put it together on the floor now.

Thanks to New Jersey Nets Examiner Gregory Hrinya for his team-by-team commentary.