The strike shortened NBA season is already twenty games in for most teams, and the Chicago Bulls currently have the best record in the Eastern conference, while the Oklahoma City Thunder currently are perched on top of the Western Conference.

The upcoming week features a number of key matchups, headlined by the Sunday evening star studded game between the Bulls and the Heat.

In KP’s inaugural NBA Power Rankings, the aforementioned Bulls and Thunder have earned the top two spots.  The surprising 76ers and Nuggets are also featured in the top ten.

Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls headline this week's NBA Power Rankings

KP’s NBA Power Rankings: January 29, 2012

* Statistics and rankings include results up to January 28, 2012

1. Chicago Bulls – 17-4 (101 points)

Chicago’s 87.0 points per game allowed is tied for the lowest in the NBA this season.

2. Oklahoma City Thunder – 16-3 (97 points)

Kevin Durant and the Thunder have the best record in the Western conference

Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook each are in the top ten in points per game average, combining for over 47 points per game.

3. Philadelphia 76ers – 14-6 (90 points)

The Sixers are outscoring opponents by nearly 12 points per game and the team’s 11.7 differential is the best in the NBA this season.

4. Atlanta Hawks – 14-6 (73 points)

In his first season seeing significant playing time, point guard Jeff Teague is averaging 12.4 points per game, 2.1 steals per game and shooting nearly 48% from the floor.

5. Miami Heat – 14-5 (71 points)

Despite an injury to Dwyane Wade, the “Big 3” each is still averaging more than twenty points per game, with LeBron James headlining the trio, scoring 29.2 per game.

6. Denver Nuggets – 14-5 (71 points)

The Nuggets have six players averaging in double digits, headlined by Danilo Gallinari, who leads the team averaging 17.9 points per game.

7. Houston Rockets – 12-8 (61 points)

Shooting guard Kevin Martin is averaging 20.1 points per game this season, and over his last three games played, he totaled 85 points in that span.

8. Dallas Mavericks – 12-8 (57 points)

With 16 games under his belt this season, it’s important to note that Dirk Nowitzki (17.5 ppg) is currently more than five points below his career average.

9. Indiana Pacers – 12-6 (56 points)

Danny Granger leads the team in points per game (16.8) and steals per game (1.5).

10. Orlando Magic – 12-7 (56 points)

Dwight Howard continues to put up gaudy numbers with the Magic.  His 15.6 rebounds per game are nearly two boards more per game than any other player in the NBA.

11. Portland Trail Blazers – 12-8 (52 points)

Of qualified players, Jamal Crawford currently leads the league in free throw percentage, missing just three on the year and posting a 94.9 percentage from the charity stripe.

12. San Antonio Spurs – 12-8 (49 points)

Kawhi Leonard has been a youthful compliment to the team, starting ten games on the year, and averaging 7.2 points per game.

13. Los Angeles Clippers – 10-6 (48 points)

Chris Paul leads the league in the steals to date, posting 2.55 per contest.

14. Memphis Grizzlies – 10-9 (42 points)

The Grizzlies have been very balanced offensively.  Just how balanced?  Tony Allen (9.9 ppg) is sixth on the team in scoring.

15. Utah Jazz – 11-7 (41 points)

Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap and C.J. Miles are the only three Jazz team members to currently average in double figures on the season.

16. Boston Celtics – 9-9 (39 points)

Even with all the injuries and trade rumors, the Celtics have found a way to win four straight, including a huge comeback against the Magic a few days ago.

17. Minnesota Timberwolves – 9-10 (39 points)

Kevin Love’s 18 double-doubles (in 19 games) are currently four more than any other player in the NBA this season.

18. Los Angeles Lakers – 11-9 (29 points)

Kobe Bryant can't be pleased by the Lakers' 11-9 start this season

Kobe Bryant, averaging 30.0 points per game, leads the league in scoring and is the only current NBA player to average thirty-plus on the season.

19. Milwaukee Bucks – 8-11 (22 points)

Andrew Bogut, the team leader in rebounds and blocks, recently suffered another major injury and will be out for significant time.

20. Cleveland Cavaliers – 7-11 (6 points)

Kyrie Irving (17.6 points per game) and Antawn Jamison (15.3 points per game) are the only two players to average in double figures.

21. Golden State Warriors – 6-12 (5 points)

Of qualified players, Brandon Rush leads the league in three-point field goal percentage, posting a 57.1% percentage from behind the arc.

22. Phoenix Suns – 7-12 (4 points)

Marcin Gortat leads the team in points per game (14.8), rebounds per game (10.1) and blocks per game (1.6).

23. New York Knicks – 7-13 (1 point)

The Knicks have four players that average in double figures, Carmelo Anthony, Amare Stoudemire, Iman Shumpert and Tyson Chandler.

24. New Jersey Nets – 7-13 (-1 point)

Deron Williams (19.4 ppg and 8.6 apg) has played well, but the team has struggled to perform.

25. New Orleans Hornets – 4-15 (-9 points)

Eric Gordon leads the team in points per game (21.0), steals per game (2.0) and even blocks per game (1.5).

26. Toronto Raptors – 6-14 (-11 points)

He’s only appeared in 13 of the team’s 20 games, but Andrea Bargnani is averaging 23.5 points per game, nearly ten more than any of his teammates.

27. Sacramento Kings – 6-14 (-26 points)

Defensive minded DeMarcus Cousins leads the team in rebounds (10.9 per game) and blocks (1.4 per game).

28. Washington Wizards – 4-16 (-27 points)

JaVale McGee leads the league in blocks per game, with an average of 3.15 per contest and 63 total blocks in Washington’s 20 games.

29. Detroit Pistons – 4-17 (-31 points)

Greg Monroe leads the team in points per game (15.8), rebounds per game (9.5) and steals per game (1.3).

30. Charlotte Bobcats – 3-18 (-45 points)

The Bobcats are 1-10 on the road and 0-8 versus the Southeast division so far this season.

* All stats per NBA.com

The Wife Hates Sports’ NBA Power Rankings system has a method to its madness, attempting to be different and not just rank by popularity and record.  It mixes a secret formula of six completely different categories, meshed into a points system.  The categories don’t just include team results regarding record, but how each team has performed recently, as well as incorporating some statistics on both a team’s offense and defense, too.

The sports world has been active, from the continuation of the NFL Playoffs to headlines in the golf world, and more.

So as the sports world turns, the stories pile up and more sports frustration emerges.  Don’t sweat it, The Wife Hates Sports has them all covered – in lycopene, that is.

Throwing Tomatoes: January 24, 2011

Rashard Mendenhall

…for doing the “Humpty Dance”.

The Pittsburgh Steelers were ecstatic, and ready to finalize its most recent Super Bowl trip.  Woodley was jacked, Tomlin was amped, and Big Ben was ready to run a play in the victory formation.  Following the Roethlisberger snap, Rashard Mendenhall celebrated by… dry humping the Steelers QB?  Really?

Yes, really.  It caught many off guard, but was hysterical at the same time.  I even double-checked that others saw what I saw.  The Huffington Post did, as did many others.

The Jay Cutler Haterade

…for being sugary sweet.

I get that a lot of players are up in arms by the Jay Cutler knee injury.  It’s the NFC Championship game, and a golden opportunity for a true leader to suck it up and try and vault his team into the Super Bowl.  But knee injuries can be brutal, and every man has a different pain threshold.

Take my readers, for example, who have a high threshold by tolerating my writing.  Guys like Brett Favre and Big Ben also play hurt all the time.  Cutler tried, and it didn’t pan out, so give the guy a break.  He’s already hurting from having a future of sitting on his couch on February 6^th.

Dustin Johnson

Earth to Dustin Johnson: It's Natalie Gulbis, embrace that rumor.

She’s not just one of the most talented women in professional sports, but also one of the most beautiful.  She’s Natalie Gulbis and rumors were flying about her dating fellow pro golfer Dustin Johnson.

Yet, Johnson has recently denied rumors that he’s dating Gulbis – and even adamantly stated that he’s sick of hearing about it.

Fine, Dustin – that’s cool, bro – we can go back to the two blown majors from last year.  Would you rather we did that instead?  The world just wanted to float positive news about you… and your “Johnson”…

Mark Sanchez

… for spreading green to a teammate.

The New York Jets are often referred to as “Gang Green”, but Mark Sanchez took that nickname to a whole new level.  This time, he’s not eating hot dogs on the sideline, but instead appears to be caught on camera picking his nose and wiping the mess on teammate Mark Brunell.

It’s already enough that the veteran QB has to be Sanchez’s backup.

Then again, maybe he was just “caught at a pick at a light”.

The Emerging Carson Palmer – Mike Brown Feud

…for gaining more steam than the Cincinnati offense.

There are reports that Carson Palmer could choose to retire if he’s not dealt away from the Bengals.  Today, Bengals owner Mike Brown said that Palmer isn’t on the trade block.

Honestly, each party would be better off parting ways, and it would be in each’s best interest to realize that.  Carson realizes it already, but he also shouldn’t consider retirement.  Palmer has some gas left in the tank, and a change would do him good (if placed in the right situation).

And finally…

…a quick-strike of red to the following teams…

Toronto Raptors – Eight straight losses leading them to a 13-32 record

Cleveland Cavaliers – The Cavs’ losing streak is now at 17 games.

Washington Wizards – The Wizards are 0-21 on the road this season.

Edmonton Oilers – Five straight losses and the worst record in the West (by 14 points)

Vancouver Canucks – Still the top seed, but four straight losses is cause for concern

Ottawa Senators – Just one victory over its last ten games, and fading fast

This has been Throwing Tomatoes, where the red fruit always plays through pain.

The sports world has been active, from the continuation of the NFL Playoffs to a handful of NBA’s elite players making headlines, and more.

So as the sports world turns, the stories pile up and more sports frustration emerges.  Don’t sweat it, The Wife Hates Sports has them all covered – in lycopene, that is.

Throwing Tomatoes: January 12, 2011

LeBron James

…for swallowing one too many bitter pills.

The latest on LeBron James once again has nothing to do with elite performances on the basketball court.  This time, it’s a recent tweet sent by LeBron, obviously pointed in the direction of the Cleveland Cavaliers, who had just suffered a 55-point loss to the Lakers.  The tweet:

King James

“Crazy. Karma is a b****.. Gets you every time. Its not good to wish bad on anybody. God sees everything!”

Remember when LeBron and Cleveland got along? Feels like forever ago

Two words should be said to King James: “Bitter much?”

Dear LeBron: When will you finally let it go?  Multiple NBA titles – and not words – are the only true payback.

Then again, who knows if LeBron even sends all his tweets.

Cleveland Cavaliers

…for being far from cavalier.

The aforementioned Cavs by no means get off clean – and last night’s embarrassing 112-57 loss to the Lakers was by far the biggest joke of a performance in years – and it’s not even close.

It should leave specatators wondering how the Cavs would fare against some of college basketball’s most talented teams.

Antonio Cromartie

…for lighting an unnecessary fire underneath Tom Brady.

New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan likes to run his mouth, and many consider his statements to be a way to take the focus off his players.  That is, until one of his players opens his mouth, too.

Antonio Cromartie opened his, specifically calling out Tom Brady, referring to the Patriots QB as an “ass—-“.  Oh, and that’s not all, as the New York Daily News discusses.

The thing is, Cromartie doesn’t always put his money where his mouth is.  Sure, he’s made some great plays at times, but he’s also been burned on big plays just as much, if not more.

Overall, call it bad news for the Jets.  Cromartie can sure back it up in the bedroom, but not so much on the field.  This news should only fire up Brady and Co. more.

B. Favre

… for being in the news.

This time, it’s not Brett Favre, but it’s still a B. Favre making headlines.  Favre’s younger sister Brandi was reportedly arrested during a drug bust in Mississippi.

Even with the Vikings out of the playoffs, a B. Favre still finds a way into headlines.  It never fails.

Ted Williams

…for putting a kink in the armor.

It has been the story of the year – the homeless man with the golden voice – as many refer to it.  But upon facing his new fame, Ted Williams also recently faced an arrest, putting a damper one of the year’s most refreshing pieces of sports news.

LSU Tigers

How does the LSU fan base feel about 7 more years of Les Miles?

Les Miles is a load of fun to cover – and even more entertaining to watch on the field, what with the off-the-wall trick plays, followed by a complete disregard for clock management.

But that’s just it: Miles has been a solid coach while at LSU, but a lot of supporters have been calling for him to be dismissed.  LSU has been in the SEC picture from year to year, but as a team, there have been no national titles won with a full batch of Miles recruits.

That’s why a seven-year deal is so puzzling.

Briefly, a belated (but necessary) tomato pelting goes out to…

Pinstripe Bowl Officiating Crew

…for earning a “one finger salute”.

And to…

The Big Ten Conference

…for being the home of “little football” on New Year’s Day.

And finally…

…a quick-strike of red to the following teams…

The NBA’s Pacific Division – The Suns are in second place with a 15-21 record

Cleveland Cavaliers – On top of the above, the Cavs have also lost 11 straight games

Minnesota Timberwolves – Five straight losses and an overall record of 9-30

Ottawa Senators – Six straight losses and just two wins over its last ten games

San Jose Sharks – Five straight losses, knocking them out of the current playoff picture

Columbus Blue Jackets – See the San Jose Sharks (above)

This has been Throwing Tomatoes, where the forbidden fruit is never bitter.

It’s been another wild week in the world of sports, where no area of the country got hit harder than the Midwest – from inclement weather, to bad football, to buildings collapsing under the weight of a blizzard – and so on.

So as the stories continue to pile up, more sports frustration emerges.  Don’t sweat it, The Wife Hates Sports has them all covered – in lycopene, that is.

Throwing Tomatoes: December 12, 2010

The Metrodome Roof

…for doing its best home team impression – and collapsing.

It was the most unbelievable story of the weekend in sports, as the home of the Minnesota Vikings simply caved in under the weight of snow from a nasty blizzard that hit the area.

As a result, the Giants-Vikings contest was postponed until Monday evening, where it will be played in Detroit instead.

But this wasn’t the only collapse occurring in the Midwest…

-   The Green Bay Packers offense – losing Aaron Rodgers to a concussion – socred just 3 points against the Lions, and are teetering on a potential playoff absence.

-   The Bears laid an egg against the juggernaut Patriots, faltering 36-7 in snowy and blustery Chicago.

The Metrodome collapsed today, but Favre and the Vikings have been collapsing over the course of the season

-   Meanwhile, the Vikings have been slowly collapsing since the season began – and with this recent news – who knows what the future is in Minnesota.  Could this finally mean a new stadium, or what about a move to LA?  It all remains to be seen.

Brett Favre

…for continuing to find a new way into the headlines.

Brett Favre continues to be the bad penny in football.  The latest news is involving his number of injuries – and the fact that Favre’s consecutive game streak may finally come to an end Monday against the Giants.

A recent report stated that Favre (via text message) hinted that he likely would not play against New York, despite getting an extra day of rest.

But like Favre’s retirement, there’s no reason to believe that Brett won’t play until he’s actually seen on the sideline – so please, can someone finally take #4’s cell phone away for good?

Al Golden Haterade

… for being the drink of choice by football critics.

Multiple sources have reported that Al Golden – the coach of the Temple Owls for the last five seasons – will be the new coach of the Miami Hurricanes.

This news is taking a hit from a number of critics – but why drink the Haterade?

Golden is a solid coach, and led a Temple team from a one-win season in 2005 to back-to-back bowl games over the last two seasons.  For those that state Golden played no one in 2010, keep in mind that the Owls did defeat a BCS bowl representative (UConn) by two touchdowns, and gave Penn State a run for its money well into the 4^th quarter.

The 41-year old coach has ties to major programs such as Penn State, and could flourish as a part of a Miami program that should be able to reel in much better talent – so let’s cut the guy a break, ok?

Sal Alosi

…for bringing classless football to the Big Apple.

Here’s another low for the New York Jets – and it’s not referring to the team’s anemic offense of late.  During Sunday’s game against the Miami Dolphins, Sal Alosi – a member of the staff on the sideline – was seen blatantly sticking his leg out to trip a Miami Dolphins player that was running down the field to make a play on special teams.

Brian Lewis of the New York Post confirmed the report on Twitter, and also mentioned that the Jets are looking into the incident.  In particular, Lewis said:

@NYPost_Lewis

Brian Lewis

Jets confirm Sal Alosi tripped Nolan Carroll: The team is reviewing the situation and looking into the appropriate next steps.”

Alosi later apologized to the Dolphins, as also mentioned by Lewis via Twitter.

Still, he should still be reprimanded for this classless act, perhaps by being fined.  There’s just no place for that in football, or in any sport for that matter.

NFL Kickers

…for mostly being off the mark in 2010.

If you haven’t noticed, there are a lot of kickers that have been atrocious this season – and we don’t mean as an “idiot Kicker” off the field – but just a group of players that are costing teams a lot of W’s.  Take the following trio:

-   Graham Gano – Redskins – 22 for 32 (69%)

-   Nick Folk – Jets – 23 for 32 (72%)

-   David Buehler – Cowboys – 16 for 22 (73%)

There have also been injuries and cuts – and Jeff Reed is another example of a player cut from a contender – but later picked up by another team.

It’s just been an ugly year for the kicker – to the point that if I were a coach, I’d take the timeout not to freeze the guy, but to have more time to look away.

And finally…

…a quick-strike pelting of red to the following teams…

Carolina Panthers – That’s an NFL worst 1 win and 7 straight losses

Cincinnati Bengals – The Bungles (2-11) were once 2-1 and hopeful for a good year

Tennessee Titans – 6 straight losses puts this team at 5-8, raising many questions

Cleveland Cavaliers – Make that 8 straight losses for the Cavs (7-17)

Golden State Warriors – 6 straight defeats have pushed the Warriors well below .500

Washington Capitals – 6 straight losses and the Caps have a losing record on the road, too

New York Islanders – 5 consecutive losses and an NHL-low 15 points (in 27 GP)

.

This has been Throwing Tomatoes, where the red fruit never sails wide right.

The 1995-96 NBA season was one for the history books, as the Chicago Bulls – led by Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman – left its stamp on the basketball world by posting the best record in league history, a 72-10 regular season mark.

Former NBA head coach and current analyst Jeff Van Gundy thinks that record is soon to be broken by the Miami Heat.

“They will break the single-season win record,” Van Gundy told the Miami Herald.

Jeff Van Gundy thinks the Miami Heat will break not one, but two major NBA records this saeson

And that isn’t the only major NBA record that Van Gundy thinks LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh and the Heat could surpass during the upcoming season.

“And I think they have a legit shot at the Lakers’ 33-game streak, as well,” Van Gundy added.

To say those are strong words would be the understatement of the year, especially with the Heat playing in the same division as brother Stan’s Orlando team that won 59 games last season.

That’s also the same Southeast division that featured four teams with winning records last year – a feat that was only matched by the West’s Northwest division.

To put it bluntly, Jeff Van Gundy is bordering on crazy with this smorgasbord of heightened predictions.

The Miami Heat will certainly be a talented bunch – and there’s no doubt that they’ll win a lot of games, and be poised for a deep playoff run – but cruising by NBA records held by the 1971-72 Lakers and 1995-96 Bulls teams?

C’mon, Jeff: Please give JaMarcus his “purple drank” back and slowly step away from the mic.

There are simply too many factors in play that can prevent the Miami Heat from winning a title, let alone inking itself in the NBA’s history books.

Dwyane Wade has had a few injury plagued seasons in the past

For one, there’s health – specifically with Dwyane Wade.

Wade plays hard – we’re talking 110% all game, every game – and that can lead to injuries… and has led to injuries.

While Wade played the majority of the last two seasons, he only managed to start 50 games in 2006-07 and 49 games in 2007-08.

That’s back-to-back years missing thirty-plus games – and if that were to happen again, you’re likely kissing the two aforementioned records goodbye, even with LeBron and Bosh still on the court.

It’s not just health that will be a question mark heading into the upcoming season, as the Heat also will have to deal with a lack of size when compared to other powers in the NBA.

Miami has the 6’10” Bosh on its roster, but the other players on the Heat’s roster that are his size (or larger) include Dexter Pittman, Shavlik Randolph, Jamaal Magloire and Zydrunas Ilgauskas.

Those names simply don’t stack up against the likes of Andrew Bynum, Lamar Odom, Theo Ratliff and Pau Gasol in Los Angeles.

They also don’t stack up against the size of teams such as the Boston Celtics and Orlando Magic.

While the Miami Heat have a brand spankin’ new roster of superstars featuring newcomers LeBron James and Chris Bosh, let’s not go and hand them the Larry O’Brien Trophy just yet – and let’s especially not go and hand them some of the game’s greatest records of all time.

Anything can happen during an 82-game regular season and when all is said and done, the basketball world could easily wind up avoiding Jeff Van Gundy’s quotes, and instead moving on to a few famous lines of another former coach – that being Dennis Green.

For the time being, it’s safe to say that Jeff isn’t getting invited over to Stan’s pad for Thanksgiving – but expect a heaping helping of great NBA games when the season starts in a few months.

Still yet to be determined: If the Miami Heat “are who we thought they were”…