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.

Anyone can make a decision, but few will take a year-plus long fall for one, such as what has happened to NBA star LeBron James.

While LeBron’s “Decision” continues to get met with jeers, a Cleveland fan’s recent anti-James decision is being greeted with a plethora of cheers.

Most Cleveland sports fans were happy to see a sad LeBron fall short during the NBA Finals

It all started on Twitter (where else?), when Cleveland radio host Cherise Navidad was tweeting during the NBA Finals.  Navidad, like the rest of the city of Cleveland, was rooting hard for the Dallas Mavericks to win the title, and knock King James and the Miami Heat off their high horse.

On the night of the title-clinching Game 6, she sent the following message out on Twitter:

cheriseonair Cherise Navidad

Dear Mavs: win tonight and we will name our lil’ boy Dirk. He’ll be here June 22nd. @cavsformavs #cavsformavs

At the time, it was clearly a message sent in a playful manner during a nerve-racking and competitive basketball game.  Days later, she finds herself in the news headlines, being the subject of a story by Nina Mandell of the New York Daily News.

But the best part of the entire story is this: Navidad is sticking to her Twitter promise, and will go through with naming her second-born child after Dirk Nowitzki.

A Cleveland radio host will name her second-born child after Dirk Nowitzki

We can only hope that either Mark Cuban or Dan Gilbert loves the gesture so much, that one chimes in and offers to pay for the kid’s college education, too.

Either way, kudos to Cherise Navidad, this week’s WIFE OF THE WEEK here at The Wife Hates Sports. Best wishes to her, her family and a happy and healthy baby Dirk.

The Kev and Row Show returns with its Mother’s Day Edition – airing Sunday May 8, 2011 at Noon, and featuring special guest “J-Dub”, a friend of the show and fellow sports blogger.

As discussed last week, the show features KP, creator of The Wife Hates Sports and Chris Humpherys, creator of Sports Chump.  Each week, we will attempt to bring on a guest to share in our sports conversation.

This week’s Sunday Crunch edition will be in our new baseball format – nine topics spanning across nine separate innings.  In addition, each segment must go at least five minutes, but no more than ten – and will feature a two-minute warning once/if we hit the eight-minute mark.

Here is some more information about the show, if you want to call or listen in:

The Kev and Rev Show

Listen: Either through the TalkShoe website or podcast player at The Wife Hates Sports

Call During Live Show: (724) 444-7444 – Call ID: 97999

Episode #2 Airs Sunday March 8, 2011 at 12pm Eastern

Barring any breaking news, this week’s topics are set and will be as follows:

THE KEV AND REV SHOW: Episode #2 – Mother’s Day Edition (May 8, 2011)

Pregame – The Latest from Kev (The Wife Hates Sports) and Rev (Sports Chump)

1^st – Lakers-Mavs – Kobe’s Beef

2^nd – Heat-Celtics – The Burning Questions

3^rd – NBA Chatter – Lakers, Celtics, Spurs All Struggling – Is that a good thing?

4^th – Pacquiao-Mosley and ‘What’s Wrong with Boxing?’

5^th – Kentucky Derby – Open Forum

6^th – Andre Ethier and the MLB Discussion

7^th – Stanley Cup Playoffs – How Sweep It Is

7^th Inning Stretch – What Else Is Up in Sports?

8^th – Seve Ballesteros and the PGA Tour Update

Bring in the closer…

9^th – Ohio State Football and the latest in College Football

Postgame – Concluding this edition of The Kev and Rev Show

This show is dedicated to the Mom’s of the world, whether you LOVE or HATE sports – and a personal THANK YOU to my Mom, for all that she has done for me throughout my life.

We hope you will get the chance to listen in, whether live, or later in the week – as the show can be heard through the Talk Shoe podcast player on the right side of TWHS’ home page.

Thank you for supporting THE WIFE HATES SPORTS and SPORTS CHUMP!

The Miami Heat and Boston Celtics will be one of the hot topics during this week's Kev and Rev Show podcast

Over the last week, the sports world has continued to be active, from the ongoing excitement of the NBA and NHL playoffs, to Major League Baseball hitting its second month, to the 2011 NFL Draft and more.

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

Throwing Tomatoes: May 4, 2011

Rashard Mendenhall

KP thinks Rashard Mendenhall recently took one too many stupid pills

By now, most of you are familiar with Mendenhall’s comments regarding Osama bin Laden (via his Twitter account) – and like many of you – I’m speechless.  I’m all for a guy exercising his right to freedom of speech, but plain and simple, when you’re in a spotlight such as the one Mendenhall is in – your soap box is larger.  A guy simply needs to be smarter, and not drop such words about an incident that has affected so many people.  I can think of no other excuse other than the fact that the Steelers RB took one too many stupid pills that day.

Washington Capitals

It’s becoming a hand-in-hand marriage – the Stanley Cup Playoffs arrive, and the Washington Capitals are a highly-rated, underachieving bunch.  Trailing 3-0 in the Eastern Conference Semis to Tampa Bay, Washington still has a chance, albeit a small one.  After all, the Flyers did it to the Bruins last year, and the Blackhawks forced a Game 7 against the Canucks this year.  But with the Caps, this has become the norm, and a comeback seems about as likely as Alexander Ovechkin doing a commercial for Crest.  Heck, four out of five dentists likely agree, too.

Come 2012, a change may need to happen, and let’s face the painful facts D.C.; you can’t spell Ovechkin without the letters C-H-O-K-E.

KP thinks that four out of five dentists would agree that Alexander Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals are choking yet again (AP Photo/John Bazemore)

Frank McCourt

Frank McCourt thinks Bud Selig is un-American. What do you think?

The troubled owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers remains a target in this edition.  Recently, McCourt referred to Bud Selig as “un-American”.  Let’s think about this for a second, shall we?  McCourt has racked up millions of dollars in debt, he can’t afford the team’s payroll and he’s asked to borrow money from various outlets, including a $30 million loan from Fox.  That sounds familiar to millions of Americans out there – so maybe McCourt is right, after all.

Ryan Mallett

Like the aforementioned McCourt, Ryan Mallett is a repeat offender.  By now, everyone knows that Mallett was selected by the New England Patriots in the third round of the 2011 NFL Draft.  His draft free fall was likely due to numerous, rumored off-the-field concerns – and recently, it was reported that Mallett was almost an hour late to a pre-draft meeting with the Tennessee Titans.  With the stories continuing to emerge post-draft, I have a hard time believing this is a smear campaign, and if Mallett wants to succeed in the NFL, he’ll need to get his act together, especially playing under Bill Belichick.

Derek Lowe

Atlanta Braves SP Derek Lowe is the latest in a long line of athletes to get busted with a DUI.  Seriously, would it kill these MILLIONAIRE sports stars to just suck it up and pay for a cab?

Shin-Soo Choo

Busted! (See Derek Lowe)

Maybe Choo and Lowe saw Seinfeld’s bit on cab drivers…

Odd Critique of Andy Dalton

Get this: Andy Dalton, former TCU QB and now second round pick by the Cincinnati Bengals, was actually catching criticism for having red hair.  Give me a break, like hair color really affects a player’s performance.

Hmm, maybe more people saw Mike McQueary play than I would have originally thought (only true football fans or Penn Staters will understand that zing).

Greg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs

Spurs head coach Greg Popovich said that injuries slowed the team.  No, age did.  The Spurs are old, and it’s clear that after being outplayed by a young and quick Memphis team, San Antonio should make significant changes in the offseason.  Inject some youth into the franchise.

Overstock.com Coliseum

The home of the Raiders and A’s is being renamed to the Overstock.com Coliseum.  We won’t see an overstocking of wins on the football field.  The jokes just write themselves, don’t they?

Mark Ingram’s New Statue

To add to his growing trophy case, Mark Ingram has a new statue that was dedicated to him – a statue of…chicken salad?  One word: Ridiculous.  On second thought, anybody got any bread?

THIS WEEK’S BEEFSTEAK TRIO

Albert Haynesworth

Add a misdemeanor sexual abuse charge to Haynesworth’s resume – and a lifetime membership to the Throwing Tomatoes Target Practice Club, too.

Janoris Jenkins

For those counting, that’s three arrests for Jenkins.  All that talent, wasted – but it was the right move for new Gators head coach Will Muschamp to cut ties with him.  Would Urban Meyer have done the same?  All signs point to: NO.

Roger McDowell

Usually, when the individual apologizes, I let the tomato slide.  But McDowell – and his rants, slurs and gestures – were simply too hard to ignore this time.  Punishment well deserved…

NEW! The “YOU DECIDE” Tomato Concept

Let’s pretend this guy is propped up on a dunk tank filled with tomatoes.  It’s your call:

TIKI BARBER – Regarding his NFL comeback: “It has nothing to do about the money”

Do you believe him?  If yes, then he escapes.  If not, TOMATO.  I don’t know about you, but my vote is juicy and hanging from a vine.

And finally…

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

Chicago White Sox – Worst record in the American League (11-20)

Texas Rangers – 7-13 since a red-hot 9-1 start to the season

San Francisco Giants – Offense is struggling, defending champs now below .500

San Diego Padres – A .217 team batting average is just brutal

Minnesota Twins – It’s May 4^th and the Twins have just 13 HR as a team

Chicago Cubs – The Cubs’ pitching staff has walked 119 batters – most in the majors

This has been Throwing Tomatoes, where the stupid pills are overstocked.

Throwing Tomatoes is a feature that Kevin Paul started five years ago when blogging in the Fox Sports community.  It has been featured numerous times, including on the Fox Sports home page on several occasions.

LeBron James is headed to the Miami Heat, but there’s room in the state of Florida for another superstar – at least, there should be.

The Orlando Magic should aggressively counter Miami’s new and deadly trio of players (that have agreed to play for the Heat – with contract negotiations still pending).

LeBron is joining Bosh and Wade in Miami

The Magic now shift from being the 2^nd seed in the Eastern conference last season to arguably the 2^nd best team in the state.

That’s why Orlando needs to explore making a counter move – specifically adding a major piece that was mentioned in rumors around the time of the NBA Draft – and that was the talk of acquiring superstar point guard Chris Paul from the New Orleans Hornets.

It remains to be seen if Chris Paul is even available via trade, as a number of these reports could just be misguided rumors – but amidst the rumors emerging, Paul did chime in with a few thoughts on the matter.

“I want to win now,” Chris Paul said to John Reid of The Times Picayune late last week.

Paul also went on to profess his love for the city of New Orleans, but reiterated a similar point – and a willingness to play elsewhere.

With Miami's new trio, Orlando should counter by trying to acquire Chris Paul

“My first choice is New Orleans,” Paul said in a story by Chris Broussard of ESPN The Magazine.  “I just want to make sure we’re committed to winning.  If we’re not committed to winning and trying to get better so we can contend with the Lakers, the Celtics and all these other top teams, then I’m open to being traded.”

Queue the Magic.

Orlando is in a winning position, what with reaching the NBA Finals two seasons ago and the Eastern Conference Finals this past season.

However, with the new duo of Chris Bosh and LeBron James soon to join Dwyane Wade just a few hours south of O-Town, it’s possible that the Magic’s elite position in the Eastern Conference may be in jeopardy.

With the Heat playing in the same division as Orlando, the Magic may lose significant home-court advantage if they were to make it to the 2011 NBA Playoffs – which many feel they will.

That’s why Orlando should make a counter move, by adding a superstar that can push Miami harder than the current Orlando roster can.

Enter Chris Paul.

Paul is open to a trade and he’d fit in well with Dwight Howard and the rest of the roster.

As previously discussed, plenty of rumors have been mentioned involving Paul and a number of teams (including Orlando) – although it remains to be seen how much the Hornets would consider dealing away its superstar point guard – if at all.

That doesn’t mean that Orlando shouldn’t continue to explore such an option – and perhaps they are doing just that, especially after LeBron’s announcement came out Thursday night.

Among the rumors that have floated around in recent weeks included names like Jameer Nelson and Vince Carter being moved in such a deal.

Right now, it’s not the names or the players that are involved, as Orlando certainly has the pieces that could be moved to New Orleans in exchange for a player like Chris Paul.

The key point is instead that while many critics aren’t sold on the Miami Heat just yet, the Magic should consider a counter attack to stay afloat in the Eastern Conference – just in case the trio of James, Bosh and Wade flourishes on South Beach.

The Magic’s current roster – albeit very talented and explosive – didn’t have the pieces in place to handle a Boston Celtics team that had moments where it showed its age throughout the majority of the regular season.

Dwight Howard and the Magic are one of many powers in the Eastern Conference

Often the biggest pieces aren’t just superstars, but the ability to have a big man that can be a dominating presence, along with a scrappy point guard that can run the offense, while peppering in some scoring.

Dwight Howard is both the dominating presence and a superstar.

Jameer Nelson is that point guard – but Chris Paul is that point guard – and then some.

That’s why the Orlando Magic can (and should) make this NBA offseason that much more interesting by finding a way to acquire Chris Paul from the New Orleans Hornets.

Then we’ll see who will have the most “magic” on the court during the upcoming season – Superman and Co., or “The King” and his merry men.

If anything, it would make for great theater – and further shift the power of the NBA over to the Eastern Conference.