2015-16 NBA Power Rankings Through Week 17

30. Philadelphia 76ers (8-47) Last Week: 30

The Sixers are staying on track to finish with the worst record in the NBA which has been their goal all season long.

29. Los Angeles Lakers (11-46) Last Week: 29

The Lakers finally made the right decision to name D'Angelo Russell the starter at point guard for the rest of the season. Hopefully, they will fire Byron Scott next.

28. Phoenix Suns (14-42) Last Week: 28

The Suns really don't have much to be excited about aside from recently trading Markieff Morris. Brandon Knight remains injured and there hasn't been anyone to consistently step up in his place.

27. Brooklyn Nets (15-41) Last Week: 27

The Nets upset the Knicks, but then fell at home to the Hornets last week. Brook Lopez is a star, but he doesn't have a whole lot of help around him.

26. Minnesota Timberwolves (17-39) Last Week: 26

The Timberwolves have found a superstar in Karl-Anthony Towns and could be in position to draft another top-end prospect as they currently have the fifth-worst record in the NBA.

25. Denver Nuggets (22-34) Last Week: 24

The Nuggets are a team without a direction and a highly disappointing roster. Outside of Danilo Gallinari, there isn't a consistent player on this team night in and night out.

24. New Orleans Pelicans (22-33) Last Week: 25

The Pelicans have won four of their last five games behind some tremendous play from Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday.

23. Milwaukee Bucks (23-33) Last Week: 23

The Bucks have actually been playing better since Jason Kidd randomly decided to start bringing Greg Monroe and Michael Carter-Williams off the bench.

22. New York Knicks (24-33) Last Week: 21

The Knicks took an embarrassing loss on the road to the Nets on Friday night, but followed it up with an impressive road win over the Timberwolves on Saturday.

21. Sacramento Kings (23-31) Last Week: 22

The Kings are going nowhere quickly and wasting one of DeMarcus Cousins' prime seasons. They desperately need to add some help this offseason in order to maximize his potential.

20. Orlando Magic (24-30) Last Week: 20

The Magic got rid of Tobias Harris, but added Ersan Ilyasova and Brandon Jennings who could give the team a boost. With more playing time for rising star Aaron Gordon, the Magic could actually improve down the stretch.

19. Washington Wizards (25-29) Last Week: 19

The Wizards had the daunting task of playing three games in three nights coming out of the All-Star break. They won the first two games, but then ran out of steam against the Heat on Saturday night.

18. Detroit Pistons (27-29) Last Week: 17

The Pistons made the biggest deal of the deadline adding Tobias Harris from the Orlando Magic. Unfortunately, the team lost its first two games with Harris in tow.

17. Utah Jazz (27-28) Last Week: 14

The Jazz lost two out of three last week in their return from the all-star break despite being back to full-strength. I still like this team to improve as the season goes on.

16. Houston Rockets (28-28) Last Week: 18

The Rockets couldn't unload Dwight Howard at the deadline and the one deal that they did complete got voided. Things don't look to improve much for the team as they head towards the end of the season.

15. Chicago Bulls (29-26) Last Week: 13

The Bulls lost to the Cavaliers, but then took down the Raptors and Lakers at home last week. Derrick Rose has played extremely well in Jimmy Butler's absence, but the team defense has suffered.

14. Charlotte Hornets (29-26) Last Week: 16

The Hornets added Courtney Lee and got Al Jefferson back from injury last week. This team could be ready for a strong second-half push.

13. Dallas Mavericks (30-27) Last Week: 12

The Mavericks weren't able to make any deals before the deadline, but they did sign David Lee after he was waived by the Celtics. He could have a sizable impact in giving Dirk Nowitzki some rest down the stretch.

12. Portland Trail Blazers (29-27) Last Week: 15

Don't look now, but the Blazers have won five games in a row and nine of their last 10 on their way to reaching two games above .500. Terry Stotts should be the leading candidate for NBA Coach of the Year.

11. Atlanta Hawks (31-26) Last Week: 9

The Hawks were rumored to be shopping Al Horford and Jeff Teague at the deadline, but neither guy ended up getting dealt. While it certainly helps the team's playoff chances this season, it was a terrible decision for the future.

10. Indiana Pacers (30-25) Last Week: 10

The Pacers have been playing much better since inserting Myles Turner into the starting lineup. The team could finish inside the top-four of the Eastern Conference and earn home-court advantage for a first-round series.

9. Miami Heat (31-24) Last Week: 11

The Heat didn't have Dwyane Wade or Chris Bosh coming out of the All-Star break, but they still took down the Hawks and Wizards. If Goran Dragic and Luol Deng can continue their improved play, the Heat could be a force to reckon with.

8. Memphis Grizzlies (32-23) Last Week: 8

The Grizzlies lost Marc Gasol to a broken foot and traded Jeff Green to the Clippers. Those two issues will likely have a profound impact on the rest of the season, but right now, the record looks good.

7. Boston Celtics (33-24) Last Week: 7

The Celtics had a chance to move further up this list by making a deal at the deadline, but they couldn't get one completed. It's a big roll of the dice for general manager Danny Ainge.

6. Toronto Raptors (36-18) Last Week: 5

The Raptors have set themselves apart as the second-best team in the East, but I would've liked to have seen them add another piece at the deadline. Their current roster doesn't have a shot against the Cavaliers in the playoffs.

5. Los Angeles Clippers (36-19) Last Week: 6

The addition of Jeff Green is a game-changer for the Clippers as he will eventually give them a consistent scoring option on the wing.

4. Oklahoma City Thunder (40-16) Last Week: 2

I'm not sure what happened to the Thunder last week, but it's certainly concerning. They blew a late lead against the Pacers on Friday then got blown out by the Cavaliers on Sunday with both games being at home.

3. San Antonio Spurs (47-9) Last Week: 3

The Spurs continued their winning ways last week, but I can't get past the ugly losses to the Cavaliers and Warriors to put them any higher on this list.

2. Cleveland Cavaliers (40-14) Last Week: 4

The Cavaliers took down the Spurs a few weeks back and then manhandled the Thunder on the road on Sunday. Aside from two losses to the Warriors, the Cavaliers have beaten the best teams in the league.

1. Golden State Warriors (49-5) Last Week: 1

Although the Warriors took a loss at the hands of the Trail Blazers last week, they remain two games ahead of the Spurs for the best record in the NBA and the top spot in these power rankings.