NBA power rankings: Sixers slowly recalibrating after tough stretch

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NBA power rankings — Blazers, Hornets, Knicks

21. Portland Trail Blazers (11-13)

Turns out Chauncey Billups is not the solve-all agent former GM Neil Olshey thought he would be. With shake-ups in the front office and the team on the verge of irrelevance, noise around Damian Lillard’s future is as loud as ever. The Portland superstar claimed before the season that he’s willing to sink or sail with Billups. Well, that iceberg looks mighty close to the ship. Let’s see if he keeps his word.

20. Charlotte Hornets (13-11)

The Hornets have run hot and cold all season, but with LaMelo Ball, Terry Rozier, and Mason Plumlee all set to miss time with COVID, we could be in for a dark upcoming stretch. Charlotte is a lot of fun when everything is clicking, but Ball is the engine of that offense. Without him, it could collapse inward pretty fast.

19. New York Knicks (11-12)

Remember when we thought the Knicks might compete for the No. 1 seed? That was so long ago. New York has been a mess lately, with Kemba Walker going to the bench and Julius Randle continuing to struggle relative to last season’s All-NBA campaign. New York will still hang around the play-in conversation at the very least, but it’s fair to start wondering if the Knicks were one-hit wonders under Tom Thibodeau.