PRESEASON POWER RANKINGS

SERIOUSLY, WITH THESE GREAT PREDICTIONS, WHY PLAY THE GAMES?

The last two WFBL Champions face off in Zermatt in the marquee match-up of 2008-09's opening week.

It's that time of year again. The leaves are changing colors, baseball is in its postseason, Utah State fans around the globe are calling for their football coach's firing, and the Preseason Power Rankings are out...all rites of passage signaling the beginning of the WFBL season!

At long last WFBL fans can have a clear understanding of what to expect from their team this season, as all sorts of questions will be answered. Who will be this year's Bayside? Will it be Bayside? Which team will be severely overrated (Salt Lake, anyone?)? And most importantly, the question on every fan's mind: Can anyone knock that smug grin off of Coach Barnes and the Abominables' collective faces? You ask, the Power Rankings oblige!

Team, Rank, (Previous), Record (Last Season)

1 (1) 125-79-3
As is the custom, the Champs start out number one until proven otherwise. But this is no honorary ranking. With Allen Iverson, David West, and Al Jefferson joining preseason EBP Candidate Chris Paul, the A-Boms have a good shot at being the first team in WFBL history to repeat as champions.


2 (7) 110-89-8
Having that number one pick sure gave Salt Lake a good head start on the season. Nowitzki! Marion! Gasol! Durant! The only weakness we can see for the SnowBees is at the PG spot. But can all the talent translate into postseason success?


3 (10) 76-106-7
"Lucky Lachowsky" strikes again, as the absentee-coach appears to have again assembled a team that can compete across the board in all categories. This high ranking comes with one caveat: the Tigers must stay healthy. If Camby, Butler, or Davis get hurt, the backups just aren't there.


4 (12) 73-124-10
Too high a ranking for a team that set all sorts of records (not in a good way) last season? The starting lineup is nice (Garnett, Calderon, Martin, Artest, Yao), but Nephi earns their ranking with a stellar bench (Roy, Parker, McGrady, Bynum).


5 (6) 98-104-5
Spirits are high in Park City. The return of preseason EBP Amare Stoudemire is enough to have Dancer fans cuttin' a rug, but adding Chris Bosh, Hedo Turkoglu, and Mo Williams further helps the cause. The wild card? Which Dwyane Wade shows up this season?


6 (2) 110-99-7
The Gators are going to be in postseason contention thanks to Kobe. Andre Miller is a solid PG, and it doesn't get much better than J-Rich at the 3. But injury-prone Gerald Wallace and low-producing Tim Duncan raise more questions than answers for Twin Falls.


7 (5) 111-91-5
The Iguanas have perennially been in the hunt for the top seed in the WFBL, and don't be surprised if this year is more of the same. Boozer and Billups create a "Big Three" with LeBron, but durability (Allen) and productivity (Okur) issues tell us to temper our expectations.


8 (3) 107-99-10
One of the surprise teams last year, Richmond is an enigma this season. Where will the points come from? What about the percentages? Josh Smith is a stat-sheet stuffer, and Igoudala is a great backcourt match, but how will the Butchers' front office react if things don't fall their way?


9 (4) 115-86-7
Hey, St. George: Wither assists? Wither three-pointers? Sure, big Dwight is a monster on the glass and will get you plenty of blocks, but he destroys your FT%? If the dominant team from last year's regular season hopes to get back on top, then Truman Barnes certainly is a genius.


10 (11) 84-116-7
Rigby struggled with injuries last season under first-year coach Nathan Wallace. This season? With Johnson, Carter, Lewis, and Sheed, the Trojans should dominate threes, FT%, and turnovers...but do they have what it takes to compete with the Chris Pauls and Marcus Cambys of the world?


11 (8) 98-102-7
You can't argue with Steve Nash, Paul Pierce, and Carmelo Anthony, but the Kings will be putting a lot of faith in an unproven Greg Oden, and AK47's production hasn't been starter-worthy since the WFBL began. TJ is a shrewd manager, however, and New York fans demand perfection.


12 (9) 100-109-7
You'd think a team with Rudy Gay and Danny Granger would be ranked higher than this. Well, we're looking at the categories and we just don't see it this year. Perhaps Jermaine O'Neal has a revival. Perhaps Michael Redd will do more than just score. Perhaps D-Will's ankle injury doesn't linger all season long.