ESPN's Marc Stein came out with his first set of regular season NBA Power Rankings on Monday. It's always interesting in the early part of the season to see Power Rankings because it's still a balance of expected future play as well as current play. The rankings of the LA-based teams are proof of that.
The Los Angeles Lakers, who currently are 3-3, sit at no. 8. The Lakers split their first four games without center Andrew Bynum, then split his first two games back. Kobe Bryant started off strong but struggled this weekend. Bynum came back like a man on a mission. What team is really the Lakers? Apparently, Stein is still trying to figure that out as well.
The Los Angeles Clippers, who currently are 2-2, sit at no. 10. The Clippers have been exciting but inconsistent, which is to be expected with how little time the team has had to play together. Chauncey Billups got hurt, so we still won't know what this team is capable of for a long time. But for now ... LOB CITY!