Power Rankings: Celtics, Lakers make grade when rivals don't upgrade

Updated Nov. 17

The first big trade of the NBA season involved a couple of lightweights, which has to make the heavyweights happy.

That's one punch ducked by the Celtics and Lakers, who began the regular season not only as the favorites in their respective conferences but also as the teams least likely to make a deal.

Instead of being jettisoned from the Warriors to the Bobcats, Stephen Jackson going to Cleveland or Denver would have sent shockwaves from coast to coast, potentially changing the balance of power atop the East or West.

But landing in Charlotte, which vastly improved its postseason prospects with the acquisition, probably only affects a first-round playoff matchup, instead of possibly being a difference-maker somewhere farther down the line.

As such, count the Lakers and Celtics among the winners in the four-player deal, and the Cavaliers and Nuggets among the losers.

Here's how I would rank the top three in each category:

Big winner: Bobcats. This offensively challenged bunch was desperate to give Gerald Wallace some help, and they got it in Jackson, who averaged 20-plus points per game in each of his two full seasons with the Warriors. The price? Almost nothing -- Raja Bell, the Bobcats' best defender (they've got plenty of good ones left over), and Vladimir Radmanovic, their most disappointing offensive player.

Runner-up: Celtics. When they went into Cleveland on opening night and outlasted the Cavaliers, the Celtics sent a message: We're better than you right now. Boston made its big move in the offseason, getting Rasheed Wallace. The Celtics await Cleveland's counter -- and the Cavs just let one big fish slip away.

Third prize: Lakers. Like the Celtics, the defending champs believe they're set for another title run, having added one key new piece (Ron Artest) over the summer. The gap between L.A. and No. 2 in the West -- whoever that might be -- is larger than Boston's edge in the East, so it's possible the Lakers could overcome someone like Jackson landing on one of their rivals. But they would just as soon not have to find out.

Big loser: Cavaliers. The Warriors reportedly targeted Zydrunas Ilgauskas' expiring contracts as their No. 1 choice from Day 1 in the Jackson sale, but the Cavaliers refused to offer it. The question is: Why? Cleveland needs a versatile counterpart for LeBron James far more than a backup center. So now they're left to dangle the big guy's contract at the trade deadline, where they will be a lot more under the gun to make a deal. Under those circumstances, they're far less likely to get a player of Jackson's ability.

Runner-up: Nuggets. They reportedly considered Jackson an upgrade over J.R. Smith. Unfortunately, so did the Warriors. Denver needed to get a third team involved, but time ran out on them when the Bobcats came out of nowhere and closed the deal. You snooze, you lose in this business.

Third prize: Warriors. They would like to believe this is addition by subtraction, but history tells us that's not the case. The last time the team's best player demanded a trade, the Warriors got Tom Gugliotta and three first-round picks from Washington for Chris Webber. It didn't seem like such a bad deal at the time, but it took the club 12 years of postseason-less play to overcome the depression caused by the loss of its emotional leader. Good luck, Raja.

Short-term, both the Bobcats and Warriors move up in the CBSSports.com NBA Power Rankings -- Charlotte because adding a talent like Jackson trumps going 0-3 last week, and Golden State because a small step backward is far less than the big-time stumble by a Knicks club that lost by 14 at home to the Warriors.