NBA Power Rankings: The curious case of the Knicks; red-hot Magic surging in East

The New York Knicks and the Orlando Magic are the subject of this week's NBA Power Rankings.

Charlotte Hornets v Orlando Magic
Charlotte Hornets v Orlando Magic | Julio Aguilar/GettyImages
9 of 30

22. LA Clippers

A month after James Harden was traded to the LA Clippers, they still can't quite get things right. Even when the Clippers do win, they haven't looked impressive by any means. And quite frankly, it is pretty perplexing. Even though Harden believes the Clippers will figure it out with time, it's natural to wonder if this will end up being the biggest mistake that the Clippers have ever made in the Paul George and Kawhi Leonard build.

Even though the Clippers have one of the most talented rosters in the Western Conference, it's hard to feel any level of good for the team. At their best, this is a team that will need to compete with the likes of the Phoenix Suns and Denver Nuggets. I can't envision that happening. The Clippers might be stuck.

And they have no one to blame other than themselves. LA jumped headfirst into this situation and if it doesn't work out, it could be the end of an era. Jobs will be lost if the Harden addition blows up in the team's face. That's how important the next few months of the season could prove to be.