HUNTINGTON, W.Va. -- For one night in the hills of West Virginia, Lamar Jackson became a magnet. Even before Louisvilles cadre of buses arrived at Marshalls Joan C. Edwards Stadium on Saturday afternoon, a crowd of fans gathered behind the northern end zone, waiting on him to show his face. A middle-aged man carried a magazine he hoped Jackson would sign. He already owned the autographs of Willie Mays and Babe Ruth, and now it was Jacksons turn. Soon, the mans pregnant and enduringly patient wife said, hed have to move all his memorabilia out of the spare bedroom to make room for the baby. Wearing green, it was clear the child would grow up rooting for the Thundering Herd.But allegiances didnt matter when Jackson stepped off the bus to the classic O Fortuna, which is a matter of ritual before every Louisville game. The drums boomed through the loudspeaker, and just like that, every eyeball gravitated toward Jackson, the Cardinals 19-year-old sophomore quarterback who has emerged as college footballs latest superstar. Anyone with a camera, cellphone or otherwise, pointed it straight at Jackson as he made a beeline toward the visiting locker room. Later, something as simple as a game of pitch-and-catch in shorts and a T-shirt drew the attention of at least a dozen on-field reporters.An over-capacity crowd of 40,592 came to witness the Lamar Jackson Experience. They were either going to love him or hate him for what he was about to do to Marshalls defense, but they wouldnt dare look away. Bill Koontz, a 1971 Marshall graduate, drove more than 10 hours from his home in Kansas City, Missouri, to be there. He knew the Herds four-game winning streak over Louisville was about to come to an end. But seeing Jackson in person brought some consolation.Hes Superman, Koontz said. The hell with Cam Newton.Even the referees couldnt keep their cool around Jackson. One official lurched into his pocket during pregame warm-ups as Jackson walked past him on the sideline, fumbling his phone as he rushed to take a picture. He couldnt get the darn thing steady in time. So after Louisville finished stretching, the official waved off all manner of pretense and simply asked Jackson to hold still.Before long, Jackson and the Cardinals were off and running, moving the chains at a blistering pace against an overmatched Marshall defense. Jackson bounced around in the pocket like a pinball, buzzed passes by the earholes of defenders, lobbed touchdowns down the sideline and shrugged off tacklers as he high-stepped into the end zone. Late in the game, a pair of Marshall ball boys stood on the Louisville sideline in awe of Jacksons effortless throwing motion. He flicked his wrist, and off it went like a dart, a tightly wound spiral each and every time.That ball, one of them said to the other, who shook his head in disbelief. I cant get over how pretty it is. Even the long ones. They dont break.Jackson, the Heisman Trophy front-runner, wound up passing for 417 yards and five touchdowns on the night. He scored twice more running the football as Louisville beat Marshall 59-28 to improve to 4-0.College footballs reigning touchdown king was ushered near midfield, where a television crew readied for a postgame interview. Jackson was deferential and kept the focus on his teammates. But defensive end Devonte Fields photobombed the live shot, walking through the background with a sign he borrowed from someone in the crowd. Lamar #8 Jackson For Heisman, it read. Fields shoved a Sharpie in Jacksons hand when the interview ended. Jackson grinned and gave it his sweeping signature.Moments later, a Marshall athletic trainer had something else for Jackson to autograph: a bright green cast wrapped around her right arm. A couple of paces away, a man and his 10-year-old son asked for a photo. Louisvilles director of football ops and the teams strength and conditioning coach shouted that there was no time, that they had to go. But Jackson ignored them, smiled for the camera and patted the boy on the head. Little Kahlief Tye muttered, Awesome, and couldnt manage another word. His big eyes refused to blink as Jackson jogged off the field and on to whats next.On to No. 5-ranked Clemson on Saturday (8 p.m. ET, ABC). On to the next step in Louisvilles quest to crash the playoff. On to the Heisman Trophy ceremony in New York City.While the rest of the country remains in a daze over the player he has become, Jackson is unfazed. The most electrifying athlete in college football doesnt need another minute to process what being a superhero means or how he has reached 25 touchdowns faster than any player in the past decade -- faster than Newton, faster than Manziel, faster than Mariota or Luck or Tebow. The man many in Louisville call La-Marvelous believed he could do it the entire time.***Lamar Jackson believes hes failing.No, seriously. Ask him.He gave himself a D grade after he scored five touchdowns against then-No. 2 Florida State two weeks ago. An interception bugged him.I think it was seven incomplete passes I threw, he said. Bad balls.Against Marshall, he was even harder on himself. He didnt bother to look down at the stat sheet placed in front of him at the postgame news conference. Final grade: F.Four hundred and seventeen yards and five touchdowns passing is an F? a reporter asked incredulously.How many completions did I have? Jackson shot back.24.Out of what?44.F, Jackson said, shaking his head. F.Its simple math, according to Jackson. Divide 24 by 44, and youll get 54.5 percent. Thats a failing grade in school, he explained.You wont find this in any textbook, but the exchange rate he abides by is four touchdowns for every one interception. Wideout Jaylen Smith said Jackson feels as if he owes that to his teammates when he makes a mistake. Jackson will throw an interception, score the necessary four TDs and tell the offense, All right, were even now.Hes a perfectionist, Smith said.Smith ought to know. The two were roommates last season. Theyd get home after a scrimmage or a game, and the first thing Jackson would do was pick up the phone and call his mother to tell her about everything he messed up on. Jackson wanted to make sure he pointed out all his flaws first, Smith said. Never mind that he scored 23 touchdowns and started seven games as a true freshman, all without knowing most of the playbook.Hes a great competitor, and sometimes when youre a great competitor, things eat at you, Louisville coach Bobby Petrino said. The things that absorb your thoughts are the mistakes you make, the ones you just miss. Sometimes you forget about all the really good plays and the great things you do.But what others see as greatness, Jackson sees as ordinary.That spectacular hurdle against Syracuse? He did the same thing during a game in high school at Boynton Beach in South Florida.That blinding speed he showed against Florida State? He ran track, and once won a foot race against NBA star Rajon Rondo.And that cannon for a right arm weve seen all year? Go find the video on YouTube of him throwing a ball from goal line to goal lineWhen Lamar Thomas, a former assistant at Louisville, began recruiting him, Jackson didnt want the typical deluge of compliments and empty promises. All it took was a handshake agreement with Petrino that he would be kept at quarterback. Then Jackson asked Thomas for a scouting report on all the quarterbacks on the roster, and the two sat and discussed their strengths and weaknesses.If he won the starting job, Jackson told Thomas, Im going to take it to the next stratosphere.It took some time to beat out the competition and even more time to learn Petrinos complex offense. But thats where the unique part of Jacksons perfectionism kicks in: He doesnt stay frustrated long. He drops his head, shakes his fist and then lets it roll right off his back.The first pass he ever threw in college was an interception against Auburn. Garrick McGee, who was then Louisvilles offensive coordinator, was worried about the rookie and asked him, Are you all right? He said Jackson told him, That doesnt bother me at all. Jackson just wanted back in. He went to the huddle and told his teammates, We have to score -- fast.Thats when I said to myself, This kid might be special. This guy might be what everyone was looking for, said McGee, who is now the offensive coordinator at Illinois. He was just thinking about what we had to do to win. And thats what separates him from anybody that Ive seen. It has nothing to do with him and his success. He just wants to win. It just so happens that to win hes going to score five touchdowns.What no one could have predicted is that hed average more than five touchdowns.Now McGee thinks the Heisman is Jacksons to lose. He called his former QB Michael Jordan in shoulder pads.It seems the only person who isnt in hysterics over his sudden success is Jackson himself. Since he was 7 years old, he said, he knew he wanted to be somebody playing football.Ive been working hard, he said. Ive been working very hard for a long time. Ive been praying and now its happening.***Sadly, in his quest to take over college football, Jackson has had to relinquish the NBA2K crown he claimed playing with the Cleveland Cavaliers last season. He bought the latest version of the video game when it came out in September, but he hasnt had the energy to open it. When he got home from Marshall at 4 a.m. Sunday, all he wanted was to do was climb in bed and sleep. He rested most of the day, got treatment, lounged around and watched Netflix. Hes trying out the quasi-superhero show The Arrow right now. For comedies, his go-to movie is Friday.Other than that, its schoolwork, listening to the rapper Kodak Black and practice. Football is his hobby, he said. Getting anything more personal than that is a lost cause. Either hes not telling or theres nothing there. When his former high school coach was asked what Jackson does other than football, he said simply, He trains.Im at the stadium for fun. Jackson said. I dont really do anything.Lyndon Clemons, Jacksons former vice principal at Boynton Beach High, said its important to understand that Jackson is still only 19 years old. Theres not a lot extra, he explained. Jackson is an open book, but that doesnt mean there are many pages not earmarked for football. Whats more, his mother is a very private woman, and that has carried over to her son. Its going to take a while before theyre used to all this newfound attention.But watch Jackson long enough, and its easy to see why his nickname was Smiley Face as a child. On the sideline and around the football complex, hes always in a good mood. Even the way he speaks, barely above a whisper, draws you in. Hes effervescent. He seems to giggle constantly. Its only when you bring up the Heisman Trophy and his individual performance that he tightens up a bit.He expected the success, but he didnt understand all the cameras that would follow. Its probably the only thing he didnt plan for. He shuts it out by staying in his room, he said.Deangelo Brown, a Louisville defensive lineman who is one of a handful of fifth-year seniors on the team, said he has never seen Jackson talk about himself. He doesnt worry about Jackson becoming the next Johnny Manziel -- another young, second-year player who was all the rage before fame sent him careening off in the wrong direction -- because, Brown said, Jackson cares too much.Hes way more focused, Brown said. Hes not really all in the party scene, hes not really in all the flashes. Hes just a guy that loves football, loves to have fun, loves to win.Said Jackson: I stay on the path of maintaining. ... If you try to, like, dwell on that like youre the man or something, good things wont happen to you.If he keeps up his current pace, Jackson will break the FBS record for touchdowns (63) with two regular-season games to spare. Colt Brennan, who set the record in 2006 at Hawaii, had 10 fewer scores than Jacksons 25 through four games.On Saturday night in Death Valley, Jackson will go head-to-head against another former sophomore quarterback who found himself in the thick of the Heisman conversation last season: Clemsons Deshaun Watson.Tigers coach Dabo Swinney, like so many others, has fallen all over himself praising Jackson this week. He already has called him a right-handed Michael Vick and pointed out that hes not just a scrambler, but someone who can absolutely throw the ball all over the park.Lamar Jackson is a weapon, no question, Swinney said. He makes a lot of plays. Hes a handful.Brown said the game plan is simple: Stop Watson and keep feeding Lamar the ball.The more chances he gets, the more touchdowns he can score, Brown said.And at this point, any number of touchdowns shouldnt be surprising.After all, its time we all accepted a fact that Louisvilles star quarterback came to grips with long ago: Lamar Jackson belongs in the end zone.Adidas Falcon ανδρικα . On Tuesday, Ottawa placed forward Cory Conacher and defenceman Joe Corvo on waivers as trade rumours swirl around the Senators. Adidas NMD R2 φθηνα . - Oakland Raiders running back Rashad Jennings was speaking to a group of local high school students earlier this week when the conversation turned to the importance of being prepared when opportunities in life arise. http://www.nmdgreece.com/ . Varlamov made 33 saves and Ryan OReilly had a goal and scored in the shootout as the Avalanche beat the New Jersey Devils 2-1 on Thursday night. Adidas Superstar γυναικεια φθηνα . Pence singled in the winning run with no outs in the ninth inning to give the Giants a 7-6 victory over the San Diego Padres on Sunday. Adidas Falcon παπουτσια . The judges scored it 48-47, 48-47, 49-46 for Jones (19-1). It was the champions closest call. Despite the loss, it was a remarkable show by the confident Swedish challenger, who had the best of the early rounds and then hung on in the fourth and fifth.Theres another new No. 2 in ESPN.coms weekly NBA Power Rankings.The Cleveland Cavaliers, meanwhile, stand as the NBAs last remaining unbeaten team and have stretched their run at No. 1 to four successive editions of our 2016-17 power poll thanks to the first 6-0 start of LeBron James career.Its the L.A. Clippers who suddenly sit right behind them in the second slot, keeping Golden State mired at No. 3 on the strength of a 5-1 start highlighted by the Clips Saturday night road rout of San Antonio. The Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers, in this weeks other notable development, have capitalized on the volatility that seemingly takes hold every November to make unexpected jumps into the middle of the pack.We repeat: Theres always a lot of movement in the seasons first month when we have only a handful of games worth of data to work with, which means theres plenty for you to dissect and debate throughout our 1-to-30 ladder. Many thanks, as always, go to ESPN Stats & Information and the Elias Sports Bureau -- particularly research ace Micah Adams -- for supplying much of the background data that helps the Committee (of One) arrange things.Previous rankings:?Week 2 |?Week 1 |?Training camp1.?Cleveland Cavaliers 2016-17 record: 6-0 Previous ranking: 1Weve seen at least one lapse in concentration per week from the reigning champs; first against Orlando and then Saturday night in Philadelphia. Yet you suspect LeBron James can live with the occasional letdown when the Cavs (A) already look like such runaway favorites in the East and (B) just became the first LeBron team to ever start 6-0. The three previous LeBron teams that managed to start 5-1 -- last seasons Cavs and the Heat in 2011-12 and 2012-13 -- all went on to win it all.2.?LA Clippers 2016-17 record: 5-1 Previous ranking: 4What would you give greater weight to if we let you do the grading? A home loss to the Russell Westbrook Show marked by a punchless offense? Or a Blake Griffin-led clinic that leads to a 24-point rout of the mighty Spurs on their own floor? Hopeful signs that the likes of Marreese Speights and Raymond Felton have legitimately strengthened the Clippers bench, coupled with sharp starts from Griffin and Chris Paul, have us (and presumably Doc Rivers) looking harder at the latter.3.?Golden State Warriors 2016-17 record: 4-2 Previous ranking: 3Folks forget that Klay Thompson didnt post a 20-point game last season until the eighth game on the schedule and wound up scoring less than 20 in 10 of Golden States first 11 games before launching the turnaround that earned Thompson his second straight All-Star appearance. The difference, of course, is that Thompson was suffering from a bad back in November 2015 and isnt known to have any injury alibis this season to account for his 9-for-46 shooting from 3-point range.4.?San Antonio Spurs 2016-17 record: 5-2 Previous ranking: 2We are conditioned to be surprised by almost every team on the NBA map ... especially in the topsy-turvy month of November. The Spurs, though, are the exception. How are we supposed to process two home losses in the space of a week? Surrendering 73 points to the visiting Clippers on Saturday night to account for the worst first-half D in the Gregg Popovich era? The retirement of legendary San Antonio Express-News columnist Buck Harvey? We werent ready for any of that.5.?Oklahoma City Thunder 2016-17 record: 5-1 Previous ranking: 7After averaging 38.7 points, 12.0 rebounds and 11.7 assists in the Thunders 3-0 start to snag Western Conference Player of the Week honors, Russell Westbrook saw his Week 2 numbers recede to something closer to mortal levels: 27.7 points, 6.0 boards and 7.7 assists. But fear not. An eventful Week 3 looms for Angry Russ and OKC, with DeMar DeRozan and the Raptors visiting Wednesday in a showdown of the leagues top scorers, followed by Westbrooks 28th birthday on the eve of Devin Bookers visit Sunday.6.?Toronto Raptors 2016-17 record: 4-2 Previous ranking: 5 Tiny Archibald, Marques Johnson, Adrian Dantley, Michael Jordan ... and DeMar DeRozan. Thats your list of players, through the NBAs last 50 (yes, fifty) seasons, to score at least 30 points in each of his teams first five games. Its been a historic start to the season for 30-point scorers, but Toronto had to know that the streak was going to end eventually. The Raps didnt have enough pick-me-up for DeRozan when it did and promptly lost at home to slumping Sacramento.7.?Charlotte Hornets 2016-17 record: 4-1 Previous ranking: 11A road win over the Nets, even when theyre without an ailing Jeremy Lin, has a better ring to it than it might have had two weeks ago, thanks to Brooklyns gritty start. In this case, Charlottes 99-95 win was particularly satisfying, since it followed injuries to Jeremy Lamb and Roy Hibbert and nudged the Hornets to 4-1, matching the best start in franchise history (2000-01). Charlottes regular-season winning streak has reached nine games when Kemba Walker scores 30-plus points.8.?Utah Jazz 2016-17 record: 4-3 Previous ranking: 16A road win that denied Gregg Popovich his first career 5-0 start, coupled with a contract extension for Rudy Gobert, just might entitle the Jazz to make the claim that no visiting team in the Popovich era has ever gotten so much out of a regular-season trip to San Antonio. It was a memorable week start-to-finish when you factor in Gordon Haywards earlier-than-expected return, George Hills lights-out start as a Jazz man and Sundays handy matinee victory over the Knicks at MSG.9.?Portland Trail Blazers 2016-17 record: 4-3 Previous ranking: 8All the gaudy numbers coming from Damian Lillard to start the season -- no fewer than 27 points in any of Portlands first six games -- have made it tough on backcourt mate C.J. McCollum to snag any spotlight. That finally changed Sunday afternoon in Memphis, where McCollum rung up 16 points in the fourth quarter and a career-high 37 overall to ensure that the Blazers mustered a strong finish (two road wins) to a week that began with a home rout inflicted by Golden State and a frustrating ending in Phoenix.10.?Atlanta Hawks 2016-17 record: 4-2 Previous ranking: 9?The schedule hasnt been the toughest, true, but Atlanta will arrive for Tuesday nights plenty challenging visit to Cleveland sporting the top-rated team defense in the Eastern Conference. Dismiss this if you wish as premature praise, too, but Dwight Howard will also confront the Cavs in a really good place, with his Hawks career off to a strong statistical start and a comfortable victory to savor from Saturday nights maiden reunion game with James Harden and the Rockets.11.?Boston Celtics 2016-17 record: 3-3 Previous ranking: 6The twin absences of Jae Crowder (ankle) and Al Horford (concussion) are seemingly reasonable alibis, but the Celtics really shouldnt be spanked at home by Denver like they just were. Boston surrendered 42 points in the first quarter, 77 by halftime and has sunk to the bottom of the leagues defensive standings, embryonic as that list is at this stage of the season. The capitulation almost had Brad Stevens pulling a Pop on Sunday night; he stopped short of calling the Celts soft but branded them a finesse team.12.?Detroit Pistons 2016-17 record: 4-2 Previous ranking: 14Make that three 20-rebound games for Andre Drummond. The rest of the NBA has accounted for one, courtesy of the Clippers DeAndre Jordan. Progress has been more modest on the free throws front, however, with Drummond hitting at a 48.5 percent clip compared to last seasons ghastly 38.2 percent. Given that Monday marks Detroits first full month without Reggie Jackson, Stan Van Gundy should be reasonably pleased ... except were talking about Stan Van Gundy.13.?Indiana Pacers 2016-17 record: 3-3 Previous ranking: 15The first ejection of Paul Georges career got all the attention, with a fine surely coming, but the bigger development from a Pacers perspective is that they finally played like the team so many NBA prognosticators grew so fond of in the preseason. Question is: How much of it was Jeff Teague finally finding his stroke after a 2-for-18 start from 3-point range ... or the mere fact that the Bulls were bound to be raggedy after facing the Knicks one night earlier in Derrick Roses homecoming?14.?Denver Nuggets 2016-17 record: 3-3 Previous ranking: 19?If you buy the notion that a young team can benefit from a road-heavy early schedule and build something meaningful from all the bonding that ensues, keep an eye on Denver. The Nuggets just bookended a week that began with a rally from 15 points down to win at Minnesota -- headlined by the five foreign-born players in Denvers starting lineup -- with a thumping win in Boston that featured Emmanuel Mudiay uncorking 24 points in the first quarter en route to just the second 30-point game of his career.15.?Los Angeles Lakers 2016-17 record: 44-3 Previous ranking: 27The Lakers recovery from 12 points down in the third quarter in Atlanta marked just the third time over the past three seasons in which they won a game after trailing by at least a dozen points in the second half.dddddddddddd. And it wasnt their most impressive performance of the week. Thanks to what Steve Kerr is calling our annual beatdown at Staples, L.A. has ushered Golden States Splash Brothers, Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, to 3-for-38 shooting from deep in the teams last two meetings.16.?Houston Rockets 2016-17 record: 3-3 Previous ranking: 16There were three 30-point/15-assist games recorded last season by the entire NBA populace ... and only one registered in Rockets franchise history coming into this season. James Harden, by contrast, has delivered three already in Houstons first six games. But defense, depth and turnovers have all been the sort of red-flag trouble spots that folks feared about this roster. A home-and-home this week with San Antonio means things wont necessarily be getting easier, either.17.?Miami Heat 2016-17 record: 2-3 Previous ranking: 17?After last weeks three emotional reunions (Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, Derrick Rose and Chicago, Dwight Howard and James Harden), we have to ask: Are you ready to do it again? All of this is honestly happening a little too early for our taste, but Thursday nights schedule brings the return of Dwyane Wade to South Beach. In case youve somehow forgotten, D-Wade ranks No. 1 in Heat franchise history in points (20,221), assists (4,944), steals (1,414), games played (855) and minutes logged (30,560).18.?Memphis Grizzlies 2016-17 record: 3-4 Previous ranking: 10After a seven-month absence and a six-game wait to make his Memphis debut, Chandler Parsons endured a rough return in Sundays home defeat to Portland (zero points on 0-for-8 shooting in 22 minutes). Mike Conley, meanwhile, just became the first Memphian to assemble a 30-point, 10-assist game since Jason Williams back in 2002, but the Grizz also continue to closely monitor Conleys Achilles. Memphis needs a win Tuesday night over Denver to salvage a 2-2 homestand.19.?Chicago Bulls 2016-17 record: 3-3 Previous ranking: 12Its not just that the Bulls 3-point shooting inevitably dropped off in the wake of the first 3-0 start for the franchise since the 1996-97 season (Year 2 of Michael Jordans second three-peat). Chicago is also somehow averaging more than ?10 fewer assists per game during this 0-3 slump than it managed to rack up during those three successive opening wins. Another significant issue: The Bulls surrendered a whopping 118 points per 100 possessions during their three-game slide.20.?Milwaukee Bucks 2016-17 record: 4-3 Previous ranking: 24The Bucks were on the brink of a 4-0 week until Sunday nights nightmarish overtime period in Dallas against the short-handed (and winless to that point) Mavs. Yet its hard to quibble too much after Milwaukees rousing home victories over Indiana and Sacramento by a combined 44 points. The Greek Freak isnt just must-watch; hes playing at a high level of efficiency to help the Bucks hum offensively (by Bucks standards) despite the fact that theyre still light on outside shooting.21.?Orlando Magic 2016-17 record: 3-3 Previous ranking: 29Nothing about the Magic is more important to the Committee right now than Jeff Greens presence in Chicago on Monday night to face the Bulls. Our Chicago-based ESPN.com colleague Wayne Drehs -- our dear roommate at the Olympics in Rio -- will be undergoing the same heart procedure Monday that Green faced in 2012 and made it all the way back from after he missed the entire 2011-12 season. Which is how Green became an inspiration to our man Drehs. Prayers up, WD.22.?Phoenix Suns 2016-17 record: 2-5 Previous ranking: 28Things have perked up for the Suns since the unfortunate Beldsoe affair, thanks to a couple of overtime wins. First it was Eric Bledsoe, with his last name spelled properly on the back of his jersey this time, hitting a triple at the OT horn to take down Portland and deliver the first buzzer-beating bucket from a Sun since Channing Frye connected back in February 2011. Then it was heroics from Devin Booker and early-season revelation T.J. Warren to heap more misery on the Pelicans.23.?Sacramento Kings 2016-17 record: 3-5 Previous ranking: 22If you expected Sacramento to wrap up a five-game swing through the Eastern Conference by winning the toughest game of the five after an 0-4 start -- on the second half, no less, of a back-to-back in Toronto -- that makes one of us. Lets see if the Kings can generate any momentum from the breakthrough, which brought some much-needed relief after the six-fouls-in-a-quarter fiasco in Miami endured by DeMarcus Cousins, whose Kings have lost the last nine games in which Boogie has scored 30 or more points.24.?New York Knicks 2016-17 record: 2-4 Previous ranking: 21The Knicks offense has picked up considerably from where it was in the opening week, with Derrick Rose finding some footing as a floor leader -- 11 assists in his Chicago homecoming! -- and with Jeff Hornacek, as Carmelo Anthony forcefully explained, running less of the Triangle offense than outsiders anticipated. New Yorks defense, though, continues to be leaky and a real problem, which perhaps isnt hugely surprising when you remember how much training camp time D-Rose and Joakim Noah missed.25. Minnesota Timberwolves 2016-17 record: 1-4 Previous ranking: 18Karl-Anthony Towns is putting up monster numbers, but the Wolves are clearly hurting without Ricky Rubios game management. Andrew Wiggins and Zach LaVine have been inconsistent, leads continue to be unsafe and the various stats that suggest this team should be better than 1-4 have clearly been swayed since Minnesotas one win was a 36-point hammering of Memphis. Signing Gorgui Dieng to such a favorable contract extension is the only true positive development to date.26.?Dallas Mavericks 2016-17 record: 1-5 Previous ranking: 20?The OT win Dallas eked over Milwaukee on Sunday night, with the visiting Bucks on the second half of a back-to-back, left New Orleans and Philadelphia as the NBAs only remaining winless teams. But both Dirk Nowitzki (Achilles) and Deron Williams (calf) are still ailing, which leaves the Mavericks vulnerable indefinitely. The lone consolation: Harrison Barnes has cracked the 30-point plateau twice in the Mavs first six games ... after getting there just once in the 307 regular-season games he played for the Warriors.27.?Washington Wizards 2016-17 record: 1-4 Previous ranking: 23?Challenge No. 1 for the Wizards in their next game Tuesday night: Hold James Harden under 40 points after Harden got there in both of Houstons meetings with Washington last season. No less important, though, is a return to form for sharpshooter Bradley Beal, whos shooting just 37.3 percent from the field and 29.6 percent from deep in the early going after scoring that big contract in the summer. Not sure the Wiz can ask John Wall -- and his 25.8 PER -- to do much more than hes doing.28.?Brooklyn Nets 2016-17 record: 2-4 Previous ranking: 25?Losing Jeremy Lin is a gut punch for a young team that felt the need to hold Brook Lopez out of the seasons second game because the Nets dont want to subject Lopez to back-to-backs after all his foot woes. Brooklyn actually hung in there gamely Friday night in a narrow loss to Charlotte in its first game without Lin, but a five-game road trip -- with four of the stops out West after Wednesdays MSG duel with the Knicks and another back-to-back mixed in -- is going to be a serious test for Kenny Atkinsons youthful crew.29.?New Orleans Pelicans 2016-17 record: 0-6 Previous ranking: 26After three more losses last week by a combined 11 points, with two of them coming in overtime, before the depressing dispatch delivered late Saturday to announce Lance Stephenson needs groin surgery, were truly not sure what to say in this space. Yet another source of woe: The Pels wound up next on the schedule for Golden State after each of the Warriors losses so far. Its just too soon in the schedule for the basketball world to be feeling as sad as it does for Anthony Davis.30.?Philadelphia 76ers 2016-17 record: 0-5 Previous ranking: 30?By now youre surely aware of the Sixers 42 consecutive losses in games played in October and November dating back to the 2013-14 season. Yet perhaps more troubling is Phillys 10-24 record, good for a success rate of just .294, in games in which it led during the fourth quarter over the past two seasons after last weeks heartbreaking defeats to Orlando and Cleveland. Every other team in the league, in the same span, has a winning percentage of at least .575 in such games. ' ' '