OFFICIAL 2010-2011 NBA PLAYOFFS THREAD : VOL. MOST. ANTICIPATED. PLAYOFFS. EVER?
- Thread in 'Sports & Training' Thread starter Started by bigmike23,
- Start date
- 8,956
- 39
Turiaf starting would need some work but otherwise that lineup would be solid.
- 8,956
- 39
Turiaf starting would need some work but otherwise that lineup would be solid.
Turiaf can also add hustle stuff out there as well. Melo/Amare/Felton distributing would be enough for the scoring, Ronny can do the little things.
Does he still have the 15 footer? He used to be pretty wet with that 3-4 years ago. He'd certainly have the space out there with his man probably being the help defender all the time.
Does he still have the 15 footer? He used to be pretty wet with that 3-4 years ago. He'd certainly have the space out there with his man probably being the help defender all the time.
- 4,590
- 619
Trust me, I'm not the ONLY one that thinks this on here.Originally Posted by CP1708
I'm more then sure, I stated first post, Bron is not my least favorite player, your assumption is/was wrong. I don't know how much more clear, I need to be on that.
Troll, Tmac was a joke man, try to keep up. Sometimes I tell jokes in here.
Anyway, I'm just saying, all three of them are playing well.
Moving along, I didn't get to post last night but the NBA was on fire. That NY/BOS game was GREAT. I wasn't rooting for anyone in particular initially, but when i saw Amare hit that 3, i was hoping it would count. Then we had that great Manu game winner. Actually got to catch that live on NBATV. That shot was TOUGH! Manu and Pierce are VERY underrated when it comes to being clutch.
Speaking of, Dirk is CLUTCH! I dont' care if he hasn't hit as many actualy game winners or buzzer beaters as others. When it comes down to the wire, that boy hits those CRUCIAL shots. Props to him. Just wish he could've shut down Aldridge since my opponent on fantasy had him.
- 4,590
- 619
Trust me, I'm not the ONLY one that thinks this on here.Originally Posted by CP1708
I'm more then sure, I stated first post, Bron is not my least favorite player, your assumption is/was wrong. I don't know how much more clear, I need to be on that.
Troll, Tmac was a joke man, try to keep up. Sometimes I tell jokes in here.
Anyway, I'm just saying, all three of them are playing well.
Moving along, I didn't get to post last night but the NBA was on fire. That NY/BOS game was GREAT. I wasn't rooting for anyone in particular initially, but when i saw Amare hit that 3, i was hoping it would count. Then we had that great Manu game winner. Actually got to catch that live on NBATV. That shot was TOUGH! Manu and Pierce are VERY underrated when it comes to being clutch.
Speaking of, Dirk is CLUTCH! I dont' care if he hasn't hit as many actualy game winners or buzzer beaters as others. When it comes down to the wire, that boy hits those CRUCIAL shots. Props to him. Just wish he could've shut down Aldridge since my opponent on fantasy had him.
Turiaf can also add hustle stuff out there as well. Melo/Amare/Felton distributing would be enough for the scoring, Ronny can do the little things.
Does he still have the 15 footer? He used to be pretty wet with that 3-4 years ago. He'd certainly have the space out there with his man probably being the help defender all the time.
Does he still have the 15 footer? He used to be pretty wet with that 3-4 years ago. He'd certainly have the space out there with his man probably being the help defender all the time.
- 92,229
- 127,707
Early results are in: Durant leads a forward surge in West
One night he's an award winner. The next day, a star of the All-Star balloting. Did we mention the defending scoring champ is leading the league in scoring again this season?
Life isn't too bad for Kevin Durant these days.
The leading vote-getter among Western Conference forwards received USA Basketball's Male Athlete of the Year award Wednesday night before Oklahoma City beat Houston for its fourth straight win. Durant led the American team to the gold medal at the FIBA World Championship last summer.
"I'm so humbled by it," Durant said of the USAB honor. "I'm just trying work as hard everyday to maintain that level."
A first-time All-Star last season via the coaches' vote, Durant would claim his first All-Star starting nod if he maintains his early lead in fan voting. The first ballot results were released Thursday by the NBA. Durant took in nearly 471,000 votes to pace a crowded and deep field of West forwards.
Just about 80,000 votes back of Durant is Pau Gasol of the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers. Gasol is the Lakers' leading rebounder (11.2) and second-leading scorer (19.through their first 26 games. The three-time All-Star has never been voted in as a starter.
This could be the year.
"It's a big honor to be considered and be nominated as one of the best in the league," Gasol said. "I think it's a great compliment and a great honor for an NBA player. It is rewarding, and you should feel very proud of being an All-Star when you achieve that."
While the initial returns represent a possible changing of the guard in Durant and Gasol, the rest of the voting suggests that fans are sticking with their old favorites. Kobe Bryant (Lakers), Dwight Howard (Magic), LeBron James (Heat) and Dwyane Wade (Heat) are the top four in balloting.
But as with most popularity contests, not all voting makes sense. Exhibit A: Western Conference centers.
Missing an entire season and almost all of this one hasn't slowed down the voting machine that is Yao Ming. The Rockets' center enjoys a healthy lead over equally unhealthy Lakers big man Andrew Bynum. The injury-riddled duo of Yao and Bynum have played in a grand total of six games this season.
The top four vote-getters have not changed much. Bryant, Howard, LeBron and D-Wade were also voted the top four by fans last season, although in slightly different order with a Cleveland-based James leading the pack then. LeBron racked up nearly 608,000 votes to stay in front of another perennial fan darling, Kevin Garnett, among Eastern Conference forwards.
Garnett's popularity is understandable, with 13 All-Star selections on his résumé and the backing of Celtics Nation. But he finished sixth overall in voting last season as he was recovering from injury. Who was seventh? The guy currently right behind KG in the East forward group. Amar'e Stoudemire, kingpin of the Knicks' resurgence, is gunning for this third All-Star starting assignment, but his newfound New York fame still left STAT more than 100,000 votes short of Garnett.
The East first unit would have a considerable green tint if Garnett holds on and Boston teammate Rajon Rondo maintains his position as D-Wade's backcourt partner. Rondo would be making his first All-Star start. So would Bulls point guard Derrick Rose, currently third behind Wade and Rondo.
The Durant-Gasol surge has pushed two-time starter and rumor magnet Carmelo Anthony to third among West forwards. Dirk Nowitzki (Mavericks), Tim Duncan (Spurs) and rookie phenom Blake Griffin (Clippers) aren't out of the running.
Kobe and Hornets playmaker Chris Paul head up West guards, with Manu Ginobili (Spurs), Steve Nash (Suns) and Deron Williams (Jazz) among those with serious ground to make up.
Fans can continue to vote for the starters for the 60th NBA All-Star Game through paper balloting in arenas, online at NBA.com or through texting. Arena voting ends Jan. 17, while online and wireless concludes Jan. 23.
The All-Star Game, on TNT, is Feb. 20, 2011 at Staples Center in Los Angeles. Starters will be announced live on TNT on Jan. 27, during a special one-hour pregame show (7 p.m. ET) before the Miami-Knicks and Celtics-Trail Blazers doubleheader.
Source
- 92,229
- 127,707
Early results are in: Durant leads a forward surge in West
One night he's an award winner. The next day, a star of the All-Star balloting. Did we mention the defending scoring champ is leading the league in scoring again this season?
Life isn't too bad for Kevin Durant these days.
The leading vote-getter among Western Conference forwards received USA Basketball's Male Athlete of the Year award Wednesday night before Oklahoma City beat Houston for its fourth straight win. Durant led the American team to the gold medal at the FIBA World Championship last summer.
"I'm so humbled by it," Durant said of the USAB honor. "I'm just trying work as hard everyday to maintain that level."
A first-time All-Star last season via the coaches' vote, Durant would claim his first All-Star starting nod if he maintains his early lead in fan voting. The first ballot results were released Thursday by the NBA. Durant took in nearly 471,000 votes to pace a crowded and deep field of West forwards.
Just about 80,000 votes back of Durant is Pau Gasol of the two-time defending champion Los Angeles Lakers. Gasol is the Lakers' leading rebounder (11.2) and second-leading scorer (19.through their first 26 games. The three-time All-Star has never been voted in as a starter.
This could be the year.
"It's a big honor to be considered and be nominated as one of the best in the league," Gasol said. "I think it's a great compliment and a great honor for an NBA player. It is rewarding, and you should feel very proud of being an All-Star when you achieve that."
While the initial returns represent a possible changing of the guard in Durant and Gasol, the rest of the voting suggests that fans are sticking with their old favorites. Kobe Bryant (Lakers), Dwight Howard (Magic), LeBron James (Heat) and Dwyane Wade (Heat) are the top four in balloting.
But as with most popularity contests, not all voting makes sense. Exhibit A: Western Conference centers.
Missing an entire season and almost all of this one hasn't slowed down the voting machine that is Yao Ming. The Rockets' center enjoys a healthy lead over equally unhealthy Lakers big man Andrew Bynum. The injury-riddled duo of Yao and Bynum have played in a grand total of six games this season.
The top four vote-getters have not changed much. Bryant, Howard, LeBron and D-Wade were also voted the top four by fans last season, although in slightly different order with a Cleveland-based James leading the pack then. LeBron racked up nearly 608,000 votes to stay in front of another perennial fan darling, Kevin Garnett, among Eastern Conference forwards.
Garnett's popularity is understandable, with 13 All-Star selections on his résumé and the backing of Celtics Nation. But he finished sixth overall in voting last season as he was recovering from injury. Who was seventh? The guy currently right behind KG in the East forward group. Amar'e Stoudemire, kingpin of the Knicks' resurgence, is gunning for this third All-Star starting assignment, but his newfound New York fame still left STAT more than 100,000 votes short of Garnett.
The East first unit would have a considerable green tint if Garnett holds on and Boston teammate Rajon Rondo maintains his position as D-Wade's backcourt partner. Rondo would be making his first All-Star start. So would Bulls point guard Derrick Rose, currently third behind Wade and Rondo.
The Durant-Gasol surge has pushed two-time starter and rumor magnet Carmelo Anthony to third among West forwards. Dirk Nowitzki (Mavericks), Tim Duncan (Spurs) and rookie phenom Blake Griffin (Clippers) aren't out of the running.
Kobe and Hornets playmaker Chris Paul head up West guards, with Manu Ginobili (Spurs), Steve Nash (Suns) and Deron Williams (Jazz) among those with serious ground to make up.
Fans can continue to vote for the starters for the 60th NBA All-Star Game through paper balloting in arenas, online at NBA.com or through texting. Arena voting ends Jan. 17, while online and wireless concludes Jan. 23.
The All-Star Game, on TNT, is Feb. 20, 2011 at Staples Center in Los Angeles. Starters will be announced live on TNT on Jan. 27, during a special one-hour pregame show (7 p.m. ET) before the Miami-Knicks and Celtics-Trail Blazers doubleheader.
Source
- 92,229
- 127,707
Restricted.
- 92,229
- 127,707
Restricted.
- 2,573
- 10
CP3, Williams, Westbrook, Nash, Kobe, Manu, Durant, Melo, Odom, Griffin or Love, Dirk, Pau
Rondo, Rose, Wade, Allen, LBJ, PP, Amare, KG, Bosh, Horford, Noah, Howard
Give me those please
Rondo, Rose, Wade, Allen, LBJ, PP, Amare, KG, Bosh, Horford, Noah, Howard
Give me those please
- 2,573
- 10
CP3, Williams, Westbrook, Nash, Kobe, Manu, Durant, Melo, Odom, Griffin or Love, Dirk, Pau
Rondo, Rose, Wade, Allen, LBJ, PP, Amare, KG, Bosh, Horford, Noah, Howard
Give me those please
Rondo, Rose, Wade, Allen, LBJ, PP, Amare, KG, Bosh, Horford, Noah, Howard
Give me those please
- 92,229
- 127,707
D-Will, Kobe, KD, Dirk and Pau starting with CP3, Westbrook, Manu, Melo, Griffin and Love off the bench.
Rose, Wade, LeBron, Amare, D12 starting with Rondo, Jesus, Pierce, KG and Horford off the bench. Not sure who makes the last two picks.
Apologies to Noah (injured now
), Monta, EJ and a few others.
Rose, Wade, LeBron, Amare, D12 starting with Rondo, Jesus, Pierce, KG and Horford off the bench. Not sure who makes the last two picks.
Apologies to Noah (injured now
- 92,229
- 127,707
D-Will, Kobe, KD, Dirk and Pau starting with CP3, Westbrook, Manu, Melo, Griffin and Love off the bench.
Rose, Wade, LeBron, Amare, D12 starting with Rondo, Jesus, Pierce, KG and Horford off the bench. Not sure who makes the last two picks.
Apologies to Noah (injured now
), Monta, EJ and a few others.
Rose, Wade, LeBron, Amare, D12 starting with Rondo, Jesus, Pierce, KG and Horford off the bench. Not sure who makes the last two picks.
Apologies to Noah (injured now
- 25,275
- 13,331
Why LO over Griffin or Love?
- 25,275
- 13,331
Why LO over Griffin or Love?
- 2,573
- 10
No particular reason. I've watched a ton of all three and Odom gets the nod from me. Love is putting up awesome numbers but I still feel like Odom is the superior player, especially from how he's performed this year. Griffin has been a force, and it is a toss up to be sure. Could be me having a bias that he's just a rookie.
- 2,573
- 10
No particular reason. I've watched a ton of all three and Odom gets the nod from me. Love is putting up awesome numbers but I still feel like Odom is the superior player, especially from how he's performed this year. Griffin has been a force, and it is a toss up to be sure. Could be me having a bias that he's just a rookie.
The Future Power Rankings are ESPN Insider's projection of the on-court success expected for each team in the 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons.
[h4]HOW FUTURE POWER RATING IS DETERMINED[/h4]
PLAYERS (0 to 400 points): Current players and their potential for the future, factoring in expected departures MANAGEMENT (0 to 200 points): Quality and stability of front office, ownership, coaching MONEY (0 to 200 points): Projected salary-cap situation; ability and willingness to exceed cap and pay luxury tax MARKET (0 to 100 points): Appeal to future acquisitions based on team quality, franchise reputation, city's desirability as a destination, market size, taxes, business and entertainment opportunities, arena quality, fans DRAFT (0 to 100 points): Future draft picks; draft positioning CATEGORY RANKINGS: See how each team ranked in each category
Consider this a convenient way to see the direction your favorite team is headed.
Each of the NBA's 30 teams received an overall Future Power Rating of 0 to 1,000, based on how well we expect each team to perform in the three seasons after this season.
To determine the Future Power Rating, we rated each team in five categories (see table at right).
As you can see, we determined that the most important category is a team's current roster and the future potential of those players -- that category accounts for 40 percent of each team's overall Future Power Rating.
At the same time, we looked at many other factors, such as management, ownership, coaching, a team's spending habits, its cap situation, the reputation of the city and the franchise, and what kind of draft picks we expected the team to have in the future.
With all the big moves around the league this summer, it's time for a new edition of the Future Power Rankings. Two important notes: (1) Now that the NBA calendar has flipped to a new season, we are evaluating the 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons; and (2) we are not considering the changes that might be made to the collective bargaining agreement because there is no way to know how those changes will reshape the league.
[h3]1. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=miaMiami Heat | Future Power Rating: 696[/h3]
[th=""]PLAYERS[/th][th=""]MANAGEMENT[/th][th=""]MONEY[/th][th=""]MARKET[/th][th=""]DRAFT[/th]
379 (1st) 168 (3rd) 48 (28th) 99 (1st) 2 (30th)
OK, the Heat won't be breaking the Bulls' record of 72 wins in a season, presuming they don't finish 2010-11 with a 64-1 flourish. And the future of the salary cap is a limiting factor as well -- if the midlevel exception is eliminated in the next collective bargaining agreement, Miami may have trouble putting together a quality supporting cast. Nonetheless, one has to like the Heat's chances over the next three seasons better than those of any other team, for the simple reason that no club possesses a trio as fearsome as Miami's LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.
Two other advantages help cement Miami's position in the top spot. First, it's the top-rated market in our rankings. As a tax-free, warm-weather contender, it'll be the first choice of any free agent for whom money isn't a major consideration, which -- as we saw with Erick Dampier -- should give it a leg up in obtaining decent role players. Second, the Heat are well-run. Pat Riley has been among the league's most effective GMs as long as he's been upstairs, and Erik Spoelstra has been among its best coaches. Combined with Micky Arison's solid ownership, only two teams rated higher in management.
One area in which the Heat won't be receiving help is the draft. With first-rounders owed to Cleveland and Toronto and their own picks likely to be at the end of each round, Miami ranked dead last in that category.
But with the core they've assembled, the Heat are in prime position for years to come.
(Previous rank: 1)
[h3]2. Oklahoma City | Future Power Rating: 692[/h3]
[th=""]PLAYERS[/th][th=""]MANAGEMENT[/th][th=""]MONEY[/th][th=""]MARKET[/th][th=""]DRAFT[/th]
316 (4th) 160 (5th) 133 (5th) 35 (23rd) 48 (17th)
The Thunder have as bright a future as any team in the league, with emerging superstar Russell Westbrook joining forces with scoring champ Kevin Durant to give them a potent offensive core. Now it's just a question of filling in the pieces. The Thunder have some intriguing young players -- Serge Ibaka, James Harden, Cole Aldrich, Jeff Green, Eric Maynor -- but it's an open question how many of them will emerge as championship-caliber sidekicks.
Moreover, it's not clear how many of them the Thunder can ultimately keep. Oklahoma City is still sitting on a hoard of cap space, so it ranks fifth in the money category, but it'll need to be more careful than other franchises because it can't afford to pay luxury tax in its tiny market. Oklahoma is not a highly desirable landing spot, either, but the team's bright future should help the recruiting effort.
The Thunder also own a future first-round pick of the Clippers -- never a bad asset, whether for themselves or in a trade -- and have benefited from shrewd management under general manager Sam Presti. Sum it all up and they rate as the Heat's most likely foil for the three seasons after this one, ranking just four points behind Miami for the top spot.
(Previous rank: 3)
[h3]3. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=lalLos Angeles Lakers | Future Power Rating: 675[/h3]
[th=""]PLAYERS[/th][th=""]MANAGEMENT[/th][th=""]MONEY[/th][th=""]MARKET[/th][th=""]DRAFT[/th]
320 (2nd) 183 (2nd) 66 (26th) 96 (2nd) 10 (29th)
Age is a legitimate concern for the two-time defending champs, but with both Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol playing at or near their peak levels, it appears the Lakers may be able to keep their run going through 2014. We dropped L.A. 26 points in players, now that we're looking a season farther ahead than last time, but otherwise, its ranking held up.
The Lakers won't have the money to throw around that others do, and they have quietly become more frugal in recent years. However, the league's second-ranked market acts as a magnet to lure bargain-priced free agents -- that's how Matt Barnes arrived this offseason and it's why Lamar Odom stayed -- and wise management has allowed them to accomplish the rest.
Despite questions about whether Phil Jackson will stick around beyond the season, we gave L.A the benefit of the doubt and ranked it second in management. It's not just Jackson, of course. The strong ownership of Jerry Buss and the quiet, effective management of GM Mitch Kupchak have both contributed mightily to the team's success. If age does start to hamper the roster, one suspects they'll find solutions.
(Previous rank: 2)
[h3]4. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=chiChicago Bulls | Future Power Rating: 666[/h3]
[th=""]PLAYERS[/th][th=""]MANAGEMENT[/th][th=""]MONEY[/th][th=""]MARKET[/th][th=""]DRAFT[/th]
319 (3rd) 125 (11th) 104 (12th) 71 (5th) 46 (19th)
The Bulls took a big leap in the last edition of our rankings in August, from ninth to fourth. They stay at fourth in our rankings this time, but that can be a bit misleading. In August, the Bulls were 100 points behind the No. 1 Miami Heat. Now, there are just 30 points separating them from Miami and just nine points between them and the third-place Lakers.
There is a lot to be bullish about in Chicago. Derrick Rose has taken his game to the next level with a drastically improved jump shot. If he can start drawing more fouls, he's looking more and more like a potential MVP candidate down the road. Joakim Noah continues to blossom as well. In just his fourth season, Noah is averaging 14 points and almost 12 rebounds per game, and despite a hand injury that will sideline him for 8-10 weeks, he still can be one of the best centers in the East. Add in Carlos Boozer, who has just returned from injury, and the Bulls look like a very dangerous team in the East for years to come.
If the team can find a way to add a sweet-shooting 2-guard either at the February trade deadline or this summer in free agency, the Bulls should challenge the Heat for the East title over the next few years.
The Bulls also get another slight bump in management thanks to the job head coach Tom Thibodeau is doing in his first season in Chicago. Not only does he have the Bulls playing better defense, but he's proved he can keep the offense humming at the same time.
(Previous rank: 4)
[h3]5. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=uthUtah Jazz | Future Power Rating: 595[/h3]
[th=""]PLAYERS[/th][th=""]MANAGEMENT[/th][th=""]MONEY[/th][th=""]MARKET[/th][th=""]DRAFT[/th]
282 (6th) 162 (4th) 91 (19th) 44 (20th) 16 (28th)
The Jazz are off to another great start, and given the play of much of their young core, we've boosted their overall ranking from No. 8 to No. 5.
Deron Williams (26 years old) and Paul Millsap (25) are both having the best seasons of their careers. Williams is one of the top point guards in the NBA, if not the best. Millsap continues to be a beast on the boards and has dramatically increased his scoring (18 ppg) with Carlos Boozer gone. Jerry Sloan has also reinvigorated the career of Al Jefferson (25), giving the Jazz another potent offensive weapon in the middle. Forward C.J. Miles (23) is also having a career season, and the Jazz have other young players like Gordon Hayward and Jeremy Evans who have shown promise.
In fact, had the team chosen to hang on to Wesley Matthews this summer, the Jazz might've had the best young core of any team in the league.
The scary thing is Utah can get even better this season. Andrei Kirilenko can still play, but if the Jazz are willing to take back a longer deal, they can use his expiring contract to add more firepower at the trade deadline. Of course, to do so, they'll have to continue to pay the luxury tax. But given the competition they face every day in the West, do they have a choice? If the team cuts back, it risks offending Deron Williams and could possibly lose him to free agency in the summer of 2012. The Jazz will do just about anything to keep that from happening.
Utah also ranks high on the management scale. Jerry Sloan continues to work his wonders from the sidelines, GM Kevin O'Connor quietly constructs a rock-solid team every season and Jazz owner Greg Miller continues to be willing to pay the tax, within reason, to keep Utah in contention.
(Previous rank:
[h3]6. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=orlOrlando Magic | Future Power Rating: 584[/h3]
[th=""]PLAYERS[/th][th=""]MANAGEMENT[/th][th=""]MONEY[/th][th=""]MARKET[/th][th=""]DRAFT[/th]
312 (5th) 134 (9th) 46 (29th) 75 (4th) 17 (27th)
The Magic should be one of the best teams in the league for the foreseeable future based solely on having Dwight Howard patrolling the paint. But you have to wonder if they've spent themselves so far into a corner that it will be difficult to assemble a championship-caliber supporting cast.
Orlando is a small-market team that's well into the luxury tax, and it's likely to remain capped out for the foreseeable future. Combined with an aging core, that's a recipe for problems. The only good news is the surplus of tradable assets on their deeper roster, most notably frontcourt reserves Brandon Bass, Marcin Gortat and Ryan Anderson. The Magic also may be able to extend their reign -- along with their financial pain -- by swapping Vince Carter, who is guaranteed only $4 million next season, for a more expensive (and productive) wing player.
Orlando's management also rates highly, thanks to stable ownership under the DeVos family, a solid GM in Otis Smith and one of the NBA's top coaches in Stan Van Gundy. Combined with a sunny, tax-free market that ranked fourth out of 30 teams, the Magic should be able to lure players in the rare moments when their cap situation allows it.
(Previous rank: 7)
[h3]7. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=nykNew York Knicks | Future Power Rating: 583[/h3]
[th=""]PLAYERS[/th][th=""]MANAGEMENT[/th][th=""]MONEY[/th][th=""]MARKET[/th][th=""]DRAFT[/th]
220 (10th) 111 (13th) 152 (4th) 79 (3th) 21 (26th)
The Knicks didn't get LeBron James this summer, but they continue to skyrocket up our Future Power Rankings. This summer, the Knicks moved up a whopping 12 spots in our player rankings, the most by any team at that time. Since August, they've moved up another three spots to No. 8 thanks in large part to a terrific start to the season and what looks like the inside track to acquiring Carmelo Anthony.
Amare Stoudemire is having an MVP-worthy season, Raymond Felton has been terrific and the Knicks may have scored the steal of the draft in second-round pick Landry Fields. All are unanticipated developments that should help the Knicks' long-term future.
The Knicks continue to rank high in the money department not because they have the most cap space, but because we believe they'll get the most bang for their buck. With Chris Sheridan's recent report that Anthony wants to play for just one team -- the Knicks -- we're pretty confident that they'll add the All-Star, either at the trade deadline or this summer.
New York's long-term cap projections also look bright. Even if they are paying Stoudemire and Anthony the max, they should still have the cap room to make another big splash -- say, 2012 free agents Chris Paul or Deron Williams -- in two summers.
In short, despite some obvious setbacks, the future in New York has never seemed brighter. While it's doubtful they'll be able to compete with the likes of Miami or Chicago in the future, they should, for the first time in a long time, finally field a contender starting as early as next season.
(Previous rank: 11)
[h3]8. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=sasSan Antonio Spurs | Future Power Rating: 581[/h3]
[th=""]PLAYERS[/th][th=""]MANAGEMENT[/th][th=""]MONEY[/th][th=""]MARKET[/th][th=""]DRAFT[/th]
222 (9th) 185 (1st) 73 (23rd) 64 (7th) 37 (23rd)
The Spurs continue to be the most resilient team in the league. For years we've been expecting some sort of slippage on the court, but the team continues to perform at an elite level season after season.
But it can't last forever. Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Antonio McDyess and Richard Jefferson, all at least 30 years old, can't keep going at this pace, and Tony Parker (2is the only proven veteran in his prime.
The good news is that the Spurs have slowly been injecting some youth into the program, as George Hill (24), DeJuan Blair (21) and Tiago Splitter (25) all appear to have bright futures.
Given the Spurs' stellar management, we think they'll continue to find ways to keep themselves in contention. Despite the occasional misfire (e.g., trading Luis Scola, drafting Ian Mahinmi), the Spurs' brainpower and spending power make it hard to be too pessimistic about their future.
(Previous rank: 10)
[h3]9. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=dalDallas Mavericks | Future Power Rating: 570[/h3]
[th=""]PLAYERS[/th][th=""]MANAGEMENT[/th][th=""]MONEY[/th][th=""]MARKET[/th][th=""]DRAFT[/th]
230 (8th) 148 (7th) 95 (18th) 71 (6th) 25 (25th)
The Mavericks continue to be more of a "now" team than a team looking to the future, which explains why, despite being a contender, they rank so low. Most of the Mavs' core is old. Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Shawn Marion, Jason Terry and Brendan Haywood are all past their primes and should give diminishing returns in the future. Two other potential impact players for the Mavs -- Caron Butler and Tyson Chandler -- are free agents next summer and their future with the team is still very much up in the air.
The Mavs up-and-comers really consist of one guy: 22-year-old point guard Rodrigue Beaubois. But Beaubois, who has played just four games this season, is still a question mark. And the fact that the free-spending Mavs are capped out until 2011 or, more likely, 2012 doesn't help the situation.
The good news for Mavs fans is that owner Mark Cuban is creative, and he has found ways to keep the Mavs relevant in the past. So while it's hard to see the Mavs maintaining their incredible streak of nine consecutive seasons with 50 or more wins going past this season, it's hard to count them out, too.
(Previous rank: 14)
[h3]10. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=houHouston Rockets | Future Power Rating: 555[/h3]
[th=""]PLAYERS[/th][th=""]MANAGEMENT[/th][th=""]MONEY[/th][th=""]MARKET[/th][th=""]DRAFT[/th]
166 (T-21st) 147 (8th) 113 (9th) 59 (11th) 70 (7th)
OK, we're a little down on Houston's roster these days. Maybe we're overreacting to a 9-14 start, but Yao Ming didn't look good in his brief return before another injury took him out of the lineup, and the supporting cast has held up in part because of the surprise play of 30-year-old Luis Scola, who will have trouble maintaining that level in the upcoming three-year window. As a result, Houston went from 10th in the players category in our last rankings to a tie for 21st.
Houston's draft assets also don't look as strong, as a result of the surprisingly strong play by the New York Knicks. The right to exchange picks with New York this year may end up being worthless, and the 2012 first-round pick Houston received from the Knicks may be only a middle-to-low choice.
Houston still has some factors in its favor, however. The management is strong from top to bottom, with owner Les Alexander, GM Daryl Morey and head coach Rick Adelman ranking among the best in their respective positions. Shrewd moves by this core -- such as nabbing Scola and Kevin Martin for a pittance -- have helped keep the Rockets afloat amidst all the injuries. They've managed their cap well and are willing to spend, too. But their next decision will be a huge one: Will they re-sign Yao when he's a free agent next summer, and if so, for how much?
(Previous rank: 5)
[h3]11. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=indIndiana Pacers | Future Power Rating: 540[/h3]
[th=""]PLAYERS[/th][th=""]MANAGEMENT[/th][th=""]MONEY[/th][th=""]MARKET[/th][th=""]DRAFT[/th]
176 (18th) 101 (14th) 166 (3rd) 45 (19th) 52 (14th)
The Pacers continue to fly up our rankings, despite being essentially a .500 team. In August, they rose a whopping nine spots, from No. 26 to 17. This time, the team rise six more spots to 11th place.
While the Pacers don't excel in any category except money, a couple of factors fuel our optimism.
For starters, big man Roy Hibbert looks like a Most Improved Player candidate. The 24-year-old, 7-foot-2 big man is averaging 15 points, eight rebounds and two blocks and still hasn't reached his ceiling. Add in point guard Darren Collison, who was acquired this offseason, and star swingman Danny Granger and the Pacers suddenly have a terrific young core to build around.
The team has also been helped by the sudden emergence of Brandon Rush. After three passive, inconsistent seasons, Rush is hitting his jump shots and locking down players on the defensive end. If he can keep it up, he becomes a fourth piece to the puzzle. The Pacers also have a wealth of other young players -- such as Tyler Hansbrough, Paul George, A.J. Price and Lance Stephenson -- who barely play but all have promise down the road.
Clearly, president of ops. Larry Bird and GM David Morway have done a terrific job of drafting in the middle and back end of the draft. But they've also managed the books well and go into the trade deadline with a myriad of expiring contracts and/or a ton of cap space next summer. They have an impressive $27 million in expiring contracts to play with, and the fact that most of the players who are on expiring deals (Mike Dunleavy, T.J. Ford, Jeff Foster) can be major contributors on playoff teams improves the Pacers' chances of getting a significant piece in return.
If Indiana can't make a deal, it walks into next summer with the second most cap space of any team in the league. Given their young, up-and-coming stable of talent, they should be able to persuade a good free agent to come aboard.
(Previous rank: 17)
[h3]12. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=njnNew Jersey Nets | Future Power Rating: 535[/h3]
[th=""]PLAYERS[/th][th=""]MANAGEMENT[/th][th=""]MONEY[/th][th=""]MARKET[/th][th=""]DRAFT[/th]
154 (25th) 76 (19th) 169 (1st) 53 (13th) 84 (3rd)
The good news is that the Nets are no longer the worst team in the league. The bad news is that they still haven't made much progress this season. Still, despite the team's woes in the win-loss column, we continue to show some optimism about their future. In fact, the Nets have risen three spots in our overall rankings since the summer.
Why? Their current crop is solid, talent-wise. Brook Lopez and Devin Harris are keepers. And we've liked what we've seen from rookie Derrick Favors in limited minutes. But more so, we are enthusiastic about what the Nets might be able to accomplish this summer. We have them ranked No. 1 in our money category and feel like the free-agent shutout of 2010 won't happen again this time, as the team should have enough cap space to land a max player. They've been pursuing Carmelo Anthony hard, but even if they can't get him, they should be able to lure a top-tier free agent next season, with the move to Brooklyn not too far down the road.
We also believe the Nets will be in a strong position vis-à-vis the draft for the next few years. The Nets not only have their first-round picks, but they recently acquired first-rounders from the Lakers (2011) and Rockets (2012) and should pick up a potential lottery pick from the Warriors as early as 2012.
(Previous rank: 15)
[h3]13. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=porPortland Trail Blazers | Future Power Rating: 523[/h3]
[th=""]PLAYERS[/th][th=""]MANAGEMENT[/th][th=""]MONEY[/th][th=""]MARKET[/th][th=""]DRAFT[/th]
211 (12th) 132 (10th) 72 (24th) 56 (12th) 52 (15th)
What a difference a few good knees make. In the second edition of the Future Power Rankings a year ago, we had Portland on top, opining that a star combo of Greg Oden and Brandon Roy, along with several promising young prospects, added up to an emerging contender.
Now? With Oden out for the season to undergo a second microfracture knee surgery, Roy a shadow of his former self as a result of his own knee problems, and secondary Blazers such as LaMarcus Aldridge, Nicolas Batum and Rudy Fernandez failing to develop further, Portland's destiny seems to be the NBA's middle class. Portland still has some interesting assets, most notably the expiring contracts of Joel Przybilla and Andre Miller, and judging by the constant flood of trade offers the Blazers receive for him, it's pretty clear other teams highly value the potential of Batum.
The Blazers also own a future first-rounder from New Orleans, and while Portland's cap space is tied up for the foreseeable future, deep-pocketed owner Paul Allen is at least willing to spend if it's the right deal. New GM Rich Cho will have to find one to keep the Blazers in their accustomed perch as a Western Conference contender.
(Previous rank: 6)
[h3]14. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=bosBoston Celtics | Future Power Rating: 520[/h3]
[th=""]PLAYERS[/th][th=""]MANAGEMENT[/th][th=""]MONEY[/th][th=""]MARKET[/th][th=""]DRAFT[/th]
196 (19th) 155 (6th) 76 (21st) 63 (8th) 30 (24th)
The Celtics continue to prove that age matters in the NBA. But these rankings are not about the present. Thus, Boston sit in the middle of the pack yet again.
They have young talent: Rajon Rondo is among the best point guards in the NBA; Kendrick Perkins, despite being around seemingly forever, is just 26; and younger players such as Glen Davis and Nate Robinson contribute now, while Avery Bradley and Semih Erden show potential for the future.
But the youthful crew doesn't have the makings of an NBA playoff team, let alone an NBA powerhouse. Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce may be able to give it a go one more time in 2011-12, but after that, Danny Ainge has to start rebuilding.
The Celtics have a great market, competent management and leadership and, eventually, the money to bring in free agents. But right now, the future is still a very big question mark.
(Previous rank: 13)
[h3]15. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=lacLos Angeles Clippers | Future Power Rating: 523[/h3]
[th=""]PLAYERS[/th][th=""]MANAGEMENT[/th][th=""]MONEY[/th][th=""]MARKET[/th][th=""]DRAFT[/th]
216 (11th) 33 (28th) 101 (T-15th) 61 (9th) 90 (2nd)
It's kind of like the immovable object against the irresistible force. With an emerging superstar in Blake Griffin, a high-scoring wing in Eric Gordon, and strong rookies in Al-Farouq Aminu and Eric Bledsoe, the Clippers have so much promise that they couldn't possibly screw it up.
L.A. rated 11th in players and is likely to have more coming down the pipeline. It'll have a high pick after this season and owns an unprotected pick from Minnesota in 2012, and a future first-rounder owed to the Thunder is heavily protected until 2016. The Clippers also have a fair amount of cap space coming online this summer and have the desirable L.A. market working strongly in their favor.
So it seems they can't screw this up ... except that this franchise is so screwed up that they couldn't possibly make this work. Sadly, there's no telling whether they'll be able to take full advantage, at least until long-time laughingstock Donald Sterling sells the team to a more reputable owner.
We don't know how the Clippers will manage to waste this opportunity, we just know that they will -- just like they've done for the past quarter century under Sterling's watch. Even if Griffin turns into the best player in the league, the Clips may still find a way to go 37-45 ... and Sterling may still find a reason to heckle his players from the sidelines.
(Previous rank: 16)
[h3]16. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=atlAtlanta Hawks | Future Power Rating: 491[/h3]
[th=""]PLAYERS[/th][th=""]MANAGEMENT[/th][th=""]MONEY[/th][th=""]MARKET[/th][th=""]DRAFT[/th]
252 (7th) 89 (17th) 63 (27th) 47 (18th) 40 (21st)
We really like Atlanta's roster … we're just not sure where the Hawks go from here. With Josh Smith and Al Horford both likely to make the East's All-Star team, the Hawks' frontcourt is set for the next decade. Throw in a few other solid younger players (Marvin Williams, Jeff Teague) and still-productive older ones such as Joe Johnson and Jamal Crawford, and the Hawks have a solid base from which to contend in the East.
The question is how they get any better or how they fend off the rot and avoid becoming worse. Johnson's six-year, $123 million deal was an egregious overreach by a franchise that doesn't have the financial wherewithal to easily absorb a dead-weight contract, and once Horford's extension kicks in a year from now, the Hawks will be walking the luxury-tax tightrope for the foreseeable future.
Ownership's shallow pockets are one issue, especially with the team losing money at the gate, but it's made worse because the team will have to replace some veteran players. And while the city of Atlanta has always lured NBA players, the Hawks jersey has much less pull. We left Atlanta in the middle of the pack among markets, making its lack of future cap flexibility a greater concern.
(Previous rank: 19)
[h3]17. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=denDenver Nuggets | Future Power Rating: 490[/h3]
[th=""]PLAYERS[/th][th=""]MANAGEMENT[/th][th=""]MONEY[/th][th=""]MARKET[/th][th=""]DRAFT[/th]
204 (14th) 92 (16th) 99 (17th) 51 (14th) 44 (20th)
Can we just give them an incomplete? Any analysis of the Nuggets' future prospects starts and ends with the resolution of Carmelo Anthony's fate. If he signs the three-year extension that's been sitting on the table for months, you can move the Nuggets' ranking up several spots. If he is traded or departs as a free agent, however, you can move Denver down a few slots, especially if such a trade doesn't land a compelling package in return.
We're uncertain about more than that. The Nuggets forced out the sometimes combative but consistently effective management team of Bret Bearup, Mark Warkentien and Rex Chapman, installing former Toronto exec Masai Ujiri as the new GM. We've yet to see him cut a deal (the former bosses handled this summer's free-agent action), so we have no idea what to expect. Meanwhile, the big boss is now 30-year-old Josh Kroenke, owner Stan Kroenke's son; the younger Kroenke was installed as the head of day-to-day operations so the elder Kroenke could purchase the St. Louis Rams.
Here's what we do know: The Nuggets have three enticing young palyers in Nene, Arron Afflalo and Ty Lawson. They're potentially well under the cap if Melo walks. But they are not exactly raking it in at the box office and might need to keep payroll down. And unless they fall to the bottom of the West, upcoming drafts are unlikely to do them favors.
Add it all up, and it's a decidedly middle-of-the-pack outlook. Which is exactly where we've put them.
(Previous rank: 9)
[h3]18. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=milMilwaukee Bucks | Future Power Rating: 466[/h3]
[th=""]PLAYERS[/th][th=""]MANAGEMENT[/th][th=""]MONEY[/th][th=""]MARKET[/th][th=""]DRAFT[/th]
160 (23rd) 116 (12th) 103 (13th) 33 (24th) 54 (13th)
The Bucks have been rapidly rising in our rankings for more than a year. In our first FPR, we had them ranked 29th in the league. Now, they are ranked 18th. But for the first time since we started the rankings, the Bucks appear to have hit a wall.
A strong rookie performance from Brandon Jennings, a breakout season for Andrew Bogut, a midseason trade for John Salmons and some hard-nosed play down the stretch turned the Bucks into a solid playoff team in 2009-10. But injuries and poor performances by Salmons and free-agent acquisition Corey Maggette have hampered the team's progress.
Bogut and Jennings are both having solid seasons. But the rest of the team is struggling, and the Bucks are no longer the darlings of the East.
Looking at the team, you get the feeling it could be competitive for a long time if Bogut and Jennings continue to improve. (It's essential to have a terrific big man and point guard in the NBA.) But the supporting cast leaves a lot to be desired, and given the big contracts Milwaukee paid out to Salmons and Drew Gooden and took on in Maggette, it might not be able to give its two budding stars the support they need anytime soon.
(Previous rank: 1
[h3]19. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=wasWashington Wizards | Future Power Rating: 457[/h3]
[th=""]PLAYERS[/th][th=""]MANAGEMENT[/th][th=""]MONEY[/th][th=""]MARKET[/th][th=""]DRAFT[/th]
156 (24th) 60 (24th) 120 (8th) 49 (15th) 73 (6th)
John Wall better be awesome, because the rest of the picture in Washington still doesn't look great. The Wizards have some talented young players, but none of them seems to have enough of a head on his shoulders to take advantage of his skills. Andray Blatche -- whom the team recently committed to for five years with a questionable extension -- and JaVale McGee form a potentially impressive frontcourt duo, but each has had major problems converting his potential into winning basketball.
Beyond that, the Wizards are counting mostly on getting more high draft picks and converting some upcoming cap space into players. They're still saddled with Gilbert Arenas' awful contract, not to mention his flaky locker-room presence, while general manager Ernie Grunfeld seems more interested in short-term fixes with middling veterans (Josh Howard? Seriously?) than in executing a far-sighted rebuilding program.
The good news in Washington is that Wall looked good enough in his first month of NBA ball to deliver on the promise of a No. 1 pick, and coach Flip Saunders will squeeze what he can from the supporting cast. Additionally, the D.C. market is a solid one and will move up the rankings if the team has some success, perhaps enabling the Wizards to lure a free-agent catch.
(Previous rank: 20)
[h3]20. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=sacSacramento Kings | Future Power Rating: 456[/h3]
[th=""]PLAYERS[/th][th=""]MANAGEMENT[/th][th=""]MONEY[/th][th=""]MARKET[/th][th=""]DRAFT[/th]
165 (22nd) 34 (27th) 168 (2nd) 21 (28th) 69 (8th)
The Kings have several factors in their favor. They have two great talents in Tyreke Evans and DeMarcus Cousins, so although the rest of the roster isn't that good, they're still near the middle of the pack in the players category. They will have oodles of cap space this summer, and although cash is tight for the organization right now and probably will be until it gets a new arena, the Kings still should have the wherewithal to be players in free agency. And they should have high draft picks for the next couple of years.
That last item, of course, is a mixed blessing, because you don't get high picks without an awful record. Sacramento is one of the league's doormats at 5-16, and that's inexcusable given the talent available.
Unfortunately, the Kings aren't nearly as well-run as some of their peers, and the cracks in the facade have only grown wider as their throw-stuff-against-the-wall-and-see-what-sticks strategy produces two steps back for every one forward. Whether it's trying 6-foot-11 Jason Thompson at small forward, coddling Evans at every turn or shuttling players in and out of the rotation in a manner that borders on arbitrary, this organization hasn't come anywhere close to maximizing its players' abilities.
Those factors, along with an unfavorable locale, make Sacramento the third-least desirable market in our survey … thereby reducing much of the benefit of all that cap space.
(Previous rank: 12)
[h3]21. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=memMemphis Grizzlies | Future Power Rating: 442[/h3]
[th=""]PLAYERS[/th][th=""]MANAGEMENT[/th][th=""]MONEY[/th][th=""]MARKET[/th][th=""]DRAFT[/th]
210 (13th) 41 (26th) 122 (7th) 13 (30th) 57 (12th)
The Grizzlies have built up an impressive array of young talent the old-fashioned way: through the draft. As long as they've listened to their scouting department instead of letting owner Michael Heisley take long-distance suggestions from Jerry West, they've chosen extremely well.
This year's picks, Greivis Vasquez and Xavier Henry, look like keepers, which add to a well-stocked nucleus that includes Rudy Gay, Marc Gasol, O.J. Mayo, Mike Conley and Darrell Arthur. We rated Memphis 13th in players, and the only reason the Griz didn't rate higher was our uncertainty about whether Zach Randolph would play after this season.
Unfortunately, the best draft opportunity of the past half-decade was squandered on Hasheem Thabeet thanks to Heisley's interference, a waste of the 2009 second overall pick and a sign of the mismanagement that keeps Memphis from a higher ranking. Of late, Heisley has made all the big decisions by himself, often in direct opposition to his basketball people's advice, leaving GM Chris Wallace to defend the indefensible.
While the Griz may have cap space if Randolph walks, their market works against them. Playing in a moribund arena in an economically depressed flyover city, with dodgy ownership that has a reputation for being cheap, Memphis rated dead last among our 30 markets. Thus, the Griz will have a tough time recruiting high-caliber players in free agency. It's possible Heisley may prefer to rent his cap space for $3 million a pop anyway -- he's done it several times in previous seasons.
(Previous rank: 24)
[h3]22. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=gswGolden State Warriors | Future Power Rating: 439[/h3]
[th=""]PLAYERS[/th][th=""]MANAGEMENT[/th][th=""]MONEY[/th][th=""]MARKET[/th][th=""]DRAFT[/th]
180 (17th) 64 (22nd) 100 (16th) 48 (16th) 47 (18th)
The Warriors got a mini-bump in our rankings this summer when it was announced that owner Chris Cohan would sell the team. Cohan was one of the worst owners in the league, and after years of mismanagement, it appeared that the Warriors were on the road to recovery.
New owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber have taken a wait-and-see approach. Larry Riley is still the GM and, for the most part, there haven't been major changes at the top. But expect the Warriors' front office to look radically different by this summer.
The team has plenty of young assets, such as Stephen Curry, Monta Ellis and David Lee. Curry and Ellis are having career seasons under new head coach Keith Smart, but Lee has regressed a bit since making the move from the Knicks to the Warriors.
The rest of the team is a bit of a mystery right now. Andris Biedrins, Brandan Wright and Ekpe Udoh are talented, but injuries have set them back.
The big question is still the same: When will they start winning? It seems like the Warriors need more than what they have right now, and the team doesn't have a lot of financial flexibility, nor will they likely have a 2012 first-rounder. So while the general direction of the team is a bit more encouraging than in years past, it's tough to be overly enthusiastic.
(Previous rank: 21)
[h3]23. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=norNew Orleans Hornets | Future Power Rating: 426[/h3]
[th=""]PLAYERS[/th][th=""]MANAGEMENT[/th][th=""]MONEY[/th][th=""]MARKET[/th][th=""]DRAFT[/th]
198 (15th) 94 (15th) 70 (25th) 26 (25th) 38 (22nd)
Despite their surprisingly strong start, we have trouble generating a lot of enthusiasm for the Hornets' future. The fact they've become a ward of the league doesn't exactly help, although it may at least give a stay of execution to the Chris Paul era in New Orleans.
What worries us more, however, is how their cap situation plays out in future years. The Hornets are at risk of losing David West in free agency and have taken on enough contracts (Trevor Ariza, Jarrett Jack) that they've lost substantial financial flexibility. A large trade exception remains in their back pocket, but unlike cap space, exceptions expire, and they don't increase in size if a player such as West suddenly bolts.
Basically, they're stuck in between. The Hornets won't be bad enough to rebuild through the draft; besides, they gave Portland a future first-round pick in exchange for Jerryd Bayless. But the current roster isn't good enough to contend, even if Paul stays healthy and plays at his current MVP-caliber form. We rated the new management team of Dell Demps and Monty Williams in the middle of the pack, because neither has much of a track record, but they'll have to pull all the right strings to keep the Hornets in contention over the next three seasons, and to keep Paul in the same uniform.
(Previous rank: 23)
[h3]24. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=phiPhiladelphia 76ers | Future Power Rating: 414[/h3]
[th=""]PLAYERS[/th][th=""]MANAGEMENT[/th][th=""]MONEY[/th][th=""]MARKET[/th][th=""]DRAFT[/th]
168 (20th) 73 (20th) 75 (22nd) 36 (22nd) 63 (10th)
The Sixers are struggling again this season and we don't foresee any relief for a while. Yes, they have some young talent. (Jrue Holiday has been good and, at 20 years old, should only get better. Thaddeus Young's minutes are down, but his player efficiency rating is way up. Jodie Meeks is giving some good minutes to the Sixers off the bench.)
But there are problems galore. Evan Turner, the No. 2 pick in the 2010 draft, is off to a rough start. Turner has struggled to fit in with the team without the ball in his hands, and given the Sixers' woes in the frontcourt, it's hard to understand why they passed on a player such as Derrick Favors for him.
That dilemma is endemic of the challenges Philly faces. As fans are well aware, the direction of the team is a still a mystery. While the Sixers have an interesting young core, the team is also bogged down with veterans with bad contracts like Elton Brand and Andres Nocioni. The team also has a major defensive hole to fill in the middle after trading Samuel Dalembert while being overloaded with wings.
Making matters worse, the Sixers have no real money to spend until the summer of 2013 and will likely be just good enough to pick in the late lottery each year, effectively killing their chances to get significantly better in the short term.
(Previous rank: 25)
[h3]25. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=detDetroit Pistons | Future Power Rating: 408[/h3]
[th=""]PLAYERS[/th][th=""]MANAGEMENT[/th][th=""]MONEY[/th][th=""]MARKET[/th][th=""]DRAFT[/th]
103 (27th) 85 (18th) 102 (14th) 38 (21st) 81 (4th)
The hard times that have befallen the city of Detroit continue to hammer the Pistons' front door as they continue to slide in our rankings. The days of hardcore fans filling the Palace are gone. The Bad Boys are taking on a completely different (and unwanted) connotation. Given yet another rough start to the season, it's pretty hard to be confident in the future of the franchise.
The team is still up for sale, with no clear resolution coming anytime soon. The team lacks a legitimate star. They're bogged down by bad contracts on their books for the next few seasons. And the roster lacks any proven long-term options in the middle.
The two bright spots for the Pistons have been Rodney Stuckey, who is having the best season of his young career, and rookie Greg Monroe, who has shown a few glimmers of progress after a very slow start.
But there isn't much help on the way for the young duo, as Joe Dumars' hands are tied a bit until the team is sold. If the Pistons are going to do anything in the next few years, they'll need to get Richard Hamilton off the books, make a trade-deadline deal that gives them value for Tayshaun Prince and develop a couple of their prospects. That's a lot of ifs for a team that was a lock to play deep into the playoffs for the past decade.
(Previous rank: 22)
[h3]26. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=phoPhoenix Suns | Future Power Rating: 406[/h3]
[th=""]PLAYERS[/th][th=""]MANAGEMENT[/th][th=""]MONEY[/th][th=""]MARKET[/th][th=""]DRAFT[/th]
140 (26th) 62 (23rd) 86 (20th) 61 (10th) 57 (11th)
The new-look Suns aren't that much different than the old-look Suns. Steve Nash continues to orchestrate the offense like the maestro he is, and he's surrounded with a number of athletic wings that excel in the open court.
The problem for Phoenix is one of diminishing returns. Without Amare Stoudemire, it lacks a significant low-post presence. Their wings -- Jason Richardson, Grant Hill and Hedo Turkoglu -- are all solid, but because of age or contracts they don't have a long-term future with the team.
New pick-up Josh Childress has been a bit of a disappointment. Hakim Warrick has been solid, but averages just 4.4 rebounds a game. Robin Lopez, their big-man project in the middle, has been a disappointment.
Given that Nash (who turns 37 in February) can't do this forever, it's hard to get excited about the long-term prospects in Phoenix. When Nash starts slowing down, this team quickly becomes one of the worst in the league with very little in the pipeline to give it much hope. The team is capped out until 2012, will have middling draft picks, and has an owner with a penchant for pinching pennies. Doesn't sound like a recipe for long-term success.
(Previous rank: 27)
[h3]27. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=minMinnesota Timberwolves | Future Power Rating: 401[/h3]
[th=""]PLAYERS[/th][th=""]MANAGEMENT[/th][th=""]MONEY[/th][th=""]MARKET[/th][th=""]DRAFT[/th]
174 (19th) 20 (30th) 130 (6th) 13 (29th) 64 (9th)
The Wolves went from getting six points for management to 20. That's right, we're positively sunny about the David Kahn era compared to three months ago. The Michael Beasley trade looks like a steal and Darko Milicic has at least shown a pulse, making a head-scratching summer look slightly more coherent. Additionally, a Kevin Love-Beasley nucleus is a nice starting point for the rebuilding job in Minnesota.
Nonetheless, this remains a franchise with more questions than answers. They'll have plenty of cap space, but few free agents want to spend their winters in Minnesota for a franchise that seems directionless (only Memphis rated as a worse market). And the Wolves would stand to benefit from the draft ... except that they've donated an unprotected 2012 pick to the Clippers, thanks to the horrific Sam Cassell-Marko Jaric trade engineered by their last bumbling GM, Kevin McHale.
Lastly, our suspicion of the Minnesota braintrust runs deeper than Kahn. Owner Glen Taylor consistently rates among the worst in the eyes of most league observers, even though he's at least willing to spend. And coach Kurt Rambis has raised eyebrows with several decisions in his year-plus on the sideline, most notably his distaste for keeping Love on the floor despite his obvious production.
(Previous rank: 29)
[h3]28. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=torToronto Raptors | Future Power Rating: 394[/h3]
[th=""]PLAYERS[/th][th=""]MANAGEMENT[/th][th=""]MONEY[/th][th=""]MARKET[/th][th=""]DRAFT[/th]
94 (28th) 71 (21st) 105 (11th) 48 (17th) 77 (5th)
The Raptors have played surprisingly well for a team that we thought could finish with the worst record in the Eastern Conference. However, these are future power rankings, and our long-term prognosis for the team remains extremely pessimistic.
The team has some young talent in Andrea Bargnani, DeMar DeRozan, Ed Davis, Jerryd Bayless and Amir Johnson. However, we remain unconvinced that any of them will blossom to become the type of player that propels the Raptors back into contention. Thus, we've ranked them near the bottom in the players category.
We've also grown more cynical about the management of the team. It now appears that the Raptors are for sale, meaning their future is even more in doubt. We're also struggling to see GM Bryan Colangelo's long-term plan with the team. The offensive talent is there, but the Raptors remain a mess on defense and, despite a flurry of moves, seem to be stuck in neutral at the bottom of the East.
(Previous rank: 17)
[h3]29. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=cleCleveland Cavaliers | Future Power Rating: 295[/h3]
[th=""]PLAYERS[/th][th=""]MANAGEMENT[/th][th=""]MONEY[/th][th=""]MARKET[/th][th=""]DRAFT[/th]
25 (30th) 48 (25th) 109 (10th) 22 (27th) 91 (1st)
When LeBron bolted Cleveland for the Heat last summer, the team plummeted a whopping 20 points in our rankings, from eighth to 28th. The good news was that there was nowhere to go but up, right?
Wrong.
The Cavs have actually slipped a spot in our rankings and are now 100 points away from their next closest competition, the lowly Raptors. What happened? After a spunky start, LeBron came into Cleveland and obliterated the team. They've looked listless and lost ever since.
With no real star players on the team, no future All-Stars in the making and many of their players looking like they want out, things are likely to get uglier in Cleveland before they get better. The Cavs are already beginning to work the phones and it won't be a surprise if virtually the entire roster is overhauled in the next six months. The team ranks dead last in our players category with a measly 25 points. The rest of the picture isn't pretty either. The Cavs rank in the bottom five in management and market. The only real good news is that the team should be getting some decent draft picks and will start to have cap room as early as this season.
But short of a miracle, it's hard to fathom how Dan Gilbert is going to dig the Cavs out of this mess any time soon.
(Previous rank: 2
[h3]30. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=chaCharlotte Bobcats | Future Power Rating: 195[/h3]
[th=""]PLAYERS[/th][th=""]MANAGEMENT[/th][th=""]MONEY[/th][th=""]MARKET[/th][th=""]DRAFT[/th]
50 (29th) 31 (29th) 42 (30th) 23 (26th) 49 (16th)
A year ago, we ranked Charlotte dead last in these rankings despite the fact they were headed for the playoffs. Now you know why. With no money, no young talent and no sign that management has any cohesive plan for how to deal with these problems, the Bobcats have the most dismal future of any of the league's 30 teams.
Normally, a bad team gets a lift from the draft, but even that is a question mark since the 'Cats sent a future first-rounder to Chicago for Tyrus Thomas. While Thomas has been one of their few bright spots, their only other good players are aging wings Stephen Jackson and Gerald Wallace. As a result, we rated Charlotte's players 29th of the 30 teams -- only Cleveland did worse.
Money-wise, they're also in terrible straits. The Bobcats have managed their cap horribly and have no space for the foreseeable future, plus they're strapped enough that they spent the offseason shedding assets such as Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton. The next asset to go, one presumes, is head coach Larry Brown, given his track record of leaving for greener pastures. It won't be hard to find more verdant ones than this barren patch.
(Previous rank: 30)
The Future Power Rankings are ESPN Insider's projection of the on-court success expected for each team in the 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons.
[h4]HOW FUTURE POWER RATING IS DETERMINED[/h4]
PLAYERS (0 to 400 points): Current players and their potential for the future, factoring in expected departures MANAGEMENT (0 to 200 points): Quality and stability of front office, ownership, coaching MONEY (0 to 200 points): Projected salary-cap situation; ability and willingness to exceed cap and pay luxury tax MARKET (0 to 100 points): Appeal to future acquisitions based on team quality, franchise reputation, city's desirability as a destination, market size, taxes, business and entertainment opportunities, arena quality, fans DRAFT (0 to 100 points): Future draft picks; draft positioning CATEGORY RANKINGS: See how each team ranked in each category
Consider this a convenient way to see the direction your favorite team is headed.
Each of the NBA's 30 teams received an overall Future Power Rating of 0 to 1,000, based on how well we expect each team to perform in the three seasons after this season.
To determine the Future Power Rating, we rated each team in five categories (see table at right).
As you can see, we determined that the most important category is a team's current roster and the future potential of those players -- that category accounts for 40 percent of each team's overall Future Power Rating.
At the same time, we looked at many other factors, such as management, ownership, coaching, a team's spending habits, its cap situation, the reputation of the city and the franchise, and what kind of draft picks we expected the team to have in the future.
With all the big moves around the league this summer, it's time for a new edition of the Future Power Rankings. Two important notes: (1) Now that the NBA calendar has flipped to a new season, we are evaluating the 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons; and (2) we are not considering the changes that might be made to the collective bargaining agreement because there is no way to know how those changes will reshape the league.
[h3]1. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=miaMiami Heat | Future Power Rating: 696[/h3]
[th=""]PLAYERS[/th][th=""]MANAGEMENT[/th][th=""]MONEY[/th][th=""]MARKET[/th][th=""]DRAFT[/th]
379 (1st) 168 (3rd) 48 (28th) 99 (1st) 2 (30th)
OK, the Heat won't be breaking the Bulls' record of 72 wins in a season, presuming they don't finish 2010-11 with a 64-1 flourish. And the future of the salary cap is a limiting factor as well -- if the midlevel exception is eliminated in the next collective bargaining agreement, Miami may have trouble putting together a quality supporting cast. Nonetheless, one has to like the Heat's chances over the next three seasons better than those of any other team, for the simple reason that no club possesses a trio as fearsome as Miami's LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh.
Two other advantages help cement Miami's position in the top spot. First, it's the top-rated market in our rankings. As a tax-free, warm-weather contender, it'll be the first choice of any free agent for whom money isn't a major consideration, which -- as we saw with Erick Dampier -- should give it a leg up in obtaining decent role players. Second, the Heat are well-run. Pat Riley has been among the league's most effective GMs as long as he's been upstairs, and Erik Spoelstra has been among its best coaches. Combined with Micky Arison's solid ownership, only two teams rated higher in management.
One area in which the Heat won't be receiving help is the draft. With first-rounders owed to Cleveland and Toronto and their own picks likely to be at the end of each round, Miami ranked dead last in that category.
But with the core they've assembled, the Heat are in prime position for years to come.
(Previous rank: 1)
[h3]2. Oklahoma City | Future Power Rating: 692[/h3]
[th=""]PLAYERS[/th][th=""]MANAGEMENT[/th][th=""]MONEY[/th][th=""]MARKET[/th][th=""]DRAFT[/th]
316 (4th) 160 (5th) 133 (5th) 35 (23rd) 48 (17th)
The Thunder have as bright a future as any team in the league, with emerging superstar Russell Westbrook joining forces with scoring champ Kevin Durant to give them a potent offensive core. Now it's just a question of filling in the pieces. The Thunder have some intriguing young players -- Serge Ibaka, James Harden, Cole Aldrich, Jeff Green, Eric Maynor -- but it's an open question how many of them will emerge as championship-caliber sidekicks.
Moreover, it's not clear how many of them the Thunder can ultimately keep. Oklahoma City is still sitting on a hoard of cap space, so it ranks fifth in the money category, but it'll need to be more careful than other franchises because it can't afford to pay luxury tax in its tiny market. Oklahoma is not a highly desirable landing spot, either, but the team's bright future should help the recruiting effort.
The Thunder also own a future first-round pick of the Clippers -- never a bad asset, whether for themselves or in a trade -- and have benefited from shrewd management under general manager Sam Presti. Sum it all up and they rate as the Heat's most likely foil for the three seasons after this one, ranking just four points behind Miami for the top spot.
(Previous rank: 3)
[h3]3. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=lalLos Angeles Lakers | Future Power Rating: 675[/h3]
[th=""]PLAYERS[/th][th=""]MANAGEMENT[/th][th=""]MONEY[/th][th=""]MARKET[/th][th=""]DRAFT[/th]
320 (2nd) 183 (2nd) 66 (26th) 96 (2nd) 10 (29th)
Age is a legitimate concern for the two-time defending champs, but with both Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol playing at or near their peak levels, it appears the Lakers may be able to keep their run going through 2014. We dropped L.A. 26 points in players, now that we're looking a season farther ahead than last time, but otherwise, its ranking held up.
The Lakers won't have the money to throw around that others do, and they have quietly become more frugal in recent years. However, the league's second-ranked market acts as a magnet to lure bargain-priced free agents -- that's how Matt Barnes arrived this offseason and it's why Lamar Odom stayed -- and wise management has allowed them to accomplish the rest.
Despite questions about whether Phil Jackson will stick around beyond the season, we gave L.A the benefit of the doubt and ranked it second in management. It's not just Jackson, of course. The strong ownership of Jerry Buss and the quiet, effective management of GM Mitch Kupchak have both contributed mightily to the team's success. If age does start to hamper the roster, one suspects they'll find solutions.
(Previous rank: 2)
[h3]4. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=chiChicago Bulls | Future Power Rating: 666[/h3]
[th=""]PLAYERS[/th][th=""]MANAGEMENT[/th][th=""]MONEY[/th][th=""]MARKET[/th][th=""]DRAFT[/th]
319 (3rd) 125 (11th) 104 (12th) 71 (5th) 46 (19th)
The Bulls took a big leap in the last edition of our rankings in August, from ninth to fourth. They stay at fourth in our rankings this time, but that can be a bit misleading. In August, the Bulls were 100 points behind the No. 1 Miami Heat. Now, there are just 30 points separating them from Miami and just nine points between them and the third-place Lakers.
There is a lot to be bullish about in Chicago. Derrick Rose has taken his game to the next level with a drastically improved jump shot. If he can start drawing more fouls, he's looking more and more like a potential MVP candidate down the road. Joakim Noah continues to blossom as well. In just his fourth season, Noah is averaging 14 points and almost 12 rebounds per game, and despite a hand injury that will sideline him for 8-10 weeks, he still can be one of the best centers in the East. Add in Carlos Boozer, who has just returned from injury, and the Bulls look like a very dangerous team in the East for years to come.
If the team can find a way to add a sweet-shooting 2-guard either at the February trade deadline or this summer in free agency, the Bulls should challenge the Heat for the East title over the next few years.
The Bulls also get another slight bump in management thanks to the job head coach Tom Thibodeau is doing in his first season in Chicago. Not only does he have the Bulls playing better defense, but he's proved he can keep the offense humming at the same time.
(Previous rank: 4)
[h3]5. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=uthUtah Jazz | Future Power Rating: 595[/h3]
[th=""]PLAYERS[/th][th=""]MANAGEMENT[/th][th=""]MONEY[/th][th=""]MARKET[/th][th=""]DRAFT[/th]
282 (6th) 162 (4th) 91 (19th) 44 (20th) 16 (28th)
The Jazz are off to another great start, and given the play of much of their young core, we've boosted their overall ranking from No. 8 to No. 5.
Deron Williams (26 years old) and Paul Millsap (25) are both having the best seasons of their careers. Williams is one of the top point guards in the NBA, if not the best. Millsap continues to be a beast on the boards and has dramatically increased his scoring (18 ppg) with Carlos Boozer gone. Jerry Sloan has also reinvigorated the career of Al Jefferson (25), giving the Jazz another potent offensive weapon in the middle. Forward C.J. Miles (23) is also having a career season, and the Jazz have other young players like Gordon Hayward and Jeremy Evans who have shown promise.
In fact, had the team chosen to hang on to Wesley Matthews this summer, the Jazz might've had the best young core of any team in the league.
The scary thing is Utah can get even better this season. Andrei Kirilenko can still play, but if the Jazz are willing to take back a longer deal, they can use his expiring contract to add more firepower at the trade deadline. Of course, to do so, they'll have to continue to pay the luxury tax. But given the competition they face every day in the West, do they have a choice? If the team cuts back, it risks offending Deron Williams and could possibly lose him to free agency in the summer of 2012. The Jazz will do just about anything to keep that from happening.
Utah also ranks high on the management scale. Jerry Sloan continues to work his wonders from the sidelines, GM Kevin O'Connor quietly constructs a rock-solid team every season and Jazz owner Greg Miller continues to be willing to pay the tax, within reason, to keep Utah in contention.
(Previous rank:
[h3]6. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=orlOrlando Magic | Future Power Rating: 584[/h3]
[th=""]PLAYERS[/th][th=""]MANAGEMENT[/th][th=""]MONEY[/th][th=""]MARKET[/th][th=""]DRAFT[/th]
312 (5th) 134 (9th) 46 (29th) 75 (4th) 17 (27th)
The Magic should be one of the best teams in the league for the foreseeable future based solely on having Dwight Howard patrolling the paint. But you have to wonder if they've spent themselves so far into a corner that it will be difficult to assemble a championship-caliber supporting cast.
Orlando is a small-market team that's well into the luxury tax, and it's likely to remain capped out for the foreseeable future. Combined with an aging core, that's a recipe for problems. The only good news is the surplus of tradable assets on their deeper roster, most notably frontcourt reserves Brandon Bass, Marcin Gortat and Ryan Anderson. The Magic also may be able to extend their reign -- along with their financial pain -- by swapping Vince Carter, who is guaranteed only $4 million next season, for a more expensive (and productive) wing player.
Orlando's management also rates highly, thanks to stable ownership under the DeVos family, a solid GM in Otis Smith and one of the NBA's top coaches in Stan Van Gundy. Combined with a sunny, tax-free market that ranked fourth out of 30 teams, the Magic should be able to lure players in the rare moments when their cap situation allows it.
(Previous rank: 7)
[h3]7. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=nykNew York Knicks | Future Power Rating: 583[/h3]
[th=""]PLAYERS[/th][th=""]MANAGEMENT[/th][th=""]MONEY[/th][th=""]MARKET[/th][th=""]DRAFT[/th]
220 (10th) 111 (13th) 152 (4th) 79 (3th) 21 (26th)
The Knicks didn't get LeBron James this summer, but they continue to skyrocket up our Future Power Rankings. This summer, the Knicks moved up a whopping 12 spots in our player rankings, the most by any team at that time. Since August, they've moved up another three spots to No. 8 thanks in large part to a terrific start to the season and what looks like the inside track to acquiring Carmelo Anthony.
Amare Stoudemire is having an MVP-worthy season, Raymond Felton has been terrific and the Knicks may have scored the steal of the draft in second-round pick Landry Fields. All are unanticipated developments that should help the Knicks' long-term future.
The Knicks continue to rank high in the money department not because they have the most cap space, but because we believe they'll get the most bang for their buck. With Chris Sheridan's recent report that Anthony wants to play for just one team -- the Knicks -- we're pretty confident that they'll add the All-Star, either at the trade deadline or this summer.
New York's long-term cap projections also look bright. Even if they are paying Stoudemire and Anthony the max, they should still have the cap room to make another big splash -- say, 2012 free agents Chris Paul or Deron Williams -- in two summers.
In short, despite some obvious setbacks, the future in New York has never seemed brighter. While it's doubtful they'll be able to compete with the likes of Miami or Chicago in the future, they should, for the first time in a long time, finally field a contender starting as early as next season.
(Previous rank: 11)
[h3]8. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=sasSan Antonio Spurs | Future Power Rating: 581[/h3]
[th=""]PLAYERS[/th][th=""]MANAGEMENT[/th][th=""]MONEY[/th][th=""]MARKET[/th][th=""]DRAFT[/th]
222 (9th) 185 (1st) 73 (23rd) 64 (7th) 37 (23rd)
The Spurs continue to be the most resilient team in the league. For years we've been expecting some sort of slippage on the court, but the team continues to perform at an elite level season after season.
But it can't last forever. Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, Antonio McDyess and Richard Jefferson, all at least 30 years old, can't keep going at this pace, and Tony Parker (2
The good news is that the Spurs have slowly been injecting some youth into the program, as George Hill (24), DeJuan Blair (21) and Tiago Splitter (25) all appear to have bright futures.
Given the Spurs' stellar management, we think they'll continue to find ways to keep themselves in contention. Despite the occasional misfire (e.g., trading Luis Scola, drafting Ian Mahinmi), the Spurs' brainpower and spending power make it hard to be too pessimistic about their future.
(Previous rank: 10)
[h3]9. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=dalDallas Mavericks | Future Power Rating: 570[/h3]
[th=""]PLAYERS[/th][th=""]MANAGEMENT[/th][th=""]MONEY[/th][th=""]MARKET[/th][th=""]DRAFT[/th]
230 (8th) 148 (7th) 95 (18th) 71 (6th) 25 (25th)
The Mavericks continue to be more of a "now" team than a team looking to the future, which explains why, despite being a contender, they rank so low. Most of the Mavs' core is old. Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Shawn Marion, Jason Terry and Brendan Haywood are all past their primes and should give diminishing returns in the future. Two other potential impact players for the Mavs -- Caron Butler and Tyson Chandler -- are free agents next summer and their future with the team is still very much up in the air.
The Mavs up-and-comers really consist of one guy: 22-year-old point guard Rodrigue Beaubois. But Beaubois, who has played just four games this season, is still a question mark. And the fact that the free-spending Mavs are capped out until 2011 or, more likely, 2012 doesn't help the situation.
The good news for Mavs fans is that owner Mark Cuban is creative, and he has found ways to keep the Mavs relevant in the past. So while it's hard to see the Mavs maintaining their incredible streak of nine consecutive seasons with 50 or more wins going past this season, it's hard to count them out, too.
(Previous rank: 14)
[h3]10. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=houHouston Rockets | Future Power Rating: 555[/h3]
[th=""]PLAYERS[/th][th=""]MANAGEMENT[/th][th=""]MONEY[/th][th=""]MARKET[/th][th=""]DRAFT[/th]
166 (T-21st) 147 (8th) 113 (9th) 59 (11th) 70 (7th)
OK, we're a little down on Houston's roster these days. Maybe we're overreacting to a 9-14 start, but Yao Ming didn't look good in his brief return before another injury took him out of the lineup, and the supporting cast has held up in part because of the surprise play of 30-year-old Luis Scola, who will have trouble maintaining that level in the upcoming three-year window. As a result, Houston went from 10th in the players category in our last rankings to a tie for 21st.
Houston's draft assets also don't look as strong, as a result of the surprisingly strong play by the New York Knicks. The right to exchange picks with New York this year may end up being worthless, and the 2012 first-round pick Houston received from the Knicks may be only a middle-to-low choice.
Houston still has some factors in its favor, however. The management is strong from top to bottom, with owner Les Alexander, GM Daryl Morey and head coach Rick Adelman ranking among the best in their respective positions. Shrewd moves by this core -- such as nabbing Scola and Kevin Martin for a pittance -- have helped keep the Rockets afloat amidst all the injuries. They've managed their cap well and are willing to spend, too. But their next decision will be a huge one: Will they re-sign Yao when he's a free agent next summer, and if so, for how much?
(Previous rank: 5)
[h3]11. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=indIndiana Pacers | Future Power Rating: 540[/h3]
[th=""]PLAYERS[/th][th=""]MANAGEMENT[/th][th=""]MONEY[/th][th=""]MARKET[/th][th=""]DRAFT[/th]
176 (18th) 101 (14th) 166 (3rd) 45 (19th) 52 (14th)
The Pacers continue to fly up our rankings, despite being essentially a .500 team. In August, they rose a whopping nine spots, from No. 26 to 17. This time, the team rise six more spots to 11th place.
While the Pacers don't excel in any category except money, a couple of factors fuel our optimism.
For starters, big man Roy Hibbert looks like a Most Improved Player candidate. The 24-year-old, 7-foot-2 big man is averaging 15 points, eight rebounds and two blocks and still hasn't reached his ceiling. Add in point guard Darren Collison, who was acquired this offseason, and star swingman Danny Granger and the Pacers suddenly have a terrific young core to build around.
The team has also been helped by the sudden emergence of Brandon Rush. After three passive, inconsistent seasons, Rush is hitting his jump shots and locking down players on the defensive end. If he can keep it up, he becomes a fourth piece to the puzzle. The Pacers also have a wealth of other young players -- such as Tyler Hansbrough, Paul George, A.J. Price and Lance Stephenson -- who barely play but all have promise down the road.
Clearly, president of ops. Larry Bird and GM David Morway have done a terrific job of drafting in the middle and back end of the draft. But they've also managed the books well and go into the trade deadline with a myriad of expiring contracts and/or a ton of cap space next summer. They have an impressive $27 million in expiring contracts to play with, and the fact that most of the players who are on expiring deals (Mike Dunleavy, T.J. Ford, Jeff Foster) can be major contributors on playoff teams improves the Pacers' chances of getting a significant piece in return.
If Indiana can't make a deal, it walks into next summer with the second most cap space of any team in the league. Given their young, up-and-coming stable of talent, they should be able to persuade a good free agent to come aboard.
(Previous rank: 17)
[h3]12. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=njnNew Jersey Nets | Future Power Rating: 535[/h3]
[th=""]PLAYERS[/th][th=""]MANAGEMENT[/th][th=""]MONEY[/th][th=""]MARKET[/th][th=""]DRAFT[/th]
154 (25th) 76 (19th) 169 (1st) 53 (13th) 84 (3rd)
The good news is that the Nets are no longer the worst team in the league. The bad news is that they still haven't made much progress this season. Still, despite the team's woes in the win-loss column, we continue to show some optimism about their future. In fact, the Nets have risen three spots in our overall rankings since the summer.
Why? Their current crop is solid, talent-wise. Brook Lopez and Devin Harris are keepers. And we've liked what we've seen from rookie Derrick Favors in limited minutes. But more so, we are enthusiastic about what the Nets might be able to accomplish this summer. We have them ranked No. 1 in our money category and feel like the free-agent shutout of 2010 won't happen again this time, as the team should have enough cap space to land a max player. They've been pursuing Carmelo Anthony hard, but even if they can't get him, they should be able to lure a top-tier free agent next season, with the move to Brooklyn not too far down the road.
We also believe the Nets will be in a strong position vis-à-vis the draft for the next few years. The Nets not only have their first-round picks, but they recently acquired first-rounders from the Lakers (2011) and Rockets (2012) and should pick up a potential lottery pick from the Warriors as early as 2012.
(Previous rank: 15)
[h3]13. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=porPortland Trail Blazers | Future Power Rating: 523[/h3]
[th=""]PLAYERS[/th][th=""]MANAGEMENT[/th][th=""]MONEY[/th][th=""]MARKET[/th][th=""]DRAFT[/th]
211 (12th) 132 (10th) 72 (24th) 56 (12th) 52 (15th)
What a difference a few good knees make. In the second edition of the Future Power Rankings a year ago, we had Portland on top, opining that a star combo of Greg Oden and Brandon Roy, along with several promising young prospects, added up to an emerging contender.
Now? With Oden out for the season to undergo a second microfracture knee surgery, Roy a shadow of his former self as a result of his own knee problems, and secondary Blazers such as LaMarcus Aldridge, Nicolas Batum and Rudy Fernandez failing to develop further, Portland's destiny seems to be the NBA's middle class. Portland still has some interesting assets, most notably the expiring contracts of Joel Przybilla and Andre Miller, and judging by the constant flood of trade offers the Blazers receive for him, it's pretty clear other teams highly value the potential of Batum.
The Blazers also own a future first-rounder from New Orleans, and while Portland's cap space is tied up for the foreseeable future, deep-pocketed owner Paul Allen is at least willing to spend if it's the right deal. New GM Rich Cho will have to find one to keep the Blazers in their accustomed perch as a Western Conference contender.
(Previous rank: 6)
[h3]14. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=bosBoston Celtics | Future Power Rating: 520[/h3]
[th=""]PLAYERS[/th][th=""]MANAGEMENT[/th][th=""]MONEY[/th][th=""]MARKET[/th][th=""]DRAFT[/th]
196 (19th) 155 (6th) 76 (21st) 63 (8th) 30 (24th)
The Celtics continue to prove that age matters in the NBA. But these rankings are not about the present. Thus, Boston sit in the middle of the pack yet again.
They have young talent: Rajon Rondo is among the best point guards in the NBA; Kendrick Perkins, despite being around seemingly forever, is just 26; and younger players such as Glen Davis and Nate Robinson contribute now, while Avery Bradley and Semih Erden show potential for the future.
But the youthful crew doesn't have the makings of an NBA playoff team, let alone an NBA powerhouse. Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce may be able to give it a go one more time in 2011-12, but after that, Danny Ainge has to start rebuilding.
The Celtics have a great market, competent management and leadership and, eventually, the money to bring in free agents. But right now, the future is still a very big question mark.
(Previous rank: 13)
[h3]15. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=lacLos Angeles Clippers | Future Power Rating: 523[/h3]
[th=""]PLAYERS[/th][th=""]MANAGEMENT[/th][th=""]MONEY[/th][th=""]MARKET[/th][th=""]DRAFT[/th]
216 (11th) 33 (28th) 101 (T-15th) 61 (9th) 90 (2nd)
It's kind of like the immovable object against the irresistible force. With an emerging superstar in Blake Griffin, a high-scoring wing in Eric Gordon, and strong rookies in Al-Farouq Aminu and Eric Bledsoe, the Clippers have so much promise that they couldn't possibly screw it up.
L.A. rated 11th in players and is likely to have more coming down the pipeline. It'll have a high pick after this season and owns an unprotected pick from Minnesota in 2012, and a future first-rounder owed to the Thunder is heavily protected until 2016. The Clippers also have a fair amount of cap space coming online this summer and have the desirable L.A. market working strongly in their favor.
So it seems they can't screw this up ... except that this franchise is so screwed up that they couldn't possibly make this work. Sadly, there's no telling whether they'll be able to take full advantage, at least until long-time laughingstock Donald Sterling sells the team to a more reputable owner.
We don't know how the Clippers will manage to waste this opportunity, we just know that they will -- just like they've done for the past quarter century under Sterling's watch. Even if Griffin turns into the best player in the league, the Clips may still find a way to go 37-45 ... and Sterling may still find a reason to heckle his players from the sidelines.
(Previous rank: 16)
[h3]16. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=atlAtlanta Hawks | Future Power Rating: 491[/h3]
[th=""]PLAYERS[/th][th=""]MANAGEMENT[/th][th=""]MONEY[/th][th=""]MARKET[/th][th=""]DRAFT[/th]
252 (7th) 89 (17th) 63 (27th) 47 (18th) 40 (21st)
We really like Atlanta's roster … we're just not sure where the Hawks go from here. With Josh Smith and Al Horford both likely to make the East's All-Star team, the Hawks' frontcourt is set for the next decade. Throw in a few other solid younger players (Marvin Williams, Jeff Teague) and still-productive older ones such as Joe Johnson and Jamal Crawford, and the Hawks have a solid base from which to contend in the East.
The question is how they get any better or how they fend off the rot and avoid becoming worse. Johnson's six-year, $123 million deal was an egregious overreach by a franchise that doesn't have the financial wherewithal to easily absorb a dead-weight contract, and once Horford's extension kicks in a year from now, the Hawks will be walking the luxury-tax tightrope for the foreseeable future.
Ownership's shallow pockets are one issue, especially with the team losing money at the gate, but it's made worse because the team will have to replace some veteran players. And while the city of Atlanta has always lured NBA players, the Hawks jersey has much less pull. We left Atlanta in the middle of the pack among markets, making its lack of future cap flexibility a greater concern.
(Previous rank: 19)
[h3]17. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=denDenver Nuggets | Future Power Rating: 490[/h3]
[th=""]PLAYERS[/th][th=""]MANAGEMENT[/th][th=""]MONEY[/th][th=""]MARKET[/th][th=""]DRAFT[/th]
204 (14th) 92 (16th) 99 (17th) 51 (14th) 44 (20th)
Can we just give them an incomplete? Any analysis of the Nuggets' future prospects starts and ends with the resolution of Carmelo Anthony's fate. If he signs the three-year extension that's been sitting on the table for months, you can move the Nuggets' ranking up several spots. If he is traded or departs as a free agent, however, you can move Denver down a few slots, especially if such a trade doesn't land a compelling package in return.
We're uncertain about more than that. The Nuggets forced out the sometimes combative but consistently effective management team of Bret Bearup, Mark Warkentien and Rex Chapman, installing former Toronto exec Masai Ujiri as the new GM. We've yet to see him cut a deal (the former bosses handled this summer's free-agent action), so we have no idea what to expect. Meanwhile, the big boss is now 30-year-old Josh Kroenke, owner Stan Kroenke's son; the younger Kroenke was installed as the head of day-to-day operations so the elder Kroenke could purchase the St. Louis Rams.
Here's what we do know: The Nuggets have three enticing young palyers in Nene, Arron Afflalo and Ty Lawson. They're potentially well under the cap if Melo walks. But they are not exactly raking it in at the box office and might need to keep payroll down. And unless they fall to the bottom of the West, upcoming drafts are unlikely to do them favors.
Add it all up, and it's a decidedly middle-of-the-pack outlook. Which is exactly where we've put them.
(Previous rank: 9)
[h3]18. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=milMilwaukee Bucks | Future Power Rating: 466[/h3]
[th=""]PLAYERS[/th][th=""]MANAGEMENT[/th][th=""]MONEY[/th][th=""]MARKET[/th][th=""]DRAFT[/th]
160 (23rd) 116 (12th) 103 (13th) 33 (24th) 54 (13th)
The Bucks have been rapidly rising in our rankings for more than a year. In our first FPR, we had them ranked 29th in the league. Now, they are ranked 18th. But for the first time since we started the rankings, the Bucks appear to have hit a wall.
A strong rookie performance from Brandon Jennings, a breakout season for Andrew Bogut, a midseason trade for John Salmons and some hard-nosed play down the stretch turned the Bucks into a solid playoff team in 2009-10. But injuries and poor performances by Salmons and free-agent acquisition Corey Maggette have hampered the team's progress.
Bogut and Jennings are both having solid seasons. But the rest of the team is struggling, and the Bucks are no longer the darlings of the East.
Looking at the team, you get the feeling it could be competitive for a long time if Bogut and Jennings continue to improve. (It's essential to have a terrific big man and point guard in the NBA.) But the supporting cast leaves a lot to be desired, and given the big contracts Milwaukee paid out to Salmons and Drew Gooden and took on in Maggette, it might not be able to give its two budding stars the support they need anytime soon.
(Previous rank: 1
[h3]19. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=wasWashington Wizards | Future Power Rating: 457[/h3]
[th=""]PLAYERS[/th][th=""]MANAGEMENT[/th][th=""]MONEY[/th][th=""]MARKET[/th][th=""]DRAFT[/th]
156 (24th) 60 (24th) 120 (8th) 49 (15th) 73 (6th)
John Wall better be awesome, because the rest of the picture in Washington still doesn't look great. The Wizards have some talented young players, but none of them seems to have enough of a head on his shoulders to take advantage of his skills. Andray Blatche -- whom the team recently committed to for five years with a questionable extension -- and JaVale McGee form a potentially impressive frontcourt duo, but each has had major problems converting his potential into winning basketball.
Beyond that, the Wizards are counting mostly on getting more high draft picks and converting some upcoming cap space into players. They're still saddled with Gilbert Arenas' awful contract, not to mention his flaky locker-room presence, while general manager Ernie Grunfeld seems more interested in short-term fixes with middling veterans (Josh Howard? Seriously?) than in executing a far-sighted rebuilding program.
The good news in Washington is that Wall looked good enough in his first month of NBA ball to deliver on the promise of a No. 1 pick, and coach Flip Saunders will squeeze what he can from the supporting cast. Additionally, the D.C. market is a solid one and will move up the rankings if the team has some success, perhaps enabling the Wizards to lure a free-agent catch.
(Previous rank: 20)
[h3]20. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=sacSacramento Kings | Future Power Rating: 456[/h3]
[th=""]PLAYERS[/th][th=""]MANAGEMENT[/th][th=""]MONEY[/th][th=""]MARKET[/th][th=""]DRAFT[/th]
165 (22nd) 34 (27th) 168 (2nd) 21 (28th) 69 (8th)
The Kings have several factors in their favor. They have two great talents in Tyreke Evans and DeMarcus Cousins, so although the rest of the roster isn't that good, they're still near the middle of the pack in the players category. They will have oodles of cap space this summer, and although cash is tight for the organization right now and probably will be until it gets a new arena, the Kings still should have the wherewithal to be players in free agency. And they should have high draft picks for the next couple of years.
That last item, of course, is a mixed blessing, because you don't get high picks without an awful record. Sacramento is one of the league's doormats at 5-16, and that's inexcusable given the talent available.
Unfortunately, the Kings aren't nearly as well-run as some of their peers, and the cracks in the facade have only grown wider as their throw-stuff-against-the-wall-and-see-what-sticks strategy produces two steps back for every one forward. Whether it's trying 6-foot-11 Jason Thompson at small forward, coddling Evans at every turn or shuttling players in and out of the rotation in a manner that borders on arbitrary, this organization hasn't come anywhere close to maximizing its players' abilities.
Those factors, along with an unfavorable locale, make Sacramento the third-least desirable market in our survey … thereby reducing much of the benefit of all that cap space.
(Previous rank: 12)
[h3]21. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=memMemphis Grizzlies | Future Power Rating: 442[/h3]
[th=""]PLAYERS[/th][th=""]MANAGEMENT[/th][th=""]MONEY[/th][th=""]MARKET[/th][th=""]DRAFT[/th]
210 (13th) 41 (26th) 122 (7th) 13 (30th) 57 (12th)
The Grizzlies have built up an impressive array of young talent the old-fashioned way: through the draft. As long as they've listened to their scouting department instead of letting owner Michael Heisley take long-distance suggestions from Jerry West, they've chosen extremely well.
This year's picks, Greivis Vasquez and Xavier Henry, look like keepers, which add to a well-stocked nucleus that includes Rudy Gay, Marc Gasol, O.J. Mayo, Mike Conley and Darrell Arthur. We rated Memphis 13th in players, and the only reason the Griz didn't rate higher was our uncertainty about whether Zach Randolph would play after this season.
Unfortunately, the best draft opportunity of the past half-decade was squandered on Hasheem Thabeet thanks to Heisley's interference, a waste of the 2009 second overall pick and a sign of the mismanagement that keeps Memphis from a higher ranking. Of late, Heisley has made all the big decisions by himself, often in direct opposition to his basketball people's advice, leaving GM Chris Wallace to defend the indefensible.
While the Griz may have cap space if Randolph walks, their market works against them. Playing in a moribund arena in an economically depressed flyover city, with dodgy ownership that has a reputation for being cheap, Memphis rated dead last among our 30 markets. Thus, the Griz will have a tough time recruiting high-caliber players in free agency. It's possible Heisley may prefer to rent his cap space for $3 million a pop anyway -- he's done it several times in previous seasons.
(Previous rank: 24)
[h3]22. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=gswGolden State Warriors | Future Power Rating: 439[/h3]
[th=""]PLAYERS[/th][th=""]MANAGEMENT[/th][th=""]MONEY[/th][th=""]MARKET[/th][th=""]DRAFT[/th]
180 (17th) 64 (22nd) 100 (16th) 48 (16th) 47 (18th)
The Warriors got a mini-bump in our rankings this summer when it was announced that owner Chris Cohan would sell the team. Cohan was one of the worst owners in the league, and after years of mismanagement, it appeared that the Warriors were on the road to recovery.
New owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber have taken a wait-and-see approach. Larry Riley is still the GM and, for the most part, there haven't been major changes at the top. But expect the Warriors' front office to look radically different by this summer.
The team has plenty of young assets, such as Stephen Curry, Monta Ellis and David Lee. Curry and Ellis are having career seasons under new head coach Keith Smart, but Lee has regressed a bit since making the move from the Knicks to the Warriors.
The rest of the team is a bit of a mystery right now. Andris Biedrins, Brandan Wright and Ekpe Udoh are talented, but injuries have set them back.
The big question is still the same: When will they start winning? It seems like the Warriors need more than what they have right now, and the team doesn't have a lot of financial flexibility, nor will they likely have a 2012 first-rounder. So while the general direction of the team is a bit more encouraging than in years past, it's tough to be overly enthusiastic.
(Previous rank: 21)
[h3]23. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=norNew Orleans Hornets | Future Power Rating: 426[/h3]
[th=""]PLAYERS[/th][th=""]MANAGEMENT[/th][th=""]MONEY[/th][th=""]MARKET[/th][th=""]DRAFT[/th]
198 (15th) 94 (15th) 70 (25th) 26 (25th) 38 (22nd)
Despite their surprisingly strong start, we have trouble generating a lot of enthusiasm for the Hornets' future. The fact they've become a ward of the league doesn't exactly help, although it may at least give a stay of execution to the Chris Paul era in New Orleans.
What worries us more, however, is how their cap situation plays out in future years. The Hornets are at risk of losing David West in free agency and have taken on enough contracts (Trevor Ariza, Jarrett Jack) that they've lost substantial financial flexibility. A large trade exception remains in their back pocket, but unlike cap space, exceptions expire, and they don't increase in size if a player such as West suddenly bolts.
Basically, they're stuck in between. The Hornets won't be bad enough to rebuild through the draft; besides, they gave Portland a future first-round pick in exchange for Jerryd Bayless. But the current roster isn't good enough to contend, even if Paul stays healthy and plays at his current MVP-caliber form. We rated the new management team of Dell Demps and Monty Williams in the middle of the pack, because neither has much of a track record, but they'll have to pull all the right strings to keep the Hornets in contention over the next three seasons, and to keep Paul in the same uniform.
(Previous rank: 23)
[h3]24. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=phiPhiladelphia 76ers | Future Power Rating: 414[/h3]
[th=""]PLAYERS[/th][th=""]MANAGEMENT[/th][th=""]MONEY[/th][th=""]MARKET[/th][th=""]DRAFT[/th]
168 (20th) 73 (20th) 75 (22nd) 36 (22nd) 63 (10th)
The Sixers are struggling again this season and we don't foresee any relief for a while. Yes, they have some young talent. (Jrue Holiday has been good and, at 20 years old, should only get better. Thaddeus Young's minutes are down, but his player efficiency rating is way up. Jodie Meeks is giving some good minutes to the Sixers off the bench.)
But there are problems galore. Evan Turner, the No. 2 pick in the 2010 draft, is off to a rough start. Turner has struggled to fit in with the team without the ball in his hands, and given the Sixers' woes in the frontcourt, it's hard to understand why they passed on a player such as Derrick Favors for him.
That dilemma is endemic of the challenges Philly faces. As fans are well aware, the direction of the team is a still a mystery. While the Sixers have an interesting young core, the team is also bogged down with veterans with bad contracts like Elton Brand and Andres Nocioni. The team also has a major defensive hole to fill in the middle after trading Samuel Dalembert while being overloaded with wings.
Making matters worse, the Sixers have no real money to spend until the summer of 2013 and will likely be just good enough to pick in the late lottery each year, effectively killing their chances to get significantly better in the short term.
(Previous rank: 25)
[h3]25. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=detDetroit Pistons | Future Power Rating: 408[/h3]
[th=""]PLAYERS[/th][th=""]MANAGEMENT[/th][th=""]MONEY[/th][th=""]MARKET[/th][th=""]DRAFT[/th]
103 (27th) 85 (18th) 102 (14th) 38 (21st) 81 (4th)
The hard times that have befallen the city of Detroit continue to hammer the Pistons' front door as they continue to slide in our rankings. The days of hardcore fans filling the Palace are gone. The Bad Boys are taking on a completely different (and unwanted) connotation. Given yet another rough start to the season, it's pretty hard to be confident in the future of the franchise.
The team is still up for sale, with no clear resolution coming anytime soon. The team lacks a legitimate star. They're bogged down by bad contracts on their books for the next few seasons. And the roster lacks any proven long-term options in the middle.
The two bright spots for the Pistons have been Rodney Stuckey, who is having the best season of his young career, and rookie Greg Monroe, who has shown a few glimmers of progress after a very slow start.
But there isn't much help on the way for the young duo, as Joe Dumars' hands are tied a bit until the team is sold. If the Pistons are going to do anything in the next few years, they'll need to get Richard Hamilton off the books, make a trade-deadline deal that gives them value for Tayshaun Prince and develop a couple of their prospects. That's a lot of ifs for a team that was a lock to play deep into the playoffs for the past decade.
(Previous rank: 22)
[h3]26. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=phoPhoenix Suns | Future Power Rating: 406[/h3]
[th=""]PLAYERS[/th][th=""]MANAGEMENT[/th][th=""]MONEY[/th][th=""]MARKET[/th][th=""]DRAFT[/th]
140 (26th) 62 (23rd) 86 (20th) 61 (10th) 57 (11th)
The new-look Suns aren't that much different than the old-look Suns. Steve Nash continues to orchestrate the offense like the maestro he is, and he's surrounded with a number of athletic wings that excel in the open court.
The problem for Phoenix is one of diminishing returns. Without Amare Stoudemire, it lacks a significant low-post presence. Their wings -- Jason Richardson, Grant Hill and Hedo Turkoglu -- are all solid, but because of age or contracts they don't have a long-term future with the team.
New pick-up Josh Childress has been a bit of a disappointment. Hakim Warrick has been solid, but averages just 4.4 rebounds a game. Robin Lopez, their big-man project in the middle, has been a disappointment.
Given that Nash (who turns 37 in February) can't do this forever, it's hard to get excited about the long-term prospects in Phoenix. When Nash starts slowing down, this team quickly becomes one of the worst in the league with very little in the pipeline to give it much hope. The team is capped out until 2012, will have middling draft picks, and has an owner with a penchant for pinching pennies. Doesn't sound like a recipe for long-term success.
(Previous rank: 27)
[h3]27. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=minMinnesota Timberwolves | Future Power Rating: 401[/h3]
[th=""]PLAYERS[/th][th=""]MANAGEMENT[/th][th=""]MONEY[/th][th=""]MARKET[/th][th=""]DRAFT[/th]
174 (19th) 20 (30th) 130 (6th) 13 (29th) 64 (9th)
The Wolves went from getting six points for management to 20. That's right, we're positively sunny about the David Kahn era compared to three months ago. The Michael Beasley trade looks like a steal and Darko Milicic has at least shown a pulse, making a head-scratching summer look slightly more coherent. Additionally, a Kevin Love-Beasley nucleus is a nice starting point for the rebuilding job in Minnesota.
Nonetheless, this remains a franchise with more questions than answers. They'll have plenty of cap space, but few free agents want to spend their winters in Minnesota for a franchise that seems directionless (only Memphis rated as a worse market). And the Wolves would stand to benefit from the draft ... except that they've donated an unprotected 2012 pick to the Clippers, thanks to the horrific Sam Cassell-Marko Jaric trade engineered by their last bumbling GM, Kevin McHale.
Lastly, our suspicion of the Minnesota braintrust runs deeper than Kahn. Owner Glen Taylor consistently rates among the worst in the eyes of most league observers, even though he's at least willing to spend. And coach Kurt Rambis has raised eyebrows with several decisions in his year-plus on the sideline, most notably his distaste for keeping Love on the floor despite his obvious production.
(Previous rank: 29)
[h3]28. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=torToronto Raptors | Future Power Rating: 394[/h3]
[th=""]PLAYERS[/th][th=""]MANAGEMENT[/th][th=""]MONEY[/th][th=""]MARKET[/th][th=""]DRAFT[/th]
94 (28th) 71 (21st) 105 (11th) 48 (17th) 77 (5th)
The Raptors have played surprisingly well for a team that we thought could finish with the worst record in the Eastern Conference. However, these are future power rankings, and our long-term prognosis for the team remains extremely pessimistic.
The team has some young talent in Andrea Bargnani, DeMar DeRozan, Ed Davis, Jerryd Bayless and Amir Johnson. However, we remain unconvinced that any of them will blossom to become the type of player that propels the Raptors back into contention. Thus, we've ranked them near the bottom in the players category.
We've also grown more cynical about the management of the team. It now appears that the Raptors are for sale, meaning their future is even more in doubt. We're also struggling to see GM Bryan Colangelo's long-term plan with the team. The offensive talent is there, but the Raptors remain a mess on defense and, despite a flurry of moves, seem to be stuck in neutral at the bottom of the East.
(Previous rank: 17)
[h3]29. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=cleCleveland Cavaliers | Future Power Rating: 295[/h3]
[th=""]PLAYERS[/th][th=""]MANAGEMENT[/th][th=""]MONEY[/th][th=""]MARKET[/th][th=""]DRAFT[/th]
25 (30th) 48 (25th) 109 (10th) 22 (27th) 91 (1st)
When LeBron bolted Cleveland for the Heat last summer, the team plummeted a whopping 20 points in our rankings, from eighth to 28th. The good news was that there was nowhere to go but up, right?
Wrong.
The Cavs have actually slipped a spot in our rankings and are now 100 points away from their next closest competition, the lowly Raptors. What happened? After a spunky start, LeBron came into Cleveland and obliterated the team. They've looked listless and lost ever since.
With no real star players on the team, no future All-Stars in the making and many of their players looking like they want out, things are likely to get uglier in Cleveland before they get better. The Cavs are already beginning to work the phones and it won't be a surprise if virtually the entire roster is overhauled in the next six months. The team ranks dead last in our players category with a measly 25 points. The rest of the picture isn't pretty either. The Cavs rank in the bottom five in management and market. The only real good news is that the team should be getting some decent draft picks and will start to have cap room as early as this season.
But short of a miracle, it's hard to fathom how Dan Gilbert is going to dig the Cavs out of this mess any time soon.
(Previous rank: 2
[h3]30. http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=chaCharlotte Bobcats | Future Power Rating: 195[/h3]
[th=""]PLAYERS[/th][th=""]MANAGEMENT[/th][th=""]MONEY[/th][th=""]MARKET[/th][th=""]DRAFT[/th]
50 (29th) 31 (29th) 42 (30th) 23 (26th) 49 (16th)
A year ago, we ranked Charlotte dead last in these rankings despite the fact they were headed for the playoffs. Now you know why. With no money, no young talent and no sign that management has any cohesive plan for how to deal with these problems, the Bobcats have the most dismal future of any of the league's 30 teams.
Normally, a bad team gets a lift from the draft, but even that is a question mark since the 'Cats sent a future first-rounder to Chicago for Tyrus Thomas. While Thomas has been one of their few bright spots, their only other good players are aging wings Stephen Jackson and Gerald Wallace. As a result, we rated Charlotte's players 29th of the 30 teams -- only Cleveland did worse.
Money-wise, they're also in terrible straits. The Bobcats have managed their cap horribly and have no space for the foreseeable future, plus they're strapped enough that they spent the offseason shedding assets such as Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton. The next asset to go, one presumes, is head coach Larry Brown, given his track record of leaving for greener pastures. It won't be hard to find more verdant ones than this barren patch.
(Previous rank: 30)
