NBA Pre-season: The Worst of the Worst

With baseball's playoff races coming to a close and the NFL season in full swing, what better topic to discuss than...basketball? Yes, it has been several months since LeBron's “Decision,” Shaq's jump to Boston, and a myriad of other off-season moves in the NBA, so I wanted to take this time to make some not-so bold predictions on the upcoming season. My list is based on off-season acquisitions, coaching/staff changes, and the amount of sugar I have consumed on any particular day. But I know lists can be a bit daunting, and with thirty NBA teams, it can seem like an overwhelming task. So I will be breaking my list into installments, starting today with the worst of the worst: teams 30-21. Enjoy.


30. Toronto Raptors
Our neighbors to the north have the dubious distinction of being the worst team in the NBA this season. Not only did the Raptors lose Chris Bosh to Miami, but they wasted precious cap space on Detroit castaway, Amir Johnson, and then traded Hedo Turkoglu to the Suns. Now, I was all for trading away a declining player with a fat contract like Turkoglu, but the only quality player Toronto got in return was Leandro Barbaso, who will not make much of a difference in wins and losses.

29. Cleveland Cavaliers
I would hate to think the loss of one player could make such a difference in a team's overall record from one season to the next, but when that one player is the caliber of a LeBron James, it does. The sad truth is when you take LeBron (and even Shaq) off of a team that has been a championship contender the past three seasons, and the roster you are left with just isn't all that good. The best player on the Cavs is Antawn Jamison, who couldn't carry the Wizards in Washington, and most certainly won't be able to lead a team that depended on LeBron to do everything for them last season.

28. Minnesota Timberwolves
This team has been terrible for the better part of a decade, and losing their best player, Al Jefferson, won't be helping out the T-Wolves this season. The acquisition of Michael Beasley is experimental, at best, and Minnesota is still feeling the effects of Ricky Rubio snubbing the team to stay in Europe after he was drafted. The Wolves may have a bright future with Jonny Flynn and rookie, Wesley Johnson, but they simply do not have the talent to compete this year in a division that features the Jazz, Blazers, and Thunder; especially with Detroit cast-off, Darko Milicic, patrolling the paint for the entire season. Wait...do I see a pattern developing here?

27. Indiana Pacers
While Darren Collison will help straighten up the point guard position, the rest of the roster is a giant question mark. Roy Hibbert showed flashes last season, but is yet to show he can be a consistent threat in the post. Mike Dunleavy has been a solid pro since he was drafted out of Duke, but there is no guarantee the injuries that plagued him last season won't have any lasting affects. What also makes me cautious of picking Indiana to make any progress this season is that the recession of Detroit and Cleveland will help them in the standings, but the emergence of Milwaukee and Chicago will hurt them even more. It is also a scary proposition when their best player, Danny Granger, can win some games single-handedly, but is more likely to lose a game single-handedly, with his poor shot selection.

26. Sacramento Kings
This team should be called “The Island of Misfit Toys,” because the roster is filled with players who other teams have given up on, such as Luther Head, Samuel Dalembert, J.R. Giddens, and Antoine Wright. While young teams don't usually make an impact in the standings, I actually like the Kings to overachieve this season. They are led by defending Rookie of the Year, Tyreke Evans, and off-season acquisition, Carl Landry (one of the more underrated forwards in the league). And while many critics doubt his work ethic and passion for the game, I am actually expecting a solid performance out of rookie, DeMarcus Cousins. Cousins may be immature at times, but there is no denying that he can be a force in the paint, which is something the Kings have missed for the better part of this decade. But the reality of the situation is even with all my early optimism, and the emergence of Omri Casspi as an outside threat, this Kings team is still not going to even sniff the playoffs this season.

25. Golden State Warriors
Their cool new logo and uniforms are about all Warriors' fans have to look forward to this upcoming season. This team plays a brand of basketball that may jack up scores and get players big contracts when they leave, but what they do on the court does not equate to wins. This year will be no different. Stephen Curry may have impressed in his run with Team USA, but neither he nor Monta Ellis can carry a team, especially when neither plays defense, and half of the roster plays the same position. Luring David Lee away from the Knicks will improve the Warriors' play on the interior this season, but Lee is a complimentary player, who they paid superstar money to. Perhaps Lee will fit in better with new coach, Keith Smart's game plan, but Golden State still does not have the type of roster it takes to make any type of noise in the playoff race. They will score a lot, but they also will lose a lot more.

24. Detroit Pistons
It almost pains me to write this segment of the list, because I have been a die hard Pistons fan for quite some years. The fan in me wants to believe they will bounce back from their 27-55 record last season, but the unbiased, analytical writer in me knows better. I thought that drafting Greg Monroe was an excellent choice by Detroit's front office, but that's about all I like about this team. The front office can only blame themselves for the inevitable mediocrity that is this year's Pistons, because they spent essentially all of the team's cap space last off-season on Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva, who both come off the bench. Rodney Stuckey and Tayshaun Prince may be the only silver-linings for this team, based on Richard Hamilton being slowed by injury, the front line consisting of undersized and under-talented power forwards, and the signing of the oft-inured, Tracy McGrady. Luckily they are only paying McGrady around $850,000 this season, which means he will be making approximately $170,000 for every game that he will actually be playing in (that's five games if you don't want to do the math).

23. Philadelphia 76ers
While this team does have a good, young nucleus in Andre Iguodala, Thaddeus Young, Jrue Holiday, they just don't make me believe in them. Since receiving a gigantic contract, Elton Brand has been seemingly too busy counting his money instead of going on the court and earning it. I liked the draft pick of taking Evan Turner; I just didn't like him going to the Sixers. Turner will have to fight for playing time at either wing behind Iguodala and Young, and when a player is drafted that high, he should have an immediate impact on the team. I don't see Turner having that effect if he is going to come off the bench. I can understand why Doug Collins would want to leave the broadcast table to coach a player of Turner's caliber, but if this team struggles to accumulate wins, he may not be around long enough to see Turner reach his full potential.

22. Washington Wizards
This season's opportunity for success in our nation's capital is contingent on one player: Gilbert Arenas. So in the grand scheme of things, I don't like Washington's chances. Arenas, when healthy, is one of the best pure scorers in the league. The only problems with that past statement, are he is either not healthy, or is in some type of legal trouble. The incident last season -- where he brought a gun into a locker room-- showed the type of character he possesses, which is not the kind of person I would want to lead my young team. This year's Wizards team also features Josh Howard, who was essentially run out of Dallas for numerous off-the-court antics. Washington's young, front court duo of JaVale McGee and Andray Blatche look to make solid contributions to the team, but I am not sold on John Wall as the “savior” of the franchise. Wall is a talented scorer, but he made far too many mistakes and turnovers at the college level for me to buy him as a dominant professional player.

21. New Orleans Hornets
We round out the bottom of the barrel with the team from The Big Easy. While I have often made it a point to never count out a team with Chris Paul on the roster, this year may make me change my stance. Paul is an electrifying player, but was slowed by injury last year. If the injury bug bites two years in a row, the Hornets have no other options at point guard after trading Darren Collison in the off season. Combine the departure of Collison with Peja Stojakovic being in the twilight of his career, and Emeka Okafor's inability to function in the offense, it appears the success of the Hornets will be up to Paul and David West. Adding Trevor Ariza will help on the defensive side of the ball, but with the exception of Paul, there is no one in the starting lineup that can create their own shot. The Hornets may be able to claw their way into the playoffs, but with the competition in the Western Conference, their potential to make any type of impact is bleak, at best.