Which team is set up worst for the future?

[wdleehi]

Any team is just a draft pick or two away from being relevant again (Wall - WAS, Griff/EGord - LAC, LBJ -CLE); but I agree that teams like MIN CLE DET CHA will have a tougher time attracting top tier free agents to really push their teams over the top.  I know WAS and LAC aren't exactly contenders yet, but LAC aren't many pieces away and could build up a team just like OKC did.

Charlotte has traded away a lot of their picks in recent years, which is why I chose them as set up worst for the future.  They're going to have a difficult time rebuilding through the draft.

Clippers.



Quick, name the last big time player they drafted and kept.

Name the last time the Clippers had a player like Blake Griffin.

That's right, hasn't happened before. 

McDyess - traded

Manning - traded.

Byron Scott - traded

Tom Chambers - traded

[wiley]

I think Cleveland and the Suns are pretty comparable. Both have good roleplaying bigs and a pile of crap other than that.

I think Detroit and Charlotte are probably worse off though. At least the Cavs/Suns are going to get lottery picks. The Bobcats or Pistons might end up in the playoffs!

I think the outlook for Detroit improved a bit recently, partly because MacGrady has started playing well.  If he stays healthy that's a nice addition.  They also need Jerebko to come back fully healthy and Daye to turn out good.  I think Monroe will be a good player.  IMO they could get something really nice by using Stuckey to trade Rip Hamilton (trade both).  Get a real PG to pair with McGrady.....Their pick this year might not be lottery but it might not be horrible...I'd rather be Detroit than Charlotte, by a large margin.

[wiley]

Worst for me is Cleveland.  Then Charlotte.  I have hopes for Minny.
I think the Suns can pull something out of a hat.

[indeedproceed]

Any team is just a draft pick or two away from being relevant again (Wall - WAS, Griff/EGord - LAC, LBJ -CLE); but I agree that teams like MIN CLE DET CHA will have a tougher time attracting top tier free agents to really push their teams over the top.  I know WAS and LAC aren't exactly contenders yet, but LAC aren't many pieces away and could build up a team just like OKC did.

Charlotte has traded away a lot of their picks in recent years, which is why I chose them as set up worst for the future.  They're going to have a difficult time rebuilding through the draft.

Clippers.



Quick, name the last big time player they drafted and kept.

Name the last time the Clippers had a player like Blake Griffin.

That's right, hasn't happened before.  

McDyess - traded

Manning - traded.

Byron Scott - traded

Tom Chambers - traded

As a rookie in games he started Danny Manning averaged 18 pts, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists as a 6'10 22 yr old. Shot 50%+ from the field and 77%+ from the line.

Its called "The Clipper's Curse" for a reason other than alliteration.

[Fafnir]

I think Cleveland and the Suns are pretty comparable. Both have good roleplaying bigs and a pile of crap other than that.

I think Detroit and Charlotte are probably worse off though. At least the Cavs/Suns are going to get lottery picks. The Bobcats or Pistons might end up in the playoffs!

I think the outlook for Detroit improved a bit recently, partly because MacGrady has started playing well.  If he stays healthy that's a nice addition.  They also need Jerebko to come back fully healthy and Daye to turn out good.  I think Monroe will be a good player.  IMO they could get something really nice by using Stuckey to trade Rip Hamilton (trade both).  Get a real PG to pair with McGrady.....Their pick this year might not be lottery but it might not be horrible...I'd rather be Detroit than Charlotte, by a large margin.

How does McGrady playing slightly replacement level PG/SF help their future?

I mean he's not getting his legs back, the only reason their current line up has worked to get them to .400 basketball is that they have a size advantage with Stuckey/McGrady/Prince. Trade away stuckey and that advantage is gone.

[slamtheking]

I figure Minny for the following reasons:
- No great players.  Love is a terrific rebounder but a poor defender and so-so on offense.  Beasley is not a #2 pick at this point but more like a 3rd or 4th offensive option.  Not much on D either.  I don't see Rubio playing for them, ever, and there's no proof he'd be an impact player. 
- They have a history of drafting poorly.  They live in the lottery so they should have had a stable of very good players by now but the only two players that have lived up to their draft positions are KG and Wally.  Love doesn't count because they got him in a trade.  Also, how many PGs and PF's should they continuously draft?
- Poor management.  They always get the crap-end of the deal with the exception of Love for Mayo (sounds like a softcore **** title).  They haven't shown any astute business sense yet.
- Environment.  This applies to both the location (who wants to go to Minny unless they're way overpaying) and the culture of losing.  Not a winning tradition there nor the likelihood they'll ever turn it around in the next 5 years or longer.

I can see the viewpoints of others but I think Minny is the best pick for this "honor"

[wiley]

I think Cleveland and the Suns are pretty comparable. Both have good roleplaying bigs and a pile of crap other than that.

I think Detroit and Charlotte are probably worse off though. At least the Cavs/Suns are going to get lottery picks. The Bobcats or Pistons might end up in the playoffs!

I think the outlook for Detroit improved a bit recently, partly because MacGrady has started playing well.  If he stays healthy that's a nice addition.  They also need Jerebko to come back fully healthy and Daye to turn out good.  I think Monroe will be a good player.  IMO they could get something really nice by using Stuckey to trade Rip Hamilton (trade both).  Get a real PG to pair with McGrady.....Their pick this year might not be lottery but it might not be horrible...I'd rather be Detroit than Charlotte, by a large margin.

How does McGrady playing slightly replacement level PG/SF help their future?

I mean he's not getting his legs back, the only reason their current line up has worked to get them to .400 basketball is that they have a size advantage with Stuckey/McGrady/Prince. Trade away stuckey and that advantage is gone.

I can't do a great evaluation of McGrady...just going by his past ability, current stats and acceptance of being a facilitator above all else, and assuming he's having a healthy run and could therefore improve even more.  But I don't know his true value at the moment nor his true level of physical health (recovery)...if it's as you say then cancel him out of the bright future part.....

But I just think they have some talent to keep or trade, more than Cleveland or Charlotte.  They could demand a lot for Stuckey and Rip, and if they don't get enough then keep them.  If they want to keep Stuckey they could trade Gordon and Rip instead.  I think they have enough assets to trade for one really good player, so they would have:  1 really good player, McGrady, Prince, Monroe, Jerebko and Gordon or Stuckey.  Sign the right free agent or agents and it doesn't seem so bad to me....Or, I think they have enough talent that if they wanted to do a complete rebuild they could do a lot of trading and really suck for a couple years but also have some really nice assets from those trades.....

[Fafnir]

I don't think Stuckey has all that much value, I mean right now Rip has negative value with his contract. They have talent, but none of that talent is all-star ready and they're stuck with no salary room at the moment. No clear way to rebuild and no pieces to build around except maybe Monroe.

[Celtics4ever]

Cavs no doubt about it.  Will anyone want to go there after LeBron dissed them?

[Chris]

Right now, which team has screwed itself the most, to the point of having no realistic shot of a championship in the near / medium future?

I'm going with the Phoenix Suns.  As far out as 2014, they have around $30 million committed to four players:  Gortat, Frye, Dudley, and Childress.  They have no elite young players (I don't consider Gortat, Dragic, or Lopez as elite, and outside of an aging Steve Nash, they don't really have any great trade chips.

It's going to be very, very tough for the Suns to get better in the next three years, or to set themselves up beyond that.  There are plenty of other contenders for the title, but in terms of "wrecked long-term cap space" + "lack of young players", I think the Suns may be the worst.For that, they get my title of "most hopeless franchise".

Other contenders:  Milwaukee (terrible cap situation, but some decent prospects), Golden State (ditto), Detroit, Toronto

Phoenix though is the one on that list, along with maybe the Warriors, that can lure and keep a top tier FA.

Its going to go be painful to watch but Phoenix will bounce back. Golden State, who knows, but Phoenix will bound back in the next 2-3 years.

Yeah, I think Pheonix might be OK.  Players would love to play there because of the weather, and their situation actually isn't too bad.  Basically all of the role players eating up cap space are movable, because they are productive.  Its not a great situation, but not a terrible one either.  If they can get a little luck in the draft (like they did with Amare), and lure a free agent in 2012 (like they did with Nash), they could be looking pretty good. 

[Chris]

I don't think Stuckey has all that much value, I mean right now Rip has negative value with his contract. They have talent, but none of that talent is all-star ready and they're stuck with no salary room at the moment. No clear way to rebuild and no pieces to build around except maybe Monroe.

I agree about Stuckey, but I think Detroit is a PG away from being pretty good.

[PosImpos]

Clippers.



Quick, name the last big time player they drafted and kept.

Name the last time the Clippers had a player like Blake Griffin.

That's right, hasn't happened before.  

McDyess - traded

Manning - traded.

Byron Scott - traded

Tom Chambers - traded

None of those players is on the same level as Blake Griffin.

As a rookie, Griffin is putting up numbers in line with all-time greats.  The players you named just don't compare.  Blake Griffin is on track to be not just an all-star, or even a superstar, but a superduperstar.  

The Clippers have NEVER had a player like that, and as long as he doesn't suffer a freak injury (you never know with Clippers players), I expect him to change the fortunes of that franchise.

[Chris]

Clippers.



Quick, name the last big time player they drafted and kept.

Name the last time the Clippers had a player like Blake Griffin.

That's right, hasn't happened before.  

McDyess - traded

Manning - traded.

Byron Scott - traded

Tom Chambers - traded

None of those players is on the same level as Blake Griffin.

As a rookie, Griffin is putting up numbers in line with all-time greats.  The players you named just don't compare.  Blake Griffin is on track to be not just an all-star, or even a superstar, but a superduperstar.  

The Clippers have NEVER had a player like that, and as long as he doesn't suffer a freak injury (you never know with Clippers players), I expect him to change the fortunes of that franchise.

He is not as good as Griffin, but Livingston was very good.  He could have been one of the top 10-15 players in the league, and really turned around that franchise. 

[Fafnir]

Yeah I have to agree with you on that Chris.

Shaun Livingston, Yao Ming, Jayson Williams (chicago), Greg Oden, Brandon Roy,....

NBA is always cruel when it comes to injuries.

[action781]

I agree with most that Cleveland and Detroit are in very crappy situations.

A team I haven't heard anyone mention yet is Philadelphia. 

• Overpaid Nocioni for another year after this. 
• Top 5 worst contract in the NBA (Brand) locked up until '13.
• Their best player plays the same position as their up and coming star.  So one of them need to go (Iggy)
• Overpaid Lou Williams until '13. 
• I personally don't think Turner is going to end up being a superstar.