Bottom 5 teams

[Royrebirth]

This summer has made most of the bottom 10 teams from last season better, whether through FA signings, the draft, or (projected) player development. Who do you think are the bottom 5 teams in the NBA, ranked (1 being the worst, 5th being the 5th worst), and why?

1. Nets - arguably got worse, arguably got better. Really hard to say but still a devoid of talent. Brook Lopez + the addition of Lin and Booker should give them some wins (if healthy), but everyone else also got better.
2. 76ers - Losing culture + still lacking in multiple positions.
3. Kings - Bad culture, losing Rondo, multiple C/PFs (not enough PT)
4. Suns - Will be better but by how much?
5. Miami - Losing Wade will hurt, but they have some young pieces that could take the next step (Johnson, Winslow)

[Surferdad]

Looks about right.  I'm tempted to swap out Miami at #5 for New Orleans.

[Donoghus]

Lakers are still gonna suck.  Borderline bottom 5. 

I'm agreement about BKN, PHI, PHX, & SAC in some order.  MIA will take a step back but I'm not sure it'll be all the way down to bottom 5. 

[celticsclay]

The heat still have dragic, whiteside and winslow. Those three alone keep them a level above the bottom 5 in the league. They then have richardson and johnson who could be solid with some development. Plus it is unclear if Bosh is really done. I get that Wade was a decent loss for them, but bottom 5 in the league seems a bit ridiculous.

[Evantime34]

To me the bottom group of teams includes Philly, Brooklyn and the Lakers.

I could see every team but those 3 battling for a playoff spot. The other two teams to fill out the bottom 5 should be due to injuries not overall talent.

[footey]

Denver?

[PaulAllen]

BK has signed Randy Foye and Joe Harris... wow they just keep getting worse

[HomerSapien]

Brooklyn, Philly, and the Lakers are the 3 worst teams for me.  Then Sacremento.  I also think Phoenix, Orlando, Chicago, and Dallas can easily have bad seasons if they have a touch of injury or chemistry issues.  Denver has a nice group of talent, but I don't think they are going to win a ton this season.

[mef730]

Lakers are still gonna suck.  Borderline bottom 5. 

I'm agreement about BKN, PHI, PHX, & SAC in some order.  MIA will take a step back but I'm not sure it'll be all the way down to bottom 5.

I think that's about right. Absent a team like NO having an injury to Anthony Davis, those four should be battling it out. The only other team that I can imagine in the mix is LAL, who has an incentive to tank.

Mike

[Moranis]

This is what I had on July 7th.  Since then the Nets lost Crabbe and Johnson so I moved them to the worst team in the East.  Not much has changed for me other than that.  So I have the Nets (Celtics) and Suns fighting it out for the best odds, followed by the Lakers, Sixers, and then a decent jump up to the Nuggets.

East
1. Cavs 55-60 wins
2. Pistons 50-55 wins
3. Hornets 48-53 wins
4. Raptors 48-53 wins
5. Celtics 47-52 wins
6. Pacers 46-51 wins
7. Bulls 44-49 wins
8. Bucks 40-45 wins
9. Hawks 37-42 wins
10. Knicks 37-42 wins
11. Heat 37-42 wins
12. Wizards 33-38 wins
13. Magic 33-38 wins
14. Nets 30-35 wins
15. Sixers 22-27 wins

West
1. Warriors 65-70 wins
2. Spurs 60-65 wins
3. Clippers 55-60 wins
4. Blazers 42-47 wins
5. Mavericks 42-47 wins
6. Jazz 42-47 wins
7. Thunder 41-46 wins
8. Grizzlies 40-45 wins
9. Pelicans 40-45 wins
10. Rockets 36-41 wins
11. Wolves 33-38 wins
12. Kings 33-38 wins
13. Nuggets 30-35 wins
14. Lakers 20-25 wins
15. Suns 18-23 wins

[saltlover]

Denver?

Only if they make trades to go lower.   Several of their veterans missed some significant time last season (Chandler missed the entire thing, Gallinari missed 30 games, etc.)  They also have quality young players whom you would expect to improve, such as Jokic, Mudiay, Harris, and Nurkic (who missed most of the season himself.)  I'm not saying I expect them to make the playoffs, but I think it's more likely they do that than bottom out with a bottom 5 record.

[PaulAllen]

its safe to say..

1. Brooklyn
2. Phoenix
3. Philly
4. LA Lakers
5. Kings

[wdleehi]

Thunder if and when they move Westbrook.

[kraidstar]

Thunder if and when they move Westbrook.

TP, good call. That thing will fall apart quickly once he leaves. The question is how early they decide to blow it up, before the season, at the trade deadline, etc. It will make a big impact on their win total. If they really want to tank they should start soon.

[PhoSita]

Nets
Sixers
Lakers

It's hard to say beyond that.

Nuggets? Lots of young guys, but they also have altitude on their side.

Kings? A lot of potential variance with that team. Same with the Suns. Depends on health of Bledsoe / Chandler.

Somebody in the East will be worse than expected. My guess would be Orlando. Don't think they can score enough points without Oladipo. Nobody on their team scares me.

Could easily be New York or Chicago if any of their top guys misses significant time.