5 NBA Teams Going in the Wrong Direction Heading into 2012-13

The Atlanta Hawks would have fared better last season were it not for a shoulder injury that sidelined Al Horford for almost the entire season. The club was fresh off three straight appearances in the Eastern Conference semifinals and had a way of hanging in there against the league's top contenders.

Nevertheless, the Hawks were due for a shakeup, and new general manager Danny Ferry hasn't disappointed this summer.

By getting out in front of an imminent decline, Atlanta's front office may have held off an unpleasant rebuilding experience. What was once a ship beginning to stray off course now looks like a young team with cap flexibility going forward.

Unfortunately, on the flip side, there are a number of organizations who find themselves facing futures they might rather avoid altogether.

Will they anticipate and address those futures like the Hawks? Or, will they remain committed to a roadmap heading nowhere?

Detroit Pistons

When are the Detroit Pistons not headed in the wrong direction?

Since making it to the NBA Finals in 2004 and 2005, the Pistons have suffered through a downward spiral of regrettable personnel decisions, dysfunctional locker rooms and a trajectory akin to that of the city's auto industry.

Fortunately, the Pistons–like that auto industry–have some reasons for hope. Those reasons are named Greg Monroe, Brandon Knight and Andre Drummond.

The problem is that this organization doesn't have much going for it otherwise. It will have some cap room over the next couple of summers, but that doesn't guarantee any premium free agents will comply.

For now, the Pistons look like they're in store for a lot more rebuilding.

Needless to say, they shouldn't fight it.

Houston Rockets

There's still plenty of time for the Houston Rockets to turn things around, but thus far, things appear to be at a somewhat awkward juncture.

Having missed out on landing either Dwight Howard or Andrew Bynum, the Rockets were left this summer with an astonishing quantity of young prospects. A few of them could even turn out to be pretty good, but it might be two or three years before we see that kind of talent translate into wins.

Until then, this team could look a lot more like the Sacramento Kings than the .500 ball club it's accustomed to being.

Rather than sit through that kind of long-term project, the Rockets could look to turn their bevy of assets into another star when the next trade opportunity comes along.

Hopefully they can part with Omer Asik's contract in the process. Otherwise, Houston will owe Asik and Jeremy Lin a combined $30 million in 2014-15. There are a lot more sensible ways of spending $30 million.

Memphis Grizzlies

The Memphis Grizzlies feel an awful lot like the team the Atlanta Hawks were becoming not too long ago—they can beat better teams, and they can make noise in the playoffs.

They just don't look especially close to winning a title anytime soon.

That's especially troubling because the Grizzlies have some young talent coming into its prime. Rudy Gay and Mike Conley have their best days ahead of them, but you probably can't say the same for Zach Randolph and Tony Allen, both of whom are now 30 or older.

Randolph's salary will occupy at least $16.5 million of cap room in each of the next three seasons, and it's hard to believe that's the best way this organization could be spending its money.

The team's financial commitments already interfered with holding onto shooting guard O.J. Mayo, and there won't be much room for outside talent barring a major move in the near future.

Memphis could very well hang around for the next couple of years, but it won't take a major step forward without a Hawks-like shakeup.

Milwaukee Bucks

Time will tell whether bringing Monta Ellis into the mix was a wise move for the Milwaukee Bucks. At least the organization was trying to do something big, and it's hard to see the move backfiring.

The biggest problem with this team's direction is that it just remains so uncertain. For now, the Bucks are a team comprised of a talented young backcourt and a seemingly endless list of prospects and role players.

Some of those prospects (John Henson, Larry Sanders) could turn into something special. But there's no telling when that will happen, and there's no telling whether the roster will have enough difference-makers for all that improvement to matter.

The Bucks have been the quintessentially mediocre team of late, and it doesn't look like that will change unless the franchise can turn some of its depth into a legitimate All-Star or two.

Utah Jazz

The Utah Jazz are headed in the right direction in at least a few ways.

The organization has stockpiled plenty of young talent, which is headlined by Derrick Favors, but also includes center Enes Kanter and swingmen Alec Burks and Gordon Hayward. If these guys were part of a broader rebuilding project, you'd have to be pretty excited about the club's future.

Unfortunately, their playing time has been limited, as the Jazz attempt to remain in the playoff hunt on the shoulders of veterans Al Jefferson and Paul Millsap.

The problem is that Utah's future prospects are inconsistent with their current standing. The youth movement isn't quite ready to contribute to a meaningful postseason push, and they won't be ready until they actually get some playing time.

That requires Utah to take a step back before it can take a real step forward.

It might also require the team to part ways with some of its more established talent. It makes more sense to surround the youngsters with potentially elite talent than to cling to the dream of making a dent in the Western Conference in their current setup.