10 NBA Teams in the Most Trouble Early in the Season

Nearly 10 games into the season, some NBA teams are getting off to troubling starts.

Though it's difficult projecting a team's season with 72 games left, we'll try with a list of the 10 teams who may be in the most danger.

Let's define trouble as anything that stops a team from being successful in the NBA. Though the list is mainly limited to this season, the future and stuff off the court are taken into account.

Here are the ground rules:

First, conferences matter. The Memphis Grizzlies will bounce back before the Philadelphia 76ers, but since the Grizz play in the West, they're in more danger.

Second, the future has weight. The Charlotte Hornets have a nice roster this year, but drafting Frank Kaminsky over Justise Winslow/not taking a king's ransom for the No. 9 pick in last year's draft has them make the list.

Third, everything counts. The front office and coaching staff is included. That means the Brooklyn Nets and Sacramento Kings are locks for the top two.

Fourth, expectations mean something. The New Orleans Pelicans were supposed to take the jump this year but have started off poorly so they end up further down the list than we'd like or expect.

Fifth, records matter.

Sixth, this is meant to spark conversation. My No. 5 could be off your list and your No. 1 could be my No. 10.

Honorable Mentions

Jeff Haynes/Getty Images

To try to clear up any confusion of teams in trouble, here are the teams that didn't make the list.

• Minnesota Timberwolves: The T-Wolves lost their president of basketball operations and head coach in Flip Saunders to Hodgkin's Lymphoma. While their future is bright with Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns, and the expectations being in the Western Conference low, the most important thing is to nail down that front office and coaching to solidify this team's future.
• Phoenix Suns: A team that is super aggressive and can clean house at any time, this team is too unpredictable to gauge. (Trade Eric Bledsoe? Trading for Brandon Knight?) Their expectations have become nonexistent since they were unable to reproduce their 2013 success last season so we'll let them float in NBA limbo.
• Boston Celtics: They could have made the list, but they're likely to have a top-three pick next season. (Explained later)
• Golden State Warriors: Totally kidding. Just wanted to see if you made it this far.

Let's move on to the top 10.

10. Washington Wizards

The Washington Wizards have been on the precipice of contention in the East for a couple years, progressing further and further. 

This season, according to NBA.com, they're 25th in offensive rating (98.1) and 24th in defensive rating (105.2), making them one of the worst offensive and defensive teams in the league per 100 possessions. They're in the basement with the likes of the Los Angeles Lakers, 76ers and Grizzlies.

But what always seems to derail them is their inability to stay healthy, particularly with Bradley Beal. Beal had a coming-out party last year in the playoffs, averaging 23.4 points and 5.5 rebounds and 4.6 assists. He and John Wall were set up to be one of the most talented backcourts in the NBA. The issue is Beal has trouble staying on the floor.

The above video is a perfect example. Beal plays hard. I commend him for his effort, but at 22, he has already been injured as often as a 10-year veteran. If the Wizards want to compete, he has to stay healthy. 

Wall can't do it by himself.

9. Los Angeles Lakers

The most heartbreaking part about the above video is that the time has come for Kobe Bryant. When Kobe makes a weird play and ends it with an air ball, I turn it off because my heart can't take it.

He's in his 20th season and, unfortunately, is playing like it. I respect Byron Scott's faith in one of the greatest players in NBA history, but the time has to come for Kobe to move aside and let that young talented core on the Lakers develop. Time to make this season his farewell tour.

Kobe's $24 million is a salary that has been earned, but it's such a high number that he won't ride out into a Staples Center sunset. (Can you blame him?) He's going to naturally block progression of the younger guys because he still sees himself as an alpha.

Kobe's averaging 16.5 points per game on 16.2 shots and is shooting 32 percent from the field. Get your checks, Kobe. You earned it. And don't worry, I'll only remember years 1-19. It's the least I can do.

And Scott isn't helping mold players like rookie D'Angelo Russell's minutes at the end of games without explanation like in the Lakers' 101-88 loss where Russell didn't play the final 17 minutes.

Add in the Buss-sibling rivalry and the terrible courting of LaMarcus Aldridge in the offseason, and the Lakers are in turmoil.

8. New York Knicks

It kills me to put them on the list because I am a Kristaps Porzingis believer, but everything surrounding them and their young core is troubling.

They have an absentee president in Phil Jackson and a head coach getting into scraps with NBA players in Derek Fisher. Combined, they aren't conducive toward the future of the Knicks.

For one, Fisher still starts Jose Calderon and Sasha Vujacic over Langston Galloway and Jerian Grant, young talent that the Knicks should dedicate their season toward developing. (They aren't contending for the East this year.)

Second, as painful as it is to say, Carmelo Anthony is not helping this team. He's been in the league for 13 years and has played over 30,000 minutes. The above video is a fourth-quarter shot by Anthony. A play that was so abysmal, they gave the ball to Porzingis at the end of the game for the win.

While Anthony signed that max contract in the offseason, by the time Porzingis and the young core step into their primes, Melo will be years beyond his. Jackson may have gotten lucky drafting Porzingis, because all signs pointed to his not wanting him. (And we'll never know for certain if he made that Shawn Bradley comment as motivation.)

If the Knicks trade Melo and stop with the Calderon-Vujacic charade, take them off this list because the future runs through Kristaps.

7. Milwaukee Bucks

To be fair, the Bucks are 12th in offensive rating, per NBA.com, and Greg Monroe has emerged as a force at center. Jabari Parker is back from his ACL tear and Giannis Antetokounmpo is still only 20 years old.

But they struggle on defense and with rebounding. The Bucks are 25th in defensive rating, are dead last in defensive rebounding percentage and 29th in offensive rebounding percentage. They're a nice team with young parts but still need to grow as a team. They signed Khris Middleton to a lucrative contract and in return have gotten 14.2 points on 36 percent shooting and a player efficiency rating of 11.49

More, the above shot chart is for Michael Carter-Williams from last season, the Bucks' starting point guard. While he's injured now, freeing up playing time, he's ineffective in the entire half court on offense. With the Greek Freak able to take some ball-handling responsibilities, where does Carter-Williams fit? He can be a point guard terror defensively with his length, but in a point guard-driven league, he has to do more.

This season, Carter-Williams is averaging 12.8 points per game on 10.5 shots and shooting 40 percent from the field. His PER is 16.22, behind players like Deron Williams and Doug McDermott, per ESPN.com.

6. Charlotte Hornets

Breathe that dunk from Justise Winslow in for a long time, Hornets fans.

At best, they could've passed on Winslow and snagged a killing from the Celtics who wanted to move up to No. 9 and draft him.

At worst, you could've drafted Winslow and got yourself an athletic wing player who is showing signs of being a lockdown defender early in his career.

Either way, the other two alternatives are better than who was drafted, Frank Kaminsky.

Owner Michael Jordan has made some weird picks in his tenure, but to refuse a king's ransom has to be the most troubling because it could've helped solidify the future. The Hornets have a nice roster and Al Jefferson is looking like his old self, but no one in the pipeline seems to be a game-changer.

Kaminsky is only playing 9.0 minutes per game for a measly three points. Winslow may not be lighting the scoreboard up, yet, but he's playing about 28 minutes per game. 

5. Philadelphia 76ers

For the past three seasons, the Sixers have piece mealed a team together to help their aspirations of tanking and trading "assets" for better draft picks to rebuild the core of this team around young talent.

And for that reason, players who otherwise wouldn't play get a ton of playing time. Unfortunately, the trouble is that their values are almost always inflated.

Sixers fans (I am one and I live in this area) are so desperate for something positive, they'll believe in a player like Nik Stauskas (whose layup in the above video traveled backward) or Robert Covington. Their hearts are in the right places, but let's be real, they aren't anything but rotation players on real NBA rosters.

The tanking is in its fourth season, and this may very well turn out to be the year they get all the draft picks they're promised. But it's beginning to get out of hand. Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel are good pieces and Okafor is looking like a franchise stalwart, but that's all they have to boast in this tanking era.

Joel Embiid may never play for the Sixers and though Dario Saric can come overseas in the offseason, if he waits one more year, he can get a big payday and not be stuck with a rookie contract, per Yahoo! Sports Eric Freeman, via DraftExpress.com's Jonathan Givony.

I commend the Sixers for tanking because it's the only way to get out of the doldrums of NBA limbo, but when does it end?

My buddy has a joke that general manager Sam Hinkie has figured out the way to keep his job forever. About 2 percent of me believes that it's true.

4. New Orleans Pelicans

Listen to the Ryan Anderson in the video above and let's dissect it.

First, Anderson mentions the first win of the season.

Second, the date of the Vine is November 10.

Third, the Pelicans' season started Oct. 27. 

The Pelicans are at No. 4 because of their 1-7 start. Granted they're not out of it in the least (I mean they've played eight games), but it's hard to start that poorly in the West and come back. It took a run late and a win during the last game of the season to get the Pelicans to the playoffs; they can't afford to start off the season this poorly.

With Tyreke Evans injured until the end of the month and Jrue Holiday on a minutes restriction until January, it was paramount to begin the season with a decent record.

Couple that with Anthony Davis' tiny inability to stay healthy for an entire season, and the Pelicans' first year under head coach Alvin Gentry could spell trouble. (Though I can't blame them if they don't want to rush their 22-year-old superstar back.)

If Davis continues to miss time, how does this team compete in the West?

3. Memphis Grizzlies

Listening to the video, you can see the NBA analysts talk about the biggest issue with the Memphis Grizzlies: their offense.

This comes as no surprise. The Grizz have always been known for their stifling defense and grinding down teams.

But in this new NBA, the clock was against them. Grant Hill mentions the Grizzlies were able to use their defense to make up for the lack of offense. It's just that the pace-and-space era was eventually going to catch up with the Grizzlies defense. "I'm worried if I'm Memphis right now," said Grant Hill in the video.

The Grizzlies are 30th in offensive rating, 26th in pace, 30th in field-goal percentage and three-point percentage and 30th in points per game, per NBA.com.

There's not much more to say. At 3-6 in the West, it's going to be hard for the Grizzlies to come back from this, and Mario Chalmers is not the answer.

Is it time to jettison Marc Gasol or Zach Randolph? They're great pieces, but as the season goes on, it makes more sense, doesn't it? The duo are the Grizzlies' best assets.

2. Sacramento Kings

The most volatile team in the NBA, the Kings are a disaster top to bottom

With an incompetent owner and front office that gave up on lottery picks Nik Stauskas and Ben McLemore incredibly early in their careers, the Kings should come complete with a biohazard sticker. They aren't drafting well and don't believe in developing their talent.

That's all before the DeMarcus Cousins-George Karl fiasco. Regardless of what side you're on, the truth of the matter is this: Players in the NBA will always rule over coaches, unless you're a coach like Gregg Popovich. (Then you never have these problems.) 

The Karl and Cousins feud should be no surprise. The Kings are a terrible organization run by an owner who once wanted to play 4-on-5 defense so one player could cherry-pick down the other end. That's top-to-bottom incompetence. Vlade Divac had been out of the U.S. basketball scene for 10 years before being brought on earlier this year to be the vice president of basketball operations.

"I wish DeMarcus Cousins went to a legitimate organization from the beginning," Charles Barkley said via the above video.

Barkley and Cousins don't get along, so grudges aside, Barkley is right. Cousins is a volatile personality (but one helluva player) in the most unstable organization in the NBA. Part of me really wants Cousins to get traded so he can start over. The only reason the Kings aren't No. 1 on this list is the fact that they at least have Boogie.

1. Brooklyn Nets

The Nets are a mess.

Having spent the past five years trying to chase a title by cleaning house for the likes of aging stars Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, while giving Joe Johnson max money and allowing Deron Williams to rob them, the Nets have finally hit rock bottom.

But despite their best efforts to tank this season, it is all for naught because the Brooklyn Nets owe their 2016 first-round draft pick to the Boston Celtics. It is completely unprotected so if the Nets end the year with the worst record, the Celtics will have the best odds to land Ben Simmons, the No. 1 NBA prospect.

Owner Mikhail Prokhorov has tried everything to help spark something in this team, even having his players dribble a tennis ball in the pushup position like in the video. 

Their point-guard rotation includes Jarrett Jack and Shane Larkin and a frontcourt of the oft-injured Brook Lopez and Adrea Bargnani. Allow the NBA-writing guru Zach Lowe explain how poorly Jack has been playing.

"Jarrett Jack has passed on just 11% of his drives -- 4th-lowest among 57 players who average at least 5 drives/game. Last? Rudy Gay. 5.1%."

Jack is supposed to be distributor and offense generator as a point guard, and he passes only 11 percent of the time. 

I guess Prokhorov is getting married after this season...