Beyond The Arc NBA Power Rankings: Training Camp Edition Part 2

16. Miami

Their biggest acquisition of the offseason was Quentin Richardson. *Yawn*

If they don't make any other significant pickups during the offseason, they have to pray that Wade can play lights-out again next season and that both Beasley and Chalmers make significant jumps this season.

17. Philadelphia

After hiring Eddie Jordan as the Head Coach, this team is looking more and more like the Washington Wizards of two years ago, just with less talent. Will they be able to make the transition to the Princeton Offense? I think so; they have their star player who has gone very unappreciated this past season- Andre Iguodala- who I think has a chance to make a name for himself this year.

They lost their star point guard Andre Miller, but at the expense of giving more minutes to Lou Williams, who many believe will be a good fit in this new offense. He doesn't need to be a traditional PG, and he doesn't need to put up Chris Paul-type numbers, he just needs to learn the system and play to his strengths, which will be easy for him as he did much of that off the bench last year.

But best of all, they're getting back a healthy Elton Brand, which will give them a presence down low both offensively and defensively. This team has the potential to be playoff bound, but if all goes bad, they will be lottery bound.

18. New Jersey

Call me crazy, but I actually think shipping out Vince Carter makes the Nets a better team. Don't get me wrong, Vince Carter is still a solid player. But his presence definitely was hindering the development of other players, in my opinion. The Nets now have a much more balanced backcourt with their three guard rotation of Devin Harris, Courtney Lee, and  Rafer Alston.

Lee is very much the type of player you want playing next to Harris. All he has to do is defend his position- something he does very well- and shoot the occasional jumper from the perimeter (another thing he does well), and the Nets are set in the backcourt.

Additionally, having Alston available off the bench should allow Harris to swing over to the two-guard from time-to-time, so that he's not constantly handling the ball. They just have a very balanaced backcourt now. It's not a very talented backcourt, but it should be effective.

Also, with Carter gone, Brook Lopez should be getting a lot more looks. Out of the 2008 draft class, he's the most likely player to be a 20-10 guy one day. As a 20-year-old rookie, he averaged roughly 13 pts, eight reb, with two bpg on 53.1 percent shooting. Vince Carter was averaging 16.8 FGA's per game compared to Devin Harris' 15.1 FGA's per game and Brok Lopez's 10.3 FGA's per game. Is it really inconceivable that with Carter's touches going elsewhere that Lopez can't score close to 20 ppg? No, it's not.

Watch for New Jersey to potentially make a playoff push as a low seed. If they're successful in reaching the playoffs, they could turn some heads come the big 2010 free agency period because of the cap space that they have.

19. Detroit

This team is a mess.

They're a mix bag of above average and very good players that just don't fit well. What has Joe Dumars been thinking?

Stuckey isn't a true point guard, and both Ben Gordon and Rip Hamilton need an effective point guard for them to be successful. Charlie Villenueva is only a nice option if he's paired next to a stud. Otherwise, he's really just a serviceable power forward. And who's going to be that stud playing next to him? Chris Wilcox? Kwame Brown? A washed-up Ben Wallace?

Joe Dumars has me completely befuddled on what direction he's leading that franchise. These are all the wrong pieces if they want to complete. If Dumars can't convert Hamilton into a nice big man, look for Detroit to finally miss the playoffs this year for the first time in a long time.

What a run they've had.

20. Oklahoma City

Durant is poised for another great year. But OKC still has a ways to go in filling the right pieces next to him. If Harden pans out, they're going to be an exciting team to watch.

They'll be stocked at the one, two, and three with a very nice option off the bench in Thabo Sefolosha for defensive purposes. However, their frontcourt leaves quite a bit to be desired.