Dallas Mavericks and 10 NBA Teams with No Shot at a Title This Year

Every NBA team is about 10 games into their 66-game regular season, and we can already make some accurate assessments of each.

Some teams are brutally bad, but we expected that.

Some teams are very good, and we expected that also.

Some teams are just going to hang around in the middle of the pack, and that's the worst place to be. These are the teams that can make a run at the postseason but have no realistic chance at winning the championship.

Let's take a look at 10 of them.

Philadelphia 76ers

The Sixers are off to a 7-3 start and lead the Atlantic Division, but they don't realistically have a chance at winning it all this season.

They are a much-improved team that might be able to win a playoff series, but six of their seven wins so far have come against under .500 teams.

We have to see how they do against the elite teams before we include them in that class.

Boston Celtics

Unless they make a major move, Boston's Big Three won't be making another run at a championship this season.

Forget their age, it's the Celtics ultra-thin frontcourt that will hold them back.

This team gets destroyed on the glass.

Indiana Pacers

The Pacers are another improved basketball team, but they have to win a playoff series first before they are considered championship threats.

Despite being 7-3 so far, I don't know if they have enough scoring ability to make a legitimate playoff run.

Orlando Magic

Orlando is another team that has won seven of their first 10 games with six of those wins coming against very bad teams.

They can't win a title, though.

For one, they likely won't have Dwight Howard past the trade deadline.

There's also the fact that even with the NBA's best rebounder, overall the Magic aren't a very good rebounding team.

Atlanta Hawks

You would like to see the Hawks eventually take that next step and become title contenders, but until they can get out of the second round of the playoffs, you can't really take them seriously.

They are 7-4 with a couple of nice wins against Miami and Chicago, but it's those teams and maybe a couple of others that they will have to overcome in the playoffs.

Now that they will be without Al Horford for pretty much the rest of the season, things just went from very tough to impossible.

Utah Jazz

The Jazz are off to a surprising 6-4 start to the season, but they are young and likely will be competing to get into the playoffs this season, not to win a championship.

Los Angeles Clippers

Maybe someday soon for the Clippers. Just not this season.

They have to win a playoff series first before they are anointed championship contenders.

That day will come.

This season, however, they just aren't deep enough to make a serious run.

Memphis Grizzlies

Memphis is off to a dreadful 3-6 start after a strong playoff run a season ago.

They are the only under .500 team I will include in this list because of that run, but with Zach Randolph still out a considerable amount of time, the Grizzlies now have to worry about even making the playoffs instead of winning a championship.

Dallas Mavericks

You don't have to worry about Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks repeating in 2012.

They are playing better than they did coming out of the gates, but there are plenty of holes on this team still, and until they find a way to compete on the glass like they did a season ago, they really don't have much of a chance.

Denver Nuggets

The Nuggets are a team heading in the right direction, but they are likely a year and a true go-to-guy away from competing for a championship.

They could be a sleeper team to make a run and they are fun to watch, but ultimately they need another big piece.