NBA Predictions: 5 Teams That Should Be Hitting the Panic Button Right About Now

All 30 NBA teams have played at least 20 games, which means that we're nearly one-third of the way through the 2011-12 NBA season.

With a third of the season over, it's definitely a reasonable time to start making educated and realistic assessments of how teams are coming together, how they stand up when compared to other teams in the NBA and most important of all, whether or not it's time to panic.

There are teams that are struggling right now, but have the discipline, leadership and experience it will take to improve.  But there are also teams who are struggling and will continue to struggle because they simply don't have what it takes to turn their seasons and/or their franchises around.

Ahead is a list of five teams that should be searching for the panic button right about now. 

New York Knicks (8-13)

There are way too many rumors circulating in the Big Apple to keep track of.  Rumors regarding the longevity of head coach Mike D'Antoni, and the newest rumor regarding the Philadelphia 76ers making contact with the New York Knicks for power forward Amar'e Stoudemire, certainly aren't helping the Knicks win games, that's for sure.

If all of that wasn't bad enough, the Knicks have been without star small forward Carmelo Anthony for the past two games, resulting in two straight losses.  All of those worries/issues combined aren't the main reason why the Knicks need to panic.  The reason why the Knicks should be panicking right now is because since trading for Anthony the Knicks have been consistently below .500.

The Knicks need discipline, both on the offensive and defensive side of the ball, which many thought Tyson Chandler would bring.  Unfortunately, he left that in Dallas.

The Knicks are fading into the bottom of the Eastern Conference fast.  They need to either find a coach that can control and blend the talent on the roster, or they need to trade away some talent because it's evident that the way things are now isn't working out.

If the Knicks don't make a move fast, their season could quickly be over.

Washington Wizards (4-17)

Hopefully the Washington Wizards already hit the panic button after their atrocious 2-15 start, but if they haven't, now is more than the appropriate time to do so.

The Wizards as a team are close to last in every major statistical category in the NBA, ranking 27th in points per game (88.8), 29th in assists (17.5) and 25th in points allowed (98.2).  Not only are the Wizards one of the worst teams in the NBA, they just got rid of the only source of leadership their team had by firing head coach Flip Saunders.

Sure, Saunders wasn't going to help the team become a playoff contender, but at least he brought experience and a resemblance of discipline to an otherwise very young, inexperienced and very undisciplined team.

Another reason why the Wizards need to be panicking is because their future isn't looking all that bright.  Their young talent isn't gelling as expected, and no one player has developed into a true leader on a team that desperately needs one.  The Wizards also own the most absurd contract in the NBA, with the near $24 million owed to overrated forward Rashard Lewis, which doesn't help their cause.

It's panic time in the nation''s capital, that's for sure.

Los Angeles Lakers (13-9)

While the Los Angeles Lakers aren't playing terribly for the time being, with a 12-9 overall record and the league's leading scorer in Kobe Bryant (30.2 PPG) on the team, they are still struggling to win games against top-level competition.  Aside from beating the Los Angeles Clippers, the Utah Jazz and the Denver Nuggets, the Lakers have lost all of their "big-time" games.

They've lost to the Miami Heat, Chicago Bulls, Portland Trail Blazers, Orlando Magic, Indiana Pacers, Nuggets and Clippers, and while that's just a total of seven losses it is undoubtedly a reason for concern.  Why are the Lakers losing to those great teams? They're losing those games because they lack depth on the offensive side of the ball outside of Kobe, Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol.

Losing Lamar Odom to the Dallas Mavericks this offseason is proving to mean much more than the Lakers had previously thought.  Sure, Kobe can put up 40 and 48 points in consecutive nights, but if the rest of the Lakers roster doesn't begin to perform, the Lakers' hopes of an NBA title in 2012 are slim to none.  Many think the Lakers need to bring in Dwight Howard, but in all honesty, replacing Bynum with Howard isn't the smartest move to make.

The Lakers need to find talent at the point guard position, while Steve Blake is out, like veteran guard Allen Iverson if they want to win those big games that they've been losing.  Kobe can't do it all by himself, even though it often seems like he thinks he can.

Maybe it's not quite time to panic in Los Angeles, but it's definitely getting there, especially with Kobe aging and his injured wrist.

Orlando Magic (12-9)

As the Dwight Howard saga continues, the Orlando Magic will continue to struggle.  Orlando's lost their last three games in abysmal fashion, which has resulted in Howard calling out his teammates and their "desire to play the game."  News flash Howard—you shouldn't be the one to talk when it comes to having the desire to play basketball in Orlando because, well, you don't.

Aside from the on-the-court issues with Howard right now, the Magic's most serious concern needs to be finding a team that is willing to give the Magic some serious talent in return for the disgruntled star.  As the days move closer to the Feb. 26th NBA All-Star Game, the fears of all Magic fans are increasing, with the thought that the Magic could conceivably let Howard walk at the end of the 2011-12 season.

Letting Howard walk hopefully won't happen, but if it does, the Magic will fall back into NBA obscurity for the time being.  Orlando can't afford to lose another superstar to free agency, and that's why the Magic need to be panicking right about now.

Not only have they yet to build for their future without Howard by trading him, he is also starting to bring the franchise down with his inability to take the focus off of himself and his persistent trade talks.

It's panic time in Orlando, and for good reason.  If the Magic don't panic right now and get rid of Howard, their season could be over—and their future could start to look very, very dark. 

Boston Celtics (10-10)

Who would have thought that 20 games into the 2011-12 NBA season the Boston Celtics would be sitting at a sub-par 10-10 overall record?  

The Celtics have been held back by injuries to forward Paul Pierce at the beginning of the season, Ray Allen a week ago and now Rajon Rondo, who might be out until the All-Star break.  Aside from their injury problems, the Celtics have also been held back by a decrease in production from star power forward Kevin Garnett, who's playing at one of the lowest efficiency rates of his career.

All of that aside, the Celtics really have no depth outside of Allen, Garnett, Rondo and Pierce, which isn't a problem while they're healthy, but the majority of the Celtics' losses this season have come when one of those starters has been out of the lineup.  

The main reason why the Celtics need to panic right about now is because age is finally catching up to them, and they've failed to build any type of depth aside from their aging veterans.  Sure, the Celtics Big Three can get Boston to the playoffs, but with the youth in the Eastern Conference it's going to be hard for them to get Boston further than the first round, which isn't exactly what fans in Boston are looking for.

It's also time to panic in Boston because president of basketball operations Danny Ainge had the chance to break up the Big Three in Boston and he didn't.  The Celtics aren't getting any younger, which is their main concern and the main reason why Boston needs to panic.