NBA Power Rankings: 2012 Playoff Teams That Are Headed for Lottery This Season

It's easy to get complacent when predicting year-to-year playoff turnover. But every season, like clockwork, we see former lottery teams emerge from the pack to make the postseason.

As it would logically follow, we also see playoff teams digress into the following year's lottery. Teams that either lost too much, or didn't add enough, to keep up with the rest of the competition.

Here's a look at some preseason power rankings, with an emphasis on 2012 playoff teams that won't be making an appearance in 2013:

1. Miami Heat

The Year of LeBron looks poised to escalate into The Decade of LeBron. That's a scary thought for people who dogmatically proclaim that "nobody will ever surpass the greatness of Michael Jordan." We're watching history unfold before our eyes.

2. Los Angeles Lakers

 Don't let last night's dud deter you. Come July, this team is going to be scary good. Nash's disappearing act against Dallas was cause for microscopic concern, but the Lakers have too many pieces to not be favored out West.

3. Oklahoma City Thunder

Even after losing James Harden, the Thunder still boast two of the top 12 players in the game. Serge Ibaka looks like he's made marked improvement with the ball in his hands, too. Kevin Martin can't create like James Harden, but he's a better pure shooter, and he'll be getting a lot of open looks. Add in the unknown-but-potentially-massive ceilings of Perry Jones III and Jeremy Lamb, and this is still a team to be reckoned with.

4. San Antonio Spurs

They're back and they're just as boring as ever! Bad news: Duncan, Parker and Ginobili all add a year of mileage to their creaky bodies. Good news: Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green both add a year of experience to their improving games. Best news: Gregg Popovich is still sitting on the bench.

5. Denver Nuggets

We've seen this formula work in the new NBA: depth + athleticism = success. Look at what the Indiana Pacers did last year. Adding Andre Iguodala––a fiery and competitive defender––to a team that already boasts Kenneth Faried––the league's fiercest and most competitive rebounder––is a scary augmentation. They're a real sleeper to make a deep playoff run.

6. Boston Celtics

Their offseason wasn't necessarily sexy, but it was efficient. This is a much better team than the one we saw last summer. Swapping Jason Terry for Allen is negligible. But subbing Jeff Green, Jared Sullinger and a healthy Avery Bradley over Keyon Dooling, Mickael Pietrus and Ryan Hollins? That's drastic.

7. Memphis Grizzlies

Not much to say here. Losing the bench scoring of O.J. Mayo should hurt a little bit, but getting Gay and Randolph on the floor together should help a lot more. With Tony Allen shutting down wing players and Marc Gasol patrolling the paint, the defense should carry them to another comfy playoff spot.

8. Los Angeles Clippers

There's a lot riding on the mercurial acquisitions of Jamal Crawford and Lamar Odom. But even so, there's enough here to feel good about. Chris Paul's dominant performance against Spain this summer was a reminder of just how unstoppable he can be late in games. If Vinny Del Negro can balance a complicated minutes situation––which I won't believe until I see him do it––they can go even farther than last year.

9. Atlanta Hawks

Why's everyone so down on the Hawks? Yes, they lost Joe Johnson, but they also kept Josh Smith. Al Horford is healthy again too, which gives the Hawks an auspicious frontcourt in a small conference. They also added a lot of shooting in Kyle Korver, Anthony Morrow and the draft's best shooter, John Jenkins.

10. Brooklyn Nets

The team with the sexiest offseason rarely has the sexiest regular season (just ask the 2012 Angels or the 2011 Eagles), but the on-paper talent is too much to ignore. If the Nets get Team USA Deron instead of New Jersey Deron, he and Joe Johnson are the league's best backcourt. 

11. Indiana Pacers

The Pacers were content standing relatively pat after their Annus Mirabillis in 2012. They lost Collison and Barbosa in the backcourt, but the addition of D.J. Augustin should help neutralize that loss on the second unit. Even with Danny Granger hurt, they should be able to maneuver through a weak Eastern Conference and be ready for playoff time.

12. Utah Jazz

Yes, I have them ranked seventh in the West (which, last time I checked, would give them a playoff spot), but that's based on potential. There's still enough red flags signaling Utah could fall out of the playoffs in 2013.

For starters, there's the point guard position –– a role that's actually increased in importance over the past few years. The Jazz dealt Devon Harris for Marvin Williams this offseason, leaving them with Mo Williams, the corpse of Jamaal Tinsley and the further-decomposed corpse of Earl Watson as their primary ball-handlers. 

The argument for the Jazz, it would seem, is that their prodigious front line will be able to compensate for their point guard deficiencies. And while, yes, it's hard to argue against a foursome of Al Jefferson, Paul Millsap, Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter when healthy, there are injury concerns to be had.

Jefferson, the team's best player, has missed only five games since arriving in Utah, but the ghosts of his nasty 2009 ACL tear still loom large. Millsap, meanwhile, doesn't have a harrowing history like Jefferson, but he does put an awful lot of physical wear and tear on his undersized frame. That makes him a perpetual risk.

It's hard to fault a team solely for speculative things like injuries, but the Jazz barely made the playoffs last year, so they need the cards to fall perfect once again. Otherwise, the backcourt problems could overwhelm them.

13. New York Knicks

The Antiques Road Show, as they're sure to be called in opposing arenas, may be long in the tooth, but they're also long on talent. I'm not sure why a team with Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler (two Olymians and veterans) needs the veteran leadership of Jason Kidd and Marcus Camby, but it can't hurt, can it? The injury to A'mare worries me far less than the Portland sage of Raymond Felton. If he can play like himself, they should be a solid playoff team.

14. Philadelphia 76ers

Andrew Bynum and his hairdo have gotten even weirder since returning to the East Coast, which can't be good since he was already kind of a dope. But he's a dope who can play basketball (presuming he gets healthy) on a well-coached team of scrappy guys who can do the same. I don't love their ceiling, but I feel safe with their basement.

15. Chicago Bulls

We all know about the Derrick Rose injury, but the rest of the Bulls offseason was unnerving as well. Gone are defensive stalwarts like Omer Asik and Ronnie Brewer; in their place are languid stiffs like Nazr Mohammed and Marco Belinelli. The frontcourt defense and presumed return of Rose should be enough for a playoff spot, but not by much.

16. Houston Rockets

Harden's arrival is huge for the Rockets, who always find a way to be competitive even when they don't have a top-20 player holding the reigns. Omer Asik and Jeremy Lin will need to be as good as the flashes they've shown, but this team could sneak into the playoffs. Chandler Parsons has the best contract in basketball and could be on the verge of a real breakout year.

17. Minnesota Timberwolves

The Love injury is devastating, but the early schedule is easy. If he comes back to a 5-5 squad, the Wolves could still make a real playoff push. Lots on unknowns between Rubio's knee, Roy's knee and Kirilenko's gas tank, but there's a lot to like here.

18. Dallas Mavericks

Last night's Dirk and Kaman-less victory in Staples was impressive, but don't let it fool you. This is not a playoff team.

Darren Collison and O.J. Mayo would form the best second-team backcourt in the league. But as starters, they leave some––not a lot of––things to be desired. That's why they were both backups on playoff teams last season. And when Vince Carter is your best swingman off the bench (hopefully by midseason, Crowder will be getting his minutes) that says everything you need to know about the guards.

The frontcourt would have all-world potential if this was 2006. Who knows how much Dirk has left in those knees (it doesn't seem like much), and the same can be said about Shaun Marion and Elton Brand.

Mark Cuban refuse to acknowledge this as a rebuilding year, and the opening-night victory will only help culture that delusion. But this team is not going to the playoffs in 2013––especially in such a deep conference.

19. Portland Trail Blazers

Aldridge made a giant leap last season, but it would probably take a similar one from Nicolas Batum for Portland to make the playoffs. Up top, Damian Lillard looks like the real deal. Down low, Meyers Leonard...not so much. Even if they aren't great, they won't be any fun to play against.

20. Milwaukee Bucks

This is where the East's lack of depth really shows. Milwaukee will be competing with Chicago, Philly and maybe a few other teams for the eighth spot; they'd be bottom feeders out West. The Jennings-Ellis backcourt has too many defensive holes on a team that wants defense to be its forte.

21. Golden State Warriors

This is not a democracy! You are injured until proven healthy! The Warriors look very sleeper-ish on paper, but it's hard to get excited about the morbid injury pasts of Andrew Bogut and Steph Curry. If they can get a substantial amount of games out of them, however....

22. Toronto Raptors

Not a bad offseason for Toronto, who adds a proven point guard in Kyle Lowry, a potential franchise center in Jonas Valančiūnas and a bouncy lottery pick in Terrence Ross. There are a lot of questions, however, and a lot is riding on the progression of DeMar DeRozan (from serviceable into productive) and Ed Davis (from bad into serviceable).

23. Detroit Pistons

Like Toronto, there's a surprising amount of things to like about Detroit! They already have a franchise big man, Greg Monroe, in place and added preseason darling Andre Drummond. With veterans like Tayshaun Prince and Rodney Stuckey lining the wings, a "leap" year from Brandon Knight could actually make them competitive.

24. New Orleans Hornets

He played sparing minutes, but Anthony Davis did not look like the "one college kid on the team" when he played for America this summer. That and a dominant preseason game against Miami have the Unibrow hype train steamrolling ahead once again. Ryan Anderson gives them some proven scoring, too, but until Eric Gordon proves he can stay healthy, the backcourt is not up to snuff.

25. Phoenix Suns

Rebuilding without Steve Nash is rough, but the Suns actually did an admirable job this offseason. Bringing back Goran Dragic and adding Luis Scola are both savvy moves that should keep Phoenix semi-competitive. The wild card is Michael Beasley. And when you tie your hopes to that ship, you'll usually start the season ranked around 25.

26. Cleveland Cavaliers

Anderson Varejao, while good, is not as good as he looked last night. Kyrie Irving is. The Cavs will win as many games as Irving can lead them to, but a high lottery pick will do this team a lot of good. The most important thing they can do this year is give Dion Waiters a chance to develop.

27. Sacramento Kings

Remember when your soccer team went up five goals and your coach said you weren't allowed to shoot unless he saw 10 passes first? The Kings should implement that rule. Otherwise, we're going to see a whole lot of isolations, contested shots and, fortunately, Boogie Cousins moving bodies down low. This could get ugly.

28. Washington Wizards

Tired of Javal McGee and Andray Blatche's antics, the Wizards decided to build around a group of plodding, veteran frontcourt players. But Emeka Okafor, Trevor Ariza and Nene also don't bring the lengthy athleticism Washington's paint players used to have. Like Cleveland, the best thing the Wiz can do is create a foundational chemistry between John Wall and Bradley Beal.

29. Orlando Magic

Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

After losing Dwight Howard, the Magic face a precipitous drop apropos to the Cavaliers after losing LeBron.

Al Harrington, Glen Davis and Aaron Afflalo might led the team in scoring, in that order, which says everything you need to know about their offense. Defensively, the holes that Dwight had been cleaning up for years are bound to be exposed.

Things could get very bad, very fast for the Magic, who should be in the running for the top overall pick. And Tyler Zeller looks great, but he's no Dwight Howard (even though Nerlens Noel might be...).

30. Charlotte Bobcats

I don't know who's going to score either. When Byron Mullens jacking up four deep balls a game is a viable offensive option, you're probably going to finish last in the league. If Michael Kidd-Gilchrist can develop, however, him and a high draft pick could be a foundation for a more promising future in Charlotte.