Ranking the Deepest Teams in the NBA, Post-2013 Free Agency

Despite the best efforts of Tom Thibodeau's Chicago Bulls in last year's playoffs, no NBA team has managed to have sustained success while playing all five starters for the entire game.

Nobody's saying NBA squads need rotation-caliber production from all 12 active roster spots, but it sure helps to be able to count on eight or nine bodies—particularly because injuries to key players can quickly sink the season for teams without adequate depth.

A good bench isn't all about raw point production, either. It's just as important for a reserve unit to bring energy, defense and attitude. And if said unit has a catchy nickname (like the Los Angeles Clippers' "A Tribe Called Bench"), all the better.

It takes top-to-bottom talent to win in the NBA, so we pored over every team's post-free-agency roster to come up with the league's deepest teams. Some, like the Miami Heat, aren't surprises. Others, like the revamped Indiana Pacers, certainly are.

And because NBA fans love a good argument as much as anything, we ranked them, too.

10. Sacramento Kings

Projected Starters: Greivis Vasquez (PG), Marcus Thornton (SG), Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (SF), Carl Landry (PF), DeMarcus Cousins (C)

Key Reserves: Isaiah Thomas, Ben McLemore, John Salmons, Jason Thompson, Patrick Patterson, Chuck Hayes

Bear with me, all right?

The Sacramento Kings are a terrible team; you'll get no arguments on that point. But you have to admit that they're also ridiculously deep—too deep, probably.

There are at least two rotation-quality players at every position, but outside of Cousins, not a single potential star in the bunch. This team is an example of what can happen when there's too much depth, in that it's extremely difficult to divvy up rotation minutes, assign roles and figure out game-ending lineups.

The Kings are going to have to figure out how to convert some of their quantity into quality before they're a threat to move out of the cellar in the Western Conference. If only some other NBA team was interested in a six-for-one trade.

9. San Antonio Spurs

Projected Starters: Tony Parker (PG), Danny Green (SG), Kawhi Leonard (SF), Tim Duncan (PF), Tiago Splitter (C)

Key Reserves: Manu Ginobili, Marco Belinelli, Boris Diaw, Matt Bonner, Cory Joseph

The San Antonio Spurs' starting lineup is pretty much perfect. Everyone has a role within the system and nobody is ever required to do too much. But the Spurs starters didn't rack up 58 regular-season wins without some help. Last year, San Antonio reserves scored 37.9 points per game, fifth-best in the NBA.

Marco Belinelli is the only significant addition to the Spurs bench, and he'll log rotation minutes right away in place of the departed Gary Neal.

Buried more deeply is fellow Spurs newcomer Jeff Pendergraph, a serviceable big man who was stuck behind Roy Hibbert, David West and Ian Mahinmi in Indiana last season. He doesn't figure to play much, but if San Antonio went out and got him, you can pretty much assume he's better than you thought he was.

Even without the new additions, San Antonio can still trot out Ginobili, Diaw and Bonner without fear of giving up a lead.

8. Golden State Warriors

Projected Starters: Stephen Curry (PG), Klay Thompson (SG), Andre Iguodala (SF), David Lee (PF), Andrew Bogut (C)

Key Reserves: Harrison Barnes, Marreese Speights, Festus Ezeli, Draymond Green, Kent Bazemore

The Golden State Warriors lost Jarrett Jack and Carl Landry in free agency, which should have put a major dent in the team's depth. But GM Bob Myers calmly reeled in Iguodala, Speights, O'Neal and Toney Douglas to fill the void.

Perhaps the best testament to the team's improved rotation is the fact that Barnes, a starter last year, is now going to come off the bench as the team's sixth man.

Ezeli will miss significant time early in the season because of knee surgery, so O'Neal is probably going to log a few more minutes than the Warriors would prefer. But Lee and Speights can both play a bit of center behind Andrew Bogut should the need arise.

Second-year players Green and Bazemore both have tremendous potential. Green is already a forging a reputation as a "glue guy" who does all the little things good teams need from reserves, and Bazemore just finished getting robbed by Jonas Valanciunas for the Las Vegas Summer League MVP.

If Barnes continues to develop and the starters stay healthy, this No. 8 ranking could wind up being about five spots too low.

7. Denver Nuggets

Projected Starters: Ty Lawson (PG), Randy Foye (SG), Danilo Gallinari (SF), Kenneth Faried (PF), JaVale McGee (C)

Key Reserves: Nate Robinson, Andre Miller, Evan Fournier, Wilson Chandler, J.J. Hickson, Darrell Arthur, Timofey Mozgov

If it seems like I listed almost all of the Denver Nuggets' roster, it's because I did.

This team has some serious depth to its bench. With the exception of Chandler, who'll probably join the first unit until Gallinari returns sometime around midseason, there's not really a lot of starter-level quality among the Nuggets' reserves.

But there's a glut of capable rotation talent.

Robinson will serve as resident spark plug, while Miller figures to provide plenty of veteran leadership to a young group. Hickson and Arthur, a pair of fresh faces, will provide some frontcourt bulk behind Faried.

It's amazing to think that after losing Iguodala, Corey Brewer and Kosta Koufos, this Nuggets team still has enough talent to go at least 10 deep. Denver's pace can take the wind out of even the best-conditioned athletes, so it's no coincidence that the Nuggets use their bench liberally every year.

They're primed to have success doing the same this season.

6. Houston Rockets

Projected Starters: Jeremy Lin (PG), James Harden (SG), Chandler Parsons (SF), Greg Smith (PF), Dwight Howard (C)

Key Reserves: Omer Asik, Patrick Beverley, Donatas Motiejunas, Aaron Brooks, Francisco Garcia

One of the interesting (and potentially problematic) side effects of Dwight Howard choosing the Houston Rockets as his free-agent landing spot is Omer Asik's relegation to a backup role. It's theoretically possible that the Rockets could slot Asik into the power forward spot alongside Howard in the first unit, but if the team is at all interested in floor spacing, that won't happen.

If Asik accepts his new role, Houston's second unit will suddenly become a defensive monster. Beverley and Garcia are both very capable stoppers, and even the ancient Marcus Camby might provide a few minutes (and blocked shots).

Shakeups are possible; Beverley could easily push Lin for the starting job and Parsons could see plenty of time as a small-ball 4. But however the rotation shakes out, Houston has a ton of weapons and lots of ways to use them.

5. Brooklyn Nets

Projected Starters: Deron Williams (PG), Joe Johnson (SG), Paul Pierce (SF), Kevin Garnett (PF), Brook Lopez (C)

Key Reserves: Andrei Kirilenko, Andray Blatche, Reggie Evans, Jason Terry

It's probably best not to think too hard about how the Brooklyn Nets managed to sign Andrei Kirilenko for about one-third of the money he left on the table in Minnesota when he opted out of his previous contract. Maybe he likes Brooklyn's (lack of a) color scheme.

Look, the point is that AK-47 alone would have made the Nets a much deeper team than they were before free agency. The fact that they also retained Andray Blatche and Reggie Evans, while adding Terry as part of the blockbuster deal that also brought Pierce and Garnett into the fold, makes Brooklyn's rotation flat-out scary.

The starters are beastly, and the four key reserves will be more than capable of holding down the fort when the first unit needs its frequent breaks.

And hey, if Shaun Livingston can't hack it as a backup point guard, new head coach Jason Kidd could pretty easily run the offense himself. Just saying...

4. Miami Heat

Projected Starters: Mario Chalmers (PG), Dwyane Wade (SG), LeBron James (SF), Udonis Haslem (PF), Chris Bosh (C)

Key Reserves: Shane Battier, Ray Allen, Norris Cole, Chris Andersen

There's not a lot of flash on the Miami Heat's bench, unless you count the reflective gleam of Ray Allen's turtle-waxed head. But the championship-tested collection of bench contributors for the Heat know their roles and execute them perfectly.

None of this should be new information, as Miami will return all of their rotation pieces from a year ago, with the lone exception being the amnestied Mike Miller.

The Birdman will swat shots, hustle and rebound. Battier will take charges and hit threes. Allen will stretch the defense. Norris Cole will bring energy, angular hair and solid on-ball defense.

It's no mystery that the Heat win titles because they've got the planet's best player in the starting lineup, but with a nine-man rotation that features a solid bench, there's a well-rounded quality to this team that deserves mention.

3. Los Angeles Clippers

Projected Starters: Chris Paul (PG), J.J. Redick (SG), Jared Dudley (SF), Blake Griffin (PF), DeAndre Jordan (C)

Key Reserves: Darren Collison, Jamal Crawford, Matt Barnes, Byron Mullens, Reggie Bullock

A few key members of "A Tribe Called Bench" are no longer with the Los Angeles Clippers. (Did they really call it that? They did? Yikes.) Grant Hill retired, Lamar Odom and Ronny Turiaf won't be back, and Eric Bledsoe is now a starter in Phoenix.

But Jamal Crawford and Matt Barnes are still around, and new additions Byron Mullens, Darren Collison and Reggie Bullock are going to fill in admirably this year. Is anyone else intrigued by the potential of that quintet for some super-small, floor-stretching action?

Maybe things won't be quite as exciting without Bledsoe terrorizing second-unit point guards, but it sure looks like this year's L.A. reserves will be every bit as productive as the ones that took the league by storm a year ago.

The Clips' fantastic starting unit is sure to build plenty of leads and could very well lead to a Los Angeles offense that ranks at the top of the league. The bench will have little trouble keeping the scoring deluge flowing. 

2. Indiana Pacers

Projected Starters: George Hill (PG), Lance Stephenson (SG), Paul George (SF), David West (PF), Roy Hibbert (C)

Key Reserves: Danny Granger, Luis Scola, C.J. Watson, Chris Copeland, Ian Mahinmi

Look, I'm well aware that the Indiana Pacers had an absolutely atrocious bench last year. Only the Portland Trail Blazers' putrid reserves averaged fewer points per game (18.5) than Indy's subs (26.1). And when Indiana's starters weren't on the floor in the 2013 playoffs, things fell apart immediately.

But D.J. Augustin, Sam Young and Tyler Hansbrough are all gone now. Getting rid of that horrendous trio and replacing them with D-League call-ups would probably have been an improvement.

But the Pacers did a heck of a lot better than that.

Luis Scola can still score as creatively as any frontcourt player in the league, and his interior passing is severely underrated. Defense will be a problem, but as long as Mahinmi or Hibbert is on the floor alongside him, Scola will be a major plus.

In addition, the very capable C.J. Watson is taking over Augustin's role, which means George Hill will actually be allowed to rest occasionally this season. And Chris Copeland can stretch the floor in a way no other Pacers big man can.

Oh, and some guy named Danny Granger will be back in the rotation. It's possible that Granger actually joins the starting unit, which would send Lance Stephenson to the bench. For the record, Stephenson is cool with the idea.

Either way, the Pacers now have five excellent bench players to support what is arguably the NBA's best starting five.

That's a stunning turnaround from a year ago.

1. New York Knicks

Projected Starters: Raymond Felton (PG), Iman Shumpert (SG), Carmelo Anthony (SF), Andrea Bargnani (PF), Tyson Chandler (C)

Key Reserves: Amar'e Stoudemire, J.R. Smith, Metta World Peace, Pablo Prigioni, Kenyon Martin

I wanted to put the Pacers or Clippers in this spot. I really did.

But on paper, the Knicks have absolutely everything a dangerous bench needs. J.R. Smith can light it up with the best of them (in the club as well as on the court), Amar'e Stoudemire was insanely efficient on offense last year, and Metta World Peace brings the edge every good cast of reserves needs.

Pablo Prigioni is steady, while Kenyon Martin can provide a few minutes of hard fouls and angry stares.

Copeland, Kidd and Novak aren't around anymore, but a full year from Stoudemire (fingers crossed on that one) should make up in quality what the Knicks bench lost in quantity.

And here's the thing: The Knicks got 40.2 points per game from their bench in 2012-13, which ranked third in the NBA. Only Denver and the Dallas Mavericks got more production from non-starters. Both of those clubs lost key pieces from their bench corps, so it stands to reason that the Knicks (who at least held steady and might have improved) could be in line to top that ranking.

As much as I hate to give credit to a franchise that doesn't seem to care about defense or unselfish play, the Knicks are owed praise here. They're a deep, dangerous team.