NBA Future Rankings: Teams 20-30, Victims Of Free Agency and Mediocrity

At long last, here is the much-anticipated (or not so much) conclusion of my three-part rankings of the future of all 30 NBA teams. You can also read Part 1 and Part 2. Again, this is the ranking for the next three years.

21. Phoenix Suns

After the expected departure of All-Star Amare Stoudemire, the Suns took a huge gamble by tying up the bulk of their cap-space for the next several years by acquiring F Hedo Turkoglu and G/F Josh Childress. They also spent a lot of money extending Channing Frye's contract and signing F Hakim Warrick. Steve Nash continues to be a great player and one of the best playmakers in the game, but his age will have to show eventually.

The Suns depth should continue to be an asset, as they still have a strong 2nd unit of Goran Dragic, Childress, Jared Dudley, Warrick, and Frye. But without Stoudemire, they'll have to rely on young big Robin Lopez to provide most of their low-post scoring and defense. After Lopez, they have no strong rebounders , shot blockers, or post scorers. Turkoglu will have to play well also.

They may be able to make another couple of playoff runs before Nash is done, but more likely they'll be just good enough to avoid getting a difference making pick in the draft.

Key Pieces: Turkoglu and Lopez

22. New Orleans Hornets 

After months of trade rumors, it appears as though the Hornets have put all their eggs into the Chris Paul basket. With the acquisition of Trevor Ariza and the development of Marcus Thornton, New Orleans actually has a pretty decent starting lineup. Coach Monty Williams, a talented young new coach, is a potential bright spot as well.

Unfortunately for them, they have no forseeable cap-space, little depth, and few young pieces. Adding to their problems is star Chris Paul's well-documented unrest. Less publicized is the fact that their 2nd best player, David West, will be a free agent next year, and will be looking for a big raise. And they have a solid starting center in Emeka Okafor, but he is overpaid and has no obvious backup. The Hornets had better play well this year or they risk losing Paul, West, and hope for the near future. If they want to have success, they need to get something of of Peja Stojakivic's expiring contract, and avoid major injuries.

Key Piece: Chris Paul

23. New Jersey Nets

After a terrible season last year, the Nets made some solid acquistions in Travis Outlaw, Troy Murphy, Anthony Morrow, etc. They were not however, able to land a top-tier free agent as planned. On the negative side for them, they still lack a go-to perimeter scorer, veteran leaders (Joe Smith helps, but he won't likely see significant playing time), still play in New Jersey, and are coming off a season where they absolutely sucked (although they did suffer from a lot of injuries and former All-Star Devin Harris had a down year).

They have more reasons to be positive about the future than any other team in the bottom ten though. Center Brook Lopez is almost certainly the best center in the East not named Dwight, fellow young'uns Derrick Favors and Terrence Williams have huge upside. They also hired a proven coach, have an owner willing to spend and make bold moves, and have a decent shot in the Carmelo sweepstakes. They are also moving to Brooklyn soon. I would expect the Nets to make the playoffs soon, possibly even surprise many by making a run this year, though more likely in a few years.

Key Pieces: Derrick Favors, Brook Lopez, Terrence Williams

24. Denver Nuggets

Maybe I am too quick to jump on the gloom and doom Nuggets bandwagon with the Carmelo Anthony trade/free agency rumors, but I really think the Nuggets time as a contender is over with for now. Even if they don't trade Melo this year, they have perhaps their five best players in potential contract years. Most of those guys will either be looking for a bigger contract or greener pastures. I suspect that this team will be even harder to control with that factor. George Karl has done a great job with this team; hopefully his health won't be a factor.

If Anthony is gone, Nene may feel inclined to leave next year. Kenyon Martin and J.R. Smith will likely go to the highest bidder. I don't think the Anthony rumors will die down like the Paul rumors did. I would say best case-scenario is that Anthony is traded ASAP for some good pieces, and Denver reloads by letting their new players develop and landing a solid draft pick or two. Ty Lawson is one bright spot that looks to remain with them awhile. 

Key Piece: Carmelo Anthony (or his trade return)

25. Golden State Warriors

Golden State finally got a player to build around in Stephen Curry, and added All-Star David Lee. Guard Monta Ellis is underrated, though he could be traded. Uncertainty looms for this team due to new ownership, and today's dismissal of Don Nelson, as well as potential trades that have been rumored. Also, they may have whiffed in the draft by picking Ekpe Udoh, who in typical Warriors fashion, got injured promptly and severely.

They will likely need a couple more years to become a playoff team, but could they finally be headed in the right direction? If they can draft a star wing player to go along with Curry, Lee, and possibly Ellis, than watch out.

Key Piece: Stephen Curry

26. Charlotte Bobcats

The Bobcats have a lot of serviceable veterans, but also have lot of holes. G Stephen Jackson and F Gerald Wallace are the only really good players on this team. PF Tyrus Thomas always shows potential, but is a long way from becoming a star. Since Raymond Felton left for greener pastures and Tyson Chandler were traded, they were left with questions at point guard and center positions, which are both very important. They are left to choose between Nazr Mohammed and Kwame Brown (an unenviable position) for starting center and between D.J. Augustin and Shaun Livingston at the point.

Larry Brown has a knack for coaching teams that become greater than the sum of the parts, but with no cap-space for awhile, and no 1st round pick this last draft, someone  else needs to step up for them to remain playoff contenders. I would expect Brown to coach a bad team up to mediocrity one more time, but that will just keep them out of the draft lottery. If this were for the next five years rather than just three, these guys would probably be last.

Key Piece: Player X who has a surprise year (Gerald Henderson? Augustine? Livingston?)

27. Minnesota Timberwolves

Ten. That's the number of forwards (Kevin Love, Michael Beasley, Martell Webster, Wesley Johnson, Lazar Hayward, Corey Brewer, Darko Milicic, Nikola Pekovic) and point guards (Johnny Flynn, Luke Ridnour) that Minnesota has on its roster that are solid or show good potential. Zero. That's the number of star players, true centers, and minutes Ricky Rubio will play this season for the T-Wolves.

Minnesota has been very patient, perhaps a little too patient, since Kevin Garnett was traded. They have invested in a bunch of role players, many of whom have similar talents. They have certainly made some good moves, but are still lacking. Once they can bring Rubio over, acquire or develop a star player, and get a shot-blocking center, they could be formidable. And then they'll live happily ever after. For now, they'll have to console themselves with the talent of players like Love and Flynn and the hope of a brighter, though distant, future.

Key Piece: Ricky Rubio

28. Toronto Raptors

Obviously Chris Bosh's departure hurt Toronto's chances in the near future. I do believe, however, that it is not as bad for them as some think. Certainly not as bad as LeBron's departure is for the Cavs. Bosh was never going to lead them to greatness, and they never made it past the first round with him as their leader. After jettisoning Hedo Turkoglu's bad contract, they will have a chance to rebuild around players like Andrea Bargnani, Ed Davis, DeMar DeRozan, Sonny Weems, Amir Johnson, Solomon Alabi, and Leinas Kleiza.

They will probably be a bad team for a little while, but should be able to develop some of their players and get some solid draft picks. It seems as though they have a better defensive team than last year, they just need a few more pieces. Expect a lot of improvement from much of Toronto's roster. Weems, DeRozan, Kleiza, and Johnson are among the players who could break out.

Key Piece: Andrea Bargnani  

29. Detroit Pistons

The Pistons are the mystery team of the league. They are deep and talented, but injury-prone and do not have the right balance of players. They are a mix of championship-era players past their primes (Ben Wallace, Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince), players in their prime (Ben Gordon, Rodney Stuckey, Charlie Villanueva) and several young talents. They lack a true point guard and a true post-presence, and they'll need those to win.

Now that they used up their cap-space for a long time in Villanueva and Gordon, they should try and trade Hamilton and Prince and commit to rebuilding. Unfortunately for them, the abundance of veterans on the team keeps them from being able to give as much time to the young players. It also could keep them out of the top of the draft.

Key Piece: Greg Monroe

30. Cleveland Cavaliers

I don't really want to pile on the poor Cleveland fans. Management should trade the well-paid veterans, particularly Mo Williams and Antawn Jamison, as quickly as possible so they can let others develop in their place. I know that they are planning on making a playoff run, but I think that is unlikely.

They should hand the keys to J.J Hickson, Daniel Gibson, and Anderson Varejao for this year, and hope to get lucky in the draft, and land a loyal star player. 

Key Piece: J.J. Hickson 

Thanks for reading! Hopefully it will console my fellow fans that don't have the extra money for things like "Insider"