Which NBA Playoff Teams from the 2010-11 Season Are in Danger of Not Returning?

Amidst the NBA lockout, it may be difficult to look ahead toward next season, let alone the postseason, but considering which teams are going to make it back to the playoffs remains intriguing.

Plus, it's never too early to look toward the future.

Every season, at least one or two teams surprise the basketball world by making an unexpected playoff push or appearance. However, a good formula for predicting teams that make it to the postseason involves analyzing the ones that made it the previous year.

Last season's playoff class has its share of organizations mired in uncertainty, and as a result, not every team is exactly a lock to make it back.

Are Kobe Bryant's knees capable of carrying the Los Angeles Lakers to the postseason? Is the Boston Celtics' core so far past its prime that its playoff days are over? Will the Denver Nuggets be able to overcome a surplus of departures to make it back to the postseason?

While the next campaign for a champion seems light years away, let's take a look at which playoff teams from last season are safe in their postseason potential, and which are in danger of not returning. 

Western Conference: Dallas Mavericks

What better way to kick off the list than by starting with our reigning NBA champions, the Dallas Mavericks?

Dirk Nowitzki and company have a lot of questions marks heading into next season. It is unclear whether free agents Tyson Chandler, Caron Butler and J.J. Barea will return, and Jason Kidd and Jason Terry aren't getting any younger.

Entering the playoffs as the third seed, few expected Dallas to make a serious playoff push last season, let alone win the highly coveted Larry O'Brien Trophy, and while the aforementioned players are crucial pieces to their organization, the main reason the Mavs ended up where they did was Nowitzki.

As luck would have it, not only does he seem to be improving with age, but his status with the team is anything but uncertain. And as long as he is on board, Dallas should be a lock to make a postseason appearance.

Verdict: Safe bet to make playoffs next season. 

Western Conference: Oklahoma City Thunder

Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and company had a very impressive regular season, winning 55 games last year, earning them the fourth seed heading into the playoffs.

The Oklahoma City Thunder ultimately lost in the Western Conference Finals to the eventual champion Mavericks in a series that made evident there were still some kinks to work out in the Durant-Westbrook relationship.

Some have speculated that the Thunder will shop Westbrook, but this duo has barely scratched the surface of its potential. Both players are only 22 and have the potential to become one of the deadliest 1-2 combination of all time. 

Additionally, with only one free agent on the books in the restricted Daequan Cook, this team's supporting cast will remain intact.

Westbrook and Durant are both talented and intelligent enough to resolve whatever cohesion challenges they may face, and role players like Serge Ibaka, James Harden and Kendrick Perkins are all young and continuously improving.

All signs point to the Thunder becoming even more major of a player in the West than it was last season.

Verdict: Safe bet to make the playoffs next season.

Western Conference: Memphis Grizzlies

The Memphis Grizzlies shocked the basketball world when they upset the top-seeded San Antonio Spurs this past postseason, and turned some more heads when they pushed the Thunder to seven games in the second round.

It was a Cinderella story in the making, but Memphis lacked that added punch to seal the deal against Oklahoma City. That additional punch we speak of is Rudy Gay, who is expected to return to the court next season fully healthy and prepared.

Gay's absence made the Grizzlies' playoff run all the more impressive, as he was and arguably still is considered their franchise player. The emergences of Mike Conley and Marc Gasol as star-caliber talents, though, coupled with the consistent play of the usually volatile Zach Randolph as well as role players Shane Battier and O.J. Mayo, sparked this team's rise to relevance.

Memphis is shrouded in some uncertainty as we look toward next season, with the futures of free agents Battier and Gasol up in the air. There have also been some rumblings that Gay may be on the chopping block, too.

That being said, the Grizzlies seem poised to do whatever is necessary to keep Gasol in Memphis, and while Battier is a major question mark, the team has repeatedly stated Gay is not for sale. 

The core of last season's head-turning squad will remain relatively intact as it prepares for Gay to reenter the fold, making this team one to keep our eyes on.

Verdict: Safe bet to make the playoffs next season.

Western Conference: New Orleans Hornets

Very few expected the Chris Paul-led New Orleans Hornets to push the Los Angeles Lakers as far as they did in the first round, putting up an impressive fight—one that fans may hope convinces Paul to stay.

They would be wise not to hold their breath.

The Hornets played very well against the Lakers, but the problem is that it was as good as it will ever get for this squad. Trevor Ariza and Emeka Okafor are solid role players, but they alone are not the recipe to create a championship contender.

What about David West and Carl Landry? Well, they too are talented role players, but it is highly unlikely that both free agents return to New Orleans next season. Even if they did, though, we have seen them at their best already, and it's just not good enough.

To go along with this brutal reality, it remains unlikely that Paul even finishes the season with the Hornets. Unless New Orleans trades for a bonafide superstar to pair with the point guard, it may have to wind up trading him to ensure he doesn't bolt over the summer, leaving it with nothing to show for his departure.

Paul is a terrific player and phenomenal leader, one who is capable of carrying this team on his back when he has to. The problem is he has to far too often, and the days of the one-man-led championship teams are over. The Hornets do not necessarily need a plethora of stars to pair with Paul, but they at least need more consistent and athletic role players to surround him with.

But they don't have them and it is a near-certainty they never will.

Verdict: In serious danger of not returning to the playoffs next season.

Western Conference: Portland Trail Blazers

Despite falling in six games to the Mavericks in the first round of this year's playoffs, the Portland Trail Blazers are a team clearly on the rise.

LaMarcus Aldridge generated MVP buzz last season, and it is likely he does so again next year, Brandon Roy is as athletic as they come, Nicolas Batum is coming into his own and Marcus Camby, while 37, is a defensive stalwart. Oh, and they added the feisty Raymond Felton to the fold at the beginning of the offseason.

Portland is a team with an array of talent on both ends of the floor. It has the right balance of explosive youth and veteran leadership, and despite numerous star-caliber players on the roster, it plays relatively unselfish basketball.

Add Felton to the mix and you have a team that is going places, fast.

To be more specific, you have a team that is easily going to grab a higher seed than the sixth one it secured this past season.

Verdict: Safe bet to make the playoffs next season.

Western Conference: Los Angeles Lakers

The Lakers are the most scrutinized team in the entire league, and now that Kobe Bryant has showed visible signs of aging, or rather, of being human, everyone is up in arms that a roster upheaval must be on the horizon.

Such a hypothesis may turn out to be correct as they pursue names like Monta Ellis and Dwight Howard, but even if this Lakers team remains pat, they are going to continue to make some serious noise in the West.

Kobe may be aging, but he is still Kobe, and while some are beginning to write him off in favor of Dwyane Wade, others, like myself, just aren't ready to do so yet. Additionally, he has Pau Gasol, one of the best power forwards in the game to fall back on.

As if that weren't enough, Los Angeles has a promising young big man in Andrew Bynum, who at his best, is one of the most dominant centers in the game. And of course we cannot forget the Lakers have one of the league's best role players in the ever versatile Lamar Odom.

Sure, the Lakers visibly struggled this past postseason, but they still have the talent to make a championship run as is. At the very least though, they are a lock to return to the playoffs next year.

With or without Howard.

Verdict: Safe bet to make the playoffs next season.

Western Conference: San Antonio Spurs

The San Antonio Spurs followed up clinching the first seed in the Western Conference with a first-round exit at the hands of the eighth-seeded Memphis Grizzlies, which wasn't exactly the picture-perfect ending to the season they envisioned.

San Antonio continued to make headlines in the offseason as they explored trade options regarding veterans Tony Parker and Richard Jefferson, yet nothing ever came to fruition. 

Despite the clear turmoil this team is in, largely due to Parker's comments on how the Spurs were no longer contenders, this organization is not ready to roll over and hibernate in the realm of irrelevancy. Even if Parker gets moved, it is likely they get at least one impact player in return, which will prevent them from completely disrupting team chemistry.

Additionally, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili may be aging, but they are both still very capable—especially Ginobili, whose production hasn't dropped off one bit over the past few seasons. Jefferson is even capable of making an impact on the court, as is Gary Neal.

Are the Spurs' days as championship contenders over? Who knows? We can leave that for Parker to debate. Their days as a playoff team though, are far from gone.

Verdict: Safe bet to make the playoffs next season.

Western Conference: Denver Nuggets

Take a good, long look at this picture because the Denver Nuggets are going to look very different next season.

After the departure of Carmelo Anthony, very few expected this Denver team of role players to do anything significant. However, they defied the odds and snagged the fifth seed in Western Conference. 

The Nuggets wound up being dismantled in five games in the first round at the mercy of the Thunder, but it was still evident that this core had some potential. However, the core that got them there is falling apart as you read this.

With Ty Lawson set to run the point, Denver saw it fit to trade Raymond Felton. It then had to watch helplessly as free agents Wilson Chandler and J.R. Smith signed contracts, without early termination clauses, to play overseas.

As if this isn't enough, the futures of free agents Nene Hilario, Kenyon Martin and Arron Afflalo have yet to be determined. While Martin has contributed very little to Denver over the years, Hilario has been a major cornerstone for this team and Afflalo is a stock on the rise.

It is unlikely that Denver retains all three of these players, and it remains a legitimate possibility that all three take their talents elsewhere, leaving the Nuggets with Danilo Gallinari and Lawson to lead the team. Both are promising players, but will not be able to take this team into the playoffs by themselves.

The Nuggets' immediate future is in serious doubt, and even if they were to retain all of the remaining free agents, their rotation has already suffered numerous blows that they just will not be able to recover from.

Verdict: In serious danger of not returning to the playoffs next season. 

Eastern Conference: Orlando Magic

The Orlando Magic is a complex situation wrapped in an enormous blanket of uncertainty. And it's not going to get better anytime soon.

Orlando has remained in playoff contention over the years solely because of Dwight Howard's abilities. He is the most dominant big man in the game and has broad enough shoulders to carry the Magic on a daily basis.

However, this is a relationship that has been doomed since the beginning of last season, and one that was completely destroyed after Orlando fell to the Atlanta Hawks in the first round. The general consensus is that Howard is going to leave next summer unless the Magic acquires another star because, surprisingly—actually, not surprisingly at all—Gilbert Arenas isn't enough.

What truly makes this such a complex situation is Howard's future. It is unclear whether the Magic is going to cut its losses and trade its star center or wait it out until next summer. If he remains with Orlando for the duration of the season, it is a lock to make the playoffs because of his dominance. However, if it allows him to jump ship early, not only is the team chemistry disrupted, but it loses the heart and soul of its rotation.

While it is difficult to make a decision, Howard's abilities are the key. He is extremely valuable as a member of the team, but also incredibly valuable as a trade asset, thus ensuring the Magic gets an array of talent in return.

Whether this talent consists of Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom or Joakim Noah and Luol Deng, it doesn't matter. Whatever Orlando gets in return for Howard, should it come to that, will at least allow it to make a half-season playoff push.

Verdict: Safe bet to make the playoffs next season.

Eastern Conference: Miami Heat

As much as many basketball fans would love to know that the Miami Heat are not going to return to the playoffs, such an occurrence has about as much a chance of happening as "The Decision: Part II" featuring Dwight Howard does.

In the first year of their "big three" experiment, Miami nearly won an NBA championship. While its lack of depth is an issue, it seems to be one key player—a healthy Mike Miller perhaps—away from being a near-lock to win a title.

LeBron James is the most talented player in the game and his partner in crime, Dwyane Wade, is at the very the least—you're welcome, Kobe Bryant fans—a close third. And while Chris Bosh is not a true superstar, he is a more than capable player and one of the best power forwards in the game.

The Heat has a variety of things it must improve upon next season, but its core is talented enough to do so and its immense success last season makes it a lock to see postseason action next year.

Verdict: A very safe bet to make the playoffs next season.

Eastern Conference: Boston Celtics

As pictured, sans Shaquille O'Neal, is how the Boston Celtics will reappear next season. Other than Rajon Rondo, their core is aging, but still remains one of the most consistent in the league.

Boston made quick work of the New York Knicks this past postseason, but fell rather easily to the Heat in five games during the second round. Was last season's downfall a symbol of a passing of the torch? Perhaps, but the Celtics' postseason days aren't exactly over.

After next season, Boston has some serious decisions to make. Both Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett will be free agents and could retire, and Paul Pierce will be 34. For now though, the Celtics have the pieces to remain among the top four in the Eastern Conference.

Boston will be overmatched against the young, talented and extremely deep Chicago Bulls, as well as the star-studded Miami Heat, but there are not any other teams in the East that should be of major concern.

Does this squad have what it takes to make another championship run? Debatable; its egos say yes, but its legs say otherwise. However, it has more than what it takes to ensure at least one more playoff appearance.

Verdict: Safe bet to make the playoffs next season. 

Eastern Conference: Indiana Pacers

The Indiana Pacers are another complex situation. They have a star in Danny Granger and promising talents in Darren Collison and Roy Hibbert, but they lack the depth to remain consistent, even in the up-for-grabs Eastern Conference.

Tyler Hansbrough is stellar and George Hill is solid, but they are both unproven, and there are not any other bright spots outside of them. Indiana snuck into the playoffs with the eighth seed last season, but at 37-45, it was eight games under .500, and unless it acquires another major piece or two, it is not equipped to do much better. 

Additionally, the New Jersey Nets and Milwaukee Bucks are both teams who are arguably just as talented or even more talented than the Pacers, and will not allow Indiana to waltz into the final playoff spot again next season.

The Pacers are not poised to make any major offseason additions, even once the lockout is over, and are less than impressive with their current rotation. It is a real possibility that the talents of Granger, Collison and Hibbert become wasted on a team unable to put together a roster deep enough to do anything significant far beyond next season.

Verdict: In serious danger of not returning to the playoffs next season. 

Eastern Conference: New York Knicks

The New York Knicks struggled after the acquisition of Carmelo Anthony last season, barely hanging onto the sixth seed of the Eastern Conference before getting obliterated by the Celtics in the first round of the playoffs. That being said, with an Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire pairing, brighter days are just around the corner.

New York has the kind of depth issues similar to Miami, but without the amount of star power. Despite this, it is talented enough to make some serious noise in a weak and uncertain Eastern Conference.

Chauncey Billups, Landry Fields, Iman Shumpert, Ronny Turiaf and Toney Douglas are far from star powers, but they will all prove to be solid role players. Additionally, trading for Chris Paul is not yet out of the question, and should he join the party, New York would be a lock for one of the top three spots in the conference.

As currently constructed, the Knicks are not an especially deep team, but they are an organization with enough to talent to crack, at the very least, a top-five finish in the East.

And last time I checked, that was more than enough to make the playoffs.

Verdict: A safe bet to make the playoffs next season.

Eastern Conference: Atlanta Hawks

Jamal Crawford may be on his way out the door, and Josh Smith doesn't seem to be far behind, but the Atlanta Hawks are a team with surprising depth, which is often misconstrued for an organization that plays over its head.

The Hawks wound up with the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference last season, defeating the fourth-seeded Orlando Magic before falling to the Chicago Bulls in the second round. They had hoped for a better ending to their season, but were content with pushing the top-seeded Chicago to six games before conceding.

If Crawford walks into a larger payday elsewhere, his prolific scoring abilities will be missed, but the emergence of Jeff Teague will prove to alleviate much of that pain. Smith's production will also be missed if he winds up being traded, but the Hawks have a plethora of low-post players to pick up his slack, not to mention they will at least receive some form of compensation in return.

As currently constructed, the Hawks are not winning any titles, but they are a team built to make a splash in the postseason, and arguably only one player short of becoming championship contenders. Even if it lets a major piece or two go, Atlanta's depth should prove to be enough to carry it through to the postseason once again.

Verdict: Safe bet to make the playoffs next season.

Eastern Conference: Philadelphia 76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers played their way to the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference last season, and barring any major trades, circumstances aren't likely to get much better.

Andre Iguodala's slight drop off in production has been attributed to him assuming more of a point-forward role, but that may not necessarily be the best fit for this team, which is why they have been shopping him. Additionally, Elton Brand's best days are far behind him, and while Jrue Holiday and Evan Turner are promising young players, they are not yet ready to assume leadership roles.

Thaddeus Young is a bright spot, but Philadelphia runs the risk of losing him to free agency, an occurrence that could prove to be catastrophic to its development. As previously noted, teams like the New Jersey Nets and Milwaukee Bucks are capable of playing at a higher level than the 76ers met last season, meaning they are in for a grind of a year if they want to make it back to the postseason.

Philadelphia is not a team void of talent, but it is a team laced with sensitive cases in Brand and Iguodala, and inexperienced youngsters who are a year or two away from assuming leadership-caliber responsibilities.

Acquiring Monta Ellis could prove to be the offensive punch the 76ers need to make it back to the postseason, but even with his presence, it is not a guarantee.

Is a playoff appearance out of the question? No, but with the Nets and Bucks poised to make a playoff pushes of their own next season, it is far from a certainty.

Verdict: In serious danger of not returning to the playoffs next season. 

Eastern Conference: Chicago Bulls

The Derrick Rose-led Chicago Bulls surprised everybody by claiming the top seed in the Eastern Conference last season while playing their way toward the best regular season record in the league at 62-20.

At only 22, Rose has an MVP award under his belt and has emerged as one of the best leaders in the entire NBA. It also doesn't hurt that he has one of the best supporting casts in the league that boasts players like Joakim Noah and Luol Deng. Even Carlos Boozer had his moments.

Chicago has a clear need at the 2-guard position, but it is actively searching for a solution to said problem. Even if potential targets do not pan out, it is set for another impressive year.

The Bulls lack the amount of star power the Miami Heat boasts, but they possess the type of depth LeBron and company can only dream about. Rose directs an offense that has one of the most balanced attacks we have seen in the last decade and everything just seems to instantly click whenever this squad takes the floor.

Yes, the Bulls fell to Miami in the conference finals, but should this be a matchup we see again next season, it is highly likely there is a different outcome.

Chicago is a rare combination of young, proven athletes, meaning they are not only poised to stay on top, but are prepared to do so for years to come. The only way the Bulls fail to make the playoffs next year is if they lose their entire starting lineup to season-ending injuries.

Verdict: A very safe bet to make the playoffs next season.

You can follow Dan Favale on Twitter here   @DannyFavs2033.