Allen Moll is an avid NBA and College Basketball fan who watches and studies games religiously and coaches youth basketball in his native Lehigh Valley region of Pennsylvania. Allen is a regular columnist for thehoopdoctors.com, Bleacherreport.com, UpperDeckblog.com, and his own blog, Hoops Haven .
Every season there are a handful of NBA teams which, before the season, we already know that are going to be bad……….real bad. Without mentioning names, some teams are perennial bottom dwellers in the final standings. Very few have a long term plan in place because of disappointing draft picks or re-occurring injuries. With that being said, there are also some teams who appear to have some building blocks in place for the future. With another player or two and some luck, these teams just might have laid down the path to see the light at the end of the proverbial tunnel within the next 3 years. Here are the teams that I feel, who did not make the playoffs last year, that have the best chance to succeed in the future(Ranked in order of best chance to succeed within 3 years, to the least):
1) OKC Thunder
I know this may be the popular pick of fans around the league but it’s hard to not like the core of players that management has assembled since the team moved to Oklahoma City. The early opinion is that the former Sonics franchise got the best of the two top players(Durant and Oden) in the ’07 NBA Draft. Kevin Durant’s immediate impact has proven that he is the ideal player for the franchise to build around. In only two seasons he has already topped the 25 ppg mark and shot over 42% from 3 point land for a season. Can anyone argue that he isn’t already a Top 5 player? Although the book is still out on Jeff Green’s development, he is definitely a keeper. This season, Russell Westbrook could be one of the league’s most improved players while learning the point at the highest level. Adding a proven collegiate scorer in James Harden, who some think is the steal of the Draft into the mix, makes OKC the most likely to succeed. They also reportedly have a decent amount of money to add a top level free agent next Summer.
2) LA Clippers
Some may laugh at putting the Clips in the runner up position, considering their bad luck with Draft picks. They really do have some of the best young players in the league. Even though Blake Griffin hasn’t played an NBA game yet(and won’t for another few weeks because of a broken kneecap), he more than likely possesses the athleticism and skill set to be an All-Star for a number of years in the league. Eric Gordon will play a great second fiddle as a backcourt scorer and distributer. He could develop into a 20+ ppg scorer in the near future. The Clips were lucky that DeAndre Jordan fell into their laps in the 2nd round in the ’08 Draft. If given minutes, he could develop into a 10+ rebound and 2-3 block a night performer. He already has a 20 rebound game in his resume from last season. With Elton Brand and Corey Maggette no longer on the roster, Al Thornton started to show his enormous potential last season by scoring more than 30 points and grabbing double digit rebounds with on a few occasions. LA could have two teams in the playoffs very soon, possibly this season.
3) Minnesota Timberwolves
The Wolve pups will be good in the future……just not yet. The foundation is in place to have one of the most dominant frontcourts that the league has seen in a while with All Jefferson and Kevin Love. Jefferson is a throwback and even though he plays below the rim, he has mastered the fundamentals like the up-and-under move and the baby hook, and is already a given double double every game. Kevin Love has intriguing potential and with further development could be a poor man’s Rasheed Wallace since he can stretch the defense with his long distance shooting. He could also be a prime candidate for USA Basketball with his diverse skill set. Jonny Flynn, in spite of his diminutive stature, has proven to be a top flight player at every level. He is being given the chance to prove that he has the athleticism to be an elite scoring point man, since the Wolves couldn’t get Ricky Rubio to defect from Europe. Wayne Ellington(UNC) and Corey Brewer(FLA) are proven winners in the NCAA. Now they need to prove it in the NBA. Love’s recent significant injury sets their progress back half of this season. Barring more injuries, and they pick up another player, they could have a very quick turnaround within the next 2-3 years and make it back to the postseason for the first time since Kevin Garnett bolted for Boston.
4) Memphis Grizzlies
I’m not as high on the Grizz because I think they have taken a step back in their development with the addition of A.I., and the fact that he and “Z-Bo“, Zach Randolph, are the leaders by default on the team. Don’t get me wrong, Iverson and Randolph are very talented players, but there is no way that I would let either one be the role model for a team full of young and influential NBA players. Rudy Gay has continued to progress from his days at UConn and could become part of the All-Star conversation this year. O.J. Mayo may be playing out of position, but is an All-Star in the making, ……………..just not yet. Hasheem Thabeet looks the part of becoming a dominant shot blocking big man with just an average offensive game(a la Motumbo). His supposed recruiting the help of HOFer Hakeem Olajuwon to help him with his offensive game to match his defense, shows me he wants to improve, which bodes well for their future. Mike Conley also will be the one player who will have his development stalled with Iverson grabbing some of the backcourt minutes. The longer management keeps Iverson and Randolph in town, the longer it will take for the team to develop chemistry and an identity of their own.
5) New Jersey Nets
Yes………..the New Jersey Nets! I happen to think they don’t have as bad an existing roster as some people might think. The hidden gem of the group has to be point guard Devin Harris, who is making the Nets brain-trust look like they have a little something rolling around in their heads(in spite of what some fans think) when they got Devin in return for Jason Kidd a few seasons ago. He is already a 20 point scorer, a blur to guard, and with better talent around him, could be an annual 10 assist man as well. Brook Lopez is already proving he can hold his own against other NBA centers and could be an automatic double-double and 2.5 blocks, for the next 10 years. I’m not totally sold on Terrance Williams, even though he has a tremendous all around game which is capable of playing any position from 1 to 4 in certain lineups. I’ve seen too many Louisville games where he had a tendency to dissappear from games, unlike his Cardinal teammate, Earl Clark, now in Phoenix. New Jersey newcomer, Courtney Lee, impressed last season for the Magic, especially in the postseason. Yi Jianlin could either be real good or real bad, but 2 seasons is hardly enough of a body of work to come to a conclusion. Keep in mind that this team will definitely get better since they have the most money to spend on next Summer’s free agents. Adding one(or possibly two) from the group consisting of Lebron, Wade, Bosh, Stoudemire, Nowitzki, or Yao Ming, and the Nets could be a force by the time they get to Brooklyn.
