1991 Non-Playoff Teams Future Rankings

[bowtothebill23]

Non-Playoff Teams Future Rankings

 

It's an exciting time in the NBA. The regular season is now over, and the 16 best teams are preparing to square off in the race for the 1990-1991 NBA Championship. However, for some teams, whether through plan or failure, this is a rather boring time as they have missed the playoffs and are waiting for the offseason and draft. In this article, we'll look at these teams and what their future outlook holds. The following are the criteria and the APPROXIMATE percent worth on their ranking:
Current Roster (The team currently constructed with today's ratings-Age/Potential doesn't matter, just right now, how likely are they to win?)-5%
2nd/3rd Players (The players who, after this season, will have 2 years left on their deals. Current ratings and potential are taken into account)-10%
Future Draft Picks (How many picks the team has and how valuable they are likely to be)-20%
Current Superstar (First round pick of the team's draft. His current value and potential)-25%
GM Rating* (the value of the GM based on activity and past success)-40%

*=The GM ratings were decided upon by 3 GMs-Darth, NOLa., and myself. Since I was only in the other sim league for a half a year, I asked these 2 to help me out so that I wouldn't completely screw over a team's ranking.
PLEASE NOTE: These percentages are not exact. They are tweaked team-to-team. For example, a team who picked lower in the draft will have more of an emphasis placed on his 2nd/3rd players and less on his Superstar.
These Rankings will be released throughout the weekend and will be complete before the first playoff sim.

[bowtothebill23]

13) Orlando Magic
Current: 4; 2nd/3rd: 5; Draft: 5; Superstar: 3; GM:3
 Overall Rating: 3.7

 

 

After the first few weeks of the season, it looked as if the Magic could contend for a top 4 seed in the East. Unfortunately, injuries and a lack of overall talent caught up with them. While I like Seikaly as a young big who can potentially dominate the boards without being a liability on offense or D, Gill isn't anything special. He's a solid piece and nice player, but it's hard to see he and Seikaly being anything more than just starters on a championship contending team. Rice is great scorer, but he's a liability on D and still falls below the other elite #1's in the league in regard to scoring. It's also well known that the Magic covet first rounders. However, they likely won't get a great pick this year, and their young core might be just good enough to keep them out of the Shaq and Webber sweepstakes. Finally, with the GM rating, the Magic have been known to make unfavorable trades in the past, and have never been a title contending team in either league. All this adds up to the team with probably the worst future outlook in the league.

[bowtothebill23]

12) Chicago Bulls
Current: 3; 2nd/3rd:2; Draft: 9; Superstar: 3.5; GM: 2
Overall Rating: 3.8


Not far ahead of the Magic lie the Chicago Bulls. In nearly every category, they rank among the worst. They have a pretty bad team overall led by one of the "worst" superstars. As the case was with Glen Rice, Mullin is awful on D and his scoring isn't that far above all the other #1 options to cover for his 1-dimensional play. Smits and Newman are awful with regards to 2nd/3rd options. They can't do anything at an elite level and their best traits aren't even great, just solid. With no human GM, the CPU can't make trades or adjust game plan. At least the CPU won't completely screw them over with an awful game plan. But their saving grace is their draft value in the future. They're so bad, and have such little hope for the future, they're bound to get some stars in the upcoming draft, maybe even a Shaq or Chris Webber. So all they can hope for is that their picks hit. Because even if they turn just solid, they're going nowhere.

[bowtothebill23]

11) San Antonio Spurs
Current: 2.5; 2nd/3rd: 4; Draft: 7.5; Superstar: 4; GM: 3
Overall: 4.2


After winning only 30 games, the Spurs are in prime position to get a top 5 pick in the draft. Unfortunately, this could propel them into NBA purgatory as their superstar does not fit the rebuilding mold. Price is a great scorer and offensive PG who's not really a liability on D. But with the immense talent at the PG position overall, he's not ahead enough to carry this team to the playoffs. I love Petrovic on the offensive end even if he is god-awful on defense. If he can just become below average instead of awful, he could be a top 30 player.  After these two, there's not much else. Manning is banking on developing his inside game to become a starter in the league. With regards to the draft, the Spurs should get a good pick this year. However, will this pick combined with Price and Petrovic in their primes just propel the Spurs to perennially winning 35-38 games? By the time their picks develop, Petrovic and Price will be past their prime. The GM hasn't done much in either league in the draft or in the regular season. As constructed, the Spurs are destined for NBA purgatory. But if they are open to sucking for a while, the Spurs could trade one of their stars and put themselves in prime rebuilding position.

[bowtothebill23]

10) Seattle Supersonics
Current: 3.5; 2nd/3rd: 3.5; Draft: 8.5; Superstar: 2; GM: 4.5
Overall: 4.6


As constructed, the Sonics aren't looking at a good future. But it's been reported that the Sonics could be looking to trade any and every one of there stars. Their 30-52 record was tied for 3rd worst in the NBA. Their second and third best players, Isiah Thomas and Bernard King, are too old to be a part of a losing team. They're likely only going to get worst from here. Mitch Richmond was a pretty big bust at the #21 selection. He hangs his hat on his scoring, but it's unclear if he could even be a #1 scorer on a title contending team. The good news is that he's going to be in the running for Dikembe Mutombo, and with the declining/trading away of Thomas and King, he could be in the Shaq and Webber sweepstakes. Although he had a good team at the end of the PR league, it's not clear if that was because of BeeBall's GM skills or lucking into the #1 pick and Chris Paul. A team in a similar position as the Spurs, the Sonics could scary if they luck into a good pick this year and then trade for rebuilding pieces to put themselves in the Shaq hunt next year.

[bowtothebill23]

9) Memphis Grizzlies
Current: 4; 2nd/3rd: 5; Draft: 6; Superstar: 2.5; GM: 6
Overall: 5.0

The grizzlies, led by darth's favorite Daugherty, finished 9th in the West, just 2 games out of the playoffs. This ranking suprised me a little, as I really like Memphis' depth. But their core 3 leaves some to be desired. Daugherty is a beast inside and on the defensive boards, but it doesn't seem like he can be a #1 player on a championship team. Marc Jackson is just an average starting pg. I do love Perdue's defense and rebounding, even if he is awful on offense. I like Abdul-rauf and Sarunas as developing pieces. But with an overall lack of potential from their big 3, they might have peaked, which means they could be looking at top 10 picks for the next couple years. And as a gm, Loco has been solid and has made some things happen dating back to the PR league. With another scorer, the grizzlies could be a sneaky good team.

[bowtothebill23]

8) Los Angeles Clippers
Current: 4; 2nd/3rd: 8; Draft: 4; Superstar: 7; GM: 4
Overall: 5.17


Next we have the LA Clippers, who went 35-47 last season, finishing two games out of the playoffs. They have a great first 2 players, but lack depth needed to turn this into a playoff team. In hornacek, they have an elite scorer, one of the best in the league, who is not a liability on defense. In Armstrong they have another young guy who figures to be a beast on the offense end. Parking is a nice scorer, but doesn't bring the defense like the the rest of the team. Also being older, it's hard to see him on the team when the clippers start competing. Due to the potential and skill of their top 2, the clippers don't figure to be in the top 7-8 of the draft for the next few years. Their gm rating hurts them, but is understandable due to his circumstances. Winning cures all and maybe a winning team will lead to a more active gm. With just some time, defense, and activity, be on the lookout for the clippers soon.

[bowtothebill23]

7) Houston Rockets
Current: 1.5, 2nd/3rd; 3; Draft: 9.5; Superstar: 4; GM: 5


Coming off the worst record in the NBA, the Houston Rockets own the best chance in the lottery at winning the rights to Dikembe Mutombo. Hersey Hawkins is a middle of the pack superstar: young, able to score inside and out, and a good defender. Kenny Smith figures to hold his own among the point guard heavy NBA with his potential to be a monster scorer. But Smith's lack of defensive presence as well as Morris' overall lack of talent hurt his 2nd/3rd rating. The GM rating is difficult as he was very inactive the first part of the season before being more active as the season progressed. He's proven he can build a perennial playoff team in the past, so we give him the benefit of the doubt. With his last place finish this year, he is sure to land a top 4 pick. With a still bad roster, look for the rockets to be in the running for Shaq next year as well. If he can land Mutombo and/or Shaq/Webber, which is not only possible, but almost likely, this team can be scary with Hawkins being a 2nd best player.

[bowtothebill23]

6) Detroit Pistons
Current: 4; 2nd/3rd: 4.5; Draft: 7; Superstar: 4; GM: 5.5
Overall: 5.3


The Pistons are the first team to crack the top half of the rankings. Led by Reggie Miller, they narrowly avoided the 50 loss mark, going 34-48. The pistons combine the faults of many of the other teams: Reggie Miller is a great scorer, but a liability on defense. If a superstar is gonna be only a scorer and provide little to nothing else, he either better be leading the league in scoring (or within a point or 2) or that team better have great second options. Miller shot very efficiently, but should've taken a couple more shots a game. And then another problem we've seen in the previous ranks: a second round pick on a 28 year old pg who's around average and a 3rd round pick who just lacks talent and potential. The pistons draft future is interesting. They are the 7th worst this year and I see them being around 5-8 from the bottom in the next couple years. That probably won't land them a superstar, but should get them a few solid starters/rotation players. What separates the pistons from the previous teams with similar problems is that their gm has proven that, when active, he can build a competitive team. But for now, they're stuck in the mud until they land enough young rotation players or luck into a superstar in the lottery.

[bowtothebill23]

5) Philadelphia 76ers
Current: 4; 2nd/3rd: 3.5; Draft: 6; Superstar: 4; GM: 7
Overall: 5.6


A very talented offensive scoring team, the Philadelphia 76ers come in at #5. Led by Tim Hardaway, this team finished 36-46. Hardaway is an elite pg in the league today, and at 24, should continue to be among the top of pg ranks. The reason his grade is lacking though is that the pg position is so deep. All the elite teams have point guards that can pretty evenly match up with him. And with Gary Payton coming up, he'll likely never be in the top 2-3 of the league pgs. Divac is a good rebounder, but likely will never be an elite scorer or defender. And Scott is a really bad defender, although he is a nice outside shooter. Because of the age of the team and lack of potential from their core, they should have decent drafts in the coming years. But hardaway and company should be just good enough to keep them from the studs in the draft. But their GM has proven that he can build a team capable of competing for titles year in and year out. With some defense and a big move by the team, the 76ers could be a playoff team sooner rather than later

[bowtothebill23]

4) Miami Heat
Current: 1; 2nd/3rd: 2; Draft: 10; Superstar: 8; GM: 3.5
Overall: 6.0


With no ifs-ands-or-buts about it, the Miami Heat are building towards the future... And they're setting themselves up nicely for it. Now make no mistake about it, right now, this team is absolutely terrible. Rex Chapman and Sam Bowie are pretty much a joke for a 2nd/3rd player. Bowie is just terrible. Shockingly, he's been a pretty big draft bust in the league: bad now, and just hoping to be decent in the future. Chapman is solid, but should be a 4th/5th best player on a good team since his "good" ratings aren't that great, just solid. But if you can overlook that, this team's future is incredibly bright. I have always been on the Gary Payton bandwagon. I had him at 5 overall on my big board for the draft and now have him at 7. Once he reaches his prime he should be the top PG in the NBA as a guy who can score, pass, and defend at an elite level. This is a guy who I can see in his prime putting up 20-25 points, 10-12 assists, 3-4 rebounds, and 3 steals per game. And because they're so bad, they're locked into a top pick this year and almost guaranteed top picks the next couple of years. There's a very real chance that Gary Payton could be getting paired up with Mutombo and/or Shaq. Their GM hasn't been very active at all so far this league. But winning cures all, and Sono has proved he can put together a team that can (and maybe should have) win a title. With another young stud (or 2) this team has the potential to rule the East very soon.

[bowtothebill23]

3) Washington Wizards
Current: 3.5; 2nd/3rd: 2.5; Draft: 6.5; Superstar: 9; GM: 5.5
Overall: 6.4


Led by a top 5 player in Scottie Pippen, the Wizards were disappointed in their quest for a playoff bid with a 35-47 season. Behind Pippen, they're pretty terrible. Horace Grant is an ok player, decent at rebounding, scoring, and defense. He could be a solid starter/6th man on a good team. McMillan isn't very good either. As a point guard, he's probably below average and lacks the potential to be even an average PG. They'll have a top 10 pick this year and without moves, will likely be in a similar place next year. As for their GM, he's been pretty active and proved in the last league he can build an overachieving team. But their real savior lies in their superstar, Scottie Pippen. I had him #4 overall in the draft at the time and #5 today. The best defender in the league, Scottie Pippen also provides nice scoring and rebounding. With just adding more talent, Scottie Pippen could lead this team to the heights of the beasts of the East.

[bowtothebill23]

2) Toronto Raptors
Current: 6; 2nd/3rd: 7.5; Draft: 5; Superstar: 5; GM: 9
Overall: 6.9


Derrick Coleman surprised the league with how good he is already, leading the Raptors to a surprising winning record of 42-40. Dee Brown is another below-average point guard but should always be a solid scoring guard and will be pretty nice on defense as well. Benoit Benjamin is what really brings their 2nd/3rd grade up. Only 26, he is already an elite rebounder and defender. On offense, he looks like a liability, but had a .545 TS%. Coleman is going to be elite on offense. What keeps him from being rated higher is the fact that he'll probably only be good on defense and the boards. They have a lottery pick this year and should be picking about 13-15 next year, so they should be able to add a couple rotation players. Soundwave himself saves their rating. One of the best GMs in the league, Sound is sure to have the Raptors competing sooner rather than later. Upset at losing David Lee in the last league, Sound steps in and picks David Lee 2.0 with better defense round 1. With just some time and development and some good managing by Soundwave, the Raptors will be contending for titles.

[bowtothebill23]

1) Los Angeles Lakers
Current: 3.5; 2nd/3rd: 4; Draft: 5; Superstar: 8; GM: 10
Overall: 7.6


With respect to the other 12 teams, this was not even close. Having self-proclaimed their rebuilding phase, the Lakers almost accidentally walked into an 8 seed. As for their 2nd/3rd players, I'm not a huge Manute Bol fan. He's a good defender and blocks a lot of shots, but he brings little to nothing else: not even rebounding at 7 feet, 7 inches. I do like Mookie Blaylock a lot. He should be a solid offensive player, who won't turn it over and who'll play elite defense. The Lakers' are young enough that they'll get better quickly and Balls is sure to make a move to speed up the rebuilding process. Besides their pick this year which is slotted at 6 for now, they might not be picking this high anytime soon. They do have the Jazz pick next year, but that'll be no lower than 25. I'm a huge fan of their superstar, Kevin Johnson, who I had at #7 before the draft and #8 now. Johnson is going to be a terror on the offensive end, with the potential to average about 28-12-4-1.5. And the biggest reason for their #1 ranking is their GM. I understand that a lot of my rankings can be debated, not this one. Balls is the best GM in the league until proven otherwise. He's able to swing in superstar after superstar and able to replace superstars with better superstars. As one GM stated, "dude somehow jedi mind fucks people into trades. I wish I could do it." Yep, that's how we all feel. There's no doubt in my or probably anyone's mind that the Lakers will be competing for titles year after year soon enough.

[bowtothebill23]

That's the end of the rankings. Thanks for reading. Comment, criticize, call me an idiot, debate below.

[Deleted]

Great write-ups and not just because i finished #1. I know this took a lot of time and effort so it's appreciated.



A few notes from me: I see the Heat with their potential draft pick and agree that may be a plus but I can't see the math behind making them #4 over the 76ers, Grizzlies, Pistons or Sonics. All of those owners have been a little less into it, but i'm assuming after they start feeling a little more into it, they'll be top flight GMs.

[bowtothebill23]

Nov 2, 2013 14:56:15 GMT -6 ballsohard said:

Great write-ups and not just because i finished #1. I know this took a lot of time and effort so it's appreciated.



A few notes from me: I see the Heat with their potential draft pick and agree that may be a plus but I can't see the math behind making them #4 over the 76ers, Grizzlies, Pistons or Sonics. All of those owners have been a little less into it, but i'm assuming after they start feeling a little more into it, they'll be top flight GMs.

Yeah I understand, but here's my line of thinking: I wanted to make gm rating worth more, by if I went over 40 it just turned into a "who's the best gm" kind of deal. Also I wanted my system to reward teams that have a good chance at being perennial top seeds/contenders (heat) while punishing teams that are more likely to end up in nba purgatory (finishing 6-10 in their conference each year). So I agree with you and I think all those teams you named will be perennial playoff teams soon enough because they're good when active. But with the heat, having payton already and sure to get at least 2 studs in the next 2-3 drafts (and maybe even a superstar like Mutombo or shaq) they'll have their big 3, and even with minimum activity, they could match and have them for the next 8 years. The 4 you named will have to either luck into a superstar in the draft or acquire one on their own, which I think is harder. Just my thinking.

[bojangles837]

I'll take 5. That'll change depending on some potential moves I have lined up

[janjanjanjan]

Im ready to turn the Bulls' fate around. This team managed to get 31 wins with 6'7" 190lbs SG Johnny Newman playing as their starting PF all season long

[Deleted]

I'd also consider Wayman Tisdale my seopcnd best player although he wasn't drafted at the 2nd or 3rd pick

[NOLa.]

Kings too high.

[IamQuailman]

AWARDED 5 POINTS FOR THIS ARTICLE! THANKS FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTION!