Future Power Rankings: Teams 26-30

Consider this a convenient way to see the direction in which your favorite team is headed.

Each of the NBA's 30 teams received an overall Future Power Rating of 0 to 1,200, based on how well we expect each team to perform in the three seasons after this season.

To determine the Future Power Rating, we rated each team in five categories (see table at right).

As you can see, we determined that the most important category is a team's current roster and the future potential of those players -- that category accounts for 40 percent of each team's overall Future Power Rating.

At the same time, we looked at many other factors, such as management, ownership, coaching, a team's spending habits, its cap situation, the reputation of the city and the franchise and what kind of draft picks we expected the team to have in the future.

One change for this edition: Now that so many big names have landed in more permanent places, we have increased the value of the Players category. This also rewards teams like Oklahoma City, Memphis and Philadelphia that have successfully built their rosters already with young talent. Of course, we still recognize that teams like Dallas, Houston and New Jersey (future: Brooklyn) have the money and the motivation to spend, and can make a lot of noise in the coming years -- and we still reward teams for strong management, salary cap space and so on.

Here are our latest rankings, from 1 to 30:

Future Power Rankings: 1-5 | 6-10 | 11-15 | 16-20 | 21-25 | 26-30

26. Toronto Raptors | Future Power Rating: 434

Virtually nothing has changed since we checked in on them last March. The Raptors are still a long, long way from coming together in a coherent fashion. Overall, they slipped another spot in the rankings to No. 26 as they continue to idle at the bottom of the East standings.

But there are reasons for optimism. For starters, many NBA scouts are very high on last year's draft pick, Lithuanian big man Jonas Valanciunas, who should allow the Raptors to play Andrea Bargnani (who continues to improve his game) at his more natural position at the 4 next season. The team is also in line for a high pick this June in what looks to be a very strong draft. In addition, Toronto could get significant cap room this summer if it uses its amnesty clause.

On the downside, much of their young talent is still a work in progress. After a terrific sophomore season, DeMar DeRozan has regressed quite a bit this season. The team also still has gaping holes at both the small forward and point guard positions going forward (Jose Calderon is solid, but he's not the point guard of the future). And even with the cap room, will it really matter? Lots of teams are poised to have major cap space the next few years, and Toronto hasn't really been a marquee destination for top free agents.

(Previous rank: 25)

27. New Orleans Hornets | Future Power Rating: 428

The big word here is uncertainty. There is no certainty about anything for the post-Chris Paul Hornets, starting with whether they'll still be the New Orleans Hornets two years from now, so it's difficult to get too excited about their future. The only good young player of consequence is guard Eric Gordon, who will be a restricted free agent after the season; with the Hornets under the stewardship of the league at the moment, it's not clear whether they'll get approval to match a max contract offer. Other teams know this, and make no mistake: The sharks are already circling.

Otherwise, the Hornets are a mishmash of passable veterans and quasi-interesting younger players, one that could probably win three-fifths of its games if the league stayed out of its hair and everybody stayed healthy. That's pretty much the ceiling.

We rated the Hornets' management 18th largely based on the fact that general manager Dell Demps and head coach Monty Williams were doing pretty solid work before the league interceded, and at some point they'll be able to call the shots again. In the meantime, however, it's tough to get excited about Stu Jackson moonlighting as a GM when he's not handing out suspensions.

The Hornets will get help from the draft, but not as much as hoped; the unprotected first-rounder they got from Minnesota in the Paul trade may only turn out to be in the teens. Meanwhile, the search for an owner drags on. Until a buyer turns up, the Hornets are adrift.

(Previous rank: 23)

28. Detroit Pistons | Future Power Rating: 400

The Pistons hit near-rock bottom last March and appear stuck there a year later. The good news? There's nowhere to go but up and there are signs the Pistons could be heading that direction soon.

Detroit actually moved up a spot from 27th to 26th in the roster category thanks to the addition of rookie Brandon Knight. Pair him with an emerging Greg Monroe and some other young pieces -- Rodney Stuckey, Jonas Jerebko and possibly Austin Daye -- and the Pistons do have some talent.

We're also very positive about their future draft possibilities. The team desperately needs size and there are a number of intriguing big men at the top of the 2012 NBA draft, led by Kentucky's shot-blocking machine Anthony Davis. If the Pistons can land him (or UConn's Andre Drummond or Kansas' Thomas Robinson) the impact on the court should be immediate.

The addition of new owner Tom Gores also is a positive. For the past few seasons GM Joe Dumars' hands have been tied as the widow of former Pistons owner Bill Davidson tried to sell the team. Dumars should be able to be much more aggressive going forward.

The two downsides for the team are significant, however. Regrettable contracts to Ben Gordon, Charlie Villanueva and (possibly) Tayshaun Prince will keep the Pistons from making significant additions via free agency. We also continue to hammer the Pistons on the market front. Detroit's economy is in a shambles and the once-rocking Palace is a graveyard these days.

(Previous rank: 28)

29. Phoenix Suns | Future Power Rating: 350

Our rankings have been really effective in predicting the rise of certain teams like the Pacers. It's also been strongly predictive of the catastrophic fall of a few teams like the Suns, who have slipped again from 26th to 29th this time.

They might just stay there a while.

Besides Steve Nash, Marcin Gortat and Jared Dudley, every other player on the roster who gets significant minutes has a PER below the league average. Meanwhile Nash is in the last year of his deal and the Suns continue to insist they don't want to trade him. The truth is, given how long they've waited, it's doubtful they could get much back in return anyway.

If Nash and Grant Hill bolt, the Suns will have some cap space next summer. But thanks to the senseless contracts owner Robert Sarver gave Hakim Warrick and Josh Childress two summers ago it won't be nearly as much as it could have been. Besides, who exactly on the free-agent market is going to replace Nash when he's gone?

Sarver's bumbling over the past few years has caused us to rank the Suns' management 30th in the league. Yes, we think even Minnesota's David Kahn and Glen Taylor could do this better. That's saying something.

The only good news? The team should have enough cap room to make at least one significant free-agent addition this summer, and the team should have high draft picks in the next few years. There's really not much more to say.

(Previous rank: 26)

30. Charlotte Bobcats | Future Power Rating: 338

This is why we had Charlotte ranked dead last for most of the past two years even as it was challenging for the playoffs. With the roster bereft of young talent, the roster capped out and the management lacking, it was inevitable that the Bobcats would end up in the position they're in right now.

The good news is that the recovery is slowly under way. We rated Charlotte's roster last given its glaring lack of star talent, but it has five or six young players who have established themselves as decent rotation players. And while we had Charlotte's management 28th -- it's tough to inspire too much confidence in Michael Jordan's stewardship after the ridiculous Tyson Chandler trade in the summer of 2010 -- newly hired general manager Rich Cho managed to pluck Byron Mullens from Oklahoma City and steer the Bobcats away from the tragic cap moves that were previously their standard course.

Charlotte will have draft picks and cap space, including a first-rounder from Portland in 2012, and while it owes a pick to Chicago from the Tyrus Thomas trade it's not likely to be conveyed to the Bulls until 2015 at the earliest -- which is beyond our three-year window for this evaluation. Keep an eye on that time bomb, however, as it could give Chicago a high lottery pick in 2016 when it becomes unprotected.

(Previous rank: 30)

Future Power Rankings: 1-5 | 6-10 | 11-15 | 16-20 | 21-25 | 26-30

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