ESPN's NBA Future Power Rankings: Teams 6 to 10

Chad Ford and John Hollinger

Aug 5, 2010, 03:00 AM ET

Note: This is an updated version of ESPN's Future Power Rankings of NBA teams. The previous edition ran on March 2, 2010; the second edition launched on Dec. 15, 2009; and the first edition was published on Nov. 10, 2009.

The Future Power Rankings are ESPN Insider's projection of the on-the-court success expected for each team in the 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons.

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

Each of the NBA's 30 teams received an overall Future Power Rating of 0 to 1,000 based on how well we expect each team to perform in the three seasons after this one.

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.

With all the big moves around the league this summer, it's time for a new edition of the Future Power Rankings. Two important notes: (1) Now that the NBA calendar has flipped, we are evaluating the 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons; and (2) we are not considering the changes that might be made to the collective bargaining agreement because there is no way to know how those changes will reshape the league.

We're rolling out our rankings this week.

Here are our latest rankings, from 1-30:

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

6. Portland Trail Blazers | Future Power Rating: 593

Portland's management dropped from No. 4 to No. 10 in this survey based almost entirely on its ham-handed handling of general manager Kevin Pritchard's dismissal. We might never know the real story that led to his ouster, but we do know that one of the league's best talent evaluators was bizarrely shown the door on the day of the draft, and the team allowed itself to limp through a crucial free-agency period with nobody at the tiller. The Blazers righted themselves with the hiring of Rich Cho, but the shadowy "Vulcans" working under Paul Allen in Seattle remain a concern.

The other concern for the Blazers is that three key starters -- Brandon Roy, Greg Oden and Nicolas Batum -- all had serious injuries last season. That trio plus LaMarcus Aldridge is the core of what should be a perennial Western Conference contender. But there are enough question marks in Portland that despite the Blazers' highly rated personnel department, several clubs outrank them.

(Previous rank: 5)

7. Orlando Magic | Future Power Rating: 591

We liked Orlando's roster the best in March, but now the Magic don't even have the best roster in Florida. Plus, we're focused down the line, past this coming season, and that hurts the outlook for four of the five Magic starters. Nonetheless, this team looks stacked for the long term with Dwight Howard at center and a constellation of minor stars surrounding him. Additionally, keep an eye on young forward Ryan Anderson, who could become a better version of Troy Murphy.

Orlando's market looms as another big factor in its favor. With a new arena, a balmy climate and a dominant big man, it's already near the top of Chris Paul's short list of future destinations and could pop up on other players' lists, too.

The only major concern is the serious money the team is taking on. Orlando is a small market, but the team is well into the luxury tax and probably will remain that way for a while unless ownership demands a budget slashing. For now, it hasn't, and with that, solid personnel moves under GM Otis Smith and the exacting coaching of Stan Van Gundy, the Magic get good marks for management.

(Previous rank: 3)

8. Utah Jazz | Future Power Rating: 578

The Jazz remain under the radar but consistently impressive. In fact, in our rankings, they managed to move up in four of the five categories. However, Utah, no longer armed with the Knicks' first-round pick, slid 17 spots in our draft ranking and, as a result, fell from No. 6 to No. 8 overall.

Despite multiple setbacks this summer, Utah's future continues to look bright. In particular, Deron Williams shines at point guard and Paul Millsap is a young, tenacious power forward. In the short run, losing Carlos Boozer and Wesley Matthews will hurt, but Al Jefferson should fill Boozer's shoes as an interior scorer and rookie Gordon Hayward brings a lot to the table, as well.

The Jazz also have a very interesting trading chip in Andrei Kirilenko. Although he has an expiring contract, he's also a valuable player whom a contender might target. If the Jazz are willing to take back a longer deal, they could add even more firepower by the trade deadline.

(Previous rank: 6)

9. Denver Nuggets | Future Power Rating: 567

Denver has a lot to be worried about. Carmelo Anthony can be a free agent after the season, and Nene and J.R. Smith also can depart. Chauncey Billups isn't getting any younger, the front office is in flux with execs Mark Warkentien and Rex Chapman heading out the door, and although it's a very pleasant city, it's not exactly a free-agent magnet.

That said, the Nuggets have a lot of positives. The most important is that their cash crunch will ease when Kenyon Martin's $17 million deal comes off the books after the season, finally allowing the Nuggets to go on the market without one hand tied behind their back. Additionally, they already have a superstar in place -- a major advantage compared with the competition. As long as Melo and Nene stay on the roster, the Nuggets should keep a high ranking for the foreseeable future.

(Previous rank: 7)

10. San Antonio Spurs | Future Power Rating: 555

The Spurs have been the league's model franchise of the past decade. Although they've shown signs of slippage on the court, we continue to have faith that the top front office in the league will help them remain a winning team for the foreseeable future.

Injuries and age have taken their toll in San Antonio, particularly with Tim Duncan (age 34) and Manu Ginobili (33), but the Spurs also have some young legs: Tony Parker (28) remains in his prime, and George Hill (24) and DeJuan Blair (21) appear to have bright futures. If Tiago Splitter, their long-awaited import, can fulfill expectations, the Spurs could be a lot more formidable going forward than most realize.

Given the brainpower and spending power of the team's stellar management, we think the Spurs will continue to find ways to stay in contention.

(Previous rank: 12)

Future Power Rankings: "http://insider.espn.com/nba/news/story?page=FuturePowerRankings-1-100805">1-5 | "http://insider.espn.com/nba/news/story?page=FuturePowerRankings-2-100805">6-10 | "http://insider.espn.com/nba/news/story?page=FuturePowerRankings-3-100803">11-15 | "http://insider.espn.com/nba/news/story?page=FuturePowerRankings-4-100803">16-20 | "http://insider.espn.com/nba/news/story?page=FuturePowerRankings-5-100802">21-25 | "http://insider.espn.com/nba/news/story?page=FuturePowerRankings-6-100802">26-30