Future Power Rankings: Teams 6-10

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 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 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 made in the last few months, it's time for a new edition of the Future Power Rankings. Two important notes: (1) we are evaluating each team's prospects for the 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14 seasons; and (2)
we are not, for the most part, 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.

Here are our latest rankings, from 1 to 30:

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

6. New York Knicks | Future Power Rating: 586

What a difference a season and a half can make. In the November 2009 edition of the Future Power Rankings, we ranked the Knicks 21st. In December 2010, thanks to their strong play, a sleeper draft pick and the acquisition of free agent Amare Stoudemire, we moved the Knicks from 11th to seventh. Now, with a trade deadline deal bringing in Carmelo Anthony and Chauncey Billups, we have pushed the Knicks up the rankings once again, to sixth overall.

New York is still a piece or two away from being a true contender, but they rate as above average in every category but Draft -- in terms of Players, Management, Money and Market, the Knicks are relatively strong.

In just 16 months, the Knicks' roster has moved from 28th to eighth, and the front office gets high marks for its deft maneuvering to clear cap space and get two stars. And while New York City has always been a prime destination for free agents, with Stoudemire and Anthony on board, the Knicks now rival the Lakers, Heat and Bulls as the team to join.

While the Knicks lost ground in the Money category because they used a lot of their salary-cap space in the Anthony acquisition, they should have significant room in 2012, when Chauncey Billups is scheduled to come off the books. While it's unlikely the Knicks can add star point guard Chris Paul or Deron Williams, they should be able to keep adding pieces to the puzzle.

The future in New York hasn't seemed so bright in years. While it's doubtful the Knicks will be able to compete with the likes of Miami and Chicago next season, they should, for the first time in a long time, finally be fielding a serious playoff threat for the next few years.

(Previous rank: 7)

7. Indiana Pacers | Future Power Rating: 581

The Pacers continue, improbably, to fly up our rankings, despite being little more than a .400 team.

In August, the team jumped a whopping nine spots from No. 26 to No. 17 in our rankings. In December, they rose six more spots to No. 11. This time they leapfrog a few more teams, all the way up to No. 7. Yes, we're saying the Pacers have the seventh-brightest future, ahead of teams like the Celtics, Magic and Mavericks.

Really? Really. Let us explain.

In our ratings, the Pacers excel in only one category: Money, which is defined as "projected salary-cap situation [and] ability and willingness to exceed cap and pay luxury tax." While we don't know how the new collective bargaining agreement will affect the Pacers' ability to spend, on paper they are in great shape.

Pacers executives Larry Bird and David Morway have set this team up for future success by drafting well, building depth and staying away from bad contracts. Owner Herb Simon is considered one of the best in the business -- despite an unfavorable market and financial situation, he has remained committed to spending the money it takes to be competitive.

Going into the summer of 2011, the Pacers have the second-most salary cap space, behind only Sacramento, even though the Pacers aren't likely to lose any core players. Among the team's unrestricted free agents-to-be, T.J. Ford has been benched, Mike Dunleavy has been injured often, and only Jeff Foster (who just turned 34) and Josh McRoberts have played consistent roles in the second half of the season. On the downside, the Pacers might lose former lottery pick Brandon Rush, who has fallen out of favor, and must sign big man Roy Hibbert to an extension.

Meanwhile, the Pacers have several promising young players still on their rookie contracts. Rookie Paul George has star ability and looks like the steal of the 2010 draft this year, Tyler Hansbrough has come on strong under coach Frank Vogel, and Darren Collison has given the Pacers a boost at point guard.

At the moment, the Pacers are barely hanging on to their playoff spot, but they should be a more legitimate factor in the next three seasons. With the right additions and the development of George, Hibbert, Hansbrough and Collison, Indiana has a shot at being one of the better teams in the East for the next half-decade.

(Previous rank: 11)

8. Boston Celtics | Future Power Rating: 575

The Celtics shocked virtually everyone at the trade deadline when they shipped out Kendrick Perkins and Nate Robinson to Oklahoma City for Jeff Green and Nenad Krstic. The conventional wisdom before the trade was that Boston, with three stars over the age of 30, was focused solely on winning the 2010-11 championship.

While some believe the trade hurts their chances for this season, it did help their Future Power Rating a bit. Green is just 24 years old and should play a prominent role in the team's future, as Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen continue to slow down. Green, Rajon Rondo, Glen Davis and Avery Bradley give the Celtics enough young talent to keep them moving forward optimistically.

We are impressed by the staying power of Garnett, Allen and Pierce in the Celtics' system, which means Boston should remain in contention next season. Beyond that, Allen and Garnett might stick around, but if they depart as free agents, the Celtics should have a lot of salary-cap space and appear to be positioning themselves well for their next big splash.

Furthermore, these days Boston appears to be an attractive place to play and has a strong management team, willing to spend.
While we have doubts about the future of the roster over the long haul, there is still a lot to like in Boston.

(Previous rank: 14)

9. Los Angeles Clippers | Future Power Rating: 567

It appears the Clippers may become good in spite of themselves. L.A. moved five spots north to No. 9 in our future power poll, based mostly on the spectacular exploits of rookie Blake Griffin. With a fantastic rookie power forward and a few other strong young players -- shooting guard Eric Gordon, center DeAndre Jordan, forward Al-Farouq Aminu and point guard Eric Bledsoe -- the Clips have a solid base on which to build success. They also have plentiful salary-cap space in future seasons thanks to the midseason trade of Baron Davis, and Los Angeles is a major lure to potential free agents. Finally, they own a completely unprotected 2012 pick from the lowly Timberwolves.

With all these assets, you'd think the Clippers couldn't possibly screw this up. And with any other team you'd be right. But the lingering fear remains that the Clippers will somehow find a way to botch a near-perfect setup. We rated L.A. 27th in the Management category, and that might have been kind. Owner Donald Sterling is the worst in all of sports -- a cheapskate who heckles his own players, can't hire a good coach because of his history of not paying his employees, and has interfered to block countless transactions. Unheralded GM Neil Olshey did well to dump Davis' contract, but he has several more difficult battles ahead of him as he tries to build around Griffin.

The scary thing is that Griffin and Gordon are so good it may not matter. As long as the Clippers extend those two players -- a no-brainer, one would think, but never assume anything with this franchise -- L.A.'s other team seems set as a playoff regular.

(Previous rank: 15)

10. Portland Trail Blazers | Future Power Rating: 548

Perhaps the worst has passed for Portland. The Trail Blazers moved up three spots in this edition, as a breakout season from LaMarcus Aldridge, a trade for Gerald Wallace and some recent encouraging performances from Brandon Roy have us much more bullish on their prospects. The Blazers still have quality young wings like Wes Matthews, Nic Batum and Rudy Fernandez littering the roster, and still own the rights to center Greg Oden. While the latter seems like a punch line, Portland intends to re-sign him, and if he can get healthy and stay healthy, the Blazers are going to be very good.

Even if not, they have the makings of a solid core, plus strong management -- especially now that coach Nate McMillan agreed to a contract extension -- and an owner willing to spend for the right player. Roy's contract is likely to be a major problem going forward, but key veterans like Marcus Camby and Andre Miller have expiring deals that could allow Portland to use them in trades. Additionally, younger players like Elliot Williams, Luke Babbitt and Patty Mills could become contributors in coming seasons.

The one hit Portland took was in the Draft category -- the Blazers traded two first-rounders to Charlotte for Wallace -- but even that isn't as bad as it appears, as the Blazers have always been willing to purchase first-round picks from other teams.

(Previous rank: 13)

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

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