Note: This is a new, updated version of ESPN's Future Power Rankings of NBA teams. The previous edition ran in early August; the third edition ran on March 2, 2010; the second edition launched on Dec. 15, 2009; and the first edition kicked things off on Nov. 10, 2009.
The Future Power Rankings are ESPN Insider's projection of the on-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 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.
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 to a new season, 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.
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. Phoenix Suns | Future Power Rating: 406
The new-look Suns aren't that much different than the old-look Suns. Steve Nash continues to orchestrate the offense like the maestro he is, and he's surrounded with a number of athletic wings that excel in the open court.
The problem for Phoenix is one of diminishing returns. Without Amare Stoudemire, it lacks a significant low-post presence. Their wings -- Jason Richardson, Grant Hill and Hedo Turkoglu -- are all solid, but because of age or contracts they don't have a long-term future with the team.
New pick-up Josh Childress has been a bit of a disappointment. Hakim Warrick has been solid, but averages just 4.4 rebounds a game. Robin Lopez, their big-man project in the middle, has been a disappointment.
Given that Nash (who turns 37 in February) can't do this forever, it's hard to get excited about the long-term prospects in Phoenix. When Nash starts slowing down, this team quickly becomes one of the worst in the league with very little in the pipeline to give it much hope. The team is capped out until 2012, will have middling draft picks, and has an owner with a penchant for pinching pennies. Doesn't sound like a recipe for long-term success.
(Previous rank: 27)
27. Minnesota Timberwolves | Future Power Rating: 401
The Wolves went from getting six points for management to 20. That's right, we're positively sunny about the David Kahn era compared to three months ago. The Michael Beasley trade looks like a steal and Darko Milicic has at least shown a pulse, making a head-scratching summer look slightly more coherent. Additionally, a Kevin Love-Beasley nucleus is a nice starting point for the rebuilding job in Minnesota.
Nonetheless, this remains a franchise with more questions than answers. They'll have plenty of cap space, but few free agents want to spend their winters in Minnesota for a franchise that seems directionless (only Memphis rated as a worse market). And the Wolves would stand to benefit from the draft ... except that they've donated an unprotected 2012 pick to the Clippers, thanks to the horrific Sam Cassell-Marko Jaric trade engineered by their last bumbling GM, Kevin McHale.
Lastly, our suspicion of the Minnesota braintrust runs deeper than Kahn. Owner Glen Taylor consistently rates among the worst in the eyes of most league observers, even though he's at least willing to spend. And coach Kurt Rambis has raised eyebrows with several decisions in his year-plus on the sideline, most notably his distaste for keeping Love on the floor despite his obvious production.
(Previous rank: 29)
28. Toronto Raptors | Future Power Rating: 394
The Raptors have played surprisingly well for a team that we thought could finish with the worst record in the Eastern Conference. However, these are future power rankings, and our long-term prognosis for the team remains extremely pessimistic.
The team has some young talent in Andrea Bargnani, DeMar DeRozan, Ed Davis, Jerryd Bayless and Amir Johnson. However, we remain unconvinced that any of them will blossom to become the type of player that propels the Raptors back into contention. Thus, we've ranked them near the bottom in the players category.
We've also grown more cynical about the management of the team. It now appears that the Raptors are for sale, meaning their future is even more in doubt. We're also struggling to see GM Bryan Colangelo's long-term plan with the team. The offensive talent is there, but the Raptors remain a mess on defense and, despite a flurry of moves, seem to be stuck in neutral at the bottom of the East.
(Previous rank: 17)
29. Cleveland Cavaliers | Future Power Rating: 295
When LeBron bolted Cleveland for the Heat last summer, the team plummeted a whopping 20 points in our rankings, from eighth to 28th. The good news was that there was nowhere to go but up, right?
Wrong.
The Cavs have actually slipped a spot in our rankings and are now 100 points away from their next closest competition, the lowly Raptors. What happened? After a spunky start, LeBron came into Cleveland and obliterated the team. They've looked listless and lost ever since.
With no real star players on the team, no future All-Stars in the making and many of their players looking like they want out, things are likely to get uglier in Cleveland before they get better. The Cavs are already beginning to work the phones and it won't be a surprise if virtually the entire roster is overhauled in the next six months. The team ranks dead last in our players category with a measly 25 points. The rest of the picture isn't pretty either. The Cavs rank in the bottom five in management and market. The only real good news is that the team should be getting some decent draft picks and will start to have cap room as early as this season.
But short of a miracle, it's hard to fathom how Dan Gilbert is going to dig the Cavs out of this mess any time soon.
(Previous rank: 28)
30. Charlotte Bobcats | Future Power Rating: 195
A year ago, we ranked Charlotte dead last in these rankings despite the fact they were headed for the playoffs. Now you know why. With no money, no young talent and no sign that management has any cohesive plan for how to deal with these problems, the Bobcats have the most dismal future of any of the league's 30 teams.
Normally, a bad team gets a lift from the draft, but even that is a question mark since the 'Cats sent a future first-rounder to Chicago for Tyrus Thomas. While Thomas has been one of their few bright spots, their only other good players are aging wings Stephen Jackson and Gerald Wallace. As a result, we rated Charlotte's players 29th of the 30 teams -- only Cleveland did worse.
Money-wise, they're also in terrible straits. The Bobcats have managed their cap horribly and have no space for the foreseeable future, plus they're strapped enough that they spent the offseason shedding assets such as Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton. The next asset to go, one presumes, is head coach Larry Brown, given his track record of leaving for greener pastures. It won't be hard to find more verdant ones than this barren patch.
(Previous rank: 30)
Future Power Rankings: 1-5 | 6-10 | 11-15 | 16-20 | 21-25 | 26-30
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