Post by styro on Sept 1, 2010 12:44:04 GMT -5
Team Age Breakdown
These are the teams listed in order, from youngest to oldest. I will be grading teams based on their ability to win now (present) and their future outlook, good or bad.
Average Age: 22.8 years old
Key Players: Eddy Curry 22, Andrew Bynum 18, Mehmet Okur 26
The Present: They have one of the best post groups in the league. The problem is, that's where all their talent lies. They don't have much of anything outside of Bynum, Okur and Curry and there's only 2 spots for those 3. They are a rebuilding team whose not good enough to make playoffs and also not good enough to lose enough to get a nice pick. They're a lotto team and they'll probably have to rely on the lotto to give them a better pick. I believe they're entering their CY next year so being mediocre is far from ideal at this point in the rebuilding stage. Grade: C+
The Future: It will be interesting to see what they do with the crowded post. They'll have to trade one of Curry/Bynum/Okur to give them better balance going into next season. They have the two of the best young big men prospects but nothing else. They aren't going to have a nice enough pick to expect a star in the draft so the future of the club looks kind of questionable. They're going to have to win 42 games next season so their future is going to have to improve fast. Grade: B-.
Average Age: 23.2 years old
Key Players: Pau Gasol 25, Elton Brand 26, Dajuan Wagner 22, Joe Johnson 24, Travis Outlaw 20
The Present: They are a sure-fire playoff team, but that's probably it. Pau Gasol has failed to turn into the perennial all star we all expected him to become. At the age of 25, he's probably a finished product and it's probably unlikely he'll ever become a superstar. They have solid pieces at every position just not that one star to make you think maybe they'll make it to the 2nd round. It looks like they'll be facing one of the top four teams so getting out of the first is hardly unlikely. Grade: B
The Future: Pau Gasol has failed to become an all star but he's still a good all-around big man. On the other hand, Joe Johnson has just failed to disappoint in every aspect of his game. He was supposed to be a 25 ppg scorer at the very least, but not only has he failed on that aspect, his defense is among the worse in the league. With that being said, the future still looks a little brighter than the present. They have young guys yet to fully develop in Outlaw, Wagner, and Martynas. There's no one in their starting lineup over the age of 26 and if the team remains as is, they should be able to make some improvements over the next few years. Grade: B+
Average Age: 23.7 years old
Key Players: Lebron James 20, Tracy McGrady 26, Sherell Ford 33, Baron Davis 26
The Present: Lebron, Lebron, Lebron. He's the main reason they're in the playoffs. Already one of the best players in the league at the ripe age of 20, the Hornets GM has only had to surround him with decent studs to take this team to the playoffs. The'y're probably nothing more than a first round exit this season though. They just haven't surrounded Lebron with enough to make any kind of playoff push. Grade: B-
The Future: The future looks bright only because Lebron is in it and luckily for the the Hornets, he's the best player to build a future on. They're going to have to acuire someone better than Baron or Tmac in order to ever be a serious factor in the league. Baron and Tmac are probably 3rd and 4th options on an elite team so relying on them to provide the support for Lebron in the years to come is probably unrealistic. They won't be able to add a stud via draft since Lebron will never play bad enough to make the Hornets a lotto team, so making a key acquisition is going to be key in the coming years. Grade: B
Average Age: 24.5 years old
Key Players: Tony Parker 23, Keith Van Horn 30
The Present: A tanking team looking for a top 5 pick at this point. The only problem is that they are bunched up with a bunch of other teams and they could easily get a pick as early as third or as late as eighth. They made a nice acquisition with the future in mind by acquiring Tony Parker, but they weren't able to ship out Keith Van Horn, which probably hindered their chance to secure themselves a higher pick. Grade: C
The Future: Their future will probably depend on who their pick ends up being. They have no cap, they have no one who looks an emerging star to play alongside Parker of the years to come. They'll probably have to clear up cap if they want to enhance their future but it's probably going to be hard to get anyone to take Raef's contract, which would be necessary in order to get some financial flexibility. Outside of Parker, i'm not too sure they have a great future. Grade: C
Average Age: 25.3 years old
Key Players: Darko Milicic 20, Ron Artest 25, Gilbert Arenas 23
The Present: They still have a shot to make the playoffs, but it's yet to be seen if they have the firepower to catch up with the Los Angeles Clippers. They are still a little young and inexperienced but their young players are really good or have the chance to be really good. They probably have a better overall team than the clippers but they'll probably be watching the playoffs from home. Nothing to get down about, they'll be adding another lotto and possibly a better future. Grade: B-
The Future: Their future looks as bright as anyone's, if not brighter. They already have Arenas, Artest, and Darko to lead them into the future but let's not forget the emergence of Sebastian Telfair. If he ever turns into a star, this team will be scary. Not to mention the possible addition of a lotto in exchange for missing the playoffs. I also just saw that they have the Grizzlies first this year also, adding a top 5 pick to this core would be lethal. Arenas, Artest, Darko, Sebastian and two lottos give them plenty of assets to trade at the very least. I see them being among the elite within the next 3 seasons. Grade: A-
Average Age: 25.4 years old
Key Players: Tyson Chandler 22, Amare Stoudemire 22
The Present: Tanking team. There's no secret as to what they're trying to do. Competing just isn't in there plans and who could blame them. They'll have another nice young player to put alongside Amare for the next 10 years. They have arguably the best Power Forward in the game in Amare and he's only 22. They aren't going to win many games this season and probably next. Grade: C
The Future: The future looks decent. They will probably have a top 10 pick in the upcoming draft, not to mention they have probably the best PF in the game with 10 more prime years left. If they can utilize their cap and add some studs via draft over the next few years, they should be fine, but that is yet to be seen. They have Amare right now and that's all that matters. Grade: B
Average Age: 25.6 years old
Key Players: Michael Redd 26, Chris Kaman 23, Andrei Kirelenko 24, Felipe Lopez 30
The Present: Despite being young, they are already one of the best teams in the league and could be the last team standing when it's all said and done. They have great pieces all around with only Felipe Lopez over the age of 27 in the starting lineup. It's no surprise this team is already in position to have the best record in the Western Conference. It's pretty rare to see one of the youngest teams in the league among the elite so quickly. Grade: A-
The Future: The future is even brighter than the present, they have a couple guys in their starting lineup yet to hit their prime in Kaman and Kirelenko. Although, it's tough to imagine Kirelenko having much more of an impact in the future as he's already a perennial DPOY candidate. Chris Kaman is only in his third year in the league and he's already one of the best all round bigs in the league, he's getting almost 4 bpg while chipping in 17 and 11 on a nightly basis. Jazz should have one of the best defenses in the league for years to come with those two. Not to mention Michael Redd, dude's a stud and at only 26 still has about 6-7 more great years left in him. Their only concern might be resigning Kaman, but other than that, the future is crazy good. Grade: A
Average Age: 25.9 years old
Key Players: David West 24, Carmelo Anthony 21, Josh Howard 25
The Present: They were at risk of getting cy'd coming into the year, but they've improved upon last year and are on the cusp of making the playoffs. They have two of the most productive players in the league in Carmelo and David West to go along with some savvy veterans. Grant it, they are just a mediocre team at the moment but they're winning just enough to make the playoffs and that's all the cy requires of them. They could possibly give their first round match-up a tough battle but don't expect them to advance. Grade: B-
The Future: For now, they're just a mediocre team fighting for a low end playoff spot. There's no doubt they expect to have most of their success in the future though. They arguably have the best young player in the game in Carmelo Anthony who will without a doubt lead this team to the playoffs for years to come. It also helps when he has one of the best sidekicks in the league in David West. If Josh Howard turns into a star, watch out. The future looks bright with the Clippers. Grade: B+
Average Age: 26.2 years old
Key Players: Shaquille O'neal 33, Robert Traylor 28, Vince Carter 28, Jason Terry 27
The Present: They are only .5 gb of being in a 4 way tie for the conference lead with no glaring holes in sight. It seemed like maybe they were the team to beat in the Western Conference coming into the season but the other three closed the gap quickly. Minnesota has struggled against some of the better teams this season but they're one of four teams with a legit shot to get out of the conference. It's going to be a dog fight but their balanced scoring and great defense should take them a long ways. Grade: A-
The Future: Their window as far as competing for a championship will close once Shaq starts to decline and that could be soon. I expect the T'wolves to compete for the next 2-3 years but that's about it. They can remain a playoff team with this core for the next 5-6 seasons but if they want a head start on building another championship contender they might want to blow it up at the end of next season. They're fine for the near future though. Grade: B-
Average Age: 27.2 years old
Key Players: Deron Williams 21, Danny Granger 22, Grant Hill 33
The Present: Another tanking team looking to stack up on young studs to put alongside the ones they already have. Deron has proved to be a rookie of the year candidate and a perennial all star in the future. Danny Granger didn't develop in his first year like the Rockets GM expected but he's not a lost cause, he can definitely still turn into a intricate part of the future. Their goal was clearly to tank and wait till the offseason to utilize their cap. They've put themselves in position to do so. Grade: C
The Future: As it stands, it looks like they'll have a great future. They already have a future elite Point Guard and an up and coming small forward. They'll also be adding a top 5 pick in thanks to their tank job and another probable top 5 pick in thanks to the Pistons inability to win. They'll go into free agency with one of the best young cores in the league most likely and they'll get the chance to capitalize on it by utilizing their cap. If they can acquire some nice pieces in FA, this team could be all but set for the future. Grade: B+ [/i]
Average Age: 27.7 years old
Key Players: Mike Miller 25, Dwight Howard 19, Andre Miller 28
The Present: At this rate, it looks like they are unarguably fucked. They are one of the worse teams in the league and they don't even have their pick. Dwight Howard has yet to develop like we thought he would and he's producing at a low rate. His ratings surpass his production and that has to be alarming for the Grizzlies GM. He's going to have to develop if they want to be any good. You aren't going to win many games when your leading scorer is Mike Miller. Grade: C
The Future: Their future relies fully on Dwight Howard. His development is going to be vital, unless they trade him for great value. He has been disappointing to say the least and it's hard to imagine his ratings getting overwhelmingly better. They won't have any money to spend until after next season so they'll probably be tanking next season too, only difference is that they'll actually have their pick. It's not looking good. Grade: C
Average Age: 27.9 years old
Key Players: Allen Iverson 30, Jerry Stackhouse 30, Kobe Bryant 27, Eddie Elisma 30
The Present: The Nuggets currently have the best 1-2-3 punch in the league with arguably the best player in the game at the head of the trio. Their best players are getting up there in age but they should be able to remain among the top 5 in the league for the next three to four seasons. They probably shortened their window by trading Wade but it paid off in the present as the team seems more equipped to make it deep into the playoffs. Grade: A-
The Future: The short-term future looks bright, but five or six years down the road the team is probably going to look very different with all these guys getting older. The Window is probably around 3-4 years in order to win a title. I don't see Stackhouse and Iverson playing at their peak at the age of 35. The immediate future is bright, but Kobe is the only one out of the big 3 who will be able to maintain his level of performance as we near the end of the decade. Grade: B
Average Age: 27.9 years old
Key Players: Zydrunas Ilgauskas 30, Paul Pierce 28, Gerald Wallace 23, Bobby Simmons 25, Qyntel Woods 24
The Present: They are currently in a three-way tie for the conference lead and they'll probably hover among the conference leaders for the remainder of the season. They have one of the best young players in the league in Gerald Wallace to go along with a potential future star in Qyntel and a steady producer in Bobby Simmons. These three secure not only their present title hopes but their future ones. Grades: A-
The Future: Their four best players are all under the age of 29 and they'll be competing for conference supremacy for the rest of this decade if this core stays together. Zydrunas is getting up their in age but that's nothing to worry about considering Bobby, Gerald, and Qyntel each have 8 or 9 seasons of great basketball left in them at the very least. The young trio combined with Pierce should wreak havoc for the foreseeable future. A good defensive replacement for Big Z (if they even re-sign him) once he declines should be all they need to maintain this level of play. Grade: A
Average Age: 28.1 years old
Key Players: Yao Ming 25, Shawn Marion 27, Larry Hughes 26, Chauncey Billups 29
The Present: They are a very solid team, they have a young core with some old vets as role players. It's a nice mix, but the young core isn't good enough to compete for a championship, at least not yet. Larry Hughes looked like he was a star in the making not too long ago, but he just never blossomed like most thought he would. They are an upgrade or two away from being in the top 4 in the West. As it stands, they can probably make the second round or conference finals but i don't think anyone views them as a title contender. Grade: B
The Future: If nothing is changed, they'll probably continue to attain a solid seed in the playoffs for years to come with their considerably young core. The core isn't young enough to expect any considerable improvements and it's also not great enough to catapult this team to the next level without additions. Larry Hughes disappointing development might have kept this team from being an elite team. Grade: B
