First for reference's sake, here are teams 11-30 as I ranked them: 30. Toronto 29. Memphis 28. Minnesota 27. Philadelphia 26. Atlanta 25. New Orleans 24. New Jersey 23. Orlando 22. Utah 21. Milwaukee 20. Sacramento 19t. New York 19t. L.A. Clippers 17. Seattle 16. Detroit 15. Golden State 14. Washington 13. Denver 12. Portland 11. Charlotte 10. Boston Celtics Danny Ainge must be salivating waiting for 2008 to come around, because his rebuilding project points firmly a few years into the future. Among the young assets on his roster: Tony Allen, Ricky Davis, Al Jefferson, Gerald Green, Delonte West. And that's only a few. Ryan Gomes looks like he could be huge as well. With the general ineptitude of the Atlantic Division, the Celtics should be guaranteed at least a third seed for several years starting in '08. I have to mention here that several readers had Boston in their top five, but I hold off from that distinction because of a lack of a true franchise player. Paul Pierce will tire of the losing that comes with a youth movement this year and whine his way out of town. I don't know if Boston has anyone on their current roster capable of being THE GUY. Who they get for Pierce may play a huge factor in how high the Celtics will actually end up in '08. 9. L.A Lakers This is another team that numerous readers had in their top five or even at the top. They will get better because 1). They're the Lakers, and the town and owner Jerry Buss won't put up with watching a loser, 2). They still have Kobe Bryant and a decent sidekick in Lamar Odom, and 3). They have a huge amount of cap room starting in the summer of '07 to improve themselves. L.A. will be one of the top five teams in the West in another year or two, especially with Phil Jackson at the helm. For all the hateful emails I'll get for putting L.A. this low, I have two responses. First, Kobe Bryant has never proven that he can lead a team to a title on his own. And second, will Kobe's reputation for selfishness prevent players from wanting to sign there when the Lakers do have cap room? Will Kobe turn into the next Iverson--the superstar no other star wants any part of? I don't know the answers to these questions, but I have enough doubt to keep L.A. out of the top five. 8. Dallas Mavericks Dallas has been getting nothing but bad press the last two summers with the departures of two franchise icons, but let's not lose sight of the big picture here. Sure, the Mavs have screwed up a couple times, but the team they still have is one of the most talented (and one of the youngest) in the league. Dirk Nowitzki will come in ticked off next season wanting to prove his critics wrong, and Avery Johnson's new approach should start to change the 'soft' perception of the Mavs around the league. As players like Josh Howard, Marquis Daniels, and Devin Harris mature into the very good players they will be, Dallas will continue to be a threat as Dirk enters his 30's. Sadly, the biggest problem for Dallas won't be their team, but a couple teams who are looking even better for the future in their division. 7. Miami Heat In a way, I would love to take over as G.M. for Miami in 2008, but in another way I would keep my distance from the job. Three years from now, the Heat will be cutting $20 million checks to a way over-the-hill Shaquille O'Neal, but they will also have an in-his-prime Dwayne Wade ripping the league apart. Wade alone vaults this team into the top ten. However, Miami's lack of flexibility and relative age don't bode well for future improvements. The Heat will be capped out because of O'Neal's deal, Wade's sure-to-be max contract, and the big deals of guys like Antoine Walker and Udonis Haslem. I hope Wade likes his teammates, because they're practically set in stone for the next three years. What ensure Miami will stay on top, in addition to Wade, is the appeal of being in Miami as well as the proven recruiting ability of Shaquille O'Neal. (An added bonus: considering internet pervert buster Shaq's summer job, Miami could be pedophile-free by '08!) Even as Shaq's career winds down, he'll still be convincing good players to take less to play in Miami. As long as owner Mickey Arison is willing to continue to shell out money to improve each year, Miami will never be far from the top as long as they have Wade and even a declining O'Neal. 6. Cleveland Cavaliers I know. LeBron, LeBron, LeBron. Quite frankly (a phrase that has been killed by Stephen A. Smith; he can't stop me from using it, <edit> it!), I'm nervous putting Cleveland this high. And you all know why. Who says LeBron doesn't skip the joint in '08 for a bigger market? Even with all the moves orchestrated by Danny Ferry in the off-season, I'm not even close to sold on James returning to Cleveland. IF he stays, the Cavs will be one of the league's elites. If not, Cleveland will return to a familiar home: the cellar. All pessimism aside, James will make basketball the prime attraction in Cleveland over the next three years, and in that time he'll emerge as the best player in the league. But still...I can't get it out of my head that James wouldn't want to play elsewhere when the opportunity presents itself. 5. Phoenix Suns The top five teams in my rankings have all the components: great players who'll be in their prime three years from now, a great city and great fans to attract new talent, and, most important of all, excellent front offices that seem destined to keep their teams on top for years to come. We start the top five with Phoenix, who would be a top ten team with Amare Stoudamire alone. If LeBron is the best player in the league in '08, Amare will be a very close second. Stoudamire is devoted to the city of Phoenix, and who wouldn't be? Great weather, great fans, great history, and a great front office. Steve Nash will be wearing down by this time, and Shawn Marion won't be young anymore either, but look at how the Colangelos have re-shaped the Suns in the past. Phoenix has gone through several incarnations and always come out a playoff contender and one of the most exciting teams to watch in the league. Jerry Colangelo, Bryan Colangelo, and new owner Robert Sarver always seem to put a quality, winning product on the court, and I don't see that changing, especially with Amare to build around. Whether they get one or not, this team DESERVES a championship. 4. Chicago Bulls After all that Suns brown-nosing, now I have to justify why I've put the Bulls, a young team that's far from a finished product, ahead of them. The easy reasons first: 1). You can't argue with their talent. They have the future best backcourt in the league with Hinrich and Gordon, and the other young pieces around them (Deng, Duhon, Nocioni, Chandler, Curry) will only get better with more experience. 2). The new front office for Chicago is doing business the right way. They refuse to overpay Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry, no matter how vital to their success those two guys are, and in the end they will be able to sign both for less. John Paxson could be the next Joe Dumars. 3). This is the Bulls! They have fans out the wazoo, which makes for loads of revenue, an owner who has never been afraid of spending, and a top flight arena as well. That's all great, you say. But Boston is number ten with just as much young talent and history, and the Bulls don't have a franchise player either. Very true, but I have a hunch that franchise player is on the way. You heard it here first: Kevin Garnett will be a Chicago Bull by the middle of the 2006-07 season or the summer after that. By that time Garnett will be in his thirties and fed up with mediocrity. When the Wolves finally start looking for suitors, Chicago will be one of the few teams with talent to spare. Minnesota will be eager to ship KG east, and Garnett will be ecstatic going back to his hometown. Mark it down. It is just a hunch, but with Garnett, the Bulls will be title contenders in '08. 3. Houston Rockets I dare anybody to argue with this pick, especially after Yao Ming just signed a max extension. The Rockets will have two of the best players in the NBA still in their prime three years from now, and G.M. Carroll Dawson will continue to put the right pieces around Yao and McGrady to make them true championship contenders. The only minor question is whether either McGrady or Yao are capable of stepping up and being the leader on a title team, but I'm betting one of them will step forward and take ownership. Unlike Kobe and Shaq, they know they need each other and will stick together. I don't see any negatives here besides a certain team standing in their way in the Southwest division. 2. Indiana Pacers I will get plenty of argument that this ranking is way too high for Indiana, but I have to say I am thoroughly impressed with the Pacers organization. Donnie Walsh (and now Larry Bird) always seem to make the right moves to keep the Pacers competitive and young at the same time. In three years, Indiana's two stars, Jermaine O'Neal and Ron Artest, will still be in their primes, and I have the confidence that the front office will use the rest of the pieces currently on the team to continue to upgrade the talent around them. With one of the best coaches in the business, an incredible front office, a devoted fan base, and two superstars to go along with the deepest team in the league (they're still young, too, by the way), and I don't see how the Pacers could not be in the top five in the league three years from now. Of course I'm betting that Ron Artest settles down and becomes the superstar he can be. For some insane reason, I have a good feeling that Artest will mellow out and turn into one of the top 5-10 players in the league. 1. San Antonio Spurs Trust me, it hurts me more than anyone else to put San Antonio on top. As a professed Spurs hater, this is like voting for your nemesis for President. The Spurs are like the kid in math class who always gets 100's on his test. You hate his guts out of jealousy, but you secretly wish you were him. The similarities don't stop there. You know the kid was blessed with natural talent, just like the Spurs have been blessed to win two draft lotteries in the last decade and a half. But the most disheartening part is you know the kid does his homework and studies more than anyone else to stay on top. Yep, that's the Spurs. The San Antonio front office does its homework better than any organization in the league. They continue re-stocking the cast around Duncan with talented players and do a great job unearthing young stars like Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. As long as Duncan is around, with the coach/G.M. combo of Popovich/RC Buford, as well as young stars Parker and Ginobili, how can you bet against this team? Man...I always hated the smart kid. And there you have it. In three years we should see a lot of change in the league, but I also agree with reader Joshua, who says, "The good teams will stay good." If you'll notice, most of the good teams in this ranking are usually good because of the quality of their organization. The teams who know what they are doing will keep winning. That's why this league has seen only 6 champions in the last two decades. If it seems anticlimactic putting the Spurs on top, well it is. But it very well may turn out to be true. Send me your thoughts about this last batch of future rankings; I'd love to hear your opinions. Thanks for reading!
