After Free Agency and the Draft, things slow down. Right now, teams should put themselves in one of five categories. Here's where I see the current teams:
1) Those competing for a title now:
- Boston Celtics
- Cleveland Cavaliers
- Dallas Mavericks
- Denver Nuggets
- Milwaukee Bucks
- Minnesota Timberwolves
- New York Knicks
- Philadelphia 76ers
- Phoenix Suns
- Los Angeles Lakers
- Los Angeles Clippers
Notes: There shouldn't be this many teams trying to compete now- I suspect several of these teams belong in cateogry 5, and will be just starting a rebuild next year.
I'm a Cavaliers fan- and while they are young, they have no room to improve unless their current players get better. It's possible, but they only have one route- and a lot of teams to overcome.
2) Those in the middle of a rebuild and plan to compete in 2-3 years:
- Oklahoma City Thunder
- Orlando Magic
- Indianapolis Pacers
- San Antonio Spurs
- Houston Rockets
- New Orleans Pelicans
Notes: This is a good category to be in. It's very possible that half these teams could contend this year- but they are also young enough that they can wait.
3) Those at the start of a rebuild and hope to compete in 6 years:
- Brooklyn Nets
- Washington Wizards
- Detroit Pistons
- Charlotte Hornets
Notes: These teams know where they are, and are collecting talent and trying to gel together.
4) Those that are trying to tear down the team completely and are 2 years from starting their rebuild:
- Golden State Warriors
- Chicago Bulls
- Toronto Raptors
- Utah Jazz
- Portland Trail Blazers
Notes: These are the teams that know they can't compete, but haven't blown up the team yet to bottom out (it doesn't help that the teams in category 3 are so bad that they couldn't bottom out if they tried).
Putting Golden State here is a choice- by all rights, they should be in the same grouping as the Clippers/Lakers/Suns. But I think letting Klay go is the first step towards starting over. They have far more to go (and they could bounce back if Kuminga and Moody step up), but for now they belong here
5) Other (who the hell knows?):
- Miami Heat
- Atlanta Hawks
- Sacramento Kings
- Memphis Grizzlies
Notes: In my opinion, the worst category to be in. Too good to get a franchsie draft player, too bad to really compete in the playoffs even if everything goes well, too deep in the salary cap to easily start over. They are two years away from getting to category 4, and worse- might think they are one move from category 1.
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