NBA Preview pt. 5

Basement Dwellers

25.New Jersey Nets

I want to hate on this team. Really, I do. But I can't. Their free-fall toward the bottom of the league has just been heart-wrenching. Plus, any team losing as much as they did last year, yet fights out every game, has to get your support.

Devin Harris is a franchise point guard and should never have been traded away from Dallas by Mark Cuban. But what Cuban discards, his mutant Russian twin (as Bill Simmons refers to him) is more than willing to keep. If nothing else, the team being purchased by a billionaire (Mikhail Prokhorov) who claims he doesn’t know where his yacht is, doesn’t go on it and only purchased it because “that’s what rich people do” should be interesting.

Brook Lopez looks to keep proving himself as one of the league's premier big men and will anchor this team down low. Travis Outlaw, Troy Murphy and rookie Derrick Favors look to help on the boards and keep teams from doubling Lopez on offense. Favors is a wild card but should give the Nets a good amount of offensive production.

This team lacks any type of defensive presence, but Nets first-year head coach Avery Johnson should be able to implement a defensive identity by the All-Star break. If the Nets can suture the gushing artery that is their shooting guard situation (they don't actually have one), they may be able to make a run at the playoffs. Who knows, maybe there is a shooting guard on Mikhail Prokhorov's yacht. … Now, if he could just find the damn thing.

26.Houston Rockets

The Rockets have gotten rid of their hefty baggage (Tracy McGrady) and have a more than suitable replacement in the blossoming Kevin Martin. The always-consistent and tough Shane Battier will provide the defensive stability and leadership while young talents Chase Budinger and Aaron Brooks promise to provide one of the best young perimeters in the league (along with Martin).

The problem is the Ming Dynasty looks to be on its last leg … literally. Yao Ming needs to stave off new injuries and recover completely from his current one for the Rockets will be a formidable playoff opponent. If bench players like Al Jeffries, Budinger, Hill and Lee mature, Houston may even be a title contender. But the whole thing hinges on the shoulders and feet of Ming.

27. Toronto Raptors

The exit of Chris Bosh was a far bigger hit for Toronto than Lebron's leaving will be for Cleveland. The only difference is Toronto knew Bosh was gone.

What makes it worse is they did nothing to try and trade him away to get something before he left. Toronto thought if they could make it to the playoffs, their star would stay. But just like Cleveland, they were shocked to find out a pact had been made by Bosh, James and Wade years ago in China.

Demar Derozen is a developing star, and Andrea Bargnani has been waiting to assert himself as a No. 1 option. Jose Calderon will provide solid guard play at the point, and Reggie Evans will help out on the boards in the absence of Bosh. Still, this team just doesn’t have it

They will scrap and push some teams to the brink because of their length, youth and athleticism, but they will not make it to the playoffs. Look for a 30-win season and a possible appearance in next year's lottery.

28.Philadelphia 76ers

Doug Collins is the master of preparing young talent, getting them to the verge of championships contention; he just isn’t the guy to win the championships. Philadelphia are training to be good players one day -- that day just isn’t today.

The Sixers are vastly undersized in an Eastern Conference housing six of the NBA's most talented big men. Elton Brand is not a center, and that will become more and more apparent as the season goes on.

Andre Iguodala is a defensive monster, a good scorer and this team's one bright spot. But he has made it clear if this team doesn’t show promise of competing, he will ask for a trade.

Evan Turner has to be wondering why he left Ohio State for such a small pay raise (sarcasm people), only to enter the NBA's doldrums. This team is almost as young as the Hornets and yet nowhere near as good. There will be no playoffs this year and honestly that's what you get for booing Santa and the Easter Bunny. If you're looking for reasons to watch this team: the Miami Heat, Rajon Rondo's triple double (Dec. 9), the Lakers, Dwight Howard making Elton Brand cry (Dec 18) and Kevin Durant (Nov. 10).

29.Minnesota Timberwolves

David Kahn makes some of the strangest choices as an NBA owner. I don’t want to go as far as saying he is on Joe Dumars level, but you have to wonder why someone would pick two point guards, Jonny Flynn and Ricky Rubio, in the draft when you had back-to-back picks.

Rubio refuses to play for your team because he feels (along with the rest of the world) he will get better tutelage over in Europe. Then, you go and spend millions on a center (Darko Milicic) who has done nothing and has had ample time to prove himself. If nothing else, Kahn makes the Timberwolves interesting with his recklessness.

Kevin Love, Michael Beasley and Flynn are the only bright spots for this team and will carry enormous workloads while constantly being outgunned by every team in the league. It's not a good year to be a fan of anything Minnesota, is it?

30. Detroit Pistons

If NBA GMs put on a high school play, it would be the Wizard of OZ, and Joe Dumars would play the Scarecrow. Ever since Dumars traded Chauncey Billups, he has followed it up with a string of boneheaded decisions -- none worse than this offseason.

Do you remember when you did something extremely stupid growing up? Your parents would pull you aside and call you by your first, middle and last name followed by a “What were you thinking?” Well, that’s what the Piston fan base did this summer when Dumars signed Tracy McGrady. A collective “What the eff where you thinking” escaped Detroit's lips. A one-year $854,000 deal typically wouldn’t be a big deal to pay an aging star. Unless that star is this generation's Shawn Kemp (just waiting to hear McGrady has six children by eight different women).

Detroit's players and fans understand they are in a rebuilding stage. What they can't understand is how McGrady fits into it. At least Ben Wallace is still a defensive producer (although not dominate). Richard Hamilton’s numbers have been decreasing year by year, and the enthusiasm he and Tayshaun Prince once shared in playing for this team has all but disappeared. That being said, without some major personnel moves, this team will end up being Feasts for the Beasts of the Eastern Conference.