Ford/Pelton NBA Future Rankings

[Eddie20]

Boston continues to fly up the charts, moving from No. 10 to No. 3 in this latest iteration. Celtics GM Danny Ainge has put the team in a perfect position to make a major leap. They have a bounty of draft picks the next two years, major cap space, one of the best head coaches in the NBA and an intriguing group of young players that somehow managed to win 48 games this season.

Of course, the Celtics will have to make the most of all of those assets to earn this high a ranking. Looking at Ainge's track record in the past, it feels like a good bet. Ainge might be the best deal-maker in the league, with the possible exception of San Antonio's R.C. Buford. In short, no team is better positioned to be a challenger to the Cavs in the East for the next three seasons.

--Chad Ford

(Previous rank: 10)

                    Rank   Score
Players               15 49
Management        3 90
Money                 4 70
Market               16 45
Draft                    1 97.5

Top 5
1. Golden State
2. Cleveland
3. Boston
4. San Antonio
5. OKC

And in regards to future picks they have Memphis # 26 and Brooklyn # 30.

[BitterJim]

We're ahead of OKC and San Antonio? ****, I hope that doesn't jinx us

[Csfan1984]

I'm thinking he believes KD is going to C's. How else could C's be even top 7.

[DefenseWinsChamps]

I saw this. In short, based on their projections, they expect us to be the 3rd most successful team in the NBA to the Cavs and the Warriors. If we can parlay our 1st overall draft ranking into a higher player ranking (currently 15), we could pass the Cavs.

[Eddie20]

I'm thinking he believes KD is going to C's. How else could C's be even top 7.

HOW FUTURE POWER RATING IS DETERMINED

PLAYERS (worth 50 percent of score): Current players and their potential for the future, factoring in expected departures
MANAGEMENT (worth 16.7 percent of score): Quality and stability of front office, ownership, coaching
MONEY (worth 16.7 percent of score): Projected salary-cap situation; ability and willingness to exceed cap and pay luxury tax
MARKET (worth 8.3 percent of score): Appeal to future acquisitions based on team quality, franchise reputation, city's desirability as a destination, market size, taxes, business and entertainment opportunities, arena quality, fans
DRAFT (worth 8.3 percent of score):
Future draft picks; draft positioning

[hpantazo]

I'm thinking he believes KD is going to C's. How else could C's be even top 7.

They have OKC ranked 5th, so they can't be basing this on KD leaving OKC.

[colincb]

TP to Eddie20.

Full rankings. Sixers at 19, Lakers 24, and 3 future firsts coming from Memphis at 26 and Brooklyn at 30

2016   2015      Team
01      01      Golden State Warriors
02      03      Cleveland Cavaliers
03      10      Boston Celtics
04      02      San Antonio Spurs
05      09      Oklahoma City Thunder
06      06      Miami Heat
07      08      Utah Jazz
08      18      Portland Trailblazers
09      19      Minnesota Timberwolves
10      07      Los Angeles Clippers
11      05      Houston Rockets
12      11      Washington Wizards
13      23      Orlando Magic
14      15      Indiana Pacers
15      21      Atlanta Hawks
16      04      Chicago Bulls
17      16      Toronto Raptors
18      12      New Orleans Pelicans
19      17      Philadelphia 76ers
20      24      Denver Nuggets
21      27      Detroit Pistons
22      14      Dallas Mavericks
23      25      Charlotte Hornets
24      26      Los Angeles Lakers
25      13      Milwaukee Bucks
26      20      Memphis Grizzlies
27      22      Phoenix Suns
28      28      New York Knicks
29      29      Sacramento Kings
30      30      Brooklyn Nets

[alldaboston]

Lol Brooklyn last again.

I think Minny should be higher.

[mef730]

Thank you Brooklyn for your outsized ability to suck. Two years running, working on four!

Mike

[Big333223]

This is nice, but as Ford wrote, Ainge is going to have to make the most out of the assetts and turn them into real players. That means drafting smart and actually making a trade with some of these picks/projects he has.

Isn't Miami really high? I guess they're rating Whiteside and Winslow pretty high because everyone else on that roster is over the hill and neither Whiteside nor Winslow have me 100% convinced yet.

[Atzar]

While I appreciate the love, there's no way I'd objectively rank the Celtics over the Spurs.  Their front office/coaching is at least as good as ours and Leonard and Aldridge are more valuable than any asset we have.

[dreamgreen]

I like the Nets are last!

[billysan]

Wow, the Bulls, Mavericks and Bucks all falling significantly.

I would love to hear the reasoning behind those other than Dirks age for Dallas

[BitterJim]

This is nice, but as Ford wrote, Ainge is going to have to make the most out of the assetts and turn them into real players. That means drafting smart and actually making a trade with some of these picks/projects he has.

Isn't Miami really high? I guess they're rating Whiteside and Winslow pretty high because everyone else on that roster is over the hill and neither Whiteside nor Winslow have me 100% convinced yet.

I think Miami that high because they still have a good team (helps with players), have good management, are an attractive destination, and are willing to spend

[colincb]

While I appreciate the love, there's no way I'd objectively rank the Celtics over the Spurs.  Their front office/coaching is at least as good as ours and Leonard and Aldridge are more valuable than any asset we have.

I'd have the Spurs a bit lower, but I think we'd be quibbling if we talk about being in the same neighborhood versus being in difference tiers. We're both easily top ten teams in terms of future assets.

Ford:

The Spurs drop to No. 4 in our rankings after a surprising loss in the second round of the playoffs to the Thunder that made them look old. Landing LaMarcus Aldridge via free agency turned into a win for them, and Kawhi Leonard continues to emerge as one of the best two-way players in the league. But after those two, there are serious question marks across the board.

Tim Duncan had another strong season for his age but looked out of gas in the playoffs. Manu Ginobili's and Tony Parker's games also seem to be increasingly affected by their age. There are some serious questions the Spurs will have to answer this summer -- whether Duncan and Ginobili retire or not.

However, our faith in the culture that Gregg Popovich and Buford have built in San Antonio as president/coach and GM, respectively, remains stronger than ever. In every edition of the Future Power Rankings, the Spurs have been rated No. 1 in management. If anyone can answer the coming questions, they can.