Foreman
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Here is the official rank based off of my calculations of how each franchise has performed over the course of this league. The calculation was based off of regular season win %, total playoff games and the win % in those games, playoff appearances, finals appearances, and championships. All playoff related success makes up a bigger portion of the total number than regular season success.
Let's break the ranking down into groups of 10 starting with...
The Top Ten:
The Bullets top the ranks due to their league leading (tied) 4 championships. They have also won 58% of their playoff games, which is second to only the Suns*.
The Timberwolves, Suns*, Magic, and Heat round out the top 5, but have all found success in different ways. The Timberwolves have made it to the finals 6 times, but have only won twice. The Suns* have made it to the finals 7 times and have won 4 times, while also holding a 61.3% win rating in the playoffs. The Magic have only won 1 title, but have the most regular season wins at 1526 along with the most playoff appearances at 26. The Heat start the drop off of success, as they have only appeared in 2 finals, but have won both times.
The Grizzlies, Bulls, Nuggets, Hawks, and Bucks all have won at least one championship, but their back and forth tanking and competing have dropped them to the back half of the top 10.
The Next Ten:
Things get a little interesting here. The Jazz fall just outside of the top ten, but do have 1 championship in 2 finals appearances. The Celtics have appeared in and won 3 championships, but due to them either heavily tanking or heavily competing, they've done a bit worse as a franchise than the teams above them with less championships.
The Nets, Sonics, and Spurs all have one championship, but have been pretty average around that. The remaining teams on this list are still looking for their first championship, but will probably remain in the middle of the pack.
The Final Nine:
This group involves the teams that have found little regular season or playoff success. Surprisingly, the Pacers have a championship and still appear in this group. The reasoning for that likely falls on the third worst regular season win % in the league behind the Raptors and 76ers.
In the seasons to come, some teams like the Blazers, Pacers, and Mavericks could possibly find themselves leaving this group, but with this group mainly consisting of the forever tankers or constantly middling teams, it might take some extra work to move up.
The Hornets, Pistons, and Raptors have all had pieces, but have never been able to find consistent success. The Raptors have only appeared in the playoffs 6 times, while all other franchises are in the double digits.
Now, let's look at 3 teams who could rise and 3 teams who could fall over the next 5 to 10 seasons:
Potential Risers:
1. Cleveland Cavaliers - The Cavs have a young core and have already shown success with last season's best record in the east. If they can string together a couple finals runs, they could start to approach the top ten.
2. San Antonio Spurs - Similar to the Cavs, the Spurs stars are all on the good side of 30, which leaves room for them to make a few more finals runs. With the west being as open as it is, the Spurs should remain on top for several seasons to come, and will also start approaching the top ten.
3. Houston Rockets - The Rockets have a great young core in Fox, Jamal, and Ant. Once they're able to make their team a little deeper, they could start going back and forth with the Spurs in the Midwest Division. While the Cavs and Spurs will move up to around the top 13, the Rockets will probably approach the top 15 after a few seasons.
Honorable Mentions: Portland Trail Blazers, Indiana Pacers, Dallas Mavericks, New Jersey Nets
Potential Fallers:
1. Miami Heat - The Heat will more than likely soon be entering a rebuild, which will allow some of the other constant competitors to move up. Depending on how long they're stuck in that rebuild will determine if the end up falling out of the top ten.
2. Utah Jazz - The Jazz future does not look exciting outside of Luka. I do see them being able to piece together winning seasons, but more championship ready teams like the Spurs and Rockets will likely pass them up in the West.
3. Los Angeles Clippers - Donkey was able to middle with above average success for awhile, but with the team trade that took place, the Clippers may be entering a dark spot where they'll drop into the bottom 5. The Blazers, Pacers, and Mavericks are all set up for success as of now, while the Clippers don't seem to have a path at the moment.
Honorable Mentions: Minnesota Timberwolves, Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks
I hope everyone enjoyed this, and maybe I'll provide an updated rankings after a few seasons that takes a look back at this article.
Let's break the ranking down into groups of 10 starting with...
The Top Ten:
The Bullets top the ranks due to their league leading (tied) 4 championships. They have also won 58% of their playoff games, which is second to only the Suns*.
The Timberwolves, Suns*, Magic, and Heat round out the top 5, but have all found success in different ways. The Timberwolves have made it to the finals 6 times, but have only won twice. The Suns* have made it to the finals 7 times and have won 4 times, while also holding a 61.3% win rating in the playoffs. The Magic have only won 1 title, but have the most regular season wins at 1526 along with the most playoff appearances at 26. The Heat start the drop off of success, as they have only appeared in 2 finals, but have won both times.
The Grizzlies, Bulls, Nuggets, Hawks, and Bucks all have won at least one championship, but their back and forth tanking and competing have dropped them to the back half of the top 10.
The Next Ten:
Things get a little interesting here. The Jazz fall just outside of the top ten, but do have 1 championship in 2 finals appearances. The Celtics have appeared in and won 3 championships, but due to them either heavily tanking or heavily competing, they've done a bit worse as a franchise than the teams above them with less championships.
The Nets, Sonics, and Spurs all have one championship, but have been pretty average around that. The remaining teams on this list are still looking for their first championship, but will probably remain in the middle of the pack.
The Final Nine:
This group involves the teams that have found little regular season or playoff success. Surprisingly, the Pacers have a championship and still appear in this group. The reasoning for that likely falls on the third worst regular season win % in the league behind the Raptors and 76ers.
In the seasons to come, some teams like the Blazers, Pacers, and Mavericks could possibly find themselves leaving this group, but with this group mainly consisting of the forever tankers or constantly middling teams, it might take some extra work to move up.
The Hornets, Pistons, and Raptors have all had pieces, but have never been able to find consistent success. The Raptors have only appeared in the playoffs 6 times, while all other franchises are in the double digits.
Now, let's look at 3 teams who could rise and 3 teams who could fall over the next 5 to 10 seasons:
Potential Risers:
1. Cleveland Cavaliers - The Cavs have a young core and have already shown success with last season's best record in the east. If they can string together a couple finals runs, they could start to approach the top ten.
2. San Antonio Spurs - Similar to the Cavs, the Spurs stars are all on the good side of 30, which leaves room for them to make a few more finals runs. With the west being as open as it is, the Spurs should remain on top for several seasons to come, and will also start approaching the top ten.
3. Houston Rockets - The Rockets have a great young core in Fox, Jamal, and Ant. Once they're able to make their team a little deeper, they could start going back and forth with the Spurs in the Midwest Division. While the Cavs and Spurs will move up to around the top 13, the Rockets will probably approach the top 15 after a few seasons.
Honorable Mentions: Portland Trail Blazers, Indiana Pacers, Dallas Mavericks, New Jersey Nets
Potential Fallers:
1. Miami Heat - The Heat will more than likely soon be entering a rebuild, which will allow some of the other constant competitors to move up. Depending on how long they're stuck in that rebuild will determine if the end up falling out of the top ten.
2. Utah Jazz - The Jazz future does not look exciting outside of Luka. I do see them being able to piece together winning seasons, but more championship ready teams like the Spurs and Rockets will likely pass them up in the West.
3. Los Angeles Clippers - Donkey was able to middle with above average success for awhile, but with the team trade that took place, the Clippers may be entering a dark spot where they'll drop into the bottom 5. The Blazers, Pacers, and Mavericks are all set up for success as of now, while the Clippers don't seem to have a path at the moment.
Honorable Mentions: Minnesota Timberwolves, Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, New York Knicks
I hope everyone enjoyed this, and maybe I'll provide an updated rankings after a few seasons that takes a look back at this article.
