20. Charlotte Bobcats (21): I don’t know why, but the Bobcats are apparently looking to ship out Stephen Jackson and/or Gerald Wallace – the only two substantial players the have on their roster. Without them, they fall from bad, past worse, and into god-awful.
19. Utah Jazz (17): Whatever problem this team has, they need to fix it soon, because like New Orleans, if they don’t figure out their game plan, Memphis and Portland are quickly rising and ready to overtake any team who shows any signs of struggles or complacency.
18. New York Knicks (18): Even if they do trade for Carmelo, I really don’t think it will make them much better if they have to give up half of their roster. If they lose Felton, Chandler and Gallo from their starting lineup, that’s going to be too much for them to overcome when playing great, deep teams such as Boston and Chicago.
17. Phoenix Suns (16): They had no representation at All-Star weekend this year, and rightfully so. Steve Nash is in the twilight of his career, and with essentially no help around him, the Suns are going to be hard-pressed to rise much further than this – especially with no defense to their name.
16. Golden State Warriors (19): As exciting as Golden State’s high-octane offense is, it’s so frustrating to know that by adding ONE defensive minded player to their starting lineup could transform this team into a playoff contender.
Next: 15-11
