NBA: Low ranked teams who might make the 2011 playoffs
Every year, predictions are made by basketball experts, critics and fans across the world on the likely teams that will make it to the playoffs next year. Predictions usually flow in when the drafting season and free-agency is over, and teams’ start to judge their potential for the next season.
By judging their previous performances, the Miami Heat, Los Angeles Lakers and Chicago Bulls are expected to make it to the top. Their odds to win the Championship will sky rocket if any one of the three teams is successful in bringing Tracy McGrady to its roster. However, there are teams who don’t make it to the playoffs each year. These teams are known as the “sleepers” which usually consist of young players. Here is a list of sleepers that might join the rat race next year for the 2011 playoffs:
Oklahoma City Thunder is a franchise that has only made it to the playoffs for the first time this year. It’s the only franchise in the NBA that has the youngest leader in the shape of Kevin Durant who is only 21 years old. Kevin, along with the teams point guard Russell Westbrook, helped the team to the playoffs for the first time in NBA history. However, the team lost to the Los Angeles Lakers in the first round. They still shocked the world by giving the Lakers a tough time by winning two games from them.
The Milwaukee Bucks have won one championship ever since it was created in 1968, thanks to legendary player Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Since then, Milwaukee has been renowned to be one of the most inconsistent teams in the association. Experts predict that the only thing that the team could boast about is obtaining the number 1 pick in the 2005 drafts. The team fortunately got hold of Andrew Bogut, who had a great impact on the team for a couple of years by averaging 20 points per game. However, Bogut’s reign came to an end as the 7 foot tall player faced various injuries which considerably slowed down his progress. Nevertheless, the team’s long time star player Michael Redd, who did not play in the playoffs this year due to injuries, is going to return to the court in 2011. The player, who has scored up to 27 points per game, is the only hope that Milwaukee could bank on for the next season.
The Washington Wizards is yet another unfortunate team in the running. The last time they made it to the finals or won a championship was more than 30 years ago. Like many previous years, the Wizards could not make it to the playoffs. However, as soon as the draft season was complete, it all changed for them as they say. The Washington Wizards, after a decade long period, got to choose the first pick in the drafting season this year. They selected John Wall, a 19-year-old player, who left scout in shock after they watched him play at the University of Kentucky. Experts concluded that he might still be a teenager but he has the ability to lead a team and his aptitude to explode on court is astonishing. With a smooth player like Gilbert Arenas on the team to back up and mentor the young player, basketball enthusiasts insist that the Washington Wizards, by next year, will not only qualify for the next playoffs, but pass the 1st round and give other teams a lot of trouble.
Experts say if these three teams need to secure their future and not waste their money which they do every year on players that don’t even deserve to be in the NBA, they need to change their style and thought process. The franchises need to learn how to mould and shape their young players into stars and keep them motivated instead of making them into players who only want to be part of the league to earn some hard cash.
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