The expected heavy hitters like the Bucks, the LA teams, Utah and Denver have started the season on track, whilst some surprising sides in Boston, Dallas, Toronto and Miami have inserted themselves into the conversation. However, not every franchise has been able to make it cleanly off the starting blocks.

Today, Inside Sport takes a look at the teams that, more than likely, can kiss their playoff hopes goodbye for this season.

 

New York Knicks

Let's start with the low hanging fruit, shall we?

So many virtual trees have been sacrificed to log the trials and tribulations of the Knicks over the years – there's no need to rehash them right now.

This season, though, was one where the Knicks brass expected to make a playoff push even after striking out in free agency.

What has occurred through is a conference worst 4-12 record, bolstered by a pair of revenge victories over former Golden Child Kristaps Porzingis' Mavericks.

The additions the team did make haven't proven to be fruitful.

Julius Randle puts up nice looking lines, but is that most wonderful of things: a ball hog on offence and a turnstile on defense. Bobby Portis has had some moments, but that's his career in a nutshell: big flourishes punctuating weeks of below average production.

Despite the rose tinted spectacles of the front office, this was never going to be a playoff season in the Big Apple, but to be on track for a measly 20 wins is not what even the pessimists had in mind.

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Memphis Grizzlies

After years of chasing their tail in keeping the famed Grit'n'Grind era alive, Memphis finally embraced the rebuild in 2019 with the trades of Marc Gasol and Mike Conley.

Unlike the Knicks, who are caught in never ending maelstrom of incompetence, the Grizzlies are a team with a future.

This team is young (2nd youngest in the league if you discount the exiled Andre Iguodala) and talented. Ja Morant is very, very real. He's supported by a talented young squad where the only contributor over th4 age of 27 is role player Jae Crowder.

The roster is long, athletic and oozing with potential which has shown itself in fits and starts this season, as is to be expected from such an inexperienced lineup.

Even their head coach, 35 year old Taylor Jenkins, is in his first lead role.

This is not an overnight fix – this core is going to take time to develop both as individual players, and as a team trying to reinvent itself. A 5-10 record at this stage of the season, especially considering injuries to starting front court Jonas Valanciunas and Jaren Jackson Jr, will not alarm the front office, nor should it concern the fans at FedExForum.

The Grizz are doing things the right way.

Oklahoma City

As long as Westbrook was around, the Thunder were always going to compete. Losing Paul George to the Clippers meant that even Russ saw the writing on the wall and he eventually was traded to play alongside his old running mate in James Harden.

So, rebuild right? It's not that cut and dried in OKC.

In return for their superstars, the Thunder got a gem in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as well as a truck load of draft picks. However they also picked up a pair of excellent veterans in Danilo Gallinari and Chris Paul.

CP3 may be ageing, but he's still one of the best in the business at running an offence and getting to his spots. Gallo came into the league as a small forward, but is pretty much the prototypical 4 in this era. He's averaging his standard 19 points and 5 rebounds with great shooting splits.

These two make it difficult for the Thunder to out and out tank. Whilst the rest of the roster has no real quality outside of SGA, Paul, Gallo & Steven Adams, that foursome mean they're too good to bottom out and not really good enough for a Western Conference playoff spot.

So it seems likely that General Manager Sam Presti will look to strip down the roster. Gallo is an easy trade: so many teams need a stretchy power forward who can create and isn't a total liability on defense. Plus, he's on an expiring deal.

Paul on the other hand....his contract isn't going to age well.

He's getting $38 million this year and has a player option on $44 million for the 2022 season, when he'll be 36 years old.

There are trade destinations for Paul in Miami and Minnesota, but they're likely playing too well to rock the boat and trade for him.

All in all, this team might have the talent to make the playoffs if the roster stays intact. Don't bet on that happening.

San Antonio Spurs

This is going to be the season, isn't it. Sure, we've all thought it before and been proven wrong, but surely this is the season that San Antonio misses the playoffs for the first time this millennium.

The 6-11 Spurs broke their 8 game skid (which coach Popovich handled in his usual style) with a win in New York. As that record suggests, the Spurs are just not all that talented.

The club have made a living out of finding gems in trades (Kawhi Leonard), late 1st rounders (Dejounte Murray) or picking up other teams cast offs (Rudy Gay and Patty Mills).

The magic couldn't last forever though, and this season the time has come for the Spurs to finally pay the piper.

The teams main player, LaMarcus Aldridge, is ageing and DeMar DeRozan is just not cut out to be the main man on a good NBA team. The rest of the team are either older role players or limited youngsters.

Murray and Derrick White have oodles of potential, but neither project as offensive stars.

Perhaps it's time to see what 2018 draft pick Lonnie Walker IV can do?

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Detroit Pistons

The NBA's 'meh' team sit 5-11. Only a game and a half behind Orlando for 8th spot, but they just seem so much further away that that.

The Pistons have a few household names, but that's all.

Kudos to Blake Griffin for reinventing his game as his all world athleticism declined, but no matter how you cut it, he's not a superstar these days. Contract Year Andre Drummond is a beast, but despite the gaudy rebounding numbers and solid defensive stats, the big man has never shown that he can contribute to winning basketball. Derrick Rose's comeback is a great story for all of us with ligaments made of shortbread, but these days he's nothing more than a microwave scorer off the bench.

The rest of the roster is uninspiring.

Luke Kennard is developing into a nice complimentary piece, but that's offset by anything 'Root Canal Reggie' Jackson (tip of the cap to Ben Golliver) barfs up game to game.

Draft failures like Stanley Johnson, Henry Ellenson and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope make Kennard the exception that proves how poorly the Pistons have handled their chances to improve organically.

Yes, the Pistons made the playoffs last season, but the East is improving around them whilst they – at best – tread water.

It could be a long wait for another playoff appearance in Motor City.

Atlanta Hawks

For the sake of this article, lets dub the Hawks as Memphis East.

Much like the Grizz, the Hawks have many of the foundation pieces in place, and are just waiting for them to mature and develop.

It all starts with Trae Young.

The diminutive point guard is doing his best to make the Hawks draft night trade to acquire him for Luka Doncic look like a push. Young's ability to hit the deep trey makes the highlight reels, but it's his passing that is so important to his team.

GM Travis Schlenk is building a solid roster around his Jewel.

Springy forward John Collins is the perfect running mate for Young, with his ability to catch and finish, hit the outside shot and attack the close out. His 25 game PED suspension opened the door for former #2 pick Jabari Parker (still somehow only 24 years old), who has made the most of his opportunity.

Atlanta have an ace catch and shoot wing in Kevin Huerter and a potential do-it-all wing in rookie Cam Reddish.

Atlanta's 4-12 record - tied with New York for the foot of the conference – is skewed by Collins' absence and an injury to young that only kept him out of 1 game, but clearly hobbled him for a few upon his return.

The Hawks are close, but this isn't the year the Hawks rejoin the dance.

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Cleveland Cavaliers

The deal with the devil that you make when you have LeBron James on your team, is that tomorrow never comes. You're always building for the present, future be damned.

The problem with that is what happens if/when LeBron skips town?

LeBron's defection to Hollywood a season ago, as expected, left the Cavs a shell of themselves.

To the team's credit, the rebuild began straight away, with veterans like George Hill, JR Smith and Kyle Korver all jettisoned. In fact, no Cav over the age of 27 played in half of their games last season. Not that it was all planned as 30 year old Kevin Love was limited to just 22 games due to injury.

That robbed the team of it's best player but also the front office of an important trade chip, with teams reluctant to bet on Love's health.

That's delayed the rebuild, but Love's play (and ability to stay) on the court means he should get traded, adding draft picks to a young back court of Collin Sexton and Darius Garland and wing Cedi Osman.

Like all post LeBron rebuilds, this might take a while.

Washington Wizards

The Wizards are currently 5-8 and tied with Orlando for the 8th seed in the Easter Conference. So why are they a lock to miss the playoffs? The short answer: defense.

This team is a blast to watch. They race up and down the floor, zip passes from corner to corner and fire from deep at a rapid rate. The team currently have 6 players scoring in double figures, led by Bradley Beal's 30.3 per game.

Box plus/minus tells a story with these Wizards, though.

On offence 7 players are in the positive and six of those are regular rotation pieces, with rookie Rui Hachimura not far off on -0.1. On defense? Thomas Bryant at 0.3 is the only rotation player not in the red.

There's no silver bullet or knight in shining armour coming to save this team, either – despite what injured point guard John Wall may think.

Wall has always been an astonishing shot blocker for a guard, but his overall defense has really only topped out as above average. But at age 29, with a history of serious leg injuries and, shall we say, conditioning issues, will Wall be the same player he once was at either end of the floor?

The Wiz will be a fun ride this year, but the offence surely isn't sustainable. They'll be on the outside looking in.

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Golden State Warriors

Depending on your point of view, this is either incredibly hard to watch, or unbelievably funny. Either way, this wasn't supposed to happen to Golden State.

Even taking into account the Durant defection and Klay Thompson's ACL tear, the Dubs were supposed to sneak into the playoffs, maybe get Klay back and spring a surprise or two.

However, the injury curse that plagued them in the last postseason hasn't gone away, with Draymond Green, D'Angelo Russell and of course Steph Curry all going down for extended periods so far this season.

At a league worst 3-14, it's a lock that the Warriors will miss the playoffs for the first time since 2012. However don't expect this to be an extended break, like that run of a single postseason appearance in 18 years. This Warriors team is still incredibly talented, once healthy.

Of course, missing the playoffs could be a Godsend for the team and their efforts to prolong the dynasty.

The Warriors are absolutely getting an early rest this season, but they'll be back in 2020/21, with something to prove.

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