[BadBoysParticipant]

Being a Detroit Pistons fan I was growing a little tired of seeing the same core players every year. I am excited that the they blew up the team and decided to go in a new direction.

I looked at the cores of all the teams that missed the playoffs last year (included the Pistons because they were an 8 seed and blew up the team to try to rebuild on the fly).

Looking at the next 5 years how would you rank the following young cores for these teams:

Durant/Westbrook/Harden
Harris/Lopez/Lee
Mayo/Gay/Thabeet
Griffin/Gordon/Thornton
Ellis/Curry/Randolph
Flynn/Love/Jefferson
Evans/Thompson/Hawes
Gordon/Stuckey/Villenueva

My Rankings:
1. Durant/Westbrook/Harden
Durant the best player out of all listed. Westbrook proved himself his rookie year. Harden should be very solid pro. Need big man on this team though.

2. Mayo/Gay/Thabeet
Mayo and Gay both have All-Star potential. Thabeet could provide the Mutombo like defense.

3. Griffin/Gordon/Thornton
Gordon has 25ppg potential, griffin looks like a cant miss 20-10, Thornton proven to be solid.

4. Harris/Lopez/Lee
Harris already a all-star. Lopez should be second best center in East for years to come. Lee solid but no-all star potential

5.Gordon/Stuckey/Villenueva
Gordon proven scorer. Stuckey has huge upside and already 14-5-5. Villenueva solid at PF.

6. Ellis/Curry/Randolph
Ellis great scorer. I am not sold on Curry being a good pro. Randolph has all the potential in the world but needs to do it in real games this year not summer league.

7. Jefferson/Love/Flynn
Could put Rubio here instead of Flynn but he might never get to Minn. Jefferson great post player but is coming back from serious knee injury. Love will be solid starting PF. Lots of questions about Flynn and ability to be distributing PG.

8. Evans/Thompson/Martin
This team is terrible and looks to be for years. Martin scorer. Evans should be solid. Hawes/Thompson I dont see as being All-Stars.

[R-Dot-13Participant]

I like this, but i personally think the Nets should be ahead of LA, Harris is an all star, Lopez will be, and I personally think Lee has all star potential, but LA and NJ are close IMO, plus the Warriors also have Morrow too, and he should be good.
But i like this list .

[td8118Participant]

How do you not have POR

Roy/Aldridge/Oden is as good as any 3 on this list and all are under 25

[BadBoysParticipant]

As my post says….this is a list of teams (not including Det) that missed the playoffs. Yes if we included teams that made the playoffs then you could also add.

Rose/Thomas/Noah
Roy/Oden/Aldridge
Johnson/Smith/Horford

[jeff416Participant]

Memphis has the best and they have more than 3 players for there core your forgetting Conley and Gasol.

[TeezyG13Participant]

I know you made the list for teams that didn’t make playoffs so how bout Toronto? Bosh, Bargnani, and Derozan if you want upside or Calderson for a sure thing, nice young core for sure

[Anton123Participant]

Evans/Martin/Thompson/Hawes
Thompson is a solid PF
Hawes is a very good center (just missing all star)
Martin is a potential All Star
Evans should be a good PG
After next years draft they should be a solid fully loaded team, they have done a nice job getting rid of overpaid veterans

[Toronto16Participant]

I really like the Thunders and Blazers team. Also I can’t leave out Toronto which has a nice young core as well.

[grizz_fan7Participant]

The Thunder have the best single player in their core (Durant) but I would have to say the Grizzlies have the best overall core
PG-Conley(potential borderline all star)
SG-Mayo(potential superstar)
SF-Gay(potential superstar)
PF-Next years pick
C-Gasol(Potential Borderline all star)
Sixth Man-Thabeet(Potential defensive stopper)

VS

PG-Westbrook(potential all star)
SG-Harden(potential borderline all star)
SF-Durant(superstar)
PF-Green(very very good role player)
C-Mullens?(bust?)
Sixth Man-Sefolosha(great defensive stopper)

Looks pretty even to me

[grizz_fan7Participant]

I also like NJ’s core but they dont have much other than lopez,harris, and lee

[festar35Participant]

You got Ben Gordon and Devin Harris are the same age as Granger so why not list Granger/Rush/Hibbert? I would also have Green in the OKC team rather than Harden.

[redbaboonParticipant]

i’m finally happy to see the pistons getting some love, i think if they suck this year, and get a top lotto pick, in a draft with potentially alot of good big men, they could be a very good playoff team. But, i agree about jeff green. he plays like a role player, but is probably the best young “role player” in the league. we know durant is a superstar. i say hands down okc has the best young nucleus. other teams are deeper, but that’s not the question, i think the difference between playoff teams and these teams, isn’t the development of their nucleus, but is their depth. chicago went out the first round, but still could afford to have ben gordon off the bench, i think these teams need time not only to develop their nucleus, but to add depth just as much, but that’s nothing a couple good drafts can’t fix.

[Dtay2152Participant]

i know your listing the teams that didnt make the playoffs but any discussion about young cores have to include the blazers. roy alderidge and oden and then you have bayless who is probably the starting pointguard in the next couple of years rudy fernandez off the bench who could be starting on a number of teams and batum who could develop scottie pippen or at least a defensive stopper. blazers have as much if not more young talent as any team in the league and all the potential in the world

[quincey hodges]

it still remains to be seen is bayless can play the point guard position..i dont think the blazers have much hope seeing as they started blake over him then went and signed miller and after the way he ran the point in summer leauge (and during the nba season)i cant blame them

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