Even with training camp still months away, it’s never too early for a Dime NBA Hit List. The free agent frenzy that has gripped the L for the last few weeks has done its best to tip the scales of power (see: the rise of the Bucks and the Cavs). If the season were to start today, this is how we would rank the teams… 30. New Orleans Hornets - Hornets fans, take solace in the old saying, "You have to go through hell to get to heaven." In case you don’t realize it, hell was last season. And maybe the year before that too. The Hornets may not win many more games than the 18 they came up with last season, but with Chris Paul in the mix tossing ‘oops to J.R. Smith, better days are ahead. 29. Atlanta Hawks - You know it’s bad when you can’t give away $70 million. On the bright side, Salim Stoudamire has been absolutely killing in his limited summer league run. 28. Charlotte Bobcats - They’re young, they have three former NCAA champions on their roster and Nelly is a part owner. At the very least, they’ll get up and down and sell a bunch of tickets. 27. Toronto Raptors - GM Rob Babcock is praying that Charlie Villanueva will make him look like a genius right from opening night. A slow start from their lottery pick will have everyone (including us), begging to know why they didn’t snag Mr. Do-It-All, Danny Granger, when they had the chance. 26. Los Angeles Clippers - We thought about sticking them at the very bottom because we still can’t understand their draft. Yaroslav Korolev ? Really? With Danny Granger, Gerald Green and everyone else still on the board? So frustrating… 25. Los Angeles Lakers - They could be lower simply for the fact that for the second year in a row, Chucky Atkins is their starting point guard. But they do have Kobe and Lamar Odom, and Phil is back on the sidelines. Gotta be worth something right? 24. New York Knicks - The Larry Brown hire is inevitable at this point, but what can he even do with this squad? The first step will be to cut Allan Houston. After that, it’s up to LB to mend fences with Steph – easier said than done. 23. Utah Jazz - Unfortunately for Utah, last season was a wasted year. Remember, before Andrei Kirelinko went down, the Jazz were rolling. This season, with the addition of a floor general in Deron Williams, they could be playing sweet music come playoff time in Salt Lake. 22. Golden State Warriors - During the final two or three weeks of the regular season, there wasn’t a more entertaining team to watch in the NBA. Baron and J-Rich were running on all cylinders and it was entertaining as hell. For the fun to continue, Baron needs to stay healthy – something he really hasn’t ever been able to do. 21. Orlando Magic - If Jameer is at the point and Steve Francis plays the two, then Hill plays the three and Howard plays the four. Lottery pick Fran Vasquez can play the five and the Magic could be really good this year. Wait, it can’t be that easy right? Know this though: Dwight is going to be a beast this year… this is a team on the move. 20. Philadelphia 76ers - Willie Green: six years, $20 million? Kyle Korver: six years, $27 million? Samuel Dalembert: six years, $70 million? If Billy King’s signings don’t work out, at least he’ll be going out in a blaze of glory. 19. Portland Trail Blazers - Why do they get love? Zach is back and the "Baby Blazers" are in full effect. Travis Outlaw, Martell Webster, Sebastian Telfair - it’s like a Frat party up in there. But does that equal wins yet? 18. Washington Wizards - We’ll give the Wizards front office credit. When they lost Larry Hughes, they didn’t panic. Instead they dealt Kwame Brown (who they were going to lose anyway) for Caron Butler and Antonio Daniels to soften the loss of Larry. They’re front line is still sketchy though… 17. Seattle Supersonics - Nate is gone but admired assistant Weiss is in. Ray & Co. will try to build on the surprising run they had last season. Losing Jerome James might hurt worse than anyone is predicting, especially with the possibility of losing Vlad Radmonovic and Reggie Evans to free agency as well. Who will help Nick Collison on the front line? 16. Milwaukee Bucks - The Bucks are clearly tired of being mediocre. Check out their moves this offseason: they drafted Andrew Bogut, stole Bobby Simmons from the Clips, hired Terry Stotts to coach and kept Michael Redd in town with a max deal. Throw in the return of T.J. Ford and you basically have a whole new team in Milwaukee. 15. Boston Celtics - The Celts are the most unpredictable team in this whole lineup. Pierce? Payton? ‘Toine? Will they all be back? None of them? Whatever happens, their core crew of young guys – Tony Allen, Delonte West, Al Jefferson and rookie Gerald Green – are all gonna be nasty. 14. Memphis Grizzlies - They lost Stromile Swift to the Rockets, but picked up Hakim Warrick in the draft. It seems like the Grizzlies are always in the middle of the pack. Although the deal to free themselves of Bonzi Wells to get Bobby Jackson and Kirk Snyder in return was a nice move. 13. Sacramento Kings - Maybe we’re being generous by granting them a place this high. Because once you get past Peja and Bibby, it gets a little dicey. It looks like they’re letting their next best scoring option – Cat Mobley – sign with the Clips. Geoff Petri has proven time and again that he’s a genius, so we have to think he has something in the works. 12. Minnesota Timberwolves - The Big Ticket is frustrated. He hates to lose and won’t let it happen again. With Flip gone and drama surrounding the team still, the Wolves may need another season to regroup. Don’t be surprised if K.G. takes them on his back into the first round. 11. New Jersey Nets - Vince showed signs of absolute dominance towards the end of the regular season but then promptly disappeared in the first round of the playoffs. With RJ back, though Carter and Kidd won’t have to shoulder as much of the load. And don’t sleep on Nenad Krstic. Kid is on his way to being one of the best centers in the East. 10. Chicago Bulls - Last year was no fluke. These young cats can ball and will continue to do so. It’s on the front office though to keep Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry, both restricted free agents, in the mix. 9. Denver Nuggets - The Nuggets had the misfortune of drawing the Spurs in the first round of the playoffs this year and were predictably dealt with. That’s ok though, because George Karl’s team wasn’t ready for the big-time yet. Another year together under Karl, and this team is dangerous come the second season. 8. Houston Rockets - Heading into year two of the T-Mac/Yao Ming combo, we’re still waiting for them to truly click. They love each other though, so it’s only a matter of time. They desperately needed to get more athletic in the offseason and addressed that issue by stealing Stromile Swift from the Grizzlies. 7. Cleveland Cavaliers - The only Eastern Conference team to get after it more than the Bucks this summer has been the Cavs. They re-signed Z, and added Larry Hughes and Donyell Marshall – both signings designed to fill a specific need. Did we mention that they also have a cat named LeBron? Ridiculous. 6. Dallas Mavericks - They’re a team in transition, but still good enough to best the majority of the League. As Dirk continues to improve, his sidekicks are dropping like flies. First Nash last season and it looks like Michael Finley is going to be cut outright. 5. Miami Heat - People will freak when they see that we have the Heat this low. They roll out strong with Flash and Shaq, but we still think they’re supporting cast is suspect. Damon Jones might still walk this summer and they’re in need of someone to take some minutes at the point. 4. Detroit Pistons - How will Flip change the chemistry of this team? They’ll still play selflessly and come at you with great D, but this is a team that is getting older. As good as they are and have been, their window is closing. 3. Indiana Pacers - We’ll say it right now: the Pacers will represent the Eastern Conference in the Finals this season. J.O. and Jamaal Tinsley are finally healthy. Ron Artest is back and will be on fire the entire season. They finally have another point guard with the signing of Sarunas Jasikevicius. Throw a wild card like rookie Danny Granger into the mix along with athletes like Stephen Jackson and Freddy Jones and this team can be scary. 2. Phoenix Suns - The #2 ranking is contingent on the Suns re-signing Joe Johnson. What looked like a lock just a month ago, now seems uncertain as the Suns new owner, Robert Sarver, might be getting cold feet parting ways with max money for JJ’s services. Assuming JJ does stay, they’ll enter next season with their core intact, including the reigning MVP and The Matrix. The most important piece though? No doubt, it’s Amare Stoudemire. The Spurs were helpless against him in the playoffs. Another offseason of adding strength and polishing his game will make him one of the three best players in the L. Count on it. 1. San Antonio Spurs - The best team in the game. Period. 다임 매거진에 오른 오프 시즌 현재의 랭킹. 1위 스퍼스, 밑으로 선스, 페이서스, 피스톤즈, 히트 다 수긍이 간다. 그런데 클블 7위는 너무 높은 듯 하다. 휴즈, 마샬 영입이 그리 컸던가? 25위 레이커스. 20위 정도로 매겨질 걸라 생각했는데 예상보다 더 떨어지는구나.