Which team will rule the next decade?

[Ashy Larry]

The Lakers may be the team of right now (and, perhaps, next season (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?page=SummerForecast10-NBAChamps), according to a majority of our panel of 93 NBA experts (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?page=SummerForecast10-TeamOfDecade#)). But will the reigning champs have to make way for the next wave over the next 10 years?


Pat Riley has assembled a virtual All-Star team in Miami, arming the Heat with three of the biggest young guns in the game in LeBron James (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?playerId=1966), Dwyane Wade (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?playerId=1987) and Chris Bosh (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?playerId=1977). And with South Beach's three brightest stars all under 30 years old, Miami appears primed to make its mark on the league for the foreseeable future.


But while the Heat were runaway winners this off-season, they'll have some stiff competition on the court. The Thunder stayed relatively silent throughout the summer despite having just one playoff appearance on their books. But with one of the game's rising stars in Kevin Durant (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?playerId=3202) and a roster brimming with young talent, some of our staff is already sold. And don't forget about the Lakers, whose case is made by one glance at their ring fingers.



For the current decade (January 1, 2010 to December 31, 2019), which team will be considered the greatest? Here's how we see things:



2010-11 Forecast: Team of the Decade

RANK
1 http://a.espncdn.com/i/teamlogos/nba/med/mia.gif
Miami Heat (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=mia)
2009-10 record: 47-35
Future Power Ranking: No. 1 (http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?page=FuturePowerRankings-1-100805)
Avg. age: 28 | '10 All-Stars: 3

56Votes





2 http://a.espncdn.com/i/teamlogos/nba/med/okc.gif
Oklahoma City Thunder (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=okc)
2009-10 record: 50-32
Future Power Ranking: No. 3 (http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?page=FuturePowerRankings-1-100805)
Avg. age: 24 | '10 All-Stars: 1

21 Votes





3 http://a.espncdn.com/i/teamlogos/nba/med/lal.gif
Los Angeles Lakers (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=lal)
2009-10 record: 57-25
Future Power Ranking: No. 2 (http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?page=FuturePowerRankings-1-100805)
Avg. age: 29 | '10 All-Stars: 2

11Votes





4 http://a.espncdn.com/i/teamlogos/nba/med/chi.gif
Chicago Bulls (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/clubhouse?team=chi)
2009-10 record: 41-41
Future Power Ranking: No. 4 (http://insider.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?page=FuturePowerRankings-1-100805)
Avg. age: 27 | '10 All-Stars: 1

2 Votes

Also receiving votes: L.A. Clippers (1), New York (1), Orlando (1)




Experts: Team of the Decade?

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Henry Abbott, TrueHoop: Miami Heat.
They're going to win a lot of games, draw a ton of attention, and shake up a lot of traditional ideas about how teams are formed, what traditional teams look like and who holds the power in the NBA. What has started as a story loaded with anger and betrayal will, with titles, come to look like a new model.



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J.A. Adande, ESPN.com: Miami Heat.
It might not happen immediately, but the Heat have too much talent and Pat Riley is too savvy to let it go to waste. Riley will patch up whatever holes become evident on the roster and address any coaching issues that come up (even if he handles them himself). You might hate them, but you'd better get used to seeing them in June.



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Kevin Arnovitz, TrueHoop: Miami Heat.
The Heat have three top-15 players in the primes of their careers. They certainly won't win every title, but they should be in the conversation for as long as their core remains in place.



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Larry Coon, ESPN.com: Miami Heat.
While 2011 won't be their year, the 2010s definitely will be their decade. Pat Riley will complete the remake over the next couple years, parlaying trades and midlevel signings into a solid supporting cast around (insert your favorite nickname for Bron, Wade and Bosh here). Once that happens, look out.



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Zach Harper, TrueHoop Network: Oklahoma City Thunder.
The reason I'm so high on the future of the Thunder is not because of Kevin Durant's scoring ability, Scott Brooks' seemingly brilliant coaching or Sam Presti being the perfect architect for a franchise designing a title run.
It's because they were a top-10 defensive team in the NBA last season, even though seven of their nine rotation players were under 26 years old. Getting a team this young to surround the best pure scorer in the NBA with great defense gives them a huge advantage in growing toward a title or three.




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John Hollinger, ESPN.com: Miami Heat.
Not only have they managed to put together a star-studded trio, but they should be able to add talent in the coming years by using their cap exceptions. The biggest threat isn't even from another team -- it's from the next collective bargaining agreement. A hard cap, or one that further restricts the use of exceptions, will wreak havoc with Miami's ability to augment the roster around Bosh, Wade and James.





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Chris Sheridan, ESPN.com: Oklahoma City Thunder.
It comes back to Kevin Durant, my pick for player of the decade (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?page=SummerForecast10-PlayerOfDecade), and what a special talent he is. The Thunder have also surrounded him with solid, young, complementary pieces that have only begun to scratch the surface of what they are capable of (especially Russell Westbrook (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?playerId=3468) and Serge Ibaka (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?playerId=3439); I am not as sold on Jeff Green (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/players/profile?playerId=3209)), and they have a great coach who is still young enough to relate to such a young team. If the core sticks together, the sky is the limit -- especially over the last five years of the decade.





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Marc Stein, ESPN.com: Los Angeles Lakers.
Hate to keep dragging the business side of the game into the discussion, but the prospect of a lockout and the uncertainty of what the next collective bargaining agreement will bring in terms of teams' ability to put pieces around their stars can't be ignored. The Heat have a better chance in this area than any one Heater has of denying Kobe in the player of the decade hunt, but the worst-case lockout/CBA scenarios give the Lakers another leg up here.


http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?page=SummerForecast10-TeamOfDecade

[Venti Quattro]

Marc Stein loves the Lakers :lmao

[TheMACHINE]

without major fall out (ie. Hatred in the locker room or Kobe announcing he has HIV)....the lakers will be able to rebuild failry easily.

[ambchang]

As long as the Californian economy doesn't collapse, it will be the Lakers. We will see in 2013 that somehow the Lakers will be able to trade a rotting coarpse of Fisher, 2 2nd round picks, and the rights to Luke Walton for Dwight Howard, a first round pick, and $2 million in cash.

[Giuseppe]

That'd make it like O & 53!

Christ, I'm tumescent.

[TheMACHINE]

when Kobe retires, we'll get OJ Mayo to take his place and put Anthony Randolph as our 6th man and drop LO.

[Ashy Larry]

Heat can have the next decade on lock ... you can say they have three of the top fifteen players in the league. But South Florida won't care. If you would seen that last parade they had you would have thought those people gathered for the L.A. Sparks. Was pretty sad to see so few people.

Hell, Dolphins games blacked out and empty seats at two Florida Marlin World Series games should tell you all you need to know about that fan base.

[resistanze]

when Kobe retires, we'll get OJ Mayo to take his place and put Anthony Randolph as our 6th man and drop LO.

Nope. Durant and Howard.

[TheMACHINE]

Nope. Durant and Howard.

sounds good with me! but i was beaing more realistic. buahaha

[Kevin Durant 35]

Thunders gonna be like the Spurs in the last decade imo, But Heat will probably own the decade..

[HeatChamps]

No one will beat the Heat for a long time. Easy choice here.

[JamStone]

Has to be Miami.

But I'll bring up a darkhorse from the Western Conference that could become the best team in the decade out west... Portland Trailblazers. Lol, hey it could happen.

Now go clean yourself up, tlongII.

[jason54858]

As long as the Californian economy doesn't collapse, it will be the Lakers. We will see in 2013 that somehow the Lakers will be able to trade a rotting coarpse of Fisher, 2 2nd round picks, and the rights to Luke Walton for Dwight Howard, a first round pick, and $2 million in cash.

Well if that's the case then it wont be the Lakers.:lol I hate to say it but its gonna be the Heat's decade.

[Amaso]

The Lakers will always be relevant, just like the Yankees. Odds are it will be the Lakers again.

[JamStone]

The Lakers will always be relevant, just like the Yankees. Odds are it will be the Lakers again.

Relevant doesn't mean they'll be the team of the decade.

Lakers in the 1990s? Yankees in the 1980s?

[8FOR!3]

The safe picks in this order are MIA, OKC, LA.

But in all honesty, the Spurs are going for 5 more in the next 10 years. :toast It can be done. :lol

[Ace]

The Lakers will always be relevant, just like the Yankees. Odds are it will be the Lakers again.
No not really :nope

[Darrin]

With the lack of contenders in the Western Conference once San Antonio, the LA Lakers, Phoenix Suns, and Dallas Mavericks finally collapse, I could see one team dominating the Western Conference in this decade. The only team I see with the system, the best player, and the skill in drafting to be that team is the Oklahoma City Thunder. Sacramento may enjoy some time as a Conference contender. I like their nucleus. Portland still cannot stay healthy and they will have to open the purse-strings to keep half of their talent. They remind me of the late-90s LA Lakers with Elden Campbell, Eddie Jones, Derek Fisher, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal, and Nick Van Exel. They had to clear out some of the talent to make a nucleus and afford the team. I think that will have to happen in Portland for them to go anywhere. And injuries to Roy and Oden are still a concern. Houston and Utah might be okay if they can avoid the injury bug. I think Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony will have to find team success by leaving their current cities and where they end up, I don't know.

My point is that it will be much easier for a West team to make 8 trips in 10 years to the NBA Finals than it will be in the East, which is growing into the deeper of the two Conferences, if you look 5 years down the road. That doesn't mean the West will have the title favorite year-in and year-out. So we may be looking at an Atlanta Braves/Buffalo Bills-type conundrum: what is the great accomplishment--3 titles in 10 years or 7 Finals trips in the same amount of time?

[HarlemHeat37]

:lol Is this a serious question?..are the people that didn't vote for Miami unaware of what happened during Free Agency?..

[Giuseppe]

The safe picks in this order are MIA, OKC, LA.

But in all honesty, the Spurs are going for 5 more in the next 10 years. :toast It can be done. :lol

The Skunker withstanding.

[Cane]

Easily the Heat and they're only going to get better in the coming years. Crazy that Pat Riley and the Super Friends grabbed even the current supporting cast though.

[Daddy_Of_All_Trolls]

I can see why Miami gets the most votes, but this question, although natural, is premature. It's forecast accuracy largely depends on what happens the next 4 years.

First, a little history:

In the 1970's Team of the decade was supposed to be, in order, Reed's Knicks, Kareem's Bucks, WIlt's Lakers, Havlicek's Celtics, Barry's Warriors, Walton's Blazers, and Sikma's Sonics....All those teams broke up and had some sorry turns for the worse. No team won more than 2 titles, thus no team of the decade.

In the 1980's It was supposed to be between the Lakers, Celtics and Sixers. Sonica were and early favorite. Lakers led the west thoughout most of the decade winning half the titles. Sixers owned the east the first 4 years, Celtics the next 4 and Pistons the last 3. Lakers 5 titles, Boston 3, Sixers 1, Pistons 2 (Yeah, that makes 11 titles, some decades need to be shortened or lengthened to faily represent player eras.)

1990's Pistons were supposed to rule as logical early choice, but Jordan got some teammates and took it over. Chicago 6 titles, Rockets 2 titles

2000's was supposed to be Shaq's Lakers, then the Spurs, the Lakers closed it out on top. Lakers 5 titles, Spurs 4 in 12 years (Yah, I extended the decade to count player eras.)

The way to logically address this question is to examine windows of opportunity open for contending teams.

Teams with championship experience, as constructed, are Spurs with 3 titles, Lakers with 2 titles and Celtics with 1. Teams with finals experience, as constructed are Dallas and Orlando. Not all these teams will win in the next 4 years because their windows pretty much close by or before then, but all have a chance, that's why they play.

Miami of course will be a logical choice if you are picking now because of talent and youth. When does their window close? It's either 2014 (player options) or 2016 when contracts end. Too many variables now to determine how long the window remains open for them. If they win at least 2 titles by 2014, it could extend to 2020.

So, I think it's safe to say the windows of opportunities should not be thought of past 2014 because of all the variables that are going to show up.

Here's a comparison of windows, open for debate, based on key players, age, and experience through 2014. To say that any of these teams does not have a chance for a title while their window is open shows a fundamental lak of logic and basketball knowledge.:

2012 Celtics (Garentt and Allen expire)
2012 Spurs (Longer if Big 3 stay put and productive)
2012 Mavericks (It could be 2014)
2012 Magic (Could also be 2014)
2014 Blazers
2014 Bulls
2014 Thunder
2014 Heat
2014 Lakers (Kobe and Pau expire)
2014 ????? Knicks?

That makes about 10 teams shooting for 4 titles in 4 seasons. By force some will remain without a title, but that doesn't mean they don't have a chance. We can better forecast a team of the decade in 2014 when we can examine the new windows of opportunity that will exist. some teams above will remain on the list, others will fall out, and new ones will be added.

[21_Blessings]

Lakers in the 1990s?

The Lakers won a championship in the 90s?

Jammy choosing to post stupid.

[Ashy Larry]

Relevant doesn't mean they'll be the team of the decade.

Lakers in the 1990s? Yankees in the 1980s?


Both teams were pretty brutal ......

[JamStone]

The Lakers won a championship in the 90s?

Jammy choosing to post stupid.

Let me guess. You're trying to prove your stupidity knows no bounds?

Hey, if you want to believe the Lakers 1999-2000 NBA title means they were the team of the 1990s over the Chicago Bulls, lol more power to you.

[21_Blessings]

You're trying to prove your stupidity knows no bounds?

You already proved your stupidity knows no bounds with 'Rip in post'.


Hey, if you want to believe the Lakers 1999-2000 NBA title means they were the team of the 1990s over the Chicago Bulls, lol more power to you.

Why would the Lakers year 2000 NBA title have anything to do with the 90s?

Fact is the Lakers won a championship in 2010 which makes them the team of the current decade thus far. And they're about to win another one.

So please tell us why the 90s, where the Lakers won zero championships, have any relevance to this decade where the Lakers are currently reigning supreme?

[BadOdor]

You already proved your stupidity knows no bounds with 'Rip in post'.



Why would the Lakers year 2000 NBA title have anything to do with the 90s?

Fact is the Lakers won a championship in 2010 which makes them the team of the current decade thus far. And they're about to win another one.

So please tell us why the 90s, where the Lakers won zero championships, have any relevance to this decade where the Lakers are currently reigning supreme?

He was responding to a post that said the lakers are always relevant. His point was that relevant!= team of the decade, dipshit.

[21_Blessings]

He was responding to a post that said the lakers are always relevant. His point was that relevant!= team of the decade, dipshit.

He was responding to a post that was talking about the Lakers being the odds on favorite to be team of the decade once again. And Jammy responded with the 90s Lakers which has absolutely no relevance to how things currently stand.

No go get back on your main account you failure.

[BadOdor]

He was responding to a post that was talking about the Lakers being the odds on favorite to be team of the decade once again. And Jammy responded with the 90s Lakers which has absolutely no relevance to how things currently stand.

No go get back on your main account you failure.

lol.

[JamStone]

You already proved your stupidity knows no bounds with 'Rip in post'.



Why would the Lakers year 2000 NBA title have anything to do with the 90s?

Fact is the Lakers won a championship in 2010 which makes them the team of the current decade thus far. And they're about to win another one.

So please tell us why the 90s, where the Lakers won zero championships, have any relevance to this decade where the Lakers are currently reigning supreme?

Lol. I said being relevant doesn't mean a team will be the team of a given decade, for example the 1990s Lakers. The Lakers are always relevant, but they weren't the team of the 1990s.

How many times were you dropped as a baby?

[21_Blessings]

Lol. I said being relevant doesn't mean a team will be the team of a given decade, for example the 1990s Lakers. The Lakers are always relevant, but they weren't the team of the 1990s.

You rambling off topic about the 90s Lakers had nothing to do with Amaso saying the odds are the Lakers will be team of the decade once again. Which is a fact.

Unless you missed the Lakers winning the title back in June. Wouldn't surprise me though. As the Pistons are more likely to move this decade than be gifted another fluke title because the Lakers couldn't field a healthy lineup.

[21_Blessings]

How many times was I dropped as a baby?


Western Conference that could become the best team in the decade out west... Portland Trailblazers..

You should be asking your slutty mother that question.

[JamStone]

You rambling off topic about the 90s Lakers had nothing to do with Amaso saying the odds are the Lakers will be team of the decade once again. Which is a fact.

Unless you missed the Lakers winning the title back in June. Wouldn't surprise me though. As the Pistons are more likely to move this decade than be gifted another fluke title because the Lakers couldn't field a healthy lineup.

You are very dense.

Cool thanks k bye.

[21_Blessings]

You are very dense.



Yes I'm sure tlong was laughing his ass off when you made that edgy, so stupid it doesn't even work as a joke, Blazers prediction.

You're so hilarious Jammy. K Thx Bye.

[HarlemHeat37]

Wow, Blessings just set some history there, that was one of the worst series of posts I've ever seen on the Internet..