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2014 NBA Playoffs: 10 Burning Questions (Part 2)

By Gerald Bourguet

Apr 24, 2014; Memphis, TN, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) and guard Russell Westbrook (0) talk during the game against the Memphis Grizzlies in game three of the first round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at FedExForum. Memphis Grizzlies beat Oklahoma City Thunder in overtime 98 - 95. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 24, 2014; Memphis, TN, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) and guard Russell Westbrook (0) talk during the game against the Memphis Grizzlies in game three of the first round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at FedExForum. Memphis Grizzlies beat Oklahoma City Thunder in overtime 98 - 95. Mandatory Credit: Justin Ford-USA TODAY Sports /
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5. Which eliminated playoff team has the brightest future?

After all the fuss about the epic first round of the playoffs, we’re down to the four teams many were predicting to reach the conference finals before the season started: the Miami Heat, Indiana Pacers, San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder. But that’s not to say that the other 12 eliminated teams have nothing to feel good about in their future. The Rockets, Toronto Raptors and Chicago Bulls all underachieved to certain degrees, but the remaining nine teams either overachieved or were competitive enough to have no reason to hang their heads.

So which team has the brightest future? We can pretty much rule out the Dallas Mavericks with Dirk Nowitzki being 35 years old and his best years behind him. The Memphis Grizzlies are about as good as they’re going to get and the front office will have to make a decision about Zach Randolph. The Atlanta Hawks will hopefully get a healthy Al Horford back, but that won’t be enough to elevate them into an Eastern powerhouse. The Charlotte Bobcats and Toronto Raptors are still years away from truly competing, the Brooklyn Nets may look drastically different next year. The Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets and Chicago Bulls are all terrific teams, but they’re still one or two pieces away and one has a new coach, one may not be constructed to be a championship team and the other will rely heavily upon Derrick Rose‘s fragile health and trying to woo Carmelo Anthony in free agency.

In looking at the youngest and most competitive teams from this postseason, it’s hard to argue that the Washington Wizards and Portland Trail Blazers, near mirror images of each other in different conferences (in terms of being the No. 5 seed pulling off the first round upset), have very bright futures ahead of them. In Washington, the Wizards may have the best backcourt in the NBA in a few years. In Portland, LaMarcus Aldridge has emerged into one of the league’s best power forwards and Damian Lillard has shown the world that most of the liquid in his veins is, in fact, ice water.

Both teams overachieved both in terms of their seeding and pulling off a first round upset. Though they both also fell on their faces in the second round and lost in five games to superior teams, tweaking a few things could be the difference between being a pleasant surprise and a dangerous playoff team. For the Blazers, bolstering the bench is obviously the main concern, since Terry Stotts had to rely on his talented starting five far too much. For the Wizards, it’s simply a matter of letting those backcourt youngsters develop and finding a way to not overpay Trevor Ariza and Marcin Gortat in free agency. Because Washington plays in the East, where the Pacers and Heat could look drastically different next season, we have to give the edge to them.