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NBA Panic Meter: Which Winless Teams Are In Trouble?

By Gerald Bourguet

Oct 13, 2015; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (24) and coach Byron Scott react during the game against the Sacramento Kings at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 13, 2015; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (24) and coach Byron Scott react during the game against the Sacramento Kings at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 30, 2015; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers center Nerlens Noel (left) and center Jahlil Okafor (right) watch from the bench during the final minutes of a game against the Utah Jazz at Wells Fargo Center. The Utah Jazz won 99-71. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

Philadelphia 76ers: 0 out of 10

Though the Philadelphia 76ers are likely to be the worst team of the entire bunch, they have the least amount of reason to panic. Why? This is all by design.

In one of the more memorable scenes of The Dark Knight, Heath Ledger’s Joker meets up with Harvey Dent in the hospital he’s about to blow up to let him in on a little secret: people are often just as horrified by change as they are by the horrific acts themselves.

“You know what I’ve noticed?” he says. “Nobody panics when things go ‘according to plan.’ Even if the plan is horrifying.”

There couldn’t be a more accurate way to describe the Sixers right now. With a slogan like “Trust the process,” Sam Hinkie might as well be the Joker when he asks, “Do I really look like a guy with a plan? You know what I am? I’m a dog chasing cars. I wouldn’t know what to do with one if I caught it! You know, I just…do things.”

Hinkie may have caught Jahlil Okafor in the draft, who had a strong 26-point, 10-for-16 debut. But even with Okafor and Nerlens Noel being the only players with a long-term future in Philly, nobody should panic. The horror of the upcoming 2015-16 season is all according to plan.

Next: Houston, We Have A Problem