Atlanta Hawks: Eastern Conference Power Rankings, Feb. 11

The Philadelphia 76ers have the worst record in the NBA and are probably going to end up with the best odds to nab LSU phenom Ben Simmons with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft by winning the NBA Draft Lottery.

Philadelphia will win a dozen or so games in 2015-16, but are essentially guaranteed to finish with one of the two worst records in the NBA this season. However, there is a growing sense of continuity within the organization that could signify that the hyper tanking days of the Sixers are about to become a thing of the past, possibly as soon as next season.

If it weren’t for the Sacramento Kings in the Western Conference, the Brooklyn Nets would have the most negative attention put on their own dysfunctional organization. Brooklyn NEEDS to make a trade to acquire any draft picks they can get their hands on.

The Nets still don’t have a general manager or a long-term solution at head coach. While star center Brook Lopez is putting together another solid year for the Nets, this feels like the most hopeless team in the NBA heading into the All-Star Break.

As we enter the All-Star Break, it has been a full year since the Milwaukee Bucks have done anything remarkable on the basketball court. Their surprisingly strong first half start in 2014-15 allowed the young Bucks to earn the No. 6 seed in the 2015 Eastern Conference Playoffs.

Almost immediately out of the gate, Milwaukee has been the third worst team in the East for basically the entire season. While Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton continue to grow in Milwaukee, one has to begin to question if Michael Carter-Williams or Jabari Parker are ever going to become franchise cornerstones for this organization?

Next: Tier IV: Not Making the NBA Playoffs