so is it any wonder they're struggling.Now

Toronto RaptorsToronto's defense seems to have gone the way of the dodo, and the Chris Bosh era looks to beheaded that way too. That being said, they are still in the playoff hunt, and it's not like they don't have talent. If DeMar DeRozan can start dropping 20 with consistency, the Raptors could be a run-and-gun team capable of outscoring anyone they need. 20. Los Angeles Clippers The talent is there everywhere but the small forward (wonder if there's any big free agent small forwards coming up), but they just don't have the chemistry, or the motivation.

Baron Davis seems to be an odd wheel out, with his aversion to passing the ball, and a perfectly capable scorer in Eric Gordon on the squad.If Blake Griffin comes back healthy, the Clips should be able to move Kaman or Camby in a trade, maybe for a pass-first point guard, but I'm not holding out any hope for them to do anything that resembles a smart move. 21. Chicago Bulls It's clear that last year's playoff series with the Celtics might have been the apex of this current group, because the Bulls have been flat out underwhelming this season. Derrick Rose has been slowed by an injury, and with Ben Gordon gone, they lack a true go-to scorer.Luol Deng doesn't seem to be capable of it, and the Bulls are struggling to put points on the board. Detroit Pistons They spent all their vaunted cap space a year too early on two guys who are one-dimensional (neither of those are defense, by the way), so is it any wonder they're struggling.Now, they are the sixth best defensive team in terms of opponents scoring, but they are pretty much living and dying by Ben Gordon's jumper every night.

They're also really banged up, with Gordon and Hamilton missing significant stretches, but they are a big move away from being close to relevant. 23. Charlotte Bobcats Take it from me; no team has been more inconsistent this year in terms of day-to-day play. Defensively, they're good at holding teams to low points, but they're struggling to score them as well. 24. New York Knicks Uhh...what is supposed to get LeBron to the Knicks again A second point guard being sat out in as many years No draft pick next year Your best player (David Lee) on a one-year deal A coach who wouldn't know a defensive game plan if it smacked him in the mouth They've managed to pull out some decent wins, but the only reason the Knicks aren't in the cellar is because the Nets are so close and so bad. 25. Indiana Pacers They're a feisty team, as we saw when they battled the Spurs pretty well without Danny Granger. If Granger could stay healthy (which he apparently can't) the Pacers could be apretty good team.