Who's the worst team in the league?

A simple search on Yahoo! reveals that Portland's Rose Garden is home to, among other events, NBA games, circuses, and WWE competitions. But who knew you could see all three at once by attending a Trailblazers' game?

With that in mind, rather than dealing with the upper echelon teams in the league, this week Inside the NBA will take a look at some of the teams that make commissioner Dave Stern cringe.



Denver Nuggets: Record: 10-33.

Vital Info: Average 80.4 points per game, have almost as many turnovers per game as assists, only five regulars shooting over 38 percent from the floor.

Good Sign: With numbers like these, you'd expect the team to be aiming for a double digit win total on the year, so at this point, you'd have to say the team is overachieving as much as anyone. Despite the fact that they are setting new standards for offensive futility, coach Jeff Bzdelik has them playing hard while still staying in the running for a good lottery position, and even Juwan Howard isn't whining. Final Prognosis: If Nene Hilario pans out, Marcus Camby ever comes back from injury, and the team can get rid of Howard's ridiculous salary, all the Nuggets need to do is get a point guard, shooting guard, and small forward through the draft or free agency and they should be fine. And in the meantime, who doesn't want to root for a team with marquee names like Chris Whitney, Ryan Bowen, Lorinza Harrigton, John Crotty, and Nikoloz Tskitishvili?



Toronto Raptors: Record: 11-33.

Vital Info: Their center is shooting 37 percent from the floor. Their superstar, Vince Carter has only played in ten games all year, has fallen in love with the fadeaway three-pointer, and isn't even the best player in his own family (see Tracy McGrady).

Bad Sign: For help, the team recently turned to NYC playground legend Rafer Alston, who should be on ESPN's Streetball show, not playing in the NBA.

Final Prognosis: Vince clearly isn't someone who can carry the franchise to success in the next decade, but the organization isn't about to dump the most recognizable and popular player in franchise history, a guy who put Canadian basketball on the map (relatively speaking). Was it only two years ago that this team was looked at as a championship contender?



Cleveland Cavaliers: Record: 8-36.

Vital Info: Getting outscored by 11 points per game by opponents, leading scorer Ricky Davis turns the ball over almost as much as he scores and has been suspended twice by his coach for conduct detrimental to the team. In his first month in the league, Dajuan Wagner had games of 29, 28, 25, 29, 33, 29, and 24 points_and was rewarded with a decrease in playing time. Their point guards' first names are Smush and Bimbo. Mixed Sign: The Cavs just fired coach John Lucas. The team should play harder now for new coach Keith Smart, but it's rumored that LeBron James isn't too happy with the coaching change, worrying Cleveland fans that he could hold out on the team if the Cavs get the first pick.

Final Prognosis: It looks grim now, but with Davis, Darius Miles, Carlos Boozer, and Wagner, the talent is there for the future, and the team should be in position to get some talent in the draft this year. And while they are losing, at least they are losing with style and playing in entertaining fashion, which is more that anyone can say about the Mike Fratello days in Ohio.



There are far too many bad teams to cover in one article, so stay tuned until next week when Inside the NBA pays its respects to the Hawks, Heat, Grizzlies, and Bulls.