Ira Winderman

Not all losers are created equally.

Which is why in Oklahoma City, there is well-founded hope for instant ascension, while in New York it merely is a case of wait until the year after next year.

It is why Charlotte can feel comfortable building on its momentum, while Golden State might be wondering where all its momentum went.

With 16 teams about to begin their second season, 14 others already are already looking to next season (or at least to the May 19 draft lottery and visions of Blake Griffin).

A look at the teams you have seen the last of for a while, this season's playoff absentees.

A clear vision
Oklahoma City: Don't let last place and the standings fool you.

The Thunder were a vastly improved team after the coaching switch from P.J. Carlesimo to Scott Brooks, and general manager Sam Presti clearly imported some of that R.C. Buford and Gregg Popovich know-how from San Antonio.

Not only has Kevin Durant put himself into the conversation for Most Improved Player and not only will Russell Westbrook earn mention on several Rookie of the Year ballots, but Jeff Green continues to evolve into a quality presence. There's gold in that youth.

Then there were the in-season additions of Nenad Krstic and Thabo Sefolosha, who figure to benefit from a training camp with their new team.

Factor in their own lottery pick, assorted other picks that have been astutely acquired, cap space created with the expiring contracts of Desmond Mason, Malik Rose and Robert Swift, plus the draft rights held to Devon Hardin and Serge Ibaka, and the Northwest Division may have a contender sooner than many expect.

Washington: Already undeniable is that, when healthy, the foursome of Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler, Antawn Jamison and Brendan Haywood is a playoff core.

Next season's Wizards easily could prove to be this season's Heat, going from the bottom of the standings to a middle seed in the East.

Further, the Wizards are poised for a major coaching upgrade, with Flip Saunders awaiting anointment. Saunders might not be known for going deep into the playoffs, but he routinely gets his teams there.

The question is whether merely getting back into contention is good enough.

For most teams, there would be a desire for more.

But with no salary-cap flexibility and long-term commitments to Arenas, Butler and Jamison, a middle-of-the-pack finish might be as good as it gets.

Add a lottery pick or the trade flexibility such a selection provides, and there is no reason for the Wizards not to be in the thick of the 2010 playoff race.

Charlotte: The Bobcats already have experienced the "initial phase" with coach Larry Brown.

That's when he arrives and decides his roster is terrible, that these guys simply will never be able to play together, and then appoints himself reconstructionist.

The first wave of moves rippled with victories, with the acquisitions of Boris Diaw, Raja Bell and Vladimir Radmanovic, and the unloading of Jason Richardson and Adam Morrison.

Figure on Brown playing off of Michael Jordan's desperate desire to win, with even more personnel demands this offseason.

Over the second half of the season, the Bobcats were as much a threat as any East team outside Cleveland, Boston and Orlando.

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This time the playoff push went into the final weeks of the season. Next season, Jordan might have to push back his golf dates until May.

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