Young teams with bright futures

During a loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, Minnesota Timberwolves' point guard Ricky Rubio tore his ACL, and Rubio will not step on the hardwood again this season. 

The Timberwolves are one of several young teams in the NBA who are making changes to be competitive in the next few years.

Rubio's loss was a huge momentum burst for the Wolves, but Minnesota still has the pieces to make the playoffs next year. Kevin Love is on the verge of being an All-Star. There is a handful of valuable, young talent (Wesley Johnson, Michael Beasley, Derrick Williams, Anthony Randolph) who can be traded for more pieces or developed into valuable contributors.

The Timberwolves will have plenty to celebrate about in the coming years.

I expect Minnesota to be a six or seven seed next year, and with good front office moves, the Wolves could be competing for a title within five years.

The team that benefits most from the Rubio injury is the New Orleans Hornets. The Hornets acquired the Wolves' first round draft pick in the Chris Paul trade and hope Minnesota's record drops due to the injury.

The Hornets, armed with two potential top-ten picks, should be an exciting, young team next year. The most sensible picks for the Hornets are a power forward (Anthony Davis if they win the lottery, if not, Thomas Robinson or Jared Sullinger) and whoever is the best available player with Minnesota's pick.

Eric Gordon hopes to have young talent by his side when he returns from injury.

Armed with two stars and a roster of solid defensive players, the Hornets will be competitive in the West next season and will probably be in the playoffs in two years.

The Cleveland Cavaliers are going to be dangerous next year. Kyrie Irving is phenomenal and Tristan Thompson is a rising star.

When these two rookies get experience and wing players who can score, the Cavaliers will not be far from title contention. 

Irving and Thompson appear to have a bright future playing with each other.

Their current problem is a lack of depth and scoring outside of Irving and Antawn Jamison, but one or two drafts and smart moves in free agency should keep the Cavs competitive in the East. 

If I were the Cavs' general manager, I would have traded Jamison this season. With an expiring contract, Jamison would have been a valuable trade asset and would have fetched a good price (draft picks and/or young scorers). Jamison is on the decline of his career, and the Cavaliers need to lean on young players to build for the future.