A winning record to reach the playoffs wasn't necessary this season in the Eastern Conference, which demonstrates how far the below list of eliminated temas are from becoming contenders without addressing significant issues this offseason.

Orlando Magic

The Big Questions:

1. Will they get the No. 1 overall pick?
2. Can a frontcourt with a core of Nikola Vucevic, Tobias Harris, Andrew Nicholson and Maurice Harkless compete in the East long-term?
3. Can they find another team who will give them an asset for Al Harrington’s partially guaranteed deal?

Notable Free Agents: None

2013 Draft Picks Held: Own 1st Round and Golden State’s 2nd Round (own 2nd round held by Cleveland)

The Lay of the Land: The Magic have a fascinating group of young players and a serious chance to add more assets. With a tie for the most ping pong balls, Orlando should be able to bring another high-level talent into the fold. While point guard stands out as the biggest long-term need, the team would be wise to take the best player available since they still need depth and quality at every position. Another interesting piece for Orlando this summer comes in the form of Al Harrington- because his contract is only half-guaranteed for the final two seasons of the deal, the creative Magic front office could use that to try and gain an asset from another team in exchange for the cap savings of a contract that counts on the book for more than the payment amount until he is cut. Considering Orlando already has a ton of money on the books for 13-14, it could even be a way for them to reduce their burden for the following years.

Charlotte Bobcats

The Big Questions:

1. Will they get the No. 1 pick?
2. When should they use the amnesty on Tyrus Thomas?
3. How much are they willing to pay to keep Gerald Henderson?

Notable Free Agents: Gerald Henderson (Restricted) and Byron Mullins (Restricted)

2013 Draft Picks Held: Own 1st Round, No 2nd Round (held by OKC)

The Lay of the Land: While the Bobcats have two potential lottery picks coming from Detroit and Portland in future years, in all likelihood neither of those will make it to Charlotte this season. That could be for the best considering how weak this class is on the lower end of the lottery. That said, the choice to take on Ben Gordon’s extra year to get a pick from Detroit means that Charlotte will have some money this summer but not enough to go after elite talent. The Bobcats do still have their amnesty available and have a perfect target in Tyrus Thomas, though they could still see some potential value in him since they would still need to pay him even if he comes off the books from a salary cap perspective. I’m guessing they wait one more year to push him off on an ice float though doing it now would be fine.

Beyond that, both Byron Mullens and Gerald Henderson will be restricted free agents this summer. The team needs to draw a line in the sand on long-term contracts for both players since while each has value they are not strong enough players to warrant tying up cap space when the team can make big moves in 2014 and beyond. 

Cleveland Cavaliers

The Big Questions:

1. Do they want to use their cap space this summer or wait until 2014?
2. Will there be a good market for Anderson Varejao? Would the Cavaliers want to trade him now?
3. How can they best use their two picks in each round?

Notable Free Agents: Wayne Ellington (Restricted)

2013 Draft Picks Held: Own 1st Round, Miami’s 1st Round, Own 2nd Round, Orlando’s 2nd Round

The Lay of the Land: Unlike pretty much every other team on this list, Cleveland might have more resources than they can deal with effectively. Carrying four picks in the first 35 on top of four other players on their rookie deals might be a little too much to handle. Fortunately, the team can combine assets and try to find the right fits at varying positions and roles.

The figure looming over the entire off-season has to be LeBron James. Considering how much trouble the Cavaliers have had acquiring high-level talent outside of the draft, it would make sense for them to try and woo the high-end guys in this class and then save most of their flexibility for the chance of LeBron James wanting to return home. Since Kyrie Irving still has another two years on his deal and then would have a reasonable cap hold, the Cavs would be wise to take on some short-term money and get a pick or two if the elite members of the 2013 free agent class choose to go elsewhere.

Washington Wizards

The Big Questions:

1. What extension will the team offer John Wall and would he accept less than the max at this point?
2. Will either Emeka Okafor or Trevor Ariza decline their lucrative options for next season?
3. Can the team bring back Martell Webster on a reasonable deal?
4. Would any team be interested in giving up a long term expensive talent for an expiring contract?

Notable Free Agents: Emeka Okafor (ETO), Trevor Ariza (Player Option), Martell Webster (Unrestricted)

2013 Draft Picks Held: Own 1st Round, Own 2nd Round, New York Knicks’ 2nd Round

The Lay of the Land: The largest consequence of the trade with New Orleans last year was the reduction in salary flexibility for the 13-14 season assuming Okafor and Ariza pick up their options. Either one could choose to go after a longer-term deal though neither should expect to get more per season than what Washington is committed to paying them on their current deals. The challenge for the Wizards would be trying to make the right deal for either should they choose to go for a longer contract since they have value but the team needs the flexibility because next year is the last with John Wall on his rookie deal.

I fully expect the Wizards to offer Wall a generous deal that falls short of the max (more than Curry, Holiday, or Lawson signed for last summer) and have absolutely no idea whether he will take it or not. Considering the Wizards can and should match any four-year deal he could get in restricted free agency in 2014, they have plenty of reason to wait to see if Wall can build on his strong second half.

Detroit Pistons

The Big Questions:

1. Can Joe Dumars use his newfound cap space responsibly?
2. Will Greg Monroe and the Pistons come to an agreement on an extension?
3. What will Andre Drummond’s role be next season?

Notable Free Agents: Jose Calderon (Unrestricted), Jason Maxiell (Unrestricted), and Corey Maggette (Unrestricted)

2013 Draft Picks Held: Own 1st Round, Own 2nd Round, Clippers’ 2nd Round (possibly)

The Lay of the Land: After the Tayshaun Prince trade, the Pistons actually have a remarkable amount of cap room this summer. That number will only increase when the team finally amnesties Charlie Villanueva and clears his $8.58 million off the ledger. Without a ton of money committed for 2014, Joe Dumars can afford to be patient with the space they have and go after all sorts of options this summer from signing a free agent like Andre Iguodala or taking on a long-term deal like the Raptors did with Rudy Gay in the aforementioned trade.

The other big potential decision for Detroit centers on Greg Monroe. He is clearly a good player but we still need to see how he can play with franchise building block Andre Drummond. The Pistons should make a low but reasonable offer to Monroe this year and spend most of next season trying to figure out if he can play with Drummond for years to come, ideally making a decision before the trade deadline since Monroe would have value if the team chooses to go in another direction.

Toronto Raptors

The Big Questions:

1. Can they get meaningfully better this summer?
2. Will they use the amnesty on Linas Kleiza?
3. Where will Terrance Ross fit in with Rudy Gay and DeMar DeRozan?

Notable Free Agents: None

2013 Draft Picks Held: None (1st Rounder to OKC via Houston, 2nd Rounder to Memphis)

The Lay of the Land: By making the trade for Rudy Gay, the Raptors committed to their current group of players for 13-14. Using the amnesty provision on Andrea Bargnani or Linas Kleiza would not alleviate the cap limitations though it could affect how tightly they push against the luxury tax and the apron. The Raptors will need to add a backup PG and likely one more swingman in order to complete their team. 

Philadelphia 76ers

The Big Questions:

1. What the heck do they do with Andrew Bynum?
2. What the heck do they do with Evan Turner?
3. Can they find swingmen that make sense long-term with Jrue Holiday and Thaddeus Young?

Notable Free Agents: Andrew Bynum (Unrestricted), Nick Young (Unrestricted), and Dorrell Wright (Unrestricted)

2013 Draft Picks Held: Own 1st Rounder, Own 2nd Rounder, New Orleans’ 2nd Rounder

The Lay of the Land: After all of the moves that the Sixers’ front office has made over the past 12 months, the only real constant they have moving forward is Jrue Holiday. They have long-term money committed to both Thaddeus Young and Jason Richardson but either can move around in the rotation based on who else the team has in future seasons.

While Andrew Bynum looms largest over this summer, the three-pronged choice for Evan Turner might actually affect the team more directly since they have so much more power over the decision. Turner is eligible for an extension and still has value as a trade asset, so the front office needs to decide whether they want to do one of those options or just hold onto him another year and punt the decision on both keeping him and the extension until the deadline or next summer.

Slowly over the past few months, Mickael Pietrus believes a perception has begun to spread across the NBA about his health and capabilities to still be a rotation player. The Toronto Raptors’ management was ecstatic about the signing of Pietrus in late November and his freshness for the season, but tendinitis in his left knee spiraled toward 34 straight games benched.

Pietrus had moments when he was ambiguous about his left knee with the Raptors, and he was mostly battling himself on how severe it could be after having surgery on the right knee. And ultimately, it turned out to be just tendinitis. Pietrus played his first game Wednesday since Jan. 9 despite being fully healthy for a while now, and he’s adamant both his knees are strong and should help him last four to five more seasons in the NBA.

“My body has stayed healthy so whenever the Raptors call my name, I’ll be ready to go,” Pietrus told RealGM in a recent phone conversation. “I have many years left playing in the NBA and I want to get better every day. I think 10 years went too quick. … I haven’t won a championship yet. I want to win two, three [championships] before I retire because I think I had a great run throughout those 10 years and my body is healthy now.

“I’m feeling really healthy. The doctors really took care of me and my knees, so I’m feeling better than ever.”

Even so, the Raptors’ wing depth has made Pietrus the odd man out of Dwane Casey’s rotation. Pietrus has had extensive dialogue with Casey, leaving the conversations understanding that Casey will aim to play Terrence Ross and Jonas Valanciunas more minutes and establish chemistry between Rudy Gay and DeMar DeRozan as the end of the season nears.

When he signed with the Raptors, Pietrus was confident he’d play a key role in helping Toronto reach the playoffs. The Raptors have spent most of March far behind the Milwaukee Bucks for the eighth spot in the Eastern Conference, though. Pietrus, 31, didn’t want a buyout due to falling out of Casey’s rotation, but he’s been benched more than ever and had expected a playoff push at some point after playing as a contributing reserve for the Boston Celtics’ long postseason run a year ago.

“I think we're trying to do something bigger than everybody in this locker room and bigger than myself: We were trying to make the playoffs, trying to make a push,” Pietrus said. “We have a great group of guys and I thought that we really had a chance to make the playoffs this year.”

As much as Pietrus acknowledges the transition phase that the Raptors are undergoing, he still hopes that the team trusts his ability to produce on the court when needed. In his mind, a strong push to close out the season will help players enter the offseason with a more positive outlook.

“I want to be part of it and it’s very important to finish off the year strong, especially with me having so much experience in the league,” Pietrus said. “At the end of the day, going into the [offseason] you want to have a great taste in your mouth. But my body is healthy.

“I’m really happy going to the summertime with no injury and feeling good about myself.”

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There are only a few NBA players averaging at least 10 points, seven rebounds and one block per game while also shooting 55% from the field this season. LeBron James, Al Horford and Serge Ibaka.

Oh, one more. Amir Johnson.

Rudy Gay brings star power to the Raptors. DeMar DeRozan has athleticism and promise. Andrea Bargnani offers a polarizing effect on fans. Johnson? He brings his lunch pail.

Known for his grit and toughness, Johnson is enjoying a career year in Toronto. Plays aren’t run for him, but he still manages to get his points with elbow grease and hard work on the offensive glass. He grabs 12.4% of his team’s missed shots, ranking 13th in offensive rebound percentage. That helps explain his 56.5 eFG%, better than all but 10 players.

“I’m not worried about getting big numbers; I’m worried about getting wins,” Johnson said. “I really want to get one of those playoff spots.”

Unfortunately, there will no postseason for the Raptors. They stand eight games back of the Milwaukee Bucks for the eighth seed in the East with a little more than a dozen games left.

“We’ve been through a lot of ups-and-downs. At the beginning of the season we struggled and then we lost a couple of games in a row with the [Rudy Gay trade], but we’re starting to get along and improve,” Johnson reflected. “Not every team is perfect, so it’s a process.

“We just have got to keep working hard. When we get opportunities, we’ve got to take advantage and always work hard.”

Johnson, who signed a five-year, $34 million deal with the Raptors during the famed 2010 offseason, is better known as a barroom trivia answer than for his solid NBA game. He was the last high school player drafted in league history. The Detroit Pistons used the 56th overall pick on him in 2005, the last draft before the NBA age minimum was increased.

“I think it was on Jeopardy,” Johnson said with a hearty laugh. “It’s good to have kind of like a trivia question associated with your name, but that’s pretty much all it is for me.”

He may have closed the Moses Malone prep-to-pro lineage, but Johnson’s unique basketball journey doesn’t end there. He got his feet wet in the D-League long before teams and players started to embrace the minor league approach. In 40 games across two seasons (during his rookie and sophomore years) for Fayetteville and Sioux Falls, he averaged 18.1 points, 8.5 rebounds and 2.4 blocks on 64.2% shooting. More importantly than the numbers, he played more than 30 minutes a night when he would have rode the pine in Detroit.

“I actually asked to go down in the D-League. I was just working out so much and I didn’t see the floor,” he admitted. “I figured I would go down there and play a little bit. It definitely improved my game and I would say that it was basically like my college years. I developed a lot down there.”

Seven years since Johnson asked for a demotion, NBA teams have begun to regularly shuffle young players up-and-down to the 16 D-League teams. Each of the league’s 30 teams has an affiliation, often -- but not always -- based geographically. It’s not inconceivable to think that every team could have an affiliation of their own sometime in the not-so-distance future.

“It’s not a punishment,” Johnson said. “It’s not something you should put your head down about; you can use it to your advantage and get better.”

Why, then, is there still a bit of a stigma when a player doesn’t stick in the league?

“I have no idea why that is,” Johnson responded. “Any young player in the league, I’d tell them what it did for me. It’s a stepping stone; I used it to get better.”

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