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Rich Pedroncelli/Associated Press

Whip out those handy, dandy, outdated paper maps. The NBA's worst teams are taking a road trip.

Their destination? Better days.

No bad franchise plans on being bad forever. That would make no sense. Each of the league's bottom-feeders—whether it's rebuilding, tanking or down and out by accident—has a plan, a map, to guide it toward decency. These strategies aren't always spoken, but they're evident through action, rumors and salary-cap finagling.

As pioneers of the NBA landscape, we're going to find the paths by which these fallen factions will redeem themselves. In the case of a couple cities (sup, Sacramento?), we're going to suggest rebuilding blueprints, be it because multiple options are at play or because the team in question doesn't seem to have one.

Picking the Association's worst performers comes mostly down to records. All four of the league's worst record holders are here, begging you to uncover their rebuilding secrets. The other three case studies are squads that have severely underachieved—to the point where they're worse off than those with inferior records.

Select bad teams are given a pass. The Utah Jazz's record is unflattering, but they're years into their transition and right where they should be, relative to expectations. Both the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers are chasing playoff spots despite having lost key contributors. They're not here, either.

Only the truly bad, browbeaten teams are here. One day soon, they hope not to be here. Are they on the right track? You be the judge.