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Here's How the NBA's 14 Playoff-less Teams Can Improve - With last night being the end of the 2013-14 NBA regular season, 16 teams will advance to the playoffs, while 14 will clean out their lockers. Questions loom for the teams that failed to make the post-season cut, none bigger than will Carmelo Anthony test the waters as a free agent and leave the New York Knicks? Here, BET.com gives tips to the Knicks on how to keep Melo as well as advice for the 13 other franchises that didn’t make the playoffs. (Photo: Harry How/Getty Images)

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New York Knicks  - Top priority for the Knicks this offseason is getting Carmelo Anthony to re-sign with the organization. To do that, hoops legend and new team president Phil Jackson must sit down with Melo and sell him on his vision of the Knicks. Anthony will have to understand that the 2014-15 season will likely be another tough one with the Knicks locked into several of their pieces but after next year, the contracts of Amare Stoudemire, Tyson Chandler and Andrea Bargnani — totaling a combined $48.5 million — all come off the books, giving the Knicks flexibility to land two big free agents like a Kevin Love, LaMarcus Aldridge, Rajon Rondo or Goran Dragic. Beside Melo, the Knicks have some nice building blocks in Tim Hardaway Jr. and Iman Shumpert (who they could use for trade bait if they’d like). Now, the key is for Jackson to sell Anthony on th...

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Phoenix Suns - Under first-year coach Jeff Hornacek, the Phoenix Suns battled for a playoff spot till the very end of the season before just coming up short in an ultra-competitive Western Conference. The Suns' aim now should be keeping its core intact, perhaps looking to add a veteran in the offseason, and making the playoff cut in 2015. By all means, their ambition should be to keep two-guard Goran Dragic (20 points per game this season) from leaving at the end of next season. There's also the matter of signing a long-term deal with restricted free agent Eric Bledsoe. (Photo: Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

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Cleveland Cavaliers - Simply put — the Cleveland Cavaliers better keep point guard Kyrie Irving and his 21 points and six assists per game happy. If that means parting ways with shooting guard Dion Waiters because they have clashed on and off the court, then so be it. When having a valuable asset and franchise cornerstone like Irving, you don't want him leaving town like a certain King once did. (Photo: Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

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Minnesota Timberwolves - For the Timberwolves, the window of showing their All-Star power forward, Kevin Love, that he can win in Minnesota is waning. They have to show him that in 2014-15. Love (26 points, 12 rebounds per game this season) will be a free agent at the end of next season and has already said he likes cities like New York, Chicago and Los Angeles, the latter of which his father, Stan Love, played for. Ain't no Love in the heart of the city!(Photo: Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

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Detroit Pistons - Whoever replaces Joe Dumars as the Detroit Pistons president of basketball operations will need to answer a lot of questions. Among them is deciding whether 20-year-old center Andre Drummond (13 points, 13 rebounds per game this season) should be signed to a max-out contract and if the Pistons should continue to build around Josh Smith and Brandon Jennings or look to deal both and rebuild? At 20, Drummond extending his contract with the Pistons would be a start. (Photo: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

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Denver Nuggets - Do the Denver Nuggets continue to build around guard Ty Lawson and forward Kenneth Faried or attempt to move as many of their pieces to get as far under the salary cap as possible? Tough decisions ahead. Given that the Nuggets will have two picks in the upcoming NBA Draft (one from the Knicks as part of the Carmelo Anthony deal) we say choose wisely. (Photo: Denver Nuggets)

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Boston Celtics - The Boston Celtics did a good job of getting under the salary cap and becoming players for big-name free agents at the end of next season. Plus, they have two first-round picks in the upcoming NBA Draft. Good job, C's! Keep that youth movement going.(Photo: Boston Celtics)

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New Orleans Pelicans  - The Pelicans have one of the game's best young players in All-Star power forward Anthony Davis, who averaged 21 points, 10 rebounds, and three blocks per game this season. Now it's time to build around Davis. They have some movable pieces in the forms of Tyreke Evans, Eric Gordon and Ryan Anderson if they choose to go that route.(Photo: Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

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Orlando Magic - The Orlando Magic have some nice young talent with players such as Arron Affalo, Tobias Harris and Nikola Vucevic that they can keep cultivating or package together to bring in some veteran presence. Orlando also has two selections in the 2014 NBA Draft. If Australian import Donte Exum is available, take him.  (Photo: Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)

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Sacramento Kings - There's no denying center DeMarcus Cousins as an absolute NBA star. The question is whether the Kings want to give Cousins (23 points, 12 rebounds per game) a maximum contract and throw in a longterm deal for swing-man Rudy Gay. That could be a start, while developing guards like Isaiah Thomas and Ben McLemore or shipping them out of town for high value.  (Photo: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

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Philadelphia 76ers - It couldn't get much worse for the 76ers this season — unless one's talking the Milwaukee Bucks. Philly can begin to improve in the upcoming 2014 NBA Draft, in which they will have two first-round picks. Two words. Andrew. Wiggins. (Photo: Philadelphia 76ers)

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Los Angeles Lakers - Many questions swirl around future Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers. For starters, how durable will Bryant be next season? Who can the Lakers piece together if they're looking to trade to improve? Learning from the Dwight Howard situation, which big-name free agent will be comfortable playing alongside Bryant? While answers for the questions are bound to be answered, at least the Lakers can look to add youth via their first-round pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. (Photo: AP Photo/Danny Johnston, File)

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Utah Jazz - The Western Conference-worst Utah Jazz can look to begin to improve with two first-round picks in the NBA Draft. We'll see if that helps them muster more than 24 wins out West next year. (Photo: Utah Jazz)

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Milwaukee Bucks - Here's a tip for the league-worst Milwaukee Bucks: Pray that you get the top pick in the upcoming 2014 NBA Draft. It's the quickest way the Bucks can begin to turn their squad around.(Photo: Milwaukee Bucks)

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