How cruel would this be? The Wizards go through their best season in four years and still can't make the playoffs in the mediocre free-for-all East. Don't even get a sniff.

If Michael Jordan is finished for the season or if he misses a long stretch of games, the Wizards will be hard-pressed to make the post-season as one of six teams competing for the final four spots in the tournament.

	Tracy McGrady and the Magic should sneak into the playoffs thanks to Michael Jordan's injury.

Certainly, New Jersey and Milwaukee appear to be in, and Detroit and Boston should be in as well barring a disaster. That leaves a six-team field of mediocre contenders, each fragile.

With or without Jordan -- assuming he is not at his best -- the Wizards could be out of this thing by the end of next month. They have a ferocious schedule in March, playing six straight on the road and eight of nine away from home in a span of 17 days. After that, they have a run of games against the Bucks, Mavericks, Lakers and Bucks again.

It's been 16 years since Jordan last went on the injured list. The timing could hardly be ruinous for a team that fought back from a 2-9 hole, lost eight straight and still came back to 26-21 at the All-Star break.

The Wizards will need big-time games from Richard Hamilton if they are going to hang in the East race. Hubert Davis will have to be a big-time shooter and Christian Laettner will have to rise above the pathetic level to which he descended since coming back from injury. Laettner had been playing so bad that the Wizards offered him around the league for nothing.

Frankly, you can throw a blanket over Orlando, Toronto, Indiana, Philadelphia and Charlotte and have nothing to choose among them. Here they are in the order preferred by this reporter. Boston is still too weak inside to be a serious team, but the East is so bad, the Celtics can't miss.

1. Philadelphia. So smart and so good when they are healthy and play in rhythm, the 76ers are confounding their fans. They have the annoying habit of slipping away even as they appear to find themselves. If Aaron McKie, Eric Snow, Derrick Coleman and Allen Iverson can all get healthy at the same time, the Sixers can make a run at an upper seed. The schedule is in their favor. They have five more games at home than they do on the road, a nice recipe for the stretch run.

2. Charlotte. I like this team. The backcourt of David Wesley (who is practicing again and will be back shortly) and Baron Davis is made for desperate times. Jamal Mashburn, Elden Campbell , P.J. Brown and Lee Nailon are the core of a terrific team. This is very much like the team that came so close to making the Eastern finals and they could get there this time with a little luck.

3. Indiana. This is a team on the come, thanks to the slick dealings of club president Donnie Walsh. It will be better next season when Al Harrington gets back, but they're a tough club now with Brad Miller banging on the inside, Ron Artest pressuring the wings and Ron Mercer getting maybe his last chance to prove he can play the game at a high level. One question, though? Can Isiah Thomas stop tinkering to give this squad enough time to come together for a serious run at the playoffs?

4. Orlando. Sue me, OK? I'm not a fan. There's a lot of sizzle here with Tracy McGrady and Darrell Armstrong, but I want to see the beef. As good of a young coach as Doc Rivers is, it's going to be very hard to bring this bunch home with a home-court seed. They have two games with the Bucks, two with the Hornets and a date with the Pacers in a six-game span at the end of March. Let's see how that turns out.

5. Toronto. Does this mean we're counting the Raptors out of the tournament? No. But this Vince Carter excuse for an eight-game losing streak (seven with Vince, one since) is a bit too convenient for me. There are enough pieces to win games, but Lenny Wilkens has never found an excuse he didn't like. When a team is weakened, excuses turn into weaknesses. The Raptors have a five-game road trip starting next week with the Mavs, Magic and Magic in the mix. Better find some grit, lads.

6. Washington. The Wizards activated young Kwame Brown to take Jordan's spot. Can he help them to the promised land? Not, this year. It's Michael or bust (see above). Brown is averaging 3.0 points and 2.8 rebounds in 11.1 minutes.

7. Miami. The Heat should have been extinguished a long time ago. Pat Riley's passion keeps this team on the fringe of the playoff hunt, but that's not likely to be enough. Not enough Zo. Not enough go. Too many losses to bad teams like Atlanta.

Jeffrey Denberg, who covers the NBA for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, is a regular contributor to ESPN.com.