The baddest of the really, really bad

We’ve seen so much of the Heat, Spurs, Celtics and Lakers this year that it’s almost an afterthought how the rest of the league is doing. For every millionaire and billionaire, there are just as many paupers, and while the NBA has been revitalized in most of its major markets, it has some hobos of its own to deal with -- bums like the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Washington Wizards.

At the start of Sunday, both clubs are more than halfway through their own inauspicious records. The Cavaliers will avoid losing 70 games like last year’s Nets, but there’s little doubt that they are a much, much worse team. The Cavaliers have won only once since Nov. 27, going 1-29 over the time and losing their last 19 games. The longest single-season losing streak is 23, and considering that the Cavs play at Orlando and at Miami in their next two games, it’s looking like they could actually break the record. After the two Florida teams, Cleveland plays the Pacers, Grizzlies, Blazers and Mavericks -- teams that are all better than Cleveland, but no so much better that it’d be inconceivable for them to win. J.J. Hickson has evolved into a solid player, and when Anthony Parker gets healthy, they could potentially win. I emphasize the potentially, since they’ve only done it once in the past two months.

The Wizards’ mark is farther away from being accomplished, but is in no danger of falling any time soon. Having gone 0-23 on the road to start the year, Washington is vying to become the first team in history to lose every one of its road games -- which would be quite an accomplishment, considering their lineup isn’t that bad. They play the Mavericks and Hornets on the road next week, and then get a brief chance at victory when they play the Cavaliers, Sixers and Magic the week after. After that, the Wizards will play the Pistons, Raptors, Warriors, Bobcats, Pacers, and Cavs again before the end of the year -- all are teams they can beat.

Usually, these marks of futility end prematurely, like last year when the Nets went on a mini-run and avoided the worst record in NBA history. But in this case, it’s not impossible for both streaks to continue for a little bit. The Cavs are not only awful but are banged up as well; they even had to start Alonzo Gee a few weeks ago, even though they had just picked him up after he was waived by, of all teams, the Wizards. Washington’s would be the more improbable to happen, since they’ll have plenty of chances to beat crappy teams on the road. It’s important to note that the Wizards play the Cavaliers on Feb. 13, on the road, meaning that one of the streaks will assuredly come to an end.