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This story is part of ESPN The Magazines Oct. 31 NBA Preview Issue. Subscribe today!Arizona DiamondbacksOverall: 55 Title track: 52 Ownership: 94 Coaching: 118 Players: 97 Fan relations: 82 Affordability: 12 Stadium experience: 62 Bang for the buck: 2 Change from last year: -46Give the Diamondbacks credit for having the courage to roll the dice, even if it came up snake eyes. An offseason roster overhaul intended to make them front-runners in the NL West fizzled quickly, and the last-place D-backs plunged 46 points from last season, the most dramatic fall of any MLB team. In fact, their No. 55 ranking is the lowest for the D-backs since we began our standings in 2003.Whats goodThe D-backs again rank high in affordability (12th overall), and they do their best to be lighter on the wallet. The average ticket price of $18.53 is the least expensive of any of the four major sports, and the average cost of a game at Chase Field -- $30.86 -- is a full 20 bucks below MLB average. A nice touch this season was placing the names of full and half-season ticket holders on the top of the dugout. The D-backs also converted a section of the upper right-field concourse to La Terraza, where fans enjoyed a Latin scene with live music and regional food, and added a free Spanish-language magazine entitled La Cueva, which was available at the ballpark along with the free English-language publication, D-backs Insider. A nice ballpark experience and those low, low ticket prices might have made fans forget what was on the field, which explains the best MLB ranking in bang for the buck.Whats badFree-agent signee Zack Greinke underperformed after signing a $206.5 million contract, and right-hander Shelby Miller (6.15 ERA) has been a disaster since the D-backs acquired him from the Braves for a boatload of prospects, including 2015 No. 1 overall pick Dansby Swanson. Budding star A.J. Pollock went down with a serious injury just before Opening Day, and the D-backs were nine games out of first place by Memorial Day. The result of all that disappointment in these standings? A predictable 65-point free fall in players. A 56-point drop in coaching didnt bode well for second-year skipper Chip Hale, who was fired along with GM Dave Stewart in early October. A chunk of D-backs fans, as well as the media, feel the management team of Stewart and chief baseball officer Tony La Russa, who has stepped down to take an advisory role with new GM Mike Hazen, didnt pay nearly enough attention to advanced metrics.Whats newThe D-backs have been involved in a very public spat with Maricopa County officials regarding roughly $187 million in current and future maintenance obligations through 2027 at Chase Field. In March, the club hinted at leaving downtown Phoenix for a new, state-of-the-art facility, which clearly rubbed fans the wrong way. The D-backs dropped 60 points in fan relations from last season, and the ownership rank is approaching triple digits. This has been a down year for a franchise that has traditionally done well in our standings (five top-10 finishes), but major front-office changes are under way. While theyre at it, they can dump their new alternate gray road uniforms. Rob Lowe tweeted that the new digs made them look like futuristic maintenance men working on a trash truck in space.Next: Los Angeles Angels?| Full rankings DeAaron Fox Kings Jersey . -- Stanfords Kevin Danser knelt on one knee and hardly moved on the sideline as Michigan State celebrated its Rose Bowl victory and his Cardinal teammates made their way to the locker room. DeAaron Fox Jersey . After dropping their final six games of December, the Wild opened the new calendar year with four consecutive wins. Following a loss to Colorado on Saturday, Minnesota rebounded the following night to blank Nashville 4-0, but then had the tables turned on them Tuesday. http://www.nbakingsonline.com/Authentic-Mike-Bibby-Kings-Jersey/ . Miller finished in two minutes, 6.09 seconds, one day before the first medal race on the Alpine schedule. The 36-year-old American also turned in the top time in Thursdays opening training session. Oscar Robertson Jersey . The Americans, skipped by John Shuster, seized the advantage in the eighth end by scoring five points for a 7-3 lead. The Czechs pulled two back in the ninth, but Shusters team of third Jeff Isaacson, second Jared Zezel and lead John Landsteiner ended with another point to secure the last Olympic berth on offer. Nemanja Bjelica Kings Jersey . With their top three point guards and Kobe Bryant all sidelined by injury, the Lakers signed Marshall out of the D-League on Friday before their home game against Minnesota. OKLAHOMA CITY -- The way Kevin Martin describes it, the Oklahoma City Thunder lost the "vision" of a potential championship run the morning they learned All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook would be out for the rest of the post-season. Despite fighting to the end in a series of narrow losses to Memphis, the Thunders season -- which seemed so promising even when the playoffs began -- is over much sooner than expected following a five-game loss in the Western Conference semifinals. After making it to the NBA Finals a year earlier, Oklahoma City claimed the No. 1 seed in the West and was the favourite to make it back and challenge the Miami Heat for the title. And then? "We lost the guy that has the keys to our car," Martin said Thursday. The Thunders offence fizzled without Westbrooks scoring punch and ability to create shots for teammates. To make matters worse, they drew the Grizzlies and their league-best defence in the second round. Three-time scoring champion Kevin Durant tried to pick up the slack, but to no avail. "Lets face it, Russells really good. Hes not only one of the best point guards, hes one of best players in the league," coach Scott Brooks said. "He has earned that with all of the work he has put in. He has a great work ethic and a great attitude to improve every day, and his will to win is at the highest level. "We are a much better team -- theres no ands, ifs, buts about that. But were not an excuse team either." Right up until the end, the club believed it could overcome even Westbrooks injury, suffered in a chance collision with Houstons Patrick Beverley in Game 2 of the first round. But after winning the next game, Oklahoma City went 2-6 without Westbrook. "It ended too soon. Thats what Im going to say about the whole experience," Martin said. "I think the year, we set ourselves up to be Western Conference champions this year. Heading into the playoffs, we was playing such great basketball and then you have a fluke injury. You know thats part of sports but you never want to think its going to happen to you or your team. "I feel like thats how our season will be looked at now. Its more like a what if sseason.ddddddddddddquot; The Thunder won 60 games in the regular season and had the best record in the West for the first time since 1996, when the franchise was in Seattle. But all that was thrown out when Westbrook tore cartilage in his right knee during the collision with Beverley and needed surgery. Durant said hed still look back on the season for the good times spent with teammates and the opportunities for growth, not a simply a wasted year. "Im going to be who Im going to be. Im not Kobe Bryant, Im not Michael Jordan, not LeBron James, not Magic Johnson. Im me," Durant said. "Im not going to ever compromise myself or my integrity or what I believe in to win some basketball games or to win a championship. Thats just how I was brought up. "Im always going to fight for the game I love. Im going to claw until the last buzzer sounds. If thats after the championship, then of course Ill be happy. Im not satisfied just being in this league and losing." Durant ended up second in the NBA scoring race to New Yorks Carmelo Anthony but improved his efficiency, becoming one of a handful of players in league history to make at least 50 per cent of his field-goal attempts, 40 per cent of his 3-pointers and 90 per cent of his foul shots. After Westbrooks injury, Durant averaged 31.8 points, 9.9 rebounds and 6.2 assists. It still wasnt enough to lift his team. "You dont win championships ... You dont win playoff series or games with one or two guys. Its always about a team late in the season. Its always about a team in the playoffs," Durant said. "Were going to need everybody to step up, and I like the way we grew up as a unit." Some key decisions loom in the off-season for the franchise that traded eventual All-Star James Harden away at the end of training camp in a bid for financial flexibility under the salary cap. Most notably, Martin will be an unrestricted free agent and may have to take a pay cut to return to the team. "Im at a point in my career where I dont need to get what I can get. ... I have a vision of what I want my career to be, and the main thing is happiness and being a part of something special," Martin said. ' ' '