NBA Panic Meter: How much should Warriors, Suns, Hawks, Raptors and Grizzlies worry?

In the long slog of an 82-game NBA season, when is it time to panic? Well, now is as good a time as any.

The old saw in league circles is that the first week or two is for working out the kinks, but you find out what you have between Halloween and Christmas. After that, if you don’t like some things about your squad, it’s time to hit the phones.

So it’s a bit jarring if, hypothetically, you come out of the offseason hoping to have a title contender and instead find yourself in 11th place in your conference. More jarring, in theory, if one of your key players is suspended “indefinitely” after being ejected for the third time in his last nine games, each of which came after a dangerous physical play against an opponent. That is one situation that might cause you to reach for the panic button.

Of course, other teams are already far beyond the point of panic. The Washington Wizards, Detroit Pistons and San Antonio Spurs have not won a game in over a month, with the exception