Sometimes there is something blocking your way to success that just can't be accounted for with what you have. There is an obstacle that is simply too big to allow for, and you feel like if it just wasn't there, if you could just solve that one issue, nothing would be able to stop you. This applies to lots of teams, and for this case specifically the Charlotte Hornets and New York Knicks.

Enter the Evergreen ship.

You might or might not be aware of what has been going on in the Suez Canal, but over the past six days, it has been completely blocked up by a huge ship caught perpendicular to the canal's flow. The ship, named the Evergreen, has brought canal traffic to a complete standstill, and in doing so it brought the vitally important trade route to a halt.

Some NBA teams must feel the same way. These are the two most blocked-up, would-be contenders in the NBA, along with their ā€˜Evergreen ships'.

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Blockage 1: New York Knicksā€“Playmaking

The new version of the New York Knicks are one of the NBA's most encouraging stories. Every year, Knicks fans come out in droves to tell the rest of the NBA that ā€˜it's their year, just watch!'

It happened with Stephon Marbury, and then with Carmelo Anthony, and finally with Julius Randle. Cue brief success followed by deep depression as owner James Dolan destroys whatever the Knicks try to build.

But, this year, against all odds, magic has happened.

The Knicks are bucking for a top-four seed in the Eastern Conference, led by the most improbable of stars: Julius Randle himself.

Behind career high's from Randle in most major counting stats (23 PPG, 10.8 RPG, 5.8 APG on 42% 3FG) and some of the stingiest defense in the league, the Knicks are poised to make their first playoff appearance in nearly a decade.

But if they want to get to the next level, they simply have to improve. But where? They already have Randle and a secondary playmaker in RJ Barrett. Their defensive rating (3rd) and net rating (12th) are well above league average, and they have all the scrap and heart of last year's Miami Heat.

The difference that they need to find is in their playmaking. While their net rating is solid, it is only at 0.6. They allow the least PPG to opponents but are the third-worst scoring team in the league, and that comes down to the fact that Barrett and Randle are simply subpar playmakers for their fellow teammates.

In short, it is simply unacceptable that your team leader in assists is your iso-centric power forward, no matter how good he is as a scorer.

The Knicks have multiple players that can benefit from Randle's ability to draw extra coverage inside the arc. The Knicks quietly have one of the better-shooting rosters in the league, with eight players shooting above league average (team-wide 37% 3FG, 11th in the NBA). By all accounts, they should be able to take advantage of Randle's and Barrett's punishing drives and backdowns into the paint, but no. Randle and Barrett average less than nine assists/game in total, and while that is acceptable for Randle (passing bigs are still a rarity in the league), it is much less so for Barrett.

The Knicks as a whole have solid individual pieces, with multiple players scoring in double digits. But no player averages even six APG, and the team is the worst passing team in the league by all metrics outside of the Portland Trail Blazers. They are near dead last in team APG, assists/field goals made, and assist/turnover ratio. This results in highly inefficient shots inside the arc. In fact, 3FG% is the only shooting stat the Knicks do well on, and that's because of how sloppy they are as playmakers (speaking of which, they also place near the bottom in team TO/game). Every other shooting stat that the Knicks own is ranked in the league's basement.

This culture extends to the rest of the team. Elfrid Payton would like to help, but no one in their right mind is starting him over Barrett, Rose, or budding young star Immanuel Quickley. The latter has been fantastic in his first year in the league, averaging 12.8 points with 2.3 boards and 2.3 assists. The first-round pick is on track to become a key piece of this Knicks' squad going forward and his development and rise will propel this team in their attempt to get back to the promised land.

Meanwhile, Rose has never been much of a passer, and Quickley is still maturing as a player and can learn immensely from Rose. However, this team goes where RJ Barrett and Julius Randle go, and hopefully, Quickley can follow suit and make this Knicks' tandem a big three that they are hoping for. This means that until they find a way to stop doing more than taking turns barreling into traffic, this team will go nowhere past the second round of the playoffs, at best.

Blockage 2: Charlotte Hornets, inside presence

Hot take for this season: the Charlotte Hornets have one of the most balanced perimeter attacks in the NBA.

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Between LaMelo Ball, Terry Rozier, and Gordon Hayward, the Hornets have sneakily built one of the best offensive perimeter trios in the league, and their combined playmaking has the Hornets in prime position to make a little bit of noise in the playoffs. In fact, LaMelo Ballā€™s stats and play have been a huge part of their success this year.

https://twitter.com/LegionHoops/status/1370169533005144065?s=20

Without them, the Hornets have human microwave Malik Monk coming off the bench as well as fellow sparkplug Devonte Graham. Miles Bridges, meanwhile, projects as someone who can play four positions on the court on both sides of the ball.

For Charlotte, their perimeter attack is loaded with both star power and depth. The only thing holding them back, then, is any sort of inside presence.

To put it briefly: Bismack Biyombo and Cody Zeller don't cut it. Not when every single contender in the East can either outduel Charlotte in the paint. The Hornets will inevitably come across problems like Joel Embiid and Giannis Antetokounmpo in the playoffs, and with their recent acquisitions, the Brooklyn Nets will also be a problem. Neither Biyombo nor Zeller can compete with what has become a four-to-five-headed hydra that the Nets can trot out in the middle. Blake is still athletic and a solid passer. Aldridge has range out to twenty feet. Deandre Jordan is still a brick wall of a human, and Nic Claxton is as bouncy as anyone in the league.

Charlotte is simply too small to overcome their giant Evergreen ship.

There are a number of teams that can stand to improve on several fronts before they can be considered true contenders. Boston, like Charlotte, doesn't have a lot of size, but they also are missing a playmaker and distributor. Dallas could use some defense and actual dependable scoring help to support Luka Doncic. Count Miami in as a team that also needs some mid-to-top tier distribution skillsets on their roster.

But unique of all the teams in the NBA, only Charlotte and the Knicks have one definitive flaw that is holding them back from the mountaintop. The problem is that the flaw in question is both undeniable and glaring. If that clog gets cleared, however, watch out.