Every NBA Team's Fatal Flaw

When you read old tragedy, be it Greek, English or any other kind of classic drama, one thing that the main character usually exhibits is a tragic flaw. Be it procrastination, anger, rash decision-making or confidence, the main character in a tragic play usually has one quality that leads to his inevitable downfall.

I think the same can be said for NBA teams who don't end up hoisting a trophy at the end of the season.

The lower-level NBA teams usually all have the same fatal flaw—usually stretched between inexperience, lack of skill or just being stuck in between eras.

Then you have the mid-level teams hovering around the bottom of the lottery or the bottom of the playoff bracket. They usually have aging players, injuries or some kind of major, identifiable deficiency that keeps them from making their way to the next level.

The hardest teams to figure out a fatal flaw for are the top-tier teams like the Chicago Bulls or the Oklahoma City Thunder, but there's usually always something out there that keeps them from bringing home the gold.

Atlanta Hawks: Rebounding

One would think that with Josh Smith holding down the small forward spot that the Atlanta Hawks would have at least a decent shot at being a good rebounding team. Then there's the thought that their rebounding numbers are down because of the loss of Al Horford, but even he was having a down year before his injury.

The Hawks just aren't rebounding very well outside of Smith. They're getting just over six boards from Zaza Pachulia and a bit more than five from Marvin Williams. Otherwise, the Hawks don't have any other player topping more than four boards a game.

Boston Celtics: Health

When you look at the average age of their starting lineup, it's a bit surprising that the Celtics have been so healthy thus far this season.

Aside from a Paul Pierce injury early in the season, a tweaked ankle from Ray Allen, some knee issues with Brandon Bass and a right wrist injury for Rajon Rondo, the Celtics have been healthy in terms of the number of games their best players have actually played.

However, it seems to be a consensus that it's a waiting game in terms of who goes down next. With four of their five starters touting at least 13 years of experience each, things don't bode well if an ankle turns or a knee bends the wrong way.

Charlotte Bobcats: Talent

I'm going to be blunt with you on the Charlotte Bobcats because there's no reason not to be, but this just isn't a good basketball team.

The fatal flaw for the Bobcats is that they are trying to win games with the roster that they're currently putting on the floor.

There's some hope with the players in the lineup, but not for this season, especially after losing 16 games in a row.

Chicago Bulls: Low-Post Scoring

Before the start of last season, the Chicago Bulls had every right to believe that they had solved their low-post scoring problem after signing Carlos Boozer. Joakim Noah was good, but he's not the offensive threat down low that they would like.

However, after a year of Boozer being hampered with injuries and another 30 games this season, I don't see Boozer turning around to what he used to be.

Just four percent of Boozers shots are tip-ins or dunks, while just under 30 percent are considered close-range shots, leaving 64 percent coming as mid-to-long-range jumpers.

Cleveland Cavaliers: Inexperience

It's hard to imagine the Cleveland Cavaliers making the playoffs, even after they've gone through much of the first half of this season looking like a pretty decent basketball team.

Cleveland is relying on a 19-year-old point guard for the biggest chunk of their scoring load with Kyrie Irving. Irving is one of two rookies, along with Tristan Thompson, who get legitimate minutes on a nightly basis.

Otherwise, Cleveland has five other players who are in their second year in the NBA and two more who are in their third year. Of those seven players, Samardo Samuels, Omri Casspi, Semih Erden and Alonzo Gee are a part of their normal rotation.

That's just too many young bodies to rely on.

Dallas Mavericks: Low-Post Scoring

The Dallas Mavericks have turned around their slow start to the season and look ready and rearing to at least give defending their title a shot, but there's something they lack this year that they had last year in the finals.

Even though Tyson Chandler wasn't a huge scoring threat down low, he was still able to run the pick-and-roll extremely well and was good enough putting the ball back in and catching it near the basket to put it in that it kept defenses honest.

Now, however, with Ian Mahinmi and Brendan Haywood as their main post players, that threat just isn't there anymore.

Denver Nuggets: Half-Court Offense

This problem of the Nuggets was on full display when they played the Oklahoma City Thunder in the thrill ride of a game that the Thunder won in overtime Sunday night.

What happened was the Nuggets ran their offense for 80 percent of the game, running and gunning and putting the Thunder in their place in the process. Then OKC slowed down the pace of the game.

When that happened, the Thunder were able to make their comeback, tie the game and continue the slower pace in overtime, where Denver just couldn't get much going. Without the fast-break offense, they seem to be unable to really pick shots and decide who should be doing what on offense.

Detroit Pistons: The Current Year

The biggest problem for the Detroit Pistons is that it's not 2005 nor 2014.

If it were 2005, at least Tayshaun Prince, Charlie Villanueva and Ben Gordon would be effective basketball players and they would be winning a few more games.

Then, if it were 2014, some of these old guys connected to a lost era in Detroit would be off the team and their younger players would be playing with more experience.

The Pistons are stuck between eras, something that's never good for a team's win total or attendance.

Golden State Warriors: Defense

The Golden State Warriors were trying to play better defense at the beginning of this season, but as Mark Jackson realized that this wasn't going to happen, the team reverted to their old selves and are now 27th in the league in points allowed.

Their offense is quite good, as usual, but they don't have any real post presence defensively besides Ekpe Udoh and occasionally Andris Biedrins. Their guards have never been good defenders and probably never will be.

Houston Rockets: Post Defense

The Houston Rockets are getting one of Samuel Dalembert's best seasons of his career, but that's not been enough to cover up their obvious post problems.

Houston has yet to figure out how to defend the pick-and-roll, something Dalembert has never really been able to do and are really put off by finesse big men like Kevin Love.

Indiana Pacers: Over-Aggressive Defense

More than any other team that I've watched so far this season, the Indiana Pacers are far too feisty on defense, which sometimes can be a good thing, but in this instance it's not.

They constantly have guards overplaying the passing lanes on defense or trying too hard to pry the ball loose from their man, which either leads to a foul or an easy lane to a short jumper.

Down low, guys like Tyler Hansbrough and Roy Hibbert have a tendency to go after the block much more often than necessary instead of just bodying their man up and holding their ground.

Los Angeles Clippers: Offensive Creativity

If it weren't for the brilliance of Chris Paul, the Los Angeles Clippers would have an offense that would resemble something more like a high school, where the main goal is getting the ball down to the big man.

They run the hell out of plays that work, making them appear over and over again and then when something stops working, Vinny Del Negro almost abandons it altogether.

With Chris Paul running the offense, the Clippers are able to at least get creative when they run an iso with Paul and the rest of the team is able to roam freely and get open themselves, which they are pretty good at given their youth.

Los Angeles Lakers: Depth

This is going to be the biggest problem for the rest of the year for the Lakers unless they are able to pick somebody up (Gilbert Arenas) before the playoffs start.

Los Angeles has to deal with some issues with Kobe Bryant shooting 81 times a game and Pau Gasol trade rumors swirling, but their depth will overshadow that unless something drastic happens.

The Lakers are dead last (behind the Clippers) with just 21.5 points per game coming from their bench, something that's got to be worrying Mike Brown and the rest of the Lakers organization.

Memphis Grizzlies: Post Presence Outside of Gasol

After Darrell Arthur and Zach Randolph both went down with injuries, Memphis went out and grabbed Marreese Speights to help fill out their frontcourt. Speights has helped, but he hasn't been what Arthur was for them last season, although he could fill that role once Randolph comes back and he starts coming off the bench.

For now, Memphis is having trouble getting much scoring out of the post outside of Marc Gasol, and it's been hurting them a bit.

One of the more interesting lineups they run has to be when they run Rudy Gay at power forward, a spot he's filled rather well in his limited time there. We could potentially see them tinker with a small lineup as they go down the road, which could get interesting.

Miami Heat: Late-Game Heroics

This is going to be Miami's biggest problem at least until they win a game late in the NBA Finals. Unless, of course, they just blow their way through the postseason and win a title with ease.

Until that time, however, Miami still has troubles late in games. Statistically speaking this season, Chris Bosh is their best "clutch" player, if you believe there is such a thing, shooting 57 percent with fewer than five minutes in the fourth quarter or overtime and the game being within five points.

Beyond that, Mario Chalmers is actually shooting 50 percent, followed by Wade at an ugly 35 percent and LeBron at 33 percent.

Milwaukee Bucks: Shot Selection

The Bucks knew what they had in Brandon Jennings coming into the season and they knew that he was going to be taking a ton of shots. For the most part, he's done that, but he's done a good job of it.

Beyond that, Drew Gooden (yep, that Drew Gooden) and Stephen Jackson are combining for over 20 shots a game.

Let me ask you this now: In what universe would you want an aging once-pseudo All-Star and a power forward who was past his prime three years ago to shoot the ball 20 times a game between them? 

Minnesota Timberwolves: Wing Scoring

Obviously, the Minnesota Timberwolves have a guy in Kevin Love who is able to score from almost anywhere on the floor, but outside of him and a few games here and there from the likes of Wesley Johnson and Derrick Williams, the T-Wolves don't get much from the wing.

Sure, Michael Beasley can score, but he's the king of bad basketball. The T-Wolves don't have that guy who can stand on the corner and be a threat to take the three or get the ball, sprint into the lane and bust the defense in the mouth.

New Jersey Nets: Lack of Talent

The New Jersey Nets have four guys on their team with the last name "Williams." Unfortunately for the Nets, only one of those Williams' rocks the first name "Deron."

The Nets have Deron Williams, Kris Humphries, Anthony Morrow and MarShon Brooks playing well right now, but aside from that, it's pretty much a barren wasteland.

I think the Nets will come together a bit more once Brook Lopez gets back into playing shape, but for now, they just don't have the players to win games.

New Orleans Hornets: No Star Player

I'm not one to say that a team must absolutely employ a superstar to win games, but they're going to at least need a player who can be called the focal point of the offense or defense. When the Hornets' Eric Gordon went down two games into the season, they lost their focal point.

Since then, Jarrett Jack has led the Hornets in scoring and they've spread the ball around pretty well in order to find out who gives them the best shot at winning. Unfortunately for NOLA, they haven't found that guy very often.

New York Knicks: Turnovers

This was a problem even before Jeremy Lin came to the aid of the New York Knicks and brought them into the playoff picture.

The New York Knicks are the second-worst team in the league at turning the ball over, giving it up nearly 17 times a game.

The problem is that they have very ball-dominant players, which has allowed the players not guarding this guy keep him in one eye and their man in the other, giving them the ability to play the passing lanes and poke the ball free.

Beyond that, they make a lot of careless passes and, in Lin's case, tend to force things when they're not happening.

Oklahoma City Thunder: Post Offense

The sad reality for the Oklahoma City Thunder is that they can't afford to play their best lineup late in a close game.

That doesn't make sense, does it? Well, when it comes to the Thunder, their optimal lineup of Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Kevin Durant, Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins only features three guys who are scoring threats. When they run this lineup late (as they did against Denver) they settle for jumpers and the defense can play lax on the big men to keep the smaller fellows from getting mid-range shots.

It worked against Denver because shots fell, but when you don't have that low-post threat, even if he's just a slight threat like Tyson Chandler was for the Mavs last year, things are going to be infinitely tougher.

Orlando Magic: The Saga of Dwight

There's no question about it right now; the Orlando Magic are playing distracted basketball. How else can you explain a team losing 87-56 one night and then winning 102-83 the next?

The fact is that the rest of the players on the Magic have no clue what kind of team they'll be playing on next year, and that can get to them at times. How could it not?

For now, Orlando will have to ride out the storm until they decide what to do with Dwight and try to focus on the next game.

Philadelphia 76ers: Getting Close Shots

The Philadelphia 76ers got off to a hot start to this season, blowing teams away left and right. However, as the year has gone along their offense has cooled off a bit, but their defense has kept them winning.

Philly's biggest problem has been that they have only Spencer Hawes and Elton Brand to score in the post. Even they can't do it sometimes.

The fact remains that 78 percent of the shots the Sixers are taking are jump shots. When those don't fall, it can be a long and miserable night.

Phoenix Suns: Only One Guy Named Steve Nash

If I were to be given the Phoenix Suns and told to make a basketball team out of them and the rest of the free-agent pool or D-League players, the only guys I would take would be Steve Nash, Jared Dudley, Marcin Gortat, Markieff Morris and Grant Hill. The rest of those bums can go home.

Even with those five guys to start a lineup, I won't be very confident about my team's ability to win games. Sure I have Nash here, which is going to help this team threaten to go .500 at times, but otherwise there just isn't much to be had on this roster of nobodies, has-beens and never-will-bes.

Portland Trail Blazers: Shot Selection

Outside of LaMarcus Aldridge, Gerald Wallace and Nicolas Batum, the guys that are expected to end up scoring points for the Blazers (i.e. not Marcus Camby or Kurt Thomas) aren't doing so in a very effective manner.

Jamal Crawford, who we all know can have his good nights and bad, has been nothing more than a chucker in the past few weeks, taking an endless array of long twos. Wes Matthews seems to be learning bad habits from him, as he's having a terrible shooting season by his standards.

Plus, it seems like whenever Raymond Felton puts up a shot, it's always from a strange angle or too early in the shot clock.

I think this team needs some more discipline before they can get themselves together and work their way into the playoffs.

Sacramento Kings: Inconsistency

There's something about this Sacramento Kings team that makes them seem like a perfectly okay basketball team. Then you'll watch them the next night and they'll completely fall apart.

They have a lot of young talent with DeMarcus Cousins, Tyreke Evans, JJ Hickson, Marcus Thornton and recently Isaiah Thomas, but they just can't seem to all come together night after night.

In the next few years, however, this could be a very good team.

San Antonio Spurs: Fragility

While their roster isn't nearly as old as it seemed to be before the season started now that they are relying more on younger players, their most important players are still quite old.

Tim Duncan has taken a step back in production, but you'd better bet he's giving a lot to this team still. Beyond that, Manu Ginobili has already missed a handful of games to injury and guys like Richard Jefferson and Matt Bonner are on the wrong side of 30.

However, it seems that as long as Tony Parker stays healthy, the Spurs are going to have a puncher's chance.

Toronto Raptors: Scoring Points

I know this seems like a very vague problem for the Toronto Raptors, but when you look at it, Toronto just isn't scoring anywhere other than DeMar DeRozan's 15 points a game.

At the beginning of the season, Toronto's Andrea Bargnani was putting up some of the best numbers of his career before straining his calf, which will keep him out until after the All-Star break.

That has put Toronto in a hole in pretty much every game that they've played. Toronto is getting outscored at every position save the 2-guard spot, which just happens to be the hole that DeMar DeRozan fills.

Utah Jazz: Backcourt Production

With C.J Miles and Devin Harris holding down the shooting and point guard spots in the starting lineup, there's not much you can expect from the Jazz ball-handlers.

Couple that with Raja Bell and Earl Watson getting minutes over Alec Burks and you've got a definite hole in the lineup at the guard positions.

Utah's opponents are outscoring the Jazz by 10 points a game combined at the guard spots.

Washington Wizards: Immaturity

One of the most interestingly hilarious teams to take the court this year has been the Washington Wizards, who seem to outdo themselves night after night when it comes to unbelievable moments.

You'll see JaVale McGee running back on defense while his team still has the ball on one night, the next he'll try to dunk from the free-throw line with James Jones firmly planted outside of the restricted zone.

Combine that with John Wall seemingly hitting a sophomore slump and Andray Blatche still being a part of this team and there's very little good going on here.

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