NBA: One Thing Each NBA Team Must Focus on in Second Half of the 2011-12 Season

It's official.  The 2011-12 NBA season is halfway over.

As we head into the 2012 NBA All-Star Weekend, it's time to look at what every NBA team needs to focus on moving forward into the second half of the 2011-12 lockout-shortened NBA season.

For some teams it's an increased focus on the defensive side of the ball, for others it's getting certain players more minutes and offensive touches and for other teams it's praying that the season will magically all of a sudden just come to an end.

Read on to find out what your favorite team needs to focus on moving forward in the 2011-12 NBA season.

Enjoy. 

Atlanta Hawks: Increased Production off the Bench

The Atlanta Hawks have been up and down this year, starting off the season strong but faltering as of late, losing eight of their last 12 games.

The problem for the Hawks is that they don't get near the production out of their bench that they need.

Sure, losing Al Horford for the majority of the 2011-12 NBA season didn't help the Hawks, but even with Horford, the lack of offensive production out of their bench would have held them back.

Atlanta's bench is averaging 30.2 points per game this season, and if they want to make some serious progress in the second half of the season they absolutely must get more points coming off the bench. 

Boston Celtics: Help Kevin Garnett Find Himself

The Boston Celtics aren't having the year that many thought they'd have coming into the 2011-12 NBA season.

Sitting at 15-17 going into the 2012 NBA All-Star Weekend isn't exactly what fans in Boston expected out of their beloved Celtics, and a large part of their slow start was Kevin Garnett's decline in production.

Garnett's averages of 14.4 points, 7.9 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game are down across the board from his career averages of 19.4 points, 10.7 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game.

If the Celtics want to turn things around in the second half of the 2011-12 NBA season they have to get more production out of their leader, Kevin Garnett.  I'm not sure what's going on with Garnett this season, but the Celtics need figure that out and do so sooner than later.   

Charlotte Bobcats: Start Praying for the Season to End Early

At 4-28 heading into the 2012 NBA All-Star break, the Bobcats are the proud owners of the NBA's worst overall record and for good reason too.

Charlotte ranks 22nd or worse in every major team statistical category, capped off by their 30th ranked offense, which averages a measly 86.5 points per game.  There's really nothing that the Bobcats can do to turn their season around, aside from hoping that it ends sooner than later.

With young talent like Kemba Walker, Gerald Henderson, D.J. White and Bismack Biyombo, the Bobcats can move forward, but that doesn't mean anything for this current season.

Maybe a miracle will happen, and David Stern will announce that the Bobcats can just hang up their laces and call it quits for the remainder of the season.  With just a few more losses, the Bobcats will be the first team mathematically eliminated from the 2012 NBA Playoffs.

Chicago Bulls: Give Taj Gibson More Minutes

The Chicago Bulls are arguably one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference, and their success is in large part due to the play of guys coming off the bench—Taj Gibson, Kyle Korver and C.J. Watson.

Arguably the most productive player coming off the bench for the Bulls this season has been forward Taj Gibson, who's averaging 7.4 points and 4.6 rebounds in just 19.1 minutes per game.

While the guy in front of Gibson, Carlos Boozer, isn't playing terrible this year, there's no doubt that giving Taj Gibson more minutes for the Bulls wouldn't be a bad idea.

Gibson could feasibly grab more minutes at either the small forward, power forward or center position, and if he get's more minutes, I'm sure he'll continue to produce at an impressive offensive level for the Bulls in the second half of the season. 

Cleveland Cavaliers: Start Playing Some Defense

Sitting at 13-18, the Cleveland Cavaliers have been one of the surprises of the 2011-12 NBA season, and while their record isn't incredible, it currently has them ranked ninth in the Eastern Conference.

One of the things keeping the Cavaliers from being a better team this season is their inability to play any defense, allowing the 23rd most points in the NBA per game with an average of 97.3 points per game.

The Cavaliers' young talent of Kyrie Irving, Tristan Thompson and Alonzo Gee, has certainly impressed this season, but if they don't start to play defense none of that will matter come time for the 2012 NBA Playoffs.

Cleveland will get a boost defensively when center Anderson Varejao returns from a wrist injury, but the talent around him needs to pick up the slack on the defensive end as well if the Cavaliers want to contend in the East.  

Dallas Mavericks: Motivate Lamar Odom to Play Like He Did in Los Angeles

The Lamar Odom experiment hasn't really worked out the way that the Dallas Mavericks had hoped when they traded for him this past offseason.

Odom is averaging 7.7 points and 4.5 rebounds per game with a terrible PER of 9.75, which is significantly down from his production last year with the Lakers, which looked something like 14.4 points and 8.6 rebounds per game.

The Mavericks, in spite of Odom's incompetence on offense, are still managing to win games, currently sitting at 21-13 overall.  But if the Mavericks want to turn the corner and legitimately defend their 2011 NBA title, they need a lot more production and energy out of Lamar Odom.

Odom's play this season has been lackadaisical and apathetic, and the Mavericks main focus moving forward needs to be figuring out how to get Odom to play like the player he was when he won NBA Sixth Man of the Year Awards. 

Denver Nuggets: Defense, Defense and More Defense

The Denver Nuggets started off the 2011-12 NBA season with a bang, running out to a 14-5 record.  In their next 16 games they managed to go a measly 4-12, which has them sitting at 18-17 overall heading into the 2012 NBA All-Star Weekend.

While the Nuggets rank in the top 10 in points, rebounds and assists per game as a team, they rank 29th in points allowed with an average of 100.9 points per game.

It's pretty obvious that the Nuggets main weakness is their inability to play defense, and that absolutely must change if the Nuggets want to compete with teams like the Thunder and the Spurs in the Western Conference.

Remember that time the Nuggets scored over 100 points and still lost?  Oh wait, that's pretty much how all of their losses happen.  Come on Denver, play some defense in the second half of the season.  

Detroit Pistons: Get Their Money's Worth out of Gordon and Villanueva

Remember that time when the Detroit Pistons decided to sign Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva to multi-year contracts worth at least $18 million per year combined?

That really backfired on the Pistons, locking up a lot of cap space for not a lot of production in return.  Villanueva's played a total of six minutes in the 2011-12 NBA season, suffering from an ankle injury, while Ben Gordon's averaging 13.4 points in 29.0 minutes per game.

That kind of production out of Gordon is absolutely unacceptable, and it's actually earned him a spot on the Piston's bench in favor of rookie Brandon Knight.

While Gordon's missed 11 games this season with a shoulder injury, the Pistons need to see more production out of Gordon, or they need to try to fool someone into trading for him. Either way, Gordon and Villanueva need to start actually earning their paychecks in the second half of the 2011-12 NBA season.

Golden State Warriors: Start Rebounding and Playing Defense

If the Golden State Warriors could match their offensive intensity on the defensive side of the ball, they'd be one of the best overall teams in the entire NBA.

Unfortunately for the Warriors, it seems like they don't fully comprehend the importance of defense or rebounding, which is evidenced by their 28th ranking in team rebounding with just 39.6 rebounds per game and their 26th ranking in points allowed with an average of 100.7 points per game.

While Golden State doesn't have the biggest players at the center and forward positions, they have a solid mixture of athleticism, and it's inexcusable that they're unable to defend.

If the Warriors want to contend in the West, which I'm sure they do, they have to stop worrying about outscoring everyone and try to actually lock teams down on the defensive side of the ball.  Come on Mark Jackson, get your guys to play defense like you did.

Houston Rockets: Get Chase Budinger More Minutes and Touches

I'd be lying if I told you that I thought the Houston Rockets would be sitting at 20-14 overall heading into the 2012 NBA All-Star Weekend.

Houston is there in large part due to the play of point guard Kyle Lowry and the production that the Rockets are getting off of their bench.

One of the Rockets' best players coming off the bench is Chase Budinger, and I think it's time that he stops coming off the bench and gets inserted into the starting lineup.

Budinger is outperforming Chandler Parsons in points and efficiency, and he's doing so in less minutes per game.  The Rockets could seriously benefit from having Budinger on the court more than he is now, and he might just be what the Rockets need moving forward to continue their success in the second half of the 2011-12 NBA season.  

Indiana Pacers: Move the Ball Around More

Say hello to one of the biggest surprises of the 2011-12 NBA season, the Indiana Pacers. Unless you're a Pacers fan, you probably wouldn't have guessed that the Pacers would be 21-12 heading into the 2012 NBA All-Star Weekend.

While the Pacers are excelling in a lot of areas this season, one way they can improve moving forward is by increasing their assist production as a team.  The Pacers, as a team, currently rank 28th in assists with an average of just 17.8 assists per game, which isn't terrible, but it definitely leaves room for improvement.

The Pacers have a tendency to be stagnant on offense, relying on Roy Hibbert, Danny Granger and others to create in isolation situations.

If the Pacers want to contend with the top teams in the East in the second half of the 2011-12 NBA season, they have to start creating offensive opportunities for their teammates by improving their assist production. 

L.A. Clippers: Control Kenyon Martin's Minutes More Efficiently

The Los Angeles Clippers are sitting pretty heading into the 2012 NBA All-Star Weekend. They are in first place in the Pacific Division with a record of 20-11.

Since signing Kenyon Martin, the Clippers have gone 5-4, and while it's not all Kenyon Martin's fault, he definitely brings a different style of play to the Clippers when he's on the court, especially on the offensive side of the ball.

Martin is averaging a measly five points and four rebounds per game in a surprisingly high 21.9 minutes per game average.  It's not that Kenyon Martin doesn't still have some gas left in his tank.  It's just that he doesn't really fit well with the Clippers just yet.

Head coach Vinny Del Negro needs to do a better job of managing Martin's minutes until he gets back into "NBA shape."  With the 20-plus minutes he's getting now he's holding the Clippers back.  

L.A. Lakers: Get Kobe to Be More of a Team Player

That look on Kobe's face says it all.

Just the thought of Kobe needing to be more of a team player would undoubtedly make him laugh, but if the Lakers want to win games in the second half of the season it's what needs to happen.

Sure, Kobe's leading the league in scoring with a 28.5 points per game average, but he's also leading the league in field goal attempts with 783 attempts on the year.  The next highest player is Kevin Durant with only 646 field goal attempts on the year.

Kobe's one of the all-time greats, but he's also selfish, and if he wants the Lakers to contend in the Western Conference he's going to have to switch up his style of game.

The Lakers have serious talent on their team.  The problem is that they don't get the ball enough.  Kobe, shoot the ball a little less; it might actually help you win games. 

Memphis Grizzlies: Get Marc Gasol More Offensive Touches

Memphis is having a solid year, especially when you consider that they've been without star power forward Zach Randolph for all but four games of the 2011-12 NBA season.

Kudos to Marc Gasol for stepping up in Randolph's absence and truly earning his first career NBA All-Star appearance with season averages of 15.0 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game.

The only problem for the Grizzlies is that their All-Star center isn't getting nearly enough offensive touches per game.  His current average of only 10.8 field goal attempts per game won't cut it.

If the Grizzlies want to improve their 22nd ranked offense, they need to start by getting Marc Gasol the ball more often.  After all, he's shooting nearly 50.0 percent on the season so far. 

Miami Heat: Keep LeBron as the Number One Option Offensively

The Miami Heat have won eight straight by double-digits heading into the 2012 NBA All-Star Weekend.

One of the reasons why the Heat are playing so well as of late is due to the fact that they're getting out into their transition offense with LeBron leading the way.

LeBron James hasn't necessarily been scoring more points over the past eight games, but he's playing efficiently and facilitating the pace of the game for the Heat, and it's undoubtedly working.

If the Heat want to continue their winning ways in the second half of the season, their offense needs to keep running through LeBron as the primary option when it comes to facilitating the offense.  If that happens, LeBron will be well on his way to his third NBA MVP trophy while helping the Heat play basketball well into the month of June for the second year in a row.   

Milwaukee Bucks: Trade Away Stephen Jackson, and Do It Quick

Signing Stephen Jackson this past offseason sounded like a solid idea for the inexperienced Milwaukee Bucks, but it's undoubtedly backfired on them and stands as one of the reasons the Bucks sit at 13-20.

Jackson's been in and out of the starting lineup for the Bucks as of late, struggling with a lingering hamstring injury, but when he's been on the court he's been everything but productive and efficient for Milwaukee.

Jackson's averaging 10.5 points in 27.4 minutes per game, but he's doing so while shooting an abysmal 35.7 percent from the field.  Every shot that Jackson takes is an opportunity that is taken away from better players like Brandon Jennings and Drew Gooden.

It might seem crazy, but Stephen Jackson isn't a piece of the Bucks' future, and it's time for the Bucks to realize that and trade him to a team that might be able to use his below-average offensive production.  If Milwaukee can get something in return for Jackson, they'll be coming out on top.  

Minnesota Timberwolves: Test the Trade Waters with Michael Beasley

The Minnesota Timberwolves are sitting at 17-17 heading into the 2012 NBA All-Star Weekend, and that's not a bad place to be for the upstart T'Wolves.

With solid play from Ricky Rubio, Kevin Love and even Derrick Williams, the Timberwolves have a solid future to build on, even moving forward in the second half of the season.

While I don't think Michael Beasley is necessarily holding the Timberwolves back, his inefficiency on offense as evidenced by his 42.3 percent field goal percentage and his PER of 13.07, certainly isn't helping.

Minnesota would be foolish if they didn't at least try things out with Beasley on the trading block—to see what kind of interest they can get in the fourth-year small forward.  Trading away Beasley would mean more offensive touches for more efficient players like Rubio, Love, Pekovic and Williams, which could be the spark the Timberwolves need going into the second half of the 2011-12 NBA season.  

New Jersey Nets: Keep Trying to Get Dwight Howard

While the New Jersey Nets aren't necessarily setting the basketball world on fire with a 10-25 overall record, their starting point guard Deron Williams averages 22.2 points and 8.2 assists per game.

Williams' explosive play as of late is good news for the Nets and their hopes of luring the Magic into making a trade that involves sending center Dwight Howard to the Nets for almost everyone but Deron Williams in return.

Without more star power, like Howard, the Nets aren't going to go anywhere in the Eastern Conference, and that's why they need to shift their focus from the 2011-12 NBA season to trying to acquire Dwight Howard.

If the Nets can somehow get the Magic to trade them Dwight Howard, they can go ahead and consider their 2011-12 NBA season a success, which is really the only way that they'll be able to do that.  

New Orleans Hornets: Do Everything They Can to Keep Eric Gordon

Eric Gordon recently talked about his interest in playing for the Indiana Pacers next year once he become a free agent this upcoming offseason, and that's terrible news for the 8-25 New Orleans Hornets.

Not a lot has gone well for the Hornets this season, losing Gordon to a knee injury in just his second game in the starting lineup for New Orleans.

In those two games, however, Gordon showed serious potential by averaging 21.0 points, five rebounds and two assists per game with a PER of 17.53.

Aside from Gordon, the Hornets don't have a lot to look forward to when they think about their future over the span of the next year or two, and that's why they absolutely must do everything in their power to try and lure Gordon into staying in New Orleans at the end of the 2011-12 NBA season.  If Gordon leaves, so do the hopes of the Hornets being relevant in the NBA for the next two or three years  

New York Knicks: Facilitate Their Offense Through Jeremy Lin, Not 'Melo

I know this might sound silly, especially after Jeremy Lin's eight turnover reality check against the Miami Heat, but the Knicks need to run their offense through him and not Carmelo Anthony.

With Lin in the starting lineup, the Knicks have gone 9-3, and that's a major improvement.

I'm not saying that Jeremy Lin needs to be the offensive focus of the New York Knicks, but he must be the facilitator of the game for New York because he controls the pace and tempo of the game better than any other player on the Knicks roster.

While the jury is still out on whether or not 'Melo and Lin can function together, the best bet the Knicks have of continuing to win games in the second half of the 2011-12 NBA season is by letting Jeremy Lin run the show in the Big Apple.  Carmelo can still shoot all the shots, but Lin's got to be the guy that creates opportunities for him.     

Oklahoma City Thunder: Keep Running the Offense Through Durant

The Oklahoma City Thunder are tied with the Miami Heat for the best record in the NBA with an overall record of 27-7, and they are arguably the best team in the mighty Western Conference.

The Thunder's success as of late is in large part due to the impressive offensive production and efficiency of small forward Kevin Durant, who's averaging 27.7 points and 8.2 rebounds per game with a PER of 27.39.

Aside from LeBron James, Durant is the next most efficient player in the NBA, and even with Russell Westbrook at the point, Durant is the Thunder's number one offensive threat night in and night out.

If the Thunder want to maintain their dominance in the Western Conference in the second half of the season, they have to continue to run the offense through Durant, rather than Westbrook.

Durant is hands down the more efficient of the two players.  Could this be the year that Durantula finds his way into the NBA Finals?  I think so.    

Orlando Magic: Throw Everything They've Got at Dwight Howard or Trade Him

At the end of the 2011-12 NBA season, All-Star center Dwight Howard will be a free agent, and there's a high likelihood that he'll take his talents out of Orlando, especially if the Magic's inconsistent play continues.

The Magic need to be prepared to throw absolutely everything they've got at Dwight Howard with hopes that they can get him to stay in Orlando.  If Howard walks, it will be the second time that the Magic have lost an All-Star center.

If the Magic's front office truly believes that nothing they can say or do will get Howard to stay in Orlando, then they need to pull the trigger on a trade and be satisfied that they at least are getting something in return for him.

The second half of the 2011-12 NBA season won't mean much for the Magic if they can't manage to either trade Howard or talk him into signing a long-term contract with them. 

Philadelphia 76ers: Start Beating Teams Above .500 by Being More Disciplined

As expected, the Philadelphia 76ers have cooled off after an extremely hot start to the 2011-12 NBA season.

The 76ers are 20-14 after starting the season off 11-5.  That's in large part due to the fact that Philadelphia hasn't been able to beat many teams that are above .500.

Philadelphia is great at beating teams they are supposed to, but when it comes to the elite talent in the NBA, they haven't been able to prove themselves.  The 76ers are riding a five-game losing streak into the 2012 NBA All-Star Weekend, and that's not good news looking forward to the second half of the season.

If Philadelphia wants to prove themselves as a top contender in the East, they absolutely must start beating the top teams in the NBA, and the way they can do that is by playing more disciplined on the offense side of the ball.

Phoenix Suns: Trade Away Steve Nash for the Future of the Franchise

The Phoenix Suns have one of the best point guards to ever have played the game of basketball, but unfortunately, ever since trading away Amare Stoudemire, they haven't been able to build a solid team around him.

Steve Nash will be making his eighth NBA All-Star appearance on Sunday, and he's deserved it by averaging 13.9 points and 10.9 assists per game with a PER of 22.52.  At the age of 38, however, Nash isn't the future of the Phoenix Suns, and it's time for the Suns to realize that.

Nash's career is reaching it's end, and Phoenix would be doing him an incredible service by trading him to a legitimate contender, where he could try and win his first NBA Championship.

While this is based on pure speculation, trading Nash would also benefit the Suns in that it would allow them to truly start building for their future because Nash certainly isn't a part of their future.

I love Steve Nash, but his days in Phoenix need to come to an end, especially if the Suns want to be a better than average team over the next few years.    

Portland Trailblazers: Joel Przybilla to Have Some Gas Left in the Tank

Joel Przybilla is taking his talents back to Oregon to play for the Portland Trailblazers in spite of the Miami Heat's efforts to land the 7'1'' center, and Portland is hoping that Przybilla has still got some gas left in the tank.

One of the Trailblazers' issues this season has been consistency when their starters go to the bench.  That's right where the Blazers hope Przybilla can step in and make a difference.

Przybilla's never really been a difference maker on the offensive side of the ball in his 11-year NBA career, but he's undoubtedly a big body in the paint that can impact the way opponents play and attack.

While I don't think Joel Przybilla will be a difference maker for the Trailblazers, he has potential to make them a slightly better defense team, and that's something that the Trailblazers can focus on moving forward into the second half of the 2011-12 NBA season. 

Sacramento Kings: Unselfish Offense and a Focus on Defense

The Sacramento Kings have a surprising pool of talent on their roster—Tyreke Evans, DeMarcus Cousins, Marcus Thornton and Isaiah Thomas—but the one thing they lack is discipline and leadership.

The Kings' lack of discipline is evidenced by their 30th ranking in both team assists (with an average of 17.3 assists per game) and overall team defense (with an average of giving up 102.1 points per game).

Sacramento has a lot of potential, but they'll never reach their potential if they don't play team basketball and if they don't play disciplined on the defensive side of the ball.

If the Kings want to become a contender in the Western Conference, they have to start on the defensive side of the ball by injecting some discipline and intensity.  Increase defensive production should be more than enough for the Kings to focus on moving forward into the second half of the 2011-12 NBA season.  

San Antonio Spurs: Managing Minutes & Keeping Their Remaining Players Healthy

Even without Manu Ginobli for a majority of the 2011-12 NBA season, the Spurs have quietly moved into one of the top spots in the Western Conference with a 24-10 overall record.

San Antonio is always a top-tier team in the West, but year in and year out it hinges on the health of their star players, Manu Ginobli, Tony Parker and Tim Duncan.

While the Spurs have some young talent like Tiago Splitter, Kawhi Leonard and Gary Neal, the foundation of their success, especially moving forward into the second half of this season, is rooted in the play of their current franchise talent like Duncan and Parker.

Moving ahead into the second half of the lockout shortened 2011-12 NBA season, it will be important for the Spurs' coaching staff to wisely manage the minutes of Duncan, Parker and Ginobli once he returns, in hopes that they'll be healthy for a deep run into the 2012 NBA Playoffs.  

Toronto Raptors: A Little Offense Never Hurt Anyone

The Toronto Raptors haven't had much success since Chris Bosh took his talents to South Beach, and that's mainly because he took a large chunk of the Raptors' offensive production with him when he left.

Toronto currently ranks 28th in overall offensive production with an average of only 89.2 points per game, which just won't cut it in the NBA.

With talent like DeMar Derozan, Jose Calderon and Andrea Bargnani, it's surprising that the Raptors are so inept on the offensive side of the ball.  If Toronto wants to get better offensively, they need DeMar Derozan to become much more aggressive when he has the ball in his hands.

I know defense wins championships, but even if you hold a team to two points you at least have to score three, and that's what the Raptors struggle to do.  Toronto needs to focus on attacking the rim on offense and increasing their overall offensive production moving forward into the second half of the 2011-12 NBA season.

Utah Jazz: Help Devin Harris Find His Former All-Star Self

The Utah Jazz are 15-17 overall, and while that's not bad, they could be a lot better if point guard Devin Harris played like he did when he was with the New Jersey Nets.

Ever since coming to Utah in the Deron Williams trade, Devin Harris has been a shell of his former self, averaging 9.1 points and 4.5 points per game with an underwhelming PER of 14.03.

In New Jersey, Harris averaged nearly 17.5 points per game, and the Jazz have to be wondering if they'll ever get that kind of production out of him.

The Jazz need to figure out how to integrate Harris into the offense more than he is now.  He's really the only hope they have of increasing their offensive production, which needs to be their major focus moving forward in the 2011-12 NBA season.

Finding the old Devin Harris is an absolute must for the Utah Jazz if they want to be a contender in the West.  

Washington Wizards: Leadership, Leadership, Leadership

Last but not least we've got the Washington "no discipline" Wizards.

Washington currently ranks 25th in overall offensive production with an average of 91.9 points per game and ranking 29th in points allowed with an average of 100.8 points per game.

The good news for the Wizards is that they can't get much worse than where they currently are, but the bad news is that what the Wizards need if they are going to improve over the second half of the 2011-12 NBA season, is some serious discipline and leadership.

The Wizards are the third youngest team in the NBA, and it shows in their lack of experience and their lack of maturity in the way they approach the game on the court.

With JaVale McGee throwing off-the-backboard dunks and goaltending shots for no reason, the Wizards have a long way to go, but improving over the next 30 or so games starts with playing with discipline on the offensive and defensive side of the ball. 

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