Every NBA Team's Biggest Disappointment This Season

The shortened 2011-12 NBA season has been nothing short of a wild ride, as it's been full of both exciting moments and disappointing moments alike

While some teams are decidedly better than others, every team throughout the season has experienced their fair share of disappointments.

Those disappointments range from unexpected retirements, to draft busts, to nagging injuries, to players not playing up to their true potential.  No matter what the disappointment is, the best teams find ways to overcome them, and the bad teams just succumb to the impact of the disappointments. 

Ahead is a list of every NBA team's biggest disappointment so far this season. 

Atlanta Hawks: Losing Al Horford

When Al Horford went down in the first few weeks of the season with a shoulder injury, the 2012 NBA title hopes for the Hawks went down the drain; not that they were truly there to start with.

Either way, losing Horford for the past three months has been a big disappointment for the Hawks because even though they are a playoff-caliber team, they could be much better an more complete if Horford was on their roster.

If the season ended right now, the Hawks would find themselves in a first-round matchup with the Boston Celtics, and without Horford, there's absolutely no way that they will make it out of that playoff matchup, and that's disappointing to say the least. 

Boston Celtics: Jeff Green Going Down Before the Season

The Boston Celtics have play themselves back into the upper echelon of the Eastern Conference playoff picture, but that doesn't mean their season hasn't had a few bumps and obstacles along the way.

At the top of the Celtics' disappointment list is losing Jeff Green for the entire season before it even had time to begin. Green had to undergo surgery to repair an aortic aneurysm, which sidelined him for the season, and possibly for the rest of his career.

While the Celtics are now excelling without Green, there's no doubt that trading away Kendrick Perkins for Green and then losing him for the season is a major disappointment for a team that's in need of increased production off their bench.  

Charlotte Bobcats: Drafting Bismack Biyombo

The Charlotte Bobcats' entire season could be classified as a major disappointment, as they are hands-down the worst team in the NBA, but just for the sake of this article, I'll pick one disappointment that could have and should have been avoided.

Using the seventh-overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft for Bismack Biyombo was not only a major mistake, it was also one that should have been avoided.

So far, Biyombo is averaging 5.1 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game, and while that production isn't bad, it's not the kind of production that you expect to get from a lottery pick. When you look at players the Bobcats could have gotten with that pick, like Brandon Knight, Iman Shumpert or Markieff Morris, it's evident that Biyombo's lack of production is a major disappointment. 

Chicago Bulls: Derrick Rose Going Down with an Injury so Late in the Season

While C.J. Watson and John Lucas have majorly stepped up in Derrick Rose's absence, helping the Bulls hold tight on the No. 1 seed in the East, there's no doubt that having Rose on the bench for the past week or two is a major disappointment.

Sure, the Bulls have won without Derrick Rose in the starting lineup, but that doesn't mean that when the playoffs start they will continue to win without him. More importantly, Rose's groin and ankle injuries are a disappointment because they are the kind of injuries that could reoccur at any point in the rest of the season.

A healthy Derrick Rose makes the Chicago Bulls the most dangerous team in the East. With him on the bench or just suffering with nagging injuries, there's no doubt that the Bulls' NBA title hopes are in doubt this season, and that's more than disappointing for Chicago. 

Cleveland Cavaliers: Losing LeBron James...Still

I know I'll get a lot of hate for this, but after starting off the season relatively well, the Cavaliers returned to their losing ways, showing just how lost they still are without the star power of LeBron James.

Kyrie Irving is hands down the 2012 Rookie of the Year, and Tristan Thompson is developing into a solid talent, but they didn't help the Cavaliers escape the realm of obscurity this season, and that's a solid disappointment.

The city of Cleveland needs something to rally around, and they need someone to carry the culture of the city, and when they lost LeBron James, they lost their sense of identity. While the future is brighter in Cleveland with Irving and Thompson, there's no doubt that Cleveland still misses LeBron, and that's a disappointment for the franchise. 

Dallas Mavericks: The NBA Player Formerly Known as Lamar Odom

Who would have though that Lamar Odom was going to be such an inconsistent and unproductive player for the Dallas Mavericks this season?

The Mavericks certainly didn't, but there's no doubt that they wish they could get their draft pick back that they traded for Odom, who did nothing more than create drama for the franchise over the span of the season.

At least the breakup between Odom and the Mavericks was mutual, according to ESPN, which means, well...absolutely nothing in the world of basketball. Cutting ties with Odom was the right move for the Mavericks to make, but when they see the Lakers use their first-round draft pick in 2012, they'll be hit with a lot of disappointment and regret.

Denver Nuggets: Danilo Gallinari's Inability to Stay Healthy

Danilo Gallinari was a major piece of the Nuggets' success early on in the 2011-12 season, and when he went down with an injury at the halfway point of the season, the Nuggets went downhill rather quickly.

If that wasn't bad enough, after returning from his first injury of the season, Gallinari broke his thumb, which forced him to miss an additional 10 games.

The far that Gallinari has been unable to stay healthy over the span of this season has been a major disappointment for the Nuggets, as he's one of the most productive and most consistent players on the roster. If Gallinari could've stayed healthy this season, the Nuggets could've certainly been a legitimate contender in the West. Unfortunately he didn't stay healthy, and that's why the Nuggets are struggling to hold on to the eight seed in the West.  

Detroit Pistons: Charlie Villanueva and Ben Gordon's Lack of Production

The Detroit Pistons picked up their game over the past few weeks of the season, and while that's exciting for their future, there's no doubt that there are two big obstacles in the way of the Pistons and their rebuilding process.

Those two obstacles are the massive contracts of Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva, who both produced as much as a below-average NBA player this year. While Villanueva was sidelined for the majority of the season with an injury, Gordon hasn't done anything to help the Pistons become relevant again.

The Pistons have nearly $20 million tied up in those players combined, and unless they are able to unload their contracts this offseason or amnesty at least one of them, those contracts will get in the way of the Pistons' future, which is a big disappointment for a franchise that needs to rebuild. 

Golden State Warriors: Trading Away the Best Player on Their Roster

Oh Golden State, when will you learn? A lot of people have mixed feelings on the Warriors' trade that sent Monta Ellis to Milwaukee for Andrew Bogut and a few other players that don't matter all that much.

Since trading Ellis, the Warriors are 4-15, which is an absolute disaster, especially when compared to the way the Warriors were playing with Ellis on the roster.

With Stephen Curry continually suffering with ankle injuries and Andrew Bogut missing the majority of the 2011-12 season with a fractured ankle, the future in Golden State is all but bright. While it may have made sense at the time, trading Ellis was ultimately a mistake, and looking back on it, it will certainly be biggest disappointment of the 2011-12 season for the Warriors.   

Houston Rockets: Kyle Lowry's Bacterial Infection

Kyle Lowry started off the season as a candidate for the 2012 Most Improved Player of the Year award, and now he's coming off the bench in limited minutes after missing a month of the season with a bacterial infection.

While the Rockets didn't necessarily struggle while Lowry was out, there's no doubt that they are a better team with him the starting lineup.

Heading into the home stretch of the season, the Rockets are barely holding onto the seventh seed in the West, and if they plan on making a serious run at or in the playoffs, they undoubtedly need Kyle Lowry in the lineup. Rockets fans are left wondering about what could have been if Lowry would have remained healthy throughout the season, which is certainly a disappointment.  

Indiana Pacers: Continuing Lack of Development from Lance Stephenson

The 2011-12 NBA season hasn't been a disappointment for the Pacers, as they are currently sitting pretty in the third spot in the East.

The one most disappointing aspect of their season, however, is the continual lack of development from their 2010 second-round draft pick, Lance Stephenson. Stephenson is currently averaging just 2.1 points per game in 9.9 minutes per game, and that's not the kind of production they expected out of the oversized shooting guard from the University of Cincinnati.

Luckily for the Pacers, they don't exactly rely on any production from Stephenson, but that doesn't change the fact that it would be nice to see him mature in to the player that everyone knows he can be. It's good news in Indiana when their biggest disappointment of the season is a player that doesn't see much time on the court.  

Los Angeles Clippers: Losing Regular Season Series with the Lakers

For the 19th-straight year, the Los Angeles Clippers lost the regular season series with the Staples Center pals, the Los Angeles Lakers.

Not only did the Clippers lose the regular season series to the Lakers, they are also sitting directly behind the Lakers in the Western Conference playoff picture, falling into the role that they're used to playing of being the little brother to the Lakers.

With Chris Paul teaming up with Blake Griffin, Nick Young and Kenyon Martin, just to name a few, the expectations for the Clippers were through the roof before the season, especially when it comes to finally overtaking the Lakers as the best team in Los Angeles. Failing to do that is an enormous disappointment for the Clippers.  

Los Angeles Lakers: Kobe's Injured Shin

Everything was going well for the Lakers, as Kobe was staying healthy and the Lakers were the proud owners of the third spot in the Western Conference playoff picture.

While the Lakers are still third in the West and the Lakers have won three of their four games without Kobe, there's no doubt that the possibility of Kobe sitting out until the playoffs start is bad news for a Lakers team looking to solidify themselves in the West.

No matter how you look at the Lakers, they are a better and more dangerous team with Kobe on the roster, and while it looks like he will rebound from his shin injury, it's never a good sign when an injury pops up. Especially when that injury is to the 33-year-old foundation of your franchise. Losing Kobe for even one game is a disappointment, nevertheless the home-stretch of the season.  

Memphis Grizzlies: Zach Randolph's Early Season Injury

Losing Zach Randolph so early on in the season left the Grizzlies extremely weak at the power forward position, and it showed, as they struggled early on to find their identity without him.

Since returning to the lineup, the Grizzlies have won 11 of their last 18 games, including a solid eight wins in their past 10 games as well. There's no doubt that the Grizzlies, who are sitting at fifth in the West, have found their groove with Randolph back in the lineup. 

What's disappointing for the Grizzlies is that it took so long for Randolph to come back, as it put them in a bit of a hole at the beginning of the season.  Luckily for the Grizzlies, it looks like they are headed in the right direction, but there's no doubt that it's a disappointment that Randolph missed time to start off the year, as fans will wonder what could've been if the Grizzlies had Randolph for the entirety of the 2011-12 season   

Miami Heat: Erik Spoelstra's Coaching Ineptitude

As a head coach, when you have LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, there's not much you need to do except manage the bench rotations and the minutes of your superstars, and Spoelstra has failed to do just that.

While it's certainly mind blowing that Spoelstra got a contract extension before this season started, it's even more mind blowing that he's still the head coach of the Heat. All he's done this season is prove that he can't handle the talent on the Miami Heat.

If the Heat fail to win the 2012 NBA title, there's no doubt that Spoelstra will be fired, as he's a large part of the Heat's lack of success. Even if Spoelstra is fired at the end of the season, it will be too little too late, as the Heat's biggest disappointment this season is the fact that they are still employing Spoelstra and paying him to do little more than derail the Heat's season. 

Milwaukee Bucks: Stephen Jackson's Lack of Production

As the Milwaukee Bucks are trying to play themselves back into the playoff picture in the Eastern Conference, there's no doubt that the biggest disappointment of their season is the fact that they had Stephen Jackson on their roster for far too long.

After trading for Jackson this past offseason, Jackson did absolutely nothing to help the Bucks win games, and the only reason why the Bucks were able to salvage anything from acquiring Jackson is the fact that he helped in acquiring Monta Ellis before the trade deadline.

Since dropping Jackson, the Bucks are 10-7, which is a major upgrade from their 18-24 record they acquired with him on the roster. The biggest disappointment of the Bucks' season is the fact that Jackson was on their roster for far too long, as he held them back much more than he helped them throughout the season. 

Minnesota Timberwolves: Ricky Rubio's Torn ACL

With Ricky Rubio running the point, the Minnesota Timberwolves were 21-21 and still somewhat in the playoff picture in the West. With Rubio on the bench, with a torn ACL, the Timberwolves are just 4-15, which just goes to show the importance of Rubio's presence on the team.

The good news for the Timberwovles is that Rubio's surgery was successful, and it looks like he will be able to come back to the team next season.

As always, though, when a player tears his ACL, there are always concerns of whether or not that player will be able to return to pre-injury form, and that's also a disappointing fact for the Timberwolves' franchise. In a matter of seconds, the direction of the Timberwolves franchise took a complete 180, and saying that's a major disappointment is a vast understatement.   

New Jersey Nets: Not Having Dwight Howard on Their Roster

The Nets had one goal this season, and that was to get Dwight Howard on to their roster at any cost, and they failed to do that.

Failing to do that puts the future of the franchise in serious jeopardy, as there's a high possibility that Deron Williams will bolt at the end of the season, leaving the Nets with no clear direction to go as a franchise.

The fact that there aren't any players on the Nets roster wearing the No. 12 at this point in the season is a major disappointment for the Nets, and it quite possibly could be the biggest disappointment of the entire 2011-12 NBA season.

New Orleans Hornets: Eric Gordon's Season-Altering Knee Injury

After an impressive performance in his first game as a member of the New Orleans Hornets, with 20 points on 50 percent shooting, Eric Gordon went down with a knee injury that kept him from being a productive member of the Hornets this season.

So far this season, Gordon has only played in seven total games, and that is a huge disappointment for the Hornets franchise, as they put their hope in him after trading away Chris Paul this past offseason.

The other unfortunate aspect of this whole situation with Gordon is that it's possible that he could bolt from New Orleans at the end of the season, which is a major issue for New Orleans moving forward. If the Hornets lose Gordon after only playing a handful of games this season, there's no doubt that this will be the biggest disappointment of the entire season.  

New York Knicks: Letting Mike D'Antoni Coach the First Half of the Season

The New York Knicks have looked like an entirely different team since the resignation of Mike D'Antoni just one month ago.

Since D'Antoni's resignation, the Knicks have won 13 of their most recent 17 games, which just goes to show how much he was holding the Knicks back. While the head coach can't be blamed for an entire team's failure, there's no doubt that D'Antoni was a major part of the Knicks' lack of success.

The Knicks' biggest disappointment this season could certainly been losing Jeremy Lin, but in all honesty, that may have been the best thing to happen to them, as they've won quite a few games without him. The real disappointment of the Knicks season is that they started off their season with D'Antoni as their head coach, letting him coach the first half of their season, which put them in a big hole that they've been forced to climb out of in hopes of making the Eastern Conference playoffs.  

Oklahoma City Thunder: Losing Their Stranglehold on the Best Record in NBA

The Oklahoma City Thunder currently have one of the top three records in the NBA, and while that's good, it's certainly a disappointment, as just a few weeks ago, they had a stranglehold on the overall best record in the NBA.

While the Thunder could certainly end the season with the best record in the NBA, as they are only two games behind the Chicago Bulls for that honor, the fact that they aren't the front-runner for that honor is a disappointment nonetheless.

Another disappointment for the Thunder could be the fact that no player on their team has risen into the role of "team leader", which could haunt them as they move forward into the Western Conference playoffs.

Ultimately, though, their talent can override their immaturity and lack of leadership, but nothing can change the fact that they are on the outside looking in on the honor of having the best record in the NBA, which is certainly a disappointment. 

Orlando Magic: Dwight Howard Acting Like a 12-Year-Old Girl

Just when everything seemed to be going well in Orlando, after Dwight Howard decided to opt-in for the final year of his contract with the Magic, Howard decided to act like a 12-year-old girl and voice his disapproval of his head coach, Stan Van Gundy.

The reason why that's so disappointing is because they Magic have catered to D12 in every way, shape and form, and he still chooses to be a detrimental piece of the Magic's franchise.

Sure, there could be more than meets the eye here, but the likelihood of Dwight Howard being the victim in this whole situation is highly unlikely. With Howard's health in question, suffering from a herniated disc in his back, things just keep getting worse in Orlando.

With that being said, maybe this is a blessing in disguise as Howard's been an absolute mess as of late, which is a big disappointment for the Magic as a an NBA franchise.  

Philadelphia 76ers: Immaturity Getting the Best of the Sixers

Remember when the Philadelphia 76ers were on top of the Eastern Conference at the beginning of the season? Those days are far behind, and that's a serious disappointment for a franchise that's desperately looking for some respect.

Those were the days for Sixers fans, as their beloved franchise is now on the brink of falling out the playoff race in the Eastern Conference. With a few game lead over the Bucks for the final spot in the East, it's likely that they will still be able to make the playoffs, but as an eight seed, they will have to knock of the Bulls or Heat, which is something they absolutely won't do.

Aside from the fact that the Sixers have been losing like it's in style as of late, the biggest disappointment for the Sixers is that the reason they've been losing so much is that they've failed to develop any leadership and/or maturity on their team. 

Phoenix Suns: Production of Players off the Bench

While the Phoenix Suns don't necessarily have one of the worst benches in the NBA, they don't have one of the best either, and that's disappointing because with increased bench production, the Suns could be a legitimate playoff contender in the West.

Players like Michael Redd, Sebastian Telfair and Hakim Warrick aren't producing at nearly the level they need to for the Suns to compete with the top teams in the Western Conference, and if they fail to do that, they can kiss their playoff dreams goodbye.

If the Suns fail to make the playoffs due to a lack of bench production, there's a high possibility that Steve Nash could look to take his talents elsewhere at the end of the season, and that would be devastating for the future of the Suns franchise. Losing Nash would be the ultimate disappointment for the Suns, so hopefully, the bench picks up their production over the next few weeks. 

Portland Trail Blazers: Brandon Roy, Greg Oden and LaMarcus Aldridge

The Portland Trail Blazers were hit with a laundry list of disappointments throughout the entirety of their season. 

The Trail Blazers' disappointments began when Brandon Roy announced his retirement before the start of the 2011-12 season, and they didn't stop there. Right around the trade deadline, the Trail Blazers announced that they would be cutting ties with their often-injured center Greg Oden.

It doesn't stop there either, as LaMarcus Aldridge will miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery to repair abnormalities in his right hip.

Losing that kind of talent over the span of a few years would be hard enough to deal with, but the Trail Blazers have had to deal with this over the span of one shortened NBA season. The Trail Blazers win the award for having the biggest disappointment of the 2011-12 season, as they lost their 2006 No. 6 overall pick and 2007 No. 1 overall pick for good, and their 2006 No. 2 overall pick for the rest of the season.

Sacramento Kings: Drafting Jimmer Fredette

There are a lot of disappointments that could be listed for the Sacramento Kings this season, but the one that stands out above all else is their drafting of Jimmer Fredette with the 11th-overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft.

The last thing the Kings needed to do this past offseason was to draft an overrated player with skill sets that didn't fit the needs of their team, and that's exactly what the Kings did when they drafted Jimmer.

During his rookie campaign, Jimmer is averaging just 7.8 points per game on 38.2 percent shooting, and that hasn't exactly helped the Kings win games this season. Thinking of the players that the Kings could have drafted with their 11th-overall pick, like Alec Burks, Iman Shumpert, Kawhi Leonard or Kenneth Faried, you can see just how big of a mistake it was drafting Jimmer.  

While Jimmer could rebound and be a good player in the future, there's no doubt that his production this year has been the definition of disappointing.   

San Antonio Spurs: Manu Ginobili's Early-Season Injuries

With a healthy Mani Ginobili, the Spurs are certainly one of the most dominant, if not the most dominant team in the NBA, and while they're still pretty good without him, there's no doubt that his injuries in the earlier part of the season was a disappointment for the Spurs.

Ginobili's health is certainly a key to the Spurs making a deep run in the 2012 playoffs, and with him back in the lineup for the Spurs, they are certainly a more consistent and productive team.

If Ginobili was healthy for the entire 2011-12 season, there's no doubt that the Spurs would be the owners of the best record in the NBA. The fact that they aren't because Ginobili went down early on in the season is certainly a disappointment, but it's not one that they can't overcome. 

Toronto Raptors: Continuing to Be a Terrible Team

Ever since Chris Bosh left our neighbors up north, the Toronto Raptors have been dabbling with obscurity in the ranks of the NBA.

Last season, they ended the season with only 22 wins, and this season, they aren't far off that number of wins, which is certainly a disappointment for a team that is trying to rebound from losing their star player just a year ago.

While losing Andrea Bargnani off and on throughout this season didn't help things at all, there's no doubt that even with him, they wouldn't have been a much better or more dominant team. Ultimately, the Raptors have a lot of growing to do until they are competitive once again in the NBA, and the fact that they made no progress this season is certainly a big disappointment for them.    

Utah Jazz: Devin Harris Forgetting Who He Is

The Utah Jazz are hovering right on the outskirts of the playoff picture in the Western Conference, and they would arguably be closer to earning a spot in the playoffs if Devin Harris could be more like the point guard he was when he played for the Nets.

The fact that Harris played at such a low throughout the first part of the season is a major disappointment for the Jazz, as his lack of production is a major reason why they struggled through the first half of the season. 

If Harris had played the way he is now throughout the first part of the season, the Jazz likely wouldn't be in this challenging situation, as they fight for a spot in the playoffs. The biggest disappointment this season is that Harris' resilient play at the point right now might be too little too late, and if the Jazz don't make the playoffs, that disappointment will hurt that much more.  

Washington Wizards: That the 2011-12 NBA Season Hasn't Ended Yet

The Washington Wizards are one of the most inconsistent teams in the NBA, and they are currently the owners of the second-worst record in the league.

Amidst the disappointments of the Wizards season is the fact that they just need the season to end, as there's nothing more that they can take from this season, aside from what not to do moving forward.

Not only did the Wizards bomb the majority of their season, they also managed to trade away Nick Young and JaVale McGee, two of their brightest talents, in exchange for Nene Hilario, who has an extremely bloated veteran contract. The Wizards had high expectations heading into the 2011-12 season, and the fact that they ended this season in the same spot they were last year is a major disappointment for their franchise.