Utah Jazz and 4 NBA Teams That Will Make a Big Leap in 2012

With all the trade scuttlebutt and laser-like focus on roster movement, not much is being said about under-the-radar NBA teams that have the potential to make a huge improvement next year. 

The NBA doesn't have parity figured out quite as well as the NFL, but each year there are a handful of teams that look ready to take a Shaq-size step forward.

The head of my class is the Utah Jazz, but they're only one of five teams that I see making significant progress next year. 

Utah Jazz

Utah's prognosticated improvement comes from a number of areas.  First they've added by subtraction in saying goodbye to wings C.J. Miles and Raja Bell.  Miles and Bell both drew the ire of Jazz fans for inconsistent play and surly attitudes that ended up boiling over at the end of the season. 

Miles is now a free agent that is all but certain to move on, and Bell will be bought out by the Jazz.  Their departures will open up playing time for up-and-comers like Alec Burks, who showed flashes of brilliance and a knack for getting to the rim at will in limited minutes.

The new acquisitions of Marvin Williams and Mo Williams will also improve Utah's overall play and address the main deficiencies of defense and three-point shooting. 

The centerpiece to Utah's ascension will be rapidly rising big man Derrick Favors.  Favors was a defensive nightmare for opposing offenses and at times drew favorable comparisons to Dwight Howard. 

Utah's young nucleus of Favors, Burks, Gordon Hayward and solid big men Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson will certainly be a force to be reckoned with in 2013 with a full offseason to gel. 

Brooklyn Nets

Though the Brooklyn Nets struck out in their pursuit of Dwight Howard, their offseason has still been a major success.

Though many scratched their heads in response to Brooklyn's willingness to take on Joe Johnson's gargantuan contract, Brooklyn did what it needed to do to bring in an all-star-caliber point guard, which Deron Williams credited for convincing him to re-sign with the Nets.

The Nets haven't slowed down since dealing for Johnson and re-signing Williams.  The team also re-signed forwards Gerald Wallace and Kris Humphries, inked veteran backup point guard C.J. Watson and signed foreign sensation Mirza Teletovic. 

Combine that with up-and-coming shooting guard MarShon Brooks and re-signed big man Brook Lopez, and all of the sudden Brooklyn got very deep very quickly.  It would be a huge upset if Brooklyn didn't make it all the way back to the playoffs this year. 

Golden State Warriors

Last season, the Warriors were victims of injuries and of their own front office's insistence on tanking in an ultimately successful effort to retain their 2012 first-round draft pick.

The tanking paid off, and the Warriors scored talented forward Harrison Barnes with the draft pick.  Barnes is a sweet-shooting lanky forward who fits in very well with the Warriors' system. 

The Warriors will also look dramatically different with a fully healthy starting five.  The Warriors will essentially go from a starting five that would have trouble competing with the D-League All-Stars to a starting five of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes, David Lee and Andrew Bogut, and you're looking at a legitimate playoff contender. 

With such a dramatic turnaround, can you really blame anyone for tanking anymore?

New Orleans Hornets

For the Hornets, the phrase "big leap forward" needs to be taken in the correct context. 

The Hornets finished dead last in the West in 2012, so the Hornets have plenty of room to make a big leap forward and still not reach the playoffs.

The Hornets landed Anthony Davis with the first overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft.  Davis is almost certain to be an immediate game-changer, and will get immeasurably valuable experience with the U.S. Olympic squad before the 2012-13 season even begins.

The re-signing of Eric Gordon and addition of Austin Rivers will make New Orleans' backcourt immediately formidable, while their frontcourt will also be a force to be reckoned with, with Davis holding down the fort in the middle. 

Toronto Raptors

Toronto has emerged as my darkhorse candidate to make a shocking playoff run similar to Utah's last year. 

Though they weren't the worst team in the East last year, Toronto may have had one of the most uninspiring rosters in the league.  Yes, they had quality players, but even the best-known Raptors weren't exactly household names.

In addition to quality big men Andrea Bargnani and Ed Davis and athletic guard DeMar DeRozan, The Raptors acquired restricted free agent Landry Fields and talented point guard Kyle Lowry. 

Possibly even more significantly, they also expect 2011 draft pick Jonas Valanciunas to play for them in 2012-2013.

Irrationally confident gunner Terrence Ross will also give the Raptors additional scoring punch. 

If they play up to their potential and get a few breaks, the Raptors could be returning to the payoffs for the first time since the Vinsanity era.