Realistic Goal for Every NBA Team in 2011-12

The NBA is about to enter its third full month of being completely locked out from anything newsworthy actually happening.

So that means fearless basketball writers like myself have been stuck with no player movement or even rumors to suckle on.

We haven't missed any actual basketball yet. In fact, with all of the summer leagues going on and the emphasis that people seem to have on covering them, we may have actually had more basketball played this summer than any other since the Olympics in 2008.

Still, it's easy to feel the owners and players union dragging their feet and get worried that this thing could last until January or later, but we've got to stay optimistic and assume that they want a season to happen as much as we want a season to happen.

Because of that, I want to continue to look forward to the season ahead of us and take a look at what each team should realistically be looking to do.

Atlanta Hawks

Goal: Figure out the future, top four Eastern Conference

The Atlanta Hawks are a good team, not one of the best in the league, but they are a good team.

However, they have many things to figure out, starting with whether or not to re-sign Jamal Crawford and then what to do with Josh Smith, as word on the street is that he is on the trading block.

When the season actually starts, they should be looking to climb back into the top four spots in the East, as they fell to fifth last season.  The rest is up to the basketball gods.

Boston Celtics

Goal: Eastern Conference finals and beyond

The Celtics are getting old, but that's what people have said about the San Antonio Spurs for about three years now, and they have been good year in and year out.

Boston is still one of the elite Eastern Conference teams, and so long as they find a halfway decent center, they should be able to threaten to make their way into the Eastern Conference finals, possibly even farther.

Charlotte Bobcats

Goal: Get two rookies starting; avoid worst record in the East. 

This is going to be a tough year for the Charlotte Bobcats, but at least it's going to be an interesting one, making them a watchable team.

The arrival of Kemba Walker and Bismack Biyombo will make for excellent story lines to follow, and if they can get both of them starting consistently by the end of the year, it will be a success.

On top of that, if they can muscle their way out of the basement, which is where it looks like they are headed, it will be icing on the cake.

Chicago Bulls

Goal: Toughen Carlos Boozer up, win NBA Championship

The shortcomings for the Chicago Bulls were pretty obvious last season, one of them was at shooting guard, where Keith Bogans is good defensively but couldn't score on Jonathan Lipnicki; the other one was the toughness of Carlos Boozer.

Bogans' offensive shortcomings can be hidden, but when your second-most important player has such a glaring hole, it something that needs to be fixed.

If they can fix that, they can make their way to the NBA Finals, and they can win it.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Goal: Definitive plan for the future: beat the Heat.

There are about a thousand different directions in which the Cleveland Cavaliers could go with their future, doing anything from building though the draft, waiting out contracts and getting cap space for free agency and trading their pieces for a superstar.

What they need to do is figure out what they are doing, which should be obvious by the time the trading deadline rolls around depending on what they have done with Antawn Jamison and Ramon Sessions.

From a basketball standpoint, the Cavs are going to be dreadful again, but if they can beat Miami, it will be all worth it.

Dallas Mavericks

Goal: Re-sign their guys, repeat as champs.

Dallas could be devastated through free agency, which would be disappointing, because there are few things more interesting than watching a team after they have won their first championship together.

JJ Barea, Tyson Chandler, Caron Butler, Brian Cardinal, DeShawn Stevenson and Peja Stojakovic are all free agents, and if they don't re-sign at least four of those six guys, they could be a far cry from running at a repeat.

If they do re-sign the majority of those fellows, there's no reason to believe that they can't make it back to the finals.

Denver Nuggets

Goal:  Make the playoffs.

It's kind of hard to know what to make of the Denver Nuggets. 

On one hand they played fine without Carmelo Anthony last season; they made up for his scoring loss elsewhere.  On the other hand, they stand to lose Nene and J.R. Smith in free agency.

Realistically, I think they can make the playoffs, but it's going to take a lot of hard work, plus they are going to have to buckle down on defense to have a shot.

Detroit Pistons

Goal:  Move one of their useless players, top 30 wins.

Not only are the Detroit Pistons treading water, they are treading water with a 50-pound bag of sand tied around their waist.

They have more than three-fourths of their payroll tied up in four guys that are either not producing, hurt, underperforming, getting old or just don't care anymore with Ben Gordon, Rip Hamilton, Charlie Villanueva and Jason Maxiell.

Detroit has good players, so they can get to 30 wins, but they need to move one of those guys to at least get on their way to having a future.

Golden State Warriors

Goal:  Learn some defense from Mark Jackson.

Mark Jackson, Golden State's new head coach, was a part of some excellent defensive teams when he was with St. Johns. From there, he went on to be a very good defender in the NBA.

Now, as a first-year head coach for the Warriors, Jackson's main goal is, and should be, to get these guys to play some kind of defense.

If he can get them to do that, who knows how good they could be.

Houston Rockets

Goal:  Be this year's Grizzlies

The Houston Rockets don't look like a great team on paper.  Their star player doesn't know what defense is, their center is 6'6" and they probably would fall apart without a greasy-haired Argentinian who generates most of his game though toughness and hustling.

However, when they step on the floor, they are a very impressive team.

If they can squeeze their way into the playoffs (which I think they can), they could turn into the most dangerous lower-seeded team.

Indiana Pacers

Goal: Top six in the East

After being the token under .500 team to make the playoffs in the Eastern Conference, Indiana looks like they could be on the rise.

Darren Collison was looking better and better as the year went along, and they play a very physical style of basketball now that helps a team win more games than it loses.

They could realistically be a top six team in the East with some improvements.

Los Angeles Clippers

Goal:  Crash the playoff party.

It's time for the Blake show to be more than just that and for the whole team to step up and fight their way into the playoffs.

They have some very promising young players with DeAndre Jordan and Eric Gordon, plus a great trade chip in Chris Kaman.

They should be the most improved team and could win enough games to be in the playoff race come March.

Los Angeles Lakers

Goal:  Regroup, toughen up, win a title.

You could see in the series with the Dallas Mavericks that the Lakers had lost their edge and were unwilling to throw their bodies around to win games.

Bringing Mike Brown in may have been a move questioned by many, but he will bring toughness and defense with him.

With that, the Lakers could potentially regroup and pair that with Kobe Bryant, determined to match Michael Jordan in jewelry, and they could be on their way to another title.

Memphis Grizzlies

Goal:  50 wins

Last year, the Memphis Grizzlies shocked the world by beating the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the playoffs, but it shouldn't have been that shocking. 

The way they play defense, they have the ability to beat any team in a seven-game series.

This year, if they are able to re-incorporate Rudy Gay into their lineup, they could be one of the better teams in the West and should be able to break 50 wins easily.

Miami Heat

Goal:  Championship or bust.

There is no question about it at this point, for Miami to finish this season without a championship would be an utter disappointment.

They had some leeway last season, as they were playing together for the first time, but now, they have a year under their belt, four playoff series' and they know what kind of criticism to expect.

If they make it past this year without a title, they will be halfway to their big three being able to opt out of their contracts if things turn sour.

Milwaukee Bucks

Goal:  Play like they did at the end of 2010.

I think a lockout would be very beneficial to the Milwaukee Bucks, as they showed even last year that they are able to go on extended runs to get their record up to snuff.

If they play like they did after the trade deadline in 2010, they can be one of the most dangerous teams in the league.

Really, all they need is for Brandon Jennings to continue to improve (and stay healthy) and for Stephen Jackson to play better than John Salmons did last year (which he can do easily).

Minnesota Timberwolves

Goal: Climb out of the basement.

The Minnesota Grizzlies may not be making smart personnel moves yet, but their team is coming together in a way that could make them halfway decent this year.

Depending on the development of Ricky Rubio, Derrick Williams and Malcolm Lee, they could end up nearing 30 wins.

Still, they could end up struggling out of the gate, constantly question exactly what it is they are doing with their lineup and end up a 20-win team in the bottom of the West yet again.

New Jersey Nets

Goal:  Re-sign Deron Williams, make the playoffs.

The most important thing for the Nets is to sell New Jersey and their future in Brooklyn to Deron Williams.

If they can't do that, then the gamble that everyone called a gutsy yet necessary ploy will turn into a dumb move.

One of the best ways to get Williams to realize that he is in a good place would be to make the playoffs, possibly by signing another scoring threat this offseason that he can play around with.

New Orleans Hornets

Goal:  50 wins; convince Chris Paul to stay.

New Orleans is basically in the same boat as New Jersey, only they are a much better, well put together team.

If they can get to 50 wins, making them a fifth or sixth seed in the West, there is no reason to believe that Chris Paul won't at least consider re-signing with the Hornets.

Hell, if they actually end up with someone owning them by the time the year ends, he may actually have someone to look at and see as a reason to believe for a brighter future.

New York Knicks

Goal:  Take a top four spot in the East, make it out of the first round.

With just Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire, Chauncey Billups' aging body and some decent role players and young guys, the Knicks can make it to a top four spot in the Eastern Conference.

What they really need to concentrate on is getting into the playoffs and staying in the playoffs, trying to avoid an early exit like they had a season ago.

Orlanto Magic

Goal:  Stay elite, keep Dwight.

These goals are probably equally tough with the team that Orlando has built.

With the second-highest payroll in the NBA, Orlando has very little room for maneuvering in the free-agent market, so this is pretty much the team they have.

Orlando is set up like a wheel, with Dwight Howard in the middle and a bunch of spokes leading out to the three-point line surrounding him.  They either take a jumper or pass it down low to Howard.

In order to stay elite, they need to keep Dwight, in order to keep Dwight they need to stay elite.

Oklahoma City Thunder

Goal:  Trip to the NBA Finals

You have to think that now, with two consecutive years of being the team ready to break out and dominate the West, anything less than a shot at a title would be a disappointment to the Fighting Durants.

They may have an alpha-dog issue between Durant and Russell Westbrook to settle, but at most, it looks to be a decision-making issue with Westbrook.

Oklahoma City should be the favorite to dethrone the Dallas Mavericks as Western Conference champions this year.

Philadelphia 76ers

Goal:  Develop their young guys; make playoffs.

Philadelphia is full of young, impressive players, many of whom are looking to make the jump from promising young guy to legitimate threat in the NBA.

Between Jrue Holiday, Lou Williams, Jodie Meeks and last year's No. 2 pick in the draft, Evan Turner, Philly is an embarrassment of young guys; they just need to finally decide what to do with Andre Iguodala.

Phoenix Suns

Goal:  Figure out what defense is, compete for the eighth spot.

For years now, Phoenix has been trotting out a lineup that can score 120 points easily but couldn't stop a baby from drinking his bottle.

The problem is that with Steve Nash as the center of their offense, they have fitted the team with guys who he can get the most out of offensively, which has mostly meant getting guys who play little defense.

If they can play a little D, while still having a potent offense, there's no reason to believe that they can't make it to the playoffs with the smartest player in the league running their offense.

Portland Trail Blazers

Goal:  Stay healthy, crash Western Conference finals. 

The most disappointing development of the past four years to me as a basketball fan is the injury bug that seems to have nestled deep in the clubhouse in Portland.

If both Greg Oden and Brandon Roy would have avoided competing for the most knee surgeries possible in one NBA career (Bill Walton still holds that title if I'm not mistaken), they would be championship contenders right now.

Hell, last season, they nearly won 50 games with a power forward playing center, an old guy who can't score anchoring the defense and three guys who have been in the league for less than three years playing big minutes.

Sacramento Kings

Goal:  Don't hog the ball, go for 30 wins, stay in Sacramento.

With four basketball black holes, it's going to be hard to scheme an offense.

Imagine playing Jimmer Fredette, Tyreke Evans, John Salmons and DeMarcus Cousins all at the same time.  Forget ball movement, there would be one pass past the halfcourt line followed by 10 seconds of dribbling, maybe one more pass followed by a hurried 15-footer.

If they can play as a team, they have some talent and could top 30 wins, but they need to try not to be basketball black holes.

The most important thing, though, is for them to start winning games to draw fans back to the arena.  Seeing Sacramento lose their team would be depressing, especially remembering how wild and crazy their fans were in the early half of the 2000s.

San Antonio Spurs

Goal:  Ignore Father Time, get back on the horse, compete for a trip to the finals.

Who said old people can't play basketball?  There's always that one guy playing with a bunch of 20-somethings in a rec league that isn't flashy, but plays the game smart, and is therefore as good as the best on the floor.

The Spurs are full of guys like that, except they are exceptional basketball talents and are very tall dudes.

With a bit of reevaluating their stance, resting Tim Duncan more down the stretch and some good play by their young guys, San Antonio could conceivably compete for a trip to the finals yet again.

The Tim Duncan Era isn't dead yet folks.

Toronto Raptors

Goal:  Slide team into place, go for 30 wins.

Picking a real center may have been the smartest thing the Toronto Raptors have done in years.

Sure, there are always going to be question marks with young players, especially those from Europe like Jonas Valanciunas, but they now have a guy who is a legitimate center.

They can now bump Andrea Bargnani down to power forward, putting him in a position that seems more natural to him and filling their hole in that spot, leading to a more balanced team.

A team with Jose Calderon, DeMar DeRozan, random small forward x, Bargnani and Valanciunas could easily put up 30 wins.

Utah Jazz

Goal:  Above .500, compete for a playoff spot.

I really thought Utah could survive after Deron Williams was traded last season, but they fell apart a bit down the stretch and missed the playoffs.

However, now that they have added a guy who could be the best player in this year's draft in Enes Kanter and another who could be the best defensive guard in Alec Burks.

Those two, plus the further integration of Devin Harris and Derrick Favors and Mehmet Okur returning should get Utah at least to .500 and probably a playoff spot.

Washington Wizards

Goal:  Break the record for most alley-oops in a single season; 30 wins.

I don't really think the Washington Wizards are going to do much this season to make their way toward the playoffs, but they should be able to improve upon last season.

On their way to what looks to be a 30-win season, they should be a wildly entertaining team, especially now that they have added Jan Vesely.

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