5 NBA Teams That Would Benefit from a Shortened Season and 5 That Would Suffer

The NBA lockout is a frustrating time for both fans and players, and a shortened season could be the best-case scenario to see professional basketball played stateside during the 2010-11 season.

With the balance of power shifting from traditional powerhouses to up-and-coming squads, the extended time off could really benefit some of the teams that rely on veteran players for production.

However, there are a number of teams with a promising future that need to continue to play together in order to receive the chance to gel as a cohesive unit, and the work stoppage puts a serious wrinkle in that course of action.

These 10 clubs are on opposite sides of the spectrum, and some of the selections will certainly surprise you.

Benefit: Los Angeles Lakers

In 2010-11, the Lakers were the second oldest-team in the league behind just the Miami Heat with an average age of 29.98 years old.

Kobe Bryant was already on a regiment of not practicing due to ongoing knee woes, and Andrew Bynum's knee issues of his own have been well-chronicled throughout his short NBA tenure.

The Lakers' championship window is still propped open at this point, but it's not going to be for too much longer, and the decreased amount of wear and tear on Bryant's tires will certainly aid Los Angeles in the quest to re-claim prominence in the Western Conference.

Hurt: Utah Jazz

Utah had a lot of moving pieces last season after the team shipped Deron Williams to New Jersey, and they have just added two more rookies through the draft lottery in the offseason.

With so many players that aren't familiar on the court, the Jazz could use all of the practice possible in order to build team chemistry for what should be a very exciting future.

Now that the team has a surplus of talented big men down low and have added to the perimeter attack, the Jazz will be one team that would really benefit from playing as many minutes as possible together.

Benefit: Boston Celtics

It's no secret that Boston's championship window is closing with the team's original "big three" aging, and a shortened season could really provide a good opportunity for the Celtics.

This group of starters is more than familiar with court tendencies of their teammates after playing for so long together, and chemistry is not a concern when it comes to predicting the success of the team.

Kevin Garnett looked like a new player last season after dealing with injury issues prior, but a little extra help will definitely help to ensure he stays on the court for Boston.

Hurt: Phoenix Suns

The Suns are in the midst of a massive re-building project in the desert, and this team needs all of the time it can get in an effort to work out the kinks.

The free-agent signings of both Josh Childress and Hakim Warrick didn't work out as expected, but the team did receive some standout play from Jared Dudley and now they have talented rookie Markieff Morris to pair down low with Marcin Gortat.

While Phoenix continues to express an unwillingness to deal Steve Nash, the less time he's got to teach the youngsters his tricks of the trade means that the Suns will have to wait that much longer to compete in a crowded Western Conference.

Benefit: Dallas Mavericks

It's tough to predict how teams would finish in the regular-season standings during a shortened campaign, but in the case of the Dallas Mavericks, I wouldn't expect much to change.

While the team would have to re-sign Tyson Chandler in an effort to make that happen, Mark Cuban isn't expected to let the center escape after he proved to be instrumental in the franchise's first ever title.

The Mavs are another team that aren't blessed with a ton of youth, but the amount of talent on the roster is undeniable, and a truncated season could very well increase their chances of a repeat.

Hurt: Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cleveland Cavs had two of the first five picks in the 2011 draft, and whether or not one agrees with the team's selections, it's clear that this isn't going to be a fast-paced turnaround.

After trading J.J. Hickson to Sacramento for Omri Casspi in an effort to bolster the team's depth at the wing position, the Cavs are putting a ton of stock into the future of Tristan Thompson, who some seemed to feel was a stretch at his draft slot.

Both rookies are spending more time in the classroom than on the basketball court in a locked out offseason, but this team really needs all of its pieces working together in order to achieve real progress.

Benefit: Golden State Warriors

The Warriors cleaned house in the front office, hired a new head coach and drafted three players into the fold that the team is hoping can contribute sooner rather than later.

That's a lot of expectations to put on the shoulders of a young club, but that doesn't mean that they are incapable of banding together and making some magic happen.

For a team that lives and dies by its perimeter attack, a shortened season may present just enough to allow the club to thrive off of that style of play and carry the momentum over into a potential postseason berth.

Hurt: New Jersey Nets

The Nets need to convince Deron Williams to sign an extension with the club, and a shorter season isn't going to be a good way to achieve it.

New Jersey needs team to build a club that knows how to play with one another, and with the team expected to be active in the free-agency market, there's not a lot of time remaining for the team to convince Williams about the future of the club.

If the Nets fail to sign D-Will to an extension, they're entire effort to build a club around him will have gone to waste and the franchise will once again be searching for answers.

Benefit: San Antonio Spurs

Tim Duncan's balky knee is not going away and Manu Ginobili is contemplating retirement after just a few more seasons.

What does it mean? The San Antonio Spurs face a very small window of opportunity for the team to compete for yet another title, and it's conceivable that 2011-12 may be the final time that the club is seen as a serious candidate to take home the championship.

For the first time in a long while, the Spurs are looking to transition to a new era of basketball after the Duncan era concludes, but a shortened season may just be enough time to make a final push for the hardware.

Hurt: Detroit Pistons

The Pistons are left in a very odd position after John Kuester ran the team into the ground, and they're really going to need to piece together a plan quickly in an effort to turn it around.

With Greg Monroe and Austin Daye looking like the only bright spots for Detroit last season, the sooner the team can onto the court with Brandon Knight, the better it would be for the future of the Pistons team.

Now that Detroit has made it clear that they're pursuing a fundamental shift in philosophy under new head coach Lawrence Frank, the team is going to need a ton of work to play his style of basketball with success.