NBA Lockout Ends: 10 Biggest Reasons to Be Excited for the 2011-2012 NBA Season

First and foremost, let me make it perfectly clear that there are way more than 10 reasons to be happy the NBA lockout is over and the season is tentatively set to begin on Christmas day with a triple-header. 

When the news came out this past Saturday I was with my brother in Lexington, Kentucky, driving back from Cincinnati to my home in Atlanta. The two of us were staying in a hotel when I woke up around 5:00 AM and decided to check twitter for an update on the previous afternoon/night's meeting between the players and the owners. 

Lo and behold, the lockout was over! Needless to say, I couldn't go back to sleep and we got back to Atlanta way earlier than planned. 

Here are 10 of the reasons I was too excited to get anymore shut-eye. 

10. Shaq and Chuck

What happens if you put Shaquille O'Neal and Charles Barkley, two of the most entertaining players in the history of the NBA, in the same studio? 

Honestly, I have no idea. But I can't wait to find out. 

9. Closing Championship Window for Longtime Favorites

It's a valid truism that every new beginning comes from an ending. That seems especially true this year as we have several up-and-coming squads set to dethrone the teams we've been so accustomed to seeing at the top of the league. 

Take, for instance, the San Antonio Spurs and their aging core of Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker. 

The Spurs have finished in the top two in their division each and every season since Duncan was drafted out of Wake Forest as the No. 1 pick in the 1997 NBA Draft. He's led the team to four championships and firmly established himself as an all-time great.

But now there is some speculation that he may be hanging up the sneakers at the end of this season. Duncan's role already declined dramatically last season, but the Spurs maintained the dominance they've been so accustomed to. 

WIth Duncan 35 yearsold, Ginobili 34 years of age and Parker about to enter the fourth decade of his life (not to mention being a part of trade rumors), it's now or never for this team. 

Because of the classiness of the players and the general skill with which the organization is run, the Spurs have always been a likable team, despite their constancy at the top of the league. 

It's a shame, but all good things eventually have to come to an end. 

Feel free to apply this to the Boston Celtics, and possibly the Los Angeles Lakers, as well. 

8. The Rise of the New York Knicks

Even if the New York Knicks don't manage to land a third star for the 2011-2012 season, Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire have enough star power to make the team extraordinarily relevant once more. 

You can't help but get a contender when you put one of the best all-around scorers in the league on the same court as the most offensively talented big man in the league and, for good measure, throw in Mike D'Antoni as the head coach. 

As long as the defense isn't too inefficient, the Knicks are going to be contenders from the start of the season until the end. 

Ever since Patrick Ewing left the team, they haven't been at the forefront of the collective basketball consciousness.

Now, the Knicks are finally recovering and the NBA has a great team in yet another major media market. 

7. Can Derrick Rose Become the Best Point Guard in the League?

Derrick Rose was incredible last season.

That should go without saying since the Chicago Bulls' point guard was named league MVP at the end of the season and carried his team to the best record in the Eastern Conference, but it's still worth throwing out there because he deserves all the praise he can get right now. 

With that said, even though Rose was the most valuable player in the league last year according to voters, that doesn't make him the best player at his position just yet. It's a tough distinction, but most valuable in no way means the same thing as best. 

To get to the top of the point guard rankings, Rose has to dethrone Chris Paul and hold off challenges from a few feisty competitors in Deron Williams, John Wall and Russell Westbrook. 

After becoming the youngest player in NBA history to win the MVP award, there is no doubt in my mind that Rose is fully capable of doing so. He just hasn't done it yet. 

Rose is one of the best slashing point guards I've ever seen. The ease with which he gets to the basket and hits tough runners is breathtaking. His defense is tremendous and, if anything, it's a little bit underrated. If Rose has spent the offseason developing a consistent jumper, then look out league. 

6. Do the Los Angeles Clippers Finally Make the Playoffs?

Let me get it out of the way now. The answer to the question posed in the title of this slide is a definitive yes. 

Blake Griffin, as I said earlier in this article, is going to compete for the MVP award sooner rather than later, and that sooner may occur as quickly as this season. 

The Los Angeles Clippers aren't just a one-man team though. They have one of the most talented shooting guards in the league in Eric Gordon and it wouldn't surprise me at all to see him become an All-Star in 2012. With Eric Bledsoe at point guard (we all know how good John Calipari point guards have become lately), the Clippers lay claim to a sickeningly good young trio. 

Just imagine if DeAndre Jordan breaks out and becomes the player many expect him to be.

Then again, if you're a fan of a team competing for a playoff spot in the Western Conference, you may not want to.

5. Which Stars Will Be Traded?

After enduring constant rumors concerning Deron Williams and Carmelo Anthony last season, we're in for an even bigger number of massive trades this season. It seems as though a virtually unprecedented number of star players are expected to switch teams during the season. 

The Golden State Warriors have maintained that they want to keep Monta Ellis on their roster, but it wouldn't come as a surprise if the talented scorer becomes a defensive sieve for some other team by the end of the season. There simply may not be enough room for Ellis and Stephen Curry in the same backcourt, especially if incoming rookie Klay Thompson proves that he deserves playing time as well. 

Josh Smith may be on the move as well. As talented as the Atlanta Hawks forward may be, he's also a frustrating player thanks to his insistence on taking ill-advised jump shots instead of using his insane athletic abilities. J-Smoove may have worn out his welcome in Atlanta, who could look to shake things up after staying at a high level of mediocrity for the last few seasons. 

Andre Iguodala and Danny Granger are two other players who could be traded from their respective teams, the Philadelphia 76ers and Indiana Pacers, by the end of the season. Both guys have been asked to be Batman for their teams but haven't achieved a high enough level of success and seem more suited for a role as Robin. 

The biggest name on the market has to be Dwight Howard. The three-time reigning Defensive Player of the Year is clearly the best center in the NBA, but is not going to be a member of the Orlando Magic by the time the playoffs come around. I'm not even going to begin to speculate about where he ends up. 

Amazingly enough, I'm not done naming players quite yet. Rudy Gay, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook and a few other guys are all going to be subject to rumors as well. 

4. Rookie Cult Heroes

This rookie class is a bit (read: a lot) less impressive than last year's group of players entering the league, but it's in no way without intrigue. 

Anytime a Duke player gets taken at the top of the draft, they're going to be heavily monitored because of the passion that school invites from both its supporters and detractors. This year, Kyrie Irving is that player, and he's burdened with the difficult task of helping Cleveland Cavaliers' fans forget about a certain player named LeBron James. 

However, the two rookies that qualify as cult heroes are named Kemba Walker and Jimmer Fredette. You can always tell a player is close to cult status when you can just say their first name and even the most casual sports' fan knows exactly who they are. 

Kemba is coming off a remarkable run through the Big East Conference Tournament and NCAA Tournament, both of which his Connecticut Huskies won. Now he's tasked with turning around the hapless Charlotte Bobcats. 

He'll need all the luck he can get to do that, but at least Kemba has enough skill to ease the process. Despite his diminutive stature, Kemba is my pick for Rookie of the Year. 

Then we have the curious case of Jimmer Fredette. 

Call me crazy, but I've never seen anyone shoot a ball like the former BYU superstar. Not in all my days of watching both college basketball and the NBA. Not in the countless hours spent watching YouTube clips of older players in order to make up for what I lack in the way of years. 

His jump shot is ridiculously pure and his range is obviously good enough to make the transition from a three-point shooter in the NCAA to a three-point shooter in the NBA. In fact, my friends and I still say "He Jimmered that!" whenever we see anyone launch up a shot from a few feet behind the three-point line. 

Two of the biggest knocks on Jimmer going into the NBA draft were his lack of athleticism and defensive ability. We'll have to wait and see for a final assessment, but I'm convinced that his skills in those areas were not as egregiously lacking as some people made them out to be. His numbers at the combine didn't stand out in a bad way and his reputation for poor defense may have been a byproduct of the BYU system, and the amount of effort he needed to expend on the offensive end of the court. 

Jimmer may never become more than a scorer at the NBA level, but I feel strongly about him at least avoiding the dreaded bust status. 

Whether these guys light it up from day one or struggle out of the gate, they're going to be worth monitoring. 

3. Anything to Do with the Oklahoma City Thunder

Other than the Miami Heat, no team is more intriguing than the Oklahoma City Thunder. 

Kevin Durant is coming off back-to-back scoring titles and seems poised to add a third to his resume. The former Texas Longhorn is in no way done developing as a player and could challenge the rest of the elite players for the MVP this season. 

There is a bit of a question about whether or not he and Russell Westbrook will be able to coexist for another season. The talented point guard broke out in a big way last season but likes to shoot more than pass, which could lead to some potential problems between himself and the guy who should be shooting more. If a big shot needs taking, Westbrook is going to have to decide whether or not he can handle deferring to Durant. 

But, if they work together well, they could challenge Dwyane Wade and LeBron James for "top duo in the league" status. 

Serge Ibaka is another player worth watching after he led the league in blocked shots last season. The young big man has an offensive game that can best be described as "in progress," but he's one player who can truly take on Dwight Howard in the battle for defensive supremacy. 

Additionally, the Thunder boast the services of an exciting young shooting guard named James Harden. The lefty is a talented scorer and will become yet another go-to weapon for the team. If nothing else, he's worth keeping an eye on to see if his beard can take over the world. It might. 

With the addition of Kendrick Perkins, the Thunder have everything in place for a title run. The only thing standing in their way could be a lack of experience. 

2. The Super Sophomores

The 2010-2011 season introduced the professional basketball world to an incredible class of rookies, highlighted by the arrivals of Blake Griffin, John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins. 

Who can possibly forget the exploits of Griffin? He was a SportsCenter mainstay and actually achieved the impossible: making the Los Angeles Clippers relevant in the NBA (more on that later). Griffin, playing a belated rookie season, threw up some monstrous numbers in addition to his rim-rattling dunks.

The sky is the limit, both in terms of his all-around potential and his jumping ability. In fact, Griffin is good enough that Timofey Mozgov may actually be scared to return to the league now that the lockout is over. 

If Griffin can learn how to play defense more effectively, shoot free throws more consistently and continues to add moves to his already impressive offensive arsenal, we could be discussing the still-nicknameless former Oklahoma Sooner as an MVP candidate sooner rather than later 

Then there's John Wall. 

There may not be a faster player in the entire NBA than the young floor general of the Washington Wizards (said with all due respect to Monta Ellis, Ty Lawson, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, Derrick Rose and the NBA's other speedsters). But there is more than just speed to Wall's game. 

Wall managed to average 8.3 assists per game as a rookie despite playing for the Washington Wizards. Yes, the Washington Wizards. Honestly, I'm surprised that the other players on the Wizards were able to make a combined 8.3 shots per game on average, much less that Wall was able to find them wide open that many times per contest.

One of the few weakness in Wall's game was his inability to knock down jumpshots with anything that even resembled consistency, but he spent large portions of the offseason improving that part of his game.  

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Wall is talented enough that I think he'll be the best point guard in the league five years down the road. 

The third stud from last year's rookie class just happens to be a former teammate of Wall's, back when the two formed a potent duo for John Calipari's Kentucky One-and-Dones. I mean Wildcats. 

DeMarcus Cousins was largely overshadowed thanks to the two aforementioned players, but he improved dramatically as the season went on and clearly showed that he has the talent to be a franchise big man for the Sacramento Kings. 

After averaging 14.1 points and 8.6 rebounds per game during his first season in the Association, I wouldn't be at all surprised to see Cousins average 20 and 10 during his follow-up campaign, thereby avoiding the famed sophomore slump in a big way. 

The only thing stopping Cousins from living up to his massive potential is the thing resting on top of his neck. The power forward is a bit of a head case at times, but hopefully the lockout will have made him more grounded and dedicated to his craft. 

As great as these three players are, there are quite a few other rookies from last year who at least deserve a mention. Landry Fields, Greg Monroe, Eric Bledsoe, Ed Davis and Wes Johnson could all be in line for big sophomore seasons. 

1. Redemption for the Miami Heat?

No team was more heavily scrutinized last season than the Miami Heat. 

No team will be more heavily scrutinized during the 2011-2012 season than the Miami Heat. 

Ever since Dwyane Wade recruited LeBron James and Chris Bosh to join the cause at South Beach, vitriol has been spewed out towards the trio with unrelenting passion. Every move they make is watched and carefully analyzed so that jabs may be taken. 

The Heat managed to play through the hatred during the entire regular season, although there were some breakdowns, both in terms of play on the court and tears in the locker room. They eventually seemed to thrive off of the negative energy that was constantly directed towards them. That is until they ran into Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals. 

Now, it's time for redemption. 

LeBron and company will have to deal with the hatred once more, but I suspect it will begin to wane a little bit as the season progresses. We're now over a year removed from both the Decision and the disastrous preseason celebration, after all. 

Nothing will redeem the Heat more than the validation of greatness that comes with a title at the end of the season. Likewise, nothing will satisfy James, Wade and Bosh except for ending the season with a win and a trophy. 

Adam Fromal is a syndicated writer and Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report. Follow him on   Twitter.

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