NBA 2011-2012: Every NBA Team's Most Glaring Flaw

Every team in the NBA has its problems going into the upcoming 66-game lockout-shortened season.

Some teams have had troubles for a long time and others are finding new things to have to overcome.

While it would be easier to look down the rosters of each team and name an on-court weakness, most of these that are listed are things that are related to the game but not as simple as saying a team needs more defense, a strong power forward or a center that can actually block a shot.

This list of flaws and challenges deals more with things that each team must find a way to overcome, and some of the things that opposing teams will want to exploit in order to get a win.

Atlanta Hawks, Getting out of a Rut

The Atlanta Hawks are a team playing with a big monkey on its back.

Not only does playing in the same division as the Miami Heat give them little chance to win the Southwest, the Hawks have been a good team that has been bounced from the playoffs in the second round in each of the last three postseasons.

The Hawks have talented players, but they just seem to be in a rut that keeps them from reaching the potential success that is out there for them.

Losing Jamal Crawford does not help them out, but maybe Jeff Teague and Tracy McGrady will help push them over the edge and further in this year's playoffs.

Boston Celtics, Age

It is great for the Boston Celtics to have Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen.

It is not so great that they are all in their mid-30's.

The faster-paced 66-game season is not going to be kind to these three players, who make up the oldest All-Star trio in the league.

Until now, age has not been much of a factor for these three, but it is going to start catching up to them.

Charlotte Bobcats, Lack of a Star Player

Unfortunately for the Charlotte Bobcats, the team has so many flaws that it is difficult to pick just one.

The biggest of them all for the team is that they do not have a star player.

Tyrus Thomas is one of the most promising on the roster and rookie Kemba Walker is expected to do big things. If the team can get the production that they want out of fellow rookie Bismack Biyombo, they will show some improvement.

On a brighter note, the team does have one of the lower payrolls in the league and is not locked into a lot of long-term contracts.

Perhaps they will be able to sign a big-name free agent in the next couple of years.

Chicago Bulls, High Expectations

The Chicago Bulls have one of the highest levels of expectation during the coming season of any team in the league.

Led by Derrick Rose, the team has great talent and should be a very tough team to beat this year. The flaw is that this team has too many expectations and that it will may not turn out well for them.

Last season we saw what this type of pressure did to the Miami Heat, and the Bulls are at risk of having to endure it this year.

Rose and the Bulls will have little margin for error in this shortened season, and if they can overcome the high level of expectation that has been placed on them, they will succeed.

Cleveland Cavaliers, Still Rebuilding

Like the Charlotte Bobcats, the Cleveland Cavaliers are in a situation where they lack a star player and are relying on rookies to help dig them out of a hole.

Still feeling the effects of not getting anything in return for LeBron James, the team needs someone to take over.

Kyrie Irving may be ready to do this, but even if he has a Rookie of the Year-type season, he is going to need some help.

Cleveland needs to find a way to get some bigger-named players there in the next couple of seasons, or it is going to be a long rebuilding process. 

Dallas Mavericks, No Surprise Attack

As the defending NBA Champions, the Dallas Mavericks do not have the luxury of sneaking up on anyone this season like they did a year ago.

Not only will every team be gunning to take them down, they have lost the element of surprise and will be expected to be a contender.

The team lost two key players from last season, but have added Lamar Odom and Vince Carter, who should help the team greatly.

The Mavericks still have a solid core of players and will be a tough team to beat as they defend their title.

This time, though, the rest of the league will see them coming from the first game of the regular season.

Denver Nuggets, Players in China

The Denver Nuggets played well after trading away All-Star Carmelo Anthony last season. 

The problem this year is that three of their key players are stuck in China after signing contracts with teams in that country during the lockout.

Even when they do get Kenyon Martin, J.R. Smith and Wilson Chandler back onto the team, it may be too late.

While the team still has some strong players, those players will be missed on the Nuggets this season.

Detroit Pistons, Nothing to Be Excited About

The Detroit Pistons endured a very difficult season last year and have not done much to change the team for this year.

Gone are some of the veteran players that were on the roster, but there has not been anyone signed to make things interesting again.

First-round pick Brandon Knight will help out a little bit, but it is going to take a resurgence of key players to make things in Detroit exciting.

If the team cannot learn to do that, the Pistons will be in for another long season.

Golden State Warriors, Defense

The Golden State Warriors have long had the reputation of not playing much defense, scoring as many points as possible in hopes of outlast their opponents.

New head coach Mark Jackson will try to instill defensive principles into his players and will try to get them to play it more.

The theory makes sense. With the scorers and offensive weapons that they have, if they learned to play on the defensive end of the court, this team would be very hard to beat. 

Houston Rockets, Inexperience

Except for Kevin Martin and Kyle Lowry, no Rockets player has more than four years of experience in the NBA.

Martin is the team's best player and he will lead them this season. Martin is a good scorer, but there is not way that he can launch Houston to a good season on his own.

Unfortunately, he does not have a lot of experienced players to help to turn things around.

Unless this team brings some players in to help Martin, it is going to be a long time until many of the the guys on the roster gain the experience needed to be competitive.

Indiana Pacers, Team Chemistry

It is no secret that the Indiana Pacers have done a lot to bring in players that will improve the team in the offseason.

Despite the upgrade in talent, they will still need time to learn how to play together and come together as a team.

It will take some time and a shortened season and nearly nonexistent preseason will not help with that.

The Pacers will be better this year, but it will not be until the following season that the team will have had time to get to know each other and play together well.

Los Angeles Clippers, The Hype

As weird as it sounds, the Los Angeles Clippers are a relevant team in the NBA.

With the addition of Chris Paul, the Clippers went from a team with potential to a contender in the Western Conference.

The flaw for the team in this process is the ability they have to deal with all of the hype that goes along with the situation.

For a team to already be talked about as dethroning the Lakers in Los Angeles, to say that they will endure hype is an understatement.

The Clippers must not only find ways to win this season, but must also find ways to keep Chris Paul and Blake Griffin interested enough to re-sign with the team in a few seasons. 

If they can find a way to play through all of the coming distractions, they will be in good shape.

Los Angeles Lakers, Distractions from Basketball

The Los Angeles Lakers are no stranger to distractions during the season, but this season may prove to be too much for them.

Gone is the Zen Master, who did a good job of keeping his players focused and the distractions in check.

The Lakers have the cards stacked against them with a new coach, new players and an older Kobe Bryant, who is going to face a very nasty and very public divorce.

If Bryant can play his way through all of the off-court drama this season, it may prove to be one of his finest accomplishments.

Memphis Grizzlies, Other Teams Know That This Team Is for Real

It sounds strange, but the Memphis Grizzlies will be a major contender in the Western Conference this season.

Last year, the team had talent but had a bit of a lack of confidence due to not having tasted success. This year's team is coming off of a strong playoff performance and brings back the key players from that team.

Other teams in the league will once again circle the Grizzlies games on the calendar not because they are easy wins, but because they will be a difficult game to play.

It will be interesting to see how this team plays when they are now not going to overlooked or taking anyone by surprise.

Miami Heat, The Other Players

So much has been said about the All-Star trio of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh, but what about the other players on the team?

Last season proved that the team needed one or two more consistent and productive role players, and the team has tried to add that in the offseason. 

The addition of Shane Battier was a good move, but they also are taking a chance on Eddy Curry.

If the Heat can better utilize the role players they have and can teach the team to better support the big three, this team could turn into the team that many thought they should have been last season.

If not, we may see a repeat performance in the NBA Finals.

Milwaukee Bucks, Injuries

The biggest problem that the Milwaukee Bucks had last season was injuries to key players.

Hopefully not, but if the injury bug once again hits this team like it did last year, it will not be something that the team can overcome.

The addition of a healthy Andrew Bogut, Brandon Jennings and Stephen Jackson will improve the team from last season just by having them on the court.

If the Bucks can get past the old injury nemesis, they will have a good shot to be a playoff team in the Eastern Conference.

Minnesota Timberwolves, History Is Not on Their Side

The Minnesota Timberwolves have never been a great team.

They had good seasons with Kevin Garnett and have made the playoffs, but have been awful for the last couple of years.

This year's team has more talented players at each position and has some good rookies to throw into the mix.

Kevin Love is looking better than he did last season and is poised to improve on his numbers from last season.

Despite all of this, history is not on the side of the team and says that even if they are talented, it does not mean they will be successful.

If Love and his teammates can overcome history, they will show a big improvement over last season.

New Jersey Nets, Focusing on Dwight Howard

The New Jersey Nets are going to have a rough season, but must not make it even more difficult by focusing so much on acquiring Dwight Howard that they forget to play basketball.

The team has some talented players and promising rookies that they must develop and they need to keep Deron Williams happy so that he does not become another distraction. 

The Nets must avoid a higher scale repeat of what they went through last season focusing on Carmelo Anthony, or they will be picking up the pieces for a long time.

New Orleans Hornets, Team for Sale

The New Orleans Hornets not only have the challenge of having lost their two best players in Chris Paul and David West, they have the added pressure of being owned by the league.

During every game this season, the team will be on display for potential buyers for the NBA to sell to.

Eric Gordon should have a good season for the Hornets, but if the sale of the team depends on the number of wins, this team will be under a huge amount of pressure from the league, the team and the fans to perform well.

New York Knicks, Who Gets the Ball?

The New York Knicks have done a good job of going out to sign role players to fit with Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony for this season.

The only problem is that with the addition of Baron Davis, Mike Bibby and Tyson Chandler, will there be enough shots for each of these guys to go around?

Even in an uptempo offense, the amount of players who head coach Mike D'Antoni must keep involved and happy seems to be growing every day.

He has the unwanted challenge of getting the ball distributed to each guy without messing with the already large egos that some of these guys have.

Oklahoma City Thunder, High Expectations

Like the Chicago Bulls, the Oklahoma City Thunder are a team where the expectations for success are through the roof.

After a strong playoff performance last year, the Thunder are seem by many as a major contender in the Western Conference.

How will this team be able to handle the added pressure of high expectation? Does this young team know how to win, or are they just playing on talent and energy?

Despite the high level of talent that the Thunder has, these are just a couple of questions that—if not answered successfully—could exploit a flaw in the team.

Orlando Magic, Will Superman Fly Away?

The Orlando Magic need to figure out what they want to do with Dwight Howard as soon as they possibly can.

They will not do well in this shortened season if everyone involved in the organization asks whether Dwight is leaving or staying on a daily basis.

This uncertainty will not be good for the team if they get the idea that Howard may leave, as they may not give the same level of effort as they would if he were staying with them.

Unless it is made quickly, dragging on his decision is an unnecessary challenge that Howard will add to his team.

Philadelphia 76ers, No Changes

Nothing has really changed about this team from last season, and head coach Doug Collins is hoping that the team can just improve on the 14-game turnaround that they had last season.

Jrue Holiday and Evan Turner should be better, and Andre Iguodala is healthy and ready to go.

The flaw that the team must avoid is stagnating and feeling like they cannot progress. Without any new players, this team could fall into the business-as-usual trap and end up with the same winning percentage as they did last season.

One of these players needs to have a breakout season and wake the team out of their comfort zone. The 76ers have good talent, they just need to find other ways to improve on and use it.

Phoenix Suns, Relying on Nash

Steve Nash is in the final year of his contract in Phoenix and the team must not fall into the trap of relying too heavily on him for wins.

Unlike other years when it seemed he could do it by himself, Nash is not going to be able to dominate games like he once did.

He will still be a good player who will make others better, but the team must recognize that they cannot ask Nash to do more than he can at this point in his career.

The team did sign Shannon Brown and Ronnie Price to give Nash some time on the bench, but the flaw would be not using them with consistency to give Nash a break.

One idea for the team would be to establish a set rotation time for Nash like the Utah Jazz did for John Stockton late in his career. No matter what the score of the game, Stockton went out at specific times to rest.

If the Suns can do the same with Nash and not ask him to do more than he can, he will have a good season.

Portland Trailblazers, Bad Franchise Luck

If the Portland Trailblazers had a healthy Brandon Roy and a healthy Greg Oden, they would be one of the favorites to win the NBA title this season.

Instead, both former lottery picks have battled knee injuries that has caused Roy to retire young, and Oden to not yet really start a career.

The Trailblazers have some of the worst luck of any sports franchises.

They must avoid any more bad luck this season to be able to be successful either this season or in years to come.

Sacramento Kings, Team Play

There is no "I" in team, but there are two in "highlight."

Instead of winning, the biggest flaw facing the Sacramento Kings is the unwillingness or inability to play together as a team.

Guys like Tyreke Evans, DeMarcus Cousins, Jimmer Fredette and Marcus Thornton are all incredibly talented, but they need to learn to pass the ball around.

If the Kings get caught up in who can score the most points, take the most shots or make the most spectacular shot, it is going to be a long and disappointing season in Sacramento.

The Kings need to learn to be unselfish and play as a team to find success, instead of each player showing off their own skills.

San Antonio Spurs, Duncan Is Not Enough?

In their upset victory over the San Antonio Spurs in last years playoffs, the Memphis Grizzlies made it apparent that the Spurs needed more height and size defensively.

It is weird to think that one of the best power forwards to play the game was not enough, but Tim Duncan is not the same player that he used to be.

The team did add rookie Kawhi Leonard, but he may not be big enough. The flaw for this team continues to be overall size.

Toronto Raptors, Patience

The Toronto Raptors are not going to be good this season. They have been rebuilding and will spend this season working on defense.

Although their record will not show it, the team and its fans will have to use a huge amount of patience as budding stars DeMar DeRozan and Ed Davis continue to get better.

The team must not lose sight that the fast-paced 66-game schedule is not ideal for a young team, and need to really wait until they can add prized draft pick Jonas Valanciunas next season.

If they can continue to be patient through all of this and keep the team they have, they will add another lottery pick in the next draft and be in better shape next season.

If they lose that patience and make a move for the present rather than focus on the future, it may not be good for the team in the long term.

Utah Jazz, Inexperience

The Utah Jazz actually have a good mix of veteran and young players, but not many players have been with the team for long.

Following a few years of having a high draft pick, free agency and the Deron Williams trade, head coach Tyrone Corbin is trying to find a lineup that will be able to work together and build some sense of chemistry.

The Jazz are a team that could finish with a good or bad record this season, depending on how quickly they can learn together.

If the flaw of inexperience comes out, the Jazz will not progress as fast as they would like to.

Washington Wizards, Young Talent

It seems like in Washington, D.C., the Wizards are made up of John Wall and everyone else.

Wall is poised to have have a great season individually this year, but he is going to need some help in order for the team to succeed.

He is surrounded by young talent that should get better, but to rely on it every night can be a gamble.

The Wizards have several rookies, including Chris Singleton and Jan Vesely. JaVale McGee played better last season and is expected to continue to develop.

The difficult thing with the Wizards will be to wait while these players and this young team grows up together.

If they get some good production from the older players, it will help take the pressure off of the youngsters and help the team win more games.