One Thing Every NBA Team Should Be Happy About

It's the holiday season and it's time to be thankful and appreciate what you have. 

For all basketball fans, the best holiday gift is the start of the NBA regular season. Our passion only grew during the seemingly endless lockout. The teams and players should also be happy that they will continue to get their paycheck. 

Here is one thing every NBA team needs to be thankful about.

Atlanta Hawks: Josh Smith Is Still with Them

After an entire off-season of rumors surrounding Josh Smith, the Hawks must be happy that he is still with them. No one knows what the future holds, but for now he is still scoring, defending, rebounding and hustling for the Hawks.  

Boston Celtics: Brandon Bass Trade

After the 20-point, 11-rebound game against the Knicks, the Celtics must feel the Bass-Davis trade worked out in their favor. Bass might not be able to produce like this every game, but at least he showed what he's capable of. 

Charlotte Bobcats: Kemba Walker and Bismack Biyombo

Throughout the past summer, the Bobcats worried about whether Biyombo would be able to join them. But that problem is now resolved and he is on his way to Charlotte. Add in the fact that Kemba Walker was brilliant in preseason and Michael Jordan should light his victory cigar and celebrate the one draft pick he got right.

Chicago Bulls: Derrick Rose Will Stay

Rose signed a five-year contract extension with the Bulls last week. Whenever a former MVP commits to your team's long term future, you have to be happy. 

Cleveland Cavaliers: Kyrie Irving

Kyrie Irving is no LeBron James. This year's No. 1 pick will never be as good as 2003's No. 1 pick. But Irving showed a solid skill set and adequate potential to help steer the Cavaliers in the right direction.  

Dallas Mavericks: Championship At Last!

The Mavericks hung their championship banner before their first game of the season. And then they lost to the Miami Heat. But enjoy this moment of glory, they won't get that trophy again this year. 

Denver Nuggets: Nene Is Coming Back

With JR Smith and Kenyon Martin both stuck in China, the Denver Nuggets are in serious need for talent. Free agent Nene could have signed with any team he wanted to but he decided to give the Nuggets another shot. This says something about the Nuggets' chemistry and potential.

Detroit Pistons: Rip Hamilton Is Gone

Rip is a very good player, but he wasn't happy last year, and he let the Pistons know by slacking off. Now that he is gone, it opens up playing time for other solid back court players like Ben Gordon, Will Bynum and, most importantly, Brandon Knight.

Golden State Warriors: This Could Be a Good Year

There's a lot of hope for the Warriors this season. Between Stephen Curry's satisfying development and Monta Ellis' insane scoring abilities, the Warriors have a very dangerous back court. Add a healthy David Lee and former draft bust turned slightly below-average center Kwame Brown, and the future is bright in Golden State. 

Houston Rockets: The Trade That Didn't Go Through

In the three-team trade that got vetoed by David Stern, Houston was the clear loser in the deal. If the trade went through, the Rockets would have had to give up Kevin Martin, Luis Scola, Goran Dragic and a 2012 first-round pick. What do they get back? An aging Pau Gasol. No one was happy when Stern vetoed the trade, except for Rockets fans.  

Indiana Pacers: A Great Offseason

Pacers fans must be excited about the upcoming season. Indiana acquired consistent scorer David West and quality backup George Hill. Together with existing players on their roster, the Pacers are quickly becoming a competitive team. 

Los Angeles Clippers: Chris Paul + Blake Griffin

Need I say more?

Los Angeles Lakers: Very Little

They lost the season opener to the Bulls. They gift-wrapped Lamar Odom and traded him to their post-season rival for virtually nothing. They lost solid backup Shannon Brown. They still haven't found the answer at point guard. And Kobe's wrist is hurt. It's time for the Lakers to make some changes.

Memphis Grizzlies: Rudy Gay Is Back and Looking Good

If the Grizzlies can make it to the conference semifinals without Rudy Gay, just imagine where they can be with him in the lineup. 

Miami Heat: Shane Battier

Miami fans are pretty happy with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh on their team. But having Shane Battier may just make them a little happier. Battier will provide the defense and bench leadership the Heat so desperately need. Battier might be the missing piece to the Heat's championship run.

Milwaukee Bucks: Another Mediocre Season

The arrival of Stephen Jackson to the Bucks makes them better, but not enough to take them to the next level. With Jackson, Brandon Jennings and Andrew Bogut, the Bucks won't be bad, but they won't be very good either. 

Minnesota Timberwolves: Youth and Talent

The Timberwolves have so many young talents on their team that they will demand respect from the league. Derrick Williams is a strong ROY candidate, and the wait for Ricky Rubio is finally over. Along with Michael Beasley and Kevin Love, the Timberwolves only need a little bit of time before becoming a solid NBA team. 

New Jersey Nets: The Possibility of Having Dwight Howard

There have been talks about Dwight Howard being traded to the Nets. But Brooke Lopez's untimely injury will hurt the chances of that happening. But still, Howard was vocal about going to the Nets and as we all know, it's hard to stop Howard from doing anything he wants, with the exception of making free throws. 

New Orleans Hornets: What They Got Back for Chris Paul

You can't replace Chris Paul, except maybe with Deron Williams. But the Hornets did a very good job getting as much out of it as they could. Eric Gordon is a very athletic player steaming with potential, and Chris Kaman is a proven solid NBA center.

Throw in Al-Farouq Aminu and a first-round pick, and the Hornets successfully avoided a LeBron James-like situation where they won't get anything back once Paul walks away next summer.  

New York Knicks: Defense! Finally!

The Knicks signed free agent Tyson Chandler and drafted rookie guard Iman Shumpert. One will provide low post defense and rebounding while the other brings hustle and perimeter lock down, both desperately needed by the Knicks. The best part is, both Chandler and Shumpert are very athletic and won't slow down Mike D'Antoni's fast-paced offense. 

Oklahoma City Thunder: Now Is the Time

Kevin Durant is entering his prime, Russell Westbrook is becoming a star and James Harden is projected to break out. After last year's deep playoff run experience, the Thunder are not very far away from a championship, and Durant is not too far away from an MVP. 

Orlando Magic: Superman Hasn't Taken Off. Yet.

There are tons of rumors surrounding Howard, as pretty much every NBA team is linked to him in some way. But for now, Superman is still in Orlando, trying to save the club from plunging into mediocrity. 

Philadelphia 76ers: Player Development

The 76ers are a young team and the coaches are doing a good job bringing out the youngsters' talents. Jrue Holiday had a breakout season last year and will continue to get better. Evan Turner should live up to his draft status. Thaddeus Young was re-signed and happy. Even Spencer Hawes had flashes of brilliance during preseason. They will have another shot at a deep playoff run this postseason. 

Phoenix Suns: Shannon Brown

As a die-hard Suns fan, it hurts me to say that the Suns can only go downhill from here. But at least I am looking forward to Steve Nash throwing alley-oops to Shannon Brown for some spectacular finishes. 

Portland Trailblazers: Solid All-Around Team

It's very sad to see Brandon Roy's talent just washed away like that, but at least the Trail Blazers found an adequate replacement in Jamal Crawford. Portland also has low post monster LaMarcus Aldridge, versatile athlete Gerald Wallace, athletic forward Nicolas Batum and a developing Wesley Matthews. The Blazers will be good, but you won't hear about it outside of Portland.  

Sacramento Kings: Jimmer

Jimmer Fredette possess unrealistic range and he is not afraid to show it. He might turn out to be a bust or fail to exceed certain expectations, but at least he will be entertaining to watch for a while. He will sell tickets in Sacramento, and that helps the city's effort to retain the Kings. 

San Antonio Spurs: A Shorter Regular Season

The Spurs are old. Tim Duncan is no longer the player he once was, and Manu Ginobili is hurt all the time due to the minutes he gets and the way he plays. A short regular season is advantageous to the Spurs. Even with back-to-back-to-back games, the Spurs will still be better rested once the postseason comes. 

Toronto Raptors: 2012 NBA Draft

The Raptors' roster remained largely unchanged, and so will their not-so-good record. But just like "Suck for Luck" in the NFL, the Raptors might suck for Drummond (or Davis, Barnes, Lamb, Sullinger...). The draft class is packed next year, and the Raptors probably won't fall out of the top 5. 

Utah Jazz: Big Men

The Utah Jazz have many solid front court players. Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson will likely start, while Derrick Favors and Enes Kanter will come off the bench. But having so many bigs can affect the development of Favors, who will one day become the Jazz's future. But for now, you can never have too many quality big men in the NBA. 

Washington Wizards: John Wall to JaVale McGee

John Wall and JaVale McGee are two of the most athletic players in their position. And it just so happens that Wall is a very good passer and McGee is a very good dunker. If you ever get tired of watching Dwight Howard or Blake Griffin catching and dunking alley-oops, change the channel and watch some Wall to McGee action, it's just as good.