The NBA has so much talent. Deep on every NBA bench is some guy good enough to carry the expectations of a town, county, state, or smallish nation on his shoulders. There are guys who  hold all-time scoring records in some high school conference, guys who hit game-winners in big NCAA tournament games, and guys who used to be called the "Shaq of the [insert name of conference, league, smallish nation]." 

What does that mean? That means that if any bad team were to suddenly start playing really well (like the Pacers beat the Spurs last night) it wouldn't be shocking. In part, that would be because every player in the NBA is, on some level, a great player accustomed to a lot of success. They have all taken over many games in their young lives. None of them expected to be bit players on bad teams. 

It also means that if you were to somehow wave a magic wand over any NBA roster, and bless those players with the ability to play to the maximum of their ability, I believe just about every NBA roster has the talent to contend.

If that magic wand did exist, I'm convinced that more than anything it would sprinkle the ideals of teamwork around the roster. Make players learn to love helping their teammates do well. I'd bet my remaining hair (fair warning, it's mostly in my eyebrows) that the big key to turning a so-so roster into a great one is by getting the players to trust one another. Basketball is a fluid game, and teams that move the ball quickly and easily to the highest percentage shot, without letting it get stuck in the gooey molasses of ego, have a serious advantage. On defense, where there's hardly any glory to be had for anyone, the selfless helping and effort are even more important.

How can an NBA team get some of that magic teamwork pixie dust? One way is to draft it! They don't rank player in terms of their abilities as teammates, but if they did, Florida's Joakim Noah would certainly be high on the list. Consider this column from ESPN's Andy Katz:

Joakim Noah rightfully receives plenty of attention on this squad. He has been the face of the team for two seasons and, at times, you could argue he has been the face of the sport this past year, but he has no issues acknowledging how valuable Horford is to this team.

"When I was getting a lot of attention, I would think about it because I know how good Al is," Noah said. "Al would never get any credit for what he did. Even last year, he was such a huge part; we would have never won if it wasn't for Al.

"There's no question who our go-to post player is -- it's Al Horford," Noah said. "He's a great player, but he's quiet. I'm not. That's why I was getting a lot of attention."

See that? What he's doing there is saying the kinds of things that make Al Horford feel confident taking the big shot. But at the same time, just by being nice, he's also making Horford feel good giving up the big shot to Joakim Noah or someone else. Either way, Florida wins.

And that kind of team focus is exactly how they do win. As ESPN's David Thorpe just pointed out to me on the phone, no one on the team is even averaging ten shots a game. All five Florida starters are capable of scoring 25, but they all average between 10 and 14. That means that on the nights when the defense figures out how to stop option A, there is no hesitation in getting the ball to options B, C, D, and E.

Selflessness is a huge part of teamwork. And it's nothing new to Noah. Before he worked for ESPN, Thorpe had a blog of his own where he wrote about this very thing a year ago:

We all know Joakim Noah is their best player, a likely top 5 pick whenever he enters the NBA. But he refers to Florida's lone senior, Adrian Moss, as "Boss man", and said last night after the game that he's proud to be on Moss's team. MOSS'S TEAM!! Did your best player think, or say, anything similar to that after the season? Last week in a press conference, when Noah's teammate Taurean Green gave a short answer describing the solid play of a seldom used player off Florida's bench in an early round win, Noah jumped in to the discussion to add how hard that player has worked each day in practice. For press conferences, that is the equivalent of a player getting a quadruple-double, it basically never happens, as players only answer questions directed to them. Even after the game last night, Noah told the press that sharpshooter Lee Humphrey "was a monster on D". When your best player speaks that glowingly about his teammates, it is easy to get refined roles and avoid petty jealousy. 

Thorpe and I were just on the phone, and he adds that Noah is a rare combination. "He's selfless in the best way possible," says Thorpe. "Yet he's also a tiger. He pounds his chest, screams, and plays unbelievably hard. A lot of selfless guys are just happy to be there. Not Noah. He just doesn't care about himself and his stats. He just wants to win."

And that involves teammates.