These four teams are ready to take that next step in the upcoming year:
NFL: Tampa Bay Buccaneers » The Bucs need a win Sunday and losses from the Packers and Giants to make the playoffs, but Tampa Bay is built for the future. In his second season, quarterback Josh Freeman is drawing comparisons to Ben Roethlisberger. And the leading rusher (LeGarrette Blount) and top two wide receivers (Mike Williams and Arrelious Benn) are rookies. Blount has averaged 5.2 yards a carry in his first season, and Williams led the team with 924 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns.
NBA: New York Knicks » Basketball is back in New York. Amar’e Stoudemire is averaging 26.3 points a game — second most in the NBA — and is a legitimate MVP candidate. Raymond Felton and rookie Landry Fields are flourishing in Mike D’Antoni‘s system. The Knicks will make the playoffs this season, but if they are able to land Carmelo Anthony, then this team truly can compete with the Celtics, Heat, Magic and Bulls in the Eastern Conference.
MLB: Colorado Rockies » The NL West is home to the defending World Series champion San Francisco Giants, but the Rockies have the talent to compete. Ubaldo Jimenez cooled off after starting the 2010 season with an 11-1 record and 0.93 ERA. The righty still finished third in the Cy Young voting, while outfielder Carlos Gonzalez and shortstop Troy Tulowitzki finished third and fifth respectively in the MVP race.
NHL: Tampa Bay Lightning » Tampa Bay won the Stanley Cup in 2004 with Martin St. Louis and Vincent Lecavalier leading the team in points. Despite having those two still around, the Lightning have missed the playoffs the last three seasons. But owning the worst record in the league in 2008 allowed them to grab Steven Stamkos with the top pick. The 20-year-old tied Sidney Crosby with an NHL-best 51 goals last season and is second in the league with 52 points this year — and St. Louis is right behind him (48 points).
