Southeast Division

Washington Wizards

The Washington Wizards had a very successful season last year that led to their third playoff appearance in a row. Unfortunately, plagued by injuries to Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler the Wizards were unable to advance in the playoffs, but what team would with injuries to two of their top three players. The Wizards had a quiet summer, resigning Deshawn Stevenson and Andray Blatche along with drafting dynamic USC guard Nick Young. They lost back up big man Etan Thomas to heart surgery, which may be beneficial to Brendan Haywood as he now knows that the spot belongs to him and he doesn’t have to look over his shoulder.

Washington’s trio of Jameson, Arenas, and Butler is one of the best in the league but it’s the guys around them that will have to produce if they want to get deep into the playoffs. Brendan Haywood will have to run with the center spot now that it is his with Thomas out for the year. Haywood offense is a bit too mechanical to depend on him for anything other than finishes around the basket, but defensively if he can control the boards and block shots then he’ll be doing what they need from him.

Andray Blatche is one of the more intriguing talents in the league that nobody knows about. At 6’11 Blatche brings Durant like versatility to the Wizards. If they can get him incorporated into the offense he could be one of the leading candidates for most improved player this year. He’s got big time talent, but at nearly 7 foot he doesn’t rebound or have an impact on the defensive side of the floor that the Wizards would like him to.

Washington’s lack of depth is problematic. If this team runs into injuries again things could get ugly, but I have them as the best team in the division due to how explosive their top three are and the other offensive weapons they have. Teams like Washington win a lot of regular season games, but expect their lack of depth or post presence to be too much for them to overcome in a seven game series.

Miami Heat

Very disappointing year for the defending champions last year as they fell to the Bulls in a first round sweep. When Dwayne Wade was wheeled off in a court due to a dislocated shoulder their repeating chances followed him. The biggest problem for the Miami Heat last year was they didn’t have anybody to step up and shoulder the scoring load when Dwyane went out, and they were simply too old. Come playoff time this team simply didn’t have a chance. This off season they made a few questionable moves followed by an intriguing trade. Don’t expect much out of first round pick Daquan Cook as he had trouble making the transition from high school to division I, and will have similar difficulties this year. Signing Smush Parker may look good on paper – but the guy has a piss poor attitude and is horrid defensively. Smush Parker has all the qualities required to be in the Pat Riley dog house. For a team needing a jolt of youth, signing Anfernee Hardaway was hard to understand.

But the one deal that I really like is getting Ricky Davis. Ricky is an aggressive, extremely athletic scorer that will be able to ease some of the scoring burden off of Dwayne. The point guard position is an area for concern unless Smush Parker had an attitude transplant during the off season because as of now they’re looking at Jason Williams to play major minutes including crunch time minutes, which doesn’t bode well for someone who has poor decision making skills. They could move Hardaway over late in the game, but how much he can help is really a huge question mark right now.

Dwayne Wade’s rehab from his shoulder injury has taken longer than expected and he will miss at least the first couple weeks of the season. When Wade gets backs though he should not have much trouble getting back to form as he’s always been more of an attacker rather than a jump shooter. If his shoulder is completely healed the only issue will be him getting over the initial fear that comes after just healing from a major injury. As fearless as he’s been though in attacking the rim throughout his career, I don’t think he’s going to deal with this problem for long.

If Miami is going to get back to the finals though, it all depends on Shaquille O’Neal. Now at 35 years of age the once most dominant player ever is a fragment of his old self. The Heat cannot afford for him to take thirty games off this season and not be in shape until March. He’s going to have to step up his level of dedication and conditioning or else the Heat will find themselves back home after the first round.

Orlando Magic

The Orlando Magic finally made it back to the playoffs led by the league’s premier young big man Dwight Howard. Howard is quickly developing into a dominant force and with team USA this summer his offensive game appears to have expanded outside of just monstrous dunks. They lost their veteran leader in Grant Hill and while statistical impact is very replaceable, what he did for that team in the locker room and on the sidelines remains a void for this Magic team. They brought in all-star forward Rashard Lewis at an outrageous salary that at least in the immediate future will be helpful as he’ll be a consistent scorer along their young stud on the block.

Losing Darko Milicic really hurts them this year now that Tony Battie is out for the season. Milicic wasn’t able to beat out Battie for the starting role last year, and likely wouldn’t have done so this year – but he sure would be nice to have now. Not only will Dwight Howard have to do even more down low, but he’s going to playing with guys like Adonal Foyle, James Augustine, and Marcin Gortat down low. Howard’s going to have his hands full this year.

Jameer Nelson will have lofty expectations this year after just agreeing to a contract extension. He’ll need to be the cooling influence over this young team late in the game as he was during his time at St. Joseph’s. JJ Reddick will have an opportunity to earn some time and possibly start for the Magic in his second year after having a quiet rookie season. Reddick had a solid summer where he did more than just show off his dazzling shooting touch.

Orlando’s got some very nice pieces and a soon to be 20 and 10 guy starting at center for him. The problem for them is that they don’t have anybody at the four alongside of him unless they plan on playing small ball. They don’t have very many tradeable assets either, so this may be an issue that they have to wait until the draft or off season to address.

Charlotte Bobcats

As has been the case with this franchise during it’s short history, last season was more about develop rather than trying to win. Okafor had a solid season where he was one of the top double double guys in the league.They were able to keep free agent Primo Brezec and Gerald Wallace while possibly making their first move that showed they’re trying to win games by trading project Brandon Wright for established shooting guard Jason Richardson. They also got established collegiate players Jared Dudley and Jermario Davidson on draft night.

The days of splitting time with Brevin Knight are gone for Raymond Felton and it’s time for him to step up and become the player many expected him to be out of North Carolina. He was ranked right up there with Deron Williams and Chris Paul coming out of college. Both of those two have established themselves as top five point guards while Felton has done very little. This will be his year to prove that he belongs in that discussion.

The loss of Adam Morrison is a big blow to the Bobcats as he was suppose dot be one of their go to guys offensively this year. However, as far as long term is concerned Morrison was never a big time athlete or attacker and shouldn’t see a major drop off in his game. Sean May will also be out for the year due to microfracture surgery and the Bobcats may have all but given up on Sean now that he’s been in the league three years and been unable to remain healthy or produce. Hopefully Sean’s son can uphold the family tradition of having a dominant final four followed by a non existent pro career.

This year the Bobcats will likely have their best season in the team’s history in terms of wins. However, they’re a long ways off from even being able to think about the playoffs. They’re set at the 2,3, and 4 – but the other positions and bench are far from sure things and this will be another lottery season for the Bobcats. But things are looking up.

Atlanta Hawks

As usual, the Hawks were among the league’s worst teams last year and was it not for a luck ping pong bounce they could have been without their lottery pick that was just top 3 protected from Phoenix. But they did manage to get into the top three and after years of butchering draft picks they finally made the right decisions with both of their first round picks. In desperate need of a low post presence that they thought they were getting with Shelden Williams, they went with the beastly Al Horford to be their go to option and likely starting center. And after passing up on Chris Paul and Randy Foye the Hawks finally got a lead guard in Acie Law IV.

While the Hawks finally made some nice draft picks, they’re still haunted by their mishaps of the past. If Marvin Williams doesn’t become something this year it’s time to start placing him in the biggest busts category. They had a chance to snatch up either of two of the league’s top point guards in Deron Williams and Chris Paul but decided they’d rather have ANOTHER forward. Marvin’s potential was hard to deny at the time, but he’s done little to validate Hawks’ management’s choice so far.

Mr. Mechanical Sheldon Williams will also have his opportunity this year. He’s too robotic on the block to do much in terms of scoring, but if he can block some shots and control the boards alongside Horford he may be able to stick with this team by playing that role. Zaza Pachulia will look to be more consistent this year, and more effective on the defensive side of the court.

Joe Johnson remains one of the league’s best players on a terrible team. One of the few players to ever garner a big deal from the Hawks, Joe Johnson has proved that he was worth every penny. Joe Johnson will have another huge, all-star caliber year that will result in a 30 win at max season for the Hawks en route to watching their pick go to Atlanta. Wave goodbye to Michael Beasley, Hawks’ fans.

Southeast division predictions:
1. Washington Wizards
2. Miami Heat
3. Orlando Magic
4. Charlotte Bobcats
5. Atlanta Hawks

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