Southeast Division
1. Washington Wizards
When talking about the best backcourts in the NBA, John Wall & Bradley Beal
have put themselves in the center of the conversation. Which is why it’ll be
interesting to see how he’ll fit in when he comes back from injury to a team
that lost Trevor Ariza and brought in Paul Pierce, re-signed Marcin Gortat to
hold down the paint alongside Nene, and may boast one of the better benches in
the Eastern Conference (Andre Miller, Drew Gooden, Kevin Seraphin, Martell
Webster, Garrett Temple). And if Otto Porter & Glen Rice Jr. Become contributors
on a regular basis, this just gives them more weapons to utilize. Surprisingly,
they lost in the conference Semis in 6 to a Pacers team who didn’t look like
the Finals contender they made themselves to be in the 1st half of
the season. Having a proven leader, Finals MVP & future 1st
ballot Hall Of Famer coulda helped them out last year. Now that they have one,
they have a bonafide closer to go to down the stretch to take pressure off of
Wall & Beal. They’ll be a tough out come playoff time.
Over/Under: 47 wins
2. Charlotte Hornets
The Hornets are back & it coincides with the emergence of this young
team looking to take the next step & build on the season they had last
year. Despite being swept by the eventual Eastern Conference champions,
Charlotte are in position to get another shot (a more legit shot) at getting
out of the 1st round this season. The addition of Lance Stephenson
is the determining x-factor in the success of the reincarnated Hornets. If he
works out, along with vet Marvin Williams, Kemba Walker & Al Jefferson will
lead a balanced attack on both ends of the floor. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist will
be a borderline All-Star once he fixes that jumpshot. Gerald Henderson will be
a capable 6th Man. Cody Zeller & Noah Vonleh have an opportunity
to earn minutes & contribute. The Buzz is rightfully back, and look for
them to leave teams with their fair share of stings.
Over/Under: 45 wins
3. Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks actually have an entertaining team; one I might say can be worth
the League Pass subscription for the basketball junkie that likes ball
movement, floor spacing & three All-Star caliber guys complimenting each
other on the court (Al Horford, Paul Millsap, and Jeff Teague). Taking a
half-assed Pacer team to seven games in the first round last year without
Horford showed all of us how dangerous this team really can be if Al is manning
the middle. Then the whole Bruce Levenson/Danny Ferry situation comes to light,
with Sterlingate still on the minds of NBA fans, as well as the sports world.
The players still gotta play regardless of how they feel about it. It doesn't take away from the long term damage that they may possibly face as far as
attracting free agents & getting guys to commit long-term to playing in
Atlanta
Over/Under: 45 wins
4. Miami Heat
Life after LeBron James won’t be the same. However, the Heat are still
going to be able to keep their heads above water in a much-improved Eastern
Conference. The success of this post-LeBron Miami squad fall squarely on the
shoulders of Chris Bosh & Dwyane Wade. If the former can transition back to
being the focal point of the offense like he was in Toronto, and the latter can
remain healthy enough to keep offenses from zeroing on Bosh, they’ll be fine.
Luol Deng isn’t LeBron, but has shown he can play effective ball at both ends.
Mario Chalmers gon’ be Mario. Look for Norris Cole to show more of his scoring
side, the scoring he displayed on a nightly basis at Cleveland State. First
rounder Shabazz Napier has the pedigree & skills to make an impact with
ample playing time. One has to ask what is Danny Granger gonna give them. Chris
Andersen & Josh McRoberts, along with Udonis Haslem should provide them
with serviceable work alongside Bosh. In a open Eastern Conference that’s
stronger than it’s been in recent years, they have enough experience to be in
the thick of things, if they stay healthy & get productive minutes from the
role players. A healthy Wade (as healthy as he can be at this point) can put
them in a position to play beyond April.
Over/Under: 44 wins
5. Orlando Magic
Without batting an eyelash, I can say that the Magic are better than
Milwaukee & Philadelphia (Definitely Philadelphia). I see what they are
trying to build for the long term & the way I see it, they’re one major
piece away. If it’s Victor Oladipo taking a major step in his development by
becoming the main guy, or him leading a well-balanced attack that does it by
committee, Tobias Harris showing us why he’s an up & coming high-level wing,
Nikola Vucevic consistently posting double-doubles, Evan Fournier being a
steady presence at the 2, and the rest of the young guns (led by 1st
rounders Elfrid Payton & Aaron Gordon, Mo Harkless, Andrew Nicholson),
combining with the vets (Ben Gordon, Luke Ridnour, Channing Frye), the Magic
will be a tough out for plenty of teams in the East. They’re not playoff-ready
yet, but don’t be surprised if they stay competitive throughout the year &
end up playing the role of spoiler when he postseason race picks up steam
after the All-Star break.
Over/Under: 33 wins
