Post by Benwallacedetroit3 on Oct 6, 2005 18:55:48 GMT -5
Aaron Reilly
Southeast Division Predictions – NBA
With the amount of changes in Miami, the maturing of Dwight Howard, new faces in Washington, the Carolina connection in Charlotte, and Joe Johnson in Atlanta, it means one thing for this division, Miami is running away and every team has no chance in hell.
Southeast Division
Teams – Orlando Magic, Miami Heat, Washington Wizards, Charlotte Bobcats, Atlanta Hawks
1. Miami Heat (56-26 predicted record)
Shaq and Dwayne Wade hope to lead this team to the finals and more this year. The team was a few minutes away from reaching the finals but Detroit squeaked out a thriller in Miami in Game 7. This summer President Pat Riley did not settle and redid the whole roster. If this revamping is good for the team remains to be seen. Some analysts are already awarding this team the trophy while others are more skeptical, I tend to lean toward the latter. James Posey is a tough defender and may actually be the best offseason acquisition of the summer for the Heat. Posey will replace Eddie Jones as the team’s defensive stopper but his offense is nowhere near Jones. The other two pickups in that record breaking trade brought Antoine Walker and Jason Williams into Miami. These two players both need the ball in their hands to create any damage. Both players to me are very overrated and I am looking forward to seeing if these two can play without being the star. The coaching situation is dicey, Ron Jeremy…Stan Van Gundy is on the hot seat from day one. He has to mesh all these personalities on the same page while Pat Riley is eagerly breathing down his neck ready to step in and bring showtime to Miami. As you can see this is one of the longer overviews but that’s because this team has so much to it. Teams are built on chemistry, the Spurs and Pistons are prime examples, big names and numerous changes don’t win championships. If Miami can mesh and get Shaq and Wade the ball without any complaining the sky is the limit but I have to see it to believe it.
2. Washington Wizards (43-39)
The Wizards also went through some changes this summer. Larry Hughes and Kwame Brown jumped ship but Caron Butler and Antonio Daniels came in. Those two are very nice players to complement all star Gilbert Arenas. Arenas will be the primary scorer with the other two filling in nicely. Their big men are not up to par with Miami, Indiana, and Detroit but can do the job. Jamison can put points up in bunches and grab rebounds, he'll play the four this year. Haywood has potential to become a nice big man and if Etan Thomas can stay healthy this year that will give them another player to throw in the mix. The team needs to build on their frontcourt depth but they have interchangeable parts in the backcourt which will get this team out and running. Eddie Jordan does need to implement some type of offensive set, watching this team last year I noticed their offense was Arenas come down and chuck up a shot. Charles Barkley remarked on the same think last year, if they can get some type of rhythm on the offensive end they will be a hard team to stop.
3. Orlando Magic (43-39)
The Magic have one of the top young players in the league in Dwight Howard. Howard stepped in last year and showed why he was the number one pick. With a year under his belt, look for Howard to average close to 18 points and 11 rebounds a game. Steve Francis looks to play more of the 2 this year which gives Jameer Nelson and Keyon Dooling a chance to fight for the starting point guard spot. First round pick Fran Vazquez decided to stay in Spain for a few more years instead of coming over to help Orlando this year. Vazquez was considered the most ready made European in the past years draft. This year to me is on Grant Hill’s back or should I say his ankle. If Hill is healthy the team can finish higher then this but with Hill’s past record, lack of a true center (Kato just doesn’t do the job) and a small backcourt I do not see this team finishing any higher then this.
4. Atlanta Hawks (26-56)
The Atlanta Hawks gave a max deal to future all star Joe Johnson. Johnson had an amazing year in Phoenix on that offensive juggernaut but he now comes to Atlanta as the main option. Johnson will be surrounded by numerous young players like dunk champ Josh Smith, #2 pick Marvin Williams, and Josh Childress. This team is going to struggle mightily this year but Johnson will carry them to a few wins. Look for this team to trade Smith or Childress during the year for a young big man but this team looks to be heading toward lottery territory once again.
5. Charlotte Bobcats (22-60)
The Bobcats come into this year after their first year of existence. The team did not play as bad some thought but was nowhere near any resemblance of an upper tier team. Emeka Okafor and Primoz Brezec were two bright spots for the Bobcats last year. Sean May coming off the bench to spell those two will be a nice young trio up front for the Bobcats. The Bobcats also bring back Brevin Knight, Knight had a great year last year becoming one of the leaders in the NBA in assists per game. Raymond Felton will learn a lot from this veteran point guard and will lead the team for years to come. This team is obviously looking toward the future but with a young nucleus of Okafor, May, and Felton and tons of money to spend this team should excite the fans of Charlotte along with the new arena the team will be playing in.
Southeast Division Predictions – NBA
With the amount of changes in Miami, the maturing of Dwight Howard, new faces in Washington, the Carolina connection in Charlotte, and Joe Johnson in Atlanta, it means one thing for this division, Miami is running away and every team has no chance in hell.
Southeast Division
Teams – Orlando Magic, Miami Heat, Washington Wizards, Charlotte Bobcats, Atlanta Hawks
1. Miami Heat (56-26 predicted record)
Shaq and Dwayne Wade hope to lead this team to the finals and more this year. The team was a few minutes away from reaching the finals but Detroit squeaked out a thriller in Miami in Game 7. This summer President Pat Riley did not settle and redid the whole roster. If this revamping is good for the team remains to be seen. Some analysts are already awarding this team the trophy while others are more skeptical, I tend to lean toward the latter. James Posey is a tough defender and may actually be the best offseason acquisition of the summer for the Heat. Posey will replace Eddie Jones as the team’s defensive stopper but his offense is nowhere near Jones. The other two pickups in that record breaking trade brought Antoine Walker and Jason Williams into Miami. These two players both need the ball in their hands to create any damage. Both players to me are very overrated and I am looking forward to seeing if these two can play without being the star. The coaching situation is dicey, Ron Jeremy…Stan Van Gundy is on the hot seat from day one. He has to mesh all these personalities on the same page while Pat Riley is eagerly breathing down his neck ready to step in and bring showtime to Miami. As you can see this is one of the longer overviews but that’s because this team has so much to it. Teams are built on chemistry, the Spurs and Pistons are prime examples, big names and numerous changes don’t win championships. If Miami can mesh and get Shaq and Wade the ball without any complaining the sky is the limit but I have to see it to believe it.
2. Washington Wizards (43-39)
The Wizards also went through some changes this summer. Larry Hughes and Kwame Brown jumped ship but Caron Butler and Antonio Daniels came in. Those two are very nice players to complement all star Gilbert Arenas. Arenas will be the primary scorer with the other two filling in nicely. Their big men are not up to par with Miami, Indiana, and Detroit but can do the job. Jamison can put points up in bunches and grab rebounds, he'll play the four this year. Haywood has potential to become a nice big man and if Etan Thomas can stay healthy this year that will give them another player to throw in the mix. The team needs to build on their frontcourt depth but they have interchangeable parts in the backcourt which will get this team out and running. Eddie Jordan does need to implement some type of offensive set, watching this team last year I noticed their offense was Arenas come down and chuck up a shot. Charles Barkley remarked on the same think last year, if they can get some type of rhythm on the offensive end they will be a hard team to stop.
3. Orlando Magic (43-39)
The Magic have one of the top young players in the league in Dwight Howard. Howard stepped in last year and showed why he was the number one pick. With a year under his belt, look for Howard to average close to 18 points and 11 rebounds a game. Steve Francis looks to play more of the 2 this year which gives Jameer Nelson and Keyon Dooling a chance to fight for the starting point guard spot. First round pick Fran Vazquez decided to stay in Spain for a few more years instead of coming over to help Orlando this year. Vazquez was considered the most ready made European in the past years draft. This year to me is on Grant Hill’s back or should I say his ankle. If Hill is healthy the team can finish higher then this but with Hill’s past record, lack of a true center (Kato just doesn’t do the job) and a small backcourt I do not see this team finishing any higher then this.
4. Atlanta Hawks (26-56)
The Atlanta Hawks gave a max deal to future all star Joe Johnson. Johnson had an amazing year in Phoenix on that offensive juggernaut but he now comes to Atlanta as the main option. Johnson will be surrounded by numerous young players like dunk champ Josh Smith, #2 pick Marvin Williams, and Josh Childress. This team is going to struggle mightily this year but Johnson will carry them to a few wins. Look for this team to trade Smith or Childress during the year for a young big man but this team looks to be heading toward lottery territory once again.
5. Charlotte Bobcats (22-60)
The Bobcats come into this year after their first year of existence. The team did not play as bad some thought but was nowhere near any resemblance of an upper tier team. Emeka Okafor and Primoz Brezec were two bright spots for the Bobcats last year. Sean May coming off the bench to spell those two will be a nice young trio up front for the Bobcats. The Bobcats also bring back Brevin Knight, Knight had a great year last year becoming one of the leaders in the NBA in assists per game. Raymond Felton will learn a lot from this veteran point guard and will lead the team for years to come. This team is obviously looking toward the future but with a young nucleus of Okafor, May, and Felton and tons of money to spend this team should excite the fans of Charlotte along with the new arena the team will be playing in.
