Not surprisingly things look much the same as last season with the Heat rising to take the top spot, the Wizards appearing in second, and Orlando hoping for some magic during the season while the Hawks and Bobcats fight to stay out of the Southeast basement.
Miami Heat – This off-season the Heat basically stood Pat, as in Riley, as they kept most of the principles of the roster together and Pat Riley decided to hire himself back as coach. Last year Miami somewhat snuck up on the rest of the NBA (although one wonders how sneaky a team with a 7-1 325 lb center can be), but this season they will have a bulls-eye on their back. The fact that the Heat are getting a bit long in the tooth with Shaq (34), Mourning (36), Walker & Williams (30) and Peyton (38), will make repeating a tough task. Overall Miami has a solid starting five, with an above average defense led by one of the most intimidating men in the middle in Zo with a decent enough bench. Like most teams they need to stay healthy this season so Riley can manage everyone’s minutes so come playoff time the Heat will be physically ready to defend their title. Shaq has said that all they need to worry about is the playoffs and that philosophy will likely see them being one of the top three seeds but probably not at the top. Miami will go deep but will not be able to defend their title.
Washington Wizards – Last season the Wizards conjured up the third best scoring average in the NBA being only one of five teams to
break the century mark at 101.7 ppg. However, the problem was that they were not very good defensively, allowing opponents a 46.5% FG percentage, which checked in at #23 overall. For the past two seasons Washington has had the NBA’s top trio in scoring with Gilbert Arenas, Antawn Jamison & Caron Butler and last year they averaged 67.4 ppg between them. That triple threat shows no signs of slowing down, and in an effort to make inroads on defense the team added some FA help in Darius Songaila & DeShawn Stevenson. Would expect them to take things from poor to average but they still do not have much of an interior presence and will not upgrade enough to take them far into the playoffs where defense crowns champions. Wizards will make the bottom half of the seedings and depending on their first round matchup could get to the second round this season but that will be as far as they go.
Orlando Magic – Last year the Magic missed the playoffs and will have somewhat of a new look this year. Starting shooting guard DeShawn Stevenson went to the Wizards but JJ Redick was added via the draft. Orlando picked up 7 ft center Darko Milicic from the Pistons last year and hope that he will develop into something other than being known as the player Detroit took ahead of Dwayne Wade, Carmelo Anthony & Chris Bosh. Milicic had 2.1 blocks per game and fits into head coach Brian Hill’s scheme which leans to the defensive side of things, so that along with the fact he does not have as much to live up to here after the trade should help him also make the transition on offense as his minutes continue to increase. At the forward spots the Magic have Mr. Inside, Dwight Howard, and his power game that included 214 total dunks and 12.5 rebounds per game last year. Joining him is Mr. Outside, Hedo Turkoglu, who is a solid mid-range jump shooter and gives the team a dynamic duo even without taking into consideration the oft injured Grant Hill, whose contribution in the upcoming season is unknown. Losing Stevenson will hurt the defense but they still have a good defense. Expect them to fight for the final playoff spot but if they hope to make it they will need to be much better on the road this season after a dismal 10-31 record away from Orlando last year.
Atlanta Hawks – It will be a fight for the Eastern Conference basement between the Hawks and Bobcats. Head coach Mike Woodson is 39-125 in his first two seasons in Atlanta and does not have the personnel necessary to make a big improvement this year. Overall defensively they are nothing special as last year's numbers of allowing 102 ppg (26th) and opponents FG percentage 47.8% (27th) will attest. The Hawks are solid at guard with starters Joe Johnson and FA addition Speedy Claxton along with backups Tyronn Lue and Salim Stoudamire. Royal Ivey is a solid defender. The forwards have lots of potential that has yet to show itself and how much they are able to contribute this season will be the key as to how this team does as it attempts to surpass last season's 26 win total. The center spot is a huge weakness and until Atlanta can fill it with at least workable defensive types that can also chip in some point production this team will be on the outside looking in at the playoff picture. This team started out horrible last year and finally did start to play like an actual basketball team later in the year, but the Woodson and the Hawks are still far away from landing in the playoffs.
Charlotte Bobcats - The big news for the Bobcats in the off-season was the addition of Michael Jordan as a part owner who will have a hand in the basketball operations. They did not do a lot in the off-season but hope that draft choice Adam Morrison will help out offensively as Charlotte only averaged 96.9 ppg and was one of the worst in FG percentage finishing 28th at 43.3%. However, Morrison is not known for his defensive play, and seeing as how the Cats allowed 47.8% field goal percentage by the opposition last year, he will not help in that area of need. The Bobcats were bitten by the injury bug last season especially C Emeka Okafor who is an imposing presence on the inside when healthy. Last season Charlotte used 28 different starting combinations, which was the third most in the NBA and Bernie Bickerstaff needs to find a rotation that works and stay with it so this young and talented group can start to really grow together. The 2006-07 season will be a learning one, but the seeds for future success will be planted, as long as Jordan is not given trade power, as that was less than a strong suit for #23 while with Washington.
Do not miss out any of my NBA selections this season. Weekly, Monthly, and Full Season Packages are now available. For those looking for daily winners, make sure to see my Premium Pick Packs and also my Guaranteed Winners on the Pay After You Win basis. I will win for you all season, so do not miss out on the action!
