| 2008-2009 Atlantic Division Preview |
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| Written by Phil Partington | |
| Friday, 15 August 2008 | |
 What they really need is a big man who can play defense at the center position so Bosh can be free to carry the offensive load. A good season for O’Neal would be 14-15 ppg with 10 rbpg or so, and about 1.5-2 bspg. Projected starting five: C Jermaine O’Neal; PF Chris Bosh; SF Jamario Moon; SG Anthony Parker; PG Jose Calderon. The Philadephia 76ers shocked the world by stealing former Clippers star Elton Brand away from the “other” Los Angeles team. Brand will fit in nicely with the Sixers’ style. Philly still needs another perimeter shooter or two to open things up for Brand and the team’s athletic slashers, but they’re on the right track to doing some significant damage in the playoffs. Brand joins a scary-looking front court with the athletic, shot-blocking center, Samuel Dalembert, as well as Reggie Evans, Shavlik Randolph and rookie Marreese Speights. Back up center, Jason Smith, who showed some promise his rookie season tore his ACL and will miss the entire upcoming season. In addition to a potentially dangerous front court, the Sixers will have point guard Andre Miller and (assuming he re-signs) Andre Iguodala in the back court, with Thaddeus Young, Louis Williams and Willie Green filling the roster. Projected starting five: C Samuel Dalembert; PF Elton Brand; SF Thaddeus Young; SG Andre Iguodala; PG Andre Miller. The New Jersey Nets have undergone a new youth facelift, led by Devin Harris at the point. After trading Jason Kidd last season to the Dallas Mavericks and Richard Jefferson just recently to the Milwaukee Bucks for Yi Jianlian and Bobby Simmons, don’t be surprised to see Vince Carter next in line to be dealt. Of course, Nets’ management claim they’re not looking to part ways with the acrobatic two-guard, but don’t be fooled. Carter is 31-years-old and if the right deal comes along, the Nets wouldn’t mind dealing him. New Jersey may not be playoff bound, but they’ll make some noise. With the dilapidation in the lower end of the Eastern Conference playoff race, the Nets might even have an outside shot of clinching the eighth seed. Re-signin Nenad Krstic is a priority for them. Projected starting five: C Brook Lopez; PF Nenad Krstic; SF Yi Jianlian; SG Vince Carter; PG Devin Harris. The New York Knicks are trying to make big changes, but their hands are tied with so many overpaid players. They’d love to be rid of Zach Randolph’s huge contract, as well as Eddy Curry’s, Malik Rose’s and Stephon Marbury’s. The advantage of Marbury’s is that his comes off the books next summer, which makes him somewhat valuable as trade bait. With the hiring of coach Mike D’Antoni, expect big changes in style of play. It should be interesting to see if Eddy Curry gets any minutes at all, as D’Antoni typically favors smaller, more versatile players. Keep that in mind when checking out starting five. Projected starting five: C David Lee; PF Zach Randolph; SF Jared Jeffries; PG Chris Duhon; SG Jamal Crawford. Predicted Final Division Standings: 1. Boston Celtics 58-24 2. Philadelphia 76ers 47-35 3. Toronto Raptors 43-39 4. New Jersey Nets 29-53 5. New York Knicks 19-63         Set as favorite Bookmark Comments
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written by eddiebaby , August 29, 2008
I'd like to think the Raps can finish above the 76'ers just by the fact that we are adding another allstar to our roster.
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written by BigBaller , September 01, 2008
I agree I think Raps can finish above 76ers too. O'Neal Bosh!
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Raps/Sixers
written by Phil P , September 03, 2008
Even before Brand, the Sixers were better than many gave them credit for. Andre Miller really makes that team tick.
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That being said, you may be right in thinking that O'Neal will bring more to Toronto than many think. The conservative guess would be the latter, however, as his injuries over the past few seasons have really damaged the Pacers' progress. I, for one, think he's been dogging it in Indy and that you'll see a healthier JO in Toronto. He'll be most effective as a defensive rebounder, though, leaving the bulk of the scoring to Bosh. I think a good season for JO will be 14 ppg, 9-10 rbpg and 2 bspg. Also, look for Jose Calderon to continue to improve. report abuse
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written by Richard B , September 03, 2008
It's great they get rid of TJ Ford, Calderon is a better starter than TJ. Andre Bargnani for MIP anyone?
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