| 2008-2009 Southeast Division Preview |
|
|
| Written by Phil Partington | |
| Wednesday, 03 September 2008 | |
 Projected starting five: C Dwight Howard; PF Rashard Lewis; SF Hedo Turkoglu; SG Maurice Evans; PG Jameer Nelson. There has been much speculation that the Washington Wizards may be better off without Gilbert Arenas in the lineup. The fact that the team was 7-9 in games he played in last season (including playoffs) and 36-31 in games he didn’t play in last season (including playoffs) is strong evidence to support that theory. However, it’s unfair to jump to such conclusions based simply on numbers outside of context. Arenas is not a great floor general. He’s not a pass-first point guard and he’s not a player who necessarily elevates the play of teammates. However, he is a player who can score at will and has the ability to take over games when he’s hot. He’s also not afraid to take the clutch shot and his size allows him to shift over the two spot. Assuming the Wizards can stay healthy, the trio of Jamison, Butler and Arenas should make some noise next season. Keep in mind that the Wizards haven’t been healthy that often for the playoffs. One player to watch out for is Andray Blatche, who showed many flashes of brilliance last season. Add 10 minutes per game onto what he averaged last season (about 20 minutes per game), and his stats would project out to 11.3 ppg, 7.8 rbpg and 2.1 bspg. Projected starting five: C Brendan Haywood; PF Antawn Jamison; SF Caron Butler; SG Gilbert Arenas; PG Antonio Daniels. The Atlanta Hawks finally made the playoffs last season. Though, with only 37 wins it’s hard for Hawks fans to get too excited over the feat. Adding Mike Bibby gave Atlanta the veteran point guard they badly needed, and Bibby responded with a respectable 14.1 ppg, 6.5 apg in 33 games. The Hawks’ next goal should be finding a defensive center who can block shots. Al Horford is playing out of position and would be much more effective at the power forward spot. Losing the versatile Josh Childress to Europe hurt, but Marvin Williams and Josh Smith should be able to step things up and fill the void. Projected starting five: C Al Horford; PF Josh Smith; SF Marvin Williams; SG Joe Johnson; PG Mike Bibby. It’s hard to be sure what the Charlotte Bobcats will do next season. Larry Brown is a legend coach, but he’s known to break young teams down before building them back up. That means the Bobcats may be in for another year or two of the NBA Draft Lottery before enjoying the playoffs. There are several question marks surrounding this team. First, Raymond Felton’s future in Charlotte may be in question after the team drafted D.J. Augustin with its top choice. Brown has never been fond of shoot-first point guards like Felton, and the team may opt to trade him. At the start of the summer, there were also rumors that Charlotte might trade Forward Gerald Wallace. Other big question marks include the health of Forward Sean May, whether or not Adam Morrison is a late bloomer or a bust, and whether or not the Bobcats can find consistency at the center position. Projected starting five: C Nazr Mohammed; PF Emeka Okafor; SF Gerald Wallace; SG Jason Richardson; PG Raymond Felton. The Miami Heat took an astronomical plunge last season. After winning the NBA title just a few years ago, the Heat finished with the worst record in the NBA in 2006-2007 winning just 15 games. Expect big improvements next season. First, the Heat will have Shawn Marion for the entire season instead of just 16 games. Second, Dwayne Wade should be healthy and is playing exceptionally in the Olympics. Third, the Heat may have drafted the most NBA-ready player in the 2008 NBA Draft in Michael Beasley. Miami still needs a point guard after losing Jason Williams to the Clippers, as well as a starting center (and they signed former All-Star Jamaal Magloire), but they’re certainly on the right track. However, the team’s biggest need may be for a consistently perimeter shooter in order to free up space in the middle for those three slashing scorers. Projected starting five: C Mark Blount; PF Shawn Marion; SF Michael Beasley; SG Dwayne Wade; PG Chris Quinn or Mario Chalmers. Predicted Final Division Standings: 1. Orlando Magic 53-29 2. Washington 45-37 3. Atlanta Hawks 40-42 4. Miami Heat 37-45 5. Charlotte 26-56         Set as favorite Bookmark Comments
(0)
|
Subscribe to this comment's feed
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
