NBA Preview Part 3

 

Here is the final part of my NBA preview for the Divisions…My predictions will follow shortly.  Part three features the Southeast Division in the Eastern Conference and the Southwest Division in the Western Conference

 

Southeast Division

 

Orlando Magic

Last Season: 52-30

Lost in second round of the playoffs to the Detroit Pistons

 

The Orlando Magic have the most important piece in building an NBA team; a superstar.  Dwight Howard is a beast and if surrounded with the right players can lead a team to an NBA Championship.  His demeanor and actions on the court remind of Tim Duncan.  Just to clarify, his skill set is much different than Duncan’s, I am not talking about their style of play.  Last year Coach Stan Van Gundy criticized Howard, he did not act like a baby, Dwight worked on what Van Gundy saw as his flaws.  This sets a great example for his teammates; if the coach can critique the star player then none of the other players on the team can complain.  This is very similar to the situation that Greg Popovich has with the San Antonio Spurs and Tim Duncan.

 

Rashard Lewis and Hedo Turkolgu are excellent compliments to Howard.  I would like to see Lewis be more aggressive going to the basket and not settle for the three point shot.  He has too much size and speed to be a spot up shooter, even though he does it very well.

 

There are two weaknesses that I see with this Magic team; a scorer off the bench and the PG position.  Jameer Nelson will never be a starting point guard on an NBA Championship team, Orlando needs to acquire another PG and move Nelson to the bench.  Rookie Courtney Alexander from Western Kentucky or JJ Reddick have to bring some pop off the bench.  If one of them has an impact, it makes the Magic a much better team.

 

Washington Wizards

Last Season: 43-39

Lost in first round of the playoff to the Cleveland Cavaliers once again

 

I disagreed with the Wizards decision to resign Antwan Jamison and Gilbert Arenas.  They will not win a championship with the big three of Butler, Jamison, and Arenas.  At this point they would have been better off starting over then making the playoffs in a weak Eastern Conference and getting eliminated in the first round.

 

Washington has gotten killed by the injury bug the last couple season and the trend has continued.  Arenas is out at least the first month and Brendan Haywood is out 4-6 months.  They need their young players to step up in their absence, Nick Young and Andray Blatche.  Blatche showed flashes last year, but needs to do it on a more consistent basis. 

 

DeShawn Stevenson has made a nice niche for himself in the NBA.  He plays excellent defense and is a serviceable offensive player.  Stevenson has to keep his mouth shut and not talk crap to LeBron James before a playoff series.

 

Atlanta Hawks

Last Season: 37-45

Lost in first round of the playoffs to the Boston Celtics

 

The Hawks resigned Josh Smith, who did not garner the interest he thought he would on the free agent market.  One of the keys to the season is his relationship with Coach Mike Woodson, they must co exist. 

 

The loss of Josh Childress hurts more than people think.  He did all the little things and provided depth on the bench.  Hawks management hopes Maurice Evans can replace Childress.  I don’t think he will.

 

They get Mike Bibby for a full season.  Bibby is a good scorer and gives the Hawks a lethal back court with him and Joe Johnson.  The former University of Arizona product can be a mentor for their point guard of the future Acie Law, who I am a very big fan of.

 

Charlotte Bobcats

Last Season: 32-50

 

Larry Brown steps into another disaster.  If he wants to fix his legacy after the Knicks debacle this was not the right way to go about it.  Brown was a great coach, but I think the game has passed him by.  Brown and Michael Jordan might be the worst coach and front office executive combination in the league.

 

DJ Augustine will be a nice NBA player, but with all the needs on this Bobcats roster using a lottery pick on him was a waste.  I would like to see Augustine and Felton play together at times.  When I was at the Suns-Bobcats pre season game, I talked to one of the scouts I was sitting next to and he said they could play for short bursts together, but are too small to play with each other for long periods of time. 

 

Miami Heat

Last Season: 15-67

 

Pat Riley stepped down as coach and the Heat will now be lead by rookie Head Coach Erik Spoelstra.  Miami along with the Clippers will have the biggest improvement in their win total from last season.

 

The key to Miami’s season will be the health of Dwayne Wade.  He played 51 games the last two seasons, that trend must stop.  Wade played very well in the Olympics and should be on his way to a big time season.  The trio of Dwayne, Beasley, and Marion will be enough to keep the Heat in the playoff hunt. 

 

James Jones was a nice under the radar addition by Pat Riley.  He can keep the court spread for the trio mentioned above to drive to the basket and hit the open three pointer when there are double teams.

 

Southwest Division

 

New Orleans Hornets

Last Season: 56-26

Lost in second round to the San Antonio Spurs

 

The New Orleans Hornets were a bad third quarter away from advancing to the Western Conference Finals last season.  This is my favorite team to watch in the NBA, GM Jeff Bower has done a great job of putting this roster together.  David West and Tyson Chandler are a great 1-2 punch at the C-PF position.  He surrounded Chris Paul with great outside shooters in Morris Peterson and Peja Stojackovich. 

 

James Posey will put the Hornets over the top.  He won two NBA Championships, one with the Heat and one with the Celtics.  He brings the experience and tenacity on defense that this team needs.  While Peja and Mo Pete seem a little lost in the playoffs, Posey’s play will improve.

 

With Posey, Peterson, and Peja, Julian Wright could get lost in the shuffle.  Byron Scott needs to find a couple minutes a game for him not to stunt his growth.  He showed great improvement throughout last season. 

 

The Hornets did lose their spark plug off the bench in Jannero Pargo; I think Mike James will do a fine job as the back up to Chris Paul.  He only has to play 10-15 minutes a night. 

 

San Antonio Spurs

Last Season: 56-26

Lost in Western Conference Finals to the Los Angeles Lakers

 

The Spurs will have to survive into December without Manu Ginobli.  Tim Duncan and Tony Parker will have to step it up to make up for the loss.  I expect Tony Parker to have his best season as a pro and Tim Duncan to see more minutes early in the season than he is used to.

 

The Spurs bench is not impressive.  They lost two wily vets in Brent Barry and Robert Horry.  They are hoping George Hill can replace Jacque Vaughn as the back up PG for Tony Parker.  Last year they thought they found a young PG in Darius Washington, but it did not work out.

 

I do not think the Spurs will be as good, but Greg Popovich and Tim Duncan will not let them fall off and they will be a force to reckon with come playoff time when they are fully healthy.

 

Houston Rockets

Last Season: 55-27

Lost in first round to the Utah Jazz

 

In the Houston Rockets first round series I realized how important Rafer Alston is to the Houston Rockets.  The offense was much smoother when he is running the show.  If he played in the 1^st round match-up they might have won.

 

As usual with the Houston Rockets it comes down to health.  Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming need to be healthy for this team to advance past the first round of the playoffs.  The addition of Ron Artest lightens the load on the big two during the regular season.

 

The Rockets have one of the deepest benches in the league.  Coming off the bench will be Luis Scola, Carl Landry, Aaron Brooks, and Brent Barry.  The trio of Scola, Landry, and Brooks will bring energy and toughness, while Barry has the experience of making it deep into the playoffs that no one on this Rockets team has experienced before.

 

Dallas Mavericks

Last Season: 51-31

Lost in first round to the New Orleans Hornets

 

The Dallas Mavericks fired Avery Johnson and hired Rick Carlisle.  I don’t understand this move.  I have no problem with firing Avery Johnson, but why bring in a coach with a very similar philosophy.  Rick Carisle will not help the Mavs push the ball up the court which is what Jason Kidd is best at.

 

Josh Howard has become a major distraction to this team.  He is a very skilled player, but he does not know when to shut his mouth, very surprising from a player who spent four years at Wake Forest.  It is time for Brandon Bass to get more minutes, whenever he is given the opportunity, he produces. 

 

I think the Mavs are in a similar situation as the Suns.  They are a team that had their chances to win a title and they did not take advantage.  Dallas has reached their peak and are now on the downward slope.

 

Memphis Grizzlies

Last Season: 22-60

 

Memphis did a good job of getting a piece to build around in the draft by trading Kevin Love and other pieces for OJ Mayo.  Mayo has much more upside then Love.  Memphis will still struggle this year, but the combo of Mayo and Rudy Gay gives them potential for the future.  Gay has started to become aggressive which he really struggled with when he was at UCONN.  Memphis is still a very bad team and will not improve till their ownership puts the team before money.

written by bryan