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ATLANTIC
by Pat Luongo
Boston Celtics (62-20) — Barring catastrophe, the Celtics will handily take the Atlantic Division for the third straight year. The team will still rely on Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, cornerstones of the championship team two seasons ago. Rajon Rondo will look to build upon his success last season, and Kenderick Perkins and newly acquired Rasheed Wallace should add a low post presence.
New York Knicks (32-50) — The Knicks will once again be pitiful. However, this team may surprise a lot of people. The team has their eyes on upcoming free agents LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh and if they acquire any of those players, it could improve entire team play. The Knicks, who barely convinced David Lee and KryptoNate Robinson to re-sign with the team in the offseason, need to be somewhat competitive this season to convince upcoming free agents that they’re playoff-ready.
New Jersey Nets (34-48) — New Jersey cleared up a lot of cap space by trading Vince Carter to Orlando. The centerpiece of that deal, Courtney Lee, will continue to impress. The Nets also have their eyes on LeBron James, as he is good friends with Nets’ co-owner and rap mogul Jay-Z. A good season this year could be enough to lure LeBron away from Broadway and to the Nets’ potential new arena in Brooklyn.
Philadelphia 76ers (41-41) — The 76ers still rely on Andre Iguodala. This team lives and dies on (the new) AI, and his play will determine how the team does. They should be in the hunt for one of the eight playoff spots in the Eastern Conference. The team should also get key contributions from Samuel Dalembert and newly acquired Elton Brand.
Toronto Raptors (33-49) — will more than likely be playing their last season with impending free agent Chris Bosh, who will more than likely not re-sign with Toronto. However, look for the all-star power forward to be even more impressive as he plays for a new contract.
SOUTHEAST
by Nathan Lurz
Orlando Magic (59-23) — At the end of the day, the fate of the Magic, and perhaps the rest of the Southeast, rest upon one man: Dwight Howard. “Superman” led the league in both rebounds and blocked shots, and few people are expecting him to slow down. The front office took a chance this offseason and traded for Vince Carter and his 21 PPG, giving up key contributors Courtney Lee and Rafer Alston. The Magic have enough weapons to win the division, but whether they go as deep into the playoffs as they did last year will depend on how their offseason acquisitions pan out.
Atlanta Hawks (47-35) — The Hawks have slowly but surely stockpiled a nice amount of talent in the organization, and locked up Marvin Williams, Mike Bibby and Zaza Pachulia to long-term deals, making sure that they, along with the rest of this team’s young core, would be around for a few years. They don’t have any truly big name talent, but should be dangerously balanced. Newcomer Jamal Crawford and G Joe Johnson might be the go-to men.
Miami Heat (43-39) — Sadly for the Heat’s star Dwayne Wade, “Big Aristotle” currently resides in Cleveland with King LeBron. If the Heat’s season last year showed anything, it was that D-Wade needed some help offensively (he took 22 shots a game, the next highest was rookie Michael Beasley at 12), and none was gotten. Jermaine O’Neal has been disappointing, but if young’uns Beasley and Mario Chalmers step up, the Heat could surprise.
Washington Wizards (19-63) — The perennial Washington core of Gilbert Arenas, Antwan Jamison and Caron Butler may or may not be completely healthy, but can make for a good trio on the hardwood when they’re clicking. But the team hasn’t been able to get terribly far the last few years, and may be buried in a good division. Worst news for Wizards fans? They don’t have much cap room for the next couple years, and might not be able to afford Butler when he is a free agent in 2011, let alone pursue free agents.
Charlotte Bobcats (35-47) — Last year, the Bobcats showed flashes of mediocrity, but couldn’t sustain their small bouts of success during coach Larry Brown’s first season, and have yet to reach the playoffs during the franchise’s first five years of existence. They made a bold move in the offseason by trading former Rookie of the Year Emeka Okafor away, and rookie Gerald Henderson will be counted on early. If the Bobcats make progress from last year, much of it will be because of Brown’s work.
CENTRAL
by Kyle Nowaczyk
Cleveland Cavaliers (66-16) — First, it was Shaq and Kobe. Then, it was Shaq and Wade. Now, it’s Shaq and Lebron, and that is just scary. Why’s that scary? Because all Shaq does is win championships. And Lebron is just Lebron. The guy is unstoppable. Plus, he makes everyone on the court five times better than they actually are. So expect a deep playoff run for the Cavs this year. They have a good chance to take it all.
Chicago Bulls (41-41) — When it comes to the Bulls, negativity is key. They suck. They can’t score. They can’t defend. Well, Derrick Rose can do both of those, but no one else can. Last season’s leading scorer Ben Gordon is gone. They won’t come near winning the division and they won’t even make the playoffs (and it’s the Eastern Conference). Hopefully, this negativity will have some sort of reverse psychology effect on the Bulls, and they’ll have a wonderful year.
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