Have you ever heard the phrase, "If it bleeds, it leads" when related to journalism? It's a pretty self-explanatory saying that helps editors decide what stories head to the front page. In the (begin Mark Schlereth impression) National Basketball Association, there is one division above all others that would be considered wounded and bleeding, and that is the Atlantic Division.
Led by the seventeen-time champion Boston Celtics, the Atlantic contains no more than two playoff teams (and in my opinion, just like last season, that would be stretching it). It's kind of like the NFC West of the NBA, except there actually is a good team in this division. So let's start with them. . .
1. BOSTON CELTICS (LY: 50-32, 1st in the division, 4th in the Conference, lost in NBA Finals)
The old just keep getting older, as it were.
Future Hall-of-Famers Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce welcome in "The Big Veteran's Minimum" Shaquille O'Neal to their starting five, alongside officially overrated Rajon Rondo. Now, don't get me wrong. Rondo is a talented point guard who does a lot of little things and has really come into his own the last couple seasons. But when you can dare him into shooting a 17-foot jump shot and/or foul him and put him on the free throw line, his impact diminishes greatly. He's not going to take over a game, so to speak, because he'd have to get to the hole every time down the floor, and eventually some big man is going to put him on his ass and make him hit two freebies. And he'll miss them.
Other notable additions to the Celtics include always-injured Jermaine O'Neal and Lebron's potential step-father Delonte West (and if you don't get that joke, then you need to go to this link). They still have the fire-crackers Glen Davis and Nate Robinson off the bench and once Kendrick Perkins gets back from his knee surgery rehabilitation (he is out for the first several months of the season), they'll have a very large lineup that can come in and dominate the paint. I'm still not sure that's going to make the difference for them, but they will provide a fantastic match-up problem for the Miami Cheat, though, since they have next-to-no size except for Big Z (and don't you dare say Chris Bosh - he is just as soft as Pau Gasol. . . yeah, I said it!).
The Celtics will still be there in the late rounds of the playoffs simply because of the heart of their Big Three, the continued emergence of a scrappy point guard with (cue Mike Breen) enormous hands, and a veteran savvy that always equals a few playoff wins. They will be title contenders, but their regular season will probably match last season's laziness step-for-step. Doc Rivers better thank his lucky stars that his division is as crappy as it is.
Prediction: 52-30, 1st in Division, 4th in Conference, second round exit)
2. NEW YORK KNICKS (LY: 29-53, 3rd in Division, 11th in Conference, no playoffs)
I feel like the Knicks fans should be wearing one of those shirts you always see little kids wearing after their grandparents went on a trip to Hawaii or something: "My grandparents went to Hawaii and all I got was this t-shirt". The difference would be theirs would say something like "I went through years of sub-par seasons, torturous tanking, and catastrophic contracts and all I got was Amare Stoudemire". You know, something like that.
As a SUNS fan, I can vouch for Amare's abilities. He is an incredible athlete who is dynamic in ways only a few players in the NBA are. However, he is injury-plagued (although not as bad as your Andrew Bynum's and Greg Oden's of the world) and a six-year contract on those knees may not have been the best idea. I hope for the best with him, I really do. He grew up over the last few years, undoubtedly because of the influence of veterans like Steve Nash and Grant Hill showing him the ropes.
But. . . now he is the veteran influence on his team, which features streaky shooter Danilo Gallinari, "point guard" Raymond Felton (I put that in quotes because I think he's terrible - in fact, I might even put the word "player" in quotes as well to describe him. . .), and athletic freak Anthony Randolph, who the Knicks got in their trading of star David Lee.
This roster is not a good one as currently constructed. Amare will regret leaving the comfort of the Nash pick-and-roll after Felton throws a couple passes into the fourth row of Madison Square Garden. Young guys like Wilson Chandler and Kelenna Azubuike (who they also got in that Warriors trade) are also a bit streaky and can single-handedly win the Knicks a few games. . . but that's about all they'll get.
The only IF with this team is the Carmelo IF. If they can convince Denver to take Galo, stiff-as-a-board Eddy Curry, and something else in return for one of the most automatic scorers in the league, then they are officially playoff-bound. But they're still not dangerous. They'd literally only have two guys at that point and one of them is a beast of an athlete power forward who manages to get about 7 rebounds a game. Trust me. This team is not going anywhere anytime soon.
Prediction: 38-44, 2nd in Division, 10th in Conference, no playoffs. . . again
3. NEW JERSEY NETS (LY: 12-70, 5th in Division, Last in Conference, one of the worst records in NBA history)
Anything will be better than last year.
The Nets were an absolute embarrassment last season. I'd say the two highlights of their season was that Devin Harris shot from half-court to beat the 76ers and the emergence of Brook Lopez. A fantasy basketball stud, Lopez proved himself last year to be on the short-list of centers in the NBA actually worth having on your team. He's young and seems willing to work hard and this could prove to be a big deal for years to come for the Brooklyn. . . I mean, New Jersey Nets.
So the Nets had the third pick and took Georgia Tech "big-man" Derrick Favors who is listed at 6'10'' but doesn't seem to always play that way. I think he will be a decent NBA player but I think not drafting slightly-crazy DeMarcus Cousins is going to come back and haunt them.
Devin Harris is still there (for now) and beyond that, the Nets don't have a lot going for them. They traded for Troy Murphy (nice!) only to have him get hurt in the off-season and be listed as being out "indefinitely" which is the nice way of saying "Don't count on it". Swingman Travis Outlaw will get some good minutes and produce a little bit and point guard Jordan Farmar might be able to show his stuff, especially if Harris gets traded before the deadline. But these things are not huge deals and the Nets are still definitely a few years away from making any run at the playoffs. They're bad. And losing out on all the free agents this past summer was just a kick to the groin to an already bloodied-nose and black-eyed weakling.
Prediction: 26-56, 3th in Division, 12th in Conference, no playoffs
4. PHILADELPHIA 76ERS (LY: 27-55, 4th in Division, 13th in Conference)
Doug Collins will immediately regret his decision to come coach this team.
When you look at this roster, you just really have to scratch your head. They are giving over $40 million this season to these four players: Elton Brand, Andre Iguodala, Andres Nocioni, and Jason Kapono. Oh, man.
What's interesting is that they have some nice young talent. Point guard Jrue Holiday is playing really well so far this preseason, center Marreese Speights could potentially be a double-double machine (you know, once Brand gets hurt for the 100th time) and Spencer Hawes just works hard in the post.
They also drafted Evan Turner. Turner was an absolutely amazing college player at Ohio State. However, so far at least, his skill set is not translating to success in the NBA. He has had a rocky start and is already getting "bust" buzz. Never a good thing. Throw in the fact that he basically plays the same position as their "star" in Iguodala and it's a real shame. It just seems to me that the 76ers are on a long, winding road downhill that takes them nowhere but further down the standings in the East.
Prediction: 23-59, 4th in Division, 13th in Conference, no sight of the playoffs
5. TORONTO RAPTORS (LY: 40-42, 2nd in Division, 9th in Conference, one game out of the playoffs)
No wonder Chris Bosh wanted out so badly.
In my post a few weeks back that gave some early standings predictions, I had this to say about the Raptors: "Name me 3 Raptors. Do it! I dare you! (Ok, you can: Bargnani, Calderon, Jack. . . but when Jarrett Jack is your third "named" player, you're bad)". . .
And I stand by it. This is a bad bad team. Their oldest player is 30. Leandro Barbosa (who I love - the Brazilian Blur will always be a fan-favorite in PHX) will get quality minutes and while that used to be an ok thing, well, it's just not the same anymore. Players like Sonny Weems, Julian Wright, Reggie Evans, Amir Johnson, and Linas Kleiza are going to be contributing to the efforts in Toronto. Are you afraid at all by these names if you're preparing to face them? Let me help you: no.
In any other division, Philadelphia and New Jersey would be the easy choice for the last spot. However, in the Atlantic, the Raptors are by far the worst and may even challenge last year's Nets' record of 12-70. I'm sure that's not quite the challenging that they had in mind up in Toronto, but it's all they really have at this point. Go Leafs!
Oh. . . and THIS. No team can come back from that.
Prediction: 16-66, last in Division and Conference, best chance at the 1st pick in the next draft
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So there you have it. . . the Atlantic Division. George will be taking the Western Conference duties and I will be back over the next couple days with the other two divisions in the East. This will all lead into the first day of the season, next Tuesday, or as I like to call it, the "Greatest Day of the Year".
Until later,
JUSTIN
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