NBA Season Preview – Atlantic Division

1. Boston Celtics

This is possibly the most obvious choice for division winner in the NBA this year. At the beginning of last season, the Celtics age and durability brought up questions about how long they would be able to maintain their usual strong, defensive play. They were able to overcome adversity and prove the doubters wrong by making it to the NBA Finals before losing to the Lakers in game 7.
The greatest strength of the Celtics obviously lies within the starting lineup. Rajon Rondo has certified himself as an NBA superstar and while Ray Allen, Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett may have lost a step, there is no discounting their ability to play basketball and use their veteran savvy. The centre position is where the Boston Celtics will have a question mark. Last year’s started Kendrick Perkins returns from a knee injury that kept him out of the decisive game 7 in last year’s finals, however the addition of Hall-of-Famer Shaquille O’Neal adds to the team’s depth and creates questions about the starting job. It will be interesting to see how coach Doc Rivers handles this situation as well as O’Neal’s ego. The bench is fairly strong with Glen Davis and Nate Robinson returning and the additions of Jermaine O’Neal, Delonte West and rookie Luke Harangody.
Look for the Celtics to roll over the rest of the Atlantic Division with ease and easily secure a top 3 seed in the Eastern Conference Playoffs. Barring injury troubles of course.

2. New York Knicks

New York is the basketball mecca of the world. Since the miracle run of the 1999 NBA Finals team, the Knicks have experienced a massive slump. Generally being one of the East’s basement dwellers, the Knicks made some roster moves in the last few years to set themselves up as a big contender for the epic free agent summer of 2010.
While New York was unable to land Lebron James or Dwyane Wade, they were able to acquire Amare Stoudemire’s services, immediately giving them a new look. Stoudemire is a perennial All-Star and will return to the Mike D’Antoni system he flourished in while playing with Phoenix, but it will be interesting to see how he plays with new point guard Raymond Felton. Aside from those two, the Knicks have a solid roster of role players that are fully capable of doing a good job. Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, Roger Mason, Anthony Randolph, Ronny Turiaf and Felton will all provide able relief to Stoudemire. Also look out for Canadian Andy Rautins whose shooting ability may have the second-round draft pick become an integral part of D’Antoni’s schemes.
New York will probably make the playoffs for the first time since 2004. Look for them to finish near the bottom part of the eight seeds and possibly be a playoff dark horse.

3. New Jersey Nets – Philadelphia 76ers – Toronto Raptors
I’m going to be gutless and put the remaining 3 teams in the same category because who the hell knows? All three of these teams are young, inexperienced and have the chance to surprise a lot of people in the NBA this year. Will any of them be a playoff team? Probably not, but they could be the team that spoils playoff aspirations toward the end of the season.

New Jersey can only get better. It’s hard to believe that something good can come out of a season that saw this team win only 12 games. While New Jersey was unable to land a top-tier free agent or pry Carmelo Anthony away from Denver, this team will benefit from another year of experience. The additions of veteran players like Jordan Farmar and Troy Murphy; young players like Anthony Morrow and Derrick Favors; and most importantly, coach Avery Johnson, the Nets have added depth to a thin bench. With the continued development of Devin Harris, Terrence Williams and All-Star caliber center Brook Lopez, this Nets team could turn out to be a playoff team. But not this year.

Philadelphia is a team that has lacked an identity since Allen Iverson left. Andre Iguodala is an all-world talent and athlete, but he has yet to take the title of leader of this team. Doug Collins at the helm will assure that this team will work hard on the defensive end of the floor but I worry about who will control the offense. Lou Williams began as the starting point guard last season but Jrue Holiday’s strong play earned him the starting nod towards the end. The Sixers have young post talent in Thaddeus Young, Marreese Speights and Spencer Hawes that could potentially make them a threat. The key for this team however is the play of Iguodala, the “resurrection” of Elton Brand and the contributions from second-overall-pick Evan Turner. The playoffs are a reach for this team, but if Collins gets them to play tough-minded, defensive basketball then anything is possible.

The Toronto Raptors have a special place in my heart because they are my hometown team. Chris Bosh leaving fro Miami leaves a HUGE gap in the Raptors scoring ability and leadership. This is another team with a load of young talent at their disposal though. The only cemented starter for Jay Triano is Andrea Bargnani, who will be asked to shoulder a lot of the load Bosh left. The additions of Linas Kleiza and Leandro Barbosa will compliment the style of basketball the Raptors like to play and they should both make heavy contributions early on. Rebounding and toughness is where the Raptors need the most improvement. Look for Amir Johnson coming off a new contract and a healthy Reggie Evans to impact the boards and defensive end of the floor. Another issue will be the point guard position: Triano should start Jarrett Jack, the unspoken leader of the team. However, Jose Calderon’s contract could dictate that he should start and could possibly cause some locker room tension. One thing I am certainly excited about for this team is the continuing development of Demar DeRozan and Sonny Weems, who put on a show in the Las Vegas Summer League this year. Playoffs are unlikely, but the excitement could be through the roof.