Ed's Look at the Southeast Division

Continuing my preview of the upcoming NBA season, today I will be looking at the NBA's Southeast Division. Because this is the last division in the Eastern Conference, tomorrow I will have my NBA Eastern Conference Playoff predictions.

Atlanta Hawks- This team is pretty much the same, except for the new coach, Larry Drew. That's pretty much the key for the Hawks this season. If Drew can keep this team motivated down the stretch and into the playoffs, they could be a sleeper pick to make it into the second or even the third round in the playoffs (if they can get there.)

Hawks Prediction: 3rd in the Southeast Division.




Charlotte Bobcats- You know the saying "defense wins championships?" I never bought into that statement, because you need to put points on the scoreboard. And that will be the issue for this current Bobcats team. Under coach Larry brown, the Bobcats lost a good point guard in Raymond Felton and big-man Tyson Chandler, putting two gaping holes in the team's offensive production. Unless DJ Augustin and Kwame Brown have stellar offensive seasons, there is no shot for this team to make the playoffs with just Gerald Wallace and Stephen Jackson producing offensively.

Bobcats Prediction: 5th in the Southeast Division.

Miami Heat- The talk of the town this offseason, and for years to come, this Miami Heat team is scary. Now I'm not one to buy into hype, but with D-Wade leading two great players in Lebron James and Chris Bosh, this team has unlimited potential. The two main concerns I have in this team is chemistry and the role-players. Though they are friends now, the trio may have problems into the season with big egos and immense pressure from the media. The thing this team needs to do is make sure Dwayne Wade is the leader. He, unlike James and Bosh, has won an NBA title, and he is a prototypical leader. Also, if the veteran role players like Mike Miller, Jamaal Magloire, Mario Chalmers, and Ilgauskas can mesh with the team and contribute their fair share of points and rebounds, this team will be a dangerous one this season.

Heat Prediction: 2nd in the Southeast Division.

Orlando Magic- The former main attraction of this division would love to prove people wrong and show that they are still the top dogs in the Southeast. Dwight Howard has shown that he wants to improve by training with legendary center Hakeem Olajuwon over the summer, proving to doubters that he is serious about leading this team. With the addition of Quentin Richardson, they have another outside threat on top of Rashard Lewis. With a very solid PG in Jameer Nelson, Vince Carter looking to do better in a contract year, and all the media hype surrounding Miami, this team is as good as ever, and could easily shock the media, the NBA, and the "New Big Three."

Magic Prediction: 1st in the Southeast Division.

Washington Wizards- All eyes are on John Wall. Can a rookie lead a sub-par team? I don't think so, yet. And with Gilbert Arenas' erratic behavior and mediocre play last season, this team could be facing chemistry issues. They may fix those however with a deal for Arenas, though that is only speculative at this point. Keep your eyes on this team, because if Wall can have a spectacular rookie campaign and Arenas can bounce back, this team has the potential to turn some heads.

Wizards Prediction: 4th in the Southeast Division.