posted October 27, 2009 at 16:59 EST in NBA Articles
NBA Season Preview - The Atlantic Division
by Charles Jay
NBA Basketball Futures Betting
A QUICK LOOK AT THE ATLANTIC DIVISION
Of the people I have talked to who are in the know, they can't decide what the more critical pickup was for the Celtics - Rasheed Wallace or Marquise Daniels. However, maybe just as big a "get" in this division in terms of elevating a team's game was Toronto's acquisition of Hedo Turkoglu.
To Win Atlantic Division
Boston Celtics -500
Philadelphia 76ers +600
Toronto Raptors +750
New York Knicks +3000
New Jersey Nets +5000
BOSTON CELTICS (-500 at BetUS) -- The Celtics did not relax in the off-season, rather, they decided to add Rasheed Wallace and Marquise Daniels (who average over 25 ppg between them last year) to their roster, and I don' expect them to rest during the regular season, as they understand the value of having a home court advantage at the TD Banknorth Center.
Wallace's presence gives Boston a lot of flexibility, because he can go into the center spot and make it impossible for teams with limbering big men to match up. Then he can play some at the "3" position and steamroll smaller teams, even with perimeter play.
With Garnett for the second half of the season, some other guys got great playoff experience last year, and high on that list was Glen "Big Baby" Davis. Big Daddy Garnett won't even recognize him now!
Rajon Rondo is also arguably one of the top five point guards in the NBA. He can dish, rebound, defend, and occasionally get hot from the outside. He's tough as nails, and now he's a leader, even among the "Big Three." Of course, you've always got that concern that Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen will get old or too brittle overnight, but this team, when healthy, beat the Lakers decisively in the Finals two years ago. They're pretty close to that depth level now.
PHILADELPHIA 76ERS (+600 at BetUS) -- Andre Miller left as a free agent, leaving this team with a void at point guard. A lot of pressure will be on Louis Williams, who takes over at the point and has the speed to thrive. Williams is a very high energy player and will be hard for counterparts to keep up with. Thaddeus Young is going to be good in the Princeton offense Eddie Jordan is putting in. Yes, I expect Elton Brand is going to come back and have a solid if not spectacular season. There are dependable defenders in Andre Iguodala and Samuel Dalembert. Let's see how many good looks Jason Kapono, who shot 43% from the arc last year, can get. there is no reason the Sixers shouldn't be in the playoffs.
TORONTO RAPTORS (+750 at BetUS) -- Toronto is the team that can finish a solid second to Boston in this division. The emergence of finesse-oriented center Andrea Bargnani (a former #1 pick) is a key to that. Chris Bosh makes up some of the slack for Bargnani's softness, and this is the contract year for him, so maybe you'll see him step up his game so he can be a first-tier player in the free agent sweepstakes. What a critical move the acquisition of Hedo Turkoglu is.
At least he can give them some rebounding from the small forward spot, as well as providing someone you can run plays through at the "3" spot. DeMar DeRozan is raw, but he's so athletic that he might make a difference at the shooting guard spot. Jose Calderon is one of the steadiest point guards in the league. Several other role players were added. It is conceivable that you could see this team in the top half of the playoff queue.
NEW YORK KNICKS (+3000 at BetUS) -- Going into Mike D'Antoni's second season, the Knicks have as many dysfunctional players as they had before. Well, almost. Eddy Curry, Larry Hughes, Jared Jeffries, Darko Milicic - who knows how many of these guys will be around by the end of the year. D'Antoni's system is not conducive to getting past the first round of the playoffs anyway, and that would be assuming this team had that kind of talent. These guys, however, have dedicated this season solely and completely to Plan A , which is to free up enough salary cap room to make the winning bid on LeBron James in the summer, and failing that, Plan B, to free up enough to make a bid on Dwyane Wade. Winning games is purely secondary.
NEW JERSEY NETS (+5000 at BetUS) -- I actually like what the Nets are doing. I like them giving Brook Lopez and Chris Douglas-Roberts all the time they need to develop. I like them adding Courtney Lee and the versatile point forward Terrence Williams. I'm not sure I see the point of soft-as-a-baby's-behind power forward Yi Jianlian, but hey - this is a team who, like the Knicks, is freeing up cap space to bid on LeBron James (a buddy of part-owner Jay-Z), on their way to Brooklyn, and look like they are actually heading in a positive direction.
