On The Ball

NBA Southeast division preview

With all of the offseason player movement and free agent acquisitions by various teams throughout the league, the upcoming 2005-06 NBA season should be as exciting as any season we've seen in recent memory.

There will be several players this season making the transition to new teams in the hopes of elevating their respective clubs to the top of their divisions and maybe even further. One such team, the Miami Heat, personifies the changes that have taken place in a lot of NBA cities this past summer. These days, players change jerseys faster than Clark Kent in a phone booth.

Let's take a look at the Heat and the rest of the Southeast division in my annual NBA preseason preview.

Miami Heat

Boy, have the Miami Heat made some roster changes. Whether or not these acquisitions will vault the Heat to the top of the Eastern Conference, remains to be seen, but this team will be very interesting to watch, to say the least.

By acquiring Antoine Walker, Jason Williams, and James Posey in two separate trades and drafting mature power forward Wayne Simien, the Heat have overhauled a roster that last season won 59 games and came within a hair's breadth of reaching their first NBA finals in franchise history. Walker and Williams, in particular, will bear major scrutiny with their off-the-wall, me-first attitudes, not to mention their respective propensities to chuck up an ill-advised three ball at any time.

Yes the Heat still have Shaquille O'Neal and all-world shooting guard Dwayne Wade, but if Miami's new additions don't add up and push them past the Detroit Pistons and Indiana Pacers, the two teams that figure to be their toughest competition in the Eastern conference this year, then this season could end up being a case of subtraction by addition for Miami.

Washington Wizards

The Wizards are coming off their first playoff series victory since Ronald Reagan was in office. Unfortunately, they promptly went out and lost several key members from last season's team before bouncing back with some competent acquisitions that should help counter their losses, which included starting shooting guard, Larry Hughes and backup combo guard, Juan Dixon. The free agent addition of all-purpose guard, Antonio Daniels, was one of the best offseason signings of any team in the league and one that the Wiz desperately needed after losing Hughes. I think Washington may struggle early in the season as head coach Eddie Jordan tries to figure out which pieces fit into which holes. However, I think the Wizards, with Gilbert Arenas and Antwan Jamison leading the way, will make a return appearance to the playoffs this season.

Orlando Magic

The Orlando Magic folded last season faster than a loser's hand in the World Series of Poker, but the best part is that things look just as bleak as they enter a new season with a head coach (Brian Hill) who is coming back for another excruciating tenure with a team that is severely lacking in direction. The Magic have a young phenom in Dwight Howard who is only going to get better, an outstanding scorer in Steve Francis and two point guards (Jameer Nelson and Keyon Dooling) who will both be fighting to get the starting nod. Unfortunately for Orlando, that doesn't add up to a playoff appearance. Until the Magic get at least one more serviceable big man and another shooter, they'll be on the outside looking in.

Charlotte Bobcats

I've got to give it to Bernie Bickerstaff. I think he has this franchise headed in the right direction. Although many of my brethren seem to disagree, I think Raymond Felton and Sean May will both turn out to be, at the very least, competent pros with lengthy careers ahead of them. The Bobcats also have Emeka Okafor and scorer, Gerald Wallace returning, not to mention an improving Primoz Brezec and Melvin Ely, so the Cats' frontcourt is probably better than most casual observers know.

Are they a playoff team?

Of course not! They're heading back to the lottery again after this season, but after that, who knows what could happen. The Bobcats should win about 25 games this season while their young players gain valuable experience that will help them immensely in two or three years.

Atlanta Hawks

The Atlanta Hawks are a team in total disarray and unfortunately for the two Hawks fans out there, the chaos starts at the very top.

Although Atlanta had an ample amount of cap space available, the Hawks' biggest free agent acquisition was one that literally divided the franchise in two.

When general manager Billy Knight attempted to sign free agent shooting guard Joe Johnson, at the cost of two first round draft picks and a maximum contract, the only person in their right mind, owner Steve Belkin, stepped forward and rightly confronted Knight and the team's other owners who also wanted to put Johnson in a Hawks uniform.

In a surreal scene, Belkin was given the ol' heave ho by his brethren and Johnson was given the maximum contract that his agent somehow suckered Hawks' management into giving him. The team also drafted a talented player with a huge upside in former North Carolina Tar Heel, Marvin Williams. Unfortunately, Williams plays the same position as 10 other Hawks players and will only play limited minutes for the time being.

To make a long story short, Atlanta will only go as far as the quartet of Johnson, Josh Childress, Al Harrington and Josh Smith take them, which, trust me, won't be very far this season. Atlanta has some very talented young players that could make an impact in a few years. Whether or not they'll still be wearing an Atlanta uniform is another thing. This team is at least another two or three years away from even being a playoff contender.

Previous Editions

• Central Division Preview - October 12, 2005
• Northwest Division Preview - October 11, 2005
• Southeast Division Preview - October 10, 2005
• Atlantic Division Preview - September 12, 2005
• The Rich Get Richer - September 12, 2005
• Heat May Be Colder Next Season - August 9, 2005
• The Good, The Bad and The Ugly: Larry Brown - July 31, 2005
• A True Friend - July 18, 2005
• McMillian Leaves Sonics Clutching Thin Air - July 11, 2005
• Cavaliers Land Larry Hughes - July 9, 2005

About Eric Williams

Eric Williams is an award-winning sports columnist for the Philadelphia Sunday Sun whose columns are syndicated in newspapers across the country. He also writes for several online publications and can be heard on betus.com satellite radio on Wednesdays afternoons at 3:18 eastern.

Lifetime Boston Celtics fan. Basketball and football are his favorite sports. Eric is married with five children and currently resides in Marshall, Missouri.

Comments and feedback can be sent to eklass66@yahoo.com