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Authored by Jason M. Williams - 3rd October, 2007 - 6:01 pm
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With the 2007-08 NBA season only a little over a month away, we here at RealGM decided to offer a six-part series that will break down the off-season maneuvers of each team, take a look at who went where, and pose burning questions that will plague each team as it prepares for the start of the regular season. With great potential surrounding this year’s incoming draft class and plenty of big names migrating from the Western Conference to the East, there are many issues to become aware of prior to the Opening Tip. Stay tuned as RealGM prepares you for the 2007-08 NBA season.
Part 1 – 19th September, 2007 – Atlantic Division Season Preview
Part 2 – 25th September, 2007 – Central Division Season Preview
The third part of this six-piece series will spotlight the Southeast Division.
- Atlanta Hawks -
These Hawks are coming off another year of disappointment from their youthful but talented team. After starting last season hot, they suffered a number of injuries and once again were unstable at the point. Despite the little veteran presence in the locker room, the Hawks are loaded with perhaps the best collection of young talent in the league. If they were smart, they would have packaged some of their extraneous assets and dealt for an impact veteran this off-season.
NBA Draft Picks: Al Horford (No. 3), Acie Law IV (No. 11)
Key Additions: Antwayne Robinson (Free Agent – NBDL), Steven Smith (FA), Jamaal Tatum (FA), Mario West (FA)
Key Losses: Royal Ivey (FA - Milwaukee), Esteban Batista (FA – unsigned), Stanislav Medvedenko (FA – unsigned)
The Hawks once again went young. However, this might be their best draft in recent memory. With a glaring hole at point guard since the days of Mookie Blaylock, the Hawks have continued to pass on the most talented point guard in the top of the draft, namely Chris Paul and Deron Williams. This year, they resisted the urge to take the highly touted Mike Conley of Ohio State, and it may have finally paid off for them. Instead, they used the third overall pick to nab the top NBA-ready prospect not named Greg or Kevin. Al Horford should be a huge upgrade over Shelden Williams and everyone else Atlanta currently employs on the block. More importantly, one of the most dynamic point guards in the nation, Acie Law, slipped to the Hawks at the eleventh pick. The Atlanta brass couldn’t have asked for a better draft.
Burning Questions
- Will Acie Law be the starting point guard before the All Star break?
- Will Al Horford be the starting power forward before the All Star break?
- Will the mesh of youngsters be able to compete without true veteran leadership?
- Will Shelden Williams provide them with strong defense this year?
- Is this the year the Hawks dangle Marvin Williams at the trade deadline to make a playoff push?
- What will they do with four point guards (Speedy, Johnson, Lue, and Law)? Who will play?
Person on the Hot Seat: Speedy Claxton
Last summer’s signing of the veteran backup point guard is now looking like a big mistake. They dealt for super-sub point guard Anthony Johnson last year, and seemed to have drafted their point guard of the future in Acie Law. Throw in a little Tyronn Lue, and suddenly Speedy’s $6M per year, second highest on the entire roster, isn’t looking like such a great move. It’s his job to lose, and he’ll have a lot of pressure to live up to that ‘hefty’ Atlanta paycheck.
Team Outlook
The Hawks just lack experience. They have a glut of wonderful young prospects, but no proven winners or leaders to guide them. The additions of Horford and Law give them two collegiate winners and one of the best draft classes in this year’s draft, but it might not start paying off for another couple of years. The best Hawks fans can hope for this season is a healthy team and a chance to clinch one of the final spots in the Eastern playoff pictures.
- Charlotte Bobcats -
Much like the Atlanta Hawks , the Charlotte Bobcats are equipped with a ton of talented youth. Despite the lack of leadership, the Bobcats had a much improved season last year. They had to deal with a handful of injuries, but those injuries allowed the team to see the potential of the emerging Walter Herrmann and Matt Carroll. These two bright spots helped keep Charlotte afloat and continue their progress towards becoming a playoff threat in the Southeast division.
NBA Draft Picks: Jared Dudley (No. 22), Jermareo Davidson (No. 36)
Key Additions: Jason Richardson (trade – Golden State)
Key Losses: Brandan Wright (trade – Golden State), Brevin Knight (FA – L.A. Clippers ), Jake Voskuhl (FA – Milwaukee), Derek Anderson (FA – unsigned), Alan Anderson (FA – unsigned)
Lacking a go-to scorer since the inception of the franchise, Michael Jordan pulled the string on a deal that jettisoned promising big man Brandan Wright (No. 8 overall pick) in exchange for the high-flying Jason Richardson. Richardson alone gives the Bobcats another dimension because he can score from any spot on the court and can deliver a massive rim-shattering dunk, as demonstrated during his two dunk championship performances. However, it will be interesting to see how he is able to play next to Gerald Wallace. The one move that Bobcats made this off-season that had a lot of puzzled looks was the resigning of career camp survivor, Matt Carroll, to a massive six year deal. On the point guard front, the loss of Brevin Knight was stabilized by the resigning of Jeff McInnis, who will provide steady floor leadership off the bench for the Bobs.
Burning Questions
- Will Richardson and Wallace pair together the way J-Rich paired with Stephen Jackson last season?
- Or will their high energy games clash?
- Does the trade for J-Rich and the Carroll extension mean that Adam Morrison is on his way to the bench? NBDL? Overseas?
- Will Sean May be healthy all season?
- Will Emeka Okafor last 75 games?
- More importantly, when will they give Okafor an extension? Will they?
- Will Walter Herrmann 1) please cut his hair? And 2) continue to be as dominant as he was at the trail end of last season?
Person on the Hot Seat: Adam Morrison
Drafted with the third pick in last year’s draft, this natural scorer was supposed to be their go-to guy from the wing. However, his season was widely viewed as a bust, and many wondered why and how Charlotte passed on Brandon Roy with the pick. If that wasn’t bad enough, they brought in Jason Richardson, resigned Gerald Wallace and Matt Carroll and drafted rock-hard small forward Jared Dudley. This sounds like a rather crowed wing for this young Bobcat team with Morrison on the outside looking in. On the bright side, at least he didn’t cry on the court last year.
Team Outlook
This team is similar to Milwaukee. They have all of the talent and weapons they need. They just need to stay out of the trainer’s room. If they can get J-Rich to buy into their system, keep the bigs healthy, and ensure that Morrison keeps his mustache under control, we can very well expect them to fight for a playoff spot.
- Miami Heat -
The Miami Heat suffered last year with key injuries to their dynamic duo – Shaquille O’Neal and Dwayne Wade. They floundered around the playoff border for much of the season until a late season surge put them back in the postseason to defend their title. However, they were annihilated by the much younger and more spirited Chicago Bulls , suffering an embarrassing first round sweep that left Pat Riley and the organization clueless as to which direction to turn this off-season. In this critical off-season, it was vital that they use their tradable assets like free agent James Posey or expiring contract Jason Williams. Let’s take a look at what they did.
NBA Draft Picks: None
Key Additions: Daequan Cook (trade – Philadelphia), Smush Parker (FA – L.A. Lakers ), Anfernee Hardaway (FA – Orlando 2005-06), Alexander Johnson (FA – Memphis), Brian Chase (FA – NBDL)
Key Losses: Jason Kapono (FA – Toronto), James Posey (FA – Boston), Eddie Jones (FA – Dallas), Jason Smith (trade – Philadelphia), Stanko Barac (trade – Indiana), Gary Payton (FA – unsigned), Earl Barron (FA – unsigned)
The Heat had one of the worst off-seasons in the league. They lost all of their depth on the wing by allowing Posey, Jason Kapono, and Eddie Jones to walk, and instead signed over the hill veteran Anfernee Hardaway and the marginal Smush Parker. One underrated pickup the Heat made this season was that of Alexander Johnson. He has the tools to be a solid big man off the bench. However, with a crucial transition period staring them in the face with the obvious decline of Shaq and Alonzo Mourning, they were unable to land their marquee free agent, Maurice Williams, and couldn’t even pry his backup Charlie Bell away from Miami. The Heat will get a baby thumbs up if they can swing a deal with Sacramento for Mike Bibby.
Burning Questions
- How will Dwayne Wade come back from his injuries?
- Will Shaq and Zo stay healthy? Will they only be a shell of their former selves?
- How will Riley replace Jones, Kapono and Posey, three of the main reasons they made the playoffs last year?
- Will the Heat ever find a taker for tip-toeing Antoine Walker?
- Will Penny Hardaway win comeback player of the year?
- Will Smush Parker be the starting point guard by midseason?
- Or will we see yet another Jason Williams for Mike Bibby trade?
Person on the Hot Seat: Shaquille O’Neal
The Miami Heat mortgaged their future to bring the big man to the South Beach. Shaq promised a championship to the city and delivered. However, now two years removed from the title, the team looks old and sluggish and he is still on the books for three years and $60M. That is a hefty price for a half-season of health and a roster surrounding him that is depleted of youth, energy, and athleticism. Shaq needs to come back hungry, vengeful, and in shape to dominate – otherwise, the Heat might struggle mightily to reach the postseason.
Team Outlook
This team has not done well since winning the title two years ago. They have aged poorly and were embarrassed in the first round of the playoffs last season. Now, they lost three valuable weapons on the wing and replaced them with one of the top guards in the league…back in 1994. True, the pairing of Shaq and Penny will be exciting to watch, assuming that D-Wade doesn’t get jealous and tear this team apart from within. But in all seriousness, it will take a monster season from Wade and a trip to the fountain of youth for Shaquille O’Neal and Alonzo Mourning to get this depleted and aging roster back to being a contender for the division, let alone the Eastern crown.
- Orlando Magic -
Last year’s Magic team was able to survive in the East and land the final playoff spot. However, they made some huge waves in the off-season and have a newfound plan of attack. They brought in a new coach and a big name free agent. But will that be enough to offset the losses that this team faced in free agency? Will mortgaging the future on two players pay off? Let’s take a closer look.
NBA Draft Picks: Marcin Gortat (2005 second rounder – contract purchased)
Key Additions: Rashard Lewis (trade – Seattle), Adonal Foyle (FA – Golden State), Milovan Rakovic (trade – Dallas)
Key Losses: Grant Hill (FA – Phoenix), Darko Milicic (FA – Memphis), Travis Diener (FA – Indiana), Reyshawn Terry (trade – Dallas), Bo Outlaw (FA – unsigned)
Who isn’t excited about seeing the inside-outside combo of Dwight Howard and Rashard Lewis for the next six years? Okay, maybe Orlando’s upper management when they realize they’ll be paying over $40M for the two players in 2012. Despite the fact that, on paper, this seems like an explosive duo that reminds Magic fans of Shaq and Penny, let’s take a step back and realize that Dwight is a freakish athlete, but is extremely limited in his offensive repertoire. He is basically a glorified David Lee with springs on his shoes. He scores the majority of his points on the offensive glass and on vicious dunks. Fine, but in order for Stan Van Gundy to get the most of this combo, he is going to have to get Dwight Howard to be able to control the paint and score off the dribble, which will give Rashard Lewis (and hopefully J.J. Redick) the open looks that he needs to be successful. This is why the best move of the Magic off-season was bringing in Patrick Ewing to coach the man-child’s offensive game.
The thing I don’t like about the Magic off-season is that they gave up four solid players for one. I include Reyshawn Terry because he has the potential to be a valuable backup off the bench, and a second round steal. His gritty UNC upbringing was needed on this team and I don’t have much faith in Marcin Gortat or Milovan Rakovic. The loss of Darko Milicic to Memphis and Tony Battie to a torn rotator cuff leaves them extremely weak in the paint, and Adonal Foyle is not the answer. Foyle will be good for six fouls on Shaq and not much else. One of the primary reasons for the resurgence of the Magic last season was the leadership and solid play of veteran Grant Hill. His loss will go under the radar now, but will loom large when the only players taking his spot will be the underachieving J.J. Redick and career sparkplug Keyon Dooling. That, and if Redick continues to be a bust, then the most consistent three-point threats that will draw double teams off of Dwight will be Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard, two 6-10 forwards. That doesn’t normally translate too many offensive rebounds.
Burning Questions
- Will J.J. Redick be able to win the starting two guard spot?
- Will Dwight and Rashard become the best duo in the East?
- Will Jameer Nelson get his extension?
- Will Stan Van Gundy make this a better team than last year?
- Will Dwight Howard learn how to play off the dribble?
- Will Trevor Ariza ever learn to hit the outside jumper?
- Who will provide reliable three-point shooting outside of Lewis?
- Who will man the paint now that Darko is gone and Battie is out?
Person on the Hot Seat: Rashard Lewis
The acquisition of Rashard Lewis puts the Magic in a hole financially for a long time. He must prove his worth immediately; otherwise this Magic team could struggle to reach the playoffs. With a much improved Eastern Conference, the Magic will have trouble competing with one of the thinnest front lines in the league. Rashard Lewis must step up and account for the lack of depth up front.
Team Outlook
The Magic have plenty of offensive weapons and one of the best defensive big men in the league. They looked poised to turn the corner toward being an elite team, until they decided not to resign Darko Milicic and they woke up to find out that Tony Battie was likely lost for most of, if not all of, the season. Stan Van Gundy has turned nothing into something before, and with this many weapons, he should be able to lead this team toward the brink of the postseason.
- Washington Wizards -
The Wizards were the top team in the East last year until injuries devastated the team. They lost Antawn Jamison, Caron Butler, and Gilbert Arenas all in overlapping succession. They still managed to fight their way into the postseason and put up a fight with the eventual Eastern Conference champion Cleveland Cavaliers . However, without a healthy Hibachi Trio, the Wizards are far too thin to reach the Promised Land.
NBA Draft: Nick Young (No. 16), Dominic McGuire (No. 47)
Key Additions: None
Key Losses: Jarvis Hayes (FA – Detroit), Michael Ruffin (FA – Milwaukee), Calvin Booth (FA – Philadelphia), Juan Carlos Navarro (trade – Memphis)
The Wizards surprisingly did not make any moves this off-season, but they were lucky to have the highly talented Nick Young fall into their laps with the sixteenth pick. He will make their backcourt very strong playing alongside Arenas, DeShawn Stevenson, and Antonio Daniels. The injuries allowed the Wizards to allow the youngster Andray Blatche to get more minutes and he proved why he was good enough to be selected out of high school two years ago. A healthy season from Darius Songaila will also provide a huge boost to this squad and act as if it was a useful addition this off-season.
Burning Questions
- Will Gilbert Arenas come back strong from his injury?
- Will Caron Butler duplicate his breakout season from a year ago?
- Will Antawn Jamison be even better now that he is in a contract year?
- Will Nick Young be the first guard off the bench by midseason?
- Will Haywood and Etan Thomas get into another fistfight?
- Will Andray Blatche be able to morph his KG-like body with KG-like skills?
- Will Etan Thomas be able to come back from the heart irregularity?
Person on the Hot Seat: Brendan Haywood
What was once the deadly two-headed paint dragon that the Wizards have platooned over the past couple of seasons, might no longer need to learn to coexist without fistfights. An irregular heart condition may keep Etan Thomas out for a large portion of the season and possibly his career. This means that the job belongs solely to Haywood and he no longer has to worry about being physically combative with Thomas, a nuisance that must have been wearing on the rest of the roster. However, when combined with Thomas, their numbers indicate that they have produced a pretty decent presence at the center position. Now, Haywood must prove his value by being able to produce at the center position without his longtime “buddy.”
Team Outlook
The growing theme during this six-part season preview series seems to be: stay healthy. The Wizards are one of the more talented, dynamic, and well-coached teams in the conference. However, when one part of their potent threesome is missing, they are doomed. A big season from the Big Three, a breakout year for Blatche, a calming yet effective presence down low from Haywood, and quick production from Nick Young could spell N-B-A-F-I-N-A-L-S in the District this season.
Feel free to contact Jason M. Williams with your thoughts. He can be reached at Jason.Williams@RealGM.com for comments or questions. |
