2009-2010 NBA Preview - Atlantic Division
Part two comes the Atlantic Division.
1. Boston Celtics. Back to back 60 win seasons. They are deep, talented and veteran led. Another 60 win season should happen, if at least two of the big three can hold up. They need to have a healthy Kevin Garnett to get back to the NBA Finals, which is their only goal. The addition of Rasheed Wallace will help. The only thing that could stop them is injuries.
2. Toronto Raptors. The Raptors have reloaded quite nicely. They added quite a few pieces and should be lethal offensively. Defensively, they will be invisible, but they're looking like a playoff team again. And that could be a huge thing in order to keep Chris Bosh in Canada.
3. Philadelphia 76ers. They were the sleeper pick by everyone last year. But Elton Brand proved he couldn't stay healthy, Samuel Dalembert really fell off, and he was never really on in the first place. And the bench was virtually non-existant. Now they lose Andre Miller, which is a huge loss. They're going to have to rely on Lou Williams and Jrue Holiday to lead the team. That sounds like a recipe for disaster for me. They have some young talent though, including Andre Iguodala, Thaddeus Young and Marreese Speights. They could squeak into the playoffs, but if they do, they won't make much noise.
4. New York Knicks. The Knicks are still playing for the 2010 off-season. The talent level is very low, and they're likely to win around or under 30 games once again this season. They need to use the year to see if they can build around Danillo Galinari and Jordan Hill. Every other player on the team shouldn't figure into their future. Even worse, the Jazz will get New York's first round pick, with no protection.
5. New Jersey Nets. The Nets have smartly decided to flat out rebuild. Their star is Devin Harris. They also have a boat load of young talented players in Yi Jianlian, Courtney Lee, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Brook Lopez and Terrence Williams. They will be bad, very bad, this year. But that should land them a high pick to go with all that cap space. They'll be back soon.
All Atlantic Team
C - Brook Lopez, Nets
PF - Chris Bosh, Raptors
SF - Paul Pierce, Celtics
SG - Andre Iguodala, 76ers
PG - Rajon Rondo, Celtics
MVP - Paul Pierce, Celtics
Rookie of the Year - DeMar DeRozan, Raptors
Coach of the Year - Doc Rivers, Celtics
Most underrated player - Thaddeus Young, 76ers
Most overrated player - David Lee, Knicks
1. Boston Celtics. Back to back 60 win seasons. They are deep, talented and veteran led. Another 60 win season should happen, if at least two of the big three can hold up. They need to have a healthy Kevin Garnett to get back to the NBA Finals, which is their only goal. The addition of Rasheed Wallace will help. The only thing that could stop them is injuries.
2. Toronto Raptors. The Raptors have reloaded quite nicely. They added quite a few pieces and should be lethal offensively. Defensively, they will be invisible, but they're looking like a playoff team again. And that could be a huge thing in order to keep Chris Bosh in Canada.
3. Philadelphia 76ers. They were the sleeper pick by everyone last year. But Elton Brand proved he couldn't stay healthy, Samuel Dalembert really fell off, and he was never really on in the first place. And the bench was virtually non-existant. Now they lose Andre Miller, which is a huge loss. They're going to have to rely on Lou Williams and Jrue Holiday to lead the team. That sounds like a recipe for disaster for me. They have some young talent though, including Andre Iguodala, Thaddeus Young and Marreese Speights. They could squeak into the playoffs, but if they do, they won't make much noise.
4. New York Knicks. The Knicks are still playing for the 2010 off-season. The talent level is very low, and they're likely to win around or under 30 games once again this season. They need to use the year to see if they can build around Danillo Galinari and Jordan Hill. Every other player on the team shouldn't figure into their future. Even worse, the Jazz will get New York's first round pick, with no protection.
5. New Jersey Nets. The Nets have smartly decided to flat out rebuild. Their star is Devin Harris. They also have a boat load of young talented players in Yi Jianlian, Courtney Lee, Chris Douglas-Roberts, Brook Lopez and Terrence Williams. They will be bad, very bad, this year. But that should land them a high pick to go with all that cap space. They'll be back soon.
All Atlantic Team
C - Brook Lopez, Nets
PF - Chris Bosh, Raptors
SF - Paul Pierce, Celtics
SG - Andre Iguodala, 76ers
PG - Rajon Rondo, Celtics
MVP - Paul Pierce, Celtics
Rookie of the Year - DeMar DeRozan, Raptors
Coach of the Year - Doc Rivers, Celtics
Most underrated player - Thaddeus Young, 76ers
Most overrated player - David Lee, Knicks
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