by: Josh Henderson
Twitter: @verybadwrong
In the NBA, the teams in what is now the Atlantic Division used to be champions. The Celtics, the Knicks. They were contenders every year. Lately though, the Atlantic Division is, and has been for a while now, bad.
Last year, the Atlantic produced two playoff teams: Toronto (48-34) and Brooklyn (44-38). This year, well, there isn't much reason to hope for improvement, though we can be fairly sure someone will win the division.
Over the off-season, Toronto did exactly what they need to do. They re-signed Kyle Lowry, bucking the trend they've set for letting budding stars go in exchange for nothing. Lowry and Demar DeRozan, an all-star last year, form a solid backcourt. Along with their draft and re-signing Patrick Patterson, a solid all around 4, they added depth while maintaining their core. With good shooting big men and all-star guards, they'll win the Atlantic again, easily.
The Nets... They made some off-season moves themselves. Jason Kidd learned the hard way he wasn't quite as in charge as he thought. He asked for more control, and ended up in Milwaukee. The Nets brought in Lionel Hollins, who used to coach in Milwaukee, to be their head coach. Hollins has said he'd like to run a faster offense. He may as well play himself. The Nets are too old, too slow, and lack anyone to space the floor. Joe Johnson will continue to shoulder the load, while big men Kevin Garnett - yes, that Kevin Garnett - and Brooks Lopez will try to keep up. Deron Williams is a solid 1, but overall, the Nets will take a step backwards.
Image Credit: ESPN.go.com
A step backwards into... The New York Knicks. The Knicks have made a lot of noise this off-season. Some more than others. They hired a guy by the name of Phil Jackson to captain the ship. Not to coach, though. They re-signed their star, Carmelo Anthony. They brought in Jose Calderon and Samuel Dalembert. Calderon is a capable point guard you may have never heard of. That's okay. We all know the Knicks' season depends on Melo. He thinks the triangle offense will help him. The triangle offense depends on movement and specifically ball movement, not historically Melo's strengths. Melo has to decide if he's willing to play along. JR Smith and Calderon can both space the floor like Steve Kerr or BJ Armstrong did with the Bulls and Jordan. We'll learn if it's going to work early on. I expect the Knicks to pass the Nets and, yes, take a playoff spot. But that's it.
The Celtics and the Philadelphia 76ers bear mentioning, but only because they're in the division. The Celtics drafted Marcus Smart, who has the skill set, especially defensively, to become a good NBA point guard. And Danny Ainge made some clever moves involved with the Lebron to Cleveland three team trade, picking up Tyler Zeller and a draft pick. They won't make much noise this year.
Neither will the 76ers, who are playing to be a great team in the early 2020's. They were absolutely awful last year, and they'll be absolutely awful until a couple years after they manage to finally win the draft lottery. They drafted Joel Embiid, Dario Sacic, and five other players you've never heard of - and likely won't hear of again. Embiid is an entertaining Twitter follow, but recent history of injury prone high draft picks doesn't suggest he'll have a long or productive career.
To summarize:
2014/15 NBA Atlantic Division predictions:
Toronto Raptors
New York Knicks
Brooklyn Nets
Boston Celtics
Philadelphia 76ers
The Raptors and Knicks should make the playoffs, barring significant injuries, but not advance. There's always next year. Or 2020, for the 76ers.
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