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NBA: Southeast showing surprising strength
(Yahoo! Sports)
Updated: 2004-12-15 08:58
When David Stern announced the NBA's realignment plan last season, many
people wondered if the new Southeast Division would stack up with say, the Big
Ten.
Miami Heat's
Shaquille O'Neal (32) prepares to shoot over Washington Wizards' Brendan
Haywood in the first quarter Monday, Dec. 13, 2004, in Miami, Fla.
[AP] | The Orlando Magic were the worst team in
the league, with the Atlanta Hawks right behind, I mean, ahead. The Washington
Wizards were a perennial loser, and the Charlotte Bobcats were a soon-to-be
expansion team. Only the Miami Heat looked anything like a playoff team, though
not at all a serious contender. The question of whether any of these clubs could
finish better than .500 was a legitimate one.
Well, quicker than you can say "I love realignment," the Southeast is
suddenly the home of three of the Eastern Conference's top teams. Several
offseason trades and draft picks – as well as the return and development of some
key players – not only have made the Southeast the surprise division in the NBA
but also perhaps the East's best division.
The Southeast's transformation began with Shaquille O'Neal's trade to Miami.
The Heat went from a nice young team that made the playoffs last season to a
powerful club boasting a lethal inside-outside combination of Shaq and Dwyane
Wade.
Miami has room for improvement but is still off to a nice start with the
East's best record, 16-7. With Detroit struggling and Indiana's roster decimated
by suspensions, the Heat would be favored to win the East if the playoffs began
today.
Shortly after Shaq's arrival in Florida, Orlando began its rebuilding project
by trading league scoring champion Tracy McGrady. The Magic got Steve Francis,
Cuttino Mobley and Kelvin Cato from the Rockets, and all three have been
terrific, adding athleticism and depth to a roster devoid of both.
Orlando Magic
forward Grant Hill, left, shoots over Phoenix Suns guard Quentin
Richardson in the first quarter Monday, Dec. 13, 2004, in Phoenix.
[AP] | Francis in particular has been superb,
playing at an All-Star level and leading the Magic to a 13-7 start. He has
benefited from the return of Grant Hill after his long recovery from foot
problems, as Hill has assumed much of the ball-handling responsibility to allow
Francis to play as a shooting guard at times.
With the first pick in the draft, general manager John Weisbrod took Dwight
Howard, who looks like a star in the making. The rookie averages a double-double
and undoubtedly will improve by leaps and bounds the next several years.
Hedo Turkoglu was added to the lineup via free agency, and suddenly the Magic
are one of the deepest teams in the league. After a 21-win season in 2003-04,
Orlando now is on the verge of being one of the East's elite teams for the
foreseeable future. What a turnaround.
But while it was easy to project the improvement of the Heat and the Magic,
the success of the Wizards has been totally unexpected.
Washington, which is 12-7 after Monday's loss to Miami, made a major trade of
its own on draft day, acquiring Antawn Jamison from Dallas to fortify a weak
frontcourt. Jamison has given coach Eddie Jordan the inside scoring to
complement the backcourt of Gilbert Arenas and Larry Hughes. All of a sudden,
the Wizards are the third highest-scoring team in the NBA, putting up 102 points
per night.
Jamison, Hughes and Arenas were teammates at Golden State two seasons ago,
but they didn't play particularly well together. All three have matured and are
thriving in Jordan's up-tempo offense. Brendan Haywood has developed into a
reliable center, giving Washington a much needed inside presence on the boards.
The irony for Miami, Orlando and Washington is that each team was excited to
leave the Atlantic Division after last season to join the weak Southeast, where
they figured to have a better chance for success. Little did they realize they
would end up battling each other in the strongest division in the
East.
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