With the formation of the Super Team in Miami, the Southeast Division may have just become the deepest division in the NBA. The Orlando Magic, Atlanta Hawks, and Miami Heat now all have teams that are capable of going deep in the postseason. This division is starting to look a lot like the AL East in the MLB, with multiple teams near the top of their sport.
The Magic have been strong contenders over the past two seasons, including one trip to the Finals in 2009, and look to win the division for a fourth consecutive time. The Heat just brought in LeBron James and Chris Bosh to team with Dwyane Wade, instantly creating the best trio in NBA history. While the Hawks clearly have shown they have a ceiling in the postseason, they still have the talent to make a fairly deep run in the playoffs. Even the Charlotte Bobcats and Washington Wizards are making improvements in the offseason.
Some people are already comparing the Miami Heat with the New York Yankees, claiming they are hurting the sport by stockpiling superstar players. I personally don't see how this hurts the NBA, it should just encourage other teams to step up their efforts to improve if they want to compete. Unlike the Yankees, the Heat didn't go outspend other teams to land their trio of stars. In fact, all three players are expected to accept less than the maximum to play together. While the Heat are still building up their roster around the Big Three, I expect they will add enough veteran players for the minimum to make a strong run this season.
Orlando will definitely provide the Heat with a quality in-state rivalry. Magic GM Otis Smith added fuel to the Sunshine State rivalry earlier today when he said he thought LeBron was "more of a competitor", referring to his decision to join Wade and Bosh with Miami. The Magic will have their own star filled line-up to go up against the Heat with Dwight Howard, Vince Carter, Jameer Nelson, and Rashard Lewis. If Orlando loses free agents Matt Barnes and J.J. Redick, they will definitely need to add some quality replacements if they want to keep their streak of division titles alive.
Atlanta has made the playoffs consistently over the past few seasons, but they have failed to advance past the second round in any of their trips. While they kept SG Joe Johnson with a maximum contract, a huge mistake in my opinion, they need to add a few more pieces to really compete for the division now. With rumors of possible trades circulating around Marvin Williams and Josh Smith, Atlanta may look to rebuild with new head coach Larry Drew. If they keep their team intact, I think they will still make the playoffs, but probably somewhere in the 6-8 seed range.
The Bobcats and Wizards are both improving, but they and are no where near being able to compete for the division. Charlotte made a big move today to keep Tyrus Thomas with a 5-year/$40 million contract, helping keep their young core intact that took the franchise to their first postseason last year. The Washington Wizards won huge in the lottery, picking up John Wall of Kentucky with the first overall pick despite having only a 7.6% chance of winning the top spot. Depending on what the franchise does with Gilbert Arenas, they have to potential to be a playoff team in 2-3 seasons.With the Miami Heat gaining LeBron James and Chris Bosh, and with all three top teams keeping/returning their star players, expect this to be one of the most competitive divisions in the NBA this season. While the Heat may run away with the division after this season, they will still have Orlando and Atlanta on their heels this year. If Miami can pick up a few more decent assets, I expect them to barely beat out Orlando for the division this season.
