NBA Preview: Southeast Division

John Wall

Predictions
1. Miami Heat
2. Washington Wizards
3. Atlanta Hawks
4. Charlotte Bobcats
5. Orlando Magic

Rookie Report
Victor Oladipo, SG, Magic
In order to bring some excitement, athleticism and psychical wing play the Magic picked up Oladipo, a talent from Indiana, who should immediately become their best player.
Cody Zeller, PF, Bobcats
Charlotte believes they have solved their post issues by bring in Zeller, also from Indiana, and Al Jefferson.
Otto Porter, G/F, Wizards
The Wizards managed to pick up Porter with the No. 3 overall pick, who should bring size in the backcourt and a lot of versatility.
Dennis Schroder, PG, Hawks
The rebuild began this off season for the Hawks and their first pick of the process was speedy German guard Dennis Schroder who will compete for minutes from the beginning.

There is no way anybody manages to top the Heat inside the Southeast. Miami doesn't lose anyone from the dominant team last season that dominated throughout the regular season. LeBron might have had the best year of his career in 2012-2013 and he will continue to gel with his teammates. Dwayne Wade struggled at times and injuries have limited him over the years but when he is healthy he is still one of the NBA's most efficient guards. The only real notable weakness was the fact they didn't have a dominant big man and Chris Bosh spends way too much time on the perimeter. The Heat are hoping bringing in former No. 1 pick Greg Oden, who appears healthy for the first year of his NBA career, will solve that. Also back in the post is Chris Andersen who was an important piece to the puzzle last year and they also brought in Michael Beasley, who returns to Miami and can bring even more scoring help, even if he takes dumb shots. It appears the Wizards finally have a roster that can get them back to the playoffs, headed by John Wall who continues to improve. Along with Wall, the Wizards will rely heavily on second-year shooting guard Brad Beal and rookie Otto Porter. Beal and Wall will bring speed and scoring but Washington can't hope to compete if their big men aren't factors, which they weren't for much of last season. Nene is back and fully healthy and Emeka Okafor is a proven rebounder. If Trevor Booker continues to improve in the paint and the other rookie, Glen Rice Jr. brings some scoring off the bench 40 wins is a real threat. The Hawks lost Josh Smith but don't think they are completely out of the playoff hunt, considering how bad the Eastern Conference is. Al Horford is probably the best player on their roster now but he isn't extremely effective on the offensive end and doesn't move that well. Also in the frontcourt is aging Elton Brand, who is still decent when healthy and Paul Millsap, who was a quiet signing from Utah. Atlanta is pretty strong in the frontcourt but they are aging, meaning the real talent lies in the backcourt. Jeff Teague has turned into a quality point guard but he still isn't much of a scorer and he can't shoot but he is a playmaker. Rookie Dennis Schroder will likely back up Teague and plays a lot like him; he is athletic and quick but isn't much of a scorer. The Hawks are hoping they can get some help from their bench which does have some talent including aging sharpshooter Kyle Korver and efficient shooting guard John Jenkins. The Bobcats are the best they have been in years but that doesn't mean much lately. Al Jefferson arrives from Utah and brings more length and mobility in the post. Jefferson isn't a season-changer meaning that they need somebody else to step up down low. That could be Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, who was a non-factor for much of his rookie season but has the potential to have a good year. I ripped the selection of Cody Zeller with the No. 4 pick, when Alex Len and Nerlens Noel were still available and I still don't like it. But, he is 7 foot and he can still bring good things to their roster. The backcourt is solid led by Kemba Walker who continues to improve but he hasn't developed the scoring potential that he had while at UConn. The Magic just aren't a good team, plain and simple. Rookie Victor Oladipo will help a lot, he can do so many different things. He is a very good defender who is quick and athletic and has good size. Nikola Vucevic is efficient and is a double-double machine and Glen Davis is probably the third best player on this team which isn't ever a good thing. There is some potential on this team, including Andrew Nicholson and Maurice Harkless. The Magic should be improved with Oladipo on their roster but they are still likely a 60 loss team. That isn't a bad thing at all they should have a real chance at getting Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker, Julius Randle or Marcus Smart.