The NBA season tips off tonight and I am still working on my preview. It can’t hurt that it is the first week of the season, right? People need to read up on how the season will play out, right? Right?

During the last couple weeks, we covered the bottom feeders of the Eastern Conference:

Part I

Part II

 

8. Toronto Raptors

 

Key Additions

Hedo Turkoglu, G/F (trade, Orlando), Reggie Evans, F (trade, Philadelphia), Antoine Wright, F (trade, Dallas), Marco Belinelli, G (trade, Golden State), Rasho Nesterovic, C (Indiana), Jarrett Jack, G (Indiana), Amir Johnson, F (trade, Milwaukee), Sonny Weems, G/F (trade, Milwaukee), Demarr DeRozan (R).

 

Key Losses

Jason Kapono, G/F (trade, Philadelphia), Kris Humphris, F (trade, Dallas), Nathan Jawai, C (trade, Dallas), Shawn Marion, F (trade, Dallas), Anthony Parker, G/F (Cleveland), Carlos Delfino, G (trade, Milwaukee), Roko Ukic, G (trade, Milwaukee).

The Raptors received the most hype of the offseason with some blockbuster moves. Their star player, Chris Bosh, enters free agency this upcoming offseason, and I believe GM Bryan Colangelo felt the pressure to make this a do or die season.

First of all, I like the pickup of Hedo Turkoglu, though not at the dollar figure they gave him.

I believe he is a very solid player who can shoot the ball well and is a playmaker. He will make Bosh a better player, along with the others around them.

What he is not, though, is a shutdown defender and he does not possess a tenacity to him. Some people may ask what does being tenacious have to do with Turkoglu and picking him up in the summer?

Well, the Raptors' No. 1 problem for years has been their softness. Even their superstar power forward’s body looks like Lindsay Lohan’s on a coke binge.

Combine him with Bargnani and Nestrovic and the Raptors are not a force down low and not a great rebounding team.

Now, Reggie Evans did come over in a trade with Kapono and he will help with toughness and rebounding, but I do not believe it is enough to go deep in the playoffs.

I like the signing of Jarret Jack in the offseason as a backup and possible backcourt mate of Jose Calderon.

People have ranted and raved about Calderon these past two years, but I do not necessarily buy it. He is OK as a starter and it will be great for the Raptors to have such a solid backup PG coming off the bench, especially considering Jack’s defense on the ball.

The Raptors will have enough talent to make the playoffs, but I still believe they lack some key components to make a splash.

Their defense is still weak and their rebounding is questionable. If they are able to address these issues, either by trade or some miraculous coaching, then I see them going further into the playoffs.

 

7. Washington Wizards

 

Key Additions

Mike Miller, G (trade, Minnesota); Randy Foye, G (trade, Minnesota); Fabricio Oberto, C (Detroit).

 

Key Losses

Etan Thomas, C (trade, Minnesota); Darius Songaila, F (trade, Minnesota); Oleksiy Pecherov, C (trade, Minnesota).

The No. 1 ingredient for the Wizards this year is to stay healthy. If they are healthy, they will make it to the playoffs.

In his first year with the Wizards, new coach Flip Saunders will have plenty of talent to work with.

Over the offseason, I liked the moves Ernie Grunfield pulled off to make his team better. The Wizards did not need youth and Grunfield parlayed the fifth pick in a weak draft into Randy Foye and Mike Miller.

Granted, I have never been a huge Foye fan, but I do think he can fit in nicely alongside a healthy Gilbert Arenas.

Miller also gives the Wizards another shooter off the bench, which is so highly valuable in the NBA, particularly come playoff time.

To round out the wings, the Wizards still have former All-Star Caron Butler, sharp-shooter Nick Young, and solid defender and all-around player DeShawn Stevenson. Those are five solid players to fit into three positions.

The frontcourt is no slouch, either. Antawn Jamison will start at the four position, and if he can resemble his All-Star days, he will be a great compliment to Butler and Arenas like he was just a few years back.

The Wizards have Brendan Haywood returning from injury and he is one of the more underrated big men in the game. I am not saying he is All-Star caliber, but he does a good job defending other bigs (much needed against the likes of Howard and O’Neal) in the league and rebounding the ball.

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