NBA Atlantic Division: Boston Celtics Still In A League Of Their Own

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The NBA Atlantic Division is coming off a season where all but one of its teams lost more games than in the 2008-2009 season.

It's a division that has nothing going for it outside of the Boston Celtics. That's sad when one considers the history of the teams in it.

Teams like the New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, and New Jersey Nets are some of the more recognizable franchises to die hard NBA fans. They also have some of the best fanbases in the NBA, especially when they're winning.

With that said, only the Celtics have done much winning over the past three seasons. As a matter of fact, only the Celtics have been to the playoffs over the past couple of seasons.

The Boston Celtics went 50-32 during a season where they suffered all kinds of injuries to key players. They are currently in position to win an NBA title, up 3-2 versus the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Toronto Raptors went 40-42 during a season many had them slotted as high as the fifth seed in the East. They are currently facing a Chris Bosh jail break due to free agency.

The New York Knicks went 29-53 during a season they had an roster worth $85 million. The team has had no success since Mike D'Antoni has taken over.

The Philadelphia 76ers went 27-55 during a season many expected them to challenge for a seventh or eighth seed in the Eastern Conference. They recently got lucky by landing the second overall pick in the up-coming NBA Draft.

The New Jersey Nets went 12-70 during a season where many believed they would win 38+ games. They instead finished last in the NBA. The troubles didn't stop there, because they ended up with the third pick in the NBA Draft.

The Atlantic Division will look totally different next season. All but one of its teams has five or more free agents.

Expect a few household names to be added to a list that already includes players like Pierce, Garnett, Rondo, Allen, Harris, Iguodala, Lopez, and Brand.

No. 1 Boston Celtics

I don't care what you've been told... the Boston Celtics have been the best team in the NBA over the past three seasons. After being regarded as a one and done title winner, the Celtics climbed back to the NBA Finals and are currently in position to win their second championship in three seasons.

The Celtics have a three-year stranglehold on the Atlantic Division and it appears next year will be no different. They are built to win for the next two to three seasons, barring injuries and retirement.

They have five players under contract (Rondo, Garnett, Perkins, Davis, and Wallace), and Paul Pierce is expected to come back. That means the team has to bring back Ray Allen, Nate Robinson, and Tony Allen.

If they don't sign those guys, they'll be forced to go with low salary roster because the team has about $62 million already tied up for six players.

They have the 19th and 52nd picks in the draft, and I expect them to go after a shooting guard and a center.

The Celtics will be a 50+ win team and the eye-candy of the Atlantic Division once again.

No. 2 Philadelphia 76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers entered the season high off of its second place finish in the division the previous season.

Those hopes were quickly dashed when they opened the season 5-15 (10 were on the road). Six of those losses were by four or fewer points, so it wasn't as bad as it looks. But then they went 5-10 over their next 15, ending any hopes of a trip to the playoffs.

The club recently signed Doug Collins to come in and coach the club.

With that said, if the 76ers are to improve, they will have to do it from within and with the draft.

The team has its top six players under contract and 11 overall. They also have the second pick in the NBA draft. So as you can see, this team isn't going to be a player in the free agent market.

The 76ers are a pretty decent club when it comes to front-court talent. They have nice size, length, quickness, speed, and players that can score in the paint. The center position is manned by Dalembert and Jason Smith. The power forward position is manned by Brand and Marresse Speights. The small forward position is manned by Iguodala, Thaddeus Young, and Jason Kapono.

The back-court talent is where this club struggles. The team lacks the outside shooting and experience necessary to be a successful club.

Next season the team is expected to turn the starting PG duties over to Jrue Holiday. That leaves Lou Williams on the bench to provide scoring punch. The team needs to find an outside shooter in the draft that can start (Wesley Johnson) or find a low budget free agent. Willie Green and Jodie Meeks are the current two players at the shooting guard positions.

The 76ers need to start this offseason by moving Iguodala (I'd suggest Brand but no team is stupid enough to bite). That would knock around $13 million off the books. It also makes sense because the team has Thaddeus Young at the SF position and looks as though though they want to draft Evan Turner. John Salmons would be a nice player for them to trade Iguodala for.

They then need to commit to the development of Marresse Speights, the team best post player (Brand is washed up). They need to beat it into the kids head that he will be a focal point of their offense. They also need Jrue Holiday to enlist in the Chris Paul point guard camp...we all know what he did for Darren Collison.

They might want to swap their second pick for the fourth pick, this way they can justify taking Wesley Johnson.

With that said, this is how the team should look come next season.

The 76ers are a team that is stuck in limbo for the next two seasons because of the bad deal the team made for Elton Brand (I'm sure they'd rather have Chris Bosh or Carlos Boozer). Next season will be one of development. I expect them to win between 28 and 36 games next season.

No. 3 New Jersey Nets

Most folks want to attribute the Nets poor season to injuries, youth, and poor coaching. That wouldn't be an accurate way of evaluating this group.

The same club won 34 games the previous season, and when your team has its top seven players all play 50+ games you have no excuses for winning only 12 games.

The Nets just weren't a focused bunch and often looked like a bunch of college players trying to get theirs. Brook Lopez and Devin Harris needed to be better leaders and failed to do so.

With that said, the Nets are in a great position to surround its young nucleus with veteran leadership. They currently have only six players returning. Those six players account for about $23 million in salary. This leaves the Nets with about $19 million once they sign their first round draft picks (third and 27th).

Some would suggest that they need to go after a big name free agent with that pick, but I'd disagree. I say take that $19 million and create depth on the bench.

They need a solid backup PG to Harris, and a solid backup C to Lopez. They also need a starting PF and can use an upgrade at the SG position.

The team is looking at adding a big man with their third pick in the draft. At 27th they might want to go PG. Don't be surprised if they elect to go after a PF in the free agent market and elect to draft the smooth shooting Wesley Johnson out of Syracuse. All in all, they are in a great position to get better this offseason.

The Nets should look like this come next season:

(C) Lopez....(free-agent)
(PF) Favors(rookie)...Jianlian
(SF) Williams...(free-agent)
(SG) Lee...(free-agent)
(PG) Harris...(free-agent)

With Avery Johnson as the head coach, his energy and no B.S. attitude should serve the team well. He also has a history with Devin Harris and will be able to demand more out of his floor general. The Nets should make a quick climb out of the NBA cellar with the right combination of moves this offseason. They simply need to take a look at Oklahoma City and learn from them.

I look for them to win between 30 and 38 games next season, but don't be shocked if they eclipse 40+.

4. Toronto Raptors

The Toronto Raptors entered the season as a team capable of winning 50+ games. Instead, they failed to win more than 41 games for the third straight season and missed the playoffs for the second consecutive season.

The Raptors had no business missing the playoffs this past season, not with the talent they had on their roster. And now they are faced with the prospects of their all world forward, Chris Bosh, bolting in free-agency.

The Raptors aren't in as big of a hole as some of the other teams, but they won't be playoff bound if they lose Chris Bosh. They have eight players under contract for next season that account for $47 million of the expected $56 million cap. That leaves the Raptors with $9 million in cap space and $1.7 of that is for their 13th pick in the draft. That leaves them with about $7 million to sign three to five players.

Should they lose Bosh, the Raptors need only move Bargnani over to his natural PF spot and find a center in the draft—my money says they go after Daniel Orton or Ekpe Udoh.

The club is set at the SF position with Hedo (unless they find a suitor for his $10 million cap hold). They're also set at the SG position with DeRozan and Belinelli. The PG position is manned by Calderon and Jack.

They appear ready to part ways with Jose and his $9 million cap hold. It's been three years since he ran T.J. Ford out and the Raptors haven't been to the playoffs since he became the starter.

The Raptors won 22 games with Jack as the starting point man but for some reason elected to go back to Calderon in March. They only won seven of the 21 games he started(16-27 on the year).

The Raptors might look a little like this come next season:

(C) Orton (rookie)...(free-agent)
(PF) Bargnani...Evans
(SF) Hedo...(free-agent)
(SG) DeRozan...Belinelli
(PG) Jack...Calderon

If this team commits to the defensive end of the floor, they can be a very respectable club, but I don't see that happening. It'll be interesting to see how the club looks if Bosh decides to leave. They would be wise to look into moving Hedo to Sacramento for Nociono and Thompson.

I look for the Raptors to be one of those middle of the pack teams that look good some nights and horrible other nights. I'd say 30 to 37 wins is about where they'll end up.

5. New York Knicks

The New York Knicks haven't been good for nearly a decade. Heck, they haven't won more than 33 games over the past six seasons. There's nothing David Stern would love more than to have the mecca of NBA basketball return among the elite. I'd suggest he doesn't hold his breath.

For some strange reason, many analysts were picking the Knicks to win 36+ games. I didn't understand why. They have a D-League coach and a cast of young guys with no history of winning. Thankfully, the Knicks' season ended quicker than it started.

The Knicks enter this summer with their best player being whoever they get in the free agent market.

The Knicks currently have four players returning next season. They account for about $18 million on the cap, and Eddy Curry takes up $11.2 million of that. The other three players are Gallinari, Chandler, and Douglas.

In a perfect world, the Knicks would watch the 27-year-old Eddy Curry return to his 2006-2007 form in which he averaged 20 points per game on 58 percent shooting. But that isn't going to happen with coach D'Antoni at the helm. So instead, look for the Knicks to use its $37 million in cap space to try and fill it's nine roster vacancies.

If you're waiting for the draft, the Knicks don't pick till the 38th and 39th spots.

The Knicks need a starter at C, PF, SG, and PG. They're set at the SF positions with Gallinari and Chandler. The Knicks will have to build this team through free-agency; they don't have a choice. If they don't get the guys they want, they'd be better suited to saving their money and waiting for next season. Many believe this to be a deep free agent pool but it really isn't, and they might want to out-bid the Jazz for Wes Matthews if they can't land Wade or Joe Johnson to play the SG position.

I have no clue on what the Knicks will look like and anyone that claims they do at this point is a liar. If they can't move Eddy Curry to the Heat or Bobcats, they don't stand a chance to do much of anything.

Look for them to finish last in the Atlantic Division. I say 18 to 26 wins is a fair assessment.

What To Expect

The Atlantic Division will remain as it has been the past three years: a one team race.

Boston is the only team that will really challenge for a playoff spot. Though teams like Philadelphia and New Jersey have a chance to surprise.

I have them finishing in this order.

1. Boston Celtics
2. Philadelphia 76ers
3. New Jersey Nets
4. Toronto Raptors
5. New York Knicks

The only bragging rights this division might have come next season is the home of the NBA Champions. Then again, they could be the home to the Rookie of the Year also.

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