NBA Southeast Division: Meet the Cellar of the Eastern Conference

C Nazr Mohammed/Ryan Hollins

Instead of adding more draft picks, Michael Jordan finally realized it was time to put some veteran leadership on the Bobcats and traded for Jason Richardson. That isn’t necessarily going to make Charlotte a playoff team anytime soon, but it at least gives the team a positive outlook for the near future.

Richardson is going to provide a nice offensive spark to a team that is all about defense, but really wasn’t much of a scoring team. Then again, considering the Bobcats were only five games out of a playoff spot despite winning just 32, it’s not unfathomable for Charlotte to at least inch closer to getting out of the lottery.

The only downside is that the rest of the teams are becoming more competitive, and the addition of Richardson might not provide the dividends that Bobcats’ management would hope for. If there’s one thing that Charlotte does have in its favor, it’s the sizable cap room that the Bobcats will have to make a trade or big free-agent acquisition next year.

If the Bobcats get another scorer like Richardson or a veteran point guard, this team is well on its way to making the playoffs for the first time in its history.

Miami Heat

Projected Depth Chart:

PG Marcus Banks/Shaun Livingston

SG Dwayne Wade/Daequan Cook/Yakhouba Diawara

SF Shawn Marion/James Jones/Dorell Wright

PF Michael Beasley/Udonis Haslem

C Mark Blount/Jamaal Magloire

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