NBA: Best Second Options In The East

Second-Best Options in the East

Everyone knows Kobe Bryant is going to take (and make) the most shots for the Lakers. It's the same for Lebron James, for Tim Duncan, for the lesser stars like Micheal Redd and Joe Johnson.

They are the primary options, the main guys, the spearhead of the attack.

But we already know all about them right?

So instead, Overtime is going to take a look at the second guy. If the poster boy gets double teamed, who's the ball going to? Who provides that steady stream of consistency and steps up when the big guys take a rest? Who may go unnoticed until they're suddenly not there?

I'm going to try and identify that second guy on all thirty teams, both for the season just gone and the upcoming one, then at the end i will choose my top five from the group.

Have i got it right for your team? Let me know what you think and your top 5.

This will be coming in two articles, one for each conference, so let's start with the East...

Atlanta Hawks
Last year:             This year:
Josh Smith            Josh Smith
With JJ easily being the most offensive talent in the ATL, Josh's offensive skills have been growing since his rookie season, and it only looks to improve.

Boston Celtics
Last year:                          This Year:
Ray Allen/Kevin Garnett         Ray Allen/Kevin Garnett
You can make a case for anyone of the big three being here, but Paul Pierce is probably the main man, and KG and Ray -Ray both make a brilliant second or third option.

Charlotte Bobcats
Last year:              This year:
Gerald Wallace        Gerald Wallace
This is kind of hard to distinguish, as it looks like the Bobcats have no options whatsoever, but assuming Jason Richardson of Emeka are first options that leaves Gerald Wallace.

Chicago Bulls
Last Year:              This Year:
Ben Gordon             Derrick Rose/Luol Deng
With Luol Deng normally being the first option, it was up to Ben Gordon to have that extra scoring punch that he used to provide from the bench. With Gordon apparently leaving, it will be interesting to see if the Bulls will stick with Deng or throw Rose into the deep end.

Cleveland Cavaliers
Last Year:                       This Year:
Zydrundas Ilgauskas          Mo Williams/Daniel Gibson
Big Z is under rated and is the only decent backup that Lebron has had for years, but age is catching up on him. Mo Williams is here to add a little more offensive, and with Daniel Gibson coming off an injury-plagued he could be the player he was in the 07 playoffs.

Detroit Pistons:
Last year:                  This Year:
Antonio McDyess         Jason Maxiell/Rodney Stuckey
Don't freak out!It is absolutely impossible to distinguish the number order for Billups, Hamilton, Prince and Sheed as options, so i've decided to group them all as the first option and look more at the role players. Jason Maxiell has been massive for the team and Rodney Stuckey will be looking to improve on that glimpse of greatness we saw in the playoffs.

Indiana Pacers:
Last Year:                 This Year:
Danny Granger            T.J Ford
Another tough one as they appear to not even know what their own options are. Danny Granger had a fairly productive year last season, but T.J Ford will be looking to integrate himself into the offense.

Miami Heat:
Last Year:                 This year:
Shawn Marion             Micheal Beasley
Even though Marion was only there for half the year, he was possibly even the first option once Wade was shut down, but let's face it, other than Wade there were no options on the Heat. Now with Wade back, Beasley will be edging his way into the box score, but he won't become first option over Wade for a while.

Milwaukee Bucks:
Last Year:                This Year:
Andrew Bogut            Richard Jefferson
Despite the fact that Bogut has never shown much of his ability in the NBA (though he did dominate for a single fame in the Olympics) he was still the second option behind Redd, now though Jefferson will take that role.

New Jersey Nets:
Last Year:                This Year:
Vince Carter              Yi Jianlian
Last year Vince Carter finally took a back seat on the offense to Richard Jefferson, however since Jefferson has departed, the Nets will have to reinstate Carter as the main option and see if Yi can live up to the hype that surrounds him.

New York Knicks:
Last Year:                This year:
Zach Randolph           It's anyone's guess.
I suppose Jamal Crawford would be the first option, as he is probably the most talented offensive player on the roster. After that though...it's too hard to find out which one is the other option?

Orlando Magic:
Last Year:                This Year:
Hedo Turkoglu           Hedo Turkoglu
Hedo had a brilliant year last season, and it was a travesty that he was left from the all-star team, and nothing looks to change, though you could argue he shares the spot with Rashard Lewis.

Philadelphia 76ers:
Last Year:                          This year:
Andre Miller/Louis Williams      Andre Iguodala
Though everyone chips in on the Sixers, it was the two guards that provided the most help for Iguodala. Of course, Brand will now be the first option on the team, and Andre will fall back into the second option.

Toronto Raptors:
Last Year:                 This year:
Jose Calderon             Jose Calderon/ Jermaine O'Neal
Bosh is and will remain the first option for the Raptors without a doubt. Although Calderon doesn't score as much as others on the team, the offense does run through him. He'll repeat this again this season, and O'Neal could work himself up to a joint second option, but personally i doubt it.

Washington Wizards:
Last Year:                 This year:
Antawn Jamison          Caron Butler/Antawn Jamison
With Mr.Arenas out for the season, Caron Butler stepped up to be the man last year for the Wizards and Antawn Jamison filled his role perfectly. Now that Gil is back, he will be the first option again, putting Caron and Antawn back into the joint second spot (personally i don't think Gil is going to be effective as the first option, but he will be either way)

Ok, that's the East done, check back in a few days for the West version as well as my Top Five...