Along with the player previews we are going to break down each team based on their divisions. We kick things off with the Atlantic Division which has undergone quite the mix up in the offseason.

How they will finish: 

5. 76ers +6600

We may be starting off with the single worst team in hoops. There may be a couple others with something to say about that but here’s the 76ers starting 5; Michael-Carter Williams, Evan Turner, Thaddeus Young, Lavoy Allen, and Spencer Hawes with virtually no depth. Obviously there was something about Jrue Holiday they did not like and decided to really blow things up completely. They have some young guys and will be getting another young guy with some potential in the upcoming draft. They should be firmly in a top lottery position and in a deep draft they should be able to turn that pick into something that will help them for the future. But as of now, 66-1 is nowhere near enough value to consider betting them, 500-1, maybe.

4. Raptors +1400

This team has a chance to be a bit frisky. However, I don’t quite know if Rudy Gay is all that great of a teammate. He doesn’t seem to make people around him any better. He is a gifted athlete but not a leader to say the least.

While DeMar DeRozan should take a step forward as one of their best scorers the guy to keep your eye on is Jonas Valanciunas. The 6’11 21 year old from Lithuania has some eyeballs on him now. He closed last season out with some stellar play on offense and on defense. Like I said, this kid is only 21, he has just scratched the surface. He has looked tremendous in the offseason and may be on his way to making some All-Star teams in the near future.

3. Celtics +3300

This may seem like a homer pick and maybe it is a little bit but I really like Brad Stevens. I think he alone is worth a few extra wins. He is going to be a great coach for the Celtics for a long time. Obviously, their roster has been gutted especially with Rondo’s status still up in the air. The C’s are going to need to get a lot out of Jeff Green, and I think he will be good enough to keep this team competitive. They have enough talent on this team to hang around while Rondo gets healthy. Depending on the front office’s strategy with Rondo, they could have enough to sneak into the playoffs. But again they would need Rondo to be 100% healthy and would need the organization to stay committed to him for them to make a late push into the postseason. Also a sneaky good signing is Phil Pressey. This kid was good at Missouri. He can handle the rock and can set guys up for easy baskets. He may a surprise breakout rookie for the Celtics this year.

2. Knicks +175

Last year I didn’t think the Knicks had any business being as good as they were. Carmelo tried to take all the shots so when anyone else got the ball they would jack up a three and they would keep falling it was amazing at a certain point. But this year they suddenly have some nice depth that feel to me will gel around Carmelo nicely. Provided he doesn’t just continue to try and take all the shots, while playing none of the defense.

In the offseason they were much busier than people seem to think. The feel I get from most people is that it’s the same Knicks team. But they made a couple key moves that could position them to be a factor when it matters. They traded for Andrea Bargnani who will help spread the floor for Carmelo and will provide another guy that can create his own shot. He certainly hasn’t lived up to his draft position but he has become a bit of an afterthought being stuck in Toronto. He shoots at a high rate from all over the floor. He should provide a much steadier option as the second scorer as opposed to just hoping JR Smith is hot.

They also signed Ron Artest who can come in off the bench and play some solid defense on the bigger guys that say Iman Shumpert would have a disadvantage against. Also, they drafted Tim Hardaway Jr. out of Michigan which is one of the sneakier great draft picks. He can come off the bench play some decent defense and can knock down the outside shot. He has even showed he is more than capable of knocking down a big shot when called upon.

If the Knicks has this team last season they may have been able to make a deep playoff run and even may have had a chance to knock off Miami. This year you shouldn’t forget about them even though the East is really going to be the better conference this season. Between Rose coming back and the Nets making a huge splash, the East has some great teams and the Knicks may be the one everyone forgets about when the games really matter.

1. Nets -200

As much as I like that Knicks squad, I just can’t count on Carmelo Anthony enough to get the job done. As good a scorer as he may be, I don’t know if he can be the leader that it takes to really get it done. The Nets just have too much, provided Deron Williams doesn’t derail this season for the Nets. While the Nets will certainly be watching the minutes of their two newest members, Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, they have the depth that can keep them near the top of the East and certainly the Atlantic Division. Andrei Kirilenko, Reggie Evans and Andray Blatche are about as good as you can get as backups in the front court. The signing of Kirilenko could prove to put them over the top since it will give them a ton of versatility, provided he stays healthy. If they can get anything out of Jason Terry off the bench they could win the East. I have to keep this rather short, I’m getting sick thinking about Paul Pierce playing for the Nets. But they are my pick to win the division.

Best Bets:

Knicks +175 to win the division

The Knicks could win this division in a number of ways. Though the Nets are the superior team, they may start off slow trying to get used to playing each other. They could suffer a key injury or two and/or they could pace their players to the point that they can’t keep up a torrid regular season pace, as they play for the playoffs.

mlz

Monday, October 14, 2013