I think we can take Orlando

[Diesel]

Everytime I listen to people talk about the East...

They say: Cleveland, Boston, Orlando... then Atlanta. This is good.. We're respected as the 4th place team in the East. BUT... As I look at our teams, I think we're better than Orlando. Seriously. I know they went to the finals last year. I know they have big Dwight Howard... But I think they will miss Alston and Turk. I think that with our guard play, we're just overwhelming to them. Especially if Howard's offense is still ignored.

I'm worried about Detroit, Washington, and Toronto.

Detroit - Vet team that has added Gordon and Charlie V. That's scary. They've reloaded. The combination of Stuckey, Rip, and Gordon could be deadly if played right. I believe that they can even get away with playing small ball and putting all three on the court together.

Toronto - Did somebody call for a new Euro team while nobody was looking. Toronto's strength is their size. With all that size, they can hide Bosh. Turk, Bargnani, and Bosh is a really big frontline. Add in Calderon. And overall, they're pretty Big. If DeRozan is anything like they say he is going to be (the next Vince Carter)... that team will be scary. Guoky Bigs all over and this one guy who can create. They will take some time to gel. However, they have a lot of good pieces.

Washington - Did anybody say anything about Agent 0? Agent 0 is the truth.. and now somebody was brilliant enough to stack talent around him: My god... Foye, Miller, Blatche, Jamison, Butler, McGee, Young, and Oberto??? Dang. When this team gels, they will be hard to beat because they can hit you with so many different looks. They can be good at anything they want to be good at. Driving. Shooting from outside. Post game.... This is the one Eastern team that can go from worst to first in my opinion.

[Plainview1981]

Everytime I listen to people talk about the East...

This team was 12 games better than the Hawks last year and pounded the Hawks in basically the last two meetings.

Who is going to play defense on that team? They have no center that has proven to be productive recently. If this team finishes below Detroit, the season is a complete failure.

They still can't defense and they'll be extremely soft.

They've never won more than 45 games. Washington is that team people always wait to be really good and it never happens. Sort of like the Bills. Jamison is old and is already banged up I think. They got injury prone players.

Edited October 19, 2009 by Hotlanta1981

[jerrywest]

#1. We have to prove that we can win on the road before anybody takes us seriously. Minnow bashing won't do it.

#2. Pistons are a disaster waiting to happen. Defensively too weak.

#3. Washington and Toronto have the potential to be good, but all their ducks have to line up.

#4. Crawford+JJ guard combo will score at will on Nelson+Carter. On the other hand, Nelson is the type of player Crawford can guard quite well.

[MaceCase]

No we are not as good as Orlando.....They have two allstar guards and then a plethora of talented bigs in the reigning DPOY Dwight, Shard, Gortat, Bass and then Anderson. Too deep and too good for us to realistically challenge IMO. Part of them not winning as many games as they should have last year was due to them not realizing their own potential and Stan Van overcoaching them in spots.

Tell me if you've heard this before, Brendan Haywood and Antwan Jamison are already injured. That Washington team may be deep in the backcourt but once again failed to address depth in the frontcourt where they have only two raw young bigmen and Oberto holding it down. Flip's zones may actually help their defense though.

Detroit spent nearly 20 million this offseason on two players to have them come off the bench....Others don't see it but I believe Dumars days are numbered once all that mid 2000's goodwill wears off. People downplay Philly saying they have no PGs but then what PGs do Detroit have? Will Bynum? Chucky Atkins? Both Stuckey and Ben Gordon are combo guards and they further shot themselves in the foot after a season where they brought in a ball dominating combo guard which upset the mercurial Rip Hamilton by bringing in another ball dominating combo guard. Their frontcourt is suspect as well

Toronto may have you believe they'll be better but 1) Turk is not that big of a difference maker and 2) Who exactly on that team knows what a defensive stance is? Granted it was preseason but they allowed 124 points to the Houston Rockets. No Yao, no TMac, no Scola, 124 points...This was with their starters all playing over 30 minutes against a team where nobody can create their own shot. I don't feel that they're super explosive enough to blow out teams and their defence surely won't stop anyone.

Now I don't feel we are safe in our 4th spot but we surely should fear teams like Chicago and Philly more than we should any of Det, Was, or Tor.

[jerrywest]

The part I hated was first Orlando took Bass from Dallas and then they kept Gortat. Also, they picked up an outside shooting power forward stud named Anderson in the Carter trade. Also, Boston matching Big Baby makes them so much deeper.

These luxury tax paying teams keep doing the extra thing that we just don't do. Even Stackhouse at minimum is too much for us.

[MaceCase]

The part I hated was first Orlando took Bass from Dallas and then they kept Gortat. Also, they picked up an outside shooting power forward stud named Anderson in the Carter trade. Also, Boston matching Big Baby makes them so much deeper.

These luxury tax paying teams keep doing the extra thing that we just don't do. Even Stackhouse at minimum is too much for us.

Personally, it makes sense for those teams to do that because in one case they have a closing championship window and the other has to capitalize on their previous season's success. Paying Stack doesn't make us championship caliber and I'd go so far as to say it doesn't even make us a better team considering that his impact as a lower % shooter than Crawful and nothing else doesn't fill any needs on our team. I rather be a team with no shot at a title but flexibility to get better than a team with no shot a title and no flexibility. Just look at the Hornets, Wizards or Jazz.

[frosgrim]

For me, Orlando is Orlando. They have Howard and shooters all around. That is tough to defend. The only real question for them is how does Carter fit in? Could be a disaster, or could work out really well. I have no idea. Can the Hawks catch them in the East? I am not really sure. Sometimes I think yes, others no. We are close to being up there with them in terms of wins. Head to head, it might be different story.

The others on the list do not impress me. Going to UConn I was never impressed with Charlie V (in fact I can't stand the guy). The experiment in Detroit, IMO, will be an epic fail on Dumars part. In fact, they sort of look like the Hawks right before BK blew the team up- bunch of shooters, no distributor, and no defensive pressence. In head to head, the Hawks out match the Pistons except at PG, and that is only because of Bibby's defense.

Washington: they have to prove they can play defense and stay healthy. Arenas also has to show that he's not the selfish chucker he was before the two years worth of injury. Head to head: again, this is a team that Hawks match up well against except at PG. Maybe this is a game where Crawford actually plays more than Bibby?

I agree w/ everyone else's sentiments on Toranto. There is no defense in that team. Slashers will kill them. We match them pretty closely on size. Even though we are shorter than their starting front line, its not by much, and we out weigh them. Good match up for the Hawks, IMO.

I would be more concerned with the Bulls- still may be missing that go to scorer, but they'll play tough defense, and Rose is more than advertised.

By the by, how good do people think Miami will be this year? They seem like a team in disarray. If Wade goes down for any stretch of time, they are sunk.

[AUhawksfan]

Not only do I see flaws in Detroits D, but who is going to distribute the ball on that team? They have a lot of guys that can create and score, but I can't see them sharing the ball effectively.

[High5]

What could make anyone believe we're better than Orlando?

[High5]

I remember last offseason absolutely everyone had Toronto pegged as a top 4 team and a fair amount of analysts claimed Toronto to win the Atlantic. Their reasoning? That TJ Ford was an extra piece they didn't need and Jermaine O'Neal with Bosh would be unstoppable.

I see similarities with that and the Magic bringing in VC along with losing Turk and Lee. I am just not convinced that you can make a large overhaul on your roster without there being some rough patches, especially when you have someone like VC who isn't exactly known for consistency. I don't see how its a given that Orlando will run away with the division like a lot of people are claiming, why not wait until we actually see that team play?

Toronto wasn't coming off of a 59 win season and a Finals appearance. Replacing Turkoglu with VC is huge. VC is going to have an easier time than ever with the still improving Howard in the post and shooters everywhere. Plus he should be inspired with his most realistic shot ever at a championship. He's exactly what the Magic were missing. Sure they lost Lee, but they should get more games out of Nelson and Pietrus along with the additions of Bass, Barnes, and Anderson. It's going to take some devastating injuries for the Magic not to run away with the division.

I love the Hawks and I'm excited about this season, but I have to be realistic here. The Magic are absolutely stacked.

[ATLSmith]

I'm more worried about teams brinning their A-game against the Hawks but sleeping against Toronto, Washington, and Detroit. The Hawks aren't a secret anymore.

As for Orlando... We could maybe take them in the playoffs but I'm not sure we'll bump them from the top 3 this year (but I'd love to be wrong).

[RedDawg#8]

Im not sure how acurate the depth charts are on ESPN.com but as far Orlando stands:

pg: Nelson, Johnson

sg: Carter, Pietrus

sf: Lewis, Barnes

pf: Bass, Anderson

C: Howard, Gortat

I originally thought Bass would come off the bench behind Lewis, with this starting unit they arent as deadly from deep as they were last year, plus taking Lewis even further away from the basket helps us out rebounding wise. Nelson is overated, the East had no true all-stars at pg but a bunch of fringe all-stars. I dont fear his game or him being an "all-star". Gortat is also overated, as skilled as he is, the Magic do not use him alot because Howard will stay on the floor so much. He has a decent game but his contributions are minimal. Their bech doesnt blow me away, esp with Bass starting. Joe Smith > Anderson

[RedDawg#8]

here it goes:

bibby = nelson, teague vs. johnson (u decide)

johnson = vince, crawford >> pietrus

Marv < Lewis, Evans = Barnes

Smith > Bass, Joe S > Anderson

Horford < Howard, Pachulia = Gortat

i think Teague would embraress johnson but i may be being biased. overall i think we are even with Orl, they're respect is based off of last seasons team which is a totally different look than this one. if Carter doesnt pan out then this offseason was a bust for them. and by pan out i mean stay healthy. we were 12 games back last year, they have to at least match their win total and im sure we can make up 8 or so games on the road. i like our chances of catching them.

[High5]

Im not sure how acurate the depth charts are on ESPN.com but as far Orlando stands:

pg: Nelson, Johnson

sg: Carter, Pietrus

sf: Lewis, Barnes

pf: Bass, Anderson

C: Howard, Gortat

I originally thought Bass would come off the bench behind Lewis, with this starting unit they arent as deadly from deep as they were last year, plus taking Lewis even further away from the basket helps us out rebounding wise. Nelson is overated, the East had no true all-stars at pg but a bunch of fringe all-stars. I dont fear his game or him being an "all-star". Gortat is also overated, as skilled as he is, the Magic do not use him alot because Howard will stay on the floor so much. He has a decent game but his contributions are minimal. Their bech doesnt blow me away, esp with Bass starting. Joe Smith > Anderson

I don't think that will be their starting lineup. Nelson, Carter, Pietrus, Lewis, and Howard is their best bet IMO. Nelson, Carter, Pietrus, and Lewis can all hit the 3 with efficiency. Pietrus supplies great perimeter D and Howard locks down the paint. All five are great athletes, VC and Howard being two of the biggest freaks the league has ever seen. I'm telling you guys, don't get your hopes up on the division unless you practice voodoo. Boston's old age catching up with them is a much, much more realistic opportunity for us to take the 3 seed.

[coachx]

#1. We have to prove that we can win on the road before anybody takes us seriously. Minnow bashing won't do it.

#2. Pistons are a disaster waiting to happen. Defensively too weak.

#3. Washington and Toronto have the potential to be good, but all their ducks have to line up.

#4. Crawford+JJ guard combo will score at will on Nelson+Carter. On the other hand, Nelson is the type of player Crawford can guard quite well.

True on all accounts.

The Pistons do not scare me at all. Charlie V is the worst defender in the league and is a poor rebounder. Gordon and Stuckey will have issues on defense when they play together and Rip is just too tiny to play SF defensively. To me this roster looks like a lot of pretty good pieces that just don't fit together with no true PG to get most out of the diverse offensive talent.

I will not have any faith in Washington until Arenas proves he has regained his from and can stay healthy. Jameison seems to be breaking down after years of banging against larger players.

The Raptors are quite interesting. I'm assuming Jarrett Jack will be starting for them at SG or maybe they start A. Wright for his size. What intrigues me is that Bosh has gained some muscel and how Bargani and Turkelough will mesh together. Bosh will be surrounded by shooters and says he will stop shooting as much from mid range and focus on the post offensively. The Raptors could be very good if they can keep it together defensively. Their backcourt defense is a bit of a weakness that may really hold them back.

The Raptors and Bulls worry me the most by far as far as competition for th 4th seed.

[Buzzard]

Personally, it makes sense for those teams to do that because in one case they have a closing championship window and the other has to capitalize on their previous season's success. Paying Stack doesn't make us championship caliber and I'd go so far as to say it doesn't even make us a better team considering that his impact as a lower % shooter than Crawful and nothing else doesn't fill any needs on our team. I rather be a team with no shot at a title but flexibility to get better than a team with no shot a title and no flexibility. Just look at the Hornets, Wizards or Jazz.

Don't sell the Wizards or Jazz short. They are both one breakout player or trade away from seriously contending; their needs are just different. Jazz need more help for Deron along the perimeter and Wizards need some defensive post help.

[Buzzard]

The part I hated was first Orlando took Bass from Dallas and then they kept Gortat. Also, they picked up an outside shooting power forward stud named Anderson in the Carter trade. Also, Boston matching Big Baby makes them so much deeper.

These luxury tax paying teams keep doing the extra thing that we just don't do. Even Stackhouse at minimum is too much for us.

Yes, Yes, and Yes. Barring injury to a major player, we are not better than Orlando, Cleveland, or Boston. Last season out of the big three, I thought our best matchup was with Cleveland; but now with Shaq, I do not like that matchup either. If I have to pick it goes to Cleveland with a old Shaq, then Boston with a old Garnet. Orlando is now the toughest matchup IMO. They are too deep and too talented.

Edited October 19, 2009 by Buzzard

[coachx]

Vince Carter turns 33 in the middle of the season.

He probably has one more all star level year in that body but this could be the year he really slows down.

I don't think Carter will have any trouble adjusting to the Magic's roster. Turkelough dominated the ball alot and he is out of town. Rashard Lewis prefers to play off the ball so he and Vince should fit together fine. ( Now I think fior Turkelough and Carter played together it would be a tough fit since both guys like to hold the ball).

The fact that Petrius can man up with opposition's best scorer will be a great for saving Carter's body and energy level.

Bass may get the start at PF but I see this lineup logging at least half the minutes together:

Nelson

Carter

Petrius

Lewis

Howard

When they need to go big they can alwayse throw Howard and Gortat out there together.

[Buzzard]

When was VC ever anything less than option 1b on a team? He has averaged around 20 FGA for his career and never less than 15.3 in a season. How can you predict how he will perform when you haven't seen him play for the team? Its a different role than what we have seen him play, so its not like we can simply transfer his stats from last year and predict with .9-1.1 of each stat.

My point with the Toronto example is no one had ever seen Bosh and O'Neal play together, yet analysts were firing out left and right these ridiculous assumptions about the team and the players as to how they will react to a different role. The same thing can be said about VC right now, we just don't know how he will react since this is a completely different situation for him. So why not actually SEE him play before you go off the deep end and crown Magic the champs of the Southeast?

Well it is more of a deep end to think our Hawks will win it IMO. When you consider these facts:

Orlando won the S.E.C. for the 2nd year in a row and the E.C.C last season. Did Toronto do that the year before the hype?

And finally, they signed all their returning players except a guy they plan on replacing with a perenial all-star; while adding another good big man named Bass.

Unfortunately as a Hawks fan this looks good to me.

Edited October 19, 2009 by Buzzard

[High5]

When was VC ever anything less than option 1b on a team? He has averaged around 20 FGA for his career and never less than 15.3 in a season. How can you predict how he will perform when you haven't seen him play for the team? Its a different role than what we have seen him play, so its not like we can simply transfer his stats from last year and predict with .9-1.1 of each stat.

My point with the Toronto example is no one had ever seen Bosh and O'Neal play together, yet analysts were firing out left and right these ridiculous assumptions about the team and the players as to how they will react to a different role. The same thing can be said about VC right now, we just don't know how he will react since this is a completely different situation for him. So why not actually SEE him play before you go off the deep end and crown Magic the champs of the Southeast?

Hey, if you want to hold out hope I'm not going to stop you. Just trying to give you a heads up.