Looking at my calendar today, I realized that the NBA season is just a month and a half away!  Now, I’m no mathematician, but a month and a half is comprised of six weeks.  Six, ah, the number of divisions in the NBA!  Six posts, the number of posts it will take for me to break down the entire NBA, one division at a time.  Shall we get started?

The Atlantic Division is an interesting beast to tame.  This past season it yielded the NBA Title (Celtics), and two other teams have loaded up this offseason with two big signings; Elton Brand to the 76ers and Jermaine O’Neal to the Raptors.  The Atlantic Division could boast three playoff teams this coming season, just like last season.  It’s time for a team-by-team breakdown.

Boston Celtics:
After their return to glory, it will be interesting to see what their less than youth-filled team does.  Their offseason has only seen the loss of James Posey, who played a pivotal role in the success of the Celtics.  It will be interesting to see who will pick up the slack at the ever-important “6th Man” spot.  I’m sure Boston would like to see Tony Allen or Eddie House emerge as Posey 2.0, but I doubt it.  Oh, wait, I almost forgot, they signed Darius Miles, whose biggest play to this point in his career was when he cheated on the SAT in that awful movie.

New Jersey Nets:
Mediocrity, mediocrity and more mediocrity.  Moving Richard Jefferson was the best thing that ever happened to the Nets.  He is just awful.  That ugly business aside, the Nets front office seems content with filling their roster with guys that have come two or three deep off NBA benches.  For now, we will call this group of players “The Magnificent 7’s”.  The Nets plan to make a playoff run with Josh Boone, Keyon Dooling, Trenton Hassell, Jarvis Hayes, Eduardo Najera, Bobby Simmons, and Stomile Swift. However, the 7’s aside there are two bright spots in the Nets’ lineup.  Devin Harris and Yi Jianlian could, eventually turn into playoff worthy players in the East.  The bottom line is the Vince Carter Nets are destined for mediocrity and beach houses come playoff time.

New York Knicks:
Oh boy.  Are you allowed, as a team, to say that nobody is a starter?  If so, the Knicks should consider this option.  This team looks exactly the same as last year except for Danilo Gallinari, Pat Ewing, and Chris Duhan.  I wouldn’t even know where to start with this team if I were Mike D’Antoni.  I’d have packed my bags for Europe.  Even more depressing is a comment the Knicks recently made saying they are in no hurry to get rid of Zach Randolph.  The only way this team won’t finish in the bottom five in the league this season is if they somehow make drastic changes in the next month.  I don’t see it happening.

Philadelphia 76ers:
Here’s where things start to get interesting.  The 76ers are making a push in this division and should be fighting for second place.  Adding Elton Brand, assuming he is still what he was a few seasons ago and that he stays healthy, was a huge move.  They have struggled with post offense in recent seasons, and this could be the remedy.  Resigning Louis Williams, one of the more promising young point guards in the league shows promise for their future.  Expect Williams to get more PT this year to get ready for Andre Miller to retire at some point.  Iguodala, who has emerged into a star, is finally going to have some help in Thaddeus Young, Willie Green, and of course Brand.  Expect a big season from the 76ers, assuming health is not an issue.

Toronto Raptors:
This is another Atlantic Division team with promise.  They got rid of one injury plagued player (T.J. Ford) for another (Jermaine O’Neal).  The last few years in Indiana, O’Neal basically tanked and needed a fresh start.  He has one now and it will be interesting to see what the Raptors do with a two center lineup.  Jose Calderon, with Ford gone, will now be holding down the point guard position by himself.  It looks promising for the Raptors.  If Chris Bosh plays anything like he did in the Olympics, the Raptors are in a good place in the East.  The other thing the Raptors have is a decent bench with Jason Kapono and Croatian Sensation, Roko Ukic.  Toronto should be battling Philadelphia for the second spot in the division.

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