Here we are with our first - and thus of extended length - rundown of the cream the Atlantic division can provide (and please don't expect a lot, this is NOT going to be pretty)
The Leader:
1.) Brooklyn Nets (8-2)(hey, we play 2009 now, anyone believe this team is still a Swampland citizen then?)
The are hands down the best team in the league. Scary. Emeka and Sammy are the most lethal one-two punch in the frontcourt (and young too, beware), the points have experience and skills (unbelievable A/T ratio) and there's that jordanesque Petitt ready to put up 40 anytime. This team can get 120 pts against anyone and hold everyone to 80 in the process.
Their backups would make a nice starting five for the Celtics (and lead them to the playoffs easily), so what can stop this team? (Write the correct answer to SSBA sweepstakes, PO Box 7129, 22207 Arlington, VA - and you can win the grand prize: SSBA Champ 2009)
Assumption: The Nets get bored after their second 28-game win streak and when Emeka & Sammy decide to join the Beach Volleyball Pro Tour currently playing at Venice beach (and ultimately not come back but move to the Copacabana full time) management deals Petitt to the Cavs for Keogan, three 2nd and NINE 1st rounders (save for the 2011 Celtics 1st which turns into the top pick and later gives the Cavs a new Shaq with handles, mobility and 90% ft shooting) to get any kick out of the season and still win the title with Keogan averaging 43ppg and Trent Lo 16rpg.
Otherwise it would make no sense discussing any other team - yes, the gap it's that freaking big it would make the Grand Canyon look like a hairline fracture ...
The middle-of-the-pack team:
2.) Orlando Magic (9-6)They score a healthy 105ppg and allow 104ppg. Their winning formula is outshooting the opponent and with three guys around 20ppg they can beat you from many angles. While Mr. TripleDbl Kidd shows no signs of slowing down at age 34 (shooting better than 53% from 2pt and 3pt land) slowly Dwight Howard is taking over as team leader. And there's still that Ray "Jesus" Allen guy filling it up.
They have some issues, mainly at the backup spots where many Rookies or 2nd yr players are prominently forced into the rotation. And having one of the oldest starting linups in SSBA their window of opportunity is closing fast.
The bottom dwellers:
3.) Manhatten Knicks (6-10)ROY Trevor Wells (sorry Vince) took this team and carries it - which is all you need to know about the state of the Knickerbockers.
Their three best scorers are all SGs (sounds like a tru Isiah lineup - well this IS NY after all) and up front hey have only Sweetney at 6'9/250 (real NYK fan cringing on the floor). Actually they also employ a 6'9 starting C in Fleisher and some 6'9-6'10 frontcourt backups. Sounds undersized? Yup!
Still they currently beat the teams they can beat (great god!) and have one of the better backcourts with Miles, Francis, Wells, Craw and LaDon Curry. As long as Sweets and Nazr don't go down they can dream of the final postseason birth.
The Knicks give up the most points in the league and the scoring diff is bigger than -10. So how can they still be #3 in this division? Stay tuned to find out the answer in the soon-to-come
part 2 of this ranking
Welcome back to our second and last part of the ultimate "Atlantic Div Power Ranking after sim#2" trilogy. We continue with the spots #4 to #7, this time starting at the VERY BOTTOM and moving up (hey, I didn't promise you it'd be easy to get through this ...)
The team below the teams under the bottom dweller teams: 7.) Boston Celtics (2-80) (The term "Celtic pride" has officially been cancelled from the media guide)
They are the worst team in the league and, funny enough, still believe in themselves (at least no one else does). This sorry franchise, never having been to the postseason in 5 tries, is currently making life easy for the opponent. On below 40% shooting they score more than 3pts less than the 2nd worst scoring team in SSBA (86ppg) while giving up a decent 98ppg. They allow opponents a league-2nd-worst 57 boards a game and are outrebounded by almost 8 in the process.
Their lonely hope is their depth. There's no star player to carry them (or shut down anybody 1on1), so they rely on team effort and the fact that at least 13 players can play an interchangeable part in their rotation - meaning they are too bad to be a clear-cut starter. Will this helps them leave the cellar anytime soon ? We'll keep an eye on that ...
The teams under the bottom dweller teams: 6.) Miami Vice (7-11)Despite some early season success (with wins over Mavs, Raptors and Sonics) the Heat remain a work in progress. They are led by a ground solid PG combo in Jones and Watson - who couldn't hit the ocean from South beach with the rock. Their team leader Gasol has everything you want from a big man but little help up front. While Harping, Tsakalidis and Long are nice role players they are no offensive thread and allow the opponents to mainly stay with Gasol. And while Q provides great shooting from the wing he doesn't stop anyone on the other end of the floor.
Rookie Juan Ward is forced to start at SG after being picked # 57 in this last draft - no small feat but it sure helps having the second best TC in the league [INSIDER QUESTION: which player had the best TC this year in terms of improvement in rating points ? Post the answer ...]
So what will this season bring? A playoff spot? A lotto pick (or two)? As it looks now the latter leads ...
5.) Sixers (8-6)Despite holding the third spot in the division standings we currently rank the sixers no high then 5th (no team with TD can drop lower than 5th in a divisional power ranking, EVER!). The officially entered the "probably rebuilding" mode recently by giving away defensive stud Manu Ginobili for Andre "TO" Miller, some picks and 3 towels. Now while Austin can replace the offense lost in the deal look for the point differential to turn negative soon.
With Tim, Tanner, Elson and Dyess they still have a formidable if not superb frontcourt and as long as Terpening, George, Austin, Arroyo and Miller can keep the opposition honest on both ends of the floor they can play with anybody - and might even sneak into the postseason. BUT they won't go too far as well and the question arises if it's the right idea for a middle-of-the pack to "waste" the late prime of TD when it's obvious they won't come close to a championship even with him.
So stay tuned for further changes here ...
4.) Washington Bu..zzards (5-12)They got Amare. And Amare does the Amare things. And they got the original AI. Who does the AI things. And these two are good enough to carry young rookies Paul Maggette and Vince Davies (is it just me or do we have a "Vince" inflation lately. I mean Vince is a brand name. Everyone knows who you're talking bout when you mention Vince. This name really should have been RETIRED !!!) as well as old vets like Sheed and Fortson on their backs.
Their defense is above average and they board well too. Actually the Wizards are almost so much dead even with the opposition at every statistical category that Vegas doesn't accept bets anymore that they'll end up with a 41-41 record. But even without some injuries they'll be hard pressed to repeat last seasons late run into the playoffs this year, just because they didn't improve as much as other teams looking in last year ...
So much for this early season preview which gave a brief outlook on the season ahead. Next time we take a deeper look into outstanding personal performances (like Eddie Robinson wearing 97 different sweaters on the bench during the 67 games he missed due to injury back in 2003) and - of course - provide the updated rankings for you ...
