If I had to choose a division with the most potential, it would have to be the Southeast.  Looking around the division there is no shortage of young, extremely athletic talent from Dwight Howard to Josh Smith, Gerald Wallace to Michael Beasley, and lets not forget Chris Quinn… Just joking.  Despite the amount of raw talent and potential, I still think there are one or two teams in the division that are at least one year away from really contending.
Atlanta Hawks
After the Hawks stab at the Celtics in the first round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs just last year, one would think they would be primed to go further.  I would have to agree.  Some skeptics would argue that the loss of Josh Childress overseas will hurt their depth, but I feel they reloaded nicely with the addition of Maurice Evans, who will provide a similar enthusiasm off the bench.  Their starting rotation is pretty solid from one to five.  Emerging star Josh Smith will have a great impact on the season and is my prediction for a spot on the all-star roster as well as defensive player of the year.  The Hawks will return to the playoffs.
Charlotte Bobcats
So much talent, so few wins.  I know the Bobcats have had trouble staying healthy in the past, but push has to come to shove at some point with their current “on-court personnel”.  If this group of players is going to have a breakout season, this has to be it.  Emeka Okafor will be healthy.  Gerald Wallace will be at the top of his game (even offensively).  Raymond Felton should have enough experience under his belt to be ready to lead a team, and maybe most importantly, Adam Morrison and moustache should be ready to go.  Just kidding.  All joking aside, the Bobcats, whether they play well or not this year are just in a bad situation with all teams surrounding them on the up and up.  Expect the Bobcats to be watching the playoffs from home again despite their growth.
Miami Heat
As a team of gross ups and downs, the Miami Heat have given fans abandonment issues after they completely disappeared last year from their status as top tier in the NBA.  Although, after an incredible Olympic stint for Dwayne Wade and incoming superstar to be, Michael Beasley, the Heat are moving in the right direction.  They have gotten rid of a few cancers recently in the form of Jason Williams (now retired) and Ricky Davis.  If Shawn Marion plays the way he can (as a perennial defensive stud), the Heat will be just fine.  I think Dwayne Wade has the capacity to lead this team to the playoffs again, Shaq or not.  Although, it would be huge if the Heat can make a decent signing this offseason in the form of a point guard and a competent big man.  It will be interesting to see how that team melds together, but I expect they have a great chance to be in the playoffs.
Orlando Magic
One of the more promising teams in the NBA are the Orlando Magic.  They have made the playoffs the last couple of seasons but making no more noise than a pebble in the ocean.  The Magic have made some key offseason moves in drafting Courtney Lee and signing Mikael Pietrus.  They needed help defensively and got it.  Lee will prove to be a huge asset to the team, as he is as, if not more, NBA ready as any player in this draft.  Both Pietrus and Lee can run the court and have decent strokes from long-range.  As a fan of the NBA, I would still like to see Dwight Howard become more than just a dominating offensive force from three feet outside of the basket.  It would be nice to see a mid-range jump shot and improved free throw shooting.  Regardless, the Magic are in a good spot and should be one of the top four, or so, teams in the East this season.  The Magic can make a push toward at least a conference championship if they can stay healthy, and if Hedo Turkoglu plays anything like last season, they will be in great shape.
Washington Wizards
There is a problem with a few NBA teams that will surface in the next year, and the Washington Wizards are poster children for this malady.  The Wizards are falling behind the progression curve of NBA teams, which will eventually bring the consequences of having to rebuild.  They have a guard-dominated lineup that boasts almost no inside scoring.  The Wizards just resigned Gilbert Arenas and Antawn Jamison, further proving they are stuck in their ways.  I just don’t see how the Wizards have improved in the least or how they can expect to get past the first round of the playoffs, if they even get there this season.  I almost forgot, don’t expect to see Arenas until after the all-star break.  Must be nice to have a huge contract while just hanging out.  It seems like he is slowly going back to being a zero.  I’m going to go out on a mildly thin limb and say the Wizards aren’t going to be in the playoffs, too much progression surrounding them.
Projected Standings
1.    Orlando Magic
2.    Miami Heat
3.    Atlanta Hawks
4.    Washington Wizards
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