Results were as expected - success and occasional domination, with Francis sharing and distributing like the natural point guard he is, and Grant Hill returning from a sprained pinky finger. Another uncontroversial midseason trade of Mobley netted guard Doug Christie, which worked out better than planned, especially with all of the whores and groupies hanging around him all the time.

The team also overcame the distraction of rookies Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson, who were nothing but problem children, Howard often vandalizing the locker room and arena with pagan symbols and "Jesus is a jerk" graphitti.

If this sounds like a review of last season more than a preview of this one, it's because the Magic made so many moves this summer we can't even get a handle on all of them. This team looks completely different from last year, and we can't wait to see how coach Brian Hill, starting his 15th year with the team, fits the new pieces together.

Predicted record: 49-33

Miami Heat

What can anyone say about a team with Shaquille O'Neal and Dwayne Wade? Of course the Heat will be the favorites to go to the NBA finals.

As great as the Heat were last season, look at what they have done in the off season. They acquired Jason Williams and James Posey from the Grizzlies, signed free agent Antoine Walker and now solidified their bench with the *gulp* veteran Gary Payton. That's right, if you read the Atlantic division preview, the HEX is still on. Actually the HEX is on for two reasons, the "glove" just adds to the old HEX i put on Alonzo Mourning for being sick, too sick to play in Toronto, but not sick enough to hang from Shaq's nuts like Payton is. Good thing Shaq's got two, right?

Is there another guard capable of taking the spotlight off of Lebron James? Dwayne Wade may be the only one right now, in the way that he cuts to the basket and plays defense with no fear and no regard for his own body.

Shaquille O'Neal must look at this year as the year to take it all again. O'Neal is definitely on his way down, his skills are going to erode rather quickly as they usually do with big men. Too many years of pounding on those knees and ankles and too much abuse from the double and triple teams and hack-a-shack's. How many more Shaq "quality" years are left?

This is another lineup that looks as deep as can be. Williams starting at the point backed up by a future Hall of Famer in Gary Payton, Walker starting at power forward backed up by Udonis Haslem, who had a break out year last year (we'll just pretend it had nothing to do with playing next to Shaq), and of course, Shaq backed up by, *uh-hem*, Alonzo Mourning.

I will understand if they Heat win a championship. Wade deserves that kind of success, i just don't like those "cleaner fish" who travel from team to team, only looking for a way to win a championship. Learn from Reggie Miller people...

My Picks:

Best Player: Shaquille O'Neal
Best Rookie: Wayne Simien
Prediction: 1st (Central), 1st (East)

Washington Wizards

I'm the wiz. I'm the wiz. The Wizards laid down the law last season. It was impressive to see a team heading into the playoffs not taking any crap from a player. In 2001, Kwame Brown was the first high school player ever taken with the first pick of the draft. Attitude and injuries always seemed in the forefront with Brown and only one of those can be tolerated, not both.

Brown was traded to the LA Lakers in return for Caron Butler and Chucky Atkins. A good move in my opinion, trading a guy that no longer fits into the work ethic of the team for two talented far from superstar players.

The big loss for Washington was having Larry Hughes leave for the Cleveland Cavaliers. It will be difficult to replace that kind of scoring and defensive presence. The Wizards were able to land Antonio Daniels as a free agent, but that's far from replacing anything Hughes gave the team.

The team's strength this year will come from point guard Gilbert Arenas who can score from anywhere and has ice in his veins and the collection of talented big men, led by Antawn Jamison who found new life after coming to Washington from Dallas last season. Brendan Haywood and Etan Thomas are two nasty post players to be pitted against, those guys fight for every point and fight hard.

If the Wiz can get over the loss of Hughes and plug the hole with a combination of Daniels and Butler, there is no reason they can't compete in the SouthEast, although taking on the Miami Heat will be tough.

My Picks:

Best Player: Gilbert Arenas
Best Rookie: *
Prediction: 2nd (Central), 4th (East)

Orlando Magic

The Orlando Magic are a little bit of an enigma to me. With last season's personnel shuffle following the Tracy McGrady trade, sometimes it looked like the players weren't all on the same page. Doesn't a team led at the point by Steve Francis always seem that way? I thought the same of the Houston Rockets when he was there.

What a great sight to see last year, Grant Hill returning to the court and playing effectively was definitely a sweet story and although his season was cut short towards the end, there is hope that he is fully recovered from his series of ankle surgeries and will return to the court again this season, hopefully more confident and more like his old self than last year.

Dwight Howard, "man child" proved that he can play in this league and will someday be a dominant post player, after all, he was just drafted out of high school and he still averaged a double-double through his rookie season. When is the last time that feat was accomplished? I don't hear enough hype about that. Emeka Okafor averaged a double-double as well, but he was drafted out of the college ranks.

I have to say, it would be nice to see Jameer Nelson get some more starters minutes. It seemed the Magic played a more fluid game when Nelson started at the point and Francis was shifted to shooting guard.

It will be interesting to see if Kelvin Cato and Tony Battie can stay healthy this year. I remember thinking before last season that Tony Battie was a big gamble for the Magic, considering his bad knee history while with the Celtics and Cavaliers, but it didn't play as big a factor in Orlando as i thought. That's not to say the injury is completely over with, but if Battie and Cato can spell each others minutes, I'd be ready to let Howard have a bigger role in the post.

What the heck happened with the Fran Vasquez pick? Vasquez was rated one of the top big men available in this years draft and was taken with Orlando's first pick, 11th overall. Shortly after the draft, we started hearing about Vasquez not going to come to the Magic, rather he would stay in Spain and play for Real Madrid. This is a long standing issue with the NBA draft. Players can enter themselves for eligibility, but it doesn't mean that they actually have to commit to the NBA team that picks them. This was an 11th pick though, if an NBA team knows the player has no intention of coming to the league, then they could use that pick on someone that has shown that interest. Come to think of it, i guess the blame could be laid on the Magic organization as well for not doing their homework properly. They just went into the draft thinking, once picked, they could convince Vasquez to come to Orlando.

"I've said, 'No,' because I was afraid to adapt to the American way of life, and of not giving the level they have asked. I'm not a coward, but I prefer to stay in Spain, progress, and who knows? Maybe jump to the NBA in a few years."

Does that sound like a man ready to commit to the NBA? Could they not have known that before the draft? The lure of the NBA life isn't what we think it is, i guess.

My Picks:

Best Player: Steve Francis
Best Rookie: *
Prediction: 3rd (Central), 10th (East)

Charlotte Bobcats

Expansion what? I remember when the expansion Toronto Raptors and Vancouver Grizzlies came into the league. The two teams didn't look like they had a hope in hell of improving in their first few seasons. It's a different story for the Bobcats through, you can look at that roster and the way Bernie Bickerstaff has drafted and signed talent and see the improvement coming rather quickly.

I had some questions about the drafting of Emeka Okafor. I had heard the stories of his back problems and how it would hinder his play in the extended NBA schedule. Well, i was wrong to doubt the pick, wasn't i? Okafor played above and beyond expectations and from all accounts is learning and developing this off season in hopes of being a bigger part of the team's offense.

There were too big surprises for me when watching the Bobcats last season. Primoz Brezec, who couldn't bribe his way unto the court in Indiana was picked by Charlotte in the expansion draft and proved to be a steal. The guy can play, he can score and rebound with the best of them, and he's young. Now, who the heck would have thought that Brevin Knight would have been among the league leaders in assist, almost averaging a double-double for the season with points and assists.

This season should be interesting for the Bobcats again and there's no reason to believe they won't improve. The Bobcats drafted a great college point guard in Raymond Felton and they are surely hoping the lack of size Sean May has won't be as big a hindrance as people think.

I just don't think the improvement will be significant enough to get them into the playoffs, but it will bring some more excitement to Charlotte.

My Picks:

Best Player: Emeka Okafor
Best Rookie: Raymond Felton
Prediction: 4th (Central), 11th (East)

Atlanta Hawks

Oh woe, the Hawks ended up having another disappointing season. I've been silently pulling for the Hawks for years. The lovable losers of my life.

Just look at their lineup this season and you can see the potential is incredible, but there is much seasoning to be done. Even the addition of Joe Johnson this off season won't bring the Hawks into the playoffs, the supporting staff in Atlanta is not what it needs to be this season, not that it won't be in the future, it's just not there right now.

Much like the Toronto Raptors, you have to question the choice of selecting a player that occupies the same position as your draft pick of the year prior. Marvin Williams is a great talent, but Josh Childress will have something to say about Williams' playing time.

The Hawks would have taken a huge step into respectability if they had signed Eddy Curry to an offer sheet this off season, but the issue of Curry's irregular heart beat and his unwillingness to be tested by Hawks' doctors just soured that deal to such an extent, there was no getting by it.

Because this team is still so young, there is no way to properly judge the future, other than to say it's going to be good, but whether or not the Hawks can hold on to their young guys beyond their rookie contracts is going to be the question.

My Picks:

Best Player: Joe Johnson
Best Rookie: Marvin Williams
Prediction: 5th (Central), 15th (East)

PS: Note stating the obvious: Dwight Howard is going to be a hell of a player.

When looking at the waiver wire, there are usually two ways to go. You can go for the player who just put up great numbers earlier in the night, and hope that he can continue his strong play. Often times this will be a player filling in for an injured teammate (Antonio McDyess and Darrell Armstrong come to mind) and they will certainly give you a nice shot in the arm. In the five games McDyess has started with Ben Wallace out, he has averaged a very hand 12.2 ppg, 10 rpg, 1 bpg on 49% shooting. For teams in need of a warm body, that s quite a welcome sight. But then there are teams that drafted well and haven t been hit by injuries. Those teams can afford to take more chances with the players they pick up. They aren t looking to catch lightning in a bottle, but are looking instead for an underachiever with little value at the time, but has a good chance of having considerable value down the road. So with that in mind, let s take a look at some Quick Fixes and some Long Termers.



Quick Fixes

Lee Nailon

Things just can t get any worse for the Hornets. They lost Jamal Mashburn before the season started, lost Baron Davis just a couple of weeks in, and now they will be without their last remaining legitimate NBA starter, as Jamaal Magloire looks to be out for up to a month after breaking a finger. Who would have thought that the expansion team playing in Charlotte right now would be better than the team that recently left? But where there s injury, there s opportunity in fantasy land. Even the most pitiful of teams will score at least 80 points a night the Nets have proven this in the early going. Darrell Armstrong and David Wesley will continue to do the bulk of the shooting and scoring and P.J. Brown may yet salvage some value. But Lee Nailon will get his chance as well. An afterthought signing, Nailon has always been a capable scorer throughout his career as his 7.5 ppg in just 16.8 mpg proves. This hasn t kept him from being on five teams in the last three years, though, and now he s back to the organization, if not the city, where he started. Before Sunday s horrific 1-for-14 performance, Nailon had an impressive string of four games where he averaged 19.3 points, 6 boards and 1.8 assists. He won t help much in the hustle categories or in 3s, but he is a career 47% shooter from the field and 78% from the line. Until Baron returns, except him to see big minutes and be one of the top scoring options. If you re looking for a warm body, he s pretty warm.



Kelvin Cato

Yes, really, Kelvin Cato. It s for one reason and one reason only, and we all know what that is. After blocking at least three shots in the first four games of the season, Cato missed the next three games, but has returned to the starting lineup since then and is averaging a pretty healthy 28.6 mpg. You know you re not getting any scoring from him, so he needs to be an asset in blocks and rebounds. To his credit, he s averaging 7.4 boards and 2.4 blocks in those five games. As a bonus, he s even snagged 7 steals in the last 3 contests. He s still going to hurt more than he helps, but if you are in a bind for a center which is often the case he s not a bad stop-gap.



Hedo Turkoglu

Let s stick with the Magic. Hedo has never been one of my favorites; I never found a reason to like a guy who was supposedly a scorer but came into the season a career 41% shooter. He has certainly taken a liking to Orlando, though. When Cuttino Mobley went down, it was DeShawn Stevenson that stepped into his starting role, but it s been Turkoglu that has been reaping the benefits. Mobley doesn t appear to be improving and may be heading to the IL, meaning Turkoglu should keep his modest value for the time being. And it is just modest despite his strong play, he still checks in only at #91 on the 15-day player rater. Still, that s the equivalent of an 8th round pick in 12-team leagues, so there s value there, especially for teams in need of 3s. The Magic backcourt remains crowded and Mobley will get his time when he comes back, but you might be able to squeeze another productive week or two out of Hedo.



Long Termers



Mike Dunleavy

The former Duke star and #3 overall pick is finding himself kicked to the curb quite a bit these days. It s hard to blame owners, as he has still yet to fulfill his promise, and he endured a brutal three-game stretch recently where he averaged 3.3 points, 2.3 boards and 1.7 assists on 27% shooting. Still, there s a reason for optimism. It seems like we say it about the Warriors every year, but soon they will realize they have no chance at anything this year and will want to see what Dunleavy can do. He offers that intriguing combination of long-range ability, passing savvy and size. His numbers last year 11.7/5.9/2.9 with 1.3 3pg on 45% shooting were not bad at all for a second year player. If he continues to show the improvement he did this year, he could end up being Keith Van Horn with a few more assists. A dozen games is too early to give up on him. His 20 point, 4 rebound, 3 assist, 2 block performance Sunday was reason enough for encouragement.



Nene Hilario

I ll still use a last name when talking about him. He s been another early-season disappointment, as he played 18 minutes in the season opener then missed the next 8 games and killed owners by not going on the IL. He has since returned, but hasn t done much, as he is clearly still finding his legs. He has shot 4-for-19 in his four games and has averaged a meager 5 points and 2.3 boards. But it should be noted that the Nuggets had been struggling but have won 3 of the 4 games since he s been back. And it should always be noted that if he is indeed healthy, the only thing keeping him from a starting job is Marcus Camby staying healthy. Camby did that last year, but has already missed two games this year, and it s just a matter of time. As a center, Hilario doesn t get as many blocks as you d like, but he gets plenty of steals he averaged 1.5 in just 30 mpg over his career. He s also a career 52% shooter. He was probably being counted on to start for teams that have dumped him. If you ve managed so far at center, he would be a fine person to stash away and reap the rewards later.



Samuel Dalembert

To tell you the truth, it s hard for me to put him on here, as he has really shown less than nothing this year. But he s a favorite, so I ll make an exception. Marc Jackson has exceeded all expectations as the 76ers starter so far, and has done absolutely nothing to deserve to lose his starting spot. Besides AI, he s been their most consistent scoring threat. Still, you have to think that Dalembert will make some noise before too long. One only needs to look at his performance against the Wizards on Friday to see why. In 23 minutes, the Haitian sensation scored 13 points, grabbed 6 boards and had 2 blocks and a steal. Of course, the next night he played only three minutes with an empty box score except for three fouls. He should absolutely not be in any starting lineups right now, which goes without saying. But if you remember his April of last year, where he averaged 12 and 12 with around 4 blocks, you know that the kid can play. Talent at center is always hard to find. If Dalembert is out there, you re a believer and you have the space, take the chance.

PS: Note stating the obvious: Dwight Howard is going to be a hell of a player.

When looking at the waiver wire, there are usually two ways to go. You can go for the player who just put up great numbers earlier in the night, and hope that he can continue his strong play. Often times this will be a player filling in for an injured teammate (Antonio McDyess and Darrell Armstrong come to mind) and they will certainly give you a nice shot in the arm. In the five games McDyess has started with Ben Wallace out, he has averaged a very hand 12.2 ppg, 10 rpg, 1 bpg on 49% shooting. For teams in need of a warm body, that s quite a welcome sight. But then there are teams that drafted well and haven t been hit by injuries. Those teams can afford to take more chances with the players they pick up. They aren t looking to catch lightning in a bottle, but are looking instead for an underachiever with little value at the time, but has a good chance of having considerable value down the road. So with that in mind, let s take a look at some Quick Fixes and some Long Termers.

Quick Fixes

Lee Nailon
Things just can t get any worse for the Hornets. They lost Jamal Mashburn before the season started, lost Baron Davis just a couple of weeks in, and now they will be without their last remaining legitimate NBA starter, as Jamaal Magloire looks to be out for up to a month after breaking a finger. Who would have thought that the expansion team playing in Charlotte right now would be better than the team that recently left? But where there s injury, there s opportunity in fantasy land. Even the most pitiful of teams will score at least 80 points a night the Nets have proven this in the early going. Darrell Armstrong and David Wesley will continue to do the bulk of the shooting and scoring and P.J. Brown may yet salvage some value. But Lee Nailon will get his chance as well. An afterthought signing, Nailon has always been a capable scorer throughout his career as his 7.5 ppg in just 16.8 mpg proves. This hasn t kept him from being on five teams in the last three years, though, and now he s back to the organization, if not the city, where he started. Before Sunday s horrific 1-for-14 performance, Nailon had an impressive string of four games where he averaged 19.3 points, 6 boards and 1.8 assists. He won t help much in the hustle categories or in 3s, but he is a career 47% shooter from the field and 78% from the line. Until Baron returns, except him to see big minutes and be one of the top scoring options. If you re looking for a warm body, he s pretty warm.

Kelvin Cato
Yes, really, Kelvin Cato. It s for one reason and one reason only, and we all know what that is. After blocking at least three shots in the first four games of the season, Cato missed the next three games, but has returned to the starting lineup since then and is averaging a pretty healthy 28.6 mpg. You know you re not getting any scoring from him, so he needs to be an asset in blocks and rebounds. To his credit, he s averaging 7.4 boards and 2.4 blocks in those five games. As a bonus, he s even snagged 7 steals in the last 3 contests. He s still going to hurt more than he helps, but if you are in a bind for a center which is often the case he s not a bad stop-gap.

Hedo Turkoglu
Let s stick with the Magic. Hedo has never been one of my favorites; I never found a reason to like a guy who was supposedly a scorer but came into the season a career 41% shooter. He has certainly taken a liking to Orlando, though. When Cuttino Mobley went down, it was DeShawn Stevenson that stepped into his starting role, but it s been Turkoglu that has been reaping the benefits. Mobley doesn t appear to be improving and may be heading to the IL, meaning Turkoglu should keep his modest value for the time being. And it is just modest despite his strong play, he still checks in only at #91 on the 15-day player rater. Still, that s the equivalent of an 8th round pick in 12-team leagues, so there s value there, especially for teams in need of 3s. The Magic backcourt remains crowded and Mobley will get his time when he comes back, but you might be able to squeeze another productive week or two out of Hedo.

Long Termers

Mike Dunleavy
The former Duke star and #3 overall pick is finding himself kicked to the curb quite a bit these days. It s hard to blame owners, as he has still yet to fulfill his promise, and he endured a brutal three-game stretch recently where he averaged 3.3 points, 2.3 boards and 1.7 assists on 27% shooting. Still, there s a reason for optimism. It seems like we say it about the Warriors every year, but soon they will realize they have no chance at anything this year and will want to see what Dunleavy can do. He offers that intriguing combination of long-range ability, passing savvy and size. His numbers last year 11.7/5.9/2.9 with 1.3 3pg on 45% shooting were not bad at all for a second year player. If he continues to show the improvement he did this year, he could end up being Keith Van Horn with a few more assists. A dozen games is too early to give up on him. His 20 point, 4 rebound, 3 assist, 2 block performance Sunday was reason enough for encouragement.

Nene Hilario
I ll still use a last name when talking about him. He s been another early-season disappointment, as he played 18 minutes in the season opener then missed the next 8 games and killed owners by not going on the IL. He has since returned, but hasn t done much, as he is clearly still finding his legs. He has shot 4-for-19 in his four games and has averaged a meager 5 points and 2.3 boards. But it should be noted that the Nuggets had been struggling but have won 3 of the 4 games since he s been back. And it should always be noted that if he is indeed healthy, the only thing keeping him from a starting job is Marcus Camby staying healthy. Camby did that last year, but has already missed two games this year, and it s just a matter of time. As a center, Hilario doesn t get as many blocks as you d like, but he gets plenty of steals he averaged 1.5 in just 30 mpg over his career. He s also a career 52% shooter. He was probably being counted on to start for teams that have dumped him. If you ve managed so far at center, he would be a fine person to stash away and reap the rewards later.

Samuel Dalembert
To tell you the truth, it s hard for me to put him on here, as he has really shown less than nothing this year. But he s a favorite, so I ll make an exception. Marc Jackson has exceeded all expectations as the 76ers starter so far, and has done absolutely nothing to deserve to lose his starting spot. Besides AI, he s been their most consistent scoring threat. Still, you have to think that Dalembert will make some noise before too long. One only needs to look at his performance against the Wizards on Friday to see why. In 23 minutes, the Haitian sensation scored 13 points, grabbed 6 boards and had 2 blocks and a steal. Of course, the next night he played only three minutes with an empty box score except for three fouls. He should absolutely not be in any starting lineups right now, which goes without saying. But if you remember his April of last year, where he averaged 12 and 12 with around 4 blocks, you know that the kid can play. Talent at center is always hard to find. If Dalembert is out there, you re a believer and you have the space, take the chance.

* Atlanta Hawks
* Boston Celtics
* Charlotte Bobcats
* Chicago Bulls
* Cleveland Cavaliers
* Dallas Mavericks
* Denver Nuggets
* Detroit Pistons
* Golden State Warriors
* Houston Rockets
* Indiana Pacers
* Los Angeles Clippers
* Los Angeles Lakers
* Memphis Grizzlies
* Miami Heat
* Milwaukee Bucks
* Minnesota T-Wolves
* New Jersey Nets
* New Orleans Hornets
* New York Knicks
* Orlando Magic
* Philadelphia 76ers
* Phoenix Suns
* Portland Trailblazers
* Sacramento Kings
* San Antonio Spurs
* Seattle Sonics
* Toronto Raptors
* Utah Jazz
* Washington Wizards