Hawks Management better step up, we need Josh Smith...Randolph Morris, Maurice Evans

the restricted free agent market has spoken, and it says to pay Josh Smith his 6 year 71 million contract and make him our cornerstone franchise player to keep the Hawks good and make them great, eventually. I mean Luol Deng (23) has a verbal agreement to the Chicago Bulls for 6 years $72 million, and for him averaging 18.8 points, 7.1 rebounds at 51.7% FGs i think thats fair.

Let's look at all the resticted free agent contracts in this off-season so far:

Luol Deng (23) 18.5 ppg 7.1 rpg 2.1 apg 51% FGs ---------- 6 yrs $71 million

Monta Ellis (22) 22.2 ppg 4.2 rpg 4.2 apg 51% FGs --------- 6 yrs $67 million

Emeka Okafor (24) 14.2 ppg 10.2 rpg 2.1 bpg 48% FGs ---- --6 yrs $72 million

Andris Biedrins (22) 10.9 ppg 9.8 rpg 1.4 bpg 62% FGs ------ 6 yrs $62 million

Andrew Bogut (24) 14.3 ppg 9.8 rpg 2.1 bpg 54% FGs ------- 5 yrs $60 million

Maurice Evans:

Mo Evans is a good player, here is the Hawks.com press release of his career statistics. he has some shooting ability, he is a pretty good defensive player, and he played an important role in his Lakers days and more recently with the successful Magic, but unless he can have a career year as a super-effective 6th man, averaging double figures and shooting at least 50% FGs, he can't/won't replace what Childress brought to our team, and even if he did those things or better, it will never be as cool, great as seeing Josh Smith and Josh Childress, the two prized prospects of the last-high-school draft of 2004, out there on the court at the same time. I think Evans will be good with us though.

Randolph Morris:

Yes. This is a good signing, this guy may be the good defensive starting center the Hawks have been looking for so we can move Horford to PF and Smith to SF, as its supposed to be. Morris will be great for blocking shots, rebounding, and hustle plays at the center position, he is 6'11 270 pounds, but much quicker than he looks. If he is able to focus on those things above and just make sure Horford gets the ball, if he constantly looks for the assist to Horford instead of scoring, best case scenario he could possibly average the following: 5 ppg 5 rpg 5 apg 2 blks. Quite frankly, i don't give a damn what his numbers are, i'm just glad we don't have Kwame Brown.

WHEN we resign Josh Smith we can start speculating on the potential of this team, this is really the biggest off-season of Hawks franchise history, and if they do this right, we can make ourselves a force in the Eastern Conference. Of course, that remains to be proven, we might not even start Morris, but i guarentee he'd be a better starter at center than MARVIN WILLIAMS at POWER FORWARD, that kid isn't power anything. Anyway, the negotiations with Luol Deng is an encouraging sign to Hawks fans though, because if he can repair that relationship and be the franchise player of the Chicago Bulls and get that money he desired, it shows Smith can... well, this is the Atlanta Spirit Group we're dealing with, so we can only hope those 'owners' are intelligent enough to pay Smith what he deserves so we can contend for the whole east in the next few seasons. i think people underestimate what the core of Al Horford, Josh Smith, and Joe Johnson can do together with this past year of growth and improvement, which is why i'll never forgive the Hawks management if they don't give the long-term contract this Atlanta-native deserves. Forget sign-and-trades, i've heard a few rumors of sign-and-trade proposals, and i scoff at the notion of trying to get "equal value" for Smith, its not happening. I've been wanting to write an article about the potential free agents we could target to make our team better, but we can't spend any more money until we lock up Josh Smith, it don't make no sense for this process to be taking this long, its no question the value of he on our team, Hawks fans will not be able to breathe until and unless we resign Josh SMITH, a 1-year qualifier is not cutting it.

I'm sure most hawks fans share this sentiment with me and that is that we cannot and will not fully support this team and look forward to this season until and unless we resign Josh Smith.

Once that is done though, i fully believe we can be a top 8 team in the Eastern Conference, no doubt.

It is finished...Josh Childress signs to Greek team Olympiakos

This is an Atlanta Hawks tragedy of epic proportion. ESPN.com reports that Josh Childress will be the first American born NBA player to leave as a restricted agent to play overseas. This just dissolved the remaining fraction of a molucule of faith i had in this organization's ownership, i knew the new GM Rick Sund was an IDIOT, i knew he was a bad hire, and now we just lost our 4th best player on the Hawks team.

Josh Childress was the best 6th man the Hawks could have asked for, he really should have started at SF with Smith as the PF but that would have made too much sense for Mike Woodson. How, Mr. Mike, would you rather play a lame-duck, underachieving, no-skill-set-at-all super-average weak forward like Marvin Williams more minutes than the most effecient player on the team?!

I, the author, made this blog to try to inspire myself and other fans of the Atlanta Hawks that we have a good, young team, and if we continued to improve we could be a VERY good team someday and maybe win a playoff series like we haven't done since the 1998-1999 season, highlighted by Steve Smith, Mookie Blaylock, and Dikembe Mutumbo, HOWEVER, the Hawks ownership, this Rick Sund character is really f*cking up right now. How much more does the city of Atlanta have to suffer? the ASG is undoubtedly the worst ownership group for a sports franchise in known history, any critisism atlanta recieves may be on the coach, may be on the lack on wins, but its ALWAYS with the ownership group and the foolish unfocused mistakes they make over and over again. How could they have let this happen?

Quite frankly, i'm proud of Josh Childress, i ain't mad at him at all, he took the best deal out there not just with the most money, but a different, possibly better situation that is going to allow him to grow as a basketball player and as a man.

If the Atlanta Spirit Group and GM Rick Sund don't sign Josh Smith, if the Atlanta Hawks lose Josh Smith, i am going to shut this blog down and elect for the trade of Al Horford so we can allow this team to shrink back into obscurity. EVERYBODY knows how screwed up this franchise is and EVERYBODY wants Josh Smith, people know how good he is and can be and they want him to be successful with them, not us. Not gonna happen. Mr. Brian Spencer on his Detriot Pistons blog recently wrote a column professing his love for Josh Smith (no homo) and his game, and everything he says in there is all so true, so we gotta do all we can to prove him wrong and keep Josh Smith in an Atlanta Hawks uniform.

the Al Horford summer interview; Team USA, PlayoffsHawks, and the Joshes

i just want to say that Sekou Smith gets the best interviews from Hawks players and coaches than any other writer in Atlanta. I want to give mad props to the AJC and their beat writers from Sekou Smith, Mark Bradley, and the whole Atlanta Sports Writers team. With that being said i bring you the AJC exclusive interview of Al Horford with Sekou Smith, with a little color commentary by yours truely at playoffshawks:


By SEKOU SMITH
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 07/17/08

With an excused absence from the Hawks' rookie/free agent minicamp last week, Al Horford could have headed for the beach in his native Dominican Republic for a little rest and relaxation after his rookie season.

But there he was Monday, on the Hawks' practice court with everyone else.

Horford showed up ready to work, eager to get some practice work in before leaving for Las Vegas and his stint on the USA Basketball Select team. Horford will be part of a group of young NBA stars charged with preparing the Men's Senior National team for the Beijing Olympics.

He sat down with Hawks beat writer Sekou Smith after practice to talk about his whirlwind rookie season, his busy summer and the future of the Hawks.

Q. Didn't you have a doctor's note for this thing, what are you doing here?

A. Honestly, I needed to get back on the court and get some work in before going to [Las Vegas]. I've been working. But this was a chance to get out here with our coaches and guys like Acie [Law IV], Speedy [Claxton], Mario [West], Jeremy [Richardson] and these other guys and that was something I knew would help me get ready for dealing with those guys on the Olympic team. I definitely wanted to be out here getting some good quality time in with these guys.

PlayoffsHawks: Its good to see our bench is really grinding, improving, motivated to really make some noise in the Eastern Conference this season, i expect road winning streaks and a great home record.

Q. The level of competition with the Olympic team will certainly be higher than it will be at the Rocky Mountain Revue, is that what appeals most to you about spending time in Vegas over Salt Lake City?

A. I think I'll benefit more as a player from that. When you get a chance to go against the best guys, you can't go wrong. This is my first taste of USA Basketball and that's huge, too. But that elite group, the chance for me to go out there and get that experience, that'll help me out when I'm back in a Hawks uniform.

playoffshawks: this will help Horford's game tremendously, its a whole 'nother level of discipline and commitment to play for the USA, it forces a player to improve their specialty skills and strengthen their weaknesses, while working on their basketball mind by making them adapt to the games of their familair NBA friends.

Q. Will you spend some of that time in Vegas picking the brains of Dwight Howard, Carlos Boozer and Chris Bosh on how to come back for your second NBA season with some new tricks for teams to deal with?

A. Of course. That'll be a good chance for me to talk to some of those top guys, and not just the bigs, but also all of those guys, LeBron [James], Kobe [Bryant] and Dwyane Wade and the coaches, too. I want to know the things they did and didn't do coming off their rookie seasons to get better. I'll try to get as much good advice as I can.

playoffshawks: this is another reason why Al Horford was the best rookie in the NBA in the 07-08 season, he came in a winner and he was and still is eager to learn and grow as a player induvidually and he already has shown his ability to make his teammates better. His rookie season stats of 10.2 ppg 9.7 rpg only tell half the story of his impact on the Hawks.

Q. For so long you've been known as a Florida Gator. Has that changed now with the Hawks making the playoffs and the exposure you guys received from that series against Boston?

A. It's funny, that's all anyone [in Gainesville] wanted to talk about when I was down there. I've been home and other places and it's all anyone wants to talk about is the playoffs. It used to be all Florida all the time. But lately it's been about the Hawks. It's weird, it's like some people have actually forgotten that I went to Florida, and it's only been a year [laughing]. I realize that the playoffs was the first chance a lot of people had to see us since we didn't have any nationally televised games before that, so we're still sort of basking in that glow. But everywhere I go people want to talk to me about the Hawks and what we did in the playoffs.

playoffshawks: the young Atlanta Hawks pushed the NBA Champion Boston Celtics as well as any team in the playoffs did, and they believe more than anyone else that they are not that far from the Celtics level. Our 'Big Three' of Al Horford, Josh Smith, and Joe Johnson is the foundation of the 'new-jersey'Atlanta Hawks, and when all three or even one is having a good game, we can beat any team in the league.

Q. Are you worried at all that you guys are will be leaning on that momentum going into this upcoming season rather than pushing harder to improve upon what you did in the playoffs?

A. That was a good run but it's a new season now. We can take some of the momentum from that but we also have to realize that we didn't accomplish anything other than having a good little run. The sizzle of what we did will fade if we don't play well to start this season.

playoffshawks: Hawks Haterz continue to harp on the 07-08 record of 37-45 and how badly we seem to play on the road, demonstrated in playoff games 1,2,5, and 7. So, the Hawks are coming in this season commited to playing the right way TOGETHER to improve that record and maybe even get home-court advantage in these 09 playoffs. The Hawks are coming in with a newfound swagger, confidence we never had before from game 1 all the way through the end of the season, i feel and the hawks feel they are going to continue to shock the world all the way to the Finals (at some point).

Q. Was it tough watching the rest of the playoffs after realizing how close you guys were to pulling off that upset of the Celtics?

A. Yeah it was tough. I learned a lot from watching the playoffs and it showed just how well we played. I looked at other teams and how they played the Celtics. When they blew the Lakers out in that deciding game I didn't feel so bad losing to them after all. I thought they were the best team, but you have to prove it on the floor. They proved it.

playoffshawks: That game 6 Lakers loss proved was a defining game for the Hawks just as much as for the Lakers, becaue even the Hawks played better in their decisive 34-point game 7 loss than the Lakers historic 39-point drubbing at TD Banknorth Boston Celtics arena. It just shows that anybody can get blown out by a great team if your team is not clicking on all cylinders, it shows a team has to overcome the hostile situation of an away crowd or use that to their motivation to play better, instead of just ignoring it, because the crowd's energy is undoubtedly is a factor, it just all depends in how a player uses it.

Q. So much has been made about you playing out of position at center last season, but where are you most comfortable and where do you see yourself being move effective now that you have a year under your belt?

A. I could play a little more [power forward] if they need me to, but I feel comfortable playing at [center] and [power forward]. That's actually one of the reasons that I feel getting Josh Smith back here is so crucial. Because I feel like we have some great mismatches when the two of us are out there together. I think it's what makes both of us more effective, being out there together. We never got totally overwhelmed by anybody. And I can't imagine being out there and him not having my back on every play. What we really need is for [Zaza] to come in and play big minutes so when we do decide to go with different lineups, me playing some at power forward and even Josh playing some at small forward, we have guys that are up to the task.

playoffshawks: See, this guy knows his team. He knows that he and Josh Smith are unstoppable out there together but can stop anybody, the only thing i must question is the 'big minutes' for ZaZa he is campeigning for...i would rather see Kwame Brown in a Hawks uniform playing center than ZaZa 'Big Minutes', as a matter of fact, i take that back, PLEASE no Kwame Brown, but the Hawks already tried ZaZa starting with big minutes and they went 26-56 that season (05-06) so please, let's just sign Randolph Morris and call it a day.

Q. So much is being made of the free agent status of both Josh Smith and Josh Childress, do you look at the landscape and start peeking ahead to what that's going to be like in a couple of years when you're in the same position?

A. It concerns me because I want to know what I'm working with and where we're going. I don't want to be in a situation where I have to drag something out into training camp and the season starts and you don't know what's going on with your teammate and stuff like that. I'd rather that everything be done, they take care of business now and we're good to go without any unnecessary distractions.

playoffshawks: Al Horford should be an all-star with Atlanta, Horford should be there after Mike Bibby, after Joe Johnson, and when Chris Paul leaves New Orleans for Atlanta (HEY, we can all dream, can't we?) He should get a huge contract from Atlanta to fortify our future for however much his agent asks for (or whatever we can afford). We can only hope the Atlanta Spirit Group can get their business together to be able to do that in the 3 year future, because Al Horford is the future of the successful Atlanta Hawks, when he's a bonafide all-star force in the paint and avging 24.4 pts 12.3 rbs 3.0 asts 2.1 blks on 62% FGs 78% FTs and the Hawks are a 50+ win team, he will be an MVP candidate.

Joe Johnson knows how important the Joshes are; here's WHY the Hawks are still a top 8 EC team

Sekou Smith reports Joe Johnson has the same question: "What's going to happen with Josh and Josh?"

the two Hawks restricted free agents have not signed an offer sheet with any other teams yet. That is a good sign, no matter who they have dialogue with the Hawks are gonna match any offer to retain the most talented defensive SF in the league, Josh Smith, and one of the most effective, game-changing 6th men in the league, Josh Childress.

"That's our summer right there," Johnson said. "That's all there is to it."

Even if the Hawks don't sign any free agents (which may happen), the Atlanta Hawks would still be a top 8 team in the east to definetly make the playoffs.

So far the eastern conference pecking order goes like this: #1 Boston Celtics - set in stone, Orlando Magic, Detroit Pistons, and Cleveland Cavaliers, then you got the Philiadelphia 76ers, Washington Wizards, and Torondo Raptors. Those are 7 team which will almost guarenteed be .500 or more and make the playoffs.

There is really only 4 teams realistically challenging the Hawks for that 8th spot, which are:

Miami Heat -

Chicago Bulls -

Milwalkee Bucks -

Charlotte Bobcats -

It's funny that all four teams that are supposed to be challenging for the 8th seed playoffs are all NEW COACHES and their team's success will undoubtedly be determined by their ability to get the most out of their team's talented roster, and will the team to win. So, it's pretty impossible to determine how they will do, but this is just my hypothesis on how they might do in their respective situations, with a little Hawks' fan bias, of course. But, i don't just fan the Hawks because i'm from/in Atlanta, i see the team for the talented group of young guys it is now, and the potential to be better than the other teams in the East.

the Hawks have a firm foundation where alot of other teams are still looking for an identity, and even though we are still looking proof of a structured offensive identity (Woodson, you a need good offensive assistant coach), we are a defensively strong team, playing team defense with zone or one-on-one. Al Horford and Josh Smith are our best induvidual defenders, Josh can guard any player in any position in a lockdown fashion, and Al Horford, a beast himself, does not get beasted on, he is going to be a force in the paint for so many years to come, offensively and defensively.

Alright.
the Hawks have not done much or any free agent courting or signing, but recently its looking like the Hawks DID work out a pair of Atlanta native Big Men. One of these big men is 6'11 260 pounds in 22 years of age (january 2, 1986) of promising potential, the other is 6'10 265 pounds through 7 years of disappointment and failure as a player from Atlanta, never living up to anyone's expectation or even his own standard and potential. We're talking about Randolph Morris and Kwame Brown. It's no secret that Brown has been cancer on every team he has played on, he has no specialty or skill set, he has small hands that can barely make a layup or putback 1/10 attempts, and he is always mentally unfocused, ask Micheal Jordan or Kobe Bryant. There is 1 thing the two greatest players of all time can agree on, and that's that Kwame Brown is GARBAGE. Now, if i be not so hard on him, you'll say that maybe he just needs a chance, a change of scenery, some playing time to prove he can be a good defensive player, but the thing is, he has only proved to be a bad all-around player every time he touches the ball or is in the game.
Randolph Morris, however, has potential to be a good player. Tall, long, and athletic, all things Kwame Brown is not, Morris hasn't really shown anything in his 2 years with the abomination Knicks, but back in his hometown with a lil' playing time, he can really make a name for himself.
If we do make the biggest most foolish gamble of all time though, i will elect for Kwame Brown to start at C, so he can really showcase his uhh...talent, defensively to allow Al Horford to move to PF, Smith to SF and bring Marvin off the bench, it takes alot for me to say this but even Marvin Williams would be a better starter than Kwame Brown. Let's sign youth and inexperience with raw talent in Randolph Morris, that would be the wiser decision. I hate to mention that on the AJC website there is a poll of opinion which player the hawks should sign, and i guess Brown's got alot of friends still in Atlanta, because he was winning 58-42.

While other teams are making changes to improve, the Hawks off-season improvement mostly depends on staying the same, keeping the core together and adding pieces around them, i just hope Kwame Brown isn't one of those pieces.

the Philadelphia 76ers have a new BRAND, the east is no least this off-season: Team by team updates

the Philadelphia 76ers just signed themselves a top 10 PF and made themselves a top 5 team in the eastern conference no matter what else happens.


Elton Brand has been a great PF since his 1999 draft to the bulls averaging 20/10/2 as a rookie but he played for a bad coach and the team went 15-67 twice, which resulted in his trade to the Clippers, where he had spent the last 5 seasons. When Brand opted out, it was widely perceived that it was just to give the Clippers more financial flexibility, and when the Clippers signed Baron Davis, it was a great move indicating a new Clippers resurgence with two all-stars in their prime.

But, Elton Brand and the Sixers had a better idea. Why resign to a team that was on the bottom 3 worst teams in the west, that shares a building with a REAL championship contending team in the Lakers? Why not join a team with a great young core, who made the 7th seed playoffs last season with a 20 year old 6'8 SF rookie starting at PF. With 2 time all-star 20-10 Elton Brand in that spot, with Samuel Dalembert they will have one of the most dangerous frontlines in the league. Dalembert has always been a good defensive player, avging 2.4 bpg last season, with Elton Brand doing more scoring, he can concentrate on defense, the possiblities are endless for the sixers. John Hollinger says they are projected to be a 50 win team, but still need more pieces to be a eastern conference contender.

We at playoffshawks are most excited and thankful for this signing so the sixers will leave Josh Smith alone, the Sixers were really the only and biggest threat to sign him. There has been speculation that the Golden State Warriors would pursue him, but they're not willing to offer him a MAX deal required to even threaten him, and the Clippers might pursue Josh Smith to get revenge for them losing Brand, but the Clips and Smith know he wouldn't fit in with their system and they wouldn't use him the right way, anyway.

So, the Hawks are likely to keep Josh Smith and Josh Childress, which was already a absolute priority, now the Hawks need to sign a free agent or two(too bad Desanga Diop and James Jones are off the table...) just to keep things interesting and we'll be very good next season. Although the Hawks are confident they can still make an impact and improve in the improving east, alot of teams are improving in the east, and we are gonna be facing tougher competition JUST IN THE EAST, not even considering the WEST yet, so here is a detailed analysis of each team in the east and the changes/improvements they've made, from the worst to the best:



15. New York Knicks - Last season: 23-59, drafted - 6'9 forward Danilo Gillaro, SIGNED/ACQUIRED - Chris Duhon
Knicks biggest difference is gonna be Mike D' Antoni and rookie Danilo Gillario. The Knicks also recently signed Chris Duhon, but i don't think that was the best move. He's small, not a great shooter and not a great passer, what's the difference between him and Nate Robinson? If they were that desperate for a change of culture they could have traded for Kirk Hinrich, because Stephon Maurbury was never that bad to buy him out for Chris Duhon. The Knicks improvement also depends on the Randolph/Curry experiement, if D'Antoni wants to prove his coaching genius by trying to play these guys together again, it would be cool, but it probably won't work. The Knicks can't hope or expect to make the playoffs th is year but this will be an experiement to define the difference between a good coach and a bad coach, fans can expect a +10 win improvement.

14. Miami Heat - Last season 15-67, drafted - Micheal Beasley, Mario Chalmers, SIGNED/ ACQUIRED -
Miami has a new coach, new players, and a whole year to forget the nightmare that was the 08 season which was highlighted by the trade of Shaquille O'Neal and injured D'Wayne Wade. This season they have the development of Micheal Beasley and Mario Chalmers, the chemistry of a healthy Wade with Shawn Marion with the rookies, and the new head coach Erik Spuutlouas leadership testing. Many heat fans have high hopes for their team, they Heat can realistically only hope to double their win total. Beasley is talented but he has to learn how to perform consistenly, Marion is a great forward, rebounding, a little scoring, and a funny looking shot, he might be the teams leading rebounder, but he is not gonna be a leader on this heat team in his contract year. fans can expect a 15+ improvent.

13. Milwalkee Bucks - Last Season 26-56, drafted - Joe Alexander , SIGNED/ACQUIRED - Richard Jefferson
Scott Skiles is the new head coach there, but thats not the biggest difference to this team. They recentlty acquired all-star forward Richard Jefferson for Bobby Simmons, Yi Jianlin, and that was a good trade. Jefferson is greatly underratted as a scoring forward, he shoots 80+% FTs and will easily average 20+ ppg to lead the team. He and Micheal Redd will make an interesting combo, and i would like to see the ramon sessions kid again, but the problem with the bucks is they don't play defense. That might be fixed with Scott Skiles, but Andrew Bogut is not a franchise center, he doesn't play D at all. The Bucks are probably the most improved team that didn't make the playoffs last season, out of all teams on the outside the Bucks have the best chance to be the one team that takes someone out of the playoffs, this upcoming season will be very interesting. but my prediction is they will improve by 6+ wins, but still no playoffs.

12. Charlotte Bobcats - Last Season 32-50, drafted - D.J. Augustine, SIGNED/ACQUIRED -
New Coach Larry Brown and Micheal Jordan are on one accord, they want to bring good basketball back to the state of North Carolina. the Larry Brown factor is the biggest change this off-season, and they are still dealing with the future of PF Emeka Okafor. Okafor is still demanding more money than the Bobcats think he is worth, so until that is solved, the Cats can't hope to go anywhere near the playoffs in the improving east. Even with Okafor and Larry Brown it will be difficult for the bobcats to make the playoffs in the improving east, D.J. Augustine is a good, small PG, but they already have one of those in Raymond Felton. Jason Richardson is still gonna be good, but not a leader, Gerald Wallace was one of the most talented forwards in the east, but his durability is in question from all the injuries he has had. the Bobcats may achieve a +8 win improvement, but the playoffs is out of the question.

11. Chicago Bulls - Last Season 33-49, drafted Derrick Rose, SIGNED/ ACQUIRED -
New Coach Vinny Del Negro, new point guard Derrick Rose and the beginning of a new era for the Chicago Bulls. They are set to prove their number 1 pick Derrick Rose is a worthy one, they want him to be a Chris Paul type PG, maybe not immediately numbers-wise, but leadership, poise first, and the numbers will come. The bulls have alot of surgury to do on their roster, they still have 4 small guards, restricted free agents Luol Deng and Ben Gordon, and higher expectations than they have had in a while, so it's impossible predict how this is going to play out, but i would say they would get a +7 game improvement on their record, with Derrick Rose proving to be a solid PG, but he has to prove his not just good, but greatness to be a good PG for the new-era bulls.

10. New Jersey Nets - Last Season 34-48, drafted Robin Lopez, SIGNED/ACQUIRED - Bobby Simmons, Yi Jianlin
The Nets are rebuilding. They are in the middle of contruction for a new arena in Brooklyn, they traded their longest tentured player for a injury riddled forward and a chinese rookie. They have a slight bright future in Devin Harris and Yi, Robin Lopez might be talented, but the Nets are getting ready to move, they are not contending for a championship or even the playoffs as currently constructed. This is a season for Harris to be better leadership to his team and try to be an all-star with the new jersey nets before they make a play for LeBron James in Brooklyn.
I think Vince Carter is still a player there too, lol, but he has been regarded as lazy, uninspired, and really just a waste of talent, they will trade Vince too this or next season. Don't expect this Nets team to improve on last season's record, if any team is bound to get worse, its this one. But just for now, when 2010 comes around and they are in Brooklyn with Lebron James, it's gonna get ugly for the rest of the east and the NBA.

9. Indiana Pacers - Last Season 36-46, drafted - Brandon Rush, SIGNED/ACQUIRED - TJ Ford, Roy Hibbert
the Pacers were the Hawks biggest challengers last season for that last playoff spot, and now they look to improve in the draft and through trades. They finally got rid of Jermaine O'Neal and will look to move Jamaal Tinsley for ANYONE, with Danny Granger being in his 4th season, Troy Murphy and Jeff Foster.... they don't look to threaten the Hawks at all this upcoming season. I mean, seriously, the Pacers look lost right now, they are still trying to recover from the Artest era, i expect plenty of playing time for Brandon Rush and another season of mediocrity. No improvement
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Now, the following teams are playoffs teams. They were in the playoffs last season, made improvements this off-season and expect to be back in the playoffs again next season. It's gonna be funny if/when every team in the east that made the playoffs last season are back and every team that missed the playoffs are still on the outside looking in. The east is improving, the balance of power is shifting, competition is getting tougher, the east will not be so least this upcoming season. But, without further adou, here is my analysis of the 8 playoff teams in the eastern conference:
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