The NBA season is set to begin next Tuesday night, and with this final installment of the RealGM Season Preview Series, we take a look into one of the most improved divisions in the league.  

The reigning NBA Champion Boston Celtics became the first Atlantic division representative in the NBA Finals since the 2002-03 New Jersey Nets and the fifth in the past decade (1999 New York Knicks, 2001 Philadelphia 76ers, and 2002 and 2003 Nets).  More importantly, they were the first NBA champion from the Atlantic since they won it all back in 1986.  

Can they repeat?  Can they even repeat as division champs?  The Sixers made a big splash by adding Elton Brand while the Toronto Raptors brought in Jermaine O?Neal to pair with Chris Bosh.  The Knicks have Mike D?Antoni trying to right the ship while the Nets have a potpourri of youth surrounding Vince Carter.  

The Atlantic has a new and improved look this year and hopes to send another representative to the Finals.

- Click here to read our Season Preview on the Pacific Division

- Click here to read our Season Preview on the Northwest Division

- Click here to read our Season Preview on the Southwest Division

- Click here to read our Season Preview on the Southeast Division

- Click here to read our Season Preview on the Central Division

- Boston Celtics -

The Boston Celtics are coming off the biggest single-season turnaround in NBA history.  They went from a paltry 23 wins in 2006-07, to champions of the league in 2007-08, all thanks to a few shrewd trades.  They formed the latest edition of The Big Three, and they taught a collection of youth how to play with guts and passion.  They played some of the best defense since Riley?s Knicks, and they had an unquenchable thirst for the title ? something that L.A. fans are unable to even fathom.  Now that they have had their drink, will they be able to do it again?

NBA Draft Picks:  J.R. Giddens (No. 30), Bill Walker (No. 47, traded from Washington), Semih Erden (No. 60)

Key Additions: Patrick O?Bryant (Free Agent ? Golden State)

Key Losses: James Posey (FA ? New Orleans), P.J. Brown (FA ? unsigned), Scot Pollard (FA ? unsigned)

This team was exactly that last year, a team.  While it is true that they lost a vital part of that team in James Posey, they still have basically the same crew coming back.  And just as easily as you can say that The Big Three are a year older, you can also say that the youngsters on the squad are also a year older, wiser, and most importantly, more confident.  The Celts also got a steal when they acquired Bill Walker, a guy with a history of injuries and attitude, but also a first round talent who will only benefit from having KG screaming profanities at him during practice.  

Burning Questions

- Will they have the same hunger to repeat?
- How long until defensive guru Tom Thibodeau is a head coach in the league?
- Will Leon Powe get a bigger role this season?  Will they be able to afford him when he becomes a free agent after this season?
- Will Patrick O?Bryant finally make an impact in the NBA?
- How weird is it that the only current head coaches in the league with an NBA title are Phil Jackson (9), Gregg Popovich (4), Larry Brown (1), and DOC RIVERS (1)?

Person on the Hot Seat: Brian Scalabrine

There isn?t much of a Hot Seat in Boston after taking home the title last season, but if anyone could be classified as being sitting on it, it has to be the hilarious contribution of Brian Scalabrine.  Shockingly, Scalabrine is the fifth-highest paid player on the Celtics, but he now will likely see less minutes that last year with the emergence of Leon Powe and Glen Davis.  Throw in the fact that Bill Walker will be getting all the minutes at the small forward position, and Patty O?Bryant will get some burn at center, and there seemingly is no time for Scalabrine to actually earn his salary.  Instead, he will likely be burning on the bench, taking over the First White Guy To High-Five roll that has since been vacated by the jettisoned Scot Pollard.

Team Outlook

They have it all; we saw that.  But can they repeat?  No team has repeated as NBA champions since the Lakers took three straight from 2000-02.  Can the Celtics ride ?Ubuntu!? to another title, or will the absence of Posey be too great for the team to overcome?

- New Jersey Nets -

Last season, the 34-48 Nets missed the postseason for the first time since they lost 56 games in 1999-00.  Not surprisingly, those seven seasons reaching the playoffs coincided with the seven seasons Jason Kidd was starting at PG every night.  After dealing the aging Kidd to the Mavericks last season, the Nets are looking to find a new identity.  They have made plenty of personnel changes in the offseason and look to start building toward a move to Brooklyn with a young, energetic, and ?cost-efficient? team.  

NBA Draft Picks: Brook Lopez (No. 10), Ryan Anderson (No. 21). Chris Douglas-Roberts (No. 41)

Key Additions: Yi Jianlian (trade ? Milwaukee), Bobby Simmons (trade ? Milwaukee), Keyon Dooling (trade ? Orlando) Eduardo Najera (FA ? Denver), Jarvis Hayes (FA ? Detroit), Eddie Gill (FA)

Key Losses: Richard Jefferson (trade ? Milwaukee), Marcus Williams (trade ? Golden State), Bostjan Nachbar (FA ? Russia), Nenad Krstic (FA ? Russia), DeSagana Diop (FA ? Dallas), Darrell Armstrong (FA ? unsigned)

As I was mingling at the pre-Draft festivities at the WaMu Theater in New York, rumors were circling the room about the Nets sending longtime lineup staple Richard Jefferson to Milwaukee for Yi and Bobby Simmons.  Upon first hearing the news, I nearly spit out my drink.  No possible way?and it happened.  The Nets had a major roster shakeup this summer, adding nine new players to the roster while saying goodbye to six rotation guys.  The Former Big Three of Kidd, RJ, and Vince Carter is now the Vince Carter Show ? and odds are, it?s likely to sell-out very soon.  But why deal RJ for scraps and then sign aging veterans like Jarvis Hayes and Eduardo Najera instead of giving playing time to guys like CDR and Sean Williams?  If you are going to clean house and drop all salaries for The LeBron Games of Summer 2010, then why not deal VC as well?  The Nets made some crazy decisions this summer, but they have a ton of young potential up front that can come in handy when looking to make upgrades via trade in the future.

Burning Questions

- How many games until VC mails in the season?
- Will these Nets win 25 games?
- Will Brook Lopez average 18 points?
- Will CDR prove he was a steal in the second round?
- Why was Ryan Anderson the 21st pick?  Will he prove that this season?
- Will Sean Williams get the time he deserves down low?
- Did the Nets seriously trade RJ for Yi?

Person on the Hot Seat: Yi Jianlian

You almost have to feel sorry for this guy.  For some odd reason, everyone loves Yao Ming ever since the day the Rockets took him with the first pick in the 2002 NBA Draft.  But what has he actually done?  Not won a first round series?  Always gotten hurt?  Looked ridiculous with his 7-foot 6-inch body draped in an all-red uniform his entire career?  Yes, Yes, and Yes!  But yet, no one really hates him like they do Yi.  Yi got a bad wrap immediately when reports surfaced that he didn?t want to be drafted by the Bucks.  Shocker.  A 7-foot Asian guy felt awkward about going to Milwaukee.  So after the public saw him as hating their town, which caused them to hate him, now he?s been traded to Jersey for the heart of their team Richard Jefferson.  They immediately are going to scrutinize every play he messes up and will never give him the benefit of the doubt because he?s The Guy Jersey Got For RJ.  Poor Yi.

Team Outlook

There is a lot of talent and potential on this team, but it?s up to coach Lawrence Frank to turn that into victories.  Chances are there will be plenty of growing pains this season, and we can expect to see the Nets somewhere near the basement of the entire league.

- New York Knicks -

The New York Knicks play in the World?s Most Famous Arena.  They are the team of the largest city in the world?s greatest nation.  They have the most rapid and passionate fans in the league.  They have the league?s brightest marquee just off Broadway.  And yet, they have averaged 28 wins and 54 losses over the past four seasons.  So what did they do to fix that this offseason?  They finally got rid of cancerous Isiah Thomas and replaced him with a man who just spent the same past four years coaching his team to an average of 58 wins and 24 losses and the assistant on the Gold Medal winning USA team in Beijing.  Will that make a difference?  New Yorkers sure hope so?

NBA Draft Picks: Danilo Gallinari (No. 6), Patrick Ewing Jr. (No. 46, traded from Houston)

Key Additions: Chris Duhon (FA ? Chicago), Anthony Roberson (FA ? Isreal/Turkey), Allan Houston (FA)

Key Losses: Renaldo Balkman (trade ? Denver), Randolph Morris (FA ? Atlanta), Fred Jones (FA ? unsigned), Frederic Weis (trade - Houston), Taurean Green (waived), Bobby Jones (waived)

While there is plenty of individual talent on the Knick roster, the problem is the culture of losing that has been stagnant in the Garden for seemingly the past decade.  Coach Mike D?Antoni comes into this season with the same roster that won only 23 games last year for Isiah.  The only notable offseason move was the signing of former Bulls' point guard Chris Duhon.  Duhon immediately gives D?Antoni a point guard who doesn?t care about shooting and will likely be the team?s starting point.  There is also talk that the defensive lead guard is also in the running for captaincy despite this being his first season as a Knick.  At one of the more pivotal drafts in franchise history, President Donnie Walsh selected the Italian Stallion Danilo Gallinari with the sixth pick.  Despite the boos and the well-documented struggles of fellow countryman Andrea Bargnani, Walsh stuck with the 6-foot 10-inch Italian small forward, and he hasn?t played a minute this preseason.  Instead, The Rooster has been sidelined with a back injury, and many believe he won't contribute much at all for the Orange and Blue this season.  Not exactly the best move with Jerryd Bayless, D.J. Augustin, Anthony Randolph, and Brook Lopez all hanging out in the Green Room.  

Burning Questions

- Is Curry over 320 lbs?
- Will Marbury last half the season on the team?
- Is Wilson Chandler the next Shawn Marion?
- How long until Walsh finds a taker for Zach Randolph?
- Will Patrick Ewing Jr. make the team?  For good karma reasons?  
- Was picking Gallinari a mistake?  The next Frederic Weis?

Person on the Hot Seat: Eddy Curry

Curry was given The Franchise label by Isiah and hasn?t done much to back it up.  Curry was horrible last year and is often more fond of spending his time at fast food joints than getting his body in shape to play D?Antoni?s style of ball.  He came into camp well over the disgusting side of 300 lbs.  and later sat on an exercise ball and popped it during practice.  If Curry expects to get some burn in Coach D?s new game plan, he better get used to running, otherwise workhorse and fan favorite David Lee will be the starting center all season long.

Team Outlook

Since we are looking at the same roster as last season, a season when the Atlantic and Eastern Conference was much, much weaker, the forecast for the Knicks' season does not appear very sunny.  However, if there is one man who won?t have a problem benching the whining and lethargic Knick attitudes, it?s Mike D.  He should be able to squeeze another 10 wins out of this crew, and if he can get them to the postseason, he?ll be the toast of New York.  When he decided to become the coach of the Knicks instead of the Bulls, he claimed that he really wanted to take on the challenge of restoring this once-proud franchise back to prominence.  Well, now that he?s made his bed, he?s going to be forced to sleep in it.

- Philadelphia 76ers -

Two years ago, the Sixers were a laughingstock.  They had Iverson to Iggy, and that was about it.  Then, they finally realized that it was time to deal the troubled Icon of Philadelphia Basketball and sent Iverson to Denver for Andre Miller, Joe Smith, and two first-round picks.  Joe Smith became a free agent and came off the books while the two picks turned into Jason Smith (who is injured and out for the season) and the legendary former SEC Player of the Year Derrick Byars.  So, basically, the deal was Iverson for Andre Miller, a ton of cap space, and Jason Smith...

NBA Draft Picks: Marreese Speights (No. 16)

Key Additions: Elton Brand (FA ? L.A. Clippers), Royal Ivey (FA ? Milwaukee), Kareem Rush (FA ? Indiana), Theo Ratliff (FA ? Detroit), Donyell Marshall (FA ? Oklahoma City), Jared Reiner (FA ? Europe), Antywane Robinson (FA ? France)

Key Losses: Rodney Carney (trade ? Minnesota), Calvin Booth (trade ? Minnesota), Louis Amundson (FA ? Phoenix), Shavlik Randolph (FA ? Portland)

Clearly, the cap space that was saved mostly from Iverson?s $21.9M being paid by Denver instead of Philly this year went directly to signing ideal power forward Elton Brand.  This move gave the Sixers an extremely team-oriented starting five with Miller, Iguodala, Thaddeus Young, Brand, and Sam Dalembert.  Wow.  How quickly they were able to create such a strong team from scraps is impressive.  They also added a valuable defensive guard in Royal Ivey, two outside shooting threats in Kareem Rush and Donyell Marshall, and the timeless shot-blocker Theo Ratliff.  The only negative of the offseason was the loss of Rodney Carney, but they had to give him to Minnesota for nothing (along with Calvin Booth) in order to free up more money to give Brand.

Burning Questions

- Does adding Brand make Philly elite?
- Will they be able to edge out the Celtics for the Atlantic crown?
- Is Iguodala worth the $80M he got this summer?
- What will Andre Miller do as a free agent next summer?  Will Philly let him walk and let Lou Williams take over the point?
- Will this be a breakout year for Thaddeus Young?
- How did 15 other teams pass on Marreese Speights?  Can Speights handle all of Jason Smith?s displaced minutes?
- Is Lou Williams the best bargain point guard in the league?  (He?s basically a baby step below Monta Ellis and is only getting 5 yr/$25M compared to Monta?s 6 yr/$66M deal)

Person on the Hot Seat: Willie Green

Due to the emergence of Thaddeus Young, the Sixers had no choice but to bump Iguodala over to the two-guard spot to make room for Young at the three.  Now it appears that Green is the odd man out of the starting lineup.  Then, the Sixers brought in Ivey and Rush to add a balkhawker and sniper from the outside.  This could further eliminate the need for Green in the rotation at all.  With a very strong backcourt rotation of Miller/Iguodala/Williams/Ivey and Young/Rush/Marshall more than able to fill the small forward position, where will Green get his minutes?

Team Outlook

The Sixers should be one of the most improved teams in the entire league.  Their upgrade of Reggie Evans to Elton Brand at the power forward position is sickening, and the veteran backups will ease the transition of Thaddeus and Speights and help them to develop into beasts in the East.  The Sixers made this big splash with one thing in mind ? getting back to the Finals.

- Toronto Raptors -

Oh, Canada!  In one crazy offseason the Raptors seem to have much less of a Euro-flair as they used to and now have one of the best big man tandems in the past decade.  The Raps were somewhat displeased with the result of last season, finishing second in the division after capturing their first division crown in 2006-07.  Obviously, much of that disappointment was because the Celtics were the best team in the NBA last year and also because of some key injuries to guys like Jorge Garbajosa and some bumps in the road for T.J. Ford.

NBA Draft: Nathan Jawai (No. 41, traded from Indiana), Roko Ukic (2005 NBA Draft)

Key Additions: Jermaine O?Neal (trade ? Indiana), Hassan Adams (FA ? Italy), Jamal Sampson (FA ? Dallas), Will Solomon (FA ? Turkey)

Key Losses: T.J. Ford (trade ? Indiana), Jorge Garbajosa (waived), Rasho Nesterovic (trade ? Indiana), Carlos Delfino (FA ? Russia), Primoz Brezec (FA ? Italy), Maceo Baston (trade ? Indiana)

But that didn?t stop Bryan Colangelo from going for the Gold this year.  He knew there was constant controversy surrounding the point guard position, and many felt that Jose Calderon was more suited to run the offense than the speedy-quick T.J. Ford.  Well, Colangelo sent Ford to the Pacers for big-time big man Jermaine O?Neal.  If healthy, Jermaine immediately teams with Chris Bosh to become the most lethal big man combo in the NBA on both sides of the floor.  But what happened to that Euro flavor Colangelo was building in Toronto?  Gone are Garbajosa, Rasho, Delfino, and Brezec!  Even Maceo Baston sounds kinda European, and he?s gone too!  To make up for the mass exodus, the Raps finally brought Roko Ukic over to sit behind Calderon.

Burning Questions

- Will JO put up 20 and 10 this year?
- Will Bargnani finally live up to his draft spot?
- Will Calderon lead the East in assists?
- Is Bosh ready to enter his name in MVP talk?
- Is anyone else sad all of these European guys are gone?

Person on the Hot Seat:  Andrea Bargnani

When is a former number-one pick overall not on the Hot Seat?  Especially one that in his second year managed only 10.2 points and 3.7 rebounds?  Well, now it gets trickier for Bargnani because if he wants to find time on the floor, it will likely be on the wing as the small forward.  With JO and CB4 down low, they should be able to free up Bargnani for open three-point shots.  However, the 7-foot Italian will have to fight for time with projected starter Jamario Moon and sharpshooter Jason Kapono.

Team Outlook

O?Neal could be all that this team needs to get to the next level and possibly battle for the Eastern Conference title.  He?s that good.  Or, he was only a short time ago.  If he and Bosh can coexist and complement each other effectively, and Calderon can handle the starter?s role at the point, then this team could contend with Philly and Boston in the Atlantic.  Unfortunately, it is more likely that the best days of JO are behind him, and the Raps struggle to reach the NBA?s second season?


Feel free to contact Jason M. Williams with your thoughts. He can be reached at Jason.Williams@RealGM.com for comments or questions.