http://msn.foxsports.com/story/3096164

Atlantic Division preview
Story Tools: Print Email
Charley Rosen / Special to FOXSports.com
Posted: 20 hours ago

New York Knicks
Despite being a severely flawed ball club, the Knicks have the good fortune of playing in the NBA's least competitive division and just might squeeze into the playoffs.


Can Stephon Marbury learn to be a playmaking Wilkensonian point guard? (Nathaniel S. Butler / GettyImages)

Their problems begin at the center spot. which is manned by a trio of stiffs: Bruno Sundov, a seven-footer who plays like a guard; Nazr Mohammed, who has good posture, but inadequate skills; and Vin Baker, who was reluctant to pass the ball and unwilling to play defense even in his so-called prime. Look for the undersized, foul-prone and wild-eyed Kurt Thomas to get most of the work in the middle.

Even so, the Knicks' season will depend on its backcourt. Will coach Lenny Wilkens manage to domesticate Jamal Crawford? Can Stephon Marbury learn to be a playmaking Wilkens-onian point guard?

And then there's Tim Thomas, a chronic underachiever. Players around the league still laugh at his blustering threat to exact revenge on Kenyon Martin for knocking him butt-over-tea-kettle during last season's Knicks-Nets playoff series — threats made from the safety of the bench.

That's the Knicks, all right — big talkers and lame walkers. Behind every roster alteration, and constantly peeping over Wilkens' shoulder, is the smiling yet sinister presence of Isiah Thomas. The Knicks are an accident waiting to happen.

Young Player to Watch: Over the summer, Mike Sweetney worked hard to change his residual baby fat into muscle. This guy is an authentic banger, both powerful and crafty under the boards, and capable of sticking mid-range jumpers. Look for him to eventually take over the starting power-forward slot.

New Jersey Nets
The bean counters reign supreme in the Swamplands. Exit the high-end contracts of Kenyon Martin, Kerry Kittles and Lucious Harris. Enter the bargain-basement contracts of Rodney Buford, Ron Mercer, Jacque Vaughn and Eric Williams. (It's good riddance to K-Mart and a hearty welcome to E. Williams, a tough and vastly underrated forward.)


Jason Kidd is so disgruntled by the Nets' suicidal roster-moves that he wants out. (Nathaniel S. Butler / GettyImages)

Of course, the Nets' fortunes depend on a full recovery by Jason Kidd. This might be a stretch, considering that no other player who had the same surgery — drilling holes in bones to promote the growth of enough scar tissue to compensate for the lack of cartilage in the knee joint — have ever made it all the way back. And whether or not J-Kidd heals, he's so disgruntled by the Nets' suicidal roster moves that he wants out.

A cursory inspection of the latest edition of the Nets shows too many misplaced players:

Assuming that Kidd returns to action, he'll be rendered impotent by a team forced to play station-to-station basketball. Alonzo Mourning belongs on a golf course. Richard Jefferson is strictly a bit player doomed to fail as a leading man. Zoran Planinic belongs on the chorus line of I, Robot. Ron Mercer, playing on his seventh team in his eighth NBA season, belongs on a merry-go-round. Aaron Williams is a center who belongs at power forward. Eric Williams is combination center/power forward who should only be alternating between the forward spots. Jason Collins belongs on a Klingon spaceship where invisibility is the norm.

The best scenario for the Nets is to move to Brooklyn and, like the old-time Dodgers, be accepted as loveable losers.

Young Player to Watch: The best the Nets have to offer is Brian Scalabrine, a cut-rate version of Larry Bird.


Boston Celtics
What a mess! GM Danny Ainge has succeeded in taking a bad situation and making it worse.

Doc Rivers was a somewhat willing captive of Tracy McGrady's star-power in Orlando, and his new one-man band is led by Paul Pierce. A cacophony of disharmony and continued frustration is the only possible result.

Major arrangers of the general mayhem will be Ricky Davis and Gary Payton. The former is spending what should be the prime of his career doing a bad impersonation of Kobe Bryant. The latter's dour, me-first attitude has alienated virtually all of his teammates along the way and absolutely poisoned every team he's ever played for. The Celtics are so pitiful that the Garden Gremlins have already vacated the premises.

Philadelphia 76ers
How many re-runs of the Allen Iverson Show have we already seen?

Sure, A.I. is a courageous little runt — but he still feels the need to prove his chops by continually challenging big men in the shadow of the basket. That was fine when he was younger, quicker and more elusive — so much so that ruthless bigs couldn't get a good shot at him. In the past few seasons, however, Iverson has spent more and more time in the training room and on the injured list.

When the shot-happy Iverson is healthy enough to play, the majority of leftover looks go to Glenn "Big Dog" Robinson — who definitely plays like a mutt in the clutch. Too bad Kenny Thomas is a scoring machine whose shooting arm will slowly rust.

Despite being an unbalanced and fundamentally selfish squad, the Sixers could conceivably nose out the Knicks and win the division's top seed in the playoffs. That's how bad the Atlantic Division is.

Young Player to Watch: Samuel Dalembert can't shoot himself in the foot, but he has the potential to be an All-Star rebounder and shot-blocker.


Toronto Raptors
These guys are an international disgrace.

Vince Carter is the unfortunate result of David Stern's strategy to increase the NBA's marketability by focusing on individual players, instead of the game itself — style over substance. But even Toronto's avid-hockey-fans-turned-casual-hoopheads are seeing past Carter's highlighted dunks and are weary of his soft, mindless and self-aggrandizing game plan. Good for them!

There's little that rookie coach Sam Mitchell can do to prevent the Raptors from heading due south in the conference standings. In fact, the franchise just might fall all the way to Mexico City — even though most of the players belong in Tijuana.

Young Player to Watch: Last season's rookie surprise was Chris Bosh, who spent the off-season in the gym adding muscle to his lean 6-10, 210-pound frame. Will the bulk give him more of a presence in the paint? Or will his guard-like quickness be impaired?


Charley Rosen, former CBA coach, author of 12 books about hoops, the next one being A PIVOTAL SEASON — HOW THE 1971-72 LA LAKERS CHANGED THE NBA, is a frequent contributor to FOXSports.com.

I'm sorry.. I know the Atlantic Division sucks... but anyone who tells me that the southeast isn't worse is retarded.