Miami Heat: Southeast Division Preview

After a wild and crazy summer that saw the landscape of the NBA change drastically, we have finally arrived at the start of another season of Miami Heat basketball.

Feels a little bit different, right?

Of course, the departure of You Know Who has cast a shadow on what this season will hold for the Heat. Gone are the over-confident assumptions that the Heat will just waltz into the Finals. Now the road is a bit rockier than it has been over the last four years.

And that road begins in the Southeast Division.

It’s been a while since Heat fans have had to take a close look at what was going on in the Southeast. For four years, it was just a means for the Heat to have a top seed in the Eastern Conference. Well, things have obviously changed, not only for the Heat, but for the rest of the teams in the division (yes, even Orlando).

Last season saw the division field four teams into the Eastern Conference playoffs – Atlanta, Charlotte, Miami, and Washington – and those teams saw roster changes that could help shape the division. Whether it was signing key free agents, losing them, or getting back an All-Star from injury, those four teams look different than they did back in June. Now there is a power struggle for control on the Southeast, with no clear-cut favorite standing head and shoulders above the rest.

How exciting!

So let’s take a look at the five teams that make up the Southeast Division. Like all the teams in the NBA, it’s hard to know when an injury, trade, or a player’s talent starts to decline and/or someone takes the next step. We’ll look at the projected lineups, and what could go right and wrong for any of these teams.