One GM's opinion of the state of the League:
Well its the end of round 5. Your team should be really starting to take shape here. Some teams are finding where the bottom of the depth in the draft dropped out to be surprising, and some teams are satisfied with where they hedged their bets. Not many starters left, so lets see where the divisions sit.
Atlantic:
The four teams are remarkable in the Atlantic because they all have a glaring weakness to complement their equally shining strengths. This division is top heavy with 3 almost surefire playoff teams, but no one I like for a title.
Boston has probably close to the strongest team in the league in terms of overall talent, but at the same time they're going to be defensively over matched by quicker teams with explosive points and 3's. Barbosa leaves a lot to be desired as a man defender. Also, he's not much of a distributer, which will hurt a team that is going to need to rely on Dwanyne Wade for much of its ball handling duties. Wade is an MVP caliber player don't get me wrong, but having to pickup the slack for Barbosa is going to hurt his numbers and especially his efficiency. Nene and Birdman are a good front line, but Birdman is more of a supersub than a leading man. This team will score, score, score, but will it defend? Nene and Wade, as well as Andersen are solid, but Odom will be out of position, and Barbosa is below average.
Toronto is a team that is obviously trying to win now, but their questions are as much about "how much is left in the tank" as they are "will the car start?" Garnett, Camby, and Arenas combined played in less than 50% of their available games last year, and Garnett, Big Z, Camby, and Pierce are all steadily declining in terms of ability as they roll down the road to retirement. This team is build as a defensive powerhouse, and although they need to pickup a reliable starter at the 2, they're right up there in terms of talent. Between Artest, KG, Camby, and Big Z, there isn't really a team better equipped in the league defensively. However, that is a big *if* they're healthy.
The 76ers are the most complete and the most stable team in the division. They've got a starting 5 that is high on talent and no one is out of position. If Bynum is healthy and getting better as a player, if Baron Davis can manage to give a crap, if Carmelo can be consistent, then this team is my favorite in the division. That is too many if's though, and that is this team's problem.
New Jersey has a solid team, but its not 2004, so these guys are not the players they once were. Before Sheed signed with a team this year, he talked about a possible retirement. Elton Brand hasn't had a great season since he was robbed of the MVP in 2006, and Paul Pierce...well I'm not talking bad about Pierce in this house. Courtney Lee is a good young player that was probably taken too high due to a case of "Over-exposure-itis", but he's a credentialed starter in the NBA. The need for a point guard sets this team back considerably from the top three, because pg is one of the hardest spots to fill with a capable starter. At this point if they draft one instead of trading for one, they're gonna either get a one trick pony or a very old player.
The Knicks come in last because they don't have a power forward or a starting caliber 3. They're a fixer-upper with potential but they're out of the playoffs for now.
The Atlantic is a hard division to really make a clear prognostication on because of all the if's or hopefully's that these teams are relying on. Gun to my head (as in someone is pointing, not as in I'm holding), I'd say Toronto then Philly then Boston.