2007 NBA Atlantic Summer Preview
Knicks Covet Jermaine O'Neal or Rashard Lewis; Kidd Could be Gone
NBA teams will scurry to refurbish and improve their rosters this summer, in hopes of improving next season.
The Atlantic division features teams with young rosters that are primed to make moves this summer. The New York Knicks have the huge payroll to alleviate, the Toronto Raptors have GM Bryan Colangelo, who's notorious for wheeling and dealing, the Philadelphia 76ers get to figure out where to go next with its young roster that's now without Allen Iverson, the New Jersey Nets need to decide what to do with Vince Carter and Jason Kidd and the Boston Celtics must decide what to do with its young roster and whether or not star Paul Pierce is worth holding onto.
The Toronto Raptors probably won't mingle much with its core this summer, but one might expect them to make a move for a perimeter shooter. They already tried to patch that hole a bit by adding Juan Dixon late in the season in exchange for the athletic Fred Jones. Morris Peterson's days in Toronto are probably numbered.
The New Jersey Nets might be re-thinking about shopping Jason Kidd about the league after he came up big in the playoffs against the Raptors. In addition, they'll have to think about whether or not re-signing Vince Carter to a big contract is a good idea. On top of that, they still need some help in the post. Mikki Moore had a solid playoff run, but shouldn't be considered a long term answer in the middle. They'll welcome the return of Nenad Krstic next season.
The New York Knicks will make roster moves, but they'll try not to spend more money. Instead, owner James Dolan wouldn't mind reducing the team's payroll. The Knicks have the largest payroll in the NBA by a large margin, but don't have many wins to show for it. They're rumored to be making a move for Jermaine O'Neal or Rashard Lewis. Both players would cost a lot and the Knicks probably won't part with young center Eddy Curry. They would love to be rid of Steve Francis' contract, but nobody will bite on him. The Knicks need perimeter shooters, as well as a pass-first point guard to help Stephon Marbury in the backcourt.
The Philadelphia 76ers played surprisingly well late in the season after losing Allen Iverson to the Denver Nuggets. They've said they don't want to trade recently acquired point guard Andre Miller and will try to build around rising phenom Andre Iguodala, who finished the season very strong. They may look to cushion their perimeter a bit, or add a low post scorer. At any rate, the Sixers have some options and tools to work with.
The Boston Celtics didn't give much indication of it during the season, but they have a very talented roster. Forward Al Jefferson made great strides this year, averaging a double-double, and Paul Pierce continues to dazzle. Yet, the Celtics have made some poor judgment calls recently. The most noteable one was when they traded the sixth pick of the 2006 NBA Draft, which Portland used to take Rookie of the Year Brandon Roy, for point guard Sebastian Telfair, who quickly was demoted to third string point guard behind Delonte West and Rajon Rondo. Moreover, Telfair's off court antics have hurt his rapport with the team beyond repair and they're expected to sever ties with him. His future in the NBA is uncertain. The Celtics hope to land either Greg Oden or Kevin Durant in the upcoming draft, having the second best chance to land the number one overall pick.
Also check out:
2007 NBA Central Summer Preview
2007 NBA Southeast Summer Preview
2007 NBA Southwest Summer Preview
2007 NBA Pacific Summer Preview
2007 NBA Northwest Summer Preview
