Hero, Kobe Bryant may not be afraid but he's seeing Voltron form. Thanks to a crazy offseason and a few big decisions the thrice squad of LeBron James, Chris Bosh and founder Dwyane Wade look to make nice with Larry O'Brien. This trio of ‘superfriends’ will try to stop the trilogy of another superstar team. The Heat will need more than LeBron and Co. to do this however. So this summer the Heat worked on their supporting cast by sending their agents out and about to cast every decent free-agent team player they could re-sign and recruit. From Carlos Arroyo to Erik Dampier and 1 through to 15 this team looks championship strong. This year the Heat look to burn everyone up and prove those cold comments wrong. Say what you want but LeBron's ready to win and this team is much more than just LeBron. The King and his princes look to make reign in South Beach. Now doesn't that have a nice ring to it?
Orlando Magic
Think there's no more Magic in Orlando? Think the only Heat belongs to their Florida rivals? Well think again because Stan Van Gundy may look like a porn star but he's far from screwing around. Neither is his team. The Magic may be dubbed a Disneyland team but you better warn your brothers about this universal bunch of talent. Dwight Howard may smile, laugh and cut records for kids but this isn't child’s play. He aint no joke. Just like Rakim Dwight's looking for records of his own and he won't go steady until he strong-arms his way and weight back into the Eastern Conference finals (which was not a fluke two years back and is not a fantasy now). As for the rest of his team Vince Carter may be written off and hated but he loves making babies out of other teams as they cry for mercy while a game winner is all Air Florida writes. Jason Williams may have retired but he's back for good this season and Rashard Lewis may be overpaid but his undeniable presence is valued. Also Jameer Nelson may be small but he aint lost a second of that incredible speed he had at college and speaking of college it looks like J. J Reddick is finding the form and shot that turned him into an alumni hero. Sure reigning champs Boston and predicted winners King James in Miami have created a moat between the rest of the east but what's a kingdom without Magic?
Atlanta Hawks
All eyes have been on the Hawks over the last few years. Over the end of the last decade the ATL has soared from Eastern Conference pretenders to Eastern champion contenders. These Eastern promises have come after years of lottery tickets and then years of first round exits. Well now Atlanta have punched their entrance to the Eastern elite. Still they better watch out. Nobody’s giving them the fly by anymore, the talons are out. The Hawks are sharp though, it may not have looked like it to the Eagle eye but the Hawks hit big in the off-season clawing back franchise, pure shooter Joe Johnson. Now the only problems they face is which J. Crawford to keep happy.
Charlotte Bobcats
Charlotte may have looked like pussycats over the last few years but now their hissing back at the league. Michael Jordan mans the helm and as much as he'd like to he doesn't even need to suit up because Gerald Wallace leads a bunch of young bucks that form a real tight unit devoted to the game. Especially with Larry ‘legend’ Brown coaching dependable vets like Najera, Mohammed and Thomas for the Bobcats. These ‘cats smoothly pur with ‘Woo’s’ from Stephen Jackson and in French with Boris Diaw. Charlotte may be betting a lot on former hobbled raw talents like Shaun Livingston but if it all pays off the team could break through to hallowed ground. The type of surface that prints 'NBA Playoffs 2011' emblems on wood.
Washington Wizards
After years of trying to get it right post-MJ era the Wiz and Gilbert Arenas almost threw it all away last season. Things got so bad the Washington Wizards may as well have changed their names back to the 'Bullets'. Time is a great healer however but more clock turning will help tell if the wounds Arenas left can be healed. Sure the Wiz could use Gilberts talent but it's not like D.C. are shallow at the guard position. Gilbert knows Nick Young can play so without him Washington could be just fine. Hinrich speed also provides depth as the free agent takes a 'Greyhound' across from Chicago. It's lottery pick John Wall however that is the real draw at this point. The top draft choice can be the new face to lead this Washington franchise but as good as he is and as deep as they are the rest of Washington looks as empty and bare as a few left turns from the White House. Juwan Howard is a legendary veteran role player, Adam Morrison is a suited up champion (as well as a moonlighting porn star by the looks of it) and Yi Jianlian could be the future but still Washington need more if their ever going to be presidential in the NBA. Maybe it's time for hoops aficionado Barack Obama to suit up for the Wizards. There’s worse tricks this team could have up their sleeve. TIM DAVID HARVEY.
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