NFL betting is pretty depressing for Washington fans right now, but maybe, just maybe the NBA could yield a nice surprise for D.C. this season. The Wizards are a sleeper in a top-heavy Southeast Division. Let\u2019s have a look at the futures for the young 2009-10 season.<\/p>\n
ORLANDO MAGIC<\/strong> \u201cThe Strong get stronger\u201d was the theme of the offseason and the Magic embodied that truth. They lost sharpshooter Hedo Turkoglu but more than made up for his departure by acquiring the more versatile Vince Carter. He\u2019ll add slashing ability to a team that already had shooting ability to spare last season. How deep are the Magic? They played a decent Toronto Raptors team Sunday without Rashard Lewis (suspension) and Carter (ankle injury) – -and still won. Dwight Howard is the standard for big men today, a blocking and rebounding machine who can chip in plenty of offense too and simply dominate a game. Toss in Jameer Nelson in the backcourt and the odd hot-shooting effort off the bench from J.J. Reddick and you have a team as good as any in the East.<\/p>\n ATLANTA HAWKS<\/strong> Balance is the name of the game for the Hawks, a competitive but not elite group that spreads the ball around. Joe Johnson is the unquestioned main source of offense for the Hawks but Josh Smith, Al Horford, Jamal Crawford and primary ball carrier Mike Bibby can all chip in on any given night. The Hawks\u2019 Achilles Heel shows why they\u2019re a long shot to win the Southeast: playing elite competition. Cleveland mopped the floor with them last year 4-0 in the Eastern Conference semifinal and the Lakers already crushed them this season. MIAMI HEAT<\/strong> The Heat can at least answer Orlando\u2019s big star power with Dwayne Wade to match Dwight Howard, but depth remains a concern for Miami. Quentin Richardson can bring some offense but he lacks height at small forward; in fact, the Heat starters in general have some toughness issues. Michael Beasley is a solid rebounder and Jermaine O\u2019Neal is still a powerful presence when he plays, but O\u2019Neal can\u2019t take punishment. Three games into the season, he\u2019s already suffered his first injury of the year: a broken nose. It\u2019s tough to imagine the Heat improving on last year, as they just don\u2019t have the overall talent to match Orlando.<\/p>\n WASHINGTON WIZARDS<\/strong> Is it really that crazy to wonder if the Wizards can leapfrog the Hawks and Heat? Stranger things have happened \u2013 look at how Mine That Bird turned every racebook on its head at the Kentucky Derby. The Wizards have plenty going for them: a solid coach in Flip Saunders; an elite scorer if Gilbert Arenas stays healthy plus another big point contributor in Caron Butler; potentially powerful post presences if Antawn Jamison bounces back from his shoulder injury and Brendan Haywood continues to grow; even solid secondary scoring form Andray Blatche and Randy Foye. You could argue that this is the second-deepest team in the Southeast.<\/p>\n CHARLOTTE BOBCATS<\/strong> The Bobcats seem destined for fifth in the Southeast. Even though they may be better than your average fifth-place team \u2013 there\u2019s simply too much depth above them. They may regret dealing Emeka Okafor for Tyson Chandler very quickly.<\/p>\n
\nOdds to win Southeast Division: -303<\/p>\n
\nOdds to win Southeast Division: +550<\/p>\n Josh Smith will have to step up his play against other elite forwards if the Hawks are to make any kind of progress this year. Online betting fans should expect a stagnant season.<\/p>\n
\nOdds to win Southeast Division: +700<\/p>\n
\nOdds to win the Southeast Division: +700<\/p>\n
\nOdds to win the Southeast Division: +4000<\/p>\n