The Southeast Division is good for one thing, and one thing only this season - Shaq.

After posting the Eastern Conference's best record in 2004-2005, The Diesel is ready to roll once again in South Beach. Shaq has a full arsenal at his disposal and should be guiding Miami to the franchise's first NBA Finals appearance. The Heat were within one quarter of facing the Spurs in the finals last summer, but came up just short. I don't see that happening again.

How about the rest of the division? Well, I know I'm betting against them.

Washington is looking to backup its strong performance last season (45 wins) with a better record against the spread (37 wins) this winter. They did lose one of their top guns in Larry Hughes, and are one major Antwan Jamison injury away from falling back to the pack, but I'm projecting good vibes for this organization.

Orlando is another interesting team. With Steve Francis, Grant Hill and Dwight Howard in the fold they could be competitive. But I just don't see where this team got appreciably better from the 2004-05 club.

Atlanta and Charlotte? Well, they'll have four classic, down-to-the-wire meetings this year to determine which is the worst team in the league.

You'll notice below that I've given odds and a projection for the teams in this division. Some of the teams have no Over/Under projection because they are too close to call, and I don't feel totally satisfied endorsing a play. I'm not discouraging a wager, but sometimes no advice is better than bad advice.

Here is one man's view of the Eastern Conference Southeast Division:

Orlando Magic
2004 Record: 36-46 (3rd)
2005 Title odds: 100/1
2005 Wins O/U: 34.5
2005 Wins Projection: N/A
Key Additions: Keyon Dooling, PG
Key Losses: None
Outlook: A solid start to the 04-05 season eventually gave way to mediocrity for the Magic. Grant Hill managed to stay healthy for 67 games, giving Orlando 35 minutes and 19.7 points each night. I wouldn't expect that to happen again. If it does, Hill, Howard and Francis at least give the Magic some hope. Two keys here are the play of Kelvin Cato, who came in the Francis-TMac trade, and the play of Hedo Turkoglu, who needs to be more consistent. Francis is making the switch from the point to the Iverson-style two-guard. The Magic finished ninth in the league in scoring last year.
Bottom line: The Magic made a 15-win jump from 03-04 to 04-05. The front office expects a playoff team, but I think that's a stretch.

Washington Wizards
2004 Record: 45-37 (2nd)
2005 Title odds: 60/1
2005 Wins O/U: 40
2005 Wins Projection: Over
Key Additions: Caron Butler, SG; Antonio Daniels, G
Key Losses: Larry Hughes, SG; Juan Dixon, G
Outlook: Much like the Bulls, the Wizards were a tremendous surprise in the East last season. Washington actually placed two players on the All-Star Team and then saw its hoops team advance to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 1982. They lost Hughes in free agency, but they added two very talented guards in Daniels and Butler. I feel a Jamison injury coming on this year (it's what he does), and if that happens this team goes below-average very quickly. However, I think Butler will regain the form he flashed in Miami in 03 and/or I could see Jarvis Hayes filling the void as that third scoring option.
Bottom line: They're still a talented team in a sorry division. They won't challenge the Heat, but a return trip to the playoffs isn't out of the question.

Miami Heat
2004 Record: 59-23 (1st)
2005 Title odds: 14/5
2005 Wins O/U: 58
2005 Wins Projection: Under
Key Additions: Antoine Walker, SF; Jason Williams, PG; James Posey, SF; Wayne Simien, C; Gary Payton, PG
Key Losses: Keyon Dooling, PG; Damon Jones, SG; Eddie Jones, SF
Outlook: This is it. This is the team. They were one game away from the Finals last season, and added even more firepower to go with D-Wade and The Daddy. Antoine Walker, Jason Williams, James Posey and Wayne Simien join a Miami team that is poised to bring Shaq his fourth title. The key here is going to be chemistry. Walker has always been a shoot first-ask questions later kind of player, and Williams is notorious for being sloppy with the ball. Wade had a breakout postseason, and established himself as one of the league's best all-around ballers. If Shaq stays healthy, I don't see anyone in the East stopping this team.
Bottom line: The only thing that makes me nervous is two years ago a Shaq-led team had a monster offseason and everyone was predicting championship. It didn't happen.

Charlotte Bobcats
2004 Record: 18-64 (4th)
2005 Title odds: 300/1
2005 Wins O/U: 21
2005 Wins Projection: Under
Key Additions: Raymond Felton, PG; Sean May, PF
Key Losses: Jason Hart, PG
Outlook: Brick by brick, Charlotte is laying a foundation for the franchise. The North Carolina combo of Felton and May gives them two more potential starters through the draft. Coming from a national championship-winning school, Felton and May fit the mold of Emeka Okafor, the NBA's Rookie of the Year. Okafor put up 47 double-doubles for a scrappy Bobcats team. Nearly one-quarter of Charlotte's games (21) were decided by three points or less. They lost 15 of those. Close doesn't cut it in the NBA.
Bottom line: They're still not there. It appears that they've picked up two talented and coveted players, but time will tell.

Atlanta Hawks
2004 Record: 13-69 (5th)
2005 Title odds: 250/1
2005 Wins O/U: 21.5
2005 Wins Projection: Under
Key Additions: Joe Johnson, SF; Marvin Williams, F; Salim Stoudamire, G
Key Losses: None
Outlook: Atlanta had a bipolar offseason. The high was snagging Marvin Williams with the second pick in the NBA draft. The low revolved around the peculiar feud between owners over the acquisition of Joe Johnson. The Hawks did eventually land the former Suns shooting guard, but giving up a pair of No. 1 picks for him and inking him to the max-contract was definitely a reach. The bottom line here is that this team still has no sense of itself. They're building a solid young nucleus featuring Josh Smith, Josh Childress and Williams, but they have no - and I mean no - big men.
Bottom line: When you finish with five fewer victories than an expansion team, you know you've got problems. They're not much better this season.

The views expressed in this column do not necessarily reflect those of Doc's NBA picks service.

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