Southeast Surprise: The best division in the East

For the past few seasons, the Central Division has been the standard for the Eastern Conference. It hasn't always produced the best team, but Detroit, Cleveland, Chicago and at times Indiana and Milwaukee have been tough, competitive teams.

The tide turned last season after Detroit had its worse season in some time and the Atlanta Hawks took another step forward. After the Orlando Magic claimed the Eastern Conference crown, it's safe to say it is the best division in the conference. Three teams should be locks for the playoffs and the other two could be good enough to make it as well.

Here is how it should play out.

1. Orlando Magic

The conference champions are back to defend their crown. Some say the addition of Vince Carter makes them an even better squad, but it's going to be tough to repeat. Hedo Turkoglu was a clutch player for the squad last season and Courtney Lee played lock-down defense. Dwight Howard will need to improve his free-throw shooting, Carter will need to commit to defense and Mickael Pietrus will need to build off his stellar season.

The most silent but violent move for the Magic: Brandon Bass. His motor never stops and he will help Howard clean the glass.

2. Atlanta Hawks

I absolutely love this team and truly believe they are a threat to not just win this division, but the conference as well. Joe Johnson is one of the best shooters in the NBA and is a great leader. Mike Bibby is still an effective point guard and now has Jamal Crawford and Jeff Teague (who had a tremendous preseason) backing him up. Josh Smith is a great off-the-ball defender while Marvin Williams has tremendous on-the-ball defense. Horford is a cardio machine for a center.

The Hawks improved the bench, which was their main concern, but there is still no front court depth. In a conference with Howard and Shaq, Atlanta will need to add size to make a push for a conference championship.

3. Miami Heat

I felt this team slightly overachieved last season, which makes it even more dangerous this year. Dwayne Wade is in a contract year, Mario Chalmers is a legitimate NBA point guard (especially on defense), Michael Beasley should be better and Jermaine O' Neal might be healthy. Biggest issue for this team is lack of scorers.

The addition of Quentin Richardson should help spark the offense, but expect Daequan Cook to be the breakout star for the Heat.

4. Washington Wizards

Gilbert Arenas, Mike Miller, Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison. Sounds like a dangerous lineup. Brendan Haywood, DeShawn Stevenson, Randy Foye, Andray Blatche and JaVale McGee sounds like a dangerous second wave. So why will they finish fourth in the division? Someone is bound to get injured first off and secondly, where is the defense going to come from?

This is the only team in this division where I look around and can't see a single sound defender on the team. Butler and Jamison are respectable, but not great. Everyone else is close to water. They will win plenty of games by outscoring teams, but defense wins championships.

5. Charlotte Bobcats

This team was scary the last three weeks of the 2008-09 season. The intensity they played with allowed them to slay the giants of the NBA and the look in Gerald Wallace's eyes every time he stepped on the court was reminiscent of Mike Singletary. This team will turn the corner one year, just not now.

Wallace is great and I love the combination of Raymond Felton and D.J. Augustine. Their defense got a whole lot better with Raja Bell and Tyson Chandler. But there is one huge problem: To win in the NBA you need a star, they don't have one. This team brings it every night, but until they get their franchise player, they will struggle.

The NBA: Where we still play for the fun of the game happens

If you want to talk about football at this time of year, the destinations of troubled stars Terrell Owens and Michael Vick are sure to come up.

If you want to talk baseball, steroids will definitely come up, because that is all that ever comes up now of days in America's pastime.

But if you want to talk about NBA basketball, talks of players wearing Superman capes, winning HORSE games and throwing down silly dunks are prevalent. It's one of the many great things about the NBA and one reason the All-Star weekend is successful.

The All-Star weekend gives the league a chance to showcase the skills of its best players and their personalities as well. Anyone who makes arguments about how the dunk contest was so much better when players like Michael Jordan and Dominique Wilkins were participating is watching the contest for all the wrong reasons.

The dunk contest was never about who was the "best" dunker. It has always been about being creative, having fun and giving the fans a show. All-Star weekend continues to provide plenty of entertainment and shows fans a side of the players that makes them seem like everyday people.

Tonight, the East will face the West in the All-Star game and some cynics will say its a pointless game and embarrassing to watch because of a lack of defense. Once again, the game is about having fun and putting on a show — it's like the NBA version of Harlem Globetrotters. The game is about having fun and I am fine with players giving it 1 percent on defense.

The weekend usually always has a great story as well. This year it was Bill Russell who took center stage and was rightfully awarded. The Finals MVP award will now be known as the Bill Russell award and you could tell the big man was genuinely moved by the honor.

Russell recently lost his wife, but you could tell from the brief appearances he made on TV during the weekend that the All-Star weekend was a breath of fresh air for him in a very difficult time. It's the feel-good stories like Russell's that make the weekend so special.

To me, the NBA has the perfect All-Star setup and I think other sports could learn from it. I have always thought that the MLB could have a special All-Star weekend, but it turns out to be boring most years. Instead of playing a serious game between the AL and NL that decides home field advantage in the World Series, they should let the players have some fun.

There is no need for Pete Rose to charge into home plate and knockout the catcher. Instead the game should be about fun. Baseball is considered America's pastime but it has been marred in controversy so much the last few years that it has almost been totally destroyed.

For one night only, I say give the fans that nostalgic baseball. Sell 50 cent hotdogs during the game and let the players goof off for nine innings and have some fun. There would be no need for steroids this night, cause no one will care if there is a homerun. In fact, I would rather see Manny lay down a bunt and run to first base while Joe Mauer overthrows the first baseman just because for one game, it doesn't matter.

I am thankful for the NBA year round, but especially during the All-Star weekend because it is such a treat to watch. Hopefully other sports will follow suit, especially baseball, (could you imagine a skills challenge with Torii Hunter?)

So enjoy the game tonight, but then it's back to business for the Association as my Milwaukee Bucks try to finish strong in their playoff push and the Chicago Bulls just try to stay relevant.