EASTERN CONFERENCE
ATLANTIC DIVISION
MIAMI HEAT
1999 RECORD: 33-17
DIVISION FINISH: First (tie), eliminated 3-2 by New York in first round of playoffs.
COACH: Pat Riley, fifth season with Heat
TOP ROOKIES: F Tim James (Miami), G Rodney Buford (Creighton)
KEY ADDITIONS: F Otis Thorpe (free agent, Wizards)
KEY LOSSES: G Terry Porter (free agent, San Antonio), C Terry Mills (free agent, Detroit), G Blue Edwards (free agent), F Mark Davis (free agent, Golden State)
STRENGTHS: Riley's insistence on gritty night-after-night defense leads to a lot of regular-season wins. The nucleus, led by Alonzo Mourning and Tim Hardaway, returns. They lost a couple valuable bench players, but the Heat aren't reluctant to stash usable players on the "injured" list, so they always seem to come up with replacements.
CONCERNS: They could use more perimeter shooting, unless Voshon Lenard is healthy and slimmer. The new rules regarding defense could hurt the Heat more than any other team, but if anyone can find a way around those rules, it's Riley.
NEW YORK KNICKS
1999 RECORD: 27-23
DIVISION FINISH: Fourth, lost 4-1 to San Antonio in NBA Finals
COACH: Jeff Van Gundy, fifth season
TOP ROOKIE: F DeMarco Johnson (UNC-Charlotte)
KEY ADDITIONS: F John Wallace (free agent, Raptors), C Andrew Lang (free agent, Bulls)
KEY LOSSES: C Herb Williams (waived).
STRENGTHS: Knicks have the versatility to play up-tempo until center Patrick Ewing (Achilles tendinitis) returns to action, and maybe after that, too. They have a lot of experience, not to mention talent and the league's highest payroll. Latrell Sprewell will be asked to score more with Ewing out, and he'll be happy to try.
CONCERNS: Injuries are already plaguing them. Besides Ewing, Chris Dudley and Larry Johnson are hurt. What happens when Ewing returns and Sprewell is asked to give up some shots? Knicks were rumored to be shopping Sprewell in the preseason, then they turned around and made him a generous five-year offer. One thing is certain: He and Van Gundy don't get along well. And they still don't have a bona fide point guard.
PHILADELPHIA 76ERS
1999 RECORD: 28-22
DIVISION FINISH: Third, eliminated 4-0 by Indiana in second round.
COACH: Larry Brown, 3rd season with Sixers
TOP ROOKIES: F Jumaine Jones (Georgia), C Todd MacCullough (Washington)
KEY ADDITIONS: F Billy Owens (free agent, SuperSonics), F Bruce Bowen (free agent, Celtics), G Rodrick Rhodes (free agent, Grizzlies), F Korleone Young (free agent, Pistons)
KEY LOSSES: C Rick Mahorn (free agent), F Harvey Grant and G Anthony Parker (traded to Orlando)
STRENGTHS: Everyone expects Allen Iverson to do even more scoring under the new rules, though it's hard to picture him shooting any more than he has already. Brown has this team thinking defense, and that's no easy task. They kept their roster virtually intact, hoping that experience will lead to an even better record. They are deep up front.
CONCERNS: After the most successful season in years, the Sixers have to show they can deal with increased expectations. They also could use some more perimeter shooting and some scoring to take the pressure off Iverson.
BOSTON CELTICS
1999 RECORD: 19-31
DIVISION FINISH: Fifth, missed playoffs.
COACH: Rick Pitino, third year with Celtics
TOP ROOKIE: G Wayne Turner (Kentucky)
KEY ADDITIONS: F Eric Williams, F Danny Fortson and G Eric Washington (trade with Nuggets), G Calbert Cheaney (free agent, Wizards),
KEY LOSSES: G Ron Mercer, F Popeye Jones and C Dwayne Schintzius (traded to Denver), G Bruce Bowen (free agent, Philadelphia)
STRENGTHS: They are young, athletic and deep, after making some nice free-agent acquisitions in Fortson, Williams and Cheaney. Fortson makes them bigger up front and tougher on the boards. Williams is a smaller and less-talented clone of Antoine Walker. Cheaney gives them perimeter shooting.
CONCERNS: Once again, they've made wholesale changes and are hoping the mix gels. Pitino and point guard Kenny Anderson have to figure out how to peacefully co-exist, which may never happen, considering Anderson's tumultuous history. Pitino also has had problems with Walker and Williams. They showed little interest in playing defense last season.
ORLANDO MAGIC
1999 RECORD: 33-17
DIVISION FINISH: First (tie), eliminated 3-1 by Philadelphia in first round.
COACH: Doc Rivers, first season.
TOP ROOKIE: G Corey Maggette (Duke)
KEY ADDITIONS: G Tariq Abdul-Wahad (trade with Kings), G Pat Garrity (trade with Suns), F Terry Davis and F Ben Wallace (trade with Wizards), F Chris Gatling and F Armen Gilliam (trade with Bucks), G Lee Mayberry (trade with Grizzlies), F Harvey Grant and G Anthony Parker (trade with 76ers)
KEY LOSSES: G Penny Hardaway (traded to Phoenix), G Nick Anderson (traded to Sacramento), C Ike Austin (traded to Washington), F Horace Grant (traded to Seattle), G B.J. Armstrong (free agent, Chicago)
STRENGTHS: Magic are blowing off this season and looking to future, having stockpiled nine first-round picks in the next five years. They also have enough salary cap room to enter the Tim Duncan and Grant Hill free-agent derbies next summer, and they'll have enough room to go for both if they can move Gatling.
CONCERNS: Is former Ute Mike Doleac ready to be a starting center? Team is not big. They said goodbye to four of five starters from last season, so it probably will take a while to put their game -- what there is of it -- together.
NEW JERSEY NETS
1999 RECORD: 16-34
DIVISION FINISH: Seventh, missed playoffs.
COACH: Don Casey, 1st full season with Nets, 13-17
TOP ROOKIE: C Evan Eschmeyer (Northwestern)
KEY ADDITIONS: F Johnny Newman (trade with Clippers), C Michael Cage (free agent).
KEY LOSSES: G Eric Murdock (traded to Clippers), C Rony Seikaly (waived), G Doug Overton (free agent, Philadelphia).
STRENGTHS: Good young talent in Keith Van Horn and Stephon Marbury. Rest of roster is surprisingly experienced.
CONCERNS: Jayson Williams will be out for a few more months with a broken leg, and when he does return, will he be the same player? Gheorghe Muresan and Jim McIlvaine are big question marks at center. Marbury has a tendency to get selfish and try to be Allen Iverson. Kerry Kittles has been a disappointment.
WASHINGTON WIZARDS
1999 RECORD: 18-32
DIVISION FINISH: Sixth, missed playoffs.
COACH: Gar Heard, first season with Wizards
TOP ROOKIES: G Richard Hamilton (Connecticut), G Laron Profit (Maryland)
KEY ADDITIONS: C Ike Austin (trade with Magic), F Aaron Williams (free agent, SuperSonics), F Gerard King (free agent, Spurs), F Michael Smith (free agent, Grizzlies)
KEY LOSSES: F Otis Thorpe (free agent, Miami), G Calbert Cheaney (free agent, Boston), F Ben Wallace, G Tim Legler, F Terry Davis and G Jeff McInnis (trade with Orlando).
STRENGTHS: Austin is supposed to be the center they've lacked the last couple seasons. They have a statistically productive backcourt in Rod Strickland and Mitch Richmond. Juwan Howard is a bona fide all star.
CONCERNS: Austin wasn't the factor last year in Orlando that the Magic hoped he'd be. Richmond had his worst field-goal shooting season ever, yet was rewarded with a big contract. They've had a hard time in recent seasons playing with any cohesion, no matter who they put on the court. Somebody needs to step up at power forward and let Howard move to small forward.