BY PAUL JONES
sportsnet.ca

Leading up to opening night on Oct. 26, sportsnet.ca NBA analyst Paul Jones gets you ready for the season by asking the burning questions surrounding each division.

In addition, Jones will wrap up the six division previews with a special analysis of both the Miami Heat and Toronto Raptors.

To continue, Jones examines the Southeast Division.

Enjoy.

On paper at least, the Miami Heat have tipped the balance of power in this division. Heck, they may have tipped it in the conference and maybe the entire league with the offseason sign-and-trade transactions that brought them Chris Bosh and LeBron James. But the Orlando Magic will have something to say as the conference finalists from a season ago.

Atlanta has a new coach with the same cast of characters while the Charlotte Bobcats are coming off their first playoff appearance.

Washington should be improved this year with first overall pick John Wall.

Can new head coach Larry Drew take the Hawks to the Conference Final?

After being fired and replaced by his assistant, the late Jim Valvano once jokingly said: "What, you're hiring this guy? You mean he was sitting beside me with the answers the whole time and wasn't saying anything?"

I wonder if that's how Mike Woodson feels.

Former Woodson assistant Larry Drew takes over the reigns behind the Hawks' bench, and from a continuity standpoint, the Hawks won't lose much. They have re-signed Joe Johnson and most of the unit that has been ousted in the conference semi-finals the past two seasons remains in tact.

Starters Mike Bibby, Al Horford, Marvin Williams, and Josh Smith are back, with the bench featuring sixth man of the year Jamal Crawford, Maurice Evans, and Zaza Pachulia ready to go. The Hawks added Etan Thomas and Josh Powell while Jeff Teague, who showed flashes of solid play last year, also returns.

Could this turn out to be a situation similar to Phoenix, where assistant (Alvin Gentry) took over from head coach Terry Porter (Gentry was also an assistant for Mike D'Antoni and knew the Suns' system) and the team flourished?

Perhaps, but with this being Drew's first head-coaching gig, and the East so tough at the top, if the Hawks don't finish somewhere in the Top 5, they may not even make it to the conference semis and could end up as first-round fodder.

Can the Bobcats have the same solid defense this season and generate enough offense to take the next step?

The good news is Charlotte led the NBA is defence last season, allowing teams to score only 93.3 points per game while finishing sixth in the NBA in opponents' field-goal percentage at 44.8 per cent.

The opposition had an even tougher time behind the arc as the Bobcats' clawing defence only yielded 33.8 per cent from behind the stripe. But the other end of the floor was a very different story as Charlotte was 28th in scoring. Most of the offence came from two players: Stephen Jackson and Gerald Wallace. The Bobcats are hoping to get some scoring from athletic forward Tyrus Thomas while the point guard duties will be handed to D.J. Augustin with Raymond Felton leaving for New York.

Expect Charlotte to continue to try and generate offence from its defence as they created turnovers and converted regularly. The problem however comes when the other team doesn't turn the ball over and Charlotte has to execute in half-court sets.

That was the issue in the playoffs when the Bobcats couldn't generate offence efficiently in low possession games.

But that's just another challenge for Larry Brown and you can bet he'll be up to it. These aren't your daddy's expansion Bobcats, so look for another solid year from this veteran-laden squad.

How quickly can roles be defined so the team can develop championship chemistry?

So how would you like to be Erik Spoelstra?

He has the talent that every coach wants and now the pressure is squarely on him. His first job, contrary to what many think, is not deciding who gets the ball and when, and here's why: Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade and LeBron James are all accustomed to passing the ball. They've had to as they have been seeing a steady diet of double teams over the course of their respective NBA careers.

If you look at the assist totals of Wade and James, it's a non-issue. Bosh has been passing out of double teams in Toronto and then either having others make plays or getting the ball back in a better spot.

Spoelstra needs to define the roles of the rest of the team so they understand where they are supposed to be offensively, because you can't double team all three.

Shots will be there for the likes of Mike Miller, Eddie House, Juwan Howard, Zydrunas Illgauskas, Mario Chalmers, Carlos Arroyo and company. But so will the extra pass to a superstar player.

The other component that is being overlooked is the potential for this squad to be very good defensively on the perimeter. The defence in the middle, well, that becomes an issue as there is no major shot-blocking presence.

Canadians Joel Anthony and Jamaal Magloire will have to be part of the crew defending the paint. You'll have to wait for a future submission to read my take on the magic 70-win barrier, but safe to say, this team is the one expected to be the Eastern Conference representative in The Finals.

We'll see.

Will the supporting cast play well enough to help Dwight Howard?

In the end, even Superman needed help.

Dwight Howard could not do it all himself last season. He's a dominant inside player when he gets the ball close to the basket. Howard is developing his post moves, yes more than just a power drop step and a dunk, but what he lacks at this point in his career, he may never acquire.

What does he lack?

He's missing a face-up, 12-15-foot jumper and a turnaround jumper on the block, two things that need to be in every big man's arsenal.

He may never have either as his release point, as evidenced by his free-throw technique, just doesn't have that kind of form. But if the players around him are able to make shots when he attracts the inevitable double-team, then he and the team will be just fine.

That means Vince Carter, who by the way is in a contract year, Rashard Lewis, Jameer Nelson, Mickael Pietrus, J.J. Redick and whomever else is behind the arc need to make shots when Howard kicks it out to them.

The three-point shot was a tremendous weapon for the Magic last season as they finished third in the NBA in three-point percentage. But it was a different story during the conference final as Orlando's offence struggled against Boston's defence.

Orlando had a look at the championship trophy two seasons ago, but they left empty-handed.

And thanks to the other Florida-based team down the road, they are going to have to work hard for another look at the big prize.

Will a leader emerge to help this team become a cohesive unit?

Make no mistake, with the return of Gilbert Arenas and the drafting of first overall pick John Wall, the Wizards have enough pieces in the East to challenge for a playoff spot. They are a little thin in some spots, but right now the group just needs to be pulled together and have its focus directed, whether it be from a player within the locker room or Flip Saunders and his coaching staff.

But following last's season debacle, leadership is a huge key for the Wizards.

Witness last season before it all went so terribly wrong. There was great optimism in Washington because Gilbert Arenas was healthy. So with Arenas now back and other players such as veterans Kirk Hinrich and Josh Howard added to the mix, if Arenas can stay healthy with the emerging skills of Andray Blatche in the fold, the fans in D.C. could see some meaningful games come next spring.

According to NBA general managers JaVale McGee is poised to have a breakout season. He has size and athleticism for a big man and with very few inside players on the Wizards roster, he may get a chance to play more this season.