After reviewing the offseason needs of the Atlantic and Southeast, we skip the Central Division of the Eastern Conference for now, since one member of that division (the Cavaliers), has yet to start its summer vacation. The Northwest Division features a lot of teams that are already on the rise, or soon will be thanks to the luck of the draft. Here's a take on what each team should do to take a step or three in the right direction during the offseason.

Denver Nuggets: The Iverson/Anthony combination didn't have a whole lot of time to mesh before the playoffs, so front management will probably want to give the team a full year to realize its potential. With two of the most potent scorers in the league, the mission now is to put the right pieces around them. They're not as far away as some might think.

If Kenyon Martin and coach George Karl can make lasting amends, the Nuggets would have one of the most feared frontcourt rotations in Martin, Camby, Nene, and 'Melo, with Reggie Evans as a rebounding specialist to back them up. Linas Kleiza could develop into a good backup for Anthony at the 3, and training camp will prove whether he's ready to move into that role consistently.

The big question here is do the Nuggets want to stay with Steve Blake at point guard? He's an unrestricted free agent, and teams looking for a solid backup or starting point guard will take a long look at him. If Denver lets him go, they may be forced to start Iverson at the point and J.R. Smith at the off guard. Smith started the season hot, but took a backseat on the bench after A.I. arrived. If Blake stays, will Smith be content after tasting a starting role's success?

A backup point guard and another shooter would be ideal for this team, since beyond A.I. and Smith, the situation looks shaky. Unfortunately, they have zero picks in the draft.

Minnesota Timberwolves: Another season of sub-mediocrity for KG and the Wolves, and many people are wondering if the days of the Garnett Era may be over in Minnyland. Although they have the 7th pick in the draft, will KG be content with help in the form of a young and unproven rookie who may take a few years to become a consistent impact player?

If KG stays, the Wolves' frontcourt needs are what need addressing. Spencer Hawes, Julian Wright and Joakim Noah are a few of the quality big men that might be available at number seven. The guess here is that they go for Hawes if he's there, since he's a proven low-post scorer, while Wright is more of a wing and Noah is still questionable on the offensive end.

After signing Mike James to a decent deal last year from Houston, he failed to outperform rookie Randy Foye, so look for competition for playing time there to become an issue. Rashad McCants' recovery could be a potential x-factor in boosting Minnesota's depth.

If Garnett truly wants out, Minnesota should trade him to a contender that has young parts to give. Portland might be willing, since there, Garnett could play the 3 alongside Greg Oden and Lamarcus Aldridge, while the T-Wolves could receive Zach Randolph and spare parts. Other teams that have assets their willing to give up for the 30-year old Garnett that the Wolves would want are probably worse off than the T-Wolves are now.

Portland Trailblazers: What will they do? That's what everyone's asking. Many are saying that they've already decided on Oden, but if they have, why the air of uncertainty surrounding them? Will they go for Durant instead? We probably wont' know until late June. If they are indeed set on Oden, suddenly trading possibilities are available to speed up the rebuilding process.

Zach Randolph has been the most popular name mentioned in trade rumors with his double-double averages and improved attitude. If the Blazers are actually shopping him, they should do so with the motive of getting a small forward, since Darius Miles is (or at least, should be) an official flop. Travis Outlaw isn't quite ready to make the jump to a starter's role. Julian Wright is the player that would fit the most from the draft, but other established NBA players will be looked at as well.

The further development of Rookie of the Year Brandon Roy, Lamarcus Aldridge, Sergio Rodriguez and Jarrett Jack, as well as Oden/Durant, should be the top priorities of the Blazers' staff. That will determine how far this franchise can go with its impressive young core. With that, some veteran players to show the way, and a little sun and water, the Blazers could grow into a perennial contender. If that, by the way, is their goal, they should draft Oden.

Seattle Supersonics: The future is promising with the #2 pick, a to-be-healthy Ray Allen coming off of his best scoring season, and Chris Wilcox learning more about being a power forward in the NBA. The two big questions are if the Sonics will indeed have Durant as the Draft's "Consolation Prize", and if Rashard Lewis leaves via free agency.

With Durant, the Sonics can fill Lewis' void if he leaves. If I'm Lewis, however, I'm seeing the potential of a contender playing alongside Allen and Durant. For the sake of Seattle basketball, let's hope he stays. Nick Collison didn't do a bad job filling in at center, but would be more effective as a backup. Sonics brass is hoping that one of its trio of center projects works out from the group of Robert Swift, Mouhamed Sene, and Johan Petro. Swift was the most likely candidate until he suffered a severe knee injury at the beginning of the season.

A huge question mark for this team is the position of point guard. Will Luke Ridnour or Earl Watson be the starter? Will it be a decision made and remade all season like it was last year? With a young team on the rise, Ridnour should be given a vote of confidence by the yet-to-be-determined coaching staff and handed the reigns of the this team.

With Durant, Wilcox, the center-by-committe, hopefully Lewis, and Damien Wilkins, the Sonics have foundation that could butt heads with the Blazers for the next decade or so.

Utah Jazz: I don't by the Malone/Stockton comparisons. D-Will and Boozer are a lot funner to watch. With their unexpected march to the Western Finals, the Jazz are feeling good about themselves, and probably moreso than they should. They didn't have to face a real contender until the Spurs, having the fortune to skip the Mavs thanks to the Cinderella Warriors. With Williams and Boozer, the Jazz have a star tandem to build around for the next few years.

Paul Millsap was a wonderful surprise for the Jazz as a rebounding energy machine, but what is his future on the team? He obviously won't usurp Boozer's spot in the lineup, and he's too small to eventually take over at center. A great piece, but one that may not fit as he gets bigger (figuratively speaking). Ronnie Brewer and C.J. Miles are also nice young players that could grow into steady contributors on this team.

With the 25th pick in the draft, the Jazz should look for a project-center since other than Okur, they don't really have a competent big to man the middle. They should also hire on-call therapy for Andrei Kirilenko in case he hits a state of sever depression like he did late in the season and early in the playoffs. If he plays like he did later in the postseason, their lineup is that much more potent. The Jazz will be a year older and wiser next year, which will bode ill for the other western conference powers.

The Atlantic Division features three of the NBA's most storied franchises which have hit rock bottom during this past year. Maybe it's because of the legends left behind by greats such as Dr. J, Bill Russell, and Patrick Ewing that the current state of these teams seems so pathetic. No curse is ever so great that it can't be lifted, though (even if the Clippers try and disprove that year after year). With that being said, here are the goals and to-do's for the teams of the Atlantic Division this offseason.

Boston Celtics: After a glorious tanking of the regular season in hopes of landing Greg Oden or Kevin Durant, Beantown is left crying with the #5 pick and a mismatched crew of youngsters lead by veteran All-Star Paul Pierce. Other than Pierce, the only player that showed signs of consistent contribution was Al Jefferson. Everyone else (and the #5 pick) is available in order to improve the team.

The point guard situation has become desperate. If he were dead, Bob Cousy would be rolling over in his grave. Sebastian Telfair has been nothing short of a failure, and Rajon Rondo's outside shooting and experience leave something to be desired. Boston would love for Mike Conley to drop to them at #5, but with the Hawks having the #3 and a similar desire for a point guard, it may not happen. There's not enough depth at point guard in the draft to waste the #5 on someone else.

At this point, with Pierce fresh off a contract extension and Jefferson starting to grow into his potential, look for the Celts to package their pick with some of their young spare parts to land immediate help via trade. They have Theo Ratliff's expiring contract to sweeten the deal. Phoenix has been mentioned as a possible trading partner, since they're looking to trip down salaries. If Boston can get a trade with them or another team that gives them a consistent contributor, expect them to pull the trigger.

New Jersey Nets: On a video game, the Nets are imposing with the trio of Kidd, Carter and Jefferson. In real life, they've proven inconsistent and unable to realize the lofty expectations that came with the union of these three All-Star caliber players. With Carter possibly opting out and leaving, the Nets may be forced to change its direction this summer.

With all the uncertainty surrounding the stars of the team, it must be pretty comforting to know that impressive rookies Marcus Williams and Josh Boone will still be around. With Nenad Krstic's health still in question and the impending free agency of surprise of the year Mikki Moore, the Nets should make sure they have another competent big man in the fold as security.

If Jersey wants to stay competetive, it's imperative that they resign Moore without paying him too much so as not to handicap themselves in the future. An shooting guard that can actually shoot consistently would be ideal, whether has Carter's backup, or his replacement. If the Nets decide to blow things up and start over, they need to do so competely, and hand the team over to their youngsters. Then they could go about building with future draft picks and via free agency.

New York Knicks: From 1985 through 1999, the Knicks had one face that defined the franchise in Patrick Ewing. Last season, the go-to guy for New York changed on almost a monthly basis. From Marbury, to Eddy Curry, to Jamal Crawford, it was hard to get a read on what direction the Knicks (Isaiah Thomas) wanted to go. They need to figure that out this summer, that way everyone is on the same page come training camp.

New York was on a pretty good tear late in the season and was threatening to make the playoffs. That feel apart after Jamal Crawford was injured. Although his shooting isn't pretty at times (40% from the field), he and Curry should be the tandem that carries the Knicks. To them and fellow youngsters David Lee, Channing Frye and Renaldo Balkman coach Thomas should look to build the team around. With only the #23 pick and a bloated salary, options are limited.

Somehow, someway, the Knicks need to aquire a pass-first point guard that can set up Crawford and Curry. With that type of a point guard and a consistent offense put in by Thomas, the Knicks might be able to return to playing in May next year. Unfortunately, Jared Jeffries may be the only piece that the Knicks are willing to give up that other teams would actually want. Unless another team wants to give Marbury or Steve Francis another chance...

Philadelphia 76rs: After Iverson was shipped to Denver and Chris Webber was waved, the 76rs played with refreshing enthusiasm. Andre Iguodala became the star and didn't do a bad job of it either. With Andre Miller running the show and Iguodala flying on the break, the 76rs need only add a few athletic pieces to a suddenly promising core.

Joe Smith can only do so much at the power forward, so the 76rs need to find a younger, more athletic replacement. Luckily, this draft is full of athletic forwards, and Philly holds both the #12 and 21st pick. Since Rodney Carney is a younger, less developed version of Iguodala, it would make sense for the Sixers to package him with one or both the picks to move up in the draft to maybe snag Brendan Wright or Al Harford. If not that, Joakim Noah or Jason Smith are less-touted options that might slip to their picks.

Drafting and/or trading for more frontcourt depth is a must for this team. Stephen Hunter simply can't get it done as the first big man off the bench for them. A backup point guard for Miller is also necessary, so he isn't run ragged before a playoff push can be made next season. With a solid group of young studs, the 76rs should now focus on strengthening the team around them.

Toronto Raptors: Coming into last season, there were a lot of unknowns with Bargnani, Parker, Calderon and Garbajosa. Sam Mitchell did an impressive job working with this team almost on the fly and helping them advance to the East semifinals. Now that Mitchell knows what he has on the team, he needs to spend the summer contriving an offense that takes advantage of his players' versatile talents. His gameplan should utilize the skills of Bosh and Bargnani particularly.

Returning to the playoffs and advancing at the expense of ex-Raptor Vince Carter had to be sweet for Canada's only NBA team. Now that Chris Bosh has established himself as a star and the Raptors know they belong in this league, it's time for them to take the next step. Andrea Bargnani was impressive in the playoffs, and the Raptors need him to continue to progress in order to become more of a force in the east.

The Raptors would like to have an athletic wingman to complement Bosh inside and take advantage of the playmaking skills of TJ Ford and Jose Calderon. Unfortunately, the Raps don't have any draft picks this summer, so their ability to improve from outside sources is minimal.

While three teams remain in the playoffs, there are 27 others trying to figure out what went wrong and how to fix it. Seeing as how it's always easier to contribute ideas from the outside looking in, here's a stab at what each team should try and accomplish this offseason.

We start off with the Southeast Division, which featured three teams that made the playoffs. None of those teams made it past the first round, so standing pat is probably the least effective thing to do for these ballclubs.

Atlanta Hawks: They're overloaded at the wing position, so they need to draft and trade in order to even things out. They have no quality center or point guard. Luckily, they have all the tools a team needs to fix these problems: a high draft pick (number three) and loads of young talent to use as trade bait.

Hawks management has to decide which young players they're going to bank on for the future, and which ones they're willing to give up in trades to fill the voids at the one and five. Possible goners include, in no order of likelihood, Josh Smith, Josh Childress, Marvin Williams, and Shelden Williams. Sacramento's Mike Bibby would be a good target.

Mike Conley Jr. seems like an obvious choice from the draft at point guard, but is drafting him as high as number three too much of a reach? They could try and go big with Brendan Wright instead, but he needs to bulk up in order to be an effective big man. Free agents Mo Williams and Mikki Moore could also be possible solutions.

More important than anything is either aquiring or developing a consistent scoring threat to go alongside superscoring Joe Johnson. He can't do everything by himself, but he's almost been forced to do just that with the underdeveloped cast around him. Josh Smith would seem a likely candidate, but with all the tools the Hawks have at their disposal to improve, Johnson should be expecting some kind of help this summer.

Charlotte Bobcats: Consistent scoring is a must for this team, and other than the unlikely luring of Vince Carter from Jersey, it'll be hard to supply that need right away. Okafor is great defensively, but lacks on the other end of the floor. Gerald Wallace isn't supposed to be the #1 option on offense.

With a gaping hole at the shooting guard position, Charlotte's hoping that Florida's Corey Brewer falls to them at the number eight spot in the draft. That is, unless Wallace opts for greener pastures via free agency, which would be devastating. If that happens, Charlotte may opt for Julian Wright or another prominant wing scorer available in the draft.

Morris Peterson and Jerry Stackhouse are cheaper, more realistic free agent possibilities than Carter to fill the 2 guard spot. Shoring up the frontline to help out Okafor wouldn't be a bad idea, either. Restricted free agents Andres Nocioni and Anderson Varejao could be available depending on their respective teams' willingness to keep them.

Proabably the biggest question mark surrounding this team is the developement of its young core, which includes Wallace (assuming he stays), Okafor (low post scoring would be nice), Raymond Felton (time to see some kind of progress) and especially Adam Morrison (will the real 'Stache please stand up?).

Miami Heat: How the mighty have fallen. The Heat's first and most pressing issue is how Dwyane Wade will play after surgery on his shoulder. How will he be affected both physically and mentally, if at all? If their franchise player is good to go, it's just a matter of retooling around him and the aging Diesel.

The problem with this team is that so many of its parts are aging (Mourning, O'Neal, Payton, Eddie Jones), or flawed (Posey, Walker). Not exactly the assets to lure trading partners in order to improve your team. The Heat will try at least one more year with Shaq, Mourning, and maybe all the others, convincing themselves that the reason they couldn't defend their crown was Wade's shoulder injury, as well as Shaq's injury early in the season.

If Miami wants to actually try and improve, they might want to package their twentieth pick with maybe James Posey to move up in the draft and snag a quality small forward. If they keep the pick, drafting a project big man has to be on the brass' mind, with the careers of Zo and Shaq winding down.

Orlando Magic: After making the playoffs and having their first taste of the first round from the Pistons, the Magic are looking to make the next step. Dwight Howard should be shipped off to Pete Newell's big man camp, and work out personally with Hakeem or another great center to improve on the offensive end. If that happens, the Magic probably have the best all-around center in the league. Locking him up with a contract extension wouldn't be a bad idea, either.

Another question Magic staff have to answer is if and for how much will they re-sign Darko Milicic? The safe thing to do would be to give him a fair, mediocre deal for three or four years, since he's young and has yet to show more than flashes of his immense talent. The danger here is that some other team ups the bidding and forces the Magic to overpay for a big man...but that never happens, now does it?

The Magic have three second-round picks, and in this deep of a draft, might be able to get a steal. Grabbing a backup big man and scoring two-guard would be the biggest needs out of the draft or free agency. Vince Carter is the hot rumor, and with his home in Florida, it's a possibility. A healthy J.J. Redick would be a welcome surprise as well, and would thrive off the double-teams that will most certainly swarm Howard next season.

Washington Wizards: We never found out if Gilbert Arenas would play crazy enough to beat the power teams like Cleveland and Detroit in the Eastern Playoffs. Considering the Wiz were sitting atop the conference before he and fellow All-Star Caron Butler went down, the front office likely won't tinker too much. Getting this team healthy again is good enough for starters.

With the 16th pick in the draft, the Wizards could very well get a steal, and Colorado State's Jason Smith would be a great pick. He's 7'0", so Washington could just ditch the fighting tomcats Haywood and Etan Thomas and plug Smith in at center. He averaged double-figure points and rebounds last season in college, and is a decent shot blocker. What's intriguing is that he's pretty athletic for a big man, so he would fit right in with the Wizards' high-scoring mentality.

A consistent 3-point shooter would also help the Wiz, as no one on the team shot above 36% from beyond the arc last season other than Deshawn Stevenson (40.4%).

One of the best qualities about the NBA, is that it's really not like TV dramas at all. The characters actually evolve, progress and change. The plot, protagonist and antagonist can vary on a seasonal basis. Best of all, there're no summer reruns.

This summer promises to give us all the drama we could ever need and, unfortunately, it won't be covered by TNT. I'm sure that EJ, Kenny, Charles and Magic would love to hash out everything that will come to pass during these long and otherwise exclusively baseball-filled summer days. But sometimes what happens off the court can be as captivating as the proceeds on it, as this offseason is sure to prove.

Will Portland take Greg Oden with the number one pick in the draft? Common sense says they should, but what if they defy common sense, tell it to take a hike, and take Kevin Durant instead? It's not like they don't already have a competent center (see LaMarcus Aldridge). What would happen then?

If that happens, Seattle would most assuredly and happily take Oden, and suddenly the Northwest Division by itself would feature the best frontcourts in the NBA: Seattle with Oden, Rashard Lewis, and Chris Wilcox; Portland would roll out with Durant, high scoring forward Zach Randolph and the aforementioned Aldridge. The head-to-head potential is enough to make someone salivate in anticipation.

Will Atlanta take a point guard at number three or trade for one? I don't wonder because I care all that much, it's just that I'm sick of them ignoring a can't-miss point guard in the draft to take a tweener year after year.

What will Dallas and Phoenix do respectively, if anything, to their rosters? They had the best regular seasons in the league, but neither one made it farther than the semifinals. Both teams can convince themselves that the cards just didn't fall their way. Dallas can argue that it drew a bad matchup and mojo facing the Don Nelson-lead Warriors. Phoenix can blame its failure to advance on the powers that be and the NBA front office. Will they try again with what they've got, or retool and mess up a pretty good thing in the process?

Is the Bryant/Lakers marriage really on the verge of divorce? If it is, and Kobe really does get traded, a new superpower could be born in the NBA. Not to mention, who knows what Phil Jackson could do with a team of players willing to play his way and not their own? On the other hand, if Kobe stays, how will Laker fans react? Will they welcome Bryant back with open arms? Something's gotta give.

Speaking of franchise faces being on the block, will Kevin Garnett stay in Minnesota? What about Jermaine O'Neal, Jason Kidd, Vince Carter and Chauncey Billups? All of them could possibly be on their way out of franchises upon which they've stamped their respective images. How will that tilt the scales in the league?

Team USA Basketball has to finish at least second in this summer's FIBA America tournament to qualify for the Olympics. Sounds easy enough, until you remember that the US of A hasn't finished better than 3rd in any international basketball tournament since the 2000 Olympics. Newcomers Deron Williams, Carlos Boozer, Greg Oden and Kevin Durant could help there, as well as a completely recovered Amare Stoudemire. Time for Team USA to put up or shut up.

This may be one of the most dramatic and exciting summers in NBA history. The dreams of fans, teams, executives, and players can be made or broken during this time of year. If you don't like this, you don't like NBA basketball.

Earlier in the season, I expressed my feelings concerning the ever-present lack of dominant big men in the history of the Phoenix Suns. I called this historical dearth the Void of the Suns. I ended the article pleading with the basketball gods to have mercy on this seemingly cursed franchise.

That plea was answered in the affirmative for 82 regular season games and the first nine games of the playoffs. The Void was filled to bursting with Amare Stoudemire. Then, amazingly, the basketball gods (fickle beings that they are) sent demons to take over David Stern's soul. The response to a small infraction instigated by Robert Horry? Game 5 suspensions for both Amare and versatile forward Boris Diaw.

Nevermind the fact that no harm was done by either of the "guilty" parties. The basketball gods whispered in Stern's ear, "They came off the bench. They must suffer the consequences." Perhaps the portion of Stern's soul that is good and right tried to fight against it. If so, the internal struggle was a quick one. With divine deviousness, the basketball gods ripped apart the Suns frontline, and permitted the Void to exist for the most important and opportune game of the year.

The Suns had turned in a heroic effort to steal Game 4 in San Antonio, regaining homecourt advantage. With Game 5 in the desert and a frenzied arena of supporters waiting, it was to be the best chance for the Suns to dispel the notion that the Spurs had their number. Alas, they were left crippled, facing the best power forward in the history of the game in Tim Duncan.

Phoenix turned in a valiant effort, but the Void proved too great for the final five minutes of the game. One game was all that was needed to completely change the entire feel of what would have most assuredly been a historic series. Yet the basketball gods took the wind from their sails after Game 4. Is it fair? No. Is it fate? It sure seems like it.

The basketball gods and the Void they've slapped on the Suns since the team's inception have made the franchise's history into a seemingly endless run of "what-if's." When will the Suns get their break and the other teams lose theirs? Haven't they gone through enough "almosts" and "if only's" over the last 39 years? Unfortunately, the answer to those questions will have to wait until next year.