Until or unless the Washington Wizards get a healthy Gilbert Arenas back in the lineup on a consistent basis, the NBA's Southwest Division will be the Magic's hour once again this season. Orlando, led by still-improving center Dwight Howard, is a young team that stands poised to become a beast in the East in a few years when the aging Celtics and Pistons can no longer get the job done.

Washington, even without the flashy scoring machine nicknamed Agent Zero, is a playoff-caliber club. While Arenas is working back into shape after his latest knee injury, Antawn Jaminson, Caron Butler and Co. will be winning more often than not. The young Hawks, meanwhile, should be even better after making the playoffs and actually giving the Celtics a tougher series than the Lakers did last spring.

Even the bottom dwellers in the league have some hope for the future. In Miami it's because Dwyane Wade appears healthy. The Bobcats, meanwhile, turn to Larry Brown, as so many teams have before, in their quest to go beyond mediocrity.

Here's a team-by-team look in predicted order of finish:

ORLANDO MAGIC

Last season: 52-30, lost to Detroit in the Eastern Conference Finals

Top player: Dwight Howard. Fresh from helping Team USA reclaim an Olympic gold medal, Howard is a rising star. He averaged 20.7 points and 14.2 rebounds per game last season.

Supporting cast: Forwards Rashard Lewis (18.2 ppg) and Hedo Turkoglu (19.5 ppg) are both scorers, making it difficult for teams to double team Howard in the paint. Point guard Jameer Nelson (10.9 ppg, 5.6 apg) gets the job done, but the big question is at the shooting guard position. The starting job will go to Mickael Pietrus, an athletic swingman signed from the Warriors.

Bottom line: Stan Van Gundy's team is now a known contender in the East. The Magic should coast to a title in a weak division and are certainly among the top four or five teams in the conference.

WASHINGTON WIZARDS

Last season: 43-39, lost to Cleveland in the first round of the playoffs

Top player: Antawn Jamison. The steady forward doesn't get the hype of his flashier teammate Gilbert Arenas. But Jamison gets the job done on the court. He averaged 21.4 points and 10.2 rebounds per game last season.