Mo Williams was the key to the last two wins. He scored 26 points (on 12-20 shooting) against the Magic, and posted 25 points, four rebounds and three assists against the Heat. Over the two games, he hit 9-12 shots from long range.

Williams has to be careful that he’s not deferring too much to Shaq. Mo is the team’s second-best player and needs to stay aggressive. It’s nice to dump it into Shaq from time to time, but he’s not going to score 25-30 on a semi-regular basis and be that complementary scorer that LeBron needs. That is Mo’s job.

Don’t look now, but the Miami Heat are off to a 6-1 start. The team was supposed to be just treading water until they can acquire some help for their superstar, but they’ve played well early in the season. And the main reason is Wade. He’s averaging 29.9 points, 4.9 assists, and 4.1 rebounds per game, and is shooting better than 45% from the field. If the Heat can win 50 games, he’ll be right in the thick of the MVP conversation.

This year, we’re doing a division-by-division preview with quick-hitting analysis for every team in the league. If a franchise is a legitimate championship contender, I’ll focus on what stars have to line up for a title run. If a team is a playoff “also-ran,” I’ll identify the weaknesses that have to be shored up via trade, free agency or draft over the next couple of seasons to make it a contender. If a team is likely to miss the playoffs, I’ll take a look at the salary cap, and provide a blueprint for how the team should proceed in the near future to get back in the postseason. At the end of each divisional preview, I’ll provide some (random) thoughts for the fantasy hoopsters out there.

For each division, I’ll pick the order of finish. You’ll also see the team’s league-wide preseason rank in parenthesis. Be sure to check back on Thursday for a preview of the Central Division and on Saturday for the Atlantic Division.

Orlando Magic (4)
The Magic were busy this summer, but did they get better? Only time will tell. Vince Carter, Brandon Bass and Jason Williams are in, and Hedo Turkoglu, Courtney Lee and Rafer Alston are out. Orlando fended off a strong run from the Mavs for the services of Marcin Gortat, and actually played Mark Cuban and Co. pretty well by stealing the up-and-coming Bass away in the process. It appears that Bass may start at power forward, which would move Rashard Lewis to small forward. Since the mismatches Lewis created at power forward were one of the Magic’s strengths last season, this may not be written in stone. Orlando also has the option of starting Mickael Pietrus at small forward and moving Lewis back to PF. But the biggest change to the lineup is the loss of Turkoglu and the acquisition of the 32 year-old Vince Carter, who will likely take over Turkoglu’s initiation of the offense. But keep in mind that the Magic made their playoff run without the services of All-Star point guard Jameer Nelson, and his return will be a significant boost to an already strong roster. The Magic didn’t just tinker with their Finals roster from last year, they made a pretty major overhaul, so it will be interesting to see how this group gels. Stan Van Gundy is one of the best coaches in the NBA, and the regular season should provide plenty of time for the Magic to work the kinks out. A deep playoff run is likely.

Atlanta Hawks (12)
The Hawks seem to be treading water. They aren’t good enough to make a serious push for the Finals and they’re too good to get a franchise player in the draft. Joe Johnson has averaged at least 20/4/4 in his four years in Atlanta, but is he a player you build a franchise around? He’ll no doubt be looking for a max contract, and the Hawks will have to pony up if they expect to keep him. The bottom line is that Johnson has reached his ceiling; if the Hawks are to make a significant leap forward and become one of the East’s elite, they need one (or more) of their youngsters – Josh Smith, Al Horford or Marvin Williams – to enter All-Star territory. Of the three, Smith seems the most likely, but given all the progress the 23 year-old has made in his five-year career, he still seems a good bit away from the All-Star Game. At point guard, the Hawks re-signed Mike Bibby to a semi-affordable contract, and drafted Jeff Teague in the hopes that he can become the franchise PG that the Hawks have been searching for since 2005, when they realized it was a mistake to take Marvin Williams instead of Chris Paul and Deron Williams.

Miami Heat (13)
Miami was active in the offseason, but after a failed bid to convince Lamar Odom to trade Malibu for South Beach, the team enters the season with essentially the same roster it had in the playoffs. And with Dwyane Wade entering free agency after the season, this season largely becomes about convincing him to re-up. Working in the Heat’s favor is the tremendous amount of cap space they’ll have entering the fateful Summer of 2010. Even with Wade’s $17 M salary still on the books, the Heat project to have $20 million to work with, which is plenty of money to add another big-name free agent like Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire, Carlos Boozer or…gasp…even LeBron James. Wade is focused on this season, and even with his super-human effort last year – 30.2 ppg, 7.5 apg, 5.0 rpg – the Heat were just a playoff also-ran. Miami needs Michael Beasley to take a step forward and for Jermaine O’Neal to squeeze another season out of his balky knees. But even so, the Heat aren’t a real threat to return to the Finals. Unless the Heat pull off a big in-season trade, which is a distinct possibility, this will be a wasted year for Wade and Co. In the end, Wade will probably re-sign, but he’s smart to keep his leverage. The Knicks and (Brooklyn) Nets are a threat to steal him away, but it’s more likely that Miami convinces Bosh or Stoudemire to sign, and that Wade will choose to stay put.

Washington Wizards (15)
Four years ago, the Wizards were perhaps the fourth or fifth best team in the Eastern Conference, and provided Gilbert Arenas is back to 100% (and Antawn Jamison’s preseason shoulder injury isn’t serious), there’s no reason they can’t get back to “also-ran” status this season. The Wizards are still building around the Arenas-Jamison-Caron Butler core, but it’s not a no-brainer. This group repeatedly failed to get past the Cavs a few years ago, so what makes the franchise think that they’ll have success in an Eastern Conference that now has two more big dogs in the Magic and Celtics? The team is in salary cap hell, with Arenas under contract for another four years (at the tune of $80 million) and Jamison owed more than $28 million through the 2011-12 season. Their best value – Caron Butler – is a free agent in 2011, and the Wizards may not be able to afford to keep him. In short, the franchise is no man’s land, and there’s no easy way out.

Charlotte Bobcats (29)
The Bobcats made a big move this summer by trading Emeka Okafor for Tyson Chandler. The move saves the team almost $41 million, since Chandler’s contract expires in 2011 and Okafor is signed through 2014. The two are fairly similar players (and assuming Chandler is healthy – a big assumption), so the move shouldn’t adversely affect the team’s competitiveness. The Bobcats have a number of good players – Chandler, Gerald Wallace, Boris Diaw, Ray Felton and D.J. Augustin – but no stars, so while head coach Larry Brown will ensure the effort is there, the Bobcats are going to have a tough time winning games. Looking ahead, the team won’t have any serious salary cap flexibility until the summer of 2011, when some ugly contracts (Chandler, Vladimir Radmanovic, Nazr Mohammed) come off the books. It looks like Charlotte is going to be bad for a while.

Fantasy thoughts: Don’t expect Vince Carter to post the 21/5/5 line that he has posted the last couple of seasons. The Magic are far more balanced than the Nets were, and although VC will be actively involved in initiating the offense, he isn’t going to score 20+ on a nightly basis. An average in the high teens is reasonable, while his assists should hold steady (if not rise) along with a drop in boards (with Dwight Howard manning the middle)…The Hawks didn’t make many changes, so expect more of the same from Atlanta’s key players. Jeff Teague’s playing time will be limited with the presence of Mike Bibby, so don’t expect much from the rookie…A focused Michael Beasley has the potential to do some very great things. While there’s no guarantee that he’s going to keep his head on straight, he is posting 14/6 in 31 minutes in the preseason, and has started every game thus far. His performance last April – 21/9 in 31 minutes over an eight-game span – shows what he can do when he gets enough run…At press time, the Wizards haven’t settled on a shooting guard, but whoever gets the job probably won’t see too many attempts as there simply aren’t a lot of shots to go around in Washington…With a lack of a true star in Charlottte, expect Gerald Wallace to continue to stuff the box score. He’s a second round talent but is being drafted in the third or fourth round of fantasy drafts.

Beasley worked out for two months prior to entering rehab and reportedly looks “bigger” and is in “phenomenal shape.” The Heat had representatives with Beasley on a daily basis while he was in Houston and head coach Erik Spoelstra personally visited three times.

Dwyane Wade is in Chicago right now for the 3rd annual “Wade’s World” charity weekend. The festivities include a benefit dinner, a kick-off party, school visits, a bowling party, a youth summit and a school supply giveaway. But the event that D.Wade really wanted to promote was the Gatorade “Chicago Has Talent” show on Saturday night at the Harris Theater at Millenium Park. (For tickets or information call 312-334-7777 or visit www.harristheaterchicago.org. All proceeds go towards the Wade’s World Foundation.) Go to the foundation’s website for more information about the weekend’s festivities and events.

D.Wade took a few minutes out of his busy schedule to chat with The Scores Report about the weekend, what it was like to win an Olympic gold medal and where he might sign next summer.

TSR: D. Wade. How are you doing?

DW: I’m good, boss. I’m good.

TSR: It’s a pleasure to talk to one of the best – if not the best – basketball players on the planet.

DW: Aw, well, I appreciate that.

TSR: I saw your itinerary for this “Wade’s World” Weekend and it looks like you are about to present a check to the William Leonard Public Library. What does it mean for you to be able to give back to your hometown?

DW: It means a lot. Whether it’s a big contribution or a small contribution to be able to give back to not only my hometown and my community, but to others as well. I’ve been very blessed and I think it’s my job to continue to help others that are in dire need, like the William Leonard Public Library in Robbins.

TSR: There’s a jam-packed weekend of activities. One thing I wanted to ask you about was the Gatorade “Chicago Has Talent” show on Saturday. Can you tell me a little bit about that?

DW: Yeah, you look at the whole weekend and we’ve got many different events going on. Some of them you’re going to have fun and some of them are fundraisers, but I think the biggest thing is the one that Gatorade really got behind was the “Chicago Has Talent” because it’s showcasing our kids and giving them an opportunity in life. I think we’re going to have between 10-15 different groups of kids perform in front of a crowd of around 1,000 people, and get a chance to showcase their talent. And the top 3 will get an opportunity to do some special things, but the winner is going to go on and do some great things and get an opportunity to be seen. I think our job is to give them that chance and that hope that they can do it. So I’m looking forward to it. I can’t wait until that Saturday event. That’s probably the biggest event to me of the week of all the things we’re doing.

TSR: That’s at the Harris Theater at 7:00 PM at Millenium Park and tickets (which start at $15) are available.

DW: Yeah, that’s at the Harris Theater and it’s just after we get done with a youth summit where we have a panel full of celebrities and powerful, important people in the community, and they get to talk to kids for a couple of hours about violence and sex, and about so many different topics, and that’s actually right before the show.

TSR: And that’s at the UIC Forum at 725 W. Roosevelt Road.

DW: Yeah.

TSR: So do you mind if I ask you a couple of basketball-related questions?

DW: Sure.

TSR: Were you a Bulls fan growing up?

DW: Oh, no question. Bulls fan. Jordan fan. The whole nine.

TSR: The Bulls have positioned themselves to make a run at a big-name free agent next summer, and you have made it clear that you are keeping your options open heading into 2010. Even though the Heat are over the cap, they tried to acquire Lamar Odom, but missed out. Do you think that they’ve done enough to build a team around you or are you looking for the franchise to make a big in-season trade this year?

DW: Well, we want to continue to add pieces. I think we have some pieces now. Over this year and even next year, I think they have the opportunity to add some more pieces so we can get back to being a championship-caliber team. I’m confident in my team that they’re going to do that, but right now I’m just leaving my options option. A player needs some opportunity to have some flexibility with this decision. I just want to make sure that I’m making the right decision for the long haul for me, and I’m going to take my time doing it. I’m going to focus on the basketball side of things now, and then worry about everything else later.

on where he’ll sign next summer…

“A player needs some opportunity to have some flexibility with this decision. I just want to make sure that I’m making the right decision for the long haul for me, and I’m going take my time doing it.”

TSR: You’ve won both an NBA championship and a gold medal in the Olympics. Can you compare the two experiences?

DW: They’re both unbelievable. If I never played another basketball game, I could be satisfied about some of the things I’ve done and places I’ve been. And to win a world championship in the NBA was a dream come true. And to win a gold medal was beyond my wildest dreams. To do it the way we did it with the caliber of people on that team, and the greatness on that team, was just phenomenal. I feel blessed to be a part of both.

TSR: I grew up outside of Milwaukee, so it was cool to see you take Marquette to the Final Four. When you were a junior in college did you have a feeling that you were going to become an All-NBA talent or did you have more modest expectations?

DW: (laughs) I didn’t know. I knew I had a strong work ethic and would get the most that I could out of my talent and my ability as possible, and whatever comes out of that comes. You always dream and hope that you could be an All-Star and win championships, but you never know until you’ve been put in that position. I’ve been very blessed in my six- going on seven-year career in the NBA already.

TSR: Is there an area of your game that you’d like to improve this season?

DW: I’m the kind of player that likes to fine-tune all parts of my game. But I’m going to continue to work on my range, and on my back-to-the-basket game as I get older so I don’t have to move around as much. And to continue to become a better leader. I think that’s the biggest thing and I think it would take me and my team to another level.

TSR: All right, that’s all I have for you. Thanks for speaking with us and I wish you the best of luck with the weekend and I hope everyone gets out to the Gatorade “Chicago Has Talent” show. Good luck with everything.

DW: Thank you, boss. I appreciate it.

Henry Abbott of TrueHoop analyzes the information and misinformation surrounding Beasley’s rehab.

The more you dig for real information about what’s going on right now, the muddier the picture becomes.

One group of sources swears that Beasley’s off-court life is disastrous. They talk of compounding poor judgment with cars, guns, women and money. They talk of money spent on cars, houses and supporting those around him that far exceeds income. Many tell stories of appointments broken and opportunities lost to a player who seems unable to focus. When word came that he was entering some kind of treatment, several sources said things like “I’m not surprised at all,” and “it could get worse before it gets better.”

This is a good read for those interesting in what’s going on with Beasley, even though the picture isn’t entirely clear.

A day after it was confirmed that Michael Beasley had entered a Houston rehab facility, a clearer picture regarding the status of the Miami Heat forward has come into focus.

Sources familiar with the case said Beasley’s stay at the facility is primarily related to the NBA’s substance-abuse program, with this visit planned in advance.

In addition, while concerns have been raised about Beasley’s mental well-being in the wake of web postings by the 20-year-old and comments from those close to him, those concerns have been overstated, according to a source familiar with the situation.

Under league rules, neither those affiliated with individual teams nor those in the league office are allowed to comment on individual cases regarding the NBA’s substance-abuse policy.

However Tuesday, a source familiar with the situation said Beasley is expected to be back with the team by the Sept. 28 start of training camp at AmericanAirlines Arena.

That doesn’t really clear things up, but it paints a better picture. Let’s hope he’s getting the help he needs.