NBA Preview – Eastern Conference

The Eastern Conference has solid teams at the top without much else behind it.  A lot of the teams here made moves, but most have done little to actually improve.  After researching the Western Conference earlier, I cannot believe how much deeper and more talented the west is, with teams in the double digits who would be clear-cut playoff teams in this conference.  My picks at the top remain the same as last year, with slight but insignificant changes throughout the conference.  While in the west I was amazed with the amount of talent down the line, in the East I am shocked at just how many teams lack anything close to depth.  The top three are obviously set in stone, but I find little separation from 5-10 simply because they all have stars with nothing resembling talent behind them.

1) Cleveland Cavaliers – This is obviously the sexy pick, but also the clearly right pick.  Lebron James hasn’t even hit his prime yet.  Think about that.  He is going to be better this year than he was last year, and that is why his team will be the number one seed for the next few years almost regardless of where he ends up next season.  You can complain about his supporting cast, and how old Shaq is, but at the end of the day, Shaq puts up numbers every year (see 17 points and 8 rebounds a game last season).  Mo Williams will continue to improve in the presence of King James, and this team will be impossible to stop, especially given the relative ease with which they will plow through their schedule.

2) Orlando Magic – They made it to the finals last season, and they will definitely be better this season.  Vince Carter will be more explosive than Turkoglu was last season, and his presence will allow Rashard Lewis to take a bigger part in the offense than he held last season.  The biggest asset is the return of Jameer Nelson, who missed almost the whole second half of last season due to injury, who was a huge weapon while healthy.  Dwight Howard will continue to improve, and hopefully develop at least one move to go along with, well, okay, he doesn’t have any other moves.  Hopefully he gets one.

3) Boston Celtics – I bet you couldn’t have guessed this team after reading my picks for numbers one and two.  If you think the Artest experiment is interesting, I submit to you the Rasheed Wallace experiment.  The Boston Celtics are easily the least likable team in the NBA (sorry Denver).  No one likes Rasheed or KG, and it’s hard to imagine Paul Pierce has many friends around the league, so needless to say this team will be circled on the schedule every time they come to an arena near you.  Regardless of all this, the team is loaded with talent, it just happens to be really old talent.

4) Atlanta Hawks – It is hard to believe that the Atlanta Hawks are becoming a force in the Eastern Conference.  This team is almost a more mature version of the Oklahoma City Thunder, made up of a lot of young, athletic, exciting talent.  Josh Smith and Joe Johnson are two of the young stars in this league, and with Mike Bibby and Jamal Crawford along side of them, this team will definitely score some points on a nightly basis.  I feel like this team still sneaks up on people because they are the Hawks, but people need to get used to seeing this team succeed, because they might be here for a while.

5) Washington Wizards – Hard to believe a team could go from last in the conference to fifth, but with Gilbert Arenas back, I think that is a real possibility.  Gilbert, Caron Butler, and Antawn Jamison comprise one of the best trios in the entire league, but the problem has always been who they are surrounded with.  I think Nick Young is destined to become a solid option for this squad, and will be enough to push this team into the playoffs, where they could make quite the splash.

6) Chicago Bulls – Every NBA fan remembers how good the Bulls looked in the playoffs last season and would like to think they are poised to make a run.  Then remember they lost arguably their best player (Ben Gordon) to free agency, and the six spot becomes a bit more realistic.  Josh Salmons and Brad Miller were great acquisitions at the end of last season, and give this team a real chance to thrive this season.  Derek Rose will continue to develop into one of the league’s best point guards, while Tyrus Thomas and Joakim Noah provide one of the most athletic, high-energy front lines in basketball.  This will be a fun team to watch, and one that could challenge the upper tiers of the conference, I just think they need a little more experience before they can do so consistently.

7) Toronto Raptors – Jose Calderon, Hedo Turkoglu, and Chris Bosh all on the same team.  Not a bad start.  The problem is that’s about it.  DeMar DeRozan is listed as the starting shooting guard which is about as bad a sign as possible for an NBA franchise.  Turkoglu was a great addition over the offseason, however the lack of depth will eventually be the team’s downfall.  I think the three stars are enough to carry this team to the playoffs, but won’t go any further.

8) Philadelphia 76ers – If Elton Brand is healthy, I am placing this team far too low, however that is an enormous if.  Andre Iguodala is a star in the league, and Thaddeus Young has all of the tools needed to follow suit, which could make for a lethal combination into the future.  Like the rest of the conference, this team lacks great depth, with a rag-tag group of reserves headlined by former Raptor Jason Kapono.

9) Miami Heat – Dwayne Wade might be the second best player in the NBA, but even he couldn’t lead this group of scrubs to the playoffs.  Wade averaged 30/7.5/5 last season, but with the group surrounding him, Wade might need to triple those numbers.  Jermaine O’Neal used to be a great big man, but has been everything but over the past few years, while Michael Beasley doesn’t seem to have the mental makeup capable of succeeding in this league.  Unless both of these guys turn it around, while guys like Mario Chalmers accelerate their development, this team will find themselves on the outside looking in come playoff time.

10) Charlotte Bobcats – Here is a team with some young talent that could finish anywhere from the eight spot to the twelve spot.  Felton, Bell, Wallace, and Diaw have all proven in spurts that they can produce in this league, and if Larry Brown can make it all work while getting production from Tyson Chandler, this team could be in business.  With DJ Augustin and Valdimir Radmonovic coming off the bench, this team has enough depth to make up for their lack of star power on the front line.  I like this squad a lot, but I just feel like the makeup of the organization could keep this team from reaching the heights they are meant to reach.

11) Detroit Pistons – Signing Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva both look like great pickups on paper.  Until you realize that the Pistons don’t need a shooting guard, and that Villanueva doesn’t solve their biggest need in a center.  Those duties will be left to….wait for it…..wait for it….Ben Wallace and Kwame Brown.  No, seriously, those are their two centers.  Now the number ten pick makes sense, doesn’t it? I am a huge Prince, Hamilton, Gordon, Stuckey, Villanueva fan, but none of them matter as long as Kwame and Big Ben are starters.

12) Indiana Pacers – I have to admire a GM that puts together the white boy all-stars, but I just cannot see this squad getting it done this year.  Danny Granger is another one of these stars who no one likes to talk about, despite the fact he fills up the stat sheet in every imaginable category.  Jeff Foster at center is nearing Detroit Pistons status, and unless TJ Ford, Troy Murphy, and Mike Dunleavy become major contributors, this team will fail to make the playoffs once again.

13) New York Knicks – Mike D’Antoni is a great coach, and with the amount of talent this organization has assembled, it is hard to imagine them remaining in the cellar for long.  Nate Robinson and Chris Duhon won’t give D’Antoni the Nash he had in Phoenix, but both are capable lead men to go alongside Al Harrington and David Lee in Madison Square Garden.  All of these guys seem capable of running the high tempo offense D’Antoni loves to run, and with another year under his reign, I have to believe this team wins more than the 32 they won last season.

14) Milwaukee Bucks – I would love to think the return of Michael Redd could turn this franchise around, but for that to happen, the organization would need to actually care about winning.  That means not giving up on their two best players last season, in Charlie Villanueva and Ramon Sessions, like they did.  There is no way they thought Brandon Jennings and Kurt Thomas were valuable replacements, meaning one thing: they don’t care.  Michael Redd will be shooting a lot this season, and that won’t necessarily be a good thing for Buck fans (you exist right?).

15) New Jersey Nets – I am pretty sure this starting lineup might be a joke.  Devin Harris and Brook Lopez are both good, but Courtney Lee’s success last season was nothing more than the product of the Orlando system, where teams left him wide open to double team the real threats in Lewis and Turkoglu.  The reason they’re last is because this same Courtney Lee is their third best player, just edging out  Yi Jianlian and Bobby Simmons for the honors, both of whom are starters.  Nets fans cannot wait until this Russian Billionaire starts buying talent, because this season might just be the bottom.