NBA Preview: Eastern Conference

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Atlantic

1. Brooklyn Nets

I absolutely love the trade the Nets made with the Boston Celtics in the offseason bringing in Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, and Jason Terry. It adds to an already strong core with Deron Williams, Brook Lopez, and Joe Johnson. While the Nets were criticized for a lack of toughness last year, Pierce and Garnett will quickly remedy that issue. If they were still in their prime, this team would be a favorite to win it all. Nevertheless, Pierce and Garnett know they are at the tail end of their careers and need to be on a team where they are complimentary pieces rather than the key players for another chance to win the championship. The Nets also have a ridiculously deep bench with Andre Kirilenko, Reggie Evans, Andray Blatche, Shaun Livingston, and Jason Terry.  I can foresee them starting off slow trying to be too unselfish while they figure out how to play with each other. However, they are too good and their players have too high of basketball IQs not to succeed. I also expect them to pace their veterans so they are fresh down the stretch and in the playoffs. Consequently, I do not see them making a push for the top seed. The decision to immediately hire Jason Kidd as the head coach after his retirement is very intriguing. He has no coaching experience. Nevertheless, he is a brilliant basketball mind as evidenced by his Hall of Fame Career as a point guard. He has the respect of his peers and I expect him to succeed.

2. New York Knicks

The Knicks live by the three and die by the three. They were an elite team last year when they hit a lot of threes and played defense. They started out last season playing great defense but fell back to Earth once their defensive intensity waned. They added to their strength by trading for talented Andrea Bargnani for more outside shooting. Moreover, they added toughness and defense by signing Metta World Peace. While Ron Artest in his prime might have put this team over the edge, Metta World Peace is a nice role player that will make them better but not elite. The Knicks will be dangerous in the playoffs as they can hit a lot of jump shots. Nevertheless, it is extremely difficult to win multiple rounds in the playoffs with their style of play relying on jump shot.  I do not expect them to make a deep playoff run. It is a big season for the Knicks as Carmelo Anthony has already stated he wants to experience free agency. Although he wants to be wined and dined by other teams, I highly doubt he will be leaving New York as it has been his dream to be a Knick.

 

3. Toronto Raptors

The Raptors are young and athletic. They will also have Rudy Gay for a full season this year to pair with electric DeMar Derozan to form one of the most athletic pair of wing men. I also like Jonas Valanciunas as a talented, young center. They will be fun to watch and challenge for the playoffs. Their 6-1 preseason is encouraging.

 

4. Boston Celtics

The championship window for the Celtics closed so it made perfect sense for them to trade Pierce and Garnett for expiring contracts and draft picks. GM Danny Ainge understands that it does not make sense to stay in the middle of the league with no chance of winning the championship. It is better to bottom out, try to win the draft lottery to get the next superstar, and accumulate assets to rebuild. With Rajon Rondo suffering a serious injury and potentially missing most if not all of the season, the Celtics are in prime position to compete for the first pick and draft a potential superstar in Andrew Wiggins. Even if they do not win the lottery, they are accumulating assets to potentially make trades for stars similar to how they acquired Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett to pair with Paul Pierce. Regardless, they already have a young star in Jeff Green in place with Rondo returning during the middle of this season or next season.

 

5. Philadelphia 76ers

The Andrew Bynum gamble was a complete disaster. He never played a game for them and they gave up assets to get him. They also traded young, budding star point guard Jrue Holiday to bottom out and restart the building process again.

 

Central

 

1. Chicago Bulls

Coach Tom Thibodeau accepts no excuses. Even without his superstar Derrick Rose and a plethora of injuries, he forces his team to play great defense. As such, Thibodeau was able to guide the Bulls to the playoffs and into the second round. Rose is back and looks great in preseason. The Bulls went 8-0 in the preseason and are ready to start the season rolling to compete for the top seed. Third year guard Jimmy Butler showed glimpses of being a star in the playoffs last year. The Bulls will need him to break out this season to win the Championship. If the Bulls go up against the Miami Heat in a playoff series, they will need Butler to be the clear second option as Lebron James will lock down Derrick Rose down the stretch of the games. If Butler can be the second star, Luol Deng or Carlos Boozer can be solid third options. They lost some key bench players in Marco Belinelli and Nate Robinson. However, I like the addition of Mike Dunleavy for the bench.

 

2. Indiana Pacers

Paul George showed he could be a superstar in the NBA as he went up head to head against the best player in the game, Lebron James. His continued development will determine whether the Pacers can take the next step and win the Championship. The return of All-Star scorer and three point threat Danny Granger will also be a great help as he can help extend the floor for a team that struggled with outside shooting last season. Their front line continues to be one of the best with Roy Hibbert and David West. It got even better with the addition of Luis Scola. He is a crafty veteran who knows the game and is another scorer down low off the bench. The Pacers are primed for another Championship run.

 

3. Cleveland Cavaliers

I loved what the Cavaliers did in the offseason. After Lebron James crippled the franchise with his departure, the Cavaliers have been fortunate in the lottery and put together a strong, young core. Kyrie Irving is a budding superstar. Dion Waiters is also a very talented shooting guard that combines with Irving to form a promising young backcourt. They also drafted Anthony Bennett with the first pick. He can be a very dynamic scorer in the league. Of course, they also signed Andrew Bynum who is a high reward, moderate risk signing. While he missed all of last season, he is an All-Star Center. In addition, I like the addition of Jarrett Jack as he is one of the best backup point guards and a great insurance policy for Irving. This talented team can definitely take a move forward and make the playoffs. However, Irving and Bynum are injury prone so this team can also fall flat too. Lebron James could be a free agent again after this season. The Cavaliers are putting together an attractive team to lure Lebron back. Depending on what direction Dwayne Wade goes this season, the Cavaliers could give Lebron a better chance at winning championships in the future. In addition, Lebron may feel a sense of unfinished business in Cleveland and motivated to return and win the Cavaliers a title.

 

4. Detroit Pistons

They brought in two very talented and young stars in Brandon Jennings and Josh Smith. While they have flashes of brilliance, they are also very inconsistent. The Pistons will be better and more entertaining to watch. I envision chemistry problems between Jennings and Smith. Even if the two mesh, the Pistons are nothing better than a low seed that slips into the playoffs.

 

5. Milwaukee Bucks

Brandon Jennings was their best player and they let him go. OJ Mayo is a decent signing but this team will be rebuilding again.

 

Southeast

 

1. Miami Heat

The two time defending champions are going for the threepeat. Their weakness is rebounding so they brought in injury plagued but former first overall pick Greg Oden to help. He can be a significant piece if he can make an impact on rebounds and defense. The Big Three became the Big One in the playoffs last year with Lebron when Wade struggled due to injuries and Chris Bosh disappeared. While Lebron was able to carry them to another title, they were stretched to the limit against the Pacers to a 7th game in the Eastern Conference Finals and the Spurs fumbled away the Championship in the last minute of Game 6 of the NBA Finals. Lebron will need more help this year as the other teams are stronger this year with key players returning (e.g. Derrick Rose, Danny Granger) and key additions (e.g. Brooklyn Nets). As such, the Heat will face another great team in the second round and have to play three elite teams to win the Championship this year as compared to two great teams last year. Without help, Lebron will be taxed to try to carry the Heat to another championship.

 

2. Washington Wizards

When point guard John Wall played for the Kentucky Wildcats, Pat Riley referred to Wall as a 6’4” Lebron James. Wall has shown glimpses of greatness but has fallen short so far as his team has yet to make the playoffs. If Wall is going to be a superstar, he needs to start proving it this season and guide his team to the playoffs. The Wizards have given him a promising shooting guard in Bradley Beal and drafted talented Otto Porter. They also have a talented big man in Nene Hilario. They recently traded for Marcin Gortat to provide additional help to Wall.

 

3. Atlanta Hawks

The Hawks let their best player, Josh Smith, leave via free agency. However, they were able to replace him with Paul Millsap. Al Horford and Millsap form a very good frontcourt. Nevertheless, they remain a fringe playoff team.

 

4. Charlotte Bobcats

The Bobcats have a lot of young players who have yet to blossom. I like the signing of Al Jefferson as he is a veteran and one of the best low post scorers in the NBA. The Bobcats should be better but I would not count on him them being a playoff team yet.

 

5. Orlando Magic

Nikola Vucevic has been a steal from the Dwight Howard trade as he has been a rebounding machine. Nevertheless, the Magic have a lot of work to do in rebuilding their team.

Pat Wong

About Pat Wong

Patrick is a contributor for Rookerville. He is an avid sports fan. Before joining Rookerville, he was part of a defunct New York Yankees message board, NYYankeefans, where he was its top poster and was inducted in its Hall of Fame for his contributions. Patrick is also a passionate fan of movies. He has enjoyed reading movie reviews over the years and is excited about the opportunity to review movies.

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