Remember
last year when the Eastern Conference was a garbage fire? Well that’s going to
change this year because the East is back and is a respectable conference.
Lebron and Kevin Love have made the Cavs a power house. That has a really good
rival in the Bulls and the rest of the East is competitive. Let’s rank them!
1 Seed Cleveland
Cavaliers
Well, we all know what happened
in Cleveland; they added LeBron and Kevin Love to play with Kyrie Irving, and
became the best team in the East instantly. But I think the most under the
radar move was adding Shawn Marion for less than a million dollars. He can
defend the other team’s best player and can play multiple positions. The only
way that becomes a bad signing is if Marion ages really fast right in front of
our eyes. Also, first year Coach David Blatt has a lot on his plate. He is
considered a very smart offensive mind and he should have the Cavs firing on
all cylinders.
Offseason
Added: LeBron, Love, Mike Miller
and James Jones
Lost: Who cares?
Also remember the Cavs are the front runner to add Ray Allen
if he doesn’t retire.
Trades
More talent the Cavs have a big
trade exception. Expect them to add anything to make them better. They could
add another big or a backup guard.
Prediction
They’ll have the best record in
the East and make it to the finals.
2 Seed Chicago Bulls
Can Derrick Rose stay healthy?
Please! I was watching highlights of him the other day and I forgot how special
he was to watch. If the Bulls can stay healthy which is hard to do under Thibs,
they will be on a collision course to face the Cavs in the Eastern Conference
Finals.
Offseason
Added: Pau Gasol, Nikola Mirotic
and Doug McDermott.
Lost: Carlos Boozer (which is
actually an add).
The Bulls defense will be good like always but their offense
has taken a step forward with the moves they’ve made. McDermott and Mirotic
will open the floor for Rose to drive and get to the basket. Mike Dunleavy will
be better since he’ll be coming off the bench; a more natural role for him. But
the big name they added was Pau Gasol. He gives the Bulls a big man to score
down low in the paint. The Bulls can’t play small and fast like the Cavs so
they’ll play big and slow. They have the roster to give Cleveland problems.
Trades
The Bulls will be looking to add a
wing player come trade deadline time. If they can add another legit wing player
they could beat Cleveland in seven.
Prediction
The Bulls will make it to the ECF
and lose in six. Also Derrick Rose plays at least 70 games.
3 Seed Toronto
Raptors
I should
probably hate this team since I am a Net fan but I refuse to do that. This team
was so fun to watch last year when Rudy Gay was traded. This team became a must
watch on League Pass. Last year the Raptors where the only Eastern Conference
team that ranked top ten in defensive rating, offensive rating and three point
shooting. The Raptors are a deep team with a top 10? Point guard in Kyle Lowery
(I think you can make the argument he’s top ten) and a top ten shooting guard
in DeMar DeRozan (the shooting guards in the NBA are really bad). The Raptors
front court is a little concerning. Hopefully last year’s playoffs were just a
bad series for Terrance Ross; because he was awful. Ross in the regular season
had a 55% TS (True shooting which includes FG% 3pt% and FT% all in one) while
in the postseason he had a 35% TS. If Ross can repeat last year’s regular
season numbers the Raptors are in good shape. Last year Amir Johnson started
for the Raptors and he’ll probably start this year; and that’s a mistake. The
Raptors should start Patrick Patterson who had a 6.0 net rating last year and
is a much better option for the way the Raptors play. Patterson can hit the
three unlike Johnson which creates space for Lowry and DeRozan to attack the
paint (which is DeRozan’s strong suit). The Raptors like to move and share the
ball and that style fits better with Patterson. The Raptors also have Jonas
Valanciunas who’s a good big man that didn’t play a lot for Toronto in the
playoffs due to Brooklyn’s small lineups.
Offseason
The Raptors
didn’t do much this offseason. They added Lou Williams on the cheap which is a low
risk, high reward signing. They also drafted Bruno Caboclo who is many years
away from being NBA ready. So the Raptors are heading into this year with
basically the same roster as last year.
Trades
Masai Ujiri is one of the best
GMs in the league, and with a quite offseason expect him to make a trade during
the season. He has a seven million expiring in Amir Johnson and a 6.25 million
expiring in Landry Fields. One of those two will be moved and I would expect to
beef up their front court.
Prediction
The Raptors will win the
Atlantic and win north of 50 games. This is a young team that is very talented
and they will have a great home record. That place will be loud all year.
4 Seed Washington
Wizards
This was suppose to be a big
year for the Wizards, but that big year will be put on delay for a little
while. Bradley Beal broke his wrist and will be out for the first month of the
year. Now long term that might not be bad. Beal will have more rest when he
returns and could provide a nice boost for his team. The Wizards have the same
problem as last year; their bench stinks! They have no wing player that can
come in a make a difference. They have Kris Humphries who will have a nice
season, but it won’t be the player they need off the bench. Andre Miller, is a
decent backup point guard, but that’s all he is decent at. Last year the
Wizards number three pick was Otto Porter Jr., and he did nothing; he barely
played last year (Why didn’t Washington send him to the d-League?). Porter would have been better off playing 30
minutes in the D-league instead of averaging 8 minutes a game in 37 games.
Offseason
The Wizards added two former
Nets. This Kris Humphries who we talked about before and Paul Pierce… They lost
Trevor Ariza and replaced him with Paul Pierce. I had a sneaky suspicion that
Ariza was a much better player than Pierce after I watched a disturbing amount
of Wizards games last year (They’re always on!). It turns out offensively their
numbers were very similar. There are three big differences in their games
though. Ariza at this stage is a much better defender than Pierce. With a front
court of Pierce Gortat and Nene the Wizards will be one of the slowest teams in
the league which might not hurt them against the East. However, when they play
the West teams they will run them out of the building. The last reason is the
corner three. Ariza shot the corner three at 45% (180 shots) last year while
Pierce only attempted 22 corner threes. This is important for the Wizards
because they run a lot of pick and rolls with Wall and Gortat/Nene and without
someone in the corner the floor will be crowded with the lack of space. Bradley
Beal was decent from the corner last year but his shot is from the wings and
the top of the key. If the Wizards want to repeat success from last year they
need to find that corner three shot maker.
Ariza Shot Chart
Paul Pierce Shot Chart
Prediction
The Wizards finish fourth and
win the south (that’s what that divisions is called right? It’s about time for
the NBA to get rid of divisions). They should have about the same W-L record
from last year.
5 Seed Charlotte
Hornets
Okay, I
wrote the Hornets and I feel really good about myself. Now, on to basketball.
The Hornets were the surprise in the East last year and have got better this
year. Charlotte has added Lance Stephenson who became the most hated basketball
player last year during the playoffs because of his antics versus LeBron (Keep
doing you Lance!). Charlotte was 23rd
when it came to offensive rating last year; the Lance will make them a lot
better. But Charlotte lost a very important player in Josh McRoberts; he was a
big man that spaced the floor, an exceptional passer for his size and was the
leader of the Hornets second unit.
Offseason
Additions: Lance Stephenson, we
went over how he will help this Hornet team but another offseason move was
drafting Noah Vonleh who has the potential to be a very good NBA player. He’s a
stretch four who will be a nice player to put next to Al Jefferson. Vonleh will
give Big Al room to work in the post and if teams bring a double the Hornets
now have a chance to make a three with Stephenson and Vonleh. They also gave
Marvin Williams a two year contract worth 14 million; which is a lot but
they’re Charlotte which means they have to overpay. Marvin Williams had an okay
season last year but he was a role player on an awful team, so it was hard for
him to succeed. Now put Marvin Williams on a good team and he could have a good
year and he could have a big role on a playoff team (Remember when Marvin
Williams was picked over Deron Williams and Chris Paul? LOLOLOL). The Hornets
also drafted PJ Hairston who was kicked out of UNC and played last year in the
D-League. Hairston can score the ball and could become a lightning rod off the
bench and could make Gary Neal expandable. But the Hornets biggest offseason
addition was their brand new basketball court. I’m not going to explain it,
just watch a Hornet home game this year.
Lost: Josh McRoberts and his hair.
Trades
The Hornets have an interesting
problem upon them. How much do they give Kemba Walker? He’s a free agent after this year and will be
looking to get paid. The two camps will disagree but I say the Hornets give
Kemba 4years and 36 million; 9mil a year sounds right for Kemba. As for traded
during the season, the Hornets have Gerald Henderson who has two years and
12mil left on his contract, and Gary Neal who’s an expiring contract at 3mil. I
would think Charlotte tries to move one of them for better bench depth.
Prediction
The Hornets
return to the playoffs and have a better record than last year. I could see
this team being a five seed or an eight seed; wouldn’t surprise me if either
happened.
6 Seed Brooklyn Nets
The full Nets preview is up on the
blog check it out!
7 Seed Miami Heat
I’d say things are going to be a
bit different in South Beach this year. That LeBron fella left and the Heat
roster is a lot different this year. So we’re going to start with the offseason
for Miami.
Offseason
Lost: LeBron,
Allen, Battier and their fans.
Added:
Deng, Josh McRoberts, Danny Granger and Shabazz Napier.
Now, the Heat did what they could after losing LeBron and
are still a playoff team, but I disagree with the way they did it. I wouldn’t
have singed Deng; he’s on the wrong side of 30 and has played a lot of minutes.
I would have used Deng money to sign Isiah Thomas who’s one of my favorite
players and is a great young talent. He would have been a good fit in Miami and
could have learned a lot from Erik Spoelstra. But, they signed Deng and they
should be a decent team.
The key for the Heat is D-Wade. Last year he looked finished
and I don’t see any way he can bounce back. He just looks old and the problem
is he isn’t good at anything anymore. He has never been able to shoot the three;
if he was able to do that he could still be a serviceable player but he just
looks done.
Trades
The Heat are in a position where they should
be open to any trade. Bosh and Wade are untradeable because of their contracts,
but if I am in charge of the Heat, everyone is on the table and I am listening
to every offer.
Prediction
Miami will finish 7th in
the East and Chris Bosh will finish top five in the MVP voting.
8 Seed Milwaukee
Bucks
Surprise! My only surprise in
the rankings are the Milwaukee Bucks, Why? The answer is simple; talent and
Jason Kidd (I know we are all supposes to hate Kidd but he’s a great basketball
mind and the Nets will miss him Jason Kidd> Billy King). The Bucks have a
sneaky good roster and they’re a deep team. Jason Kidd will have this team
playing fast and a fun style of basketball. There will be a lot of passing and
a lot of the Greak Freak! He should be living in the post especially if he
plays the point. Last year OJ Mayo was fat and Larry Sanders was hurt. If Mayo
is in shape and Sanders is healthy the Bucks have a chance at the playoffs.
Also Larry Sanders is going to have a monster year. Jason Kidd wanted to trade
Brook Lopez for Larry Sanders and it wasn’t because of Lopez’s feet, it was
because of their style. There’s a reason why the Nets succeed with Plumlee last
year over Lopez. Plumlee can get down the floor and doesn’t need the ball in
the post much like Sanders. Sanders is a great defender and will be a very
important player for the Bucks. My only concern for this team is Brandon Knight.
I don’t know if Brandon Knight is good; I actually think Nate Wolters is
better. But Knight has Jason Kidd to learn from that can only help him.
Offseason
The Bucks didn’t do much this offseason
in free agency; they only signed Jared Bayless. They of course got Kidd from
the Nets. They drafted Jabari Parker who will also play an important role if
this team can make the playoffs. Parker is probably the most NBA ready player
from this year’s draft and should score a lot this year. They also trade for
Jared Dudley who is probably the leader of this team and should have a good 3pt
% this year playing in this system.
Trades
The Bucks should listen to offers
on most of their players. I don’t think they have the pieces to make a big move
during the season but we shall see.
Prediction
The Bucks will be ranked low by
a lot of people but I think this team has the talent and the bottom of the East
isn’t good. I think the Bucks make the playoffs as an eight seed.
Indiana Pacers
The Pacers are going to be a
horrible team to watch this year. They lost Lance Stephenson, and Paul George
is out for the year which means the team leading scorer will be? David West?
Rodney Stuckey. Rodney Stuckey will be a leading scorer on a team that went to
the conference finals last year. Although I think Paul George will play this
year, but it will be too little too late. The Pacers won’t be able to score and
they will lose.
Offseason
Lost: Crazy Lance.
Added: CJ
Miles and Rodney Stuckey. Those two will help the Pacers score, but it won’t be
enough. Expect the Pacers to be last in offensive rating.
Trades
The Pacers don’t have any good
trade chips unless you think they’re going to trade David West; which I don’t
think will happen. Roy Hibbert’s contract is nearly untradeable which leaves
the Pacers in a tough spot. Indy needs to just take this season in the chin and
get ready for next.
Prediction
The Pacers miss the playoffs,
but Paul George does come back and play. Avoid the Pacers on league pass cause
it’s going to be tough to watch.
Atlanta Hawks
The Hawks are coming off an offseason
they’d which to forget. Their GM, Danny Ferry was fired for being a racist, and
their Owner is looking to sell the team for similar allegations. The Hawks were
an 8th seed last year and pushed the 1 seed Pacers to a game seven
but the Hawks fell short of NBA history. Now they start the season with a
healthy Al Horford and Paul Millsap. The Hawks have been the same team for the
last seven years. They finish in the bottom half of the East and get beat in
the first round. Is this the year that changes or are the Hawks set up for another
season stuck in the middle?
Trades
I’m starting the Hawks with
trades because they are in position to make a trade and walk away with a nice
return. They have Paul Millsap making 9.5mil this year and he’s an expiring
contract that is a player they should look to trade. They could keep Millsap
but for what reason? To make the playoffs and lose in the first round? It would
be wise to trade Millsap they could get a nice piece for their future. The
Hawks could also trade Al Horford who has 2/24 left on his contract but with
his injury history it might be smarter to look to deal Horford in the
offseason.
Offseason
The Hawks added Kent Bazemore
and Thabo Sefolosha on the wing, but lost Lou Williams. The Hawks are basically
the same team from last year.
Prediction
For me the Hawks will make a
trade and get pieces for the future which will make them miss the playoffs. But
it could still be a productive year for them.
New York Knicks
Oh the precious Knicks. Phil
Jackson is running the team and now their fans think they’re going to a good
team out East. That is not true. The Knicks won’t be good this year; the reason
why is their front court. With the exception of Carmelo Anthony the front court
is Stoudemire, Bargnani (his teams have been outscored every year since he’s
been in the NBA), Dalembert, Jason Smith, Cole Aldrich and Quincy Acy. YUCK!
This team won’t be able to stop anyone from scoring. Not to mention that Jose
Calderon, their newly acquired point guard is a horrible defender. So they
won’t be able to stop point guards or other bigs from scoring. The Knicks do
have a chance to sneak their way into the playoffs and that’s by playing Melo
at the four and going small. When the Knicks play small they’re a great offense
but for some reason Mike Woodson hated going small. Let’s see if Derek Fisher
is any different. The good thing about
the Knicks is that they have a first round draft pick which might end up being
a good pick.
Offseason
Kept Melo (I wrote an article of
why this was a bad signing).
Added: Calderon, Samuel Dalembert,
Jason Smith, Travis Outlaw (LOLOLOL), Shane Larkin and Quincy Acy.
Lost: Raymond Felton and Tyson
Chandler
Trades
We’ll hear a lot about the Knicks
in the Rondo sweepstakes this year and hell, they might even get him! But I’m
not sold on Rondo and Melo being a good fit, but who knows for sure. The Knicks
have two big expiring’s in STAT and Bargnani, but it would be smart for the
Knicks to keep them and just a lot of cap room this summer. Unless of course
you can make a trade to get a star then of course you pull the trigger.
Prediction
The Knicks will be bottom five in
defensive rating and miss the playoffs. Also some morons in the New York media
will call for Phil Jackson to be the coach of the Knicks. It sounds dumb but
wait, somebody will write or say it.
Detroit Pistons
Oh the
Pistons, I picked them to make the playoffs last year and they failed me and I
think they’ll have trouble again this year. The team didn’t get much better
either because they lost their draft pick to the Hornets; Ben Gordon screws
everyone over. The roster is just too big to succeed. Last year Josh Smith had
one of the worst shooting seasons ever (he took 265 3s and shot 26% while
shooting 41% from the field). But they did hire Stan Van Gundy which is great
news.
Why Josh Smith? Why?
Offseason
Added: Jodie Meeks, Caron Butler, DJ Augustin and Stan Van
Gundy.
Lost: Rondey Stuckey.
It will be
important for Van Gundy to figure out the line ups for the Pistons and Stan is
a smart man. He’ll do what’s right which is having Monroe or Josh Smith coming
off the bench. The best option would be Smith off the bench, because if the
Pistons play Smith-Monroe-Drummond they will fail.
Trades
The only guy that has a good
shot to be traded on Detroit is Greg Monroe. He’s in the last year of his
contract and the Pistons can’t have him. Smith and Drummond have long term deals;
the only one that can be moved is Monroe. DJ Augustin is someone who could end
up being traded as well, if a contending team needs point guard depth Augustin
isn’t a bad option.
Prediction
Stan Van Gundy comes close to
RKOing Josh Smith. The Pistons miss playoffs and Greg Monroe gets traded.
Orlando Magic
It just came out that Victor
Oladipo will miss the early part of the season due to broken bone in his face.
The Magic have a talented young roster but just aren’t ready to compete. They
drafted Aaron Gordon who is a project right now but will be good in a few years,
and Elfrid Payton who looks promising. (According to Bill Simmons we might as
well put Payton in the hall of fame right now). But the Magic will have another
losing season but it will come with players taking a step forward and it
wouldn’t shock me if the Magic were contending for the last playoff spot come late
in the season.
Offseason
Added: Channing Frye, Ben Gordon
(WHY?!?!) and Evan Fournier.
Lost: Aaron Afflalo which I still
don’t get why they traded him. All they got in return was Evan Fournier and the
56th pick in the draft. Afflalo had a great year last year and the
return the Magic got seems very light. They could have kept him and then trade
him at this deadline and would have received a much better deal but instead BEN
GORDON!!!
Trades
The Magic at this point have no
vets to trade because they have none or the vets they do have are on long term
deals. The Magic have some young players they could trade for future draft
picks. It’s important for Orlando to stack up picks because who wants to play
in Orlando? The only way they could get a big time player is by trading for
one. But the Magic will probably do nothing this season when it comes to
trades.
Prediction
Jacque Vaughn is the first coach
fired this year and the Magic hang around later then we think.
Boston Celtics
Oh it’s going to be a bad year
for the Celtics. It’s year two of the rebuilding stage and they have a long way
to go. The biggest story this year in Boston will be trading Rondo. If the
Celtics are committing to this rebuild they have to trade Rondo and Jeff Green.
They drafted Marcus Smart their long term point guard who I think will be a
very good player. Another important thing about Boston is trying not to watch
them on league pass at all this year. I saw them last weekend in Brooklyn and
Brad Stevens had Evan Turner and Gerald Wallace playing at the same time! If
that happens during the regular season with Rondo as the point, opposing teams
might as well run a zone because that might be the worst shooting tandem ever.
Offseason
Added: Evan Turner (Remember when he was the
missing link for the Pacers? HAHAHA) and
a whole bunch of other players who won’t matter.
Lost: Former Net great Kris
Humphries.
Trades
Everyone but Marcus Smart should
be available. The Celtics have Bass’s and Rondo’s expiring deals and a very
tradable Jeff Green contract. The Celtics will look to move Rondo and Green and
if they can get two first rounders and some young players in return it’s a win
for Boston.
Prediction
Rondo gets traded and the
Celtics are awful and win the lottery. Also a lot of yellow seats at the
Garden.
Philadelphia 76ers
Dumpster Fire! But
one with a very bright future.
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