Let’s take a look at the upcoming NBA season and rank the 15 teams of the Eastern Conference. Who is #1? who is #15? Nothing is set in stone, but as of today, here are where they rank:
No. 15, Toronto Raptors
Who do they have again? Well, Chris Bosh went to Miami and Hedo Turkoglu went South to Phoenix. When you get rid of your two best players its time for change. Expect rookie Ed Harris to do something and DeMar Derozen to make this his team, but don't expect them to shoot up the rankings anytime soon.
No. 14, Cleveland Cavaliers
LeBron - Cleveland = No. 14. The only reason why they aren't last is because they still have Mo Williams, Antawn Jamison, Anderson Varejao, and Anthony Parker. Watch them to be passionate when they play, substituting the memory of LeBron into a few wins. However, things will never be the same in Cleveland, expect them to lose 50-60 games this season.
No. 13, Detroit Pistons
Trading Chauncey Billups didn't work out after all. The chemistry in Detroit just isn't there. They have some good pieces, but they play like a junior varsity squad in a varsity league. Hope rookie Greg Monroe can do something about the situation in Detroit.
No. 12, Indiana Pacers
Danny Granger will continue to blossom into a star, but nothing can prevent this ship from sinking. Brandon Rush, T.J. Ford, Mike Dunleavy, and Troy Murphy compliment his game, see them try to stay above water for awhile. Also, they drafted Paul George, yes, that Paul George. Wait, who? Larry Bird better find a way to make Indiana a contender soon or he will be out of a job.
No. 11, Philadelphia 76ers
The Sixers got Evan Turner with the 2nd overall pick, and finally can move Andre Iguadola to the 2 spot. The lineup for Philadelphia isn't so bad. They have Jrue Holiday, Andre Iguadola, Evan Turner, Elton Brand, and a small guard named Allen Iverson. Strong team, but chemistry is the strong factor in winning, and don't expect a lot of wins next year.
No. 10, New Jersey Nets
Don't expect the Nets to go 12-70 again, Brook Lopez and Devin Harris have learned their lesson and won't let that happen again. Courtney Lee will finally be at home in Jersey and will finally play well enough. They drafted Derrick Favors with the 3rd overall pick, so expect him and Lopez to handle the low post and give New Jersey something to look forward to next season.
No. 9, Washington Wizards
John Wall and Gilbert Arenas will finally be sharing the back court in Washington. What does that mean? That means that it'll be a more glamorized version of the Golden State Warriors. Two small guards dominating the ball will mean lots of highlights, lots of scoring, and lots of fun. However, just like the Warriors, wins won't be part of that equation.
No. 8, New York Knicks
With Amar'e Stoudemire and Raymond Felton arriving in New York, watch for a new exciting version of Mike D'Antoni's fast pace offense. Both can run the floor and will be counted on with a mimic version of the Phoenix Suns. Even though they lost the sweepstakes for LeBron James, expect this team to be an improvement from last year. However, just like all of D'Antoni's teams, don't expect too much defense to be played.
No. 7, Charlotte Bobcats
Michael Jordan is finally in charge and they made the playoffs last year for the first time in their short history. They just traded Raymond Felton to New York, but everything only looks up for Charlotte. They still have the dynamic duo of Gerald Wallace and Stephen Jackson. The only downside here is that they share the Southeast Division with the Orlando Magic, Atlanta Hawks, and Miami Heat.
No. 6, Milwaukee Bucks
A healthy Andrew Bogut, a signed John Salmons, and a season tested Brandon Jennings will keep this team afloat in a now weakened Central Division. They will also be getting a healthy Michael Redd and just added Corey Maggette into the mix. This team will create some problems at the guard spot. The only weakness is their lack of frontline presence.
No. 5, Atlanta Hawks
The roster hasn't changed; they even might add Shaquille O'Neal to the mix and they fired Mike Woodson as their coach. They will be a good team during the regular season, but when the playoffs begins watch for Joe Johnson to burn out and watch the Hawks to fall early.
No. 4, Chicago Bulls
They got rid of Kirk Hinrich and added Carlos Boozer, Kyle Korver, and Ronnie Brewer. They still have Taj Gibson, Luol Deng and Derrick Rose. They just got a whole lot better. They will easily win the Central Division and guarantee homecourt in the 1st round. Michael Jordan would be smiling. However, this Derrick Rose-led team has never been past the first year. But this is their year, just don't count on them to reach the Eastern Conference Finals.
No. 3, Orlando Magic
Everyone is back and ready to make a run at another NBA Finals appearance. Dwight Howard will probably win a 3rd straight Defensive Player of the Year and the wins will come easily. However, their strength is also their weakness, Howard has to improve his freethrows and low post if the Magic can have any chance of winning a title.
No. 2, Boston Celtics
Ray Allen - check, Paul Pierce - check, Kevin Garnett - check, Rajon Rondo - check. The team is very much the same. They even added Jermaine O'Neal to replace Kendrick Perkins for a few months. Yes, they are getting old, but they were 1 win away from championship number 18. They will not finish the regular season as high as number 2, but it's all about the playoffs with this team.
No. 1, Miami Heat
A consensus pick to reach the NBA Finals in 2011, the Heat just added the top 3 free agents this summer. They added 2 of the top 3 players and 3 of the top 10 players in the league. They even got Mike Miller and Udonis Haslem into the mix. The only thing hindering them is they will only be playing with one ball. Can LeBron James and Dwyane Wade share nicely? Expect them to win A LOT of games this season (between 60-70 games).
**You can reach the author of this post at kc@gacksports.com
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- Category: NBA
- Tags: Eastern Conference, Miami Heat, nba preview
Who let this guy publish this. I barely skimmed over it and caught two major mistakes. Its Ed Davis as the rookie for Toronto, not Ed Harris. And Allen Iverson does not play for the Sixers, he dosnt play for anyone