The NBA season is a little over a week away, and it is time to make predictions on the Eastern Conference standings. Who will make it to the playoffs this season? Who will challenge the rejuvenated Cleveland Cavaliers? Here we go.
1. Chicago Bulls – If the Bulls remain healthy throughout the year, they have a really good chance of taking the first seed in the East. It may be a bit bold to have them ahead of the Cavaliers, but the Bulls have a solid starting five, and their defense should be much better with Pau Gasol and Joakim Noah protecting the paint. Gasol also gives them low post scoring, something they did not even have during Derrick Rose’s MVP season. Obviously, Rose will have to stay healthy and play close to a high level for them to top the conference.
2. Cleveland Cavaliers – The Cavaliers have played well during the preseason. Their chemistry is already better than expected, but we cannot be completely sold. It may still take a while for them to completely gel during the regular season where competition will be stiffer. Of course, when this team does click, they are going to be very tough to beat and by the time the playoffs come around, they will be at their best.
3. Toronto Raptors – The Raptors did an excellent job of shoring up their bench this offseason. They have a solid backup player for each position. Plus, Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan should have an even better season, and Jonas Valanciunas could possibly be more consistent this year. Let us not forget that the Raptors were third place last year, even after their slow 7-12 start when Rudy Gay was on the team. This season, they will start off stronger and should not have a problem locking in the third seed.
4. Washington Wizards – Despite losing Trevor Ariza in costless agency and Bradley Beal’s injury, the Wizards should have a better season. First, when Beal returns, the young backcourt of him and John Wall will continue to develop. Secondly, they replaced Ariza with Paul Pierce. Although he is aging, Pierce will still provide some scoring but most importantly, he will add veteran leadership to this young team and will serve as a mentor for Wall and Beal. Lastly, the Wizards added frontcourt depth. DeJuan Blair and Kris Humphries are both terrific additions. Each one could provide energy, hustle, and rebounding.
5. Miami Heat – Even if this team lost the best player in the world, they will still be a playoff team, no doubt about it. As soon as they lost LeBron James, this team filled the roster with solid pieces, such as Josh McRoberts, Luol Deng, and Danny Granger. They also re-signed Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, and a few others from last season. Chris Bosh should now be the main source of offense for this team and could easily average 20 and 10. Wade should up his averages as well, despite his injuries slowing him down. The Heat is still good enough to compete with the best of them.
6. Charlotte Hornets – Acquiring Lance Stephenson was a huge move as he could provide fantastic perimeter defense, ball handling, play making, and tremendous rebounding at the shooting guard position. Stephenson solidifies their backcourt and will take a lot of pressure off Kemba Walker. With Al Jefferson due to have another big year, Charlotte, bringing the buzz back and all, is ready to become a legitimate playoff team.
7. Atlanta Hawks – Many people are undermining this team, but let us not forget that they were a top three team last season when Al Horford was healthy. They dropped to eighth place when Horford got injured, but they still took the first seeded Indiana Pacers to 7 games in the playoffs. With a healthy Horford and a slightly better bench, the Hawks will without doubt remain a playoff team. They could possibly be a surprise in the East, but let us not get too ahead of ourselves.
8. New York Knicks – Yes, the Knicks may actually sneak into the playoffs this season. Despite trading Tyson Chandler, the Knicks ended the offseason on a good note. They added much needed frontcourt depth by acquiring Quincy Acy, Jason Smith, and Samuel Dalembert. They also upgraded their point guard position with Jose Calderon, who is a smart, savvy, veteran leader. In addition, they have a whole new coaching staff that is going to implement the illustrious Triangle Offense. If anything, Carmelo Anthony and the Knicks have Phil Jackson looking over them to make sure things are running smoothly.
9. Brooklyn Nets – This year’s Nets roster is not as intriguing. They lost Paul Pierce and Andray Blatche, Kevin Garnett is going to play limited minutes, and Brook Lopez’s health could still be an issue. The only good thing is that they hired a coach who is going to preach defensive toughness. This year, the Nets want their young guys to receive major minutes to showcase their talent. However, a lot of pressure still rests on the shoulders of Deron Williams and Brook Lopez. The team will go as far as these two can take them, but health is always going to be a concern as both have been injury prone the last few years.
10. Detroit Pistons – The Pistons added a whole lot of shooters this offseason, something they never had before. Additionally, Andre Drummond is continuously developing into a monster. Greg Monroe and Drummond are the ones who could carry this team, but they still don’t seem to be playoff worthy. Their costless throw shooting is atrocious, and they have a couple of inefficient scorers. On the bright side, Stan Van Gundy is a winning coach, and he could maximize the talent that he has. However, the East has become more competitive, and it will be tough for the Pistons to get in the top eight.
11. Indiana Pacers – They lost Paul George for the year to injury and Lance Stephenson to costless agency. What more is there to say about the Pacers after they lost two of their best players? They will have to put all their faith in Roy Hibbert and David West. Hibbert’s season came to a disappointing end last season as he was struggling mightily. It will be interesting to see how he handles the pressure this year without George and Stephenson. Nonetheless, it’s safe to say that the Pacers do not have enough talent and will drop from a top team to a lottery team.
12. Boston Celtics - The Celtics will be without Rajon Rondo for the first couple of weeks of the season, which will hurt them a lot. However, Jared Sullinger is beginning to show some promise, and Marcus Smart is proving his defensive value. They have a handful of young guys who could make the Celtics competitive, but they are definitely not a playoff team yet. Moreover, Rondo’s future with the team is still unclear. He may be gone before the trade deadline.
13. Orlando Magic – The Magic will be a fascinating young team to look this season. Victor Oladipo will now become a permanent starter and could show his full potential. Furthermore, if they stay healthy, both Nikola Vucevic and Tobias Harris will become the main source of offense for this team. Harris is already showing his complete offensive repertoire during preseason action. Though, this team is young and has ways to go before they can become a playoff team, but the potential is certainly there.
14. Milwaukee Bucks – The number two overall pick and possibly this season’s rookie of the year will definitely help the Bucks become a better team but only slightly. This team was dead last in the entire NBA last year and was limited with talent, mainly scorers. Adding Jabari Parker will help the cause, but they will nevertheless have scoring issues again. This team is young and inexperienced. They have ways to go, and being a high lottery team again is not too far-fetched.
15. Philadelphia 76ers – The Sixers are in full rebuild mode. They dumped a bunch of established talent last season, and they got rid of the final piece this offseason in Thaddeus Young. Joel Embiid and now Michael Carter-Williams will be out for quite some time, leaving this young team with limited talent. At least we will get to see what Nerlens Noel is all about. The Sixers will be lucky to win 12 games this season. Could another 26-game losing streak occur? That is not too crazy. It could happen again.