Last night, the NBA tipped off with the reigning Boston Celtics playing LeBron's Cavaliers, and prevailing on their championship ceremony. Right now, I'm going to get a little preview of the teams in the East and how I believe they will fare.
Here are my predictions:
Atlantic:
1) Boston Celtics - It's hard not to think they may be the first team to repeat championships since the Lakers from '00-'02. Despite the loss of Posey, this is a still a solid team with young talent meshing well with the Big Three.
2) Philadelphia 76ers - Adding Elton Brand was a great move along with re-upping Louis Williams and Andre Igoudala. Igoudala is one of my favorite players and is so explosive. He'll be far more effective this year in the playoffs with Brand now taking some of the focus offensively.
3) Toronto Raptors - Trading one injury prone player for another may seem silly, but with Jermaine O'Neal healthy and Jose Calderon moving into the permanent starters roll, the Raptors should not be dealt with lightly.
4) New Jersey Nets - Call me foolish, but I think this team is more talented than people give them credit for. I loved the moves they've made recently, starting with trading Kidd for Harris and then followed by shipping Jefferson for 3 solid players, the most promising being Yi Jianlian, and drafting Brook Lopez and Chris Douglas-Roberts. This is a young, long, and talented team who will be in every game...unfortunately they won't win most of those.
5) New York Knicks - Mike D'Antoni and Donnie Walsh bring a fresh look and winning mentality to this woebegone franchise. Still, don't expect any turn around this year or next. The drafting of Gallinari may or may not work out, and if I were a Knicks fan, I'd be upset with that pick, on the other side Wilson Chandler is looking like a beast. There is talent here and if D'Antoni can get any chemistry out of this team, they may surprise, but I doubt it.
Central:
1) Detroit Pistons – The emergence of Jason Maxiell into the starting rotation, along with the development of Aaron Afflalo and Rodney Stuckey has injected some much needed youthful talent into the aging Pistons. However, Billups is still one of the strongest point guards in the league and Rip Hamilton doesn’t ever seem to stop moving. Wallace and Prince will also be solid contributors on both ends of the floor.
2) Cleveland Cavaliers – This is the year LeBron takes home the MVP trophy. This is also the year the Cavs don’t make the finals, sound familiar? I like the addition of Mo Williams, but Z, Wallace, and Szczerbiak are aging guys who are wearing down. A nice bench of West, Gibson, Pavlovic, and Vareao won’t be enough to propel this team into the finals.
3) Chicago Bulls – Yes, they look messy roster-wise. They have to rookies at the helm, Vinny Del Negro as the head coach and Derrick Rose at the point guard spot. But this team is chock-full of talent, youth, and athleticism with players like Gordan and Hinrich coming off the bench. If they can get some good production out of big men Gooden and Thomas, they’ll surprise in the East.
4) Indiana Pacers – Larry Bird and GM David Morway have this team in an image-cleaning/rebuilding project but have still managed to put a solid team on the floor while clearing cap space. The trades that brought in key players Rasho Nesterovic, T.J. Ford, and Jarrett Jack while shipping out Jermaine O’Neal to the Raptors, were great moves for this franchise. They have a legitimate point guard who could be an all-star this year if he stays healthy, and if Danny Granger continues to improve, there could be an all-star appearance from him as well. The rookie combination of Roy Hibbert and Brandon will pay dividends now and down the road. Look for them to compete for the 8 spot in the East.
5) Milwaukee Bucks – Now here’s a team that confuses me. A lot like the Bulls in the sense that they have a glut of small forwards and guards, but they are less talented. Ridnour comes from a OKC/Seattle team that is a perennial loser and did little on that team. I don’t expect much from him here either. They have depth, but it seems cluttered. Also, watch for the Villanueva and Skiles relationship this season.
Southeast:
1) Orlando Magic – Rashard Lewis, Hedo Turkoglu, and Dwight Howard are a talented trio for sure. Jameer Nelson and Tony Battie are great compliments to the lineup as well. Mickeal Pietrus is a nice pickup and they’re only real loss is Keyon Dooling. I look for another 50-55 wins from this team, but they lack that championship quality. They’ll reign supreme in this weak division.
2) Miami Heat – I just don’t see the Washington Wizards here. The two month absence of Arenas will hurt big time and so will the loss of Haywood. That puts the Miami Heat here. A healthy Wade, a Marion who is familiar with the Heat system and the talent of Beasley will make this team very competitive. They desperately need a point guard, but perhaps Shaun Livingston or Mario Chalmers can fill that space effectively. If so, this team could be a 45 win team which will give them a 5 or 6 seed.
3) Washington Wizards – This team is easily better than the Hawks or Bobcats even without Arenas and Haywood. If they can sustain a high level play without those two until they return, they could be a 45 win team. If not, they could be a 35 win team. It’s hard to say here.
4) Atlanta Hawks – The loss of Childress hurts. And this team may have pushed the Celtics to 7 games last year, but they did only win 37 games. There’s talent in the starting 5, and Josh Smith is a beast, but when you look at that bench, it makes Ice Skating seem appealing.
5) Charlotte Bobcats – Where to begin? The bloated contracts of Jason Richardson and Adam Morrison? The terrible upper management? The drafting of D.J. Augustin over Brook Lopez? The utter lack of a fanbase? This team is lost. Good luck Larry Brown, we all know how you did with the last team like this.
Rankings:
1) Boston
2) Orlando
3) Detroit
4) Cleveland
5) Philadelphia
6) Toronto
7) Miami
8) Chicago
9) Indiana
10) Washington
11) Atlanta
12) Milwaukee
13) New Jersey
14) New York
15) Charlotte
Keywords: 2009 NBA Season, Eastern Conference, NBA Basketball, NBA Rankings
