Around the NBA, the Eastern Conference is most known for being the weaker of the two conferences. The Miami Heat have dominated the East over the past four years, advancing to the NBA Finals each year. However, the Eastern Conference landscape changes this year due to free agency moves, injuries and injury returns. Here are my predictions for the final regular season standings:
1. Chicago Bulls
The Chicago Bulls finished last season 48-34, which was good for fourth place in the East. The Bulls finished eight games back in the Central Division behind the top-seeded Indiana Pacers. It was a disappointing season that saw Derrick Rose return to the court, re-return to the sidelines, and the Bulls lose in the first round of the playoffs. The key offseason move for Chicago was signing Pau Gasol to play alongside all-star Joakim Noah. These two make up arguably the best frontcourt in the NBA and will be a headache for coaches. Jimmy Butler is a great defender and can be relied on to score if needed. Despite this, the season hinges on the health of Derrick Rose. If Rose can remain healthy, this Bulls team will be a contender for the top seed and NBA Championship. It’s a big risk to rely on Rose, but he made it through the FIBA World Cup healthy, so he appears to be at 100 percent and ready for a big comeback. Maybe.
2. Cleveland Cavaliers
In case you live under a rock and didn’t hear, LeBron James returned home to the team that drafted him. Oh, and the team traded the last two first overall draft picks, Anthony Bennett and Andrew Wiggins, for Kevin Love. The pair, along with rising star Kyrie Irving, creates a new big three that has the potential to be better than The King’s last. LeBron is on a mission to bring a championship to the city of Cleveland, but it won’t be easy. The Cavs’ biggest weakness will be on the defensive side of the ball. Two of the new big three, Love and Irving, are not known for their defense. The lack of strong defenders will be the Achilles heel for this team. Along with that, after four straight NBA Finals appearances, LeBron is now playing with a supporting cast with little to no experience. Irving and Love have not played a single game in the postseason, and incoming coach David Blatt has never coached an NBA game. The Cavs will be fine, but some early season chemistry struggles should put the team just behind the Bulls for the top seed.
3. Toronto Raptors
The Raptors were the best team you never heard of last season. That’s what playing in Canada can do, but don’t let the fool you. The Raptors boast one of the best backcourts in the NBA with Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan. Center Jonas Valanciunas continued to develop and could be on the verge of a breakout season this year. Another thing that helps this team is that it plays in the Atlantic Division, easily one of the weakest in basketball. Toronto has a deep roster that is defensive minded, finishing in the top ten in points against last season. The Raptors should finish in third place again this year and will hope to not suffer the same fate as last season.
4. Washington Wizards
Once LeBron left Miami, the Wizards became the clear favorite to win the Southeast Division. However, Bradley Beal could be sidelined up to two months with an injury. The team certainly could use him, but they should manage to still finish atop the division but just behind the Raptors in the final conference standings. John Wall is a defensive nightmare for teams and is continuing to show he was worth the top pick in the draft. Nenê Hilario and Marcin Gortat are one of the best frontcourts in the league and will be a handful for most teams. The Wizards also signed Paul Pierce this offseason, which will add a leadership figure with championship experience for the young squad. The team may struggle a little the first two months but will recover strong to take the division. If they get their groove going into the playoffs, the Wizards will be a contender to come out of the East.
5. Charlotte Hornets
Charlotte as the five seed?! Yes. This isn’t the Bobcats anymore, and the Hornets are for real. Charlotte finished last season as the seven seed in the East, but the Miami Heat sent them packing quickly. Michael Jordan made some noise this offseason by acquiring free agent Lance Stephenson. Stephenson had a breakout season last year for the Indiana Pacers, leading the league in triple doubles. Al Jefferson continued to be one of the quietest (playing in Utah and Charlotte helps) superstars, and Kemba Walker continued to develop. Cody Zeller could be the key to the team making some major noise in the conference by taking some spotlight off of Jefferson. Keep an eye on this team, and don’t be surprised when this team makes some noise.
6. Miami Heat
The last four years in Miami will never be forgotten, but the LeBron rental is over for the Heat. Chris Bosh resigned with the team despite rumors of a move to the Houston Rockets. Wade will also be back but is clearly nowhere near the playing level of his former self. While there may never be a replacement for LeBron, Luol Deng should prove to be the right man. The Heat also signed Josh McRoberts, who played well for Charlotte last season, and Danny Granger. The Heat are hard to project without LeBron, but this team will definitely still make the playoffs, just maybe not with home-court advantage like the last four years.
7. Brooklyn Nets
The Nets were one of the biggest disappointments in the NBA last season. After making a huge move by trading for Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce, the Nets finished in sixth place in the East. This offseason, the Nets lost Pierce to the Wizards and Shaun Livingston to the Golden State Warriors. One smart move the Nets made was bringing in Lionel Hollins, after a strange breakup with former head coach Jason Kidd. The Nets will also get Brook Lopez back from injury, who when healthy is one of the best scoring big men in the league. Lopez will complement nicely with the up-and-coming Mason Plumlee. Deron Williams, who hasn’t been the same since coming over from the Utah Jazz, is another big question mark for the Nets. Ultimately, the Nets didn’t make any major moves while the rest of the Conference improved. The team may not be worse, but the other teams will be better.
8. New York Knicks
The Knicks offseason success fell on the decision of Carmelo Anthony, who ultimately decided to return to New York. Phil Jackson hired Derek Fisher fresh off of retirement to coach the Knicks squad. Jose Calderon and Samuel Dalembert also came over in a trade that sent out Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton. Tim Hardaway Jr. should continue to establish himself as a reliable scoring option for the Knicks as well. Other than Anthony, the Knicks lack a real presence that will scare other teams. This team won’t be great but should be good enough to grab the eight seed, in what may be an 82 game battle for the last playoff spot.
9. Atlanta Hawks
Atlanta made the postseason with a miserable 38-44 record last season. People seem to forget the Hawks were without Al Horford at the end of the season, and he will be returning to start the season. Paired with Paul Millsap, the Hawks have a fierce frontcourt that will once again challenge for the eighth seed. The addition of Thabo Sefolosha will also help Jeff Teague and Kyle Korver in the backcourt. The Hawks have the weapons to make the playoffs but will fall just short, maybe even one game shy.
10. Detroit Pistons
The Pistons will surprise some people and contend for the eighth seed in the playoffs. New coach Stan Van Gundy has great big men in Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe. This team’s success will come down to guard play and Josh Smith. If they play well, don’t be surprised to see the Pistons in the postseason.
11. Indiana Pacers
Talk about a bad offseason. The Pacers lost Lance Stephenson at the beginning of the offseason to Jordan and the Hornets. To make things worse, Paul George suffered a season-ending injury while playing for Team USA. The team will lack scoring and leadership but still could wind up in the playoffs. Roy Hibbert and David West will keep the Pacers fighting for the eight seed, but this team will miss its leader and fall short.
12. Boston Celtics
Will Rajon Rondo be on this team when the season ends? That could determine where the Celtics finish, but Marcus Smart and James Young were great draft picks for the future, and Evan Turner is an underrated pick-up.
13. Milwaukee Bucks
Jabari Parker is easily the favorite to win the Rookie of the Year and Giannis Antetokounmpo is a superstar-in-the-making. This team will be good, just not yet.
14. Orlando Magic
Love the draft picks in Aaron Gordon and Elfrid Payton. Hate the signing of Ben Gordon to replace Aaron Afflalo.
15. Philadelphia 76ers
This team is in for a long season, and the worst part is that the upcoming draft is nowhere near as good as last years.
The East is very hard to predict this year with no teams really separating themselves from the middle of the pack. The top two teams should be the Bulls and Cavs, but the order depends on how quickly LeBron and his new team and coach find chemistry. I think it will take some time, but if it’s fast, expect the Cavs to run away with the East.
Speaking of LeBron, the Southeast Conference is a complete wildcard without him. The Wizards, Hornets and Heat, seeded four-six, are all legitimate contenders for the division, and I could see all three winning which is why I seeded them all consecutively in the rankings.
Another wildcard in this conference is the eight seed. I considered four teams for this spot: Atlanta Hawks, Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers, New York Knicks. I ultimately decided on the Knicks, trusting that Phil Jackson and Carmelo Anthony will not miss the postseason again, but I waited until the last second to decide between Atlanta and New York.
*Note: These rankings do not mean I think Chicago is going to be in the NBA Finals. It means I think Chicago will be in first place when the regular season ends.
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