Eastern Conference
15. Philadelphia 76ers
They were trash last year. They've decided to be worse this year. Sam Hinkie is ecstatic that the vote for draft lottery reform didn't go through. That's all. They might break the Bobcats record for least wins in a season. Sixers fans are already thinking about the lottery in 2015. You don't believe me?
14. Orlando Magic
It sucks that the Magic are here. They're still in the process of rebuilding after Dwight's departure. They've made some good draft picks. I liked Victor Oladipo last year, but he's currently out for a month which is going to put a lot of pressure on Elfrid Payton. They made the right move in giving Nikola Vucecic a contract extension. But this team is still bad for now. They'll get there eventually. But not this season.
13. Milwaukee Bucks
They made some terrible roster moves. Gave a lot of people undeserved money. OJ Mayo showed up looking like the Pillsbury Doughboy. Larry Sanders missed a lot of time after breaking his hand in a bar fight. Like.. The Bucks were a mess. But hey it's a new year. I feel like this team is going to be my guilty pleasure to watch this year. Say what you want about Jason Kidd but I don't think he's a bad coach. They'll be better this year (which isn't saying much). But man Jabari Parker is going to be a lot of fun in the NBA.
12. Boston Celtics
Wyc Grousbeck talked about fireworks for the offseason and they signed Evan Turner. Yeah this team isn't going anywhere anytime soon. Rondo is going to be the big story this season. Personally, I don't think he's going anywhere. He's been in trade talks since 2009 and it still hasn't happened. And at this point, Ainge isn't trading him unless he can get a great package in the deal, otherwise it's pointless. I also say that cause I don't think he's leaving in free agency. I may be wrong. Horribly wrong. But I doubt it. (In case that's familiar).
This team will be competitive night in, night out. They're in the conversation for best defensive back-court in the league with Avery Bradley and Marcus Smart. Kelly Olynyk has shown himself to be a good inside-passer. Maybe Jeff Green will find himself this year. They're going to lose a lot of close games due to inexperience and just having a roster of players that don't know how to win games. I'll be happy if they finish with 30 wins.
11. Indiana Pacers
They lost their two best perimeter defenders in Lance Stephenson and Paul George. Lance was also their leader in assists and rebounds last year. As much as I like David West, him and Roy Hibbert are not going to be enough. They don't have the depth on their bench. They won't be making the playoffs this year based off their own will. On the bright side, Paul George is rehabbing well and talking about playing this season, but there's really no need to rush.
10. Detroit Pistons
Andre Drummond needs a nickname. Bold prediction: Drummond is going to lead the NBA in rebounds this year. They're gonna be a team that kinda fights for the playoffs but I don't think they're going to get there. At the very least, it'll be fun to watch Josh Smith try NOT to shoot 3s this year. Also I think Brandon Jennings will be good this year.
9. New York Knicks
In all seriousness, I like Phil Jackson and Derek Fisher taking the reins here. I like that they added Calderon as a PG. I like that they're learning the triangle offense which is going to open up Carmelo's game greatly. Quincy Acy was a good addition to their front-court. And I feel like Amar'e is going to be really good as long as he's healthy. But they're the Knicks. Google "J.R Smith Triangle Offense". They're going to do Knicks things like not disappoint their fans. It's going to be a long season when you're relying on Samuel Dalembert for inside rim-protection all season long.
8. Brooklyn Nets
How well this team will do this season completely relies on the health of their aging players. I don't think Deron Williams will ever be the Deron Williams we remembered from Utah. I was ready to buy into this team though, regardless of their point-guard. Then Brook Lopez picked up a minor injury in preaseason and I was like "yeah... I'm not doing this." Joe Johnson is going to be the same and if they can get 65+ games of Kirilenko, Lopez, Garnett and Deron then they'll be just fine.
However, I have them this low because I don't think they can. They're not winning a championship. But they should be a lock for the playoffs. I'm also very interested in what the relationship between Lionel Hollins and Brook Lopez is going to be like, cause that's going to be funny.
7. Atlanta Hawks
I really like Head Coach Budenholzer. I think he's top 5 in the league. Last year before Horford's injury they were 3rd in the East. Now I know that's a small sample size but still, they looked really good last year. Al Horford, Paul Millsap and Jeff Teague are going to be good for this team. Look to Pero Antic to stretch the floor for them. I'm a little low on them. I think they can be better. But I'd prefer to wait and see.
6. Miami Heat
Losing the best player in the NBA is definitely going to hurt your roster, but trust Pat Riley to apply some superglue and scotch-tape to try and hold this team together. Spoelstra is a good coach. They still have Hall-of-Fame players in Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade. Mario Chalmers is competent. I liked the addition of McBob. They'll make the playoffs comfortably. Can Wade stay healthy though? Cause a lot of that weight's going to fall on his shoulders this year. So I'm not expecting much from them come playoff time.
5. Toronto Raptors
We all liked the Raptors last year right? They won the Atlantic Division after dragging the rear for so many years. Masai Ujiri's put together a nice young team here. However, there's a lot they're relying on with this roster. It's the same roster from last year, and they're coming in with big expectations for the year. Pretty much all these players have to play at the same or higher levels than they did last year. The naysayer in me asks how sustainable that is. Kyle Lowry is a good, aggressive and angry. Good combination. Cause this team is going to count on him.
4. Washington Wizards
I'd have the Wizards higher if not for the injury to Bradley Beal. He's a young, tough kid with a great shooting stroke and that's going to hurt them, but only a little. The Wizards are good. John Wall has quickly become one of the best PGs in the league. He's grown as a player and is finally able to control his speed and use it to make good point-guard plays. The addition of Paul Pierce is going to give them even more experience in the locker room. They've got some real NBA vets on there that are going to help them in late game situations where they struggled last year.
I was under the impression that Wittman would lose his job before the end of last season but obviously making it to the second round of the playoffs past the Bulls put a hold on that. I still don't think he's a good coach but we'll see this season.
3. Charlotte Hornets
I AM ALL IN ON CHARLOTTE AND I CAN'T EXPLAIN IT! Yes I think this team is good. I'm excited for Kemba and Big Al offense. I think Lance Stephenson was a good addition for that back-court. I like Cody Zeller as a backup and if Vonleh can get minutes, I think he's going to be good. Yeah I like this team. Maybe I'm just oversold on the Lance addition and I know the loss of McRoberts is going to hurt a little on defense but I'll wait and see. I'm expecting this team to have a great regular season.
2. Cleveland Cavaliers
#TheLand. Lebron James is back and he brought the whole crew with him, fans and all. Every time I remember Kevin Love and Lebron James are on the same thing, all I can think about are the Sportscenter highlights with the outlet passes and the fast breaks. I've been saying that since the summer but this is just the start.
But temper your expectations. Lebron is going to be 30 in December and this year is the first time I've ever heard him complain about physical ailments. There's talk of him pulling a Popovich and sitting quite a few games this season. Also this is this team's first season together. Remember the Heat had a rough start in 2010 too. For this team it's all about the playoffs. The regular season doesn't matter.
1. Chicago Bulls.
The Return Part 2. Derrick Rose is back. They have, arguably, the best front-court in the league with the addition of Pau Gasol and Nikola Mirotic. They have the depth. They have a top-3 coach in the league. Everything looks good. But I need to see Derrick Rose play 70+ games this year. I just need to. And he needs to look good doing it too. He's been off the court for 2 years, let's be real. I liked the fact that he came off the bench for Team USA cause that was a chance to play some semi-real, competitive basketball and you can tell it helped cause he's looked a lot better this preaseason as opposed to this time last year. If he can hold up, I have this team locked as Eastern Conference Champions.
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