15 Degress of Seperation (East Season Preview)
Feb 2, 2013 11:18:09 GMT -5
Post by nybombers3 on Feb 2, 2013 11:18:09 GMT -5
We start off this preview in the most obvious place, New Jersey, where Greeme I'm sure is thoroughly enjoying finally winning a ring and being able to rub it in Play's face. The Nets did take a few hits in TC but the heart and soul of the team still remains the same. The Conley/Williams back court worked wonders for the Nets and expect to see that throughout this season. I do expect another solid playoff run for the Nets. Repeat may be tough, however. A big injury to the front court may be a devestating thing for NJ, like it was for Atlanta last season. Speaking of which, the Atlanta Hawks come in with relevantly the same team. That's not neccessarily a bad thing. Afterall, there first round exit may have had something to do with Love being out. They also have last season's MVP and many still do consider them the title favorites. That said, a few players did take a TC hit and while they have a deep bench, no one really stands out. I expect the Hawks to be busy, trying to upgrade said bench. Gay has made a great jump on offense but if his D is still sub par against the good-great SF's, it's all for nothing. The biggest issue for ATL may very well be Redd. Sure he's a stud still but he's 33 and expiring. What his next contract looks like, if he has a next contract at all, is definitely a worry. The Hawks were outed by the Heat in last year's playoffs. The Miami Heat are a major question mark right now. They had to dump a solid amount of talent due to the HC. While they still have a good amount of talent left (Bynum/Chandler/Gordon) they really don't have a ton past. Hell, they have no PG on roster right now. If they can find a PG (maybe through inseason MLE) they may be able to salvage the season. I'd certainly be trying to get some guys for cheapish if I had their picks. The Heat were outed by the Pistons in the 2nd rd.
The Detroit Pistons have been one of the quieter franchises lately. Aside from the Coutney Lee addition, they really haven't done a lot. Well, anything that I remember anyways. Durant and friends should be good enough for constant playoff appearances but anything past that may be a stretch. The most glaring weakness for the Pistons are a lack of front court depth. Gortat and Perkins up front is not bad but they have literally no one backing them up. Cenk has been a bit up and down, depending on the season, so how far they actually do go in the playoffs may very well depend on him. Returning to Cenk's old team, The Orlando Magic who are led by BBS's own version of CM Punk, have a nice young looking core. A lot of the young talent in Orlando has improved. You have to be impressed with the TC's of guys like Selby. I expect him to be the man this season. Even the role guys like James (2nd rd guy), Wroten, and Miller (last pick in 1st rd) have shown some good potential. It wouldn't shock me at all if the Magic made the 7th or 8th seed in the East. When there's good, usually bad follows. The, used to be, main guys in Orlando didn't do a ton though and that may be a worry. The biggest issue may be Harden. Play never came off as a fan and with his decrease and pending FA, I wouldn't be shocked to see Harden done in Orlando. Harden's old team, the New York Knicks return pretty much the same team. The Knicks had a disapointing finish in last seasons playoffs, losing to the eventually champs. With the Knicks, it's all about the big 3. Both LeBron and Wade have improved while Yao remained the same. An interesting stat on the Knicks is that they finished last season 24-5 after Nene became the starter. The Knicks don't have a ton of depth and they obviously have a weakness at PG. These weakness may very well keep the Knicks from winning the title but there's no doubt that they should be playoff fixtures for the next few seasons. The Knicks were able to sweep the Cavs in the first round, a team they had a lot of difficultly with during the season.
The Cleveland Cavs come in with a nice addition in Emeka Okafor and Brandan Wright. The Cavs, who won 48 games last season, are expect to improve on that. The biggest question mark for them may very well be Evans. The Cavs may very well have another Mike Conley issue on hand. Evans had a down TC and if he happens to have a down season, is he really worth the max? If Evans does have a down year, expect a move to be made. The Cavs may very well be replacing the Raptors as the 3rd best team in the conference. The Toronto Raptors are another quiet bunch. Dj is always regarded as a guy that "sits" on his team and well, the team needs to start getting up soon. The Raptors do have some good players (AV, Gil) but past that it's fairly bare. The Raptors, like the Pistons, also lack any big man depth. The biggest positive for the Raptors is that they do own their own picks and the big contract guys they have are useful. I expect them to be sellers as soon as dj gets up from sitting. A guy that couldn't afford to do any sitting is Erbes and the Indiana Pacers. Before entering their CY, they picked up CP3. They also picked up a solid role guy in AK47. I'm not expecting a title run in Indy (unless other moves are made) but they should easily make the CY. The Pacers are in need of a 2, which is the biggest and most obvious weakness. Whoever they land may very well dictate how far they make it in the playoffs this season. The Pacers were able to acquire AK through a 3 team deal with Philly.
The Philadelphia 76ers went from being a CY team to, well, not being a CY team. That's always a good thing. The 76ers are a team filled with young talent but the only massive stand out is John Wall. The problem with Wall as is really lands on what position he plays. The 76ers appear to be comfortable letting him run at the 2 because of Jimmer Fredette. Jimmer may very well be another one of those PG's with sub par ratings but big time numbers. The 76ers don't have a ton else, especially up front. Another tanking season and some cap space may very well turn them in contenders next season. This season, well, the tank is on. Speaking of tanking and playing past the ratings, the Boston Celtics front court is the definition of playing above the ratings. The Greg² front court doesn't look all that talented but they can certainly play. These 2 are joined by, no sadly not a 3rd Greg, but MKG who in his rookie season is already sporting a sexy A+ defense. The Celtics also were able to land Rashard Lewis in the off season. I expect him to be moved as soon as possible. Either that or, well who knows, they'll land a PG and see how they do. The first move will be the most important. Another team with a studly front court is the New Orleans Hornets. The big difference between the two front courts is that the Hornets one, well, looks sexy. Griffin is an obvious stud, Drummond has the ratings to be a stud but it's going to be interesting to see how he plays. Ibaka was a solid addition to the Hornets as well though he's likely to go ASAP. Past that, the Hornets really don't have much of anything. Actually, they have nothing. No PG. No legit 2. No legit 3. It's a fairly obvious tank job, which no one would fault of course. Aar doesn't appear to be rushing this which is perfect for him. In the meantime, he has a fun front court to play with. His biggest issue is the pending FA of Blake Griffin, If he tests, he'll obviously get multiple max bids.
A team that likely will be putting in said max bid is the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks started off this season right by getting rid of JO last season. The Bucks enter THIS season with, well, nothing much. At least nothing much that a rebuilding team may want. Dion Waiters, the Bucks big pick this past season, already looks like a bust. I expect the Bucks to be busy this coming season. With Broph already saying this draft will "suck" I believe the Bucks dump everyone and go hard at the top pick. Someone has to be worth it right? One thing the Bucks can look forward to is having a ton of cap space next season. Another team that should have cap space to play with is the Washington Wizards. The obvious core of the Wiz is Jonas and rookie Damian Lillard. After his first amazing TC, Da'Sean Butler hasn't done much of anything. That said, he's obviously still a very capable scorer and very low turnover player. Any team can use that. That's not all the Wizards have. 21 Shump street had a solid looking TC. The scoring may very well still be lacking but it's obvious he's a defensive guy and as long as he brings it there, the Wiz will be happy. The Wizards have talent throughout but they lack any sort of star power. Another tanking season is in the books and there's nothing wrong with that. The last of the East is in Chicago where the Chicago Bulls , I believe, have there first's this season so it may very well be time for a big time change. The Bulls still have a studs of the team around (Kobe, Nash and JSmoove) but they obviously lack anything past that. This is another team that has a big decision coming up. Tanking with the current group may leave them in that dreaded no mans land.
My East Predictions:
1. Hawks
2. Knicks
3. Nets
4. Pistons
5. Cavs
6. Pacers
7. Magic
8. Heat
9. Raptors
10. Bulls
11. Celtics
12. 76ers
13. Wizards
14. Hornets
15. Bucks
Finals Participant:
Atlanta Hawks
East MVP:
Kyle Lowry
The Detroit Pistons have been one of the quieter franchises lately. Aside from the Coutney Lee addition, they really haven't done a lot. Well, anything that I remember anyways. Durant and friends should be good enough for constant playoff appearances but anything past that may be a stretch. The most glaring weakness for the Pistons are a lack of front court depth. Gortat and Perkins up front is not bad but they have literally no one backing them up. Cenk has been a bit up and down, depending on the season, so how far they actually do go in the playoffs may very well depend on him. Returning to Cenk's old team, The Orlando Magic who are led by BBS's own version of CM Punk, have a nice young looking core. A lot of the young talent in Orlando has improved. You have to be impressed with the TC's of guys like Selby. I expect him to be the man this season. Even the role guys like James (2nd rd guy), Wroten, and Miller (last pick in 1st rd) have shown some good potential. It wouldn't shock me at all if the Magic made the 7th or 8th seed in the East. When there's good, usually bad follows. The, used to be, main guys in Orlando didn't do a ton though and that may be a worry. The biggest issue may be Harden. Play never came off as a fan and with his decrease and pending FA, I wouldn't be shocked to see Harden done in Orlando. Harden's old team, the New York Knicks return pretty much the same team. The Knicks had a disapointing finish in last seasons playoffs, losing to the eventually champs. With the Knicks, it's all about the big 3. Both LeBron and Wade have improved while Yao remained the same. An interesting stat on the Knicks is that they finished last season 24-5 after Nene became the starter. The Knicks don't have a ton of depth and they obviously have a weakness at PG. These weakness may very well keep the Knicks from winning the title but there's no doubt that they should be playoff fixtures for the next few seasons. The Knicks were able to sweep the Cavs in the first round, a team they had a lot of difficultly with during the season.
The Cleveland Cavs come in with a nice addition in Emeka Okafor and Brandan Wright. The Cavs, who won 48 games last season, are expect to improve on that. The biggest question mark for them may very well be Evans. The Cavs may very well have another Mike Conley issue on hand. Evans had a down TC and if he happens to have a down season, is he really worth the max? If Evans does have a down year, expect a move to be made. The Cavs may very well be replacing the Raptors as the 3rd best team in the conference. The Toronto Raptors are another quiet bunch. Dj is always regarded as a guy that "sits" on his team and well, the team needs to start getting up soon. The Raptors do have some good players (AV, Gil) but past that it's fairly bare. The Raptors, like the Pistons, also lack any big man depth. The biggest positive for the Raptors is that they do own their own picks and the big contract guys they have are useful. I expect them to be sellers as soon as dj gets up from sitting. A guy that couldn't afford to do any sitting is Erbes and the Indiana Pacers. Before entering their CY, they picked up CP3. They also picked up a solid role guy in AK47. I'm not expecting a title run in Indy (unless other moves are made) but they should easily make the CY. The Pacers are in need of a 2, which is the biggest and most obvious weakness. Whoever they land may very well dictate how far they make it in the playoffs this season. The Pacers were able to acquire AK through a 3 team deal with Philly.
The Philadelphia 76ers went from being a CY team to, well, not being a CY team. That's always a good thing. The 76ers are a team filled with young talent but the only massive stand out is John Wall. The problem with Wall as is really lands on what position he plays. The 76ers appear to be comfortable letting him run at the 2 because of Jimmer Fredette. Jimmer may very well be another one of those PG's with sub par ratings but big time numbers. The 76ers don't have a ton else, especially up front. Another tanking season and some cap space may very well turn them in contenders next season. This season, well, the tank is on. Speaking of tanking and playing past the ratings, the Boston Celtics front court is the definition of playing above the ratings. The Greg² front court doesn't look all that talented but they can certainly play. These 2 are joined by, no sadly not a 3rd Greg, but MKG who in his rookie season is already sporting a sexy A+ defense. The Celtics also were able to land Rashard Lewis in the off season. I expect him to be moved as soon as possible. Either that or, well who knows, they'll land a PG and see how they do. The first move will be the most important. Another team with a studly front court is the New Orleans Hornets. The big difference between the two front courts is that the Hornets one, well, looks sexy. Griffin is an obvious stud, Drummond has the ratings to be a stud but it's going to be interesting to see how he plays. Ibaka was a solid addition to the Hornets as well though he's likely to go ASAP. Past that, the Hornets really don't have much of anything. Actually, they have nothing. No PG. No legit 2. No legit 3. It's a fairly obvious tank job, which no one would fault of course. Aar doesn't appear to be rushing this which is perfect for him. In the meantime, he has a fun front court to play with. His biggest issue is the pending FA of Blake Griffin, If he tests, he'll obviously get multiple max bids.
A team that likely will be putting in said max bid is the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks started off this season right by getting rid of JO last season. The Bucks enter THIS season with, well, nothing much. At least nothing much that a rebuilding team may want. Dion Waiters, the Bucks big pick this past season, already looks like a bust. I expect the Bucks to be busy this coming season. With Broph already saying this draft will "suck" I believe the Bucks dump everyone and go hard at the top pick. Someone has to be worth it right? One thing the Bucks can look forward to is having a ton of cap space next season. Another team that should have cap space to play with is the Washington Wizards. The obvious core of the Wiz is Jonas and rookie Damian Lillard. After his first amazing TC, Da'Sean Butler hasn't done much of anything. That said, he's obviously still a very capable scorer and very low turnover player. Any team can use that. That's not all the Wizards have. 21 Shump street had a solid looking TC. The scoring may very well still be lacking but it's obvious he's a defensive guy and as long as he brings it there, the Wiz will be happy. The Wizards have talent throughout but they lack any sort of star power. Another tanking season is in the books and there's nothing wrong with that. The last of the East is in Chicago where the Chicago Bulls , I believe, have there first's this season so it may very well be time for a big time change. The Bulls still have a studs of the team around (Kobe, Nash and JSmoove) but they obviously lack anything past that. This is another team that has a big decision coming up. Tanking with the current group may leave them in that dreaded no mans land.
My East Predictions:
1. Hawks
2. Knicks
3. Nets
4. Pistons
5. Cavs
6. Pacers
7. Magic
8. Heat
9. Raptors
10. Bulls
11. Celtics
12. 76ers
13. Wizards
14. Hornets
15. Bucks
Finals Participant:
Atlanta Hawks
East MVP:
Kyle Lowry
