NBA Eastern Conference Preview

I'm so glad to sit here and actually give everyone a preview of the NBA season(the East that is). A little bit more than two weeks ago I had 99% confidence in the lockout and felt that the players and owners were nowhere near a deal. Then all of the sudden and literally over night the two sides came to a deal. NBA excitement soared for the nation and I was equally amped. So here goes a classic out-of-the-box preview for the shortened 66 game season.

1. Miami Heat(48-16)
You're fooling yourself if you don't think this team will be back on top of the Eastern Conference. They've got two top 5 NBA players, and a third whose still great despite being excessively overrated. With that being said, a bunch of back-to-backs will hurt the depthless Heat, and deny them the chance to win some ridiculous 55 to 60 games.  The Heat made minimal moves in the offense, but did manage to sign veteran defensive wing Shane Battier. Battier, unfortunately plays Lebron's position, so he will really only get looks for the 5 minutes James sits or when the Heat go to a small lineup. Miami also signed Eddy Curry, giving the overweight, underachieving center one last chance in this league. He barely will spell Joel Anthony at the C position, because A, he's a pussy and B, he can barely run up and down the court. I think the Heat will come out to a flying 10-0 or something start, only to fade as the games catch up with them. Though any injury to Bosh, James or Wade will be devastating because though, we all know Mike Miller can shoot, he can't keep his is wildly inconsistent.


2. Chicago Bulls(45-21) 
The Bulls play all starts with last year's MVP Derrick Rose. If he goes out there and repeats as MVP, then expect the Bulls to challenge the Heat for the top spot. The Bulls also should benefit from the back-to-backs because they have depth. Taj Gibson, Kyle Korver, Keith Bogans and CJ Watson coming off the bench should give them a full 9-man rotation, spelling relief for the starters without sacrificing too much talent. Coach Tom Thibodeau should make the Bulls a top defensive team once again, making them dangerous even on off nights. Carlos Boozer didn't truly live up to his 80 million dollar contract last year, and is vital to whether the Bulls take over the East or let it go to the Heatles. Expect Derrick Rose be a headliner in the poster business as the Bulls will return better than ever.



3. New York Knicks(43-23)
The Knicks are back better than ever. Instead of waiting around for the CP3 saga to break their hearts, New York went out and signed big man and defensive game changer Tyson Chandler. The addition of Chandler allows for Amar'e Stoudemire to play his true position at PF, and could pay absolute dividends for both Amar'e's offensive and defensive game. STAT will have less risk of fouling out, and will be able to focus mostly on offense. He also had an offseason treatment to align his spin that made him an extra inch taller and as he claims, "Better than ever." Carmelo Anthony will score at will and will defend when he wants. Expect Carmelo's 3 pt percentages to stay high within D'Antoni's system. The key to the season is not in their version of the "Big Three" but in the development of Landry Fields, Iman Shumpert and Toney Douglas If these two can become consistent than expect the Knicks to soar to the top of the standings. Fields does a little bit of everything, while Shumpert needs to drill the three and defend. Douglas on the other hand, needs to refocus on defense and also stop jacking up forty random threes a game. If Toney can find a nice shot selection expect him to have a nice season. Like the Heat, any injury to the big three should spell disaster for the season. I'm not sure Mike Bibby's skeleton will do anything behind Douglas, but if Bibby can somehow find his 2003 form for 10-12 minutes a game, that will be huge.


4. Atlanta Hawks(39-27)
Think the Hawks are going to finally come together and produce that magical season everyone's been waiting for? Nope, not gonna happen this year, though I do think they have a chance to be really good. The Hawks have the most depth in the league. Every position has a competent backup now since they signed "Cheese Knees" McGrady who should be effective playing 15-20 minutes a game rotating between the #2 and #3. Larry Drew is taking over as head coach as Mike Woodson was fired. Drew should bring the same defense-first philosophy as Woodson, but if he can actually get this group of hooligans to play consistent basketball, then we could be looking at a breakthrough by the Hawks. This has to start with the underachieving but, ridiculously talented, Josh Smith. Smith can do it all on the court, but he seems to lose himself out on the court at times. He's usually too interested in throwing block parties and making posters, when he should be focusing on playing within the system; Smith must stop shooting whenever he wants. It's simply for the Hawks, they need to unify the locker room if they want to escape the second round.


5. Orlando Magic(38-28)
This offseason was a wild ride for the Magic. First it started with the utterly confused Dwight Howard. He's shown interest in being the next Carmelo Anthony, but then wanted to be Kevin Durant, but now wants to be 'Melo again. Basically he's got the Magic running around in Disneyland, toying with their emotions. Expect these trade rumors to swirl all year and that should be a serious distraction. Howard's numbers will decrease and the rest of the team will most likely be affected. The Magic acquired Glen Davis from the C's for Brandon Bass, and that was basically a sacrifice of a mid range scorer for a defender. But let's be serious, Davis is Downey soft. Jameer Nelson, who will run the point, has proven that he is not nearly as good as originally thought. The Magic acquired Jason Richardson last year, and didn't get much good play out of him. I actually think I might be ranking the Magic high here, who might seriously be affected by this Howard saga. They didn't improve in the off season and faded late last season, ultimately getting embarrassed by the Hawks in the first round.


6. Boston Celtics(35-31)
Overnight the Celtics literally went from a top-4 contender to walking the playoff tight rope. Jeff Green's surgery will knock him out for the season and that spells doom for the aging Celtics. The C's "Big Three" is on their last legs, and a slew of back-to-backs should take a serious toll on them. Doc Rivers is going to have a lot of work to save his older guys' legs for the playoffs. It'll also be interesting to see how Rondo reacts to all the trade rumors that happened in the offseason. Rondo could totally come out disinterested and feel completely disrespected by the rumors. But if Rondo is a true professional, he'll quite his whining and play ball. Anyways, I still think the Celtics can be dangerous if they are healthy and not fatigued, but with the quickness of this season, they will be easy cookin'. The only thing saving the Celtics is that we've said "This is their last year" since the season after they won the title. But this Jeff Green injury puts way more pressure on Garnett, Pierce and Allen to preform every single night and I'm not sure at that age they can handle it.


7. Indiana Pacers(34-32)
This is the Eastern Conference dark horse. And even though I have them at the 7 spot I think they are good enough to challenge for a 5 or 6 spot. The David West signing could be incredible. West adds a phenomenal big man scoring presence and along with Hibbert and Hansbrough, should give the Pacers an elite big man trio. But the key is Darren Collison. If Collison can build his late season improvements last year, then we could be looking at a dangerous team. That's of course because Danny Granger, the league's most underrated scorer, plays for the Pacers. I'm expecting Granger to literally explode onto the NBA scene if this team gets on a run. I've watched this kid absolutely embarrass the Knicks on several occasions, with his ability to get to the hoop at will or pull up and pop the J. I'll be honest, because of the surprising play of my boy Tyler Hansbrough, I've really taken interest in the Pacers. Their young talent is continually improving, and David West should really give them a boost. Watch out for the Pacers, even with that clown Larry Bird at the helm.


8. New Jersey Nets(31-35)
Any team with Deron Williams should make the playoffs, he's just that damn good. Surround with any smidgeon of talent and you're going to get results. That smidgeon comes in the form of highly underrated center Brook Lopez and growing talent Anthony Murrow. Aside from that the Nets aren't that good. The thing that makes them a playoff team is Williams' unstoppable attitude. The guy simply cannot be denied. He can make anyone around him better instantly, simply by looking at his demeanor. He works, arguably, harder than anyone in the league and he's also immensely talented. The Nets are still the Nets, and they're probably going to suck, but they play in the East. The only team that could threaten the Nets are the Bucks, that is if Bogut can remain healthy and Brandon Jennings can remember that he's not at Rucker and that he's in the NBA.