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| Teams like Detroit, Cleveland and Washington, who were cellar dwellers last year, will make it interesting from top-to-bottom in the East. (Credits: Allen Einstein/NBAE via Getty Images) |
Last year the Eastern Conference pretty much had three themes. One, was the Heat's absolute dominance as they went 66-16 prompting the question of not will they repeat, but how quickly. Two, was the Knicks surprising resurgence led by Carmelo Anthony's MVP-caliber season. Finally, the third theme was the Indiana Pacers, who had continued upwards on the a steady growth scale from last year. Entering the playoffs, there really was only three teams that people thought could contend for the East crown. The Bulls were Derrick Rose-less. Brooklyn was soft. Atlanta was whatever and still un-disciplined. Boston was old. Milwaukee was...well...Milwaukee. The East was a three-team race by mid-season, and it was a three team race heading into the playoffs.
This offseason changed things, drastically. The bottom half improved, the top half improved. Several of the team's that didn't make the playoffs last year are now in legitimate contention for the playoffs and that will make the regular season even more interesting. There won't be any coasting from the Heat, Pacers or Knicks anymore. If they want to repeat seeding from last year, they must work for it. Big time.
I already touched on the Cavs, who are going to be markedly better even if Andrew Bynum only gives them so-so production or continues his injury plagued ways. Out of all last year's non-playoff teams, Cleveland has the best chance of being a real threat, but of course that hinges on Bynum's knees and attitude. Both aren't exactly sure things.
Detroit improved, although chemistry issues could derail any type of upswing. Brandon Jennings and Josh Smith have serious NBA talent, but it's still a question of whether or not they are committed to team basketball. I'm not saying that these guys have character issues, but it's a matter of do they remember that they have teammates when they're on the court? Do they really think that shooting as much as they do (and at such a low percentage) is the best way for the team to be successful? If they can somehow put that behind them, then they'll be good. Andre Drummond emerged as a surprise by living up to his potential (many thought his upside-to-actually-fulfilling-said-upside ratio was too high) and teams up nicely on the frontline with a budding star in Greg Monroe. The question is, however, are there enough touches to go around? Will everyone be content with sharing the basketball? All I can say is there will be nights this team dominates in unbelievable fashion and there will be nights where they shoot themselves into a 35-point blowout. They just hope it'll be the former more than the latter, that'll determine their playoff status.
A team like the Wizards also presents an interesting dilemma in the seven, eight, nine playoff spot bubble. Last year Washington only won 29 games with basically the same team (add backup PG Eric Maynor and rookie wing Otto Porter Jr.), which would lead you to believe that they'll be somewhere in that 30-win range again. Yet, John Wall only played 49 games. The rising star PG, returned in mid-January and led them to a 22-18 record until April when the wheels fell off as the team just simply couldn't make up the ground they had to. I know you're probably saying four games over .500 in a 40-game span isn't anything to write home about. But, this team is a year older, a year more experienced. Wall will play the entire season and they added a ready-now player in Porter. I'm not saying they're a lock for the playoffs, but this team will be right there come April.
Aside form those up-and-coming bottom feeders, the Bucks and Hawks could battle it out for those last few spots as well, but you never know when team's lose that kind of star power or if they are in "Suck for
Really the most impacting offseason moves came at the top and that should truly frighten the aging "Dynasty" in South Beach. Brooklyn is the obvious ladder climber, but the fact that Derrick Rose returns to a potentially even better Bulls team might be the biggest addition (re-addition) of the entire summer. Rose will be fresh as ever and shouldn't feel any lingering affects of that ACL injury, unless we find out that he'll never be the same. Either way he'll be certainly motivated by all the trash talking and somewhat funny banter that went on about his decision (indecision?) to not play in the playoffs. Tom Thibodeau will find a way again to make his overrated teammates play to their full potential every single night. Chicago will be a seriously tough out this year, but not the toughest.
I'm not going to sit here and lie to you. Watching the Heat basically pull of a miracle in the NBA Finals in Game 6 did no wonders for my confidence in their quest for a three-peat. If Manu Ginobili or Kawahi Leonard make one single free-throw late in Game 6, we're writing the Heat off forever. Don't take this as me writing Miami off per say, but do take it as a serious warning to them. The Indiana Pacers are in a legitimate position to overtake them.
First of all, that team learned a valuable lesson last year. If had kept their heads in the game (cough...cough a guy's name that rhymes with Shnogel) in Game 1, they would've won the series and maybe even the whole shebang. But they didn't, and as they say "Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger." Case and point. This team is stronger psychologically, they're still younger and they, sort of like the Bulls, get a could-be game changer back in their lineup. I'm not a huge fan of Danny Granger, but the man can put the ball through, which was the hoop something this team struggled to do last year. Yet, most importantly they're younger than the Heat and they can take advantage of their youthful ways in the regular season and snatch vital home-court advantage. Miami is going to have to rest Dwyane Wade and probably Chris Bosh as well, so the Pacers ability to lock up home-court in the East might just be the final straw that breaks the back of a guy with a receding-hairline and his greasy GM. Pacers win it all, you heard it here.
As for the Knicks, well I'm going to keep my mouth shut. They got younger, they got tougher and they might have gotten too wild for their own good. We'll get back to you on that one in January.
Either way the Eastern Conference is no longer top-heavy and is no cake walk. This will make for a very interesting year and I couldn't be more excited.
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