Ranking The East.

[perks-a-beast]

Was curious to see where everyone saw where teams stand in the east. 1-5 is a toss up between the elite teams then 6-12 is an absolute crap shoot as well.

This is how I see it.

1. Nets. KG and PP know they’ve been put in a prime situation to win a title now. Nothing can rejuvenate them more than have a supporting cast including an All Star caliber Point guard, shooting guard and Center. If healthy, I think this teams wins it all but it’s going to be no cake walk making it out of the top heavy east.

2. Bulls. I put Chicago (with a healthy DRose) ahead of Miami because I’ve been saying for the past couple years that the Bulls with Rose can beat the Heat and I’m sticking by it, especially with the progression of guys like Butler and Gibson.

3. Heat. Can someone else please win the title this year? I can’t put Miami over Brooklyn just because  they simply can’t come close with matching up with Brooklyn’s front lines size and skill. I’m really hoping these two meet in the playoffs. There are few things that I’d enjoy more than a KG forearm to the dome of Benedict Allen.

4. Pacers. George-Granger-Hibbert-West-Hill is a great core 5 but I just don’t see Danny Granger as the missing link that’s going to get them past a Heat team that’s got another year of experience notched to their belt. 


5. Knicks. I love it how just when the Knicks make it back up to the upper echelon of NBA teams another from their own state comes and knocks them down a couple pegs. Also Carmelo Anthony has yet to show me that he can carry a team to a title. He needs a Wade to his LeBron and the Knicks just don’t have that.

6. Cavs. 1-5 concludes the list of contenders in the east. Spots 6-12 are all up for grabs and really could go anyway. It all comes down to injuries and if it Cleveland can make it through the season with Bynum and Varejao producing as they have in the past then the NBA needs to watch out. Watch out for Dion Waiters to emerge into a huge piece of that team. I also like Karasev who they got in the draft. Can you imagine how satisfying it would be if they got Miami in the 1st round and knocked them out. Not totally out of the relm of possibility with one wrong turn of Dywane Wade’s knee.


7. Wizards. John Wall is better than people think. I also like the balance the Wizards have with veteran talent (Harrington, Okafor, Nene) and young studs (Wall, Beal, Porter, Seraphin). It’s pretty lucky for a team that has made some of the worst free agent decisions in recent memory.

8. Pistons. I’m not going to sit here and pretend I know diddly squat about Detroit new head coach. All I know is he probably has his work cut out for him. Smith, Drummond and Jennings aren’t exactly guys known for their high basketball IQ, but he can be half decent there’s a lot of talent on the basketball team.



9. Celtics.  I love my C’s but with Rondo out for a third of the season and no real center on the roster, putting them at 9 is probably pretty generous of me. And exactly where I don’t want them to end up, not good enough to make the playoffs and not bad enough to have a good pick in the draft. Prove me wrong!!!

10. Raptors. They have some nice young pieces that will definitely show strides this season but are more likely long term projects. Not enough help for Rudy Gay, but then again they also have a lot of guys who play hard. Teams with guys like that always seem to scrap their way into the playoffs.

11.. Hawks. Louis Williams and Paul Millsap are good but definitely not good enough to carry a team. Undersized guards  and no defensive wing help. The Hawks continue to wallow in mediocrity.

12. Bobcats. I think this will be a fun team to watch this year but there’s just not enough experience to make any real noise. Cody Zeller may be a legit rookie of the year canidate.

13. Bucks. I have a soft spot for the Bucks but you just know that management is hoping for enough L’s this year to get Wiggins or Parker. It’s better for them long term than getting into the playoffs and getting swept in the 1st round this year.

14. 76er’s. A lot of young guys with a lot of question marks. Obviously in a severe rebuild.

15. Magic. This roster is abysmal. I’d fully expect the Celtics to blow this team out even without Rondo.   

[manl_lui]

1. Miami
2. Pacers
3. Nets
4. Bulls
5. Knicks
6. Cavs
7. Pistons/Celtics/Wizards
8. Wizards/Celtics/Pistons

Miami is the defending NBA champions and trying to go for a 3peat. They are well established and are gelling together just fine with 4 years under their belt

Pacers just keeps improving - with Paul George emerging as their superstar and Roy Hibbert starting to be more consistent, this young team is just going to keep improving. Whether they trade Danny Granger or not. If he comes back, he's going to become a second option.

Nets - looks good on paper, but are they ready. Love KG and PP, but if either one of them is injured, I can see them to start losing a couple of games fast. Especially KG's knees, if you guys remember, he had them bone spurs again. PP is definitely declining fast as you saw last year. Yes he is no longer the first option, but father time is catching up to the Truth and fast.

Bulls - we do not know how well DRose can perform next year. We all know he is ready physically, but is he ready mentally? He was already ready since the all-star break, but chose to take the year off.

Knicks - well, they're the Knicks...Melo, Tyson, Artest, Felton, yea you know the rest

Cavs looks good this year to make playoffs, if Irving isn't injured that is and if Bynum is ready to play.

7th and 8th spot is tricky to me. As the three teams are very mediocre, I see this one to be a tight battle. We have no Rondo, but we have Green to start taking over. He can grow, but I don't think it will be enough to be a playoff team.

Wall was coming back from an injury last season and was already posting good numbers. I see nothing but good things for that team.

Pistons - Jennings, Smoove, Greg Monroe, Drummond - gonna be a good year for Detroit, but new team assembled, can they gel fast enough to make playoffs.

[86MaxwellSmart]

Gonna be a LONG Season.
 

[Celtics18]

1.  Heat
2.  Nets
3.  Bulls
4.  Pacers
5.  Knicks
6.  Pistons
7.  Celtics
8.  Wizards
9.  Cavs
10. Raptors
11. Hawks
12. Bobcats
13. Magic
14. Bucks
15. Sixers

[tenn_smoothie]

Gonna be a LONG Season.
 

Yes, it will be - without the backbone & defense that KG provided and the spirit & offense that Pierce gave, no telling how far off the path Rondo and Jeff Green will wander - I suppose the degree to which those two get lost trying to be the leaders (ouch !!??) of the Boston Celtics will determine the success level for this season - if Rondo wanders too far off into his own head and Green retreats into his safe cave, there will be further moves by Danny - which will keep him happy since trading players is what he lives for.

Now is the time for all real Celtics fans to rally and weather the storm that is on the horizon for the next couple of seasons. if Danny is half as good as Red, he will have the team pointed in the right direction by year three and winning #18 by year five.

[Yogi]

How can anyone think that the Magic are the worst team in the east?

Nelson - Moore
Afflalo - Oladipo - Lamb
Harris - Harkless - Turkoglu
Davis - Maxiell - Nicholson
Vucevic - O'Quinn

Philly, Charlotte and Milwaukee are clearly worse and it is unclear if Washington or Toronto are better.  Cleveland could very well fall out of the playoff picture if their health issues continue.  They are relying heavily on Varejao and Bynum. 

[coco]

Love the "homer" attitude. 

....but realistically speaking, and until proven otherwise: the Cs can't score or protect the rim and will spend the better half of the season trying to figure rotations out.

Cs will most likely finish no better than 10th in the East.

1.Heat
2.Pacers
3.Bulls
4.Nets
5.Knicks
6.Pistons
7.Wizards
8.Cavs
9.Hawks
10.Bobcats
11.Celtics
12.Raptors
13.Magic
14.Bucks
15.Sixers

[D.o.s.]

How can anyone think that the Magic are the worst team in the east?

Nelson - Moore
Afflalo - Oladipo - Lamb
Harris - Harkless - Turkoglu
Davis - Maxiell - Nicholson
Vucevic - O'Quinn

Philly, Charlotte and Milwaukee are clearly worse and it is unclear if Washington or Toronto are better.  Cleveland could very well fall out of the playoff picture if their health issues continue.  They are relying heavily on Varejao and Bynum.

Washington is almost certainly better. As is Toronto.

Otherwise I agree. the 76ers don't have enough talent to hit the salary floor yet.

[pearljammer10]

I mean its just plain silly to not rank the Heat number 1.

1. Heat
2. Bulls
3. Pacers
4. Nets
5. Knicks
6. Pistons
7. Celtics
8. Cavs
9. Wizards
10. Hawks
11. Raptors
12. Bucks
13. Magic
14. Sixers
15. Bobcats

[Yogi]

How can anyone think that the Magic are the worst team in the east?

Nelson - Moore
Afflalo - Oladipo - Lamb
Harris - Harkless - Turkoglu
Davis - Maxiell - Nicholson
Vucevic - O'Quinn

Philly, Charlotte and Milwaukee are clearly worse and it is unclear if Washington or Toronto are better.  Cleveland could very well fall out of the playoff picture if their health issues continue.  They are relying heavily on Varejao and Bynum.

Washington is almost certainly better. As is Toronto.

Otherwise I agree. the 76ers don't have enough talent to hit the salary floor yet.

I disagree.  I don't think it is clear if Washington or Toronto are better.  All three rosters are very close in talent level.