Rank the Conferences

[perks-a-beast]

A lot can change between now and late October, but heres how I would rank the east and west right now.

EAST

1. Cleveland
2. New York
3. Orlando
4. Detroit
5. Philadelphia
6. Atlanta
7. Milwaukee
8. Indiana
9. Toronto
10. Miami
11. Boston
12. Chicago
13. Charlotte
14. Washington
15. Brooklyn

WEST

1. Oklahoma City
2. Houston
3. Denver
4. Minnesota
5. Dallas
6. LA Clippers
7. Golden State
8. LA Lakers
9. Memphis
10. San Antonio
11. New Orleans
12. Portland
13. Sacramento
14. Phoenix
15. Utah

[Phantom255x]

I'm not gonna pretend like I'm an expert on the West so I'll do that later, plus it's very loaded.

East I feel is (assuming health for the most part):

1. Orlando
2. Cleveland
3. New York
4. Detroit
5. Philadelphia
6. Atlanta
7. Milwaukee
8. Indiana
9. Miami
10. Boston
11. Toronto
12. Charlotte
13. Chicago
14. Washington
15. Brooklyn

[Who]

East

1 - Cleveland

2 - New York
3 - Orlando

4 - Milwaukee
5 - Atlanta
6 - Philadelphia

7 - Indiana
8 - Detroit
9 - Toronto
10 - Chicago

11 - Boston (no Horford)
12 - Miami
13 - Charlotte

14 - Brooklyn
15 - Washington

I am having a tough time with Charlotte. I'll need to think about that one some more. I could go with them in 10th place for the final play-in spot.

If Boston gets Horford to come back, I'd raise them to 9th. At a mininum. I would consider putting them ahead of Indy and Detroit.

[Who]

West

1 - OKC
2 - Houston
3 - Denver

4 - Minnesota
5 - Golden State
6 - LA Lakers
7 - LA Clippers
8 - Dallas (due to Kyrie injury)

9 - San Antonio

10 - Memphis
11 - Portland
12 - Sacramento

13 - Phoenix
14 - New Orleans
15 - Utah


Once Kyrie returns, I'd put Dallas in that top tier alongside OKC, HOU and DEN.

Those 10th-12th place teams will fight it out for the final play-in spot.

[Goldstar88]

Celtics starters: White, Simons, Brown, Niang, Garza
Bench: Pritchard, Hauser, Scheierman, Tillman, Queta


Assuming Chicago brings Giddey back, I?d put them ahead of the Celtics. They were almost a .500 team last year. Made the play-in.

Bulls Starters: Giddey, White, Dosunmu, Buzelis, Vucevic
Bench: Jones, Huerter, Okoro, Williams, Collins.

That?s a very solid team, with depth.


Wouldn?t be surprised if Charlotte was better than Boston. More talent, deep bench.

Hornets Starters: Ball, Sexton, Miller, Bridges, Plumlee
Bench: Mann, Dinwiddie, Josh Green, Grant Williams, Salaun, Diabate, Kalkbrenner.


Toronto added Ingram, they have more talent.

Raptors Starters: Quickley, Barrett, Ingram, Barnes, Poeltl.


The Celtics should be really bad this year, especially if JB misses any time. They just don?t have much talent.

[Moranis]

Are we talking regular season or post season.  Some teams will be the same, but some will not.  Like the Thunder are going to win a lot of games and you'd expect to do well in the playoffs, but I think a team like the Magic will win a lot of games, but I wouldn't be surprised if they lost in the 1st round as I dont trust them as a playoff team.  The Sixers would ve the inverse, as I dont expect them to win a lot of games, but if they enter the playoffs healthy they could win the East (and I said could not thst id favor them).

[Who]

Tim Legler's rankings of contenders

Top Tier - Top Teams
 
1 - OKC
2 - Denver

Borderline top tier team in 3rd place

3 - Houston

All 3 in the West

Second Tier - Challengers

4 - Cleveland
5 - New York Knicks
6 - LA Lakers
7 - Minnesota

2 from each Conference. 5 of top 7 are in the West.

Adam Mares did not have the Lakers there in his 2nd tier. Largely due to Legler's belief in Luka.

Legler spoke highly of Terrence Shannon. I agree. I thought Minny underused him last season. He was great for them when he got a chance. Jaylen Clark looked good too. They talked about Shannon as replacing NAW. Jaylen Clark could do that. I'd love to see them trade DiVinenzo for a PG and trust those two guys to backup the wings.

Third Tier - Punchers Chance

Not in order = Orlando, Detroit, GSW, LA Clippers, Dallas, Boston, Milwaukee.

Legler still has Boston there. Due to good remaining talent with winning experience + a terrible Eastern Conference. Even if they are a 6th seed, they could make a playoff run. More playoff experience than the teams above them. More of a clear system and understanding of how to win in the playoffs. He did not talk about Tatum being apart of this playoff run. This is without Tatum. Led by Jaylen Brown. And guys like D White.

Adam Mares had Orlando as top of this group. He looks for Banchero to take a major leap forward. I have seen a few people saying this. Growing from a very good player to a top player.

Mares had Dallas 2nd on his list once Kyrie comes back. The talked about Dallas as being a low seed but the toughest matchup in the 1st round.

Mares also had Atlanta on his darkhorse candidate. Legler did not. Legler does not believe ATL can beat the Knicks, Cavs or the Pistons in a playoff series. He believes the defenses of those teams will hone in on Trae and make ATL's life too difficult. Legler does not believe Trae can withstand that defensive attention.

4th Tier - A tier all to themselves

Philadelphia

The top of their roster is as good as anyone in the East but health is such a question mark that it is hard to put them alongside any of the teams above them.

-------------------------

Top 8 teams in the West all in top 3 tiers.

San Antonio was not included in the top 3 tiers. Probably the right call. Yeah, too much youth.

[Moranis]

It is weird that Legler doesn't have the Pacers at all.  I mean they are the only team to make the Finals and the Conference Finals in the last 2 seasons. Plus, they have a top 3 coach. I get that Haliburton is hurt and they lost Turner, but they had a really deep team with a lot of scorers and Siakam is still an All NBA caliber of player (and they should get Jackson back to start the year to start at center). 

Pacers next year

Starters - Nembhard, Mathurin, Nesmith, Siakam, Jackson
Rotation - McConnell, Sheppard, Walker, Toppin, Bradley

Center obviously the weakest spot with Isiah Jackson and Tony Bradley, but they are at least both competent.  Every where else they are 2-deep with quality players. 

Obviously not a contender without Haliburton, but I certainly put them in the punchers chance category, especially as the longer they play the more likely Haliburton comes back. 

[perks-a-beast]

It is weird that Legler doesn't have the Pacers at all.  I mean they are the only team to make the Finals and the Conference Finals in the last 2 seasons. Plus, they have a top 3 coach. I get that Haliburton is hurt and they lost Turner, but they had a really deep team with a lot of scorers and Siakam is still an All NBA caliber of player (and they should get Jackson back to start the year to start at center). 

Pacers next year

Starters - Nembhard, Mathurin, Nesmith, Siakam, Jackson
Rotation - McConnell, Sheppard, Walker, Toppin, Bradley

Center obviously the weakest spot with Isiah Jackson and Tony Bradley, but they are at least both competent.  Every where else they are 2-deep with quality players. 

Obviously not a contender without Haliburton, but I certainly put them in the punchers chance category, especially as the longer they play the more likely Haliburton comes back.

100%. Carlisle will have those guys playing hard.

[Who]

It will be interesting to see how Siakam does next season without Myles Turner. He has played some of his best basketball in his career next to a floor spacing center. Marc Gasol in Toronto and Myles Turner in Indiana.

They gave Siakam more room to operate closer to the paint. A lot of those mid post isolations. Stuff like that.