The nets squeak into the playoffs next year.
Any reasoning behind this?
Yes. First, the East is terrible. Second, some have suggested that removing Darren Williams could be a plus. Third, they were a playoff team last year. Fourth, they will go all out to win since they do not have their draft pick (from the coached to the players). They DO NOT want to hand the Celts a lottery. And finally, don't like to get my hopes up because we all know luck has never been on our side when it comes to the draft. With our luck, they will all stay healthy and overachieve.
And did I mention the East is terrible?
I agree with Droop. They look capable of winning at least 35 games. I actually see them being on a par with the Celtics. Both teams should win between 35-45.
They finished 13-6. They are as likely as the Celtics to finish with less than 30 wins.
You realize they lost alan anderson, Deron Williams, Teletovic, and Plumlee who were 4 rotation players for them?
C'mon...
Teletovic - didn't play during the second half of the season
Plumlee - Was down to 13 minutes over the final month and 8 minutes in the playoffs
Anderson - I mean... ok?
Losing Deron might hurt a bit? Jarrett Jack is a serviceable PG. Joe Johnson still has game. Brook Lopez was sensational over the final couple months (20/10/2), Thad Young provided a major upgrade over Garnett... adding Bargnani might help a bit...
People expecting that team to finish bottom 6 must expect injuries. That's likely a fringe playoff team in the East.
So to recap LarBrd33 logic: Losing Teletovic, Plumlee, Anderson, + Deron while adding Bargnani, RHJ, and the bust/injured Robinson = still a playoff-caliber team in the East when a) they barely squeaked into the playoffs last year, and b) the teams they beat out last year (Miami, Indiana, Charlotte, New York, Orlando, Detroit) all significantly improved their roster through additions, health, or anticipated internal developments.
This is just another example of you constantly being over-optimistic about other teams and over-pessimistic about our own team, because, hey, Brooklyn is going to win 50 games this year, right? 
Other than Miami, I don't think any of the teams listed significantly improved their roster. Miami should be better but there are significant health concerns.
Charlotte: lost Vonleh, Stephenson, and Henderson and got Batum, Kaminsky, Hawes, Lamb, and Lin. I'd say that's an upgrade since Henderson is the only one that really played significant minutes for them by the end of the year.
Indiana: Lost Hibbert, West, and Miles (I think) and got George back to health, Ellis, Turner, and Hill. Getting a healthy George back alone improves them dramatically, but with how old West was looking and crappy Hibbert was playing, the additions look to be even more of an improvement.
Miami: I agree that a lot will depend on health, but they're definitely much better just by getting Bosh back. Also, adding Stoudemire, Green, and Winslow to their bench is big, too.
New York: They were horrible last year, so adding Lopez, Afflalo, and getting Melo back healthy is definitely significant improvement.
Detroit: Lost Monroe (not sure about who else) but gained Jennings back from health, Johnson, Ilyasova, Morris, and Blake, Granger, and Baynes for their bench. That's definitely an upgrade given how poor of a fit Monroe was on that roster.
Orlando: Orlando is definitely the most questionable of the group, but they didn't really lose anything of value and they gained Mario. Also, you have to figure in that Vuc, Oladipo, Payton, Harris, and Gordon should all theoretically make internal improvements, so they're definitely going to be better than last year.
Sure, it can be argued that none of these are San Antonio-level roster improvements, but that's not the point. The point is it enough to catch up to Brooklyn in the standings. Thus, the following:
Indiana: 0 games behind (lost tiebreaker)
Miami: 1 game behind
Charlotte: 5 games behind
Detroit: 6 games behind
Orlando: 13 games behind
New York: 21 games behind
Between record improvements of these teams and a decrease in wins from Brooklyn, it's definitely not inconceivable to see them finishing behind each one of these teams. In my opinion, Orlando and Detroit are the only ones who would be questionable on if they could catch Brooklyn in the standings. I definitely predict Indiana, Miami, Charlotte, and New York to all finish with the same record or a better record than Brooklyn this year due to Brooklyn being worse and those teams being better.
Nowadays rookies don't make much of an impact so I discount them as an impact for next season. Other than Miami, none of the teams mentioned are clearly better than the Nets.
Charlotte is a lousy organization and those additions don't impress me. Batum had one of his worst seasons. Hawes, Lamb and Lin aren't impact players. The Hornets were 21-41 when Walker played. They lost Mo Williams who played well for them.
Indiana wants to change their style of play. I think they'll take a bigger step back on defense than they take a step forward on offense. Ellis is fools gold. He's a lousy defender. He'll look great on offense one night and lousy the next.
Miami's health is a big concern. However when Bosh did play, their record was 19-25. Down the stretch with Wade, Deng, Dragic and Whiteside playing they still couldn't make the playoffs in the weak east. I can see them being anywhere from the 2nd best team in the east to the 10th best.
NY was 10-30 in the games Carmelo played.
I really like Johnson and he may be the rookie with the most impact. Ilyasova, Blake, Granger, and Baynes aren't impact players. The Morris brothers are malcontents and have significant legal issues. You can say Monroe was a bad fit in Detroit but whoever they start in his place will be a downgrade.
The Magic's only real hope for significant improvement is their coaching change.
I'm expecting the Nets to finish 10th in the East. Lopez's health is their key factor.
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