Eastern Conference
1. Boston Celtics- As long as their whole squad is able to stay healthy, the Celtics should return right back to the top of the Eastern Conference. Rasheed Wallace and Marquis Daniels help bring back some of the toughness that they lacked last season as they struggled against the Bulls and the Magic in the playoffs.
2a. Cleveland Cavaliers- The off seasons of the Cavs and the Magic have me viewing them as being in the same boat but not in the same league as the Celtics. The Cavaliers needed another versatile scoring option to go along with Lebron James such as Trevor Ariza, Ron Artest, or even Shawn Marion and not getting any of those guys will hurt them greatly. Anthony Parker will provide some spark but he is still not the elite level sidekick for LBJ. The addition of Shaq will really just provide the Cavaliers with a more mobile offensive form of Big Z in the paint, so while the Cavs may improve slightly they surely took a step back this year.
2b. Orlando Magic- The addition of Vince Carter to the team will help spread the floor for Dwight Howard better and the return of a healthy Jameer Nelson will help the offense more but I still believe that losing their best facilitator and end of game scorer in Hedo Turkoglu will ultimately push the Magic out of the league of the Cavs and the Celtics.
4. Toronto Raptors- Gaining Hedo Turkoglu was a great move for them and depending on how succesful a season Demar Derozan has, and how much Chris Bosh is willing to take on, the Raptors could possibly sneak up a little higher in the rankings.
5. Atlanta Hawks- Though the Hawks were kind of quiet in the off season market, the addition of Jamal Crawford is huge as he will assist Joe Johnson with a lot of end game decisions and taking the big shots but I still think they are a true center and perhaps a true point guard away from dethroning Boston, Cleveland or Orlando.
6. Washington Wizards- Even though the Wizards had one of the worst records in the NBA last season, a healthy big three (Gilbert Arenas, Caron Butler, and Antawn Jamison) and the addition of Randy Foye and Mike Miller will put them towards the top of the NBA in scoring and keep their season interesting enough to help them get into the playoffs. If they are able to pick up a true post player sometime during the season, they could easily move past the Raptors and Hawks.
7. Chicago Bulls- Ahh my Bulls, my Bulls...I really wanted to put the Bulls higher on this list but the loss of Ben Gordon combined with not picking up any other major players in the free agent market made me at least start off the season with them right here. Other then perhaps the Wizards, the Bulls have the highest ceiling and the lowest ground, because depending on the production of their players, the Bulls could either be fighting for home court in the playoffs or a lottery pick. Derrick Rose needs to have a 20 and 10 season and Luol Deng, Tyrus Thomas, Kirk Hinrich, and John Salmons must help him in keeping the floor spread by attacking the basket strong and knocking down open shots. Quick growth by the rookies Taj Gibson and James Johnson could also lead to the Bulls being boosted a few spots.
8. Miami Heat-The Heat suffered the same problem as the Bulls as they made no really noticeable changes from their roster last season, but as long as they have a healthy Dwayne Wade on the team, they will win some games and probably still sneak in the playoffs. Watch out to whoever meets them in the first round though.
*Right On The Edge* - Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks, Charlotte Bobcats, Philadelphia 76ers
*Still Dreaming*- New Jersey Nets, Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks
Part 2 on the way...
God Bless...PromoDave Signing Out....
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