Which Teams Can Have a Celtic-Like Turnaround?

The Boston Celtics this past season had the greatest turnaround in NBA history. They also came out on top at the end with a championship.

GM Danny Ainge started this turnaround by trading for Ray Allen on draft night in 2007 and then later made a huge deal that landed them Kevin Garnett.

Which teams are due for a turnaround from last season? This does not mean they will win a championship, but will go from a non-factor team to a contender.

LA Clippers - Last season they could have been a lot better then their record, but Elton Brand missed nearly the whole season. When he returned the team actually did not look that bad.

Rookie Al Thornton had impressed a lot of the league. He is going to be a future star in the NBA.

Chris Kaman was able to get back some respect by turning into a solid force down low. He has turned into a double-double machine.

In the off season they had drafted Eric Gordon, DeAndre Jordan, and Mike Taylor, while also signing free agent Baron Davis.

Eric Gordon was the best player in the country before his wrist injury. Now that he is fully healthy, the 6 teams that passed him up will regret. He is a big time player who already has a NBA range 3 in his game.

DeAndre Jordan is a player who in 3-4 can be a Dwight Howard type of player. We will see how that works out. If not worst case scenario he is a Patrick O'Bryant player who gets dropped.

Mike Taylor is interesting because he played in the NBDL last year and really was impressive. He has that experience under his belt now. He can be a solid back up for them.

Getting Davis put the team from a 42-40 team to a contender. Davis is a 20 point and 8 assist player who can lead the Clippers. He brought the Warriors to life and now will do the same with the Clippers.

The veterans with Cuttino Mobley and Tim Thomas helps out the team too. They can give you production off the bench.

Brand most likely will return and when he does this team will be one of the most well-balanced clubs in the league. They have the perimeter players, the dominant force down low with Brand, the solid center who can board and defend, and depth.

I predict they will go from 23-59 to a 54-28 record. If can add a few more players like the Celtics did last minute last year, they may even win the championship.

Chicago Bulls - Last year was a mess for the much expected Bulls. A lot of people predicted them to win the East. They went from that to just garbage.

The chemistry was not working and it seemed no one was trying or even caring about what was going on.

Before the trade deadline last year they were apart a 11 player deal that landed them Drew Gooden and Larry Hughes, but got rid of 2 old players in Ben Wallace and Joe Smith.

Gooden proved he can be a solid double-double player and became their only post presence. Hughes just was Hughes. He was inconsistent but was a good defender for them.

By beating the lottery in this years draft, they were able to get hometown hero Derrick Rose with the first overall pick.

Kirk Hinrich was a solid defender and scorer but not a floor general. Rose is that. That is why I expect Rose to lead as point and Hinrich will play his more true position as a shooting guard.

I expect them to re-sign Luol Deng, but keep away from Ben Gordon. With Hughes there they would not need Gordon anymore.

If they can manage to get a center, like Nenad Kristic, in the off season, they will be back into talks of winning the East.

They so far have a line up with Rose, Hinrich, Deng, Gooden, and Joakhim Noah. The bench is real solid. They have first year coach Del Negro and the pressure is now on him.

If the Bulls can play together and keep focused, I expect them to go from 33-49 to 45-37. They cannot be the "baby bulls" forever. They got experience and have to at least win a playoff series next year.

Miami Heat - From popping champagne bottles in 2006 to playing with ping pong balls last season, the Miami Heat are looking to redeem themselves next season.

Dwayne Wade as hurt all last season, which was the main reason for the teams down fall. He went from a Jordan-type of player to a Darko Milicic. They got no production out of him.

Hopefully a long off season for him will get him back to old form. Remember Jordan himself had a lot of injury problems in his early years before breaking out.

Shaquille O'Neal was aging so they got Shawn Marion for him. Marion is one of the best overall players in the league who is especially known for his defense. Riley really likes him, so expect him to stay.

With the second pick in the draft this year they got versatile scorer Michael Beasley aka "The Beast." He will be able to be the Pippen like player next to Wade.

They are looking at point guards and centers on the market since those are the only two positions they need help in.

Kristic, Biedrins, Carlos Arroyo, and Dooling are all being chased by the Heat to help them out.

So far the lineup looks like rookie Mario Chalmers, Wade, Marion, Beasley, and Alonzo Mourning (who most likely will re-sign) with Haslem and Mark Blount coming off the bench.

They will be having a parade in June after this year most likely, but they will make enough strides to get back into the playoff picture.

I expect them to go from a 15-67 to a 42-40 record, which really is not bad. Heck in the East that might even make them a 4th seed.

Toronto Raptors - They were a solid playoff team last year, but they will be a contender next year to win the East.

In the off season they acquired a much needed player in Jermaine O'Neal, who is one of the best big men in the league when healthy.

Their only post presence was Rasho Nasterovic last year. I am going to let that explain itself.

They also had an issue at point guard. Jose Calderon and TJ Ford were 2 starting point guards who feuded. With Ford now gone, Calderon can do his thing. His production stat-wise made him one of the best point guards in the NBA.

A lineup for them looks like Calderon, Anthony Parker, Jason Kapono, Chris Bosh, and Jermaine O'Neal. They also have decent depth with Bargnani, Delfino, and Jamario Moon. 

With Bosh finally having some help down low, I expect them to go from 41-41 to 53-29, if O'Neal can stay healthy.

Milwaukee Bucks - They have been under performing for many years. Their defense made Mike D'Antoni look like a defensive master. With Scott Skiles coming in the Bucks will have a tough and talented team.

They traded away unhappy and soft Yi Jianlin for Richard Jefferson, which was a huge move. Jefferson is a scorer who brings in tough defense. His experience also will be helpful.

In the draft they got Joe Alexander, who can be a energizer on the floor. He plays like Shawn Marion so he will be helpful.

Andrew Bogut had a solid season, but with the talent now around him he will shine.

The lineup looks like Mo Williams, Michael Redd, Jefferson, Alexander, and Bogut. The bench looks solid with Ramon Sessions, Mason, and Charlie Villanueva.

I really like the Bucks, which will have them going from a poor 26-56 to 46-36 record. Keep an eye on them next season.

Minnesota Timberwolves -GM McHale has been ripped since getting rid of KG, but keep an eye on this young and talented team.

I really liked the trades he made. In return for KG they got a future star in Al Jefferson with a lot of young talent aside him.

Jefferson is a 20 and 10 player who needed help along side him. Trading for rookie Kevin Love was genius. He is a solid 6'10" player who is NBA ready. He can post, spread the floor, pass, and has a high basketball IQ.

Randy Foye was able to get healthy and is still really talented. Expect a lot of production out of him.

They also traded for Mike Miller who was the under appreciated player last year. Expect him to be a 20 point player next season for the Wolves.

A line up looks like Foye, Miller, Corey Brewer, Jefferson, and Love with a deep bench lead by Gomes, McCants, and Craig Smith.

They will be my biggest surprise team for next season. I predict they will go from 22-60 to 41-41. They need a couple of years and will eventually be competing with the Trailblazers as best young team.

Other teams to look at are the Bobcats, Knicks, and Trailblazers. I expect them to improve but not vastly enough to say "wow."

Bobcats got Larry Brown who is a great coach, but they still got a problem with 2 point guards and do not have a center. They passed up on Brook Lopez and will regret it.

If things go well, expect one of these teams to duplicate what the Celtics did the past season and go from laughing stock in the NBA to holding a parade in their city in June.