22. Nets

The Nets are the feel-bad story of the year. They have now bid adieu to two of their longest servants in Jason Kidd and Richard Jefferson, and are stuck with a Vince Carter that is slowly but steadily declining physically. This is evident in the fact that people refer to him more when discussing exciting players of the past, rather than in this day and age.

At the beginning of his time in New Jersey, he was rejuvenated and looked to attack the rim, but no one can deny that this dedicated approach had a lot to do with Jason Kidd policing him. With Devin Harris now given the keys to the Nets offense, it will be interesting to see which Vince Nets fans witness.

Devin Harris should take a huge step forward in his development, as he is now the secondary option to Vince. There will be no limitations to what he can or cannot do, since Lawrence Frank knows Devin is at his best when given freedom. The acquisition of Yi does set them up nicely for a great roster in the future—specifically 2010, which is all they truly have to look forward to.

Prediction: Will dwell in the cellar of the East. Teams looking to make a move towards the postseason might look see Vince as a viable option, and the Nets should listen. This season however, will be dedicated to the development of their new young core of Harris, Yi, and Sean Williams.

23. Bobcats

This is a team that plays hard, scraps, and does all the little things that fans love to see. All they need now is a couple of people that can do the big things—i.e. play at an All-Star level and be consistent game-changers—and they'll be well on their way to becoming a very tough team in the East.

Emeka Okafor, Jason Richardson, and Gerald Wallace are capable of being those guys, and Larry Brown could be the right coach to bring out those attributes in them. I expect D.J. Augustin to become a very solid player in the league, and should bring some much-needed shooting to the Bobcats roster this season.

Raymond Felton was up and down last year, so it will be interesting to see how Larry Brown decides to use him. Don't forget that North Carolina's favorite mustache is back with Adam Morrison, and his outside stroke should be an added bonus.

Prediction: They are getting closer to being able to detach their expansion tag. Larry Brown will make sure they work their butts off which wil probably give them a few more wins than most might expect, and might even be enough for their first surge towards the postseason.

They'll fall short to better teams, though, and will simply have to wait another year.

24. Bucks

This is my sleeper team of the East. After another disappointing season last year, John Hammond showed why he was so coveted during his time as assistant GM with Detroit. Yi was never going to be happy in Milwaukee, and so finding a fit for him as well as picking up a marquee player in Richard Jefferson must have made both parties extremely happy.

Charlie Villanueva played very well as a starter, and that role becoming permanent should do wonders for his confidence. The loss of Mo Williams would have hurt a lot more had it not been for the emergence of Ramon Sessions last season.

Even though it was while they were simply playing out a meaningless March and April, some of the numbers Sessions put up were absolutely off the charts. His 24-assist game on a wild night against the Bulls immediately comes to mind.

As much as they have improved, it will be worth nothing if the changes are just on paper. Their schedule is quite difficult for the first month.  But if they can survive that initial phase, they should be on course to a return to the postseason.

Prediction: Their lack of a bench will force their starters to play big-time minutes. Their defense has struggled in recent years, but that should change with Scott Skiles now patrolling the sidelines.

I see them clinching the eighth seed in what should be a wild chase for the final playoff spot. All that means, though, is a brief learning experience against the Celtics in the first round.

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