2010 NBA Playoff Prediction: The Beasts of the East
With training camp now underway, the public is getting its first look at all of the talent around the NBA. Whether it's fresh faces in new places or veterans looking to make an impact with their new team, there are several notable changes in each division.
Will Cleveland even make it to the postseason without LeBron? Will Chicago be a new power in the East? Which team will surprise like the Bucks did last season?
Who do you think is making it into this year's postseason at a run for the Larry O'Brien trophy? Here are the eight teams from the Eastern Conference poised to make a run.
Ethan Norof is a writing intern for Bleacher Report, follow him on Twitter.
8. Washington Wizards
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There hasn't been this much hype surrounding a rookie in quite some time, but No. 1 overall pick John Wall is no ordinary player.
Already looking like one of the best players on the team, the Wizards should greatly benefit from having Wall run the offense. Quick as a cheetah and with a very high basketball IQ, Wall's game will immediately translate into results at the professional level and poses an immediate threat to the opposing point guard on a nightly basis.
Now with former all-star Gilbert Arenas back in the fold, the Wizards backcourt could very well be one of the most dangerous in the league. Pair that with an emerging frontcourt of Andray Blatche and Javale McGee, and this is a very young Wizards team that could enjoy success sooner than most think.
7. Charlotte Bobcats
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Michael Jordan is often mocked for his questionable moves, but the Bobcats look like a team that's on the rise. After finishing seventh in the conference last season, the team should find themselves back in the playoffs once again in 2011.
The Achilles heel of this team has been its production from the point guard spot, but the addition of a healthy Shaun Livingston and the development of D.J. Augustin should help immensely. With two of the most underrated players in the game as the major contributors from the roster (Wallace, Jackson), the Bobcats are a better team than most people would believe.
The focus here will be improving the team's big man situation. Although they do have Boris Diaw and Tyrus Thomas who play bigger than they really are, the only true centers the team currently has are rather underwhelming: DeSagana Diop, Nazr Mohammed, and Kwame Brown.
If the Bobcats are going to make a serious playoff run, they're going to have to acquire a better man in the middle to combat the elite centers in the conference.
6. Milwaukee Bucks
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Fear the deer.
Brandon Jennings' electric rookie campaign gave the Milwaukee team a breath of fresh air that they so desperately needed. He and veteran John Salmons proved to be a very dynamic backcourt throughout the season, and they should be even better in their second year together.
The team lost center Andrew Bogut to a gruesome elbow/arm injury that ended his campaign early just before the start of the playoffs last season. Looking to shed his label of being injury prone, Bogut will be a motivated man once he works his way back into full health.
After bringing in both Chris Douglas-Roberts (NJ) and Corey Maggette (GS) during the offseason, Milwaukee is clearly attempting to open up the floor for Jennings and let him dictate the offense. The Bucks are quickly becoming a major thorn in the side of the competition, and this team doesn't appear to be weakening any time soon.
5. Atlanta Hawks
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A popular pick by many to be a surprise team out of the East last season, the Hawks wilted in the postseason and showed that they're a long way from winning a title.
Left between a rock and a hard place this offseason with Joe Johnson's free agency, the team gave him the max contract that he was looking for despite an absolutely abysmal playoff performance.
Heading into this year's campaign with almost an identical roster, the Hawks are going to struggle to find wins at times given how improved the conference has become. Despite Al Horford's All-Star talent, he is going to have an extremely hard time against some of the bigger centers.
Can Josh Smith keep his head on straight for the duration of the year and be the defensive presence that the team needs him to be? Can Jeff Teague finally solve the team's perennial problems at the point guard position?
With a first-year head coach and a whole lot of questions about the makeup of the roster, the Hawks could be the new-look Cavaliers: a great regular season team, but simply nothing more.
4. Chicago Bulls
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This team is going to be even better than most are predicting.
New head coach Tom Thibodeau is going to instill a defensive culture into this team that many saw with the Celtics over the past few years. With the game's best young point guard (sorry, Russell Westbrook) running the offense and a legitimate low-post threat in Carlos Boozer, the Bulls are going to make some serious noise this season.
Center Joakim Noah has gone from a league-wide joke to being desired by several teams, and starting small forward Luol Deng still has plenty left, despite battling injuries over the last couple of seasons.
With a couple of under-the-radar free agent acquisitions (Korver, Brewer), and the young talent (Gibson, Johnson) continuing to improve, the Bulls are the newest powerhouse to join the new-look Eastern Conference.
3. Orlando Magic
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Quickly gaining a reputation as a big softy, until Dwight Howard can prove that he has more than two post moves, this is a team that's in trouble.
An excellent perimeter-shooting team, the Magic live and die with the success from the outside. However, that is a double-edged sword as when the team is cold, they simply don't compete at the level which they should.
Stan Van Gundy continually misuses Rashard Lewis at the power forward spot, and an aging Vince Carter hasn't been the same talent that he once was. While Orlando has several nice pieces sprinkled throughout the roster and may be one of the deepest rosters in the league, there seems to be a serious lack of team chemistry.
The Magic have the talent, but hard work will always prevail over talent when talent fails to prevail. If this team hopes to compete in the playoffs, they're going to have to get gritty.
2. Boston Celtics
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Aren't the Celtics supposed to be too old? They're not a team that cares about the regular season, right?
After finishing fourth in the regular season standings, many in and around the league were quick to discredit an aging team. As we now know, the C's proved that they've all got plenty left in the tank and the championship window hasn't closed quite yet.
Coming within just one game of taking home their second championship in the last three seasons, the Celtics dearly missed Kendrick Perkins (torn ACL) in the series against L.A. Having to start the season without their defensive stopper, the Celtics signed Jermaine and Shaquille O'Neal, who will both certainly help to fill the void.
With the same core of players intact, Boston will look to get back to the finals and take home the Larry O'Brien trophy that has been so elusive since '08.
Rondo will certainly lead the triumphant charge, but they're going to have to work awfully hard to take down the top seed.
1. Miami Heat
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What a shocker.
Already the most hated team in the league by everyone except their fans, the talent level on this Heat team is unlike anything most have ever seen.
With two sure-fire Hall of Fame players and another top flight All-Star in Chris Bosh, the Miami Heat could very well win 70 regular season games in their first season together.
While the majority of the focus has been on the big three, Pat Riley has compiled a supporting cast that will make a pursuit of the championship much easier than it otherwise would be. Mike Miller, Udonis Haslem, and even Eddie House will be major beneficiaries off the bench, as the defense simply can't guard everybody.
Although there has been rampant speculation about team chemistry, it seems that this group of guys is united by the common goal of winning multiple championships together.
The ESPN group interview may have been one of the most egotistical displays ever in professional sports, but there has never been this much excitement surrounding a team prior to its first exhibition game.
