2010-2011 NBA: 5 Players Who Will Decide Who's Crowned Champs in the East

All eyes were on LeBron last year—during the regular season and into free agency. But he didn't decide who made the finals from the Eastern Conference last year. He won't decide the Eastern Conference Champions this year either, much to the chagrin of Pat Riley and everyone else in Southern Florida.  

Here are the five players who will. 

Brandon Jennings

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ATLANTA - MAY 2: Guard Brandon Jennings #3 of the Milwaukee Bucks gets set to shoot a free throw during Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals between the Milwaukee Bucks and the Atlanta Hawks during the 2010 NBA Playoffs at Philips Arena on

Two years ago people were mocking Brandon Jennings for his decision to forgo college to play professionally in Europe. Jennings ended up getting the last laugh.

While he didn't play very much in Europe, he learned how to be a professional. While other rookies needed time to adjust to playing in the NBA, Jennings charged out of the starting gate and never looked back. 

Jennings maturity in the backcourt and Andrew Bogut's development as a top five center made the Milwaukee Bucks a force to be reckoned with. Bogut got injured at the end of the year and Milwaukee stalled in the playoffs. Bogut is still struggling but if Jennings continues to improve, the Bucks may be tough to beat no matter what happens with the big guy. 

Dwight Howard

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ORLANDO, FL - OCTOBER 10: Dwight Howard #12 of the Orlando Magic smiles during the game against the New Orleans Hornets at Amway Arena on October 10, 2010 in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and

Dwight Howard worked on his offense in the off season. He needed to work on it, because he might have the worst offensive game of any superstar in the league.

Howard is at a turning point. He's a beast on the defensive end and he's strong enough to score on dunks if he gets the balls deep in the paint. But teams with frontcourt depth like the Lakers and the Celtics will continue to keep Orlando from getting a ring unless Howard develops a go-to shot that doesn't require physically placing the balls in the hole. If he does, the Magic are a threat to win it all. If he's still the one-dimensional player he was the last two years, forget about it. 

Joakim Noah

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CHICAGO - APRIL 25: Joakim Noah #13 of the Chicago Bulls moves against Antawn Jamison #4 of the Cleveland Cavaliers in Game Four of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals during the 2010 NBA Playoffs at the United Center on April 25, 2010 in Chicago, Illino

Derrick Rose is a terrific player but the Bulls are Noah's team. Not since Mike left in the late 90s has a player this brash and this confident played in the Windy City.

One of the great college players of all time, Noah struggled when he first came to the league. He's completely turned his game around in the last two years. If he steps it up again this year, the Bulls could well make the move from contender to a legitimate threat for the title. 

Shaquille O'Neal

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BOSTON - MAY 13: Shaquille O'Neal #33 of the Cleveland Cavaliers waits to shoot a free throw in the fourth quarter against the Boston Celtics during Game Six of the Eastern Conference Semifinals of the 2010 NBA playoffs at TD Garden on May 13, 2010 in Bo

They say Shaq is in shape this year. I don't know if I completely believe that, but I'm not sure he has to be to help the Celtics get back to the finals.

For the first time in his career, O'Neal doesn't need to worry about inconvenient things like rebounding and defense. The Celtics, with their wave of bigs, have that covered. All Shaq needs to do is add scoring punch for 20 to 25 minutes a game and he's still capable of doing that. That might be all Boston needs. 

Dwyane Wade

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MIAMI - OCTOBER 05: Forward LeBron James #6 (C) and teammate Dwyane Wade #3 (R) on the court before taking on the Detroit Pistons on October 5, 2010 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or usin

Dwyane has already sat out games with a hurt hammy, which reminded a lot of fans that Wade has often struggled with nagging injuries.

Then there's the question of how Wade will do playing second fiddle to LeBron. It is true that winning solves everything, so as long as the Heat win everything, it should be fine. But for the Heat to live up to their lofty expectations Wade will need to stay injury free and learn to play without the ball.