2010-2011 Eastern Conferense Preview: Will The Heat Reign Supreme?
The Eastern Conference has quickly become the more entertaining conference. You've got the Heat's new trio, Dwight Howard, the Celtics (and Shaq!), Mikhail Prokhorov, D-Rose and the Bulls, etc. Will this conference produce the NBA Champion? Who knows, the Lakers still look like the favorites. But the East will have a much more entertaining playoff.
15 Thru 9
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Here are the bottom, or non-playoff teams in my opinion:
9.) Detroit Pistons
10.) New York Knicks
11.) Charlotte Bobcats
12.) Washington Wizards
13.) Cleveland Cavaliers
14.) New Jersey Nets
15.) Toronto Raptors
What to say about these teams? Detroit will be a little better but will likely (and should) trade Tayshaun Prince. It will hurt them this season but if they get a solid deal will make them better in the future. The Knicks should be better and fun with watch with A'Mare and Ray Felton running around in the Mike D'Antoni system.
Without Felton I see the Bobcats imploding and falling back to the lottery. The Wizards will be another fun team to watch. If the keep Gilbert Arenas it should be fun watching him and John Wall (he will be Rookie of the Year) run this offense.
The Cavs have some talent left but it's mainly and supporting cast. Mo Williams and Antwan Jamison will be asked to carry this team and the city of Cleveland. The Nets will matter when they move to Brooklyn. Plus the owners are more entertaining than the team. And lastly the Raptors are awful. Worse team in the league, hands down.
8.) Indiana Pacers
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2009-2010 Record: 32-50
Key Additions: Darren Collison and James Posey
Key Loses: None
Prediction for 2010-2011 Season: Third Place in Central Division and Eight Place in Eastern Conference
Go ahead, call it a hunch but I kinda like this team. What is shocking is that the Pacers have several players I hate, especially from their college days (I'm looking at you Tyler Hansbrough and you Roy Hibbert). But I like how these pieces fit together, especially they new pieces the Pacers grabbed.
Darren Collison will give the Pacers a solid starting point guard who proved last season that he can start in this league. This also allows the Pacers to shift T.J. Ford to the bench which might help him stay healthy and produce for this team. Danny Granger is obviously a stud and with Posey coming of the bench to spell him, play tough D and nail threes, they are good at the small forward spot.
They have two power forwards in Josh McRoberts and Hansbrough who will hustle and not hurt this team. Hibbert shockingly looks like he'll actually be a decent NBA center. The week link in this team is the shooting guard spot. It's Mike Dunleavy, forget him. Just let Brandon Rush play and see what you have in him and how he plays with the other starters.
I can just see this team meshing together and fighting their way into the playoffs. Then losing in the first round.
7.) Philadelphia 76ers
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2009-2010 Record: 27-55
Key Additions: Evan Turner and Spencer Hawes
Key Loses: Matt Barnes
Prediction for 2010-2011 Season: Second Place in Atlantic Division and Seventh Place in Eastern Conference
The 76ers should bounce back after a disappointing season last year. This team is full of young players that can play multiple positions. Rookie Evan Turner can play at either guard spot or small forward and Thaddeus Young can play either forward spot. Turner is my early pick for 6th man of the year. Coach Eddie Jordan will find places for him to play.
The 76ers also grabbed Spencer Hawes to compete for the starting center spot and Andres Nocioni to come off the bench from Sacramento. A solid move that made this team deeper and should get them back into the playoffs. And they need to make it now because the future is merky for this team with so much money invested in Elton Brand, Andre Igoudala, Nocioni, and Louis Williams it will be tough for them to make moves.
6.) Milwaukee Bucks
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2009-2010 Record: 46-36
Key Additions: Drew Gooden, Corey Maggette, and Early Boykins
Key Loses: Kurt Thomas and Luke Ridnour
Prediction for 2010-2011 Season: Second Place in Central Division and Sixth Place in Eastern Conference
I honestly don't have much to say on the Bucks. While I don't love any of the moves they made I also don't hate any of them. Drew Gooden might make a decent partner for Andrew Bogut. I'm sure they'll make it back to the playoffs and then get dismissed in the first round. I'd love to say more but honestly, the Bucks kind of bore me.
5.) Atlanta Hawks
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2009-2010 Record: 53-29
Key Additions: Jordan Crawford and Josh Powell
Key Loses: None
Prediction for 2010-2011 Season: Third Place in Southeast Division and Fifth Place in Eastern Conference
This was a uneventful off season for the Hawks. They had one choice to make, either over pay for Joe Johnson or possibly slip out of the playoff picture in the East. This contract may haunt the Hawks down the road but for now they will remain a playoff team.
The Hawks made two moves this off season. The first I loved, drafting Jordan Crawford. He's an explosive athlete who can score. The second move was solid. Josh Powell solid depth to their front court. They will slip in the standing but it won't be by their own hand. It's just that several teams in the East got better this season.
4.) Orlando Magic
6 of 92009-2010 Record: 59-23
Key Additions: Chris Duhon and Quentin Richardson
Key Loses: Matt Barnes
Prediction for 2010-2011 Season: Second Place in Southeast Division and Fourth Place in Eastern Conference
Not much has changed in Orlando this season. They lost Matt Barnes but replaced him with Quentin Richardson. This is a loss in defense but honestly, the magic won't lose much else. They did improve by adding Chris Duhon to backup Jameer Nelson. Duhon will bring defense and the ability to distribute the ball effectively when Nelson is resting.
The front court remains the same. One thing that might happen, Dwight Howard might actually have a post game. If you haven't watched the video on this page, take the time, watch it. It kind of scares me. He could actually become an offensive force.
With little changes to this team I can see them being passed in the standing by Boston, Miami, and Chicago. If Dwight Howard really becomes the player in the video he could give the Heat trouble in a playoff series. Is that enough to knock them off? Yes, it possibly is.
3.) Chicago Bulls
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2009-2010 Record: 41-41
Key Additions: Carlos Boozer, Ronnie Brewer, C.J. Watson, Kyle Korver, Kurt Thomas, and Tom Thibodeau
Key Loses: Kirk Hinrich and Brad Miller
Prediction for 2010-2011 Season: First Place in Central Division and Third Place in Eastern Conference
I love every move the Bulls made this off-season. They went and grabbed the top head coach prospect in Thibodeau who will bring a defensive mindset to this team. And it will all start with the solid four man rotation the Bulls will walkout every night. Boozer will be the scoring in the paint, Noah will be the energy and the defensive force that coach Thibodeau will love. Then with promising second year reserve Taj Gibson and veteran Kurt Thomas coming off the bench, this is a solid rotation.
Ronnie Brewer should move straight into the starting job next to Derrick Rose. Combine those two with a healthy Luol Deng and this will be an athletic threesome capable of scoring in bunches. The backups here are the weakest part of this team. C.J. Watson will be a solid backup to Rose who can also step onto the court with him giving Deng or Brewer rest much in the same way Kirk Hinrich did last season. Kyle Korver is Kyle Korver, he'll nail his threes at a high percentage but not much else. The wild card here is James Johnson, the second year man from Wake Forest and Chicago's first round pick from a year ago. If he can provide anything and show the Bulls why they took him 16th overall, it would go a long way to making this team deeper.
Overall this is a very good team that could use some depth on the wings. But the new additions on the court will make this team much better and allow the move up in the Eastern Conference,
2.) Boston Celtics
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2009-2010 Record: 50-32
Key Additions: Shaquille O'Neal, Jermaine O'Neal, Avery Bradley, and Delonte West
Key Loses: Tom Thibodeau, Tony Allen and Brian Scalabrine (just kidding)
Prediction for 2010-2011 Season: First Place in Atlantic Division and Second Place in Eastern Conference
The Celtics came within moments of winning their second title in three seasons. Some say withing six minutes. I say they were missing one very large man. With Kendrick Perkins in the lineup the Celtics went up three game to two. Then came his knee injury in the first quarter of game six and it went straight downhill from there.
It seemed as though this off-season would start a rebuilding process for the Celtics. But then Paul Pierce and Ray Allen came back. Then Doc Rivers came back. But the question remained, what about the front court? With Perkins out til January and Rasheed Wallace retiring who would fill in the gaps? How about Jermaine O'Neal and Shaq. Once Perkins is back the C's will be able to rotate KG, Perkins, Shaq, Jermaine O'Neal, Glen Davis and import Semih Erden in their front court. That's a lot of bodies and foul to throw at the other league's contenders.
The Celtics also managed to get deep on the outside. They brought back Pierce, Ray Allen, Marquise Daniels, and Nate Robinson. Add Delonte West rookie Avery Bradley to the mix and this unit is deep. Not as deep as the guys upfront but still deep. There's even Von Wafer around to hit some open 3 pointers.
Overall this is a very deep Celtics team, probably deeper than the team that won it all two seasons ago. With depth comes the ability to keep the star players fresh and overcome most injuries. Something this team has struggled with the past two seasons.
1.) Miami Heat
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2009-2010 Record: 47-35
Key Additions: LeBron James, Chris Bosh, Mike Miller, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and Dexter Pittman
Key Loses: Quentin Richardson, Jermaine O'Neal, and Michael Beasley
Prediction for 2010-2011 Season: First Place in Southeast Division and Eastern Conference
The Heat are the team that everyone has been talking about since "The Decision." Before there was even a team of players around Wade, LeBron, and Bosh people were already giving them the title. But I wasn't convinced then and I'm still not now. Sure they added some nice pieces in the draft and some solid free agents. But this teams still feels like it's a year or two away from winning it all.
The biggest thing I have is the lack of front court depth. It's pretty much Bosh, Big Z, Joel Anthony, and Udonis Haslem for proven NBA players. Toss is second round pick Dexter Pittman, the corpses of Jamaal Magloire and Juwan Howard and I'm not impressed. I think Pittman could be a nice role player but he may note show it for a year or two. I can't see this front court handling Dwight Howard, the Boston front court, or Chicago's big men in a playoff series.
The strength of this team will out on the wings. LeBron, Wade, Miller (when he's healthy), Chalmers, Carlos Arroyo and now Jerry Stackhouse. This group will run. And run. Toss in Eddie House and James Jones to knock down three-points and expect some big nights from this group.
The Heat will have a big regular season. Look for them to put on one big show after another even with every team in the league gunning to take them down. They should win over 60 games unless they get hit with injuries. But then they'll hit the playoffs. And then they'll have to play either Orlando, or Boston, or Chicago in a best of seven series at some point. And that's how the 2010-2011 Miami Heat season will end, at the hands of one of those teams without a title.
