Carmelo Anthony Trade: Power Ranking the Top 10 Teams in the East
Carmelo Anthony is one of the most difficult players to defend in the NBA.
He has the size (6'8, 230 lbs.) of a PF and the ball-handling skills of a PG.
He uses his size and strength to back down smaller defenders, but still has the speed to dribble right past bigger frontcourt players.
He now joins a conference with other distinguished players such as Lebron James, Paul Pierce, Dwight Howard and Derrick Rose.
The Eastern Conference is certainly not lacking in star players. By adding Melo, the Knicks hope to be able to compete with the other top teams in the East.
With so much star power, it will be a dogfight for playoff positioning. Here are the ten most dangerous teams in the East.
1. Boston Celtics
1 of 10
The Celtics are once again on top of the basketball world.
The Celtics have the most depth of any team in the East, and have a number of large bodies to throw around.
Defense wins championships, and again the Celtics are tops in the league in defense, holding opponents to 91 points a game.
The development of Rajon Rondo makes the Celtics a difficult matchup as well. He is leading the NBA in assists and is an excellent rebounder from the PG position.
Boston also has played excellently against the other top teams in the East, with a 3-0 record against the Heat, a 2-1 record against the Magic and a 2-1 record against the Bulls.
There aren't many reasons to not like the Celtics—look for them to represent the East in the NBA Finals.
2. Orlando Magic
2 of 10
I put the Magic here for one reason—they are the only team I can see upsetting the Celtics.
The Heat are better, but the Celtics give them matchup problems. They know how to defend James and Wade.
The Magic have one thing no other NBA team has—a dominant center in Dwight Howard.
The Celtics have problems defending Howard—in their last two matchups he scored 28 and 33 points respectively.
The Magic are also a very good defensive team (thanks mostly to Howard). They are fifth in the league in team defense and in rebounding.
The Magic are a three-point shooting team, and if their shooters have a good shooting night and Howard hits his free throws (a big if), then the Magic could upset the Celtics.
3. Miami Heat
3 of 10
It has taken time for the Heat to mesh together, but since a rough early start, they have been one of the NBA's best.
However, many of their wins have come against the NBA's lesser teams. The Heat only have a 4-7 record against the top four teams in each conference.
The Heat have the best player in the NBA in Lebron James, and Wade and Bosh are both top ten talents. Other than that, they have little else.
The Heat are not a team as of yet. They will need another offseason or two to surround James and Wade with enough role players to contend for a title.
4. Chicago Bulls
4 of 10
The Bulls have been the most impressive team this season, battling through injuries to both their starting big men, yet still playing well, only two games behind Boston for the number one seed.
Derrick Rose is playing out of his mind, and the Bulls are the only other team in the East that can match the depth of the Celtics.
Their frontcourt is tops in the conference, as they are second in the NBA in rebounding and third in blocks.
But, while the Bulls are a good story, they just do not have the talent of the East's other three top teams.
They have inside scoring with Boozer and Noah (once he returns from injury), but need to get more out of their backcourt. SG Keith Bogans is a good defender, but is averaging less than five points a game.
You need more production from your starters come playoff time. Chicago's offensive struggles are troubling as well, as they are 18th in the league in scoring.
5. New York Knicks
5 of 10
The addition of Carmelo Anthony most likely will not change the Knick's playoff positioning. They can't catch up to the Heat, Celtics or Bulls, so the Knicks will have to play their first playoff series on the road.
But this is a team no one will want to play in the first round. If Amare and Carmelo can catch fire, the Knicks are capable of upsetting any one of the East's top teams.
Their defensive struggles (second to last in the NBA in points allowed) will derail any hopes of a title. The Knicks up-tempo offense is exciting to watch, but they do not have enough depth to contend after trading three starters for Melo.
Nevertheless, this will be a team to watch in the playoffs. Knicks fans could see their team win its first playoff series since 2000.
6. Atlanta Hawks
6 of 10
The Hawks have a very balanced team—outside scoring with Joe Johnson and an inside presence with Al Horford and Josh Smith.
But, much like the Bulls, the Hawks do not have enough talent to match the Heat or Celtics.
They have almost no bench—not one of their bench players is averaging over five points a game.
Furthermore, the Hawks have just a 3-8 record against the top four teams from either conference.
Look for a similar result from the Hawk's postseason a year ago—a first round playoff win is a possibility, but the Hawks will not go farther than that.
7. Indiana Pacers
7 of 10
The East has a big drop-off after its top teams. The seven and eight seeds have losing records.
Indiana is one of those teams. The Pacers have a strong eight man rotation and a rising star in center Roy Hibbert, but will unlikely make any noise come playoff time.
Still, the future is bright for the Pacers. They are 7-3 under interim coach Frank Vogel, and have some impressive stats to back them up.
They are third in the league in rebounding and fifth in blocks and opponents field goal percentage.
Pretty impressive stats for a team with a losing record.
As an avid Pacers fan, I can say this team has not lived up to expectations. They are a talented team that is not far away from respectability.
But this team still lacks enough pieces to defeat the Celtics or Heat in a seven game series. For now, a return to the playoffs is a good enough start.
8. Philadelphia 76's
8 of 10
New coach Doug Collins has done a great job with this team, returning them to playoff contention a year after finishing with the third worst record in the East.
But the 76's have too many problems scoring to contend in the East. No player averages over 15 points for them, and overall they are just 19th in the league in scoring.
The team also has no inside presence—no player averages over eight rebounds or one block.
The lack of a true superstar player also hurts this team. Elton Brand is past his glory days from Los Angeles, and Andre Iguodala has been given enough time to prove he is a franchise player, but the has not done so.
Maybe Evan Turner can be the superstar the Sixers lack. But for now, the Sixers look like a team likely to be knocked out in the first round.
9. Charlotte Bobcats
9 of 10
The Bobcats are not far behind in the race for the final seed in the East, and have been playing better under new coach Paul Silas.
SG Stephen Jackson is a fierce competitor and team leader, but can't be the face of your franchise.
Similarly, SF Gerald Wallace is a player who can do it all, but lacks great scoring ability.
This team has some talent, but recent failed draft picks like Adam Morrison and Gerald Henderson have left the team without any pieces to put around Wallace and Jackson.
The emergence of PG DJ Augustin is a good sign for this young team, but they are a couple of years away from contention. They need to find a few big men to pair with their talented backcourt.
10. Washington Wizards
10 of 10
The bottom of the East is so bad it was hard to find a team to put in the 10th spot.
At least the Wizards have a bright future. John Wall is a rare talent, already averaging nine assists as a rookie.
And anyone who watched the dunk contest saw how good an athlete Javale McGee is.
Another good draft and this team could be in playoff contention.
