UNDER THE RADAR: EASTERN CONFERENCE

Although the below the playoff line East teams are worlds apart from the West lottery squads.

On the converse, the top tier of the East are pound for pound angrier, hungrier and in the last few years, better than the best of the West.

Yesterday, I broke down the West's under the radar heroes, and naturally, today is the East's turn.

These guys may not sell too many jerseys, and their Topps rookie cards may not be too popular (or readily available), but no doubt about it, they will have more of an effect on their respective squads fortunes than you may realize.

Boston Celtics- Leon Powe
Now, everyone saw what Leon Powe is capable of in the NBA Finals.
I am not saying that Leon Powe is going to come in off the bench and score 20 points in every Celtics game this season, but I am saying that with the retirement of P.J. Brown (who has the flattest head I have ever seen) and the departure of James Posey, it seems as if Leon Powe will be the number one offensive option off the bench for Doc Rivers…and I am not confident in his abilities to do that.

New Jersey Nets- Sean Williams
One of the best young power forwards in the league. He is tough, and he wears his socks up to his mid-thigh region…what else could you ask for? Le Freak Elastique, as Coach Lawrence Frank calls him, has keen shot blocking abilities and insane hops. He may be the Nets best young forward since Kenyon Martin…wait…K-Mart was never this promising.

New York Knicks- David Lee
If you ever wondered what current Laker coach Phil Jackson was like in the 1970’s, look no further than David Lee. All he is missing is the mustache. The brillo headed, forward is about as scrappy as it gets and at times is the best player on the floor for the Knicks. With Mike D’Antoni now running the show in New York, look for Lee to really take advantage of his coaches run ‘n’ gun offensive scheme. All he needs now is that dang Phil-esque ‘stache.

Philadelphia 76ers- Louis Williams
Lou is heading for real stardom in this league. He has a unique blend of Iverson flash and Mo Cheeks IQ, which may catapult him into the 76er starting lineup this season. Williams has the ability to create his own shot and could really become the perfect compliment to Elton Brand and the two Andres. Plus, he is one of Philly’s rising radio stars to boot!

Toronto Raptors- Jamario Moon
As a 27-year old rookie last season, Moon showed that his road to the NBA, although unconventional and lengthy (he played for 877 different minor league basketball teams), has seasoned him into a true pro. With leaping ability that measures up to the likes of Orlando’s Dwight Howard and New York’s Nate Robinson, Moon’s second NBA season should do nothing more than build on his first, where he broke into the Raps starting unit and took advantage of finally making it to the Association.

Chicago Bulls- Thabo Sefolosha
The ‘Folosh, as I like to call him, broke ground two seasons ago as the NBA’s first Swiss born player and may prove to be a bigger part of the Bulls plans than anyone ever thought, especially with the uncertain contractual fate of Ben Gordon. With Larry Hughes aging rapidly and Kirk Hinrich too small to play the 2 spot, Sefolosha could be headed for a breakout season in la Cuidad Ventosa.

Cleveland Cavaliers- TIE Daniel Gibson & Delonte West
If there is one thing the Cavs have in spades, it is young poing guards. Besides West and Gibson, they landed Mo Williams this off-season, which provides quite a quality problem for Mike Brown: Who gets them minutes?

Gibson has already proven he can play, with giant games on an even bigger stage in the 2007 Finals, and Delonte West is no slouch either, as he started every game he played with the Cavs last season.

One of these guys is going to be the odd one out, and whoever eats the minutes gets my nod for the Cavs “it” guy.

Detroit Pistonitas- Rodney Stuckey
I think Rodney Stuckey can be as good as Joe Dumars…there, I said it.

You may balk at my assertion, but Stuckey is a lock-down defender with a lightning quickness and has promised a return to the Detroit Bad-Boys defense.

Even if Rodney Stuckey doesn’t become Joe Dumars this season, being Vinnie Johnson is not so bad.

Indiana Pacers- Danny Granger
Danny Granger is unquestionably the Pacer’s best player, yet he is not on the same star level as, say, Andre Iguodala.

Iggy and Danny had nearly identical numbers last season, yet Iggy gets all the accolades and praise.

Granger has supplanted Josh Howard as the Association’s most underrated player and it is about dang time that Danny G starts getting the accolades, because in all honesty, a player of his caliber does not belong on a list like this. I wish I could have just profiled Maceo Baston or Josh McRoberts, so everyone had better hop on the Danny Granger bandwagon pretty quick.

Milwaukee Bucks- Ramon Sessions
The Bucks starting job is his to lose. After trading away Mo Williams an acquiring a solid backup in Luke Ridnour, Sessions will be allowed to continue his development.

Last season, after his D-League call-up, Sessions dug his aggressive Buck antlers into the rival Chicago Bulls, going off for 20 points and, more importantly, 24 assists.

After being the 56th overall pick in the 2007 draft, Sessions has more than enough to prove in his second NBA season.

Atlanta Hawks- Maurice Evans
After a year backing up Kobe in LA and being traded to the Magic last November, Mo Evans took advantage of his starting role in Plastic City and proved that he can be a serviceable guard in the NBA.

After contributing to the Magic’s 52-30 record, Mo earned his payday, inking a 3-year deal to fly with the Hawks in the ATL.

With “Afro Thunder” Josh Childress bolting to play in Greece, Evans will take the reins as the Hawks leader off the pine.

Charlotte Bobcats- Matt Carroll
You gotta like Matt Carroll, if only for the shooter sleeve.

He is a role player who could easily go off for 20 on any given night. And there are not many on this list that could do that (see: Vujacic, Sasha).

A streaky shooter, Carroll’s biggest strength may also be his biggest weakness, as long as he is not the focal point of the Bobcat bench’s offense, Mattt should be able to give the Cats 2-3 big time shots per contest. 

Miami HEAT- Chris Quinn
Two reasons why it is pretty awesome to be Chris Quinn these days:

1. He did not get caught in a hotel room at the NBA’s rookie symposium with marijuana and girls.
2. He is not considered to be one of those “never gonna reach his potential” guys.

Simply put, Chris Quinn is not Mario Chalmers or Marcus Banks, thus making Quinn the de facto front-runner for the Miami HEAT starting point guard job.

The third year point guard who doesn’t look a day over 12 (seeing him next to Shaq looked like a Make-a-Wish Foundation happening) has the right type of skill set to get the ball to Mike Beasley and Shawn Marion without needing too many of his own shots.

Orlando Magic- Courtney Lee
Remember Nick Anderson?

Well, Orlando can welcome the second coming of Anderson in the form of Western Kentucky University Hilltopper Courtney Lee.

Lee brings all the wild and nutty three-point shooting of Nick Anderson and none of the weight issues.

So if you find yourself rubbing those eyes in disbelief when you see a pinstriped Magic shooting guard raining down threes left and right, rest assured this is Courtney “Nick Anderson” Lee.

Washington Wizards- Noodles Nick Young
If you saw the ESPN documentary called Second Chance Season, you know Nick can play. You know he has a great story, too. From a family tragedy to the NBA, Young has showed that he has star-potential and could give DeShawn Stevenson a run for his money in DC.