NBA Eastern Conference Power Rankings: Preseason Edition

The Heat, Bulls and Celtics are the class of the East. Who will be their challengers?

Will New York take the next step with Tyson Chandler? Will David West be the answer to the Pacers scoring woes in Indiana? Can Orlando stay focused with Dwight Howard's status so uncertain?

Here are the preseason power rankings for the Eastern Conference. 

1. Miami Heat

Give LeBron a dollar and he will give you... Forget it. 

The star power Miami has is unmatched. They have two of the top players in the NBA and one of the top power forwards in Chris Bosh. 

After a year of figuring out their roles, getting used to playing together and forgetting "The Decision" by focusing on just playing basketball, the Miami Heat are the team to beat in the East and the favorites to take home the championship. 

Strengths: LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Can anyone top that?

Weaknesses: Joel Anthony. Is he really starting? The Heat can't find anyone that averages more than 2.5 PPG and 3.3 RPG? Really? How did he make the roster, let alone wind up starting? Expect Eddie Curry to take his spot when Curry gets back into playing shape. Yeaaah, about that...

Best Offseason Move: Shane Battier. The pickup of Battier is the most underrated move in the NBA this offseason and should pay huge dividends for Heat in terms of locker room chemistry and leadership.

Worst Offseason Move: Joel Anthony is listed as the starting center. How did they not address that? Bring back Zo!

X factor: Udonis Haslem. How he comes back from the foot injury will be key. Haslem is another hard working glue player that every roster needs. 

2. Chicago Bulls

The Chicago Bulls vs. the Miami Heat is the classic battle between individual talent and a complete team.

That's not to say the Bulls don't have their own superstar in Derrick Rose, but if the Bulls want to unseat Miami, they are going to need to shift the focus away from the league's reigning MVP and beat the Heat with a total team effort.

Too often in last year's playoff series against the Heat, the Bulls forced Rose to do all the work, but he shouldn't have to. The Bulls are talented across the board and if they can earn the trust of their point guard and learn to rely on each other, they will beat Miami in the playoffs.

If it becomes the Derrick Rose show again, they could get bounced early. 

Strengths: With the addition of Rip Hamilton, the Bulls are probably the most complete team in the NBA. 

They have everything a team needs to win the championship.

Star player? Derrick Rose.

Rebounding and energy? Boozer and Noah

Athletic wing? Luol Deng

Clutch shooter? Rip Hamilton

Point guard/floor general? Rose.

Deep bench? Taj Gibson, Kyle Korver and rookie Jimmy Butler should be more than adequate.

Weaknesses: Really, there aren't many. Carlos Boozer is going to finally have prove he was worth the hype and his contract. He needs to be the dominant All-Star player he was in Utah. 

Best Offseason Move: Rip Hamilton. He provides the leadership and consistent outside scoring and shooting this team desperately needs. 

Worst Offseason Move: None. Given the limited cap space and the team they already had, the Bulls didn't need to be active players in free agency. They already have one of the most talented teams in the league. 

X factor: Carlos Boozer. If he steps up and becomes a leader, the Bulls will be unstoppable.

3. Boston Celtics

A strong case could be made for someone else here, especially considering the brutal schedule might be most damaging to the Boston Celtics' seasoned veterans. 

Still, for the time being, the old guard all have fresh legs and are one of the league's most formidable starting lineups.

Unfortunately for the Celtics, age might not be the biggest hurdle they must overcome. "Ubuntu," which has been the Celtics' rallying cry, is in grave danger of unraveling altogether. 

If the sudden and ill-advised trade of Kendrick Perkins wasn't the end to the C's togetherness, the trade rumors surrounding Rajon Rondo may well be. It's hard to believe in togetherness when a core member of the feared foursome is being actively shopped.

That being said, even in a rough short season, the Celtics are one of the toughest and most experienced teams in the league and a group that nobody wants to face come May (or whenever the playoffs are starting this year).

Strengths: If KG, Pierce, Allen still have it, they are as dynamic a threesome as any in the league (save Miami) and nobody—ahem, Danny Ainge... I repeat, nobody—is better at leading this group than Rondo. 

Weaknesses: The Celtics are so old that the History Channel is going to be showing their games. The biggest question for the Celtics is whether or not their bodies will be able to hold up for 66 games over four months. Also, Jermaine O'Neal is no longer a good player. 

Best Offseason Move: Several actually. First, Rondo is still on the team. Celtics faithful should be grateful for that. Brandon Bass and Chris Wilcox are surprisingly nice additions, as was drafting Purdue teammates JaJuan Johnson and E'twaun Moore. 

Worst Offseason Move: Trying to deal Rondo. What is Ainge thinking?!?! Another poor decision was not upgrading at center. I repeat, what is Ainge thinking?!?!?

X factor: The bench. It doesn't look like much, but the Celtics have sneakily put together a pretty solid bench which will be critical in spelling Garnett, Allen and Pierce and keeping them healthy. Jeff Green is the best sixth man in the NBA. Avery Bradley has a chance to develop nicely. Orlando will regret giving up Bass and the Purdue twins could be invaluable in games where the Big Four are taking the night off. 

4. Indiana Pacers

The Pacers columnist has Indiana fourth? Surprise, surprise. HOMER!

Well yeah, maybe, but hear me out. It's not crazy. 

The Pacers are Bulls light (aka the Bulls without a Derrick Rose). With the additions of David West and George Hill, they are a complete team with one of the deepest benches. Find a team that has more talent on its bench than the Pacers, who boast George Hill, Tyler Hansbrough and Brandon Rush, along with promising 2-guard Lance Stephenson.

It's not easy.  

As fans witnessed during last year's opening round playoff series against the Bulls, the Pacers are relentless defensively and are willing to go toe to toe with anyone. Last year, they were just a gritty bunch who survived on toughness and unity.

This year, however, David West and George Hill bring the offensive skills to complement and help Granger. 

In a lockout-shortened season where deep benches and fresh legs will be at a premium, the Pacers will benefit the most. Unlike the Knicks, who are a three-man team, the Coach Vogel will regularly be able to play nine guys with confidence. 

Strengths: The Pacers are tenacious defensively, have strong chemistry and now have scoring balance offensively. Darren Collison is an up-and-coming point guard who, with another season under his belt, should have a breakout year and Roy Hibbert has a chance to establish himself as the clear number two center behind Dwight Howard in the East.

Weaknesses: Paul George. Big things are expected out of George. He may very well be the Pacers' best young player, but he is playing out of position. How he handles playing at the guard spot instead of on the wing will go a long way in determining how the Pacers do. If he continues to develop his outside shot, the Pacers will be hard to defend (didn't think anyone would say that did you?).

Best Offseason Move: David West. No player is a better fit for a team and addresses what they were lacking better than David West in Indiana. He brings scoring, rebounding, leadership and playoff experience and will be an invaluable leader for Indy's young guns. 

Worst Offseason Move: Not landing O.J. Mayo...again. Sigh... Mayo would have solidified the shooting guard spot much like Hamilton has done in Chicago. Mayo had the potential to make the Pacers really contenders this season. Instead they are back to knocking on the door. 

X factor: The development of Roy Hibbert. The Pacers will only go as far as the 7'2'' big fella can carry them. In a normal year, it wouldn't be out of the question to expect 18 and 12 from Hibbert. With the lockout-shortened season, conditioning may become a bigger factor, so those predictions should drop. Still, whether or not he knows it, Hibbert is the Pacers' most important player this year.

5. The New York Knicks

Okay, okay... so why are the Knicks behind the Pacers? 

Well, without looking, can you name a guy on the Knicks bench? If you can, that's impressive and you are probably a Knicks fan or an NBA diehard. If not, don't worry, they aren't an accomplished group.

The Knicks are Amar'e, Carmelo and newly acquired Tyson Chandler. That's it.

Mike Bibby is penciled in as their starting point guard. That's all you need to know. Actually, knowing how the Bibby experiment worked in Miami is helpful too. Answer: not well. 

Look, the Knicks' big three is definitely talented and in the playoffs will be a team that, if they haven't collapsed from exhaustion, opponents will want to avoid. 

If Amar'e and Melo are still good to go and fresh come playoff time, then they will make serious noise. These are preseason power rankings, though, so let's wait until then.

Strengths: Carmelo, Amar'e and Tyson Chandler. Only Miami can top that in terms of a big three. 

Weaknesses: Defense. Just because Chandler will play defense doesn't mean Amar'e and Carmelo will. Who wants to bet that the Knicks' lax attitude towards defending rubs off more on Chandler than his emphasis on defense rubs off on the Knicks? Bottom line, as long as Mike D'Antoni is coach, the Knickerbockers are going to run and the emphasis is going to be on scoring. 

Best Offseason Move: Obviously Tyson Chandler. Although overrated, landing Chandler was a huge (excuse the pun) and necessary move. 

Worst Offseason Move: I get that the Knicks did the best with what they had and the financially limited situation they were in, but Mike Bibby? Really?

X factor: Can the big three hold up over 66 games in four months in a run-and-gun system? If they do, it will be because of the play of Toney Douglas and Landry Fields, who will help take pressure off both Melo and whoever is running the point.  

6. Orlando Magic

Is he going or is he staying? Until the Magic figure that out, they aren't going to improve, which is ironically why Dwight Howard wants out. 

It's a tough spot for Howard to be in, no doubt, but so long as he is indecisive, the Magic won't be able to rush out and surround him with the talent that he deserves, because:

1. They won't know the financial limits they would be working with.

2. Without Howard, Orlando will rebuild, so why take a risk not knowing if it will mean anything and get stuck with an overpaid player who, without Dwight Howard, will also immediately want out.

3. What top player in their right mind would go to Orlando right now with so much uncertainty? Even if they had the money, which player would accept?

Well, Jason Richardson and Glen Davis, for starters. You tell me, are these guys going to get Orlando over the hump? Don't think so.

It's not that the Magic don't have talent; they do. But with so much trade speculation surrounding Howard, how can you put the Magic any higher? You can't, because we could wake up tomorrow Howard could be in L.A. or Brooklyn and the Magic would be competing with Pistons for 12th in the East. 

Strengths: Having Dwight Howard, should he stay. 

Weaknesses: Not having Dwight Howard, should he leave. 

Best Offseason Move: Bringing back Jason Richardson. He knows Orlando and really helps to solidify the 2-guard spot. 

Worst Offseason Move: I was going to say signing "Big Baby" for the answer above, but doing so meant letting Brandon Bass go to the Celtics. Honestly, I think the C's got the better deal in the swap.

X factor: Another former Magic player who went out west to Phoenix before coming back to Orlando, Hedo Turkoglu has to have a productive season akin to what he did in 08-09 when he averaged 16.8 PPG. The problem is that neither he nor backup Quentin Richardson can play defense. So finding someone to stop LeBron, Carmelo, Pierce and Granger will be a major issue. 

7. Atlanta Hawks

They just simply aren't doing enough to keep up. In fact, besides letting Jamal Crawford go, they hardly did anything. Bringing in Tracy McGrady hasn't counted as a serious move for five years now.

The Hawks are still a very solid team. They are athletic and defend well and have tons of talent. They are also probably the biggest group of underachievers in the league. Do you want to play them in the playoffs? Absolutely not, because they will always play hard and might even steal a series.

But they didn't make any major moves to improve, while other teams did. 

Will this year be any different? Doubtful. The starting five are all young, which is a good thing, as they are going to be logging A LOT of minutes this season.

Strengths: Joe Johnson takes a lot of shots. Fortunately, he makes a lot of them, too. Al Horford is an All-Star-caliber center and likewise Josh Smith is one of the East's better—and more underrated—power forwards. 

Weaknesses: The Hawks have been waiting for Marvin Williams to really turn the corner for what, four years now? Let's hope they don't start saying the same thing about Jeff Teague. 

Best Offseason Move: They didn't make one!

Worst Offseason Move: I guess losing Jamal Crawford, but more because they didn't work to replace him. 

X factor: Jeff Teague. If he raises his game, like many in Atlanta are hoping and believing he can, Hawks fans will quickly forget Crawford. Teague has the ability to add an extra dimension to the Hawks offense. So does Marvin Williams...

8. Philadelphia 76ers

Does anyone else feel like the 76ers followed the same model that Larry Bird is building in Indy, but got there faster?

You've got the big guy down low in Spencer Hawes. At power forward you have the seasoned veteran power forward who can still score in Elton Brand. Andre Iguodala is the slashing forward who is the centerpiece of the offense. Evan Turner is the talented young forward who is out of position starting at the 2-guard spot and Jrue Holiday is Darren Collison's clone (they both went to UCLA, too).

Hawes: Hibbert; Brand: West; Iguodala: Granger; Turner: George; Holiday: Collison. 

It's funny, though, because if I were choosing between the players, Jrue Holiday would be the only one I would take over his Pacer equivalent (in a squeaker at that) and the Sixers had a better record than the Pacers last season.

Basically the Pacers and 76ers both built around their wing players (Granger and Iguodala) who, while continual subjects of trade rumors, have spent their entire careers in Indy and Philly respectively. 

Both teams have deep benches, with Philly's bench having more potential should Jodie Meeks, Thaddeus Young and even Nikola Vucevic come alive. (*Vucevic would be a real find down the road.)

Yet somehow for teams built in such similar ways, with such a similar commitment to team basketball and such similar types of players, all the hype seems be around Indiana and not Philly. 

Why do I have Indiana so many spots above Philly (besides homerism)? To be honest, I am not totally sure why, other than the fact that there is something missing in the City of Brotherly Love. 

In fact, maybe it's just that—the brotherly love—because there doesn't seem to be excitement, energy nor a passion that is coming out of Philly. Maybe I am wrong, but if I am not, Philly won't be nearly as good as they could be.

Strengths: The Sixers are using the Pacers model (maybe it's vice versa; that's fair too). The Sixers have focused on building a complete and team-oriented roster. They have great balance among their starting five and have youth and depth at key positions. 

Weaknesses: Inexperience, especially Spencer Hawes. He will be very good down the road, but the 76ers need him to be good now while an aging Elton Brand can still be productive. 

Best Offseason Move: Did they make one? No, because they didn't need to. They've got all the pieces, now they just need them to grow up quickly and come together as a team.

Worst Offseason Move: You could make the case for not trading Iguodala or Brand while they could get something valuable in return for them (Brand especially), but honestly that's a long-term outlook. In the short term, you have to see what this team can do. It's got strong potential and busting them up now would be unwise.

X factor: Thaddeus Young. If the 76ers want to improve on their decent success from last season and post a winning record, they are going to need Young to blossom into the All-Star forward everyone thought he would become when he was drafted 12th overall. Elton Brand will also have a better year than people think and will help lead the resurgence of the young squad. 

9. New Jersey Nets

It's hard to believe that a team with Deron Williams and Brook Lopez won't make the playoffs in the East.

The East is competitive again, however, so if they want to get in, Williams and Lopez will need help. That being said, don't be half surprised if New Jersey finishes as high as No. 5 or 6.

And then, of course, there is the pending/looming/maybe happening/called off Dwight Howard trade and the fact that their owner announced his intentions to run for President of Russia. That's a first.

Wonder if David Stern would even dare bully a Russian head of state. Probably. Should be a wild, fun, bumpy ride. 

10. Milwaukee Bucks

Stephen Jackson will take a ton of shots and make a few of them, but this is Andrew Bogut's team. If he's healthy the Bucks will compete for a playoff spot and will be fun to watch. The problem is he hasn't been fully healthy in forever.

Still, it's never a bad idea to caution other teams ahead of them: Fear the Deer!

11. Toronto Raptors

I might be the only one, but I am totally aboard the Andrea Bargnani bandwagon and think he has the opportunity to reinvent himself as Dirk did and become a breakout star.

Besides the Italian wing-center, the Raptors have some interesting young pieces. Ed Davis, DeMar DeRozan and Jerryd Bayless (no relation to Skip) all have a chance to be special players.

Whether they fulfill their potential is yet to be seen, but they will be a lot of fun to watch if you can withstand the growing pains.

12. Detroit Pistons

Good luck, Lawrence Frank.

Awaiting him is a season of figuring out what to do with the old guard in Ben Wallace and Tayshaun Prince, the grossly overpaid and underwhelming Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva and the young and talented Greg Monroe and Brandon Knight.

Until the franchise can figure out what direction they want to take, it's going to be a long few years in Motown. One thing is for sure, however, and that is Greg Monroe should become the focal point of the offense.

13. Washington Wizards

It's John Wall and... it's pretty unclear right now, but hey, they do have John Wall. He's pretty awesome.

14. Cleveland Cavaliers

Last year, owner Dan Gilbert's "we're going to win a championship before LeBron" rant was almost endearing.

This year's whining about the Chris Paul trade is just annoying.

Gilbert should just focus on his team on the court, because with Kyrie Irving, Tristan Thompson and Omri Casspi, the Cavs have a bright future. 

15. Charlotte Bobcats

You know you are in trouble as a franchise when each time contraction is brought up, you're the prime example. Charlotte is woefully bad and has pretty much screwed up every top draft pick they've had. (Emeka Okafor at No. 2, Sean May at No. 13 and the most indefensible pick, Adam Morrison at No. 3, all come to mind.)

The roster has little talent, no direction and even less hope for right the ship. Kemba Walker is not the answer this year, either. Neither is Bismack Biyombo.

I still haven't decided. Should we call it getting Bismacked or Biyomboed when he blocks a shot? I am leaning towards Bismacked. Thoughts?