NBA Eastern Conference Preview

Here are my NBA Eastern Conference predictions.

1. Heat

Easily the best team in the East is the Heat. The reigning NBA champs and their Big 3 come back with an even more talented team. The additions of Ray Allen and Reshaard Lewis will help Lebron and company go for a second straight title run.

2. Celtics

Bye bye Ray Allen. Hello Jason “The Jet” Terry to the Boston Celtics. Many people believe the Celtics have been getting too “old,” but with the heart of Kevin Garnett fueling the Celtics they seem to never go away. With the departure of Ray Allen, the “Big 3” have been broken up but that isn’t a bad thing. Rajon Rondo will keep emerging as the star of the Celtics and Paul Perice will continue to be the truth. Jason Terry will add a very strong spark off the bench and, oh yeah, Jeff Green is healthy again. If they can stay healthy, the Celtics will challenge the Heat.

3.  Knicks

Once Mike D’antoni left the Knicks last season and gave the head coaching job to Mike Woodson, the Knicks became a much better team. Now with a full offseason under Mike Woodson, the Knicks should be able to put the pieces together. Jason Kidd has one or two more good years left in him which will help point guard Raymon Felton mature more. Iman Shepard coming back from a knee injury will add that third scoring option the Knicks have needed. The Key is for Carmelo to evolve into a top 5 NBA player.

4. Pacers

Larry Bird left the Pacer’s organization at the an interesting time. They are moving up and only up. It seems every year the Pacers are getting better and better. As long as center Roy Hibbert and forward Paul George keep improving, the Pacers are a team to watch out for. The Pacers don’t want to become the next Atlanta Hawks of the East. They can’t settle for 3rd or 4th in the East every year. So, its going to be interesting to see what the front office is going to do with this attractive roster.

5. Nets

What a big offseason for the Nets organization. The Nets moved to Brooklyn, will be playing in the most technological advanced Stadium ever made and added All-Star shooting guard Joe Johnson to help Deron Williams take the Nets to the promise land. Even though they didn’t get Dwight Howard, the Nets were able to re-sign Brook Lopez to a deal which keeps them a dangerous team. On paper this team is a very sexy pick for the East.

6. Bulls

Derrick Rose seems to be all over cable TV with his Adidas adds about his return. Bulls fans have to be excited to get their MVP back, but he won’t be in full form. Last season’s playoffs showed just how important Rose is to the Bulls. The Bulls will struggle at the beginning of the season as they wait for Rose to get back to 100%. They will be a dangerous team once playoffs roll around.

7. 76ers

The 76ers finally started showing promise last season as they advanced to the second round of the playoffs. However, this off season they lost two key pieces and only gained one. Andre Iguodala was traded to the Nuggets while Lou Williams left to sign for the Hawks. The Sixers, however, did get center Andrew Bynum in a blockbuster trade with the Lakers. The Sixers will be a dangerous team but are still too young to be considered a top east team.

8. Hawks

Big things are happing in Atlanta. The new GM Danny Ferry traded away Joe Johnson and Marvin Williams, which in result freed up major cap room. So, this season the Hawks have given the keys to Josh Smith to be the face of the team. The Hawks signed Lou Williams to help replace Joe Johnson. With a healthy Al Horford and many sharp shooters, the Hawks will be a very uptempo team. GM Danny Ferry is setting up for a big 2013 off-season. The combined experience of Al Horford, Jeff Teague and Josh Smith will keep this team in the playoffs.

9. Wizards

The Wizards have struggled mightily these past few seasons, but this season it will be different. John Wall enters his third year and now he has the most talented team around him yet. Second overall pick Brandon Beal can flat out score the rock, while the addition of Nene will add a solid low post presence. The Wizards will push for a low seed in the playoffs but will miss it due to inexperience.

10. Bucks

The Bucks arguably have the most talented back court in the NBA with both Monte Ellis and Brandon Jennings. The key for the Bucks is to see how those two similar talents work together. The surrounding talent around Ellis and Jennings is the Bucks weakness. Many aging veterans and average players won’t be enough for the Bucks to make the playoffs.

11. Pistons

The Pistons are in a funk this season as they don’t have any true elite NBA players. They are hoping the evolution Greg Monroe will help him become an All-Star. They signed veteran shooting guard Cory Maggetti to help. Tysaun Prince and Cory are both 32, which makes them the oldest players on the Pistons. The Pistons are just too young and not talented enough to make any noise in the NBA.

12. Raptors

The Raptors continue to put their money into their lottery pick Andrea Bargnani. This offseason they picked up promising second year guard Landry Fields from the Knicks and rookie Qunicy Acy. The Raptors will be athlete and uptempo; however, they don’t have enough talent to go up against the elite teams in the NBA.

13. Cavs

Kyrie Irving shows promise after winning Rookie of the Year last season. The Cavs drafted guard Dion Waiters from Syracuse and Tyler Zeller form UNC to help Irving bring the Cavs back to the playoffs. Anderson Varejao will continue to add a physical presence in post for the Cavs but the Cavs simply just don’t have the talent yet. It’s going to take few more years before they can climb their way back to the playoffs.

14. Bobcats

Micheal Jordan’s team has yet to make the jump to a playoff team. With new head coach Mike Dunlap, the Bobcats hope to start a new year in Charlotte. They are hoping Michael Kidd-Gilchrist will become an elite talent in the NBA. But for now this team is in a rebuilding process.

15. Magic

If Arron Afflalo is the Magic’s best player then they will be in last place at the end of the season. Since the Magic finally got rid of Dwight Howard, they are officially in their rebuilding process. Expect this team to make noise in the offseason.