Eastern Conference Preview

[lukeyrid13]

Cleveland Cavaliers:
Key Players: Benoit Benjamin, Ron Mercer

The Cavs are in the midst of a big tear down. They have been under no/poor management since their inception. The recent trades of Glen Rice and Gary Payton have taken them from a playoff team to years ago to conference bottom feeder. Look for them to restock their talent pool in the next few drafts and ride the potential of Ron Mercer.

Projection: 17-65

Washington Bullets:
Key players: Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Paul Pierce

The Bullets have a roster full of young talent but they are not yet close to competing. Shareef looks to be a stud already and is still only 21. Pierce and Bibby are also loaded with potential but are just entering their second and first years respectively. This season appears to be a season of growth and finding out which young talent will be playing a key role for the Bullets in the next few years.

Projection: 20-62

Indiana Pacers:
Key players: Ray Allen

Another team that has been gutting their roster and trying to load it up with young talent. The Pacers are trying to rid themselves of Bobby Hurley who despite his turnovers is not helping the tank job in Indy. Ray Allen is already a star player in only his 3rd year. He might be looking to take over Dana Barros' career 3 point record down the line. Larry Hughes' development should be interesting as the 19 year old point guard will be thrown to the wolves with significant playing time.

Projection: 25-57

Atlanta Hawks:

Key players: Karl Malone
The Mitch Richmond era has ended in Atlanta and it's likely that career points leader, Karl Malone will soon be moving on as well. The Hawks should have a good amount of cap space next year to look forward to if they can move Malone. They'll also have several picks after dealing Richmond. Robert Traylor looks like a steal as he is already putting up a ton of blocks and looks to be a future double double machine. The good news in Atlanta is there won't be another first round exit, but the bad news is the playoffs don't appear to be forthcoming.

Projection: 26-56

Philadelphia 76ers
Key Players: Roy Tarpley, Vince Carter

The Sixers somehow managed to not be the worst team in the league last year with their rag-tag roster and they made a couple of splash free agent signings. Milos Babic has already been moved on for a potential top pick and Roy Tarpley will likely be moved soon as well. Expect Vinsanity to take over in Philly as he will soon be taking the full reigns. With no future salary implications the Sixers should again be players in the next free agency but expect them to move the pieces again as their roster is literally bare. Moving Tarpley and embracing the tank to help the Sixers draft position is probably in their best interest.

Projection 29-53

Milwaukee Bucks:

Key players: Peja Stojakovic, Rashard Lewis
It seems almost surreal to not see the Bucks atop the Eastern Conference. Don't expect another title this year though as the Bucks GM has sold off all of the talent from their 3-peat. Instead, they have added a plethora of picks down the line and added some fantastic young talent in Rashard Lewis and Peja Stojakovic. Don't expect the Bucks to miss the playoffs long and this is likely an anomaly to see them lotto bound. For this season though, expect some growing pains from the recently young Bucks.

Projection 32-50

New Jersey Nets:
Key players: Steve Nash, Brian Grant, Jim Jackson

Steve Nash. He is the Nets and will be the Nets for a long time. Nash looks to take over Dana Barros' hold of the MVP very soon and with his production he might not give that up for a while. Nash is arguably the most valuable asset in the league and is putting up some insane stats right now(28 ppg and 9 assists) while shooting an absurd 53% from the field. Brian Grant does everything you want in a PF, but may have gotten a tad overpaid. Jim Jackson will help Nash with the scoring load but the Nets don't appear likely to repeat their playoff performance from last year in spite of Nash's best efforts.

Projection: 35-47

Chicago Bulls:
Key players: Richard Dumas

Their key player is Richard Dumas, and he is once again carrying the scoring load. The Bulls will be a fringe playoff team due to their offense but their defense or lack of will be their undoing. After trading Divac the Bulls lost their shot at being a contender and are stuck in middle ground currently. They do have a good amount of cap space looming and finally have their picks to build around.

Projection: 35-47

Detroit Pistons:
Key players: Jalen Rose

The Pistons have some good players but likely not enough to make a run in the playoffs. They will likely be able to sneak in due to the East becoming a good deal weaker this offseason though. Jalen Rose will carry the load but will get help from Reggie Lewis and Dennis Scott. The lack of frontcourt play likely means an early exit from the playoffs against the top contenders.

Projection: 38-44

Toronto Raptors:
Key players: Hakeem, Michael Jordan

The Dream Team is still at it. The ghost of Clyde also resides in Toronto along with the his Hall of Fame teammates in MJ and Hakeem. This looks to be their one last hurrah as it is the final year without their pick and Hakeem expires at the end of the season. Next season's roster should look much different than the one we have grown so accustomed to over the past few years in Toronto and they still have enough left in the tank to make some noise come playoff time. Huge contracts have been crippling the Raptors for years and again it has hurt their depth as their Big-3 has eaten up a ton of the cap room.

Projection: 43-39

Miami Heat:
Key players: Rik Smits, Shawn Kemp, Christian Laettner

The fantastic front court of Miami is back at it again. Rebounds are hard to come by as the Heat eat them up across the board. Their backcourt may be their only weakness but Miami will put a scare into a lot of teams out there. Shawn Kemp is having a down year so far but it's still early. Miami could exit in the first round or make it all the way to the Conference Finals and no one would be surprised with either outcome really.

Projection 48-34

Charlotte Hornets:
Key players: Michael Finley, Latrell Sprewell, Robert Horry

A flurry of trades in Charlotte has taken them from a borderline playoff team to a leading contender in the East. The Hornets definitely mortgaged their future as they sent out all of their picks to assemble their current roster. Sprewell looks as though he may be the top scorer that was missing from their team. Finley has taken a jump as he enters his 4th year and Grant Hill will take a stab at becoming a super-sub. While the Hornets vastly improved their depth and talent, they also increased their cap hit to the edge and may cost them a player down the line. Adding all this talent may prove too difficult to spread the ball around to keep everyone appeased.

Projection: 52-30

New York Knicks:
Key players: Gheorghe Mursean, Marc Jackson

Despite losing some of it's top talent in Roy Tarpley, Michael Ansley and Tiit Sokk, the Knicks are back at the top again. Marc Jackson looks like yet another steal to add to the Knicks coffer(along with Muresan, Ansley, Sokk and the one that got away in Dana Barros). They will likely take a dip after their trade back with the Lakers goes through but Muresan's post presence and Jackson's scoring ability is more than enough to make them a top seed. The Knicks lack the depth that they have possessed the last few years and that just might be their undoing come playoff time.

Projection: 54-28


Orlando Magic:

Key players: Vlade Divac, Patrick Ewing, Penny Hardaway

After years of stockpiling picks and assets the Magic are finally making their push and it's a strong one. Easily the best defensive frontcourt with Ewing and Divac, the Magic are looking to lock things down in the East. Penny Hardaway is the perfect all around asset to compliment the rest of their roster and as always, the Magic are still stocked with picks and assets that they can move to improve their already loaded team. Expect the defense of the Magic to prove extremely challenging in the Playoffs and a deep run seems likely.

Projection 57-25

Boston Celtics:

Key players: Rex Chapman, Mitch Richmond, Nick Van Exel

Wow. What a turnaround. Will the roster be the same by seasons end? I hope so because the Celtics look quite formidable this year. Chapman, Van Exel and Mitch is an astounding outside trio that can score relentlessly on anyone. Antonio Davis, Bison Dele and Marcus Camby make up the perfect frontcourt that will play defense and grab any misses from the shooting trio. Oscar Torres is an extreme sleeper that no one knows about but expect him to be the perfect backup in the backcourt and is a budding future star. The Celtics look to be a very strong contender for the #1 seed and a Finals run.

Projection: 60-22

[dd10snoop28]

Going to be interesting to see if anybody can separate themselves freom the pack before playoffs. Prob not

[pistolpetejr]

I am genuinely excited for the Celtics. Can't wait to see how they look in action.