NBA Eastern Conference Preview

Get ready for an exciting 2014-2015 NBA season. Will Lebron James bring Cleveland a championship? Can former MVP Derrick Rose shake off last year’s injury to lead Chicago to glory? Will the San Antonio Spurs finally repeat as Champions?

The first of my three-part NBA preview is here. I’m going to start off with my Eastern conference seeding predictions. This will be based off a conference format, since divisional standings are mostly meaningless. I’ll break down each team and their outlook for this upcoming season.

1.Cleveland Cavaliers: This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. Sure it’ll take time to gel for the “new” big three to play efficiently. Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love will have to adjust to not being the focal point of the offense. Eventually they’ll adjust, as LeBron James has always made teammates around him better. This roster is too loaded not to succeed in a weak Eastern conference. Even if injuries occur, they have the likes of Tristan Thompson and Dion Waiters who are more than capable in carrying the scoring load.

2. Chicago Bulls: Nothing has changed in determining Chicago’s fate. If Derrick Rose remains healthy, they will pose a serious threat to Cleveland. If he gets injured again, they’ll struggle to get past the likes of Miami and Washington. Pau Gasol is an excellent addition to go along with a strong frontcourt with defensive player of the year Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson. That size advantage and depth could prove to be the difference against many undersized Eastern conference teams.

3. Miami Heat: Depth is always crucial to have in getting an upper hand on your opposition. While Miami doesn’t flash the young talent that the likes of Washington and Charlotte has, they have outstanding depth. Shannon Brown and Danny Granger are underrated scorers that Miami seemed to lack from their bench last season. Luol Deng was a sneaky pickup that can complement well as the third option. The upside of Connecticut sensation Shabazz Napier can’t be discounted either. Don’t discount Miami just yet. Leadership and depth is essential to have on a playoff team. Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade will look to prove that they’re capable to carry the load again.

4. Toronto Raptors: Toronto has a solid core of players, but remain as a fourth seed due to the seeding format. They shouldn’t have any problem winning the comical Atlantic Division. Due to the lack of off-season moves, something seems to be missing. Demar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry are an excellent duo, but what else is there? Can Terrence Ross and Jonas Valanciunas take the next step to become consistent scoring options? They’ll need that to get past the first round this season. This team still has too much talent to not win the division. A combination of being a great team defensively and well disciplined usually goes a long way in having a successful season.

5. Washington Wizards: If it weren’t for the NBA rewarding a division winner no less than a fourth seed, Washington would be higher. I gave them heavy consideration for the third seed before Bradley Beal fracturing his left wrist. He’ll miss six to eight weeks, which is a significant blow for their offense. They’ll have to play catch-up, which I’m sure several players such as John Wall and Paul Pierce are salivating over. Their roster is full of young players with upside and solid veterans that can still play at a high level. This team is certainly the dark horse in the Eastern conference.

6. Charlotte Hornets: Another young Eastern conference team that has generated some buzz. Lance Stephenson has become one of the biggest enigmas in the league. His playmaking ability and defensive excellence can be overshadowed by his silly antics. It’ll be interesting to see how he plays alongside a talented point guard in Kemba Walker. Both players like to dribble the ball often, so it will be intriguing to see how they gel as a duo. This is a solid defensive unit that doesn’t allow many easy baskets. Scoring can still be an issue against good defensive teams, particularly teams that have size to defend Al Jefferson without double-teaming. They should be able to win at least one playoff game, as long as they avoid Cleveland.

7. Atlanta Hawks: If they had better swingmen, I could see them pushing for a top five seed. DeMarre Carroll is a solid defender, while Kyle Korver is mostly a three-point specialist at this point. Neither player is someone that can be trusted in putting the ball on the floor and being productive with it. As talented as the frontcourt duo of Al Horford and Paul Millsap may be, the lack of consistent playmakers in the backcourt will hinder Atlanta. Jeff Teague has to take a big step going into this year, as he was sensational at times against Indiana last year in the playoffs. I’m expecting them to be slightly better than last year with Horford returning.

8. Detroit Pistons: My one mild surprise in these predictions comes from the last seed. This could be mainly from how much talent they have on paper. I’ve always been a big believer in Stan Van Gundy. He knows how to get the best out of many players. It’ll be interesting to see how Andre Drummond continues to develop, as Dwight Howard ascended into superstardom under Van Gundy. Can all the talented pieces fit together though? Greg Monroe needs to adjust in playing a more secondary role, while Josh Smith is best suited off being traded. They clearly have the talent to succeed, but I’m not sure if Smith is a good fit. Van Gundy will figure it out, especially with so many weapons at his disposal. A more controlled Brandon Jennings will be needed for them as well.

9. New York Knicks: It may sound ludicrous to predict that a Carmelo Anthony led team will miss the playoffs for the second consecutive year. They are under a new regime with Phil Jackson and Derek Fisher. Cleanthony Early was an outstanding pick in the second round. Besides that, what is so different about the Knicks this season? Jose Calderon is a decent point guard, but he isn’t a major upgrade over Raymond Felton. They will still rely heavily on streaky one-dimensional players like J.R Smith and Andrea Bargnani. Samuel Dalembert will give them much-needed interior defense, but this team still lacks a low-post threat. Besides Anthony, there aren’t any consistent players that can produce on a nightly basis. That will lead to another disappointing season.

10. Brooklyn Nets: In a matter of one year, they’ve gone from being picked by many to go to the conference finals to not even making the playoffs. A core of declining players doesn’t help your cause, especially when you still depend on them. It’s alarming that Kevin Garnett and Andrei Kirilenko are projected to be starters this year. Deron Williams has also started to decline at a drastic rate. The team’s playoff hopes rest on Brook Lopez and he’s already injured going into the season. As talented as he may be, Lopez can’t be trusted to be the number one option. It’s hard to trust this team given their lack of scoring options. Unless Mirza Teletovic and Bojan Bogdanovic develop into major contributors, this team is doomed.

11. Boston Celtics: This choice is a more of a case of them being the best of the worst. With the bottom of the Eastern conference is filled of below average teams, Boston stands out. Of course, they could trade Rajon Rondo tomorrow and the entire outlook of Boston changes. I’m still confident that Boston’s young nucleus of talent will surprise a few teams. Kelly Olynyk is a blue-chipper with his shooting range and ability to shoot off the dribble effectively. Marcus Smart’s upside is endless, as he has all the traits to be an all-star. All he seems to be missing is a consistent jump shot. Brad Stevens has been given a good group of young talent, which includes some quality veterans like Jeff Green. Things are looking a bit more promising for Boston. Expectations for the playoffs should be set at a year or two away.

12. Orlando Magic: The quality of young talent in their frontcourt was the difference in keeping them from the bottom three. Nikola Vucevic is one of the better centers in the league, while Tobias Harris is very versatile on both ends of the court. Now they add Aaron Gordon the fray, who is unquestionably talented but raw. His outside jumper needs major work, but his willingness to hustle and dominate on the glass in college was promising. He’s going to be one of the better rookies this season. The injury to Victor Oladipo hurts, but they should manage to get close to 30 wins. They possess a lot of untapped potential that will get much needed experience this season together.

13. Milwaukee Bucks: As enjoyable as it may be to criticize Jason Kidd, he deserves some kudos for his accomplishments last season. He led a ragged Brooklyn team to beat Toronto in a grueling seven-game series. There is no doubt that he can get the best out of certain players. Those were mostly veterans though, now he’ll need to do it for much younger players. Jabari Parker will his moments of glory, but does anyone on the roster pose any major threat? Brandon Knight. and Larry Sanders are solid players, but are fairly limited offensively. This will be a major rebuilding project for Kidd. It’ll be interesting to see how he adjusts to coaching such a young team. They can only hope Sanders gets healthy and possibly find a good trade suitor for players that don’t fit in like O.J Mayo.

14. Indiana Pacers: How the mighty have fallen. That’s what can happen when the face of the franchise suffers a nasty injury. Also, Lance Stephenson not being re-signed and Roy Hibbert regressing to the extent of being in a cheerleader role have been detrimental to the franchise. Besides David West, who are players that can be depended on? Chris Copeland and Rodney Stuckey are decent bench players, but now are relied on to produce in a major way. This is going to be a long year for Indiana. After being so close to knocking off Miami in 2012 and 2013, those days are long gone. An overhaul will likely occur in order to build for 2015.

15. Philadelphia 76ers: Michael Carter-Williams being out until February at minimum keeps them at the bottom. There have also been rumors that he may not come back at all this season. That leaves Nerlens Noel and K.J McDaniels as the likely main scoring options. Philadelphia is still in the thick of their rebuilding process. The roster is severely limited of impactful players. What has to occur this year is seeing who is capable of being productive in the long haul. It’ll be another long season, but at least the fans can track the growth of Noel. He’s well versed on the defensive end from his freakish shot blocking ability to dominating on the glass. It’ll be working on his post game and outside jumper that will make him into a complete player.

For the rest of my schedule, I’ll be posting my Western conference preview on Tuesday and my overall NBA predictions on Wednesday so keep on reading.

Twitter: @Allen_Strk