What teams are on the rise and who has taken a tumble in the Eastern Conference now that the summer offseason moves have slowed to a crawl.
This offseason in the NBA has seen a lot more change than normal. With the salary cap increase, many free agents and stars have changed their address. Last season the East had a four-way tie for third place, with the changes that have occurred, we might get even more parity.
Like just about every year, there are about four teams with legitimate title hopes. The rest of the league will be hoping for a good matchup in the playoffs, to make a little noise. The Eastern Conference will have plenty of teams hoping to sneak into the playoffs after this summer’s offseason moves.
The top four seeds will most likely be the same, familiar teams the league is accustomed to seeing. But after that, it will be a fight for the last four spots in the playoffs. Almost a toss up.
There are a few teams in the Eastern Conference that have improved their roster which will lead to an increase in the win column while a few of last season’s playoff teams seem to have gotten worse.
Not only have rosters been transformed, but new coaches will be at the helm for some teams. A change in philosophy may be just what the doctor ordered for some of these squads, while others may take a while to adapt to a new leader.
We will go through the Eastern Conference team by team to examine exactly how each squad has improved or regressed and come up with an early playoff picture.
Next: Stock Up
Stock Up
Boston Celtics
Additions– Al Horford, Jaylen Brown, Guerschon Yabusele, Ante Zizic, Demetrius Jackson, Ben Bentil, Abdel Nader
Subtractions– Evan Turner, Jared Sullinger
The departure of Evan Turner and Jared Sullinger will open up playing time for the talented youngsters on their team. Signing Al Horford instantly makes the Celtics a lot better on both ends of the floor.
Indiana Pacers
Additions– Al Jefferson, Jeff Teague, Jeremy Evans, Thaddeus Young, George Niang
Subtractions– Ian Mahinmi, George Hill
The additions made will certainly help the offense as Larry Bird and the Pacers’ front office want to run more. But losing George Hill and Ian Mahinmi can hurt them defensively. New coach Nate McMillan will have to figure out this new roster in hopes of improving their record.
Chicago Bulls
Additions-Rajon Rondo, Dwyane Wade, Robin Lopez, Jerian Grant, Spencer Dinwiddie, Denzel Valentine, Paul Zipser
Subtractions– Pau Gasol, Joakim Noah, Derrick Rose, Mike Dunleavy, Justin Holiday, Cameron Bairstow
The Bulls have moved on from the Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah era in an attempt to build around Jimmy Butler. The signing of Rajon Rondo and Dwyane Wade signal they do not want to rebuild, but retool for the immediate future and hope to make another move near the trade deadline if all goes well.
Orlando Magic
Additions– D.J. Augustin, Bismack Biyombo, Jeff Green, Jodie Meeks, Serge Ibaka, C.J. Wilcox, Stephen Zimmerman
Subtractions– Victor Oladipo, Ersan Ilyasova, Brandon Jennings, Jason Smith, Andrew Nicholson, Dewayne Dedmon, Shabazz Napier, Devyn Marble
The Magic added tons of depth to their roster. Some might say creating log jams at almost every position. New coach Frank Vogel will look to speed up the tempo on offense and also preach defense, which was greatly improved in the offseason.
New York Knicks
Additions– Derrick Rose, Justin Holiday, Joakim Noah, Courtney Lee, Brandon Jennings, Guillermo Hernangomez, Mindaugas Kuzminskas
Subtractions– Derrick Williams, Arron Afflalo, Jose Calderon, Jerian Grant, Robin Lopez
The Knicks made some noise by acquiring Derrick Rose and signing Joakim Noah. Tack on the addition of Brandon Jennings, Courtney Lee and new coach Jeff Hornacek, the Knicks look much improved from last year as they look to make the playoffs.
Milwaukee Bucks
Additions– Mirza Teletovic, Matthew Dellavedova, Thon Maker, Malcolm Brogdon
Subtractions-Jerryd Bayless, Greivis Vasquez, O.J. Mayo, Damien Inglis, Johnny O’Bryant
After some experimentation with Giannis Antetokounmpo at the point guard spot, the Bucks may look to play one of the longest lineups in the league. They added shooters which they desperately needed, but no big impact players. The jury is still out on whether this long lineup will find success and if Greg Monroe fits, but if it all works out Milwaukee could find themselves fighting for a playoff spot.
Next: Stock Down
Stock Down
Miami Heat
Additions– Wayne Ellington, James Johnson, Rodney Mcgruder, Derrick Williams, Willie Reed, Luke Babbit
Subtractions– Luol Deng, Joe Johnson, Dwyane Wade
The loss of Dwyane Wade alone drops this team a bit. Add to that Chris Bosh’s uncertain future and betting on young players to take the next step, Miami might be in trouble.
Atlanta Hawks
Additions– Dwight Howard, Jarrett Jack, Taurean Prince, DeAndre’ Bembry, Isaia Cordinier
Subtractions– Al Horford, Jeff Teague
Atlanta is betting that Paul Milsap and Dwight Howard will be better than Paul Milsap and Al Horford. I am not sold on that. They also got rid of an All-Star point guard in Jeff Teague in hopes that Dennis Schroder can handle the lead role.
Charlotte Hornets
Additions– Roy Hibbert, Brian Roberts, Ramon Sessions, Marco Belinelli
Subtractions– Courtney Lee, Jeremy Lin, Al Jefferson, Troy Daniels
Losing the contributions of Jeremy Lin, Courtney Lee and Al Jefferson may be hard to overcome. But they kept Nicolas Batum and Marvin Williams who were also critical to the team’s success last year. Hopefully, the new additions can give the same sort of production.
Next: Stock Neutral
Stock Neutral
Cleveland Cavaliers
Additions– Mike Dunleavy, Albert Miralles, Kay Felder
Subtractions– Timofey Mozgov, Matthew Dellavedova, Sasha Kaun
The Cavaliers cannot really get much better can they? The players they lost were invisible during the playoffs and they added another great shooter in Dunleavy. Not much tweaking needed here and they have not done much yet as they wait to sign LeBron James and J.R. Smith.
Toronto Raptors
Additions– Jared Sullinger, Fred VanVleet, Jakob Poeltl, Pascal Siakam
Subtractions– Bismack Biyombo, James Johnson, Luis Scola
Like the Cavaliers, the Raptors have not lost or gained too much. The departure of Bismack Biyombo might be negligible with the additions made in the frontcourt.
Detroit Pistons
Additions– Jon Leuer, Boban Marjanovic, Ish Smith, Cameron Bairstow, Henry Ellenson, Michael Gbinije
Subtractions– Anthony Tolliver, Jodie Meeks, Spencer Dinwiddie
The Pistons did not add any huge names, but they did gain a little more depth. If Andre Drummond continues to improve along with the rest of their young core, this team will be back in the playoffs looking to move past the first round.
Washington Wizards
Additions– Ian Mahinmi, Andrew Nicholson, Jason Smith, Trey Burke
Subtractions– Jared Dudley, Ramon Sessions, Garrett Temple
This team’s success depends largely on Bradley Beal’s health. New coach Scott Brooks will try to get the same results he got out from his days in Oklahoma City. The added depth in the frontcourt is a plus, and the Wizards hope the young bench can reach their potential and creep into the playoffs.
Brooklyn Nets
Additions– Jeremy Lin, Trevor Booker, Justin Hamilton, Luis Scola, Randy Foye, Anthony Bennett, Greivis Vasquez, Caris Levert, Isaiah Whitehead
Subtractions– Jarrett Jack, Thaddeus Young, Wayne Ellington, Willie Reed
Linsanity is back in New York. The Nets made some solid moves, but not enough to make a leap in the Eastern Conference. While the win total should improve, the enhancements made by other teams will likely keep the Nets near the bottom of the conference.
Philadelphia 76ers
Additions– Jerryd Bayless, Gerald Henderson, Sergio Rodrigues, Dario Saric, Ben Simmons, Timothe Luwawu, Furkan Korkmaz
Subtractions– Ish Smith
The Sixers added two solid veterans in Jerryd Bayless and Gerald Henderson, which should give this young team some stability on and off the court. They also drafted Ben Simmons who many think of as the next LeBron James. Throw in Dario Saric who is finally ready to join the team this season, and things are looking up for Philadelphia. After barely getting double digit wins last year, this team will definitely see improvement. But they are still young and will need some time to gel.
Next: Playoff Picture
Playoff Picture
- Cleveland
- Boston
- Indiana
- Toronto
- Chicago
- Detroit
- Orlando
- Atlanta
- New York
- Milwaukee
- Washington
- Miami
- Charlotte
- Philadelphia
- Brooklyn
The top four teams in the East are pretty much a lock. The order might change slightly but those teams will definitely occupy those top four seeds. The bottom four is where things get a little tricky.
Chicago, Atlanta and Orlando have all had major pieces added that have not been tested on the court together. Assuming all teams are healthy the entire year, teams like New York and Washington might be able to steal a playoff spot from one of these teams. But, I do not think that will happen.
Dwyane Wade and Jimmy Butler are too talented to keep out of the Playoffs. While Dwight Howard is not the Superman of old, but he can still be a presence in the paint. He will look to prove that.
Orlando is the easiest team to take out of this playoff picture at the moment. The versatility that they have and the pieces added sound good in theory, but will it actually work the way they think?
Milwaukee is a wild card. A lineup of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, Jabari Parker, rookie Thon Maker and Greg Monroe could do some damage if used properly. If any team sneaks in, this would be the one.
The Eastern Conference is shaping up to be another down-to-the-wire finish for the last few playoffs spots. Every game will be important.
Next: Orlando Magic Offseason: An Identity Created
The top of the conference will look to build on last season’s success while the bottom half tries to figure out how their parts work together. For now, this is what we should expect come playoff time.