2012-2013 NBA Eastern Conference Preview
The 2012-2013 NBA season is only a few days away, which means that it’s time for my official predictions! I’m splitting it up like this: Eastern Conference first, followed by the Western Conference, and then one final complete preview with playoff predictions as well. There are many headlines for the Eastern Conference this season, such as: Can the Heat repeat as champions? Can the Celtics still compete at a high level? With the Nets moving to Brooklyn, who is the best team in New York? Can the 76ers take the next step with Andrew Bynum at center? Who will grab the last two spots in the playoffs? Will the Bobcats win double digit games this year? All these questions will be answered here. Here’s my predictions for the Eastern Conference standings this year, from top to bottom.
- Miami Heat: 58-24
The question is not whether or not the Miami Heat will be the number one seed in the East; it is whether or not they can break 60 wins. I say no; there is too much talent in this conference and in the NBA for that too happen. The Heat will be playing lots of primetime games against quality opponents and they still have a huge target on their backs. LeBron James is the easy frontrunner for the MVP award, but I’m not handing out awards just yet. With the acquisitions of Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis, this team is very deep and filled with veterans. The road to the NBA Finals goes through South Beach, and we’ll see how Miami defends their title. I think that they are the undoubted number one seed in the conference.
2. Boston Celtics: 55-27
Some people say the Celtics are too old; I say those people are foolish. Doc Rivers is second to none in the coaching business, and this team got even better in the offseason. Boston replaced Ray Allen with Jason Terry and Courtney Lee; Jeff Green is returning from his injury; they got bigger up front by drafting Jared Sullinger and Fab Melo; and of course, they still have the core of KG, Paul Pierce, and Rajon Rondo. I think Rondo is going to have an MVP quality season, but that’s for another time. The Celts are still the biggest threat to Miami in the East, and they could be due for another Eastern Conference Finals this year.
3. Indiana Pacers: 54-28
This team is legit. They are young, deep, talented, and hungry. They had a chance to put away the Miami Heat in the second round of the playoffs last year but were not ready to put their feet down. Some say that Danny Granger will be involved in trade talks, but for now he is still on the roster and still a threat to drop 20 every night. The success of this team rests on the growth of Paul George, who has the talent to soar in this league. I think 16-6-4 are realistic numbers for him (points, rebounds, assists). We’ll see if they can step up and advance to the ECF this time around.
4. New York Knicks: 52-30
This is a heart pick, not a head pick. Apparently the offseason approach for the Knickerbockers was to call the NBA nursing home and sign anyone who could still walk. This team has talent all around, and we’ll see how many minutes Carmelo Anthony sees at power forward this season, a place where he loves being. Amare’s health is a concern, as is the inconsistency that is JR Smith, but his team has explosive potential, which is why I have them at the 4 spot in the East.
5. Philadelphia 76ers: 51-31
The 76ers made a franchise-changing move in the offseason when they participated in the trade to send Dwight Howard to the Lakers. Here’s what they did, in a nutshell: dump Andre Iguodala and receive Andrew Bynum and Jason Richardson. I thought it was a really good trade; Philly traded away an aging wing player to make room for their budding stars, picked up a 3-point stud, and got Bynum, who is immediately the best center in the Eastern Conference. Combine them with Spencer Hawes, Jrue Holiday, and Evan Turner (who I really like this year, picture a 15-6-3 stat line) and this team is an instant contender to maybe even challenge Boston for the Atlantic division crown. The only reason I put them below the Knicks is because of the health issues of Bynum. Even if he is healthy, I think he can be contained by Tyson Chandler, anyway. But this team is looking up.
6. Chicago Bulls: 46-36
Not having Derrick Rose for most of the season is going to kill the title hopes for this team in 2012-2013, but even without their superstar they still have enough talent to make the playoffs. The backcourt is iffy, naturally, but this team is built around defense and their frontcourt. Luol Deng (my boy!) will be looked at to carry the scoring load, something I think he can do. Carlos Boozer (possible trade target?), Taj Gibson, and Joakim Noah are three big men who can control the paint, and have decent scoring ability. Quick toss-up: what’s uglier, Noah or his shooting motion? I picked this team to go all the way last season which obviously didn’t work out, but they went 50-16 with a banged up Rose, so they know how to win without him.
7. Brooklyn Nets: 44-38
I’m not buying all the hype. This team has a very good starting five, but not much else after that. In a loaded Eastern Conference, they will definitely hold their own and be able to compete with the best, but their ceiling can only be so high. I’ve never been a Deron Williams guy, and he would barely crack my top five PG in the NBA right now. Joe Johnson to me has always sort of underachieved, and I think his days of 20+ points per game are over. Wallace is a horse who can affect the game in multiple ways, Humphries is a rebounding machine, and Lopez is a good low post scorer, but none of them are studs. There’s just something about this team that turns me off. They will make the playoffs no doubt, but I think they are only the 4th best team in the Atlantic.
8. Milwaukee Bucks: 42-40
And the winner for the 8-seed of the East is...Milwaukee! Fear the deer! I think they barely beat out Atlanta to sneak into the playoffs. You can make arguments for the Hawks, the Cavs, the Raptors, and others to get this spot, but I’m feeling the Bucks. In their first full season together, the backcourt of Jennings and Ellis is going to be lethal. I can see them combing for 35-10-15 (pts, reb, ast) on a regular basis. Gooden and Dalembert are proven big men, but the guy I like to complete this team is Ersan Ilyasova, who is a threat to average 15 and 10 with good percentages. He fits kind of like a Luol Deng, the prototypical sidekick who does everything well.
9. Atlanta Hawks: 41-41
I don’t think .500 is going to get into the playoffs in the East this year. The Hawks made multiple moves in the offseason, the biggest of which was getting rid of Joe Johnson’s contract and getting a lot of quality pieces from the Nets. They swung Marvin Williams for Devin Harris, and signed Lou Williams to be a scoring threat in the backcourt. However, this team is going to have to run through Josh Smith and Al Horford, who are both great players, but what happens when one or even both of them have an off-night? I don’t think there is anyone else to fill that void. That’s why I have them missing the playoffs.
10. Cleveland Cavaliers: 38-44
Cleveland has become Kyrie Nation, as young point guard Kyrie Irving has immediately become the best player on this team. Irving had a great rookie year, and if he avoids the sophomore slump with heightened expectations, all signs are pointing to an all-star season. The potential is there for 20 points and 7 assists with solid percentages, and contributions with rebounds and steals as well. Irving is a superstar already, and has the potential to be the second best point guard in the Eastern Conference this year, behind Rajon Rondo. Besides Kyrie, the Cavs have a melting pot of role players, who I think will play well enough as a unit to make a solid improvement in wins this season. It won’t be long before this team is pushing for a playoff spot; they have a clear plan going into the future.
11. Detroit Pistons: 35-47
It wasn’t too long ago that the Pistons were making the Conference Finals every year, but that team is long gone. Only Tayshaun Prince remains of the team that won the title in 2004, and he looks to be on his way out. Detroit has a young backcourt with talent in Brandon Knight and Rodney Stuckey. Greg Monroe is a very solid big man, and if Andre Drummond matures into a force down low, this team could make the playoffs as soon as next year. Role players like Jonas Jerebko and Corey Maggette are going to have to play well for this team to make a push, but they just don’t have enough talent right now to make legitimate noise in this conference.
12. Toronto Raptors: 33-49
This team has more talent than people give them credit for, but I think more than anything they suffer from being in a loaded division (potentially four of the top six teams in the East). Kyle Lowry could be a breakout candidate this year and could put up 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 8 assists on a regular basis. Terrance Ross and DeMar DeRozan are their two young wing players who will be responsible for putting up a lot of points, something I don’t know if they can do. Andrea Bargnani is a nice piece but does not rebound well, and Jonas Valanciunas is going to have a chance to prove what he can do at center. This group could finish in second place in the Southeast division, but they are going to have to go through the gauntlet if they want to make a push in the Atlantic.
13. Washington Wizards: 29-53
Wow, how bad is the bottom of the Southeast division? They have the three worst teams in the conference! You know it’s bad when the one credible player for this team (John Wall) is going to be out for at least a month and they are still projected third in their division. Bradley Beal is going to have to step in and be a scoring threat, immediately. This team is not good. At all. But they are still better than these last two sorry excuses for basketball teams.
14. Charlotte Bobcats: 22-60
BREAKING NEWS: THE BOBCATS WILL NOT BE THE WORST TEAM IN THE HISTORY OF THE NBA THIS YEAR. THEY WILL NOT EVEN FINISH AT THE BOTTOM OF THEIR OWN CONFERENCE. THEY WILL BE ALMOST NOT EMBARRASSINGLY AWFUL. ALL HAIL KEMBA WALKER. THAT IS ALL.
15. Orlando Magic: 19-63
I hope this team will be this bad. They should not be allowed to win any games. It is embarrassing how they handled the Dwight Howard saga. After letting him drag the franchise around for over a year, making more left turns than a NASCAR race, he finally got his wish and was traded to the Lakers. The Magic had previously turned down a deal for Bynum straight up. They had turned down a package from the Nets for Brook Lopez, other pieces, and a world of draft picks. So the deal they got must have been incredible to justify turning down those other offers, right? I hope the Orlando PA announcers announce their new starting shooting guard like this on Opening Night: “Ladies and gentlemen, the centerpiece of the deal that your front office got for getting rid of Dwight Howard, the new face of this Magic franchise, the shooting guard out of ULCA...Aaaaaaaaaron Afflalooooooooooooo!!!!!!” ......what? The Orlando Magic traded away Dwight and got Aaron Afflalo? I do not want to live on this planet anymore. I hope that the Magic have unheard amounts of bad karma brought to them this year for the trade they made. This was pathetic. They will be the favorites to win the lottery. They will lose it, and whoever they pick is going to be a bust. I’m calling it right now. Orlando will be awful.
Coming up next: Western Conference predictions! Comments appreciated.
No comments:
Post a Comment