Least Coast or Beast Coast? 2010 Eastern Conference Preview
Jan 4, 2024 9:41:46 GMT -6
Keyser Soze, kipper, and 2 more like this
Post by Pepe Silvia on Jan 4, 2024 9:41:46 GMT -6
2010 Eastern Conference Season Preview and Predictions
Atlantic:
Projected Standings:
1. New York Knicks
2. Philadelphia 76ers
3. Boston Celtics
4. Brooklyn Nets
5. Orlando Magic
6. Miami Heat
7. Washington Wizards
Top heavy is how I’d describe the Atlantic. The Knicks are the cream of the crop in the East as well as the entire league, sporting the best 1-2 punch in two guys who can go by 1 name only: LaMelo and Kobe. This probably sounds crazy considering the 76ers have gone back to back, and they are no slouch either, but they lost CJ McCollum which I think will be a big blow to their offensive prowess. In Boston they did the opposite of subtract from their team, adding a game changer at point guard in Steve Nash to form a duo with Ray Allen which should continue the age old rivalry between Boston and New York. I could easily see Boston jumping the Sixers if things break their way. After those 3, we have a few rebuilding teams and teams that are lacking talent. The Nets have a couple of pieces in Sheed and the aforementioned McCollum. Timeshare sales pitches may draw better than the Orlando Magic, as they offer patrons incentives the Magic don’t figure to on the floor. The best two Magicians are on the wrong side of 30 and enjoying the twilight of their careers taking their families to disney, and the youth doesn’t figure to get many minutes. On South Beach they have plenty to be happy about, but most of that is the weather and scenery. Their point guard is inefficient and turns it over more than a McDonalds drive thru, and they lack any real threat outside of Brandon Roy, who isn’t good enough to carry a team. Taxation without representation is being claimed by Wizards season ticket holders after an offseason that saw them build by adding…a 36 year old thats closer to retirement than his prime. George McInnis may fill the stat sheet for a team otherwise void of talent, but he won’t fill many seats in a city hungry for wins not empty calories.
Central:
Projected Standings:
1. Toronto Raptors
2. Detroit Pistons
3. Indiana Pacers
4. Milwaukee Bucks
5. Chicago Bulls
6. Atlanta Hawks
7. Cleveland Cavaliers
8. Charlotte Hornets
Deeper than Mandingo is how I’d describe the Central. There are 5 teams here I could see pushing the Knicks to the brink in the playoffs. We start in the north, as the frenchman Killian Hayes continues to carry the Raptors. The importance of elite point guard play cannot go understated and Toronto employs maybe the best floor general in the league. While Hayes shoulders the load on the outside the Raptors also have tri towers in Greg Ostertag, Kareem, and Joe Meriweather. The only attacks these towers are susceptible to are injury, but the Raptors should have the depth to overcome such events. After trading superstar Zach LaVine last season, the Pistons enter 2010 fully healthy and ready to come together. The Killer B’s (Bing, Brown, Bargnani) should provide plenty of offense on the outside, but will the lack of an interior offensive presence make these Pistons overheat and blow a gasket? Time will tell. In Indianapolis they upgraded their engines in hopes to set the pace for the field, but alas this didn’t work in their favor last season. Top to bottom the Pacers are as strong as anyone in the league, and they’ve got their shining star in LaVine. I figure with small tweaks they’ve made this offseason they should be much better than a .500 team. The Bucks have a pair of young studs in Mike Bibby and Lebron. Will these two take the next step in their development? I think they will. Noah was drafted to do the dirty work which will help, but I still think the Bucks are an inside piece away from making a real splash. The windy city Bulls blew the Pistons straight out of the playoffs last year without much struggle, but I think the matador tames this bunch and leaves the Bulls seeing red this season. I don’t think Penny and Jabari Parker are enough to compensate for the lack of quality bigs here. Hotlanta just doesn’t have the heat to compete in this division. NVE is a solid player, as are Paul Pierce and Leandro Barbosa, but I don’t see any of them as more than a 3rd option on a real contender. In Cleveland the Cavs are going to rightly build around Kevin Durant. They’d be best served to sell Stack and Maxey as soon as they can so they can surround Durant with as much young talent and picks as possible. They won’t make noise this year, but could build something nice depending on what they get for those two. In Charlotte I imagine they showcase Dennis Schroeder then blitzkrieg the German vet out of town close to the deadline for as much value as they can get. The nest needs as much youth as they can get for this rebuild.
Atlantic:
Projected Standings:
1. New York Knicks
2. Philadelphia 76ers
3. Boston Celtics
4. Brooklyn Nets
5. Orlando Magic
6. Miami Heat
7. Washington Wizards
Top heavy is how I’d describe the Atlantic. The Knicks are the cream of the crop in the East as well as the entire league, sporting the best 1-2 punch in two guys who can go by 1 name only: LaMelo and Kobe. This probably sounds crazy considering the 76ers have gone back to back, and they are no slouch either, but they lost CJ McCollum which I think will be a big blow to their offensive prowess. In Boston they did the opposite of subtract from their team, adding a game changer at point guard in Steve Nash to form a duo with Ray Allen which should continue the age old rivalry between Boston and New York. I could easily see Boston jumping the Sixers if things break their way. After those 3, we have a few rebuilding teams and teams that are lacking talent. The Nets have a couple of pieces in Sheed and the aforementioned McCollum. Timeshare sales pitches may draw better than the Orlando Magic, as they offer patrons incentives the Magic don’t figure to on the floor. The best two Magicians are on the wrong side of 30 and enjoying the twilight of their careers taking their families to disney, and the youth doesn’t figure to get many minutes. On South Beach they have plenty to be happy about, but most of that is the weather and scenery. Their point guard is inefficient and turns it over more than a McDonalds drive thru, and they lack any real threat outside of Brandon Roy, who isn’t good enough to carry a team. Taxation without representation is being claimed by Wizards season ticket holders after an offseason that saw them build by adding…a 36 year old thats closer to retirement than his prime. George McInnis may fill the stat sheet for a team otherwise void of talent, but he won’t fill many seats in a city hungry for wins not empty calories.
Central:
Projected Standings:
1. Toronto Raptors
2. Detroit Pistons
3. Indiana Pacers
4. Milwaukee Bucks
5. Chicago Bulls
6. Atlanta Hawks
7. Cleveland Cavaliers
8. Charlotte Hornets
Deeper than Mandingo is how I’d describe the Central. There are 5 teams here I could see pushing the Knicks to the brink in the playoffs. We start in the north, as the frenchman Killian Hayes continues to carry the Raptors. The importance of elite point guard play cannot go understated and Toronto employs maybe the best floor general in the league. While Hayes shoulders the load on the outside the Raptors also have tri towers in Greg Ostertag, Kareem, and Joe Meriweather. The only attacks these towers are susceptible to are injury, but the Raptors should have the depth to overcome such events. After trading superstar Zach LaVine last season, the Pistons enter 2010 fully healthy and ready to come together. The Killer B’s (Bing, Brown, Bargnani) should provide plenty of offense on the outside, but will the lack of an interior offensive presence make these Pistons overheat and blow a gasket? Time will tell. In Indianapolis they upgraded their engines in hopes to set the pace for the field, but alas this didn’t work in their favor last season. Top to bottom the Pacers are as strong as anyone in the league, and they’ve got their shining star in LaVine. I figure with small tweaks they’ve made this offseason they should be much better than a .500 team. The Bucks have a pair of young studs in Mike Bibby and Lebron. Will these two take the next step in their development? I think they will. Noah was drafted to do the dirty work which will help, but I still think the Bucks are an inside piece away from making a real splash. The windy city Bulls blew the Pistons straight out of the playoffs last year without much struggle, but I think the matador tames this bunch and leaves the Bulls seeing red this season. I don’t think Penny and Jabari Parker are enough to compensate for the lack of quality bigs here. Hotlanta just doesn’t have the heat to compete in this division. NVE is a solid player, as are Paul Pierce and Leandro Barbosa, but I don’t see any of them as more than a 3rd option on a real contender. In Cleveland the Cavs are going to rightly build around Kevin Durant. They’d be best served to sell Stack and Maxey as soon as they can so they can surround Durant with as much young talent and picks as possible. They won’t make noise this year, but could build something nice depending on what they get for those two. In Charlotte I imagine they showcase Dennis Schroeder then blitzkrieg the German vet out of town close to the deadline for as much value as they can get. The nest needs as much youth as they can get for this rebuild.