2014 - 2015 Eastern Conference

[GreekMo]

1. Cleveland
2. Indiana (if Lance returns)
3. Chicago
4. Atlanta
5. Toronto
6. Washington
7. Miami
8. New York or Charlotte

 

[GilbertIsGod]

1. Cleveland
2. Chicago
3. Washington
4. Miami
5. Raptors
6. Pacers
7. Charlotte
8. New York

 

[TwoPistols]

I'm legitimately scared of the Bulls. They have always been a defensive powerhouse behind Thibodeau, and they are starting to feature Gibson and Butler in a larger role. Now they add 3 guys known for offense with Pau, McDermott, and by bringing over Mirotic. If Rose can get back to all-star form, it will be a back and forth with the Cavs all season for the #1 spot. Thank God we don't have Mike Brown or I would be even more scared.

 

[Kizzle]

So Bosh is talking shit already. Says Heat will beat Cleveland and hes ready to run the league.

Wish I had the link but it sounds like something that a former LeBron teammate would say in response to being dumped for Cleveland

 

[Kizzle]

My power rankings idk

Pacers wont lose their number 1 spot period. They are too good. But I also believe any Bulls team will never be higher than a Lebron team. He eats them for breakfast


Pacers
Cavs
Bulls
Raptors
Washington
Heat
Knicks
Hornets(Bobcats)

 

[AZCavs]

You guys are giving Miami entirely too much credit.

Bosh is a face up four who sucks on the glass, plays below average defense and is soft. Wade could barely make it through the season with the best player on the planet carrying him and a shit load of days off. Luol Deng is a good compliment to a star player. Too bad neither Wade nor Bosh are stars anymore. Granger is toast. McBob isn't any sort of difference maker for them.

Even with Deng, they are going to struggle making the playoffs, even in the East. The notion that they have "four all stars" is absurd. Not a single one of them is an all star level player other than Bosh and that's simply by default. Stop saying they are going to challenge for a top 4 seed. That's not going to happen.

 

[Omar The Horse]

When Rose played last year he looked rusty as all hell. I don't expect him to be great out the gates this time either.

I also wonder if he's lost any explosiveness and or has apprehension when he attacks the paint.

 

[Simmy]

When Rose played last year he looked rusty as all hell. I don't expect him to be great out the gates this time either.

I also wonder if he's lost any explosiveness and or has apprehension when he attacks the paint.

I think the question is will he actually be able to sustain his body for an 82-game season without re-injuring himself? Something tells me he's going to struggle moving forward, as unfortunate for him as that is.

 

[Kizzle]

You guys are giving Miami entirely too much credit.

Bosh is a face up four who sucks on the glass, plays below average defense and is soft. Wade could barely make it through the season with the best player on the planet carrying him and a shit load of days off. Luol Deng is a good compliment to a star player. Too bad neither Wade nor Bosh are stars anymore. Granger is toast. McBob isn't any sort of difference maker for them.

Even with Deng, they are going to struggle making the playoffs, even in the East. The notion that they have "four all stars" is absurd. Not a single one of them is an all star level player other than Bosh and that's simply by default. Stop saying they are going to challenge for a top 4 seed. That's not going to happen.

You may be associating our loss of Lebron with what Miami will deal with. Its not the same. When we loss LBJ our best player was JJ Hickson and Antawn Jamison. Their leftovers are Wade and Bosh. Those 2 alone make Miami a 5th seed AT LEAST. If Miami falls off the map at all itll because because their coach sucks not because they dont have talent

 

[shoes22]

So Bosh is talking shit already. Says Heat will beat Cleveland and hes ready to run the league.

Wish I had the link but it sounds like something that a former LeBron teammate would say in response to being dumped for Cleveland

I'm sure it's just the usual ribbing. Having spent so much time around LeBron, Bosh had to know LeBron leaving for Cleveland was a distinct possibility.

 

[AZCavs]

You may be associating our loss of Lebron with what Miami will deal with. Its not the same. When we loss LBJ our best player was JJ Hickson and Antawn Jamison. Their leftovers are Wade and Bosh. Those 2 alone make Miami a 5th seed AT LEAST. If Miami falls off the map at all itll because because their coach sucks not because they dont have talent

I didn't say the Heat would win 19 games and finish with the worst record in the league. I said they will struggle to make the playoffs. Guaranteeing an aging team with little depth and no young difference makers a top 5 seed is just silly. As "bad" as the East was, a lot of that was youth and inexperience. If you think that Miami finishes ahead of Cleveland, Chicago, Indiana, Washington or Toronto, you aren't paying close enough attention.

Miami is done. They'll battle for the bottom three seeds and will find it difficult to keep up with the younger teams in the league, especially late in the season.

 

[CosmoKramer]

I think the question is will he actually be able to sustain his body for an 82-game season without re-injuring himself? Something tells me he's going to struggle moving forward, as unfortunate for him as that is.

I highly doubt it. Before the injury Rose put more torque and strain on his lower body than any player I can remember, his movements have always been so abrupt and violent. There's countless times a game he'd be flying towards the rim at 100 MPH then suddenly plant and explode up to create space for a shot, those types of plays aren't going to be there for Rose anymore. It's always been impressive to watch, but without his reliance on off-the-charts athleticism his poor jump shooting is going to be exposed.

The days of MVP-level Derrick Rose are assuredly over. Maybe All-Star level, but even that's hard to see moving forward with Kyrie and Wall on an upwards trajectory in the East. Rose just wasn't the same player last year, despite sitting out the entire previous season to regain his form. It was only 10 games, but he played so poorly it's almost sickening to see his percentages. Comparing him to some other PGs from the East last year, per 36 (FG/3FG/FT/TS)

Player A: 17.8 points on 15.7 FGA (39/33/84/50), 6.2 assists, 4.2 rebounds, 1.2 steals, 0.4 blocks, 2.3 turnovers

Player B: 16.4 points on 15.0 FGA (37/34/75/49), 8.0 assists, 3.2 rebounds, 1.3 steals, 0.1 blocks, 2.8 turnovers

Player C: 18.4 points on 19.0 FGA (35/34/84/45), 5.0 assists, 3.7 rebounds, 0.6 steals, 0.1 blocks, 3.9 turnovers​

Player A is Kemba Walker. Player B is Brandon Jennings. Player C is Derrick Rose. The Bulls owe him about $20 million over the next 3 years... good luck with that!

 

[Cassity14]

I'm actually of the belief that Miami will finish with about 45-48 wins. I see Bosh putting up like 21 points and 8 rebounds a night. Wade will give them 22 a night when he plays.

Their issue will be depth behind their fragile players. They'll probably make the playoffs and knock a team like Toronto or Charlotte out in round 1, then match up with either Cleveland or Indiana in round 2 and lose in a hard fought 5 game series.

I think the Bulls, barring injury, finish with the top regular season record. I think the Cavs and Pacers will be right behind them. However, the chances of Chicago not sustaining any injuries are very slim. Ultimately, I think we see it shake out somewhat like this:


Indiana
Cleveland
Chicago
Miami
Toronto
Washington
Charlotte
Brooklyn

 

[AZCavs]

1. Cleveland
2. Indiana
3. Washington
4. Chicago
5. Raptors
6. Charlotte
7. New York
8. Miami

 

[KilgoreTrout]

With Kevin Love, we're a 1 seed. Without him, we're a 4 seed, behind the Bulls, Pacers, and Heat. Washington is a 5. Nobody else matters.