There have several improvements across the board for nearly all teams this season, especially the East.
Detroit hasn't budged. They let go Brown, so I can see their record falling off a bit. They're still going to be a solid team, but they are also aging and their game is an injury or two away from deteriorating. I see them as top 5 in the East still, but not close to #1.
I agree with most that Indiana will be #1 in the East again. They should have last season had it not been for injury and brawls. They have a solid team... something that's hard to find in the NBA. They play well together and do extremely well under Carlisle. Departure of Reggie hurts, but Jackson and Jasikevicius should turn heads this season.
Miami has loads and loads of talent. But I think they're going in the wrong direction thinking that they can pick up problem childs and remedy them with winning. It almost seems like it's a near replica of the LA Lakers of 2004.
Shaq - Plays the role of Karl Malone: Older guy that wants the win, must play the leadership position.
Walker- Plays the role of Kobe Bryant: Incessant shooter that won't pass
Wade - Plays the role of Shaq: Extremely dominant player that deserves the ball but won't get it when it counts.
Williams - Plays the role of Gary Payton: Scoring PG that also demands the ball, but doesn't know how to shoot and won't fit into a system being the 4th option
It will be interesting to see if they'll be a team. I doubt it will happen with all those heads.
Cleveland is on the upside, but we are still very young. We have a first year coach. We don't have a point guard quite yet. We can't be called a team as Indiana and Detroit are. I'd love for us to succeed, but our goals should be getting to the playoffs and winning a series. We need to meld together as a team in both winning and losing and we will eventually get that ring.
Milwaukee is a big question mark. Tons of potential. Tons of money tied up. No room for flexibility. It's tough to judge where they'll be. I can see them competing with Philadelphia for a lower playoff seed, depending on how TJ Ford recovers. They have some good talent, but also nothing that represents a team. I doubt the new coach will do much to change that either.
Boston is going to fall to the pits. No Gary Payton to tie things together. Antoine Walker is gone: good thing, but they also lost lots of talent. Once they start losing, cancer will spring up again from Paul Pierce and Ricky Davis. They have a ton of young talent, but they won't be breaking out quite yet this season. No playoffs for them.
Chicago is a better team without Curry. They'd probably be a better team with Al Harrington. If they pull that off and retain Chandler, they'll be as big a force as they were last season, if not more. This is a great NBA team, especially for being so young. Props to Skiles and Paxson.
Washington heads back to the lottery. The defense of Hughes will be sorely missed. Eddie Jordan will be fired at the end of the season, and the rebuilding process will begin, again, because Kwame Brown will most likely succeed (as in do much better) in LA.
Philadelphia is a big question mark. They solidified their future lineup with Dalembert, Korver, and Green. I see that as a mistake. Dalembert is a solid signing, but Korver and Green I doubt will live up to their contracts. Webber-AI should be a good combo, but won't. And I don't really see Mo Cheeks and AI getting along too well. If AI doesn't practice with Webber, they'll never find a niche. They have a chance at the playoffs, but only at a low seed that won't seem much daylight.
New Jersey is vastly improved. J.Kidd should be satsified with the starting lineup of Krystic, SAR, Carter, Jefferson, and himself. The only question would be defense. I doubt that they can stand up to any team in the west, not to mention Detroit and Indiana.
New York seems to be dazed in the pipedream that Larry Brown is the cure to all ailments. They could be a better team, but they won't. They have a glut of guards that don't pass the ball, preferring to chuck a bunch of shots up and hope they go in. No big men. Oh wait, they're Jerome James. Exactly. They will have very little impact this season. I can see James, Marbury, Q, and Crawford teaming up together against Brown. At least they'll be a team then.
Toronto is headed for the lottery again. Bad draft, losing key pieces. Poor Bosh, I hope by the time his contract is up we might be able to pursue him.
Atlanta will surprise many this season. They should be trying hard to get Curry for Al Harrington, giving them a very young, talented roster for the future. Look for them to improve to a 30+ win season if they get Curry.
Charlotte is building for the future will a pair of solid draft picks from UNC. Their record will improve with May and Okafor on the low post with Felton buzzing by the opposition. I wouldn't mind being a Bobcat fan, they're doing much better things than Toronto and Vancouver did at the same point in time. Big Country Reeves? Jeeze.
Orlando will be on the slide again. Fran Vasquez, their first rounder, is staying in Europe. Spells disaster for this franchise. Speaking of Franchises, it may seem that he's probably leaving for somewhere at the trade deadline. I see him in a Timberwolves uni in February.
