The
2018 NBA offseason has been one of the most controversial to date. How will the
Eastern Conference fare next season?
Firstly, it is important to note that LeBron’s
decision to take his talents to the Western Conference and join the Los Angeles
Lakers instantly took the Cavaliers out of contention in the East.
Two teams who benefitted the most from LeBron’s move
was the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers.
The Celtics and 76ers are the first and second best
teams in the Eastern Conference, respectively.
Now that the Cleveland Cavaliers will no longer be the
Eastern Conference champs, the seeding will look
15. ATLANTA HAWKS
The Atlanta Hawks had recently traded Dennis Schröder and Mike Muscala for Carmelo Anthony and a 2020 draft pick.
Atlanta intends to waive Carmelo Anthony soon to free
up cap space for the summer of 2019 with hopes of bringing in some talent to
compete in the weaker Eastern Conference.
Other notable offseason acquisitions include their
lottery pick Trae Young, Jeremy Lin, Justin Anderson, and Alex Len.
Alex Len as of last night has signed a two-year, $8.5 million deal with the Hawks,
who is only 25 years old and has yet to show off his lottery-pick
potential as the starting center.
14. BROOKLYN NETS
The Brooklyn Nets surprisingly had a decent offseason, with their
acquisitions including Kenneth Faried, Jared Dudley, Ed Davis, and Shabazz Napier.
If the Nets can somehow wheel in superstar talent next
summer, they can use their depth as trade bait or retain some to make a run at
the playoffs.
Regardless the Nets do have several expiring contracts
in 2019 to gear up for a busy summer.
13. ORLANDO MAGIC
The Orlando Magic drafted Mohamed Bamba (6th overall) who is among
the most athletic and well-equipped for today’s NBA. Their offseason
acquisitions include Jerian Grant and Timofey Mozgov.
Although their offseason was not what they hoped for,
they have solid building pieces in Aaron Gordon, Mohamed Bamba, and Nikola Vučević.
Orlando’s leading scorer Aaron Gordon was also
re-signed to a million dollar deal.
Although the Magic may have an issue in the future
about who will start between Nikola Vučević or Mohamed Bamba, they will have
time to figure it out.
12. NEW YORK KNICKS
The New York Knicks drafted Kevin Knox (9th overall) and it looks
like he can become a star in the NBA.
Knox performed at a high level throughout summer
league and a pairing with Kristaps Porzingis can prove deadly in
the East.
This offseason the Knicks only managed to sign Mario
Hezonja, whom still has to prove if he can live up to his lottery pick
potential.
But for now the Knicks will struggle to remain in the
playoff race until Porzingis makes his return from a torn ACL last season.
11. CHARLOTTE HORNETS
Miles Bridges was drafted 12th by the Charlotte Hornets and showed his
athleticism and potential in the summer league.
If Bridges can successfully transition into the NBA
and gel with Kemba Walker and the Hornets, the
future will be worth waiting for.
The Hornets acquired Tony Parker and Bismack Biyombo this summer in hopes of having enough talent to
make the playoffs next season.
While the Hornets do have a sufficient set of young
talent, they need to make another big roster change in order to elevate
themselves to the next level.
10. CLEVELAND CAVALIERS
While this may not come as a surprise, the Cleveland Cavaliers do not have enough
depth and talent as many other teams do in the Eastern Conference.
With the departure of LeBron James, the Cavs are no
longer a threat in the East.
Kevin Love is now a lone wolf and we have yet to see if we
can become as dominant as he was in his Minnesota days as the best player on
his team.
The Cavs drafted Collin Sexton (8th overall) in hopes
of retaining LeBron James and a playoff spot.
Although Sexton may present the talent needed in order
for the Cavs to make a push for the playoffs, a full rebuild is imminent if
this season does not meet expectations.
9. CHICAGO BULLS
Despite having a poor 2018 season, the Chicago Bulls showed promise.
The Bulls’ biggest offseason acquisition was Jabari Parker.
While two ACL tears has hindered Parker’s development
as a player, he is finally getting a chance to play in his hometown and become
the Bulls’ best player.
Young talent such as Lauri Markkanen, who led the team in
scoring (15.2), Zach LaVine, Jabari Parker, Bobby Portis, Kris Dunn and lottery pick Wendell Carter Jr. should be
more than enough to propel the Bulls into the playoffs after next season.
The 2019 season will be Fred Hoiberg’s 4th season as
the Bulls’ head coach and it’ll be his most exciting year yet.
8. DETROIT PISTONS
The Detroit Pistons missed the 8th seed by four games last season,
and they haven’t made improvements besides hiring recently-fired Dwane
Casey as the head coach.
Offseason acquisitions include José Calderón, Zaza Pachulia, and Glen Robinson III.
Dwayne Casey must be patient with this young Pistons
group as they are several roster moves away from contending in the East.
Regardless if the Pistons made drastic roster changes
or not, Dwane Casey is an upgrade and will give the Pistons the edge over the
Cavaliers to secure the 8th seed.
7. MIAMI HEAT
The 7th seed in the East rightfully belongs to
the Miami Heat.
Erik Spoelstra has shown year after year that his
expertise in coaching different talents and producing the best results possible
is the greatest quality a coach can have.
Although the Heat front office and UFA Dwyane Wade have not come to an agreement, the roster is
well-balanced at each position.
The Heat’s resiliency and experience will earn them a
spot in the playoffs next season.
6. WASHINGTON WIZARDS
Aside from the Toronto Raptors, the Washington Wizards are always that team
in the East that possesses enough talent for a deep playoff run but always
falls short.
The Wizards’ offseason has consisted of
acquiring Dwight Howard, Austin Rivers, Jeff Green, draft pick Troy Brown Jr.
When looking at the Wizards’ depth chart, they can
easily be a top-5 team in the East with a decent chance of advancing to the
second round of the playoffs.
The biggest question is if replacing Marcin Gortat with Dwight Howard was the right decision in
order for the Wizards to become a contender instead of a pretender this
upcoming season.
5. MILWAUKEE BUCKS
The Milwaukee Bucks‘offseason hasn’t been busy but they are on the course
to improve from last season’s disappointing loss to the Celtics.
Signing Brook Lopez, Ersan Ilyasova (again), and drafting Donte DiVencenzo was the
best the Bucks could do this offseason despite deciding not to match Jabari Parker’s
offer sheet with the Chicago Bulls.
Additionally, the Bucks’ decision of hiring Mike Budenholzer as
their head coach was the best choice possible especially since his tenure with
the Atlanta Hawks nothing short of successful.
Lastly, pairing a coach who spent time as an assistant
of Gregg Popovich with a superstar talent in Giannis
Antetokuonmpo will breed successful results.
4. INDIANA PACERS
The Indiana Pacers took the Cleveland Cavaliers to 7 games in the
first round of the 2018 NBA Playoffs.
Attribution can be given to Victor Oladipo‘s emergence as a star in
his first season with the Pacers.
Despite losing to the Cavaliers in the playoffs, the
Pacers managed to have a successful offseason. Their notable offseason
acquisitions include Tyreke Evans, Doug McDermott, Kyle O’Quinn.
The Pacers had a successful offseason and will be
ready to compete in the East with their added depth to contend in the East.
3. TORONTO RAPTORS
After firing Dwane Casey and finishing first (59-23)
in the Eastern Conference, the Raptors fell short once again against the
Cavaliers in the second round.
The Toronto Raptors recently swapped DeMar DeRozan and Jakob Poeltl with Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green in a trade.
Kawhi still has to prove that he can play basketball
at the highest level in order for the Raptors to finish top 3 in the East.
The Raptors must convince Kawhi to stay long-term or
they will not be considered as legit contenders in the Eastern Conference for
years to come.
2. PHILADELPHIA 76ERS
Coming off a successful season and finishing 3rd
(52-30) in the East after failing to make the playoffs since 2012-2013,
the Philadelphia 76ers are legit.
Offseason acquisitions include Richaun Holmes, Wilson Chandler, Mike Muscala,
Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid are the star duo of the 76ers and they have
proven that they can perform at the highest level and that they are only going
to get better.
The 76ers’ success is contingent on their defense
which should improve come next season.
Their depth, length, and shooting ability will result
in another successful campaign and a deeper playoff run.
1. BOSTON CELTICS
The Boston Celtics excelled this season behind Brad Stevens,
veteran leadership, and a young core.
One observation is certain; Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are really, really
good.
Danny Ainge has proven time and time again why he is
the smartest and best GM in the NBA.
Despite losing Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving to injury, the Celtics managed to finish 2nd in
the East (55-27) and take the Cavaliers to game 7 of the Eastern Conference
Finals.
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