2011-2012 NBA Eastern Conference Preview

It's finally time to start talking about some real basketball. With most of the free agents signed and the preseason underway, teams are starting to settle in. Here is a look at each team's offseason movement, starting with the Eastern Conference. Teams are ranked in order of where I think they will finish in the conference.

(I asked my good friend Joe Lera, an avid Philadelphia fan, to provide analysis on the Sixers.) 

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LeBron James and Dwayne Wade

1. Miami Heat

Drafted: Norris Cole

Additions: Eddy Curry, Shane Battier

Losses: Jamaal Magloire, Mike Bibby

This just feels like the Heat's year. The fact that they even made it to the Finals in their first season together was impressive. Now, after adding an elite defender in Shane Battier, there are no excuses.

Rookie point guard Norris Cole should be a solid backup to Mario Chalmers. Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller are healthy, and Eddy Curry is reportedly in shape and ready to contribute.

Chris Bosh played much better towards the end of last season, when he operated more from the post. He claims that he's added muscle and that he's ready to play more center. He may have to at times, due to the lack of a reliable man in the middle for Miami.

If Dwayne Wade and LeBron James can learn to execute better toward the end of games, Miami should be able to make it's way back to the Finals.

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Carlos Boozer

2. Chicago Bulls

Drafted: Jimmy Butler, Malcolm Lee, Nikola Mirotic

Additions: Richard Hamilton

Losses: Rasual Butler, Kurt Thomas, Keith Bogans, Jannero Pargo

After being bounced by the Heat in 5 games last year, the Bulls brought in mid-range specialist Rip Hamilton to help Derrick Rose shoulder the scoring load. Hamilton is still an effective player, but the Bulls really could have used more of a deep threat at that position. Instead, the Bulls get a high energy scorer in Hamilton, and the they have to hope that he will be enough to help take some pressure off of Derrick Rose.

Losing Keith Bogans, a great three point shooter and rugged defender, will hurt, but the Bulls still have Luol Deng to defend the likes of Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James come playoff time.

Carlos Boozer, Deng, and Joakim Noah continue to be a formidable front line, along with Taj Gibson, who is primed to have a breakout season, and I'm not just saying that because of plays like these:

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Carmelo Anthony

3. New York Knicks

Drafted: Iman Shumpert, Josh Harrellson

Additions: Mike Bibby, Jerome Jordan, Tyson Chandler, Baron Davis

Losses: Roger Mason Jr, Shelden Williams, Shawne Williams, Derrick Brown, Anthony Carter, Andy Rautins, Ronny Turiaf, Chauncey Billups

Now we get to see what a (almost) full season of Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire looks like. The addition of Tyson Chandler makes New York's frontcourt arguably the best in the league. The Knicks hope that Chandler's toughness and championship pedigree will inspire his teammates to raise their games and help make Knicks basketball relevant again.

Unfortunately, in order to acquire Chandler the Knicks had to amnesty Chauncey Billups, leaving the team with a hole at point guard. Mike Bibby and Baron Davis were brought in to fix that, but I doubt Knicks fans feel real good about that. Toney Douglas is a serviceable guard, but not a starter on an elite team. Rookie Iman Shumpert, a guy that Knicks fans booed on draft night, will help at the shooting guard position, where he and last year's Knicks rookie sensation Landry Fields will likely split time.

The Knicks look to be one of the league's top teams this season, joining Miami, Chicago, and Boston as the class of the Eastern Conference.

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Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett

4. Boston Celtics

Drafted: E'Twaun Moore, JaJuan Johnson

Additions: Keyon Dooling, Brandon Bass, Chris Wilcox, Marquis Daniels

Losses: Glen Davis, Delonte West, Von Wafer, Nenad Krstic

This may be the final season for the Celtics' big three of Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen, and Paul Pierce. If their championship window hasn't been closing for the past few years, it surely is now. With the news that Jeff Green will be out for the year, the shortened season looms even more menacingly. As it is, stars will already be taking nights off occasionally, but guys like KG will surely need a little extra rest.

The additions of Keyon Dooling, Marquis Daniels, Brandon Bass, and Chris Wilcox are all great moves by Celtics GM Danny Ainge. Dooling is a great shooter, Daniels can help handle the ball, and Bass and Wilcox will add rebounding. As far as replenishing the bench goes, that's not too bad.

The real question for Celtics fans is whether or not it's enough to get them past Miami and Chicago.

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Danny Granger

5. Indiana Pacers

Drafted: None

Additions: David West, Jeff Pendergraph, Jarrid Famous, George Hill, Louis Amundson

Losses: Mike Dunleavy, T.J. Ford, Brandon Rush

As absurd as it sounds, I'm just going to go ahead and say it: look out for the Indiana Pacers. Head Coach Frank Vogul, who took over midway through last year, is back, and it's believed that he was the catalyst for Indiana's late season success. Their series with Chicago was a lot closer than Bulls fans will admit, and with the additions of former All Star David West and up and comer George Hill, this team's stock is rising.

Danny Granger finally has enough talent around him to make a playoff push. Roy Hibbert has developed into a reliable center, Darren Collison has emerged as a quality point guard, and with the addition of Louis Amundson, the Pacers now have two slightly insane power forwards (Amundson and Tyler Hansbrough) to throw at opposing frontlines.

The Pacers will be battling the Atlanta Hawks and Orlando Magic for the 5th seed, and depending on what happens with Dwight Howard, they just might get it.

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Dwight Howard

6. Orlando Magic

Drafted: DeAndre Liggins, Justin Harper

Additions: Larry Hughes, Gabe Pruitt, Glen Davis, Von Wafer

Losses: Brandon Bass, Gilbert Arenas

If Dwight Howard plays the whole season in Orlando, then the Magic will remain a playoff team. If he gets shipped out, the team will be in full fledged re-building mode, and the lottery looks likely.

GM Otis Smith made a curious move by trading Brandon Bass for the more expensive Glen Davis, but Davis is talented and his presence provides Howard with another shooter that he can hit for easy mid-range buckets. I have a feeling that the Magic will regret re-signing Jason Richardson for as much as they did ( 4 years, 25 million); his play declined last year once he was acquired by Orlando.

Besides the Howard trade talk, the only really interesting thing in Orlando will be the play of Larry Hughes, a former All NBA Defensive 1st Team member (2005).

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Al Horford, Josh Smith, and Joe Johnson

7. Atlanta Hawks

Drafted: Keith Benson, Magnum Rolle

Additions: Tracy McGrady, Vladimir Radmonovic, Jannero Pargo, Willie Green

Losses: Damien Wilkins, Jamal Crawford

It's now or never for the Atlanta Hawks. They need to show that they can seriously compete come playoff time. If not, expect the re-building process to begin.

Joe Johnson, Al Horford, Josh Smith, and Marvin Williams have had 4 seasons together, and although they've made the playoffs in all 4 years, they have yet to advance past the second round.

Losing former Sixth Man of the Year Jamal Crawford certainly doesn't help matters, although Tracy McGrady is expected to try and take on Crawford's role. There are reports that Smith is unhappy with the organization, and I wouldn't be surprised if they tried to package him for some young pieces if the seasons starts to turn south.

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Andre Igoudala

8. Philadelphia 76ers

Drafted: Lavoy Allen, Nikola Vucevic

Additions: Antonio Anderson, Dwyane Jones, Mike Tisdale, Xavier Silas

Losses: Jason Kapono

New Owners, New Mascot, Can They Contend?

By Joe Lera

For some people (like myself), the expectations for the 76ers are high. For some others, there are no expectations as they will be just another average team again.

The 76ers improved by 14 wins under first year coach Doug Collins (who seems to have a history of that) but can they take the next step and become a legitimate contender in the Eastern conference? The simple answer is: This would be the season to do it.

Since the season is shortened, teams will be playing four to five games a week. The scheduling could work out for the 76ers since they have a team of an average age of 25.2 (according to NBA.com current rosters). The run and gun offensive mentality and aggressive defense will certainly be the reason why the 76ers will get most of their wins. The 76ers do not have a superstar like the Lakers, Clippers, Heat, or Thunder, just to name a few. Instead they are built with a bunch of role players. The 76ers had six players (Brand, Holiday, Iguodala, Williams, Young, and Meeks) average over 10 points per game last season.

For them to improve and get more victories two things have to happen. Evan Turner has to step up and become a better scorer and “Sweet Lou” Williams needs to shoot a better percentage. During the lockout, Turner has been working with the “Shot Doctor” Herb Magee. Turner shot .427% from the field last season and only averaged 7.3 ppg.

So if Tuner needs more shots, who do you take shots away from? The answer is “Sweet Lou”. “Sweet Lou” shot an ugly .401% from the field, which is embarrassing for a 6 year veteran like him. He simply needs to stop forcing up shots and pass the ball like the point guard that he is supposed to be to people who actually work on their shots, like Turner.

The 76ers are also very high on the center from USC that they took in the draft, Nikola Vucevic. Vucevic averaged 11.1 ppg and 8.0 rpg while in college and they hope he can do the same at the next level. Maybe with the drafting of Vucevic, Spencer Hawes will actually play like a center and take his play to the next level since there is some new competition for his job in Philly.

Final Thought: I think the 76ers will make the playoffs if they stay healthy and can continue to grow on last year’s play. With a 66 game season I do not believe that 35-40 wins is out of reach at all. 

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Stephen Jackson and Brandon Jennings

"Who do you think will shoot more, me or this guy? I'm going with this guy..."

9. Milwaukee Bucks

Drafted: Tobias Harris, Jon Leuer

Additions: Mike Dunleavy, Stephen Jackson, Shaun Livingston, Beno Udrih

Losses: Corey Maggette, John Salmons, Keyon Dooling

I can't quite figure out the Bucks. Two season ago the trade for John Salmons re-energized Milwaukee and turned them into a legitimate upset pick. Last year they couldn't quite re-capture the magic, and despite Andrew Bogut's career year, were a big disappointment. So naturally, management felt the need to shake up the roster, and Mike Dunleavy and Stephan Jackson were brought in to replace Corey Maggette and John Salmons. 

Now maybe it's just me, but doesn't replacing two swingmen who can't do much else besides score with two other swingmen who can't do much else besides score not make a whole lot of sense? What's Milwaukee's plan, let Brandon Jennings and Stephen Jackson take turns chucking up threes while Andrew Bogut sits in the post, wondering when he'll be lucky enough to get shipped out of there?

I do like the addition of Beno Udrih, but they lost Keyon Dooling in the process, so it's really not much of a change. Needless to say, this Milwaukee roster doesn't look promising, but as long as they have Bogut they should retain some sort of respectability in the win column.

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Ben Gordon

10. Detroit Pistons

Drafted: Brandon Knight, Vernon Macklin, Terrico White

Additions: Damien Wilkins

Losses: Chris Wilcox, Tracy McGrady, Richard Hamilton

This Pistons team is in a strange situation. They are stuck in a half rebuilding mode. The nucleus of sophomore big man Greg Monroe and rookie point guard Brandon Knight is a nice place to start, but Detroit is held back by the two atrocious contracts of Ben Gordon and Charlie Villaneuva, not to mention Rodney Stuckey's new inflated deal.

New Head Coach Lawrence Frank will try to sell a new philosophy to his players, and after last year's mutiny against coach John Keuster, I imagine the players will be eager to listen.

They re-signed Tayshaun Prince, and his leadership and experience could be useful if Detroit can manage to get some real talent around him. Don't look for much from this Pistons team.

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Deron Williams

11. New Jersey Nets

Drafted: Bojan Bogdanovic, MarShon Brooks, Jordan Williams

Additions: Shawne Williams, Shelden Williams, Mehmet Okur

Losses: Travis Outlaw, Sasha Vujacic, Brandon Wright

Can the Nets really get Dwight Howard? If so, the future will be bright in Brooklyn, as Deron Williams will surely re-sign and players will want to come join them. In the meantime, Brook Lopez, Williams, Anthony Morrow and rookie MarShon Brooks will have to carry the scoring load.

The Nets failed to make a splash in the free agent market for the second straight offseason, but it's believed that they are saving their cap space for a trade later in the year. Newcomer Shawne Williams is an elite three point shooter, and he and Morrow make a dangerous duo on the perimeter.

The amnesty clause allowed the Nets to rid themselves of Travis Outlaw and his $35 million contract, leaving second year man Damion James to take his place. If James can defend and take some pressure off of Williams and Lopez, the Nets could make a nice improvement.

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Kemba Walker

12. Charlotte Bobcats

Drafted: Kemba Walker, Bismack Biyombo

Additions: Derrick Brown, Reggie Williams, Melvin Ely, Corey Maggette, Byron Mullens

Losses: Kwame Brown, Dominic McGuire, Stephen Jackson, Shaun Livingston

The Bobcats moved disgruntled swingman Stephen Jackson to the Bucks for slasher Corey Maggette. Maggette seems motivated to play in Charlotte  for owner Michael Jordan, and he can still put up points on a nightly basis, something that the Bobcats will count on.

The real story in Charlotte, though, is the development of the two rookies, Bismack Biyombo and Kemba Walker. I'd be shocked if Walker doesn't supplant D.J. Augustine as the starting point guard by the mid way point of the season. He has the potential to be an explosive scorer and has proven in college that he is a leader. Walker is just what M.J. needs to jumpstart his franchise.

Biyombo is more of a mystery. A Congo native, his offensive game is raw, but he possess instinctive shot blocking abilities and should make an impact immediatly.

Behind their two rookies, the Bobcats will probably have some nice flashes, but ultimately need some more time to develop team roles and chemistry.

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John Wall

13. Washington Wizards

Drafted: Jan Vesely, Chris Singleton, Shelvin Mack

Additions: Larry Owens, Ronny Turiaf

Losses: Josh Howard

It's John Wall or bust for the Wizards this season (and for most seasons in the foreseeable future). Wall says he is ready to lead. He'll have to prove it in order to make his team competitive. Players like Andray Blatche and Nick Young (key players for the Wizards) have a reputation for being immature, and Wall will need to change their mindsets.

Rookie dunking sensation Jan Vesely gives Wall a nice option for fast break finishes, but it remains to be seen if he can contribute in other ways. Fellow rookie Shelvin Mack is a nice scorer, but his minutes will likely be inconsistent and sporadic.

If Wall can make the jump to being an elite point guard sooner rather than later, the Wizards may be able to establish some stability and start to build for the future.

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Kyrie Irving

14. Cleveland Cavaliers

Drafted: Kyrie Irving, Tristan Thompson

Additions: Omri Casspi

Losses: J.J. Hickson, Baron Davis, Joey Graham

Cleveland had better hope that Kyrie Irving can be the second coming of LeBron James, because if not, they are in for a long year. Irving is a popular pick for Rookie Of The Year, especially now that the Cavs amnestied Baron Davis. The team is his to lead, and after only playing 11 career games in college, it'll be interesting to see what he can do.

#4 overall pick Tristan Thompson, a shocking pick to most experts, should be able to come in and contribute immediately down low. His length and athleticism will fit nicely next to charge taking extraordinaire' Anderson Varejao.

You have to think that the team will try to move veteran Antawn Jamison at some point; I doubt he wants to finish his career in Cleveland. If the Cavs can get back a young player or a draft pick, it'll be well worth it. This team is certainly not in win now mode, no matter what owner Dan Gilbert would have the fans believe.

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DeMar Derozan

15. Toronto Raptors

Drafted: Jonas Valanciunas

Additions: Jamaal Magloire, Rasual Butler, Anthony Carter, Aaron Gray

Losses: Sonny Weems, Reggie Evans

New coach Dwyane Casey, a former Dallas Maverick assistant, is going to have to try and change the culture for this Raptors team to be successful. Lately, it's been nothing but losing. Former number one pick Andrea Bargnani hasn't been an effective rebounder, and one has to wonder if they might try to move him for a more traditional center.

DeMar Derozan took a nice step forward last year but needs to improve his outside shooting. Amir Johnson, Ed Davis, and Jerryd Bayless make up the rest of the Raptors core.

This team is just not talented enough to make any kind of move up the Eastern Conference standings, but Coach Casey will try to evaluate his talent and build upon his core players.