We continue here on Honer Sports with Part 2 of our 2015-2016 NBA Preview. We will be breaking down the Eastern Conference now, where Lebron James had dominated 5 straight seasons. A lot of people say the eastern conference is weaker but I think it's just different. What's cool about the East is that there is always 2-3 new teams in the playoffs every year, keeps things fresh. Anyway, here we go and please refrain from attacking El Mijo because he (correctly) thinks Lebron is a basketball god..
1. Cleveland Cavaliers: Cavs Owner and GM David Griffin commited over 110 million dollars in salary cap to the 15'-16' season and will have a luxury cap bill of about 70 million dollars. Holy shit, that's a lot of money! You get what you pay for however, and the Cavs should have no problem finishing on top of the East. Kevin Love should be able to bounce back from his shoulder injury and if Kyrie Irving manages to stay healthy for most of the season, the wins will pour in. Lebron will continue to be Lebron, meaning he will be an efficiency machine and the quintessential leader. Watch out for Anderson Varejao and Mo Williams, they are the savvy vets Lebron sorely missed/needed during the Finals.
2. Miami Heat: Yes, those Miami Heat. Pat Riley did an outstanding job of reloading his roster this off-season, giving coach Eric Spolestra the depth he was looking for. Resigning Goran Dragic and bringing in free agents Gerald Green and Amare' Stoudamire will provide the scoring pop off the bench. D-Wade's knees are always an issue but drafting a young Justice Winslow out of Duke and having the rebounding/shot blocking monster in Hassan Whiteside helps immensely. Chris Bosh's return from blood clots in his lungs could make him an easy pick for comeback player of the year.
3. Indiana Pacers: The Pacers still managed to be a tough team to beat last season despite losing Paul George all year to a broken leg suffered during the infamous Team USA scrimmage. At one point, PG-13 was the most feared guard in the East, and he looks fantastic/recovered after dropping a hammering dunk on the Bulls during a pre-season game a week ago. The Pacers should be able to return to the top half of the conference under coach Frank Vogel, the gritty defense and hardened roster should carry them all season. The edition of scoring spark Monte Ellis will help as well. Look out for 6'11 rookie Miles Turner out of Texas, some are calling him a poor man's Kevin Durant.
4. Chicago Bulls: The Bulls made waves by letting defensive-guru head coach Tom Thibodeau go and bringing in the young offensive-guru Fred Hoiberg out of Iowa State. The former Bulls player, Hoiberg will have a very full plate this season and will have to deliver rather quickly. The alpha male of the team is now Jimmy Butler, the rest of the roster is extremely complicated but not short of talent. There are vets who could be rumored to go onto the trading block (Rose, Gibson & Noah) and young players who need more minutes (Snell, McDermott, Mirotic). Rookie pick Bobby Portis is considered to be the steal of the draft as well. The Bulls shouldn't have a problem making the playoffs but a complicated roster and possible team drama/rumors could be on the horizon in Chicago.
5. Milwaukee Bucks: Quietly this offseason, the Bucks came off as major winners. They were able to steal away C Greg Monroe from other aggressive suitors with bigger markets and now finally have anchor to hold down the paint. Getting Jabari Parker back and taking the pressure off 2015 surprise Khris Middleton will be huge for coach Jason Kidd. Oj Mayo, Michael Carter-Williams, Jon Henson and Miles Plumbee, all great roster pieces too. The guy to watch up in the "Good Land" though, is the Greek Freak, Giannis Antetokounmpo. Difficult pronunciation of his name aside, the 6'11 Greek Freak will play ALL 5 positions this season at just 20 years old. In a few seasons, the Bucks could be one of the top 10 teams in the league.
6. Atlanta Hawks: Losing Demarre Carroll will hurt a lot but this roster is controlled by Mike Budenholzer, a disciple of Popovich. This team may take a step back, but has the roster/coaching to remain relevant and return to the playoffs . The biggest win for this team was scoring a new ownership group. The Hawks have had terrible attendance, even with a recently successful team. Adding former GM Danny Ferry's racist emails about Luol Deng really didn't help too. Now that the new ownership group includes former NBA great Grant Hill and some flashy new jersey's visible from the moon, the Hawks are heading in the right franchise direction.
7. Boston Celtics: While coach Brad Stevens continues to impress in Boston as the next best young coach in the NBA, GM Danny Ainge is all over the place, as per his usual. The Celtics snuck into the playoffs with a nice young roster led by scoring spark-plug Isaiah Thomas. What's puzzling is that Boston has a nice group of young core players (Jared Sullinger, Marcus Smart, Kelly Olynyk) but Ainge went out and traded for veteran forward David Lee and picked up another veteran PF in Amir Johnson. These are decent moves but they take away minutes from the developing youth on the roster. Maybe Ainge has some roster tricks up his sleeve and will find a way to solidify the roster by dealing some of the treasure trove of future picks the Celtics have available. Despite slightly stunted growth and Ainge riddles aside, the Celtics will continue to slowly head upwards.
8. Toronto Raptors: The Raptors have a talented young roster, new editions Demarre Carroll, Bismack Biyombo and home-grown Canadian Anthony Bennett will certainly help a roster that had a couple glaring holes. Coach Dwayne Casey loves to push the intensity button so young stars Kyle Lowry and Demar Derozan can score in bundles. The growing pains for the Raptors could be tough but look for them to grab the last playoff spot because they play extremely well at home and have two bulldogs leading their back court.
2. Miami Heat: Yes, those Miami Heat. Pat Riley did an outstanding job of reloading his roster this off-season, giving coach Eric Spolestra the depth he was looking for. Resigning Goran Dragic and bringing in free agents Gerald Green and Amare' Stoudamire will provide the scoring pop off the bench. D-Wade's knees are always an issue but drafting a young Justice Winslow out of Duke and having the rebounding/shot blocking monster in Hassan Whiteside helps immensely. Chris Bosh's return from blood clots in his lungs could make him an easy pick for comeback player of the year.
3. Indiana Pacers: The Pacers still managed to be a tough team to beat last season despite losing Paul George all year to a broken leg suffered during the infamous Team USA scrimmage. At one point, PG-13 was the most feared guard in the East, and he looks fantastic/recovered after dropping a hammering dunk on the Bulls during a pre-season game a week ago. The Pacers should be able to return to the top half of the conference under coach Frank Vogel, the gritty defense and hardened roster should carry them all season. The edition of scoring spark Monte Ellis will help as well. Look out for 6'11 rookie Miles Turner out of Texas, some are calling him a poor man's Kevin Durant.
4. Chicago Bulls: The Bulls made waves by letting defensive-guru head coach Tom Thibodeau go and bringing in the young offensive-guru Fred Hoiberg out of Iowa State. The former Bulls player, Hoiberg will have a very full plate this season and will have to deliver rather quickly. The alpha male of the team is now Jimmy Butler, the rest of the roster is extremely complicated but not short of talent. There are vets who could be rumored to go onto the trading block (Rose, Gibson & Noah) and young players who need more minutes (Snell, McDermott, Mirotic). Rookie pick Bobby Portis is considered to be the steal of the draft as well. The Bulls shouldn't have a problem making the playoffs but a complicated roster and possible team drama/rumors could be on the horizon in Chicago.
5. Milwaukee Bucks: Quietly this offseason, the Bucks came off as major winners. They were able to steal away C Greg Monroe from other aggressive suitors with bigger markets and now finally have anchor to hold down the paint. Getting Jabari Parker back and taking the pressure off 2015 surprise Khris Middleton will be huge for coach Jason Kidd. Oj Mayo, Michael Carter-Williams, Jon Henson and Miles Plumbee, all great roster pieces too. The guy to watch up in the "Good Land" though, is the Greek Freak, Giannis Antetokounmpo. Difficult pronunciation of his name aside, the 6'11 Greek Freak will play ALL 5 positions this season at just 20 years old. In a few seasons, the Bucks could be one of the top 10 teams in the league.
6. Atlanta Hawks: Losing Demarre Carroll will hurt a lot but this roster is controlled by Mike Budenholzer, a disciple of Popovich. This team may take a step back, but has the roster/coaching to remain relevant and return to the playoffs . The biggest win for this team was scoring a new ownership group. The Hawks have had terrible attendance, even with a recently successful team. Adding former GM Danny Ferry's racist emails about Luol Deng really didn't help too. Now that the new ownership group includes former NBA great Grant Hill and some flashy new jersey's visible from the moon, the Hawks are heading in the right franchise direction.
7. Boston Celtics: While coach Brad Stevens continues to impress in Boston as the next best young coach in the NBA, GM Danny Ainge is all over the place, as per his usual. The Celtics snuck into the playoffs with a nice young roster led by scoring spark-plug Isaiah Thomas. What's puzzling is that Boston has a nice group of young core players (Jared Sullinger, Marcus Smart, Kelly Olynyk) but Ainge went out and traded for veteran forward David Lee and picked up another veteran PF in Amir Johnson. These are decent moves but they take away minutes from the developing youth on the roster. Maybe Ainge has some roster tricks up his sleeve and will find a way to solidify the roster by dealing some of the treasure trove of future picks the Celtics have available. Despite slightly stunted growth and Ainge riddles aside, the Celtics will continue to slowly head upwards.
8. Toronto Raptors: The Raptors have a talented young roster, new editions Demarre Carroll, Bismack Biyombo and home-grown Canadian Anthony Bennett will certainly help a roster that had a couple glaring holes. Coach Dwayne Casey loves to push the intensity button so young stars Kyle Lowry and Demar Derozan can score in bundles. The growing pains for the Raptors could be tough but look for them to grab the last playoff spot because they play extremely well at home and have two bulldogs leading their back court.
9. Detroit Pistons: Now that coach/team prez Stan Van Gundy has had an offseason to put together a plan, the Pistons will be on the rise. Parting ways with PF Josh Smith was very gutsy but turned out to be for the best. Many have criticized the Pistons for over-paying PG Reggie Jackson (5yr/80million) but paying your point guard is now an NBA-must. Young big men Andre Drummond and newly acquired Marcus Morris are great to have underneath, while rookie pick Stanley Johnson out of Arizona is looking very NBA-ready. The 2016-2017 Pistons could be a lot scarier.
10. Washington Wizards: O no, trouble in the nation's capitol! Coach Randy Whitman's days could be numbered after a disappointing performance in the 2015 playoffs. While PG John Wall and SG Bradley Beal are legitimate players with all-star caliber, the Wizards didn't do much to shore up a front-court plagued by foul trouble and injuries. The Wizards will fall far from their playoff appearance last season, their best bet is to find a new coach (Tom Thibodeau?) and trade away a couple players to position themselves in the draft. After drafting a talented Center, getting a decent coach and clearing cap space, the Wizards could be in the best position possible to go after D.C.'s prodigal son for '16-'17, Kevin Durant.
11. Charlotte Hornets: New editions Jeremy Lin and Nicolas Batum hardly move the needle, and after giving Michael Kidd-Gilchrist a big extension, he promptly torn his labrum and is out for the season. Coach Steve Clifford is the right man for the job but the Hornets can never seem to get their draft picks right under owner Michael Jordan. Frank Kaminsky is already looking a little slow to adjust to the NBA, when teams were chomping at the bit to trade up for him. Jordan must find a way to attract or acquire a superstar (Carmelo Anthony?) or else they will be doomed to the bottom of the east.
12. Brooklyn Nets: They talk a real big game over in Brooklyn but their roster simply isn't talented enough to compete for the foreseeable future. Paying C Brook Lopez was the right thing to do even though he has a rough injury history but that's about all that happened this offseason. The Nets gambled big a few seasons ago paying in future draft picks for Paul Pierce/Kevin Garnett/Joe Johnson. Now that those first two players are gone and Deron Williams is in Dallas, the Nets could move out of the hole they dug themselves into but it will take a couple more seasons to do so.
13. New York Knicks: The Knicks definitely shook up their roster and surprised all of New York by drafting Euro PF Kristaps Porzingus. The offseason editions of Robin Lopez and Aaron Afflolo are good moves, you even have to like the Porzingus pick along with Notre Dame PG Jerian Grant but the formers are simply band-aids and the ladders need time to develop. Carmelo Anthony has some massive contract expectations to live up to coming off a knee surgery that coach Derrick Fisher might not be able to handle. The rumors will again fly in New York, Team Prez Phil Jackson will have to battle the NY media all season. The Knicks could finish a little better than projected but things still need time in the big apple.
14. Orlando Magic: Not the right season for the Magic to make the leap into relevancy, although the right pieces could be there down the road. New head coach Scott Skiles has his work cut out for him, he has to continue the development of talents G Victor Oladipo and C Nikola Vucevic, while teaching even younger recent picks Elfrid Peyton, Aaron Gordon and Mario Hezonja. The Magic need time and direction, but Aaron Gordon (met him before, very nice dude) should provide a couple highlight reel dunks this year.
15. Philadelphia 76ers: Here's the problem with constantly tanking and acquiring draft assets through trades, you can get caught in a never-ending loop. The Sixers have spent the last three seasons now tanking and GM Sam Hinkie has produced little, if any, results. Top pick Joel Embiid is likely out this season after undergoing a 3rd foot surgery, and centers with bad feet never last long so that could be a wasted pick. Nerlens Noel and rookie C Kahlil Okafor are good anchors in the middle but the talent is almost void every where else. Hinkie's days could be numbered in Philly, the tank experiment was different/interesting but it's about time the 76ers get real.
10. Washington Wizards: O no, trouble in the nation's capitol! Coach Randy Whitman's days could be numbered after a disappointing performance in the 2015 playoffs. While PG John Wall and SG Bradley Beal are legitimate players with all-star caliber, the Wizards didn't do much to shore up a front-court plagued by foul trouble and injuries. The Wizards will fall far from their playoff appearance last season, their best bet is to find a new coach (Tom Thibodeau?) and trade away a couple players to position themselves in the draft. After drafting a talented Center, getting a decent coach and clearing cap space, the Wizards could be in the best position possible to go after D.C.'s prodigal son for '16-'17, Kevin Durant.
11. Charlotte Hornets: New editions Jeremy Lin and Nicolas Batum hardly move the needle, and after giving Michael Kidd-Gilchrist a big extension, he promptly torn his labrum and is out for the season. Coach Steve Clifford is the right man for the job but the Hornets can never seem to get their draft picks right under owner Michael Jordan. Frank Kaminsky is already looking a little slow to adjust to the NBA, when teams were chomping at the bit to trade up for him. Jordan must find a way to attract or acquire a superstar (Carmelo Anthony?) or else they will be doomed to the bottom of the east.
12. Brooklyn Nets: They talk a real big game over in Brooklyn but their roster simply isn't talented enough to compete for the foreseeable future. Paying C Brook Lopez was the right thing to do even though he has a rough injury history but that's about all that happened this offseason. The Nets gambled big a few seasons ago paying in future draft picks for Paul Pierce/Kevin Garnett/Joe Johnson. Now that those first two players are gone and Deron Williams is in Dallas, the Nets could move out of the hole they dug themselves into but it will take a couple more seasons to do so.
13. New York Knicks: The Knicks definitely shook up their roster and surprised all of New York by drafting Euro PF Kristaps Porzingus. The offseason editions of Robin Lopez and Aaron Afflolo are good moves, you even have to like the Porzingus pick along with Notre Dame PG Jerian Grant but the formers are simply band-aids and the ladders need time to develop. Carmelo Anthony has some massive contract expectations to live up to coming off a knee surgery that coach Derrick Fisher might not be able to handle. The rumors will again fly in New York, Team Prez Phil Jackson will have to battle the NY media all season. The Knicks could finish a little better than projected but things still need time in the big apple.
14. Orlando Magic: Not the right season for the Magic to make the leap into relevancy, although the right pieces could be there down the road. New head coach Scott Skiles has his work cut out for him, he has to continue the development of talents G Victor Oladipo and C Nikola Vucevic, while teaching even younger recent picks Elfrid Peyton, Aaron Gordon and Mario Hezonja. The Magic need time and direction, but Aaron Gordon (met him before, very nice dude) should provide a couple highlight reel dunks this year.
15. Philadelphia 76ers: Here's the problem with constantly tanking and acquiring draft assets through trades, you can get caught in a never-ending loop. The Sixers have spent the last three seasons now tanking and GM Sam Hinkie has produced little, if any, results. Top pick Joel Embiid is likely out this season after undergoing a 3rd foot surgery, and centers with bad feet never last long so that could be a wasted pick. Nerlens Noel and rookie C Kahlil Okafor are good anchors in the middle but the talent is almost void every where else. Hinkie's days could be numbered in Philly, the tank experiment was different/interesting but it's about time the 76ers get real.