Who will be the surprise team in the east this season?

[OvertimeNO]

Knicks, again? I could see them really pull it together if some of the younger guys step up.

And only if some of the dead weight on their roster is hurt for a long spell and/or shipped out.

[OvertimeNO]

The Pistons will be the surprise team in the east this season. The pistons have more than enough talent and they have have a competent coach that can lead them to the playoffs. SVG will turn Josh Smith into a play maker (like Turkoglu), he will surround Drummond with a bunch of shooters and he will bring Monroe off the bench who will be traded for a stretch 4 like a Jeff Green or maybe David West. I can see them winning anywhere between 42-48 games.

Smith at anything but PF has historically been a hilarious disaster. Smith as a point forward would be worse than starting Jennings.

[niQ]

My guess is the Charlotte Hornets.

[TdotRap4Lyfe]

I'm glad we don't have a ton of competition in our division atm.

[OvertimeNO]

I'll throw in a vote for the Pacers. I have a feeling about them.

[dTox]

Hornets are the Raptor's biggest threat for that 3rd spot, I think they would wipe the floor with the Wizards.

[sortpar]

I think the TWolves will hit a stride in the second half, and finish strong, but just out of a playoff spot

If they finish at any spot in the east, I'll be surprised.

[Mr.Raptorsingh]

I'd go with Charlotte.

[ThemCrookedRefs]

Detroit. Stan Van has never coached a NBA team with a losing record.

[Tofubeque]

I think the TWolves will hit a stride in the second half, and finish strong, but just out of a playoff spot

If they finish at any spot in the east, I'll be surprised.

Well Minny IS a candidate to move east when the Bucks are moved to Seattle. It could also be New Orleans though based on longitude

[sortpar]

I think the TWolves will hit a stride in the second half, and finish strong, but just out of a playoff spot

If they finish at any spot in the east, I'll be surprised.

Well Minny IS a candidate to move east when the Bucks are moved to Seattle. It could also be New Orleans though based on longitude

Good point Tofubeque, guess I thought we were only talking about the 2014/15 season.

[TheAlchemist]

Detroit.

I firmly believe that if it wasn't for Stan Van Gundy, Dwight wouldn't of achieved half of what he did in his career (NBA finals DPOY). Stan has truly helped Dwight reach his potential, and Drummond looks 10X more coach-able.

I think the Josh Smith/Monroe issue could be resolved very easily by setting rotations up. There's enough minutes to have Monroe man the 5 and Smith the 4 while Drummond is out. I don't think they will hardly play all of them together.

I also believe Jennings will have a revival this year, we're talking about a guy who did lead Milwaukee to the playoffs, albeit on some crappy %'s.

Still, they have that rookie and enough maneuvering to make this team a surprise dark horse. Might be like us last year too. Wouldn't be surprised to see Detroit at 6.

[OvertimeNO]

I also believe Jennings will have a revival this year, we're talking about a guy who did lead Milwaukee to the playoffs, albeit on some crappy %'s.

I took a look at Jennings' stats just to remind myself of his performance, and good god he's only (barely) finished over 40 FG% once in his career. Ouch.

[UnderdogRaptors]

Bobcats

[ishoy123]

I think a lot of teams are counting out the Heat. They still have two all-stars on their roster.

they aren't considered a surprise.

They're going to be surprisingly bad

[TDotsfinest97]

Detroit

[agentzero2010]

The Pistons will be the surprise team in the east this season. The pistons have more than enough talent and they have have a competent coach that can lead them to the playoffs. SVG will turn Josh Smith into a play maker (like Turkoglu), he will surround Drummond with a bunch of shooters and he will bring Monroe off the bench who will be traded for a stretch 4 like a Jeff Green or maybe David West. I can see them winning anywhere between 42-48 games.

Smith at anything but PF has historically been a hilarious disaster. Smith as a point forward would be worse than starting Jennings.

Well josh smith did average 4 assists twice in his career which means he's a good passer. Im not saying SVG should put the ball in his hands and let him run the offence but he could be a good passer at the high post area with his height and distribute the ball to the perimeter or to the paint. He's a really talented player with bad habits like taking 3 point shots (>30% with >2 shots per game), fade aways and taking games off defensively. I just think that he can be a really good player with the right coach.

[JN]

The Knicks have one starter that is not in the bottom third of the league. Awful tem ... 24-58

[agentzero2010]

I think a lot of teams are counting out the Heat. They still have two all-stars on their roster.

they aren't considered a surprise.

How so? Most people predict them to go 6-7th. I think that's low and see them as a top 4 team.

How are they a top 4 team? Wade's health is highly questionable and don't try to convince me that Lebron leaving the heat will all of a sudden make Wade healthy. The man has been to 4 straight finals and his body will only continue to deteriorate. He will likely miss 20+ games. So in those 20+ games, Bosh will be their "leader" and he has also been to 4 straight finals and has played 90+ games for the last 4 seasons. Im betting that he won't be able to return to his CB4 form and will probably average around 19/7/50% FG. LeBron was their leader in points, rebounds, assists and defensive anchor and they are asking two aging stars and Loul deng to replace that? I see them winning 44-47 games if Wade can play 65+ games and average at least 20/5/5. If Wade or Bosh both miss significant time, they could miss the playoffs entirely.

[tdotboyy]

Who wiki the this season?

the sixers