Predicting the Eastern Conference Rankings: 2015-2016 Edition

[Rafael122]

Thought I'd start this while we're in t he middle of free agency. Reminder, NBA did away with the divisional winners getting a top 4 seed.

1. Cleveland - East champs, they are the favorites until they get dethroned. Injuries would be the only thing that stops them.
2. Chicago - there are still injury questions with this team. It's possible they might drop down a peg, rookie head coach, new system, etc. I rank them 2nd, but it's not a lock for me.
3. Miami - barring injury and a returning Wade, I don't see how this team aren't SE Division champs.
4. Milwaukee - legitimate 50 win team if everything comes together. Deep, solid foundation, solid coach. They are my darkhorse. I might put them at 3 at the end of the day.
5. Washington - they're gonna take a step back, it's calculated but they're still a playoff team. I think if we got a legit stretch four and a scorer off the bench, I may switch them up w/Miami.
6. Toronto - still not sure about this team. If they get Mathews then I'd probably put the Wiz at 6, and move Toronto up. As the team stands now, they're a 5 game losing streak away from firing their coach and that's when things may fall off the rails.
7. Atlanta - I don't see this team surprising anyone. They are a mix of the 8th seed from a year ago and the 60 win team from this past season. So I'll go in the middle and say a 48 win team, which might have been good enough for a 3rd or 4th seed in the past, but with everyone else improving it's good enough for 7th.
8. Boston/Detroit/Indiana/Brooklyn - Brooklyn has every incentive not to tank because they owe their pick to Boston. Boston is one of those treadmill teams, they just handed $70 million in contracts to Jerebko, Crowder, and Amir Johnson. IDK, they are a weird team to peg. If Indiana keeps Hibbert, I could see them pushing for that 8th spot and Detroit improved down the stretch.

I don't see the Wiz being worse than 6th. Even if they make key improvements, it may not be enough to move into the top half of the conference.

[long suffrin' boulez fan]

Indiana with Ellis and a healthy George is gonna be tough.

Could definitely see the Wiz in the 7-9 range.

[thricethefun]

Milwaukee will be decent but don't see them being much more than a 45 win team. They still don't have that star power though it might come in a few years with Jabari. Bulls will take a step back imo. Their front court is getting old and Butler and Rose don't have great chemistry together. The only teams i see being better than us are Cleveland and maybe atlanta.

[J-Ves]

It certainly looks like the Wiz will be taking a step back, but its still too early in free agency to forecast the EC standings. The East should be better than last year, but chances are most posters will overate the conference as they do every year. As long as Wall is reasonably healthy next year I would think they would do no worse than 6th seed.

[hands11]

And as last year. Gotta wait to see the roster. Then I will step up an tell you how they rank again.

[nuposse04]

will rank when the roster is finalized but I think CLE-ATL will be 1-2 regardless of what happens. I understand the MIA love, but I figure Wade won't be better this season, might actually decline more. Luol Deng isn't getting better and I view Winslow as a tad overrated. MIA can beat out the rest of the field however based on how Bosh is. I hope he completely heals. Still surprised he had to deal with that scare :/

Don't quite get the MIL love either unless they are playing small ball with Monroe at center. Don't care for MCW or Parker, but I figure they should gel toward seasons end. I'd say 5-6 seed is still reasonable for the Wiz, but I think some smart signings could mask Pierce's departure.... but I wont hold my breath...

[LyricalRico]

Indiana with Ellis and a healthy George is gonna be tough.

Could definitely see the Wiz in the 7-9 range.

But no David West and not the greatest of depth. I dont see them as better than the Wiz.

[Sluggerface]

Thought I'd start this while we're in t he middle of free agency. Reminder, NBA did away with the divisional winners getting a top 4 seed.

1. Cleveland - East champs, they are the favorites until they get dethroned. Injuries would be the only thing that stops them.
2. Chicago - there are still injury questions with this team. It's possible they might drop down a peg, rookie head coach, new system, etc. I rank them 2nd, but it's not a lock for me.
3. Miami - barring injury and a returning Wade, I don't see how this team aren't SE Division champs.
4. Milwaukee - legitimate 50 win team if everything comes together. Deep, solid foundation, solid coach. They are my darkhorse. I might put them at 3 at the end of the day.
5. Washington - they're gonna take a step back, it's calculated but they're still a playoff team. I think if we got a legit stretch four and a scorer off the bench, I may switch them up w/Miami.
6. Toronto - still not sure about this team. If they get Mathews then I'd probably put the Wiz at 6, and move Toronto up. As the team stands now, they're a 5 game losing streak away from firing their coach and that's when things may fall off the rails.
7. Atlanta - I don't see this team surprising anyone. They are a mix of the 8th seed from a year ago and the 60 win team from this past season. So I'll go in the middle and say a 48 win team, which might have been good enough for a 3rd or 4th seed in the past, but with everyone else improving it's good enough for 7th.
8. Boston/Detroit/Indiana/Brooklyn - Brooklyn has every incentive not to tank because they owe their pick to Boston. Boston is one of those treadmill teams, they just handed $70 million in contracts to Jerebko, Crowder, and Amir Johnson. IDK, they are a weird team to peg. If Indiana keeps Hibbert, I could see them pushing for that 8th spot and Detroit improved down the stretch.

I don't see the Wiz being worse than 6th. Even if they make key improvements, it may not be enough to move into the top half of the conference.

Milwaukee isn't a 50 win team. They have ONE reputable shooter in that starting five in Middleton. MCW and Giannis aren't even serviceable. MCW is just plain trash in general. Jabari is still an unknown at this point and is probably a year or two away. If this team can land Ty Lawson, maybe.

Atlanta isn't going to fall that far either. and there sure as hell isn't going to be a 48 win seventh seed in the east.

[mhd]

I think the Bulls are in for a steep decline. That team is entirely dependent on Jimmy Butler. All of their key cogs in their rotation are aging except him (Gasol, Noah, Dunleavy, and to a lesser extent Gibson). They need Miritic to make a huge leap, but one of their bigs will be unhappy.

[TGW]

The Wizards are going to move down to 6-8 range. Not impressed with this offseason at all, and I don't see any real reason why Durant would want to come here over his current situation.

[No-Man]

I will give it a try,

Cleveland, easily +60 wins, by far the best roster in the game
Atlanta, I think they will regress but still be rock solid
Washington, added much needed depth, Beal should have his best year, Nenê is facing a contract year
Toronto, division champs, will be a defensive monster
Chicago, I dont like the roster, but they got the talent
Miami, just dont trust Wade at all, they lack depth and shooting
Milwaukee, they should be solid, their PGs stink, but they are deep, talented, and big, good coaching helps
Indiana, they need another big, but they are deep on the perimeter and could be really good offensively
Charlotte, added wing talent, Batum will be healthy+contract year, and shooting
New York, solid signings and a top2 player in the conference been healthy with something to prove, not deep enough to make it
Boston, good rotation, solid role players, they lack interior D, even though Amir should help, shooting and star power
Detroit, they have a nice young team but many low-IQ guys, lack shooting and depth overall and experience
Orlando, Skiles should make them semicompetitive (30W or so), athletic, young, unexperienced and thin rotation inside though
Brooklyn, there is always a team that implodes, my bet is the Nets, they have talent and added young legs, but JJ is regressing badly and Deron is cooked, they are an injury away of injury waiting to happen BLopez of struggling to score 90ppg
Philadelphia, they have a great future and they play hard, but the roster hardly makes sense, they could surprise people though, and they have never finished last so far so I am sure another team will bomb out and fall all the way below them but for now this spot is theirs.

[dckingsfan]

Thought I'd start this while we're in t he middle of free agency. Reminder, NBA did away with the divisional winners getting a top 4 seed.

1. Cleveland - East champs, they are the favorites until they get dethroned. Injuries would be the only thing that stops them.
2. Chicago - there are still injury questions with this team. It's possible they might drop down a peg, rookie head coach, new system, etc. I rank them 2nd, but it's not a lock for me.
3. Miami - barring injury and a returning Wade, I don't see how this team aren't SE Division champs.
4. Milwaukee - legitimate 50 win team if everything comes together. Deep, solid foundation, solid coach. They are my darkhorse. I might put them at 3 at the end of the day.
5. Washington - they're gonna take a step back, it's calculated but they're still a playoff team. I think if we got a legit stretch four and a scorer off the bench, I may switch them up w/Miami.
6. Toronto - still not sure about this team. If they get Mathews then I'd probably put the Wiz at 6, and move Toronto up. As the team stands now, they're a 5 game losing streak away from firing their coach and that's when things may fall off the rails.
7. Atlanta - I don't see this team surprising anyone. They are a mix of the 8th seed from a year ago and the 60 win team from this past season. So I'll go in the middle and say a 48 win team, which might have been good enough for a 3rd or 4th seed in the past, but with everyone else improving it's good enough for 7th.
8. Boston/Detroit/Indiana/Brooklyn - Brooklyn has every incentive not to tank because they owe their pick to Boston. Boston is one of those treadmill teams, they just handed $70 million in contracts to Jerebko, Crowder, and Amir Johnson. IDK, they are a weird team to peg. If Indiana keeps Hibbert, I could see them pushing for that 8th spot and Detroit improved down the stretch.

I don't see the Wiz being worse than 6th. Even if they make key improvements, it may not be enough to move into the top half of the conference.

Milwaukee isn't a 50 win team. They have ONE reputable shooter in that starting five in Middleton. MCW and Giannis aren't even serviceable. MCW is just plain trash in general. Jabari is still an unknown at this point and is probably a year or two away. If this team can land Ty Lawson, maybe.

Atlanta isn't going to fall that far either. and there sure as hell isn't going to be a 48 win seventh seed in the east.

Milwaukee is a hard team to figure out - the 4th rated defense last year and 26th ranked offense. They have brought in a lot of pieces but I feel like they are looking to make a change.

PG: MCW, Vasquez, Bayless, Gutierrez, Ennis
SG: Middleton, Mayo, Vaughn
SF: GA, Inglis
PF: Parker, Henson, O'Bryant
C: Plumlee, Pachulia

My guess is that GA eventually becomes a PF. He rebounds, defends like a PF. That would allow them to move a combination of Parker, Henson or O'Bryant + one or two of their PGs for a couple of SFs. If they did add a SF that could shoot - they would be in a pretty good place. Either way, I would expect them to build off of their .500 record.

[daSwami]

Cleveland
Chicago
Atlanta
Miami
Indiana
Washington
Milwaukee
Toronto

[nate33]

After thinking about this for a while, I'm not particularly concerned that the East is getting stronger. Most teams have major flaws.

1. Cleveland. Easily the best team. It will be a cakewalk through the East.

2. Atlanta. They won't be as dominating as last year, but they're still good. They've essentially traded Carroll for Splitter, which is only a modest downgrade. And they've lost some of their bench depth. But overall, I still see 50-55 wins.

3. Miami. They're going to be good when healthy, but I predict a lot of injuries. I also don't think Whiteside will keep up his ridiculous top 5 PER once he moves to full time starter and is expected to play 30+ minutes a night. 50 wins, but somebody is hurt by playoff time and they're a non-factor in the postseason.

4. Washington. I'm optimistic. I felt that much of the postseason success in the 2013/14 season was due to veterans Gortat, Nene and Ariza. It made me skeptical of the sustainability of it all. This time around, the Wizards' success was due primarily to Wall, Beal and Porter (and Pierce). The young guys are ready to take over. If those youngsters were the 3rd best playoff team in the East, I see no reason why they shouldn't rank highly again. The improvement wasn't smoke and mirrors. It was our young players becoming stars, and Randy finally figuring out how to pace and space. There's no reason why it shouldn't be sustainable. I think 49-52 wins.

5. Milwaukee. At first, I really liked them, but the more that I think about it, the more I think they're going to suffer defensively with Parker and Monroe at the 4 and 5. In the short term, I think they're going to lose much of the defensive identity that they thrived on last season. They might put it together by the end of the season though. Kidd is a really good coach. They'll finish with 45-48 wins but become a scary team in the playoffs

6. Chicago. I've never been impressed with them and I'm still not. They're relying heavily on Noah, Gasol and Dunleavy all of whom are way in decline. The wheels could fall off easily. Also, without Thibs, I don't think they'll play the consistently intense defense throughout the regular season. They may be a better team in the playoffs though. 45 wins.

7. Toronto. They had a fluke run last year thanks to Kyle Lowry playing like Chris Paul for 2 months. Once that came to end, they fell apart. They won 8 out of 23 games down the stretch last year, before winning 4 of their last 5 against tanking teams. I like some of their offseason moves and I think they'll pay off in the long run from an asset accumulation standpoint, but I look at the team and see no above-average starters except Lowry and Derozan. 44 wins.

8. Boston... I guess. I'm not really sure who goes 8th. Indy has George back, but they're without the frontcourt that led them to so many wins in years past. I don't think George, Ellis and journeymen are going to be enough to get much above .500. Detroit deserves mention, as does Brooklyn and even New York. Frankly, I don't have a clue so I'm going to flip a coin and pick Boston. I think good coaching and good 3-point shooting is enough to scheme your way through the doldrums of the regular season. It'll be smoke and mirrors though. They'll get killed in the playoffs.

[Kanyewest]

After thinking about this for a while, I'm not particularly concerned that the East is getting stronger. Most teams have major flaws.

1. Cleveland. Easily the best team. It will be a cakewalk through the East.

2. Atlanta. They won't be as dominating as last year, but they're still good. They've essentially traded Carroll for Splitter, which is only a modest downgrade. And they've lost some of their bench depth. But overall, I still see 50-55 wins.

3. Miami. They're going to be good when healthy, but I predict a lot of injuries. I also don't think Whiteside will keep up his ridiculous top 5 PER once he moves to full time starter and is expected to play 30+ minutes a night. 50 wins, but somebody is hurt by playoff time and they're a non-factor in the postseason.

4. Washington. I'm optimistic. I felt that much of the postseason success in the 2013/14 season was due to veterans Gortat, Nene and Ariza. It made me skeptical of the sustainability of it all. This time around, the Wizards' success was due primarily to Wall, Beal and Porter (and Pierce). The young guys are ready to take over. If those youngsters were the 3rd best playoff team in the East, I see no reason why they shouldn't rank highly again. The improvement wasn't smoke and mirrors. It was our young players becoming stars, and Randy finally figuring out how to pace and space. There's no reason why it shouldn't be sustainable. I think 49-52 wins.

5. Milwaukee. At first, I really liked them, but the more that I think about it, the more I think they're going to suffer defensively with Parker and Monroe at the 4 and 5. In the short term, I think they're going to lose much of the defensive identity that they thrived on last season. They might put it together by the end of the season though. Kidd is a really good coach. They'll finish with 45-48 wins but become a scary team in the playoffs

6. Chicago. I've never been impressed with them and I'm still not. They're relying heavily on Noah, Gasol and Dunleavy all of whom are way in decline. The wheels could fall off easily. Also, without Thibs, I don't think they'll play the consistently intense defense throughout the regular season. They may be a better team in the playoffs though. 45 wins.

7. Toronto. They had a fluke run last year thanks to Kyle Lowry playing like Chris Paul for 2 months. Once that came to end, they fell apart. They won 8 out of 23 games down the stretch last year, before winning 4 of their last 5 against tanking teams. I like some of their offseason moves and I think they'll pay off in the long run from an asset accumulation standpoint, but I look at the team and see no above-average starters except Lowry and Derozan. 44 wins.

8. Boston... I guess. I'm not really sure who goes 8th. Indy has George back, but they're without the frontcourt that led them to so many wins in years past. I don't think George, Ellis and journeymen are going to be enough to get much above .500. Detroit deserves mention, as does Brooklyn and even New York. Frankly, I don't have a clue so I'm going to flip a coin and pick Boston. I think good coaching and good 3-point shooting is enough to scheme your way through the doldrums of the regular season. It'll be smoke and mirrors though. They'll get killed in the playoffs.

Good write-ups. Probably the most optimistic Wizards one I see here.

I'm not sure about the Raptors either, but you don't think that Carroll is an above average starter? If he isn't, that would be a big overpay by Toronto.

I feel like Miami will be a more dangerous team in the postseason than in the regular season, given there are no back to backs, provided that they are healthy. But yeah Cleavland is the heavy favorite unless injuries strike again. Here's hoping that Irving's leg injury isn't serious.

[closg00]

I think Chicago's new coach is going to do better with his current roster, I predict the Bulls will be back in the top-4 teams this year.

[Meliorus]

Why is Chicago always overrated literally everywhere. Derrick Rose's injury issues and shot selection ultimately hurt the team. Noah is looking old and Pau plays no defense.

[Higga]

1. Cleveland
2. Washington

That'll be your ECF. Not sure how the EC standings play out by regular season's end, but I don't care too much about it.

We'll be facing Cleveland in the conf. finals. Mark it down.

[TheKingOfVa360]

1. Cleveland Cavaliers
2. Washington Wizards
3. Chicago Bulls
4. Atlanta Hawks
5. Miami Heat
6. Milwaukee Bucks
7. Toronto Raptors
8. New York Knicks
--------------------------------
9. Detroit Pistons
10. Indiana Pacers
11. Boston Celtics
12. Orlando Magic
13. Charlotte Hornets
14. Brooklyn Nets
15. Philadelphia 76ers

[dobrojim]

Indiana with Ellis and a healthy George is gonna be tough.

Could definitely see the Wiz in the 7-9 range.

I don't see Ellis as a major difference maker. Indy is going to be in transition
after losing Hibbert and West.

Over on the GB, most posters have the Wiz somewhere between 3-6. A major point of contention
seems to be between Knick fans who think they are a playoff team and the everyone else who
thinks they'll probably still suck. Put me in the second category. Also predictions on TOR and ATL
are all over the place. I think TOR will regress somewhat and ATL will still be pretty darn good.
Lots of folks have MIA really high. I guess it'll mostly come down to how Bosh/Wade/Deng are doing obivously.

edit to add - MIL an interesting team but one that came from being the worst to an eastern conf
playoff team. I wouldn't be surprised if they regressed slightly. That has been known to happen
after such a major improvement the year before. Kidd has turned out to be a pretty
good coach it would seem though so maybe their upward trend continues.