RealGM

There has been a ton of talk about the disparity between the Eastern conference and the Western Conference, and rightly so. The Eastern conference has two established powerhouses, and couple of good teams with an identity, and then a bunch of teams trying to find themselves. I think however that the balance of power is moving towards equilibrium, especially considering that two perennial Eastern powers now find themselves in the top two of this up coming draft.

Charlotte will find an identity under new couch Larry Brown, and they have the pieces to really make a push for the playoffs next year.

Philadelphia is leaking athleticism from their pores and has the most cap room to land a real impact player this summer. If they do and then continue to build on their second half, they are a serious threat and not to be taken lightly.

Toronto is looking to make the leap from dark horse to power house, and could do it. They have some pieces to trade and another year of development from Barganini may work wonders.

Atlanta is another team looking to build on past success, and with Josh Smith really breaking out and Bibby paying off, they could take the next step next year. There is a lot of turmoil in that front office so nothing is certain, but they do seem to have the pieces with Hortford and Smith to make an impact.

Miami has a tandem of Wade and Marion that is as good as there is. Add in the 2cd pick and the future is bright. They certainly have some holes to fill but I would not be surprised to see them back in the playoffs next year.

Chicago has the first pick to build around a core of Deng and Tyrus Thomas, so they to have a bright future. They will be in the hunt again next year though I tend to doubt them breaking back in just yet.

All in all this conference is getting a needed shot in the arm. It is still to early to really tell for sure what next season will look like, but if I am Otis I am working hard to improve this team. I honestly look forward to the competition and think that we will see our boyz with the 2cd seed next year, and in the finals.

I am the most concerned with Atlanta and Miami. Atlanta really seemed to put it together once they got a decent PG. Atleast they dont have a pick this year. Miami has a very bright future too. And Charlotte has a lot of talent, they just needed a good coach.

I wouldn't be surprised if three teams from the Southeast division make the playoffs next year.

How many years in a row I been hearing about the East is rising.

That said I do expect the East to improve. However the West may be even better next year. I think Phili with all there cap space will be even better. I think Miami has a shot to get right back among the elite with this pick. If they get something really good in a trade of the pick they could be even better faster.

I'm not really sure what direction Chicago is going in. If they take Rose they may be going in rebuild mold. Rose may be 2 or 3 years before he a truly impact player.

Yes we have all been told this many times in the past, but this year i actually believe it. The East wont be phenomonally better than they were this year, but give it a year or two and it has the potential to be very powerful. Phili and Atl already has most of its set pieces, they just need to build on it. It wont take Miami long to get good with Wade Marion and this years draft pick. Charlotte, I think at least, has young talent just waiting to explode. If Larry can develope them and keep them healthy watch out for them. Shoot, I can even see NJ being a threat, if they can make a good trade, and hold onto Harris. The East has the potential to be a monster, its all on management now to make sure they dont royaly screw their teams.

Oh but New York is just screwed.

I think a good gauge of determining the strength of a team is finding the true 1st options, or franchise players, that are out there. Boston has Garnett and Pierce, Detroit has Billups, Orlando has Howard, Cleveland has LBJ, Toronto has Bosh, Washington has Arenas, and Miami has Wade. Then you consider that Miami and Chicago very well may be adding a franchise player each and it just seems ridiculous. Plus there are fast risers that may jump in that elite class as early as next year like Josh Smith, Al Hortford, Calderon, Butler, and Okafor. Personally I like the competition and really look forward to seeing how these guys and teams all progress. This summer is huge for the Magic in that we have a good thing in place with only a few tweaks needed and we could be right back in the thick of things. Otis will really impress me if he can have the sense to keep things simple yet productive.

Milwaukee is also an improving team. I like the roster that is starting to be built.

drsd wrote:Milwaukee is also an improving team. I like the roster that is starting to be built.

They just need to find a way to move Redd. I think that he is a 2cd option type player, not a franchise changer, and the same goes for Bogut. I think that Bogut is a great piece to add a franchise type to. They should try and trade Redd and their pick for a star, maybe for someone like B. Davis. Carmelo would do wonders for them.

I was reading this blog about the Bucks (the author does a lot of advanced metrics stuff that relates to the general NBA) and we was saying that with the addition of Skiles the Bucks defense can be expected to improve enough to catapult them into the 50 wins realm. That seems a little high (ok, way high) but it is a good point, Skiles can be expected to have a big impact there.

Milwaukee is improving? Ppl have been saying that every year.. cause they got injured a lot, well now they werent and they sucked.. but yeah if they can get good value out of Redd MAYBE

eyriq wrote:There has been a ton of talk about the disparity between the Eastern conference and the Western Conference, and rightly so. The Eastern conference has two established powerhouses, and couple of good teams with an identity, and then a bunch of teams trying to find themselves. I think however that the balance of power is moving towards equilibrium, especially considering that two perennial Eastern powers now find themselves in the top two of this up coming draft.

Charlotte will find an identity under new couch Larry Brown, and they have the pieces to really make a push for the playoffs next year.

Philadelphia is leaking athleticism from their pores and has the most cap room to land a real impact player this summer. If they do and then continue to build on their second half, they are a serious threat and not to be taken lightly.

Toronto is looking to make the leap from dark horse to power house, and could do it. They have some pieces to trade and another year of development from Barganini may work wonders.

Atlanta is another team looking to build on past success, and with Josh Smith really breaking out and Bibby paying off, they could take the next step next year. There is a lot of turmoil in that front office so nothing is certain, but they do seem to have the pieces with Hortford and Smith to make an impact.

Miami has a tandem of Wade and Marion that is as good as there is. Add in the 2cd pick and the future is bright. They certainly have some holes to fill but I would not be surprised to see them back in the playoffs next year.

Chicago has the first pick to build around a core of Deng and Tyrus Thomas, so they to have a bright future. They will be in the hunt again next year though I tend to doubt them breaking back in just yet.

All in all this conference is getting a needed shot in the arm. It is still to early to really tell for sure what next season will look like, but if I am Otis I am working hard to improve this team. I honestly look forward to the competition and think that we will see our boyz with the 2cd seed next year, and in the finals.

i'd give NY some serious consideration. they have talent (which is arguable, but i think they're pretty solid) and a great coach and GM now. they're in a big position to make a big turn around next year.

i don't think there'll be a massive uprising in East talent, but this could definitely be the baby steps towards equilibrium. i'd like to see Brand come east and return to form.

This is why I think next year will be even harder for us to maintain the 3rd seed. East was just terrible besides the obvious top 4. Every one forgot about NJ. They are looking to shake things up as well even going after Melo.
This year we can be like Chicago of 07-08 or finally surpass the Pistons and get to the ECF.
And now Denton said in FL today that he doesnt think we will do much this summer because of Hedo's situation. Just what I didnt want to hear. we will see.

Magicalltheway wrote:This is why I think next year will be even harder for us to maintain the 3rd seed. East was just terrible besides the obvious top 4. Every one forgot about NJ. They are looking to shake things up as well even going after Melo.
This year we can be like Chicago of 07-08 or finally surpass the Pistons and get to the ECF.
And now Denton said in FL today that he doesnt think we will do much this summer because of Hedo's situation. Just what I didnt want to hear. we will see.

Please. Meet my friend optimism, he is a nice guy.

Chicago does not have a superstar, we do. Huge difference. Our guy is also one of the best players in the league and getting better. We have two guys that would be the 2cd options on almost any team in the league; that is over kill and makes us super deadly. Next year we will blow by Detroit and nip at Bostons heels, easily. This team is ridiculously talented and has only a few flaws, all of which can be addressed without making any huge changes. Settle in for the ride because this year was just the appetizer.

Right now the only 2 teams I fear going in to next season out of that list are Chicago and Atlanta. They have already established a core to build on and are capable of adding more pieces.

A lot of those teams have potential but they still have a lot more moves to make to really become "scary".