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It's never too early to be optimistic if you're a Philly sports fan. Below are my rough estimates for what the EC playoffs might look like next year. I'm really curious what everyone thinks considering the unexpected amount of activity in what was originally anticipated to be a quiet offseason.

The Contenders:
Boston - Defending champs, nuff said. If the big 3 stay healthy and Rondo and Perkins continue to improve, anything they get out of their bench (w/ or w/o Posey) is gravy

Detroit - Easily the most veteran team (in terms of chemistry) still makes the playoffs, but I expect them to look a lot more vulnerable next year, barring a suprise trade by Joe Dumars or Stuckey completely breaking out

Orlando - Some may scoff, but they are simply the best in their conference and in the East thats good enough. It's not that their big 3 are that much better than WAS, but who can honestly contain Dwight Howard and guard Lewis and Hedo from beyond the arc? Pietrus should help, but they still need a big man under 50 (sorry Adonal & Battie) to pair next to Superman

Philadelphia - Who didn't see this coming?? I'll try to be as unbiased as possible but I look at it like this. The Sixers main strengths were chemistry and team defense. Elton Brand only bolsters them. Their weaknesses were outside shooting, a go to scorer in the clutch, and inside scoring. 2 outta 3 ain't bad.

The Locks:

Cleveland -Just two years removed from the Finals and a strong showing last year, whats holding them back from the Finals? Unless they convert some of those expiring contracts into a legit second banana for 'Bron, I honestly don't think the Cavs can compete with the steadily improving East. Chicago and Brew town can't possibly be as bad next year, so their regular season schedule just got harder.

Toronto - Sorry Raps fans, but I'm not sold on Toronto being an elite team, yet. Grabbing JO was a great move, I wasn't sure you could get more for TJ and he sounds like he is really excited to be their. I'm curious to see how Jose handles full time duty and what (if anything) Bargs brings to the table.

Washington - To keep things moving, you maintained the status quo. Certainly not a bad thing, but with other teams improving through trades, free agency, and even the draft, I'm not sold

The Maybes

It's funny, in trying to fill my last spot I realized every team left at least has a shot. (Well ok, probably not the Nets)

MIA - D-Wade, Marion(or whoever he is traded for), Beasley could contend for the last spot, but this team is still missing a legit big man in the post
CHA - It's hard to count out a Larry Brown team and they could be this years ATL, but c'mon, it's the Bobcats
MIL - On paper, they're in the playoffs. Whether or not they want to mutiny Skiles by the All-Star break is the real lynchpin
IND - IMO, the Pacers showed flashes last season of being a high scoring team that could get out and run. I like where they're headed with a core of Granger, Rush, and Big Boy Roy, but its not enough.
CHI - They have the talent and potential to challenge for the conference, what's holding them back is having a coach with 0 experience on a team who gave up on the last one. Lots of question marks here
ATL - Hawks fans, I know you're all like WTF?, we took the champs to 7. So did everyone else basically. Just like WAS, you didn't get any better, and it sounds like Smoove basically hates Woodson, so you really need Horford to pull Dwight Howard if you wanna be playing in May
NY- D'Antoni alone gives you a shot, but you have too many guys that don't fit his system (or anyone else's for that matter)
NJ - You had a great draft but you can probably look forward to another one. The front line is young, Carter may be gone by Dec, and I still can't figure out who you're going to start at SF

That's all folks, sorry for the length but I felt this would save time by giving a little justification from each one, plus I got to piss off a few NY & NJ fans in the process.

As a starter, w/o TJ and Bosh, Jose kept the team at .500. I don't understand why people say things like, "I wonder how Jose will handle the permanent starting position?" To me, it seems like a wannabe analyst trying to justify why their team is better than another. And how does not getting the best possible player out of a trade have to do with our current roster? The fact of the matter is that the Raptors have one of the top 5 front courts in the NBA, which puts them on the same level as the sixers. Whether or not the Raptors are better is up for debate.

My concern is not for Calderon's skill level or talent, but even Chris Paul and Steve Nash can't play an entire NBA game at full speed. So unless you want me to believe Ukic is your legit backup then who's handling the ball when Jose is out. The beauty of having TJ and Jose was that they not only offset what the other did, but they were both starting quality guards. So in defense, (or defence to you) I guess really have questions about their depth in the back court. By strengthening one position and weakening another, as well as losing Garbo (don't think I forgot about that), I'm not sure how improved you are. I guess it all depends on which JO you get. If he's healthy you can easily challenge for a top 4 spot, but if you get the one of late, you're still looking at a first or second round exit. Also, he is a big body for sure, but you better pray you don't meet up with Orlando again because he's still not gonna stop Howard. Not saying anyone does but that's what bounced you last year so to make a good argument for being an elite team I want proof you can improve from last year. As for all of this "best frontcourts in the NBA" business, I concede you guys are definitely in the top 5 or 6, but is Jose/Bosh/JO better than the Big 3 of BOS, WAS, ORL, or the starting 5's of Detroit or Philly?

agentzerotoTO wrote:As a starter, w/o TJ and Bosh, Jose kept the team at .500. I don't understand why people say things like, "I wonder how Jose will handle the permanent starting position?" To me, it seems like a wannabe analyst trying to justify why their team is better than another. And how does not getting the best possible player out of a trade have to do with our current roster? The fact of the matter is that the Raptors have one of the top 5 front courts in the NBA, which puts them on the same level as the sixers. Whether or not the Raptors are better is up for debate.

I wonder how Jose handle it as well. Players aren't necessarily as productive over a full game, for a full season. Time will tell...it's certainly not an insult.

As to who the top five front courts are, we'll find that out during the season too. Some players don't mesh well together. My own opinion is that LA is number one, but who knows how the ball will be shared over the course of the season? There are only so many rebounds to get, as well. With each team it could come down to personalities/egos, roles, systems, who is playing for a contract, etc. ... none of which you see 'on paper'. A lot goes into chemistry, and at times we're all surprised.
I was just as surprised that the 6ers went on last year's late season run as I was when Toronto started feeling their oats with TJ at the helm. They banged around near .500 for awhile but once they got a few games over, they took off.

Many of us Are wanna-bes <raising hand>, but regardless, it's all good discussion.

Probably my longest post in two years...I'll shut up now

I'm not worried about making playoff predictions just yet, both TO and Philly added big pieces and im just looking forward to the regular season.

Well.... I believe the NBA changed its seeding procedure this offseason... so the division winners don't automatically become the top 3 seeds anymore. Therefore, here are my predictions:

1. Boston - The Big 3 is back, and they're still dominant on both ends of the floor... Losing Posey hurts (and I think Eddie House is gone too) but the Celts still have plenty of firepower to win the East outright again.

2. Sixers - Yes, the Sixers will have the second best record in the conference... This team will be hungry, determined, balanced and poised to make a serious run.... I'm looking at the starting 5 and wondering.... Who can score on us? I'm expecting a lot of 83-74 gutcheck wins.

3. Detroit - This is becoming team turmoil from everything I'm hearing.... Billups is good as gone. If he's not moved this summer, he'll be dealt by the trade deadline. Stuckey is the future PG and the future is now. Rasheed expires, the Pistons have a load of young talent on the bench... This is a team in transition. They'll still win 50 games this year, but IMO the Sixers will surpass the D this year.

4. Orlando - As much as I love Jameer personally, I'm not sold he's a starting caliber PG for a contending team. Also, Rashard Lewis is the most overpaid player in the L. Pietrus is a nice pickup, but Superman just can't win it all alone. Also, they still have no legitimate bigs to compliment Dwight Howard.

TIED 5th. Cleveland - The Lebrons will win close to 50 games again this year, but that will always be a one-man team. Boobie Gibson is fun to watch, and I expect a big year out of JJ Hickson (book it), but there aren't enough complimentary pieces to leapfrog the other heavyweights in the conference.

TIED 5th . Toronto - The Raps will be intriguing, and Calderon has some Nash flash in his game, but JO/Bosh are such similar pieces. Long, lanky lefties who need the ball. Not sure they'll necessarily mesh perfectly. No great wing players on the roster, either.

7. Washington - Whatever on the Wiz. It's the same team every year. Just good enough to solidy a playoff spot. Just bad enough to lose in the first round every season. Next.

8. Miami - It could easily be ATL or NJ here, but I think the Heat will be much improved. More moves are coming. Looks like the Matrix will be dealt for a center or PG, but either way, Wade should be healthy and rested this year and Beasely is going to have some huge nights on his way to ROY.

Here's what I think:

#1 Boston - This is a given. They are just so talented, and James Posey leaving is really not a big deal. Sure he helped, but do you really think that HE was the difference between getting the championship and spending the off-season wondering what could've been? No. But I digress. They will be the #1 seed, and I fully expect them to come out of the Eastern conference. The next spot is where the real fight begins.

#2 Detroit- Consider this their final hoorah. Assuming they make no trades or major moves (which if they do their seed might be reconsidered), they will have a starting lineup with the following ages: 32, 30, 28, 35, and 35. And while they do have a group of young guys getting ready to succeed them, I think we can all agree that they just are not going to sustain the Pistons 6ish years of 50 or more wins. As far as this year, expect a slightly more lethargic version of the Pistons from last year. Their win total will drop, but they'll still stay above 50.

#3 Philadelphia - Now seeds #2-#4 were incredibly difficult to pick out. The Pistons are the more experienced, more savvy team, so they'll get the 2nd spot. The Magic have a plethora of shooters to go along with Dwight Howard, but they lack a SG, natural PG, and a big man to pair with Howard. So, I give the second spot to the 76ers. When it comes down to it, they're just a better defensive team than the Magic (it's no coincidence I have the best 3 defenses in the conference at the top ). This team was already scaring the bejeezes out of the higher up teams, but now with Elton Brand and another year of maturation for this still very young and growing team, we are very legit. We could very easily get the #2 spot, and could also give Boston a run for their money. The future is bright.

#4 Orlando - Now I know the Orlando fans would probably have a fit at being ranked #4, but as I said, #2-#4 are very close. And also as I said before, this team has a ton of shooters, Dwight Howard, but lack a sufficient back court and a big man to go with Howard. Also, I don't like their defensive intensity. And as we so very well know, defense wins championships.

#5 Cleveland - When it comes to the Cavs, it really doesn't matter where they are seeded. The regular season is just a formality. Either way they will be a very dangerous team come playoff time. LeBron's supporting cast will probably do well to have a full season to mesh after the trade, but I still expect the same inconsistent, willed by LeBron Cavs that we've all come to know.

#6 Toronto - Ah. Our lovely friends from Canada. I like that they've decided what PG their going with, but this team still has too many soft players. Their bench is also paper thin. They have talent, but give me the impression of a team that can't put it together. Could very well prove me wrong with the new addition of Jermaine O'Neal, but he's a very injury prone guy.

#7 Washington - The Wizards and Toronto will be in a dogfight for #6, but I think it ultimately goes to Toronto. The Wizards have a lot of talent, Ill give them that. But they lack a true low post presence, not to mention Jamison is turning 36 soon. Love him, but he's getting old. Their defense is shaky. They do have a lot of scoring ability though, so this is another team that could prove me wrong.

#8 Miami - This is solely based on D-Wade coming back perfectly healthy. If he does, a combination of him, Shawn Marion, and Micheal Beasley will get them this #8 seed. Of course, in the playoffs, don't expect much. Or anything.

Hawks and Pacers will fall just short.

I pretty much agree with the predictions although (a) think that Detroit could slide to 5 or 6 (b) Raptors are the wild card and could either jump a few teams or be fighting for the eigth spot -- not convinced that JO and Bosh will gel and (c) the Hawks don't really need to make any changes as they are young enough (Bibby excluded) to see how much their core can improve.

I think what the list really shows is that there will be some good teams missing out in the East. A refreshing change from recent years where there were far too many also-rans making the grade.

Toronto's big problem isn't Calderon's experience, but the lack of a guy from the 1-3 spots whom they can rely on to create his own shot. Ford was the one guy on the team who fit the bill here. Now...Jamario Moon might be as close as they get.

This means that the Raptors have to hope that Bosh and O'Neal are successful enough in creating double-teams to free up their shooters. If they're not, and they might not be against teams with two good interior defenders, then the offense could bog down for stretches. And it's not as if their defense is going to win a lot of games for them.

I wouldn't be surprised if Philly and Cleveland each have a big offseason move left. Philly, because Miller's giving plenty of signs that he doesn't want to stay beyond '09, and Cleveland because they've got a ton of expiring contracts and a golden goose whom they're desperate to placate.

I wouldn't be surprised if Philly and Cleveland each have a big offseason move left. Philly, because Miller's giving plenty of signs that he doesn't want to stay beyond '09, and Cleveland because they've got a ton of expiring contracts and a golden goose whom they're desperate to placate.

Not to turn this into a "how do we trade Miller?" thread, but we should def look into a deal with Memphis. They have a threesome (lol) of capable PGs who could all start. And for them it'd just be a one year rental, which is all they want so they'll have their beloved cap space next offseason.

You guys know what a L.Brown team plays like. I'm surprised that the Cats aren't ahead of the Heat in your predictions.

For the first time in a while, quality teams in the East WON'T make the playoffs. In fact, you can make the argument that the East is deeper than the West. IMO 2 of: Miami, Chicago, and Atlanta will be on the outside looking in - and on paper, they're all really good teams.

My Picks:

1. Bos
2. Orl
3. Phi
4. Det
5. Tor
6. Cle
7. Was
8. Mia, Chi, Atl (My gut's telling me Atlanta)

cdel00 wrote:You guys know what a L.Brown team plays like. I'm surprised that the Cats aren't ahead of the Heat in your predictions.

The last two times he's taken over lottery teams (Here and New York) they didn't make the playoffs in his first year. He's good but not a miracle worker. Plus he's like 105.