Early Eastern Conference Predictions (Flame Away Wanted)

[Komodo]

Updated based on feedback.

Eastern Predictions:
Last year wins/team/predicted 15-16 wins

1. 53 Cleveland 65 (retained everyone, added Mo Will)
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2. 60 Atlanta 50 (lost Carroll, but still very talented)
3. 46 Washington 48 (lost Pierce, Seraphin, but added Dudley, Anderson, Neal)
4. 50 Chicago 48 (same team, frontcourt still loaded)
5. 37 Miami 48 (good starting 5, retained Dragic, Bosh+Whiteside, Whiteside/Wade/Deng playing for $$$, how good is Winslow?)
6. 41 Milwaukee 45 (added Monroe, Vasquez to young, long athletes)
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7. 49 Toronto 44 (have been a .500 team for a while + badly exposed in PO, added defense in Carroll, Joseph, Biyombo, lost Amir, Lou, Vasquez)
8. 38 Indiana 42 (tough one - regained George, lost West/Hibbert, gained Ellis, may go small more, young bigs should get mins)
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9. 40 Boston 39 (defense! Really like their defensive guards + front court depth)
10. 33 Charlotte 38 (not much depth, like Batum/MKG/Kemba, Kaminsky questionable pick)
11. 25 Orlando 37 (next Eastern team to make big leap, expect them to compete for 7-8 seed this year)
12. 32 Detroit 35 (lost Monroe but gained Ilyasova, Johnson, retained Jackson, Jennings injury hurts, expect a fight for 8)
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13. 38 Brooklyn 30 (on a serious decline, may trade JJ for poop)
14. 17 NY 26 (healthy Melo? Gained Lopez, Afflalo, but still poop)
15. 18 Philly 23 (Noel, Okafor, Grant, Embiid, Wroten.... Too young)

[BW32]

You think the 9th seed in the East is going to be above .500? Common man.

[queridiculo]

I still see the top three as Cleveland, Chicago and Atlanta.

After that I'd be inclined to give Washington the edge as fourth seed, but I could just as well see either Toronto or the Bucks at that spot.

That leaves 7 through 8, and out of that list I really don't see a team that's clearly distinguished itself so far.

It's going to be a battle between Boston, Orlando, Detroit, Miami and people are probably going to laugh, I think the Knicks have an outside shot if they remain healthy.

[nikster]

You think the 9th seed in the East is going to be above .500? Common man.

The East is now the strongest its been in several years. Which of those teams that he listed should not be .500?

[Hyperglide]

lol at Toronto being "a .500 team for a while." Last 2 years they've been 14 and 16 games over .500. Also they got a lot better. Losing Vasquez, Lou and Amir doesn't hurt at all. Lou is the reigning 6th man but he's old now, Vasquez is old and is a terribly inefficient PG and Amir's ankles are almost done. They added a great young backup PG and C for relatively cheap, and got the starting SF they've needed for a long time who is coming from a great playoff team. If they can get a decent starting PF via trade they are a top 4 seed still. Don't forget the Titantic Division still sucks.

[Duffman100]

Boston at 45 wins is...interesting.

[BlzMwt]

i see miami vying for 3-6 seed. Their starting 5 is strong

[SK21209]

Standings, not rankings:
1. CLE
2. CHI
3. MIA
4. TOR
5. ATL
6. WSH
7. MIL
8. IND

[yoyoboy]

1. Cavs - 62 wins
2. Hawks - 55 wins
3. Bulls - 52 wins
4. Wizards - 50 wins
5. Heat - 47 wins
6. Raptors - 47 wins
7. Bucks - 46 wins
8. Magic - 41 wins
___________________

9. Celtics - 40 wins
10. Pacers - 35 wins
11. Hornets - 34 wins
12. Knicks - 33 wins
13. Nets - 29 wins
14. Pistons - 28 wins
15. Sixers - 26 wins

[AussieCeltic]

Not bad.. I think Miami will be a lot better than you predict and Boston probably not as good. Other than that, I think Orlando is still a year or 2 off.

[snoopdogg88]

every year people pick the Sixers to be the worst in the East , and we never are.
there's always that one team that just completely goes in the toilet. Milwaukee in 2014 NYK in 2015

my prediction is Brooklyn this year after trading JJ or Deron

[mattao313]

Are the Pacers even that good?They don't even have a front court.

[ohio]

1. Heat - 62 wins
2. Hawks - 55 wins
3. Bulls - 52 wins
4. Wizards - 50 wins
5. Cavs - 47 wins
6. Raptors - 47 wins
7. Bucks - 46 wins
8. Magic - 41 wins
___________________

9. Celtics - 40 wins
10. Pacers - 35 wins
11. Hornets - 34 wins
12. Knicks - 33 wins
13. Nets - 29 wins
14. Pistons - 28 wins
15. Sixers - 26 wins

[Rafael122]

Am I in the minority when I say Atlanta doesn't win 50 games next season? The East as a whole got better, there aren't gimmes anymore.

[TDotsfinest97]

OP, your standings are too harsh even though it's early

I can easily see 6+ teams potentially winning 50 games

Cleveland, for obvious reasons
Hawks, they easily did it last season and I think they'll be contenders again next year.
Bulls, they did it this year, without injuries, they can easily win 55+
Raptors, won 48 and 49 wins last two years and are still playing in the worst division in the NBA and they got way better defensively, we're talking regular season wins not playoff wins.
Heat, if healthy and everything goes well, they can win around 50 also
Wizards/Pacers/Bucks, they have the talent available, Wizards have Wall/Beal/Porter and Pacers have PG/Hill/Ellis.
Both teams may lack frontcourt depth though. The Bucks will be a Top 3 defensively, they're still young

As for my very early predictions

1. Cleveland Cavaliers 66-16, they're in another dimension right now.
2. Atlanta Hawks 57-25, don't disrespect last year's first seed
3. Chicago Bulls 55-27, great team all-around, health can be the difference
4. Miami Heat 53-29, great starting five, can Whiteside keep up the good play? Can Wade and Bosh stay healthy? That is the difference between 37 and 53 wins.
5. Toronto Raptors 51-31 continuity, same core (Lowry,DeRozan,JV)they replaced defensive liabilities (Lou,Vasquez)with defensive minded players(Joseph,Carroll)
6. Milwaukee Bucks 48-34, great defense, great starting five, it's tough to see a team go from 41 to 50+ wins but I think the Bucks can make it happen, still got them at 48 wins
7. Washington Wizard 45-37 poor regular season team, great playoff team, not a matchup I want if I am the Hawks or any other playoff team
8. Indiana Pacers 43-39 front court depth is inexistant, PG at the 4 is intriguing, we'll see what happens...

[Hachmabash]

I would keep my eye on Milwaukee. They put on a impressive show vs Chicago in playoffs, and now are poised to take it one step further. With Parker coming back and Monroe playing insted of Zaza, they can take a big leap. I think they may even finish top 3.

[JWG324]

What a garbage prediction...

[yoyoboy]

1. Heat - 62 wins
2. Hawks - 55 wins
3. Bulls - 52 wins
4. Wizards - 50 wins
5. Cavs - 47 wins
6. Raptors - 47 wins
7. Bucks - 46 wins
8. Magic - 41 wins
___________________

9. Celtics - 40 wins
10. Pacers - 35 wins
11. Hornets - 34 wins
12. Knicks - 33 wins
13. Nets - 29 wins
14. Pistons - 28 wins
15. Sixers - 26 wins

Lol. I see what you did there.

[Macho]

Knicks will win more games than the Magic next season, I can guarantee that.

[Todd3]

4. Chicago 47 (same team, frontcourt still loaded)

Not same team. Went from top five coach to an unknown rookie. We all know who Hoiberg is but his ability to coach in the nba is unknown. They do still have the 2nd most talent in the conference ,but could go either way in the results department when you have a new rookie coach.

In terms of talent though, IMO after CLE and CHI at the top and PHI, NY at the bottom, I dont really see a lot of difference between the other 11 teams. Some like atl will be better just because of experience, while others like the magic wont be because of lack thereof, but when I compare a team like the Wiz to Cha for example I am not seeing much difference in talent.

So I probably put CLE and ATL at the top, PHI, NY at the bottom, and the rest could go any which way.

I will note this could be a rebuilding year for IND. I love the Ellis signing but a big part of their success was their veteran frontcourt, Not sure how that plays with no Hibbert as their defensive cleaner upper or West as that reliable pick and pop guy. They should still be in the mix though for the playoffs