Potential Contenders in the Eastern Conference Next Season

EscapoTHB · Post #21 » by **EscapoTHB** » Wed May 28, 2014 3:08 pm

define...contender. If by contender you mean, "can possibly win a championship" there's no one in the eastern conference that is good enough to beat Miami or whoever comes out of the West. These teams are all so poorly run it's ridiculous.

If you're just talking about the other team that will make the ECF next year...maybe Brooklyn or Chicago or the Pacers or the Raptors or the Wizards--they're all kind of on the same level.

RSCD3_ · Post #22 » by **RSCD3_** » Wed May 28, 2014 3:09 pm

There might not be any true contender but there will be a lot of pseudo-contenders

Teams that will probably improve if they keep their free agents

TOR
WAS
CHI
CHA
ATL

Rebuilding teams that could jump to the Postseason

CLE if they keep Irving and draft Embiid/Parker maybe wiggins.

DET if Stan the man gets Smith and Jennings minds right.

PHI If Noel and their new draft picks are much better than advertised. ( and they dont only have 5 nba players :lol:

)

NY was 37-45 after all the tomfoolery and if phil has his say, melo stays then knicks should make the playoffs

Brooklyn is a wildcard, I could see 30-52 or 52-30, so I wont even go there

It'll be a lot harder to get the 8th seed this year, and I suspect it will be harder to make an all star team as well

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TheAlchemist · Post #23 » by **TheAlchemist** » Wed May 28, 2014 3:09 pm

If Jonas learns from Hakeem and makes the transition to being a 20/10 centre, being the second/first option on our team, then we can challenge for a top spot.

That's a big, big, big IF.

Wizards will make a huge jump forward for sure.

And yes Chicago if Melo goes there (doubt it).

irie · Post #24 » by **irie** » Wed May 28, 2014 3:10 pm

Just Miami.

I know everyone is down on the Pacers right now, but if they shake things up a bit and maybe get a dynamic starting quality point guard they could be right there.

Shuttlesworth34 · Post #25 » by **Shuttlesworth34** » Wed May 28, 2014 3:10 pm

ZUDAMAGIC wrote:Bulls will be the best team in east next year. Miami can only get worse from here

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people have been picking the bulls to be better than the heat every year (except last year when rose didn't play at all) since the big 3 got together. They haven't come close to beating the heat yet, so I don't see any reason to put them above the Heat until they actually prove it.

Even if they were to bring in Melo, Rose is still a huge question mark. Guy has played like 15 games in the past 2 seasons.

NaturalBuns · Post #26 » by **NaturalBuns** » Wed May 28, 2014 3:18 pm

Off what OP said "contenders"
Heat
Pacers
Bulls

Wizards

That's it

TheGameChanger · Post #27 » by **TheGameChanger** » Wed May 28, 2014 3:18 pm

2 Questions

Wiz fans whats the Deal with Otto Porter?
How Much cap space does Atlanta Have if Any?

Chuck Everett · Post #28 » by **Chuck Everett** » Wed May 28, 2014 3:31 pm

Besides Miami?

ZERO!

Hoopz Afrik · Post #29 » by **Hoopz Afrik** » Wed May 28, 2014 3:47 pm

ZUDAMAGIC wrote:Bulls will be the best team in east next year. Miami can only get worse from here

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Oh really, lol....The Bulls....not the Pacers, Wizards, Raptors, etc....but the Bulls.....must be the Derrick Rose factor, huh. :roll:

Tetlak · Post #30 » by **Tetlak** » Wed May 28, 2014 3:54 pm

Shuttlesworth34 wrote:
ZUDAMAGIC wrote:Bulls will be the best team in east next year. Miami can only get worse from here

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people have been picking the bulls to be better than the heat every year (except last year when rose didn't play at all) since the big 3 got together. They haven't come close to beating the heat yet, so I don't see any reason to put them above the Heat until they actually prove it.

Even if they were to bring in Melo, Rose is still a huge question mark. Guy has played like 15 games in the past 2 seasons.

During the season that Rose tore his ACL, they did in fact look like they were better than the Heat. Rose was a significantly better player than in his MVP year and the advanced stats of the team were downright awesome.

Troubadour · Post #31 » by **Troubadour** » Wed May 28, 2014 4:00 pm

TheGameChanger wrote:2 Questions

Wiz fans whats the Deal with Otto Porter?
How Much cap space does Atlanta Have if Any?

Don't know anything about Porter other than he never plays

Atlanta has a lot of flexibility.

dice · Post #32 » by **dice** » Wed May 28, 2014 4:22 pm

Shuttlesworth34 wrote:
ZUDAMAGIC wrote:Bulls will be the best team in east next year. Miami can only get worse from here

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people have been picking the bulls to be better than the heat every year (except last year when rose didn't play at all) since the big 3 got together

no they haven't. the bulls were not expected to compete with the heat in the first year of the big 3. and yet they did. the heat were still considered favorites after the bulls had the best regular season record. it was only after the bulls waxed the heat in game 1 of the ECF that people briefly jumped on the bandwagon

the last three seasons the bulls entered the season expecting to be able to COMPETE with the heat. they were never considered the favorites. the same will be true entering next season. the heat will be considered favorites for the fifth consecutive year

trimming the roster to add melo would not help the bulls compete with the heat next season. it would add offense at the expense of depth and defense

NekiEcko · Post #33 » by **NekiEcko** » Wed May 28, 2014 4:24 pm

TheGameChanger wrote:2 Questions

How Much cap space does Atlanta Have if Any?

We got alot of flexibility right now and enough cap space to make some noise if Hawks want. I think it wont be any big changes in ATL unless something good comes up.

TheGameChanger · Post #34 » by **TheGameChanger** » Wed May 28, 2014 4:26 pm

NekiEcko wrote:
TheGameChanger wrote:2 Questions

How Much cap space does Atlanta Have if Any?

We got alot of flexibility right now and enough cap space to make some noise if Hawks want. I think it wont be any big changes in ATL unless something good comes up.

Someone like Deng or Ariza could help

LofJ · Post #35 » by **LofJ** » Wed May 28, 2014 4:28 pm

It would be awesome to see some team other than the Heat coming out of the East, but barring an injury to the Big 3 or one of them leaving in free agency I don't see it happening. Based on cap space, age of players, and incoming draft picks here's how I see things playing out with the seedings next year:

1) Heat (if big 3 opt out and sign lesser deals they will continue to dominate)
2) Wizards (max cap space, but need to resign Gortat and/or Ariza)
3) Pacers (could possibly lose Stephenson, no 1st round pick)
4) Bulls (have cap flexibility for first time in a while, also two 1st round picks)
5) Hornets (no big free agents to resign, max cap space, and lottery pick)
6) Raptors (good cap flexibility but will need it to resign Lowry/Patterson/Vazquez)
7) Hawks (cap room to sign good player and a decent 1st round pick)
8) Cavaliers (max cap space and #1 pick, bad team culture knocks them down though)

pipfan · Post #36 » by **pipfan** » Wed May 28, 2014 4:42 pm

As for the Bulls-I think we were the 2012 favorites-or at least co-favorites

Next year, obviously Rose has to come back to at least All Star Level

We have to be one of the favorites to get Melo, and a Sign and Trade seems possible.

Don't discount how losing Boozer will help us-he KILLS our team. Mirotic/Taj will be a nice upgrade

Rose/Butler/Melo/Taj/Noah, with any bench, would be the favorites to me

steamed hams · Post #37 » by **steamed hams** » Wed May 28, 2014 4:44 pm

Nobody will be a contender except the Heat.

Hans Embiid · Post #38 » by **Hans Embiid** » Wed May 28, 2014 5:30 pm

Rose better man up and Melo Comes to CHI town.

Nobody wants to see those 90 PPG Team again. :crazy:

TheSunGod · Post #39 » by **TheSunGod** » Wed May 28, 2014 6:09 pm

Aside from Miami (and Indiana), I'm expecting the Wizards and the Raptors to make more of a push.

Saintsteven · Post #40 » by **Saintsteven** » Wed May 28, 2014 6:19 pm

dice wrote:
Shuttlesworth34 wrote:
ZUDAMAGIC wrote:Bulls will be the best team in east next year. Miami can only get worse from here

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people have been picking the bulls to be better than the heat every year (except last year when rose didn't play at all) since the big 3 got together

no they haven't. the bulls were not expected to compete with the heat in the first year of the big 3. and yet they did. the heat were still considered favorites after the bulls had the best regular season record. it was only after the bulls waxed the heat in game 1 of the ECF that people briefly jumped on the bandwagon

the last three seasons the bulls entered the season expecting to be able to COMPETE with the heat. they were never considered the favorites. the same will be true entering next season. the heat will be considered favorites for the fifth consecutive year

trimming the roster to add melo would not help the bulls compete with the heat next season. it would add offense at the expense of depth and defense

Depth? What depth did the Bulls exhibit this season with that thin 7-8 man rotation that Thibs ran for nearly the whole season? And defense really needs to be preserved even when it's clear as day this all defense, high school offense approach comes crashing down to earth when the team can barely score over 75 points a game.

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