This is the final division of the Eastern Conference, next will be Western Conference by division, culiminating with a "larger than the others" Blazers preview. There are also Eastern Conference  playoff and award predictions in this post.

http://www.blazersedge.com/2008/9/2/606260/eastern-conference-preview

Previous Central Division Preview Link

http://www.blazersedge.com/2008/9/4/607441/eastern-conference-preview

New Jersey Nets

Prediction: 22-60 do not make the playoffs

Depth Chart

The Nets have lost 3 of their top 4 players from last season.  Jason Kidd was traded to the Mavericks,  Richard Jefferson to the Bucks and Nenad Krstic went back to Europe.  The returns on these trades or losses were mixed, especially when you consider nothing was received for Krstic who had been averaging 16.5 ppg and 6.8 rpg two seasons ago while getting 33 minutes a game.  Yi Jianlian could end up being a good player, but Bobby Simmons hasn’t been healthy since his Clippers days.  Devin Harris is a nice player, but I don’t seem him getting any better.  This is the ideal situation for him though, he is essentially the second scoring option behind Vince Carter.

Something has to be said when a second unit can challenge the starters in a game.  It can be seen as considerable depth or as a glaring weakness.  The Nets second unit is good, but the starters are also very week.

Keyon Dooling has been a bit of journeyman despite only being 28, but he plays hard now, especially defensively and is fast and big (6’3” at least). Backing up THE Vince Carter is the rookie from Memphis, Chris Douglas-Roberts, who was picked at about the right spot in the draft.  Vince Carter is an enigma.  He is so flashy, yet doesn’t try or make his teammates better.  He can’t be traded to another bad team, and most teams would be skeptical to take him anyway.  He will continue to score his points though.

Jarvis Hayes is an excellent second fiddle to Bobby Simmons, and is really a Richard Jefferson clone.  I expect him to play a majority of minutes at the three, especially once Simmons is inevitably injured.

The front court is very young and poor right now.  This isn’t to say that in a couple years Brook Lopez and Yi Jainlian won’t be quality starters in the league, but right now that is saying too much.  Josh Boone is a solid bench player, and Sean Williams has a chance to be the poor man’s Tyson Chandler, which is also known as an average NBA player who can make great plays.  They also have Eduardo Najera, Stromile Swift and Ryan Anderson to shuffle through, so they have to get something from that position.

This team will struggle with defending and scoring, not a good combination.  The hope is that the young talent progresses by 2010 in time for the LeBron James or Dwayne Wade sweepstakes.

New York Knicks

Prediction: 28-54 do not make the playoffs

Depth Chart

The Knicks have a very dynamic lineup.  The starting five is a traditional half court set, with two low post players in Zach Randolph and Eddy Curry who can set up on either side (though both seem to like the right side so they can go to their left).  They have a spot up three point shooter with Quentin Richardson, a playmaker in Jamal Crawford and a distributing PG with Chris Duhon.  It sounds good, but half court teams also have to play defense, and there isn’t enough scoring with a half court team for Randolph, Curry and Crawford to all get their 20 points.  The bench is the complete opposite.  Nate Robinson pushes the ball relentlessly, like a street ball player.  He rarely looks to pass unless it is a guaranteed assist (e.g. alley oop).  Wilson Chandler should probably be a starter. He is big, and can handle the ball.  Danilo Gallinari is Knick’s first year coach Mike D’Antoni’s pick, so he will get minutes off the bench.  Jared Jeffries never has amounted to much, and will continue on that path, but David Lee is the consummate hustle player.

Mike D’Antoni will determine the fate of this team.  Utilizing the two post players seems to be the key.  Defensives cannot commit to double teaming two players, especially with three other players who can shoot well from the perimeter.  The bench will play D’Antoni’s style so he won’t have to make too many changes there, plus it will be a good change of pace from the half court game of the first unit.

This team will underachieve yet again, but after so many years of playing poorly, it will finally seem just about right to win 28 games.  Of course, when the three best scorers on the team have a history of injury, 28 games could seem an accomplishment.  The most interesting aspect of this team will be how the starting line-up changes from game to game.  The coaching staff will have to do a lot of “feeling it out” to determine the best line-up to go with.  Sooner or later, Coach D’Antoni has to realize that run ‘n’ gun can only get you so far, yet he is planning on shaping this team that way.  In the playoffs, every possession counts, but I guess the D’Antoni won’t have to worry about that for quite some time.

Toronto Raptors

Prediction: 41-41 6th Seed Playoffs

Depth Chart

Toronto lost their “starting” point guard in TJ Ford, but they gained Jermaine O’Neal and it gives Jose Calderon full reign in the starting position.  Ford and O’Neal have both been chronically injured the past few years, and in Toronto’s case, they gained their future point guard through subtraction and added a center who, 4 years ago, was an MVP candidate.   Health is the key word here, and if O’Neal can stay healthy this team could be the sleeper in the east. Calderon is a top five point guard.  He is literally the most efficient at taking care of the ball and putting players in scoring position.  He can also score if needed, but with two great post players and the underrated Anthony Parker, he shouldn’t need to average more than 13 ppg.  Jason Kapono will provide support at the 3 and 2 adding the best deep threat in the game.  Dude can shoot.  Starting at the small forward spot is Jamario Moon. He was a pleasant surprise last year, and should continue as an athletic stopper and an alley-ooptee.

Up front is where Toronto will do most of their damage.  Chris Bosh is a perennial all-star and will be an MVP candidate this year if Toronto can get to 48+ wins.  A lot of their success hinges on the O’Neal, Andrea Bargnani combo in the middle.  O’Neal will play about 30 minutes per game which gives Bargnani plenty of opportunities backing up both Bosh and O’Neal.  I still think Bargnani will be a good player despite his regression last year.  He isn’t a center.  When O’Neal needs a break, Bosh will move to the 5 and Bargnani will play the 4.  I can envision some combination of Bosh, Bargnani, O’Neal or Kris Humphries playing the 3 through 5 positions and creating mismatch problems.

One question mark is the backcourt of the bench.  Former Arizona guard Hassan Adams is very athletic, but isn’t an accomplished ball handler or outside shooter.  It remains to be seen if these tools can be added to his repertoire.  Backing up Calderon is a relative unknown in Roko Ukic, a Croatian National team player that didn’t instill any confidence that he can run a NBA team while playing in the Olympics.  Toronto best sign another point guard to solidify that position, which can be done because they currently only have 13 players signed.

Like a lot of other teams, it would seem the Raptors season is based on health.  Really, health only concerns one player, Jermaine O’Neal.  He can be the difference between a first round exit and a deep run into the playoffs.

Philadelphia 76ers     

Prediction: 42-40 5th Seed Playoffs

Depth Chart

The starting five for the Sixers are one of the best in the Eastern Conference. But it is the bench where they will struggle. Off of the bench, Louis Williams will be able to do the things he does best, score by taking on defenders.  Louis Williams is very Iverson like.  He is small but gets into the lane and fines ways to get it to the basket.   He has a great handle on the ball and can pass if needed, but he rather get the bucket himself.  Also like Iverson, he isn’t a great three-point shooter, but he is good enough to where the defense has to respect it, which allows him to get his defender off-balance so he can use his great speed and athleticism to get by and to the hoop.  He won’t have much help though, the other bench players are hustle guys, who are neither bad nor good, but there really isn’t a second unit, only rotation players who will fit alongside with some starters.

I have never liked Andre Igoudala’s game, but he sure gets numbers that back up the fact that I‘m wrong.  He has a Vince Carter-like game except with great defense.  He took more three pointers than he should last year, but as long as he doesn’t shoot more than four per game and gets to the free throw line, there isn’t much to complain about.  Because of the emergence of Thaddeus Young last year, Igoudala will mostly play SG.  Young looks to become a great SF.  He can shoot the three, but doesn’t much because he is so good at getting near the basket to receive the ball and can get easier shots.  He must improve his dribbling, but he has a Tayshaun Prince-type length, but with a stronger physique which could translate into a defensive stopper.

The big signing was Elton Brand.  He has been so consistent that injury is the only aspect that hasn’t been satisfactory.  I don’t think injury will be a concern this year, and so another 20 ppg and 10 rpg season should be in the books.  Both Reggie Evans and Donyell Marshall are a solid back ups and can spell Brand enough that we won’t be warn down when the postseason begins. Dalembert and Ratliff are the centers and will do the dirty work by keeping people out of the lane.  Brand is also a good shot blocker and the two will allow him to work off the ball more.  Both of these centers have had a lot of injuries so having them both should suffice.  Both these centers allow the wings to fly out because of blocks or rebounding. This will account for easy points.

The 76ers will be a much more dangerous team in the playoffs than the regular season because of their short bench. The starters will log longer minutes in the playoffs and the bench will be shortened.  This immediately makes the 76ers a better team   During the season, Coach Maurice Cheeks will play a dangerous game and prefer to rest his best players, hence the non-impressive regular season win total for the Sixers.

Boston Celtics

Prediction: 60-22 1st Seed Playoffs

Depth Chart

The NBA champions essentially lost PJ Brown, and James Posey.  Posey was overrated in the playoff run.  He was good, hit some big shots, but he wasn’t the guy that put them over the top.  This team has three future hall of famers!  They are all in their prime for at least one more season!  Their ability to play together is what won the title.  All three of them bought into it.  Kevin Garnett was the ring leader and I guarantee you his intensity level won’t fall in 2008-2009.

Let’s start with Garnett.  His numbers weren’t his usual 22+ ppg and 12 rpg this year, but again, he didn’t need those numbers.  Good defense isn’t always seen in the stats.  That is what Garnett brought,  not just individually, but he, and Doc Rivers, changed the entire team’s mentality.  Garnett will put up better numbers this year, but not drastically.  Leon Powe will be the primary back up and proved he can play more minutes effectively when he is given the chance. He is a better version of Jason Maxiell.  Garnett may be the leader of the team, but Paul Pierce is the hero.  Drama aside, he was the man in the playoffs and particularly the finals.  He showed that he can be a good defender and he was definitely clutch.  JR Giddens and the rookie from Kansas State, Bill Walker, will be the backups here and can provide scoring.

Ray Allen had a down year in that he didn’t shoot as well as in previous years.  Most nights though, he was the primary defender on the opposition’s best perimeter player.  That is what was most important to the team.  His shooting percentage will go back up, but he will play less minutes during the regular season. There are two young swingman that can back him up; Tony Allen will be back and can make a difference on defense, and 1st round pick Giddens can shoot, dribble and jump out of the gym.

Rajon Rondo turned into a good point guard last year, but he was exposed for his lack of outside shooting in the playoffs.  He isn’t THAT bad at shooting, he needs to improve his willingness to shoot. He did a great job setting up the offense and playing pressure, defense which helps the defense set up. Eddie House will back him up again.

The Celtics won’t put up as many regular season wins this year because the starters won’t play as many minutes, which is good for two reasons.  One being, they can rest their bodies and get ready for the playoffs, and two, it allows the young players to gain experience in time for the playoffs.  Giddens, Tony Allen and Walker can easily fill Posey’s shoes with court time.  Powe is already solid and Kendrick Perkins can continue to take up space in the middle and do the little things.

East MVP: LeBron James                   East Most Improved: Rodney Stuckey

East Defensive POY: Kevin Garnett   East ROY: Michael Beasley

East Playoff predictions:

1st round

1st seed Boston Celtics vs. 8th seed Miami Heat-Celtics win 4-1. 

The Celtics have too much depth for Miami to handle. Wade averages 30+ but rookie Michael Beasley is severally outplayed by KG

4th seed Orlando Magic vs. 5th seed Philadelphia 76ers- Sixers win 4-2

Not really an upset, Brand and his front line are able to contain Dwight Howard and bruise Rashard Lewis down low.  Andre Miller makes a living in the post against Jameer Nelson.

3rd seed Cleveland Cavaliers vs. 6th seed Toronto Raptors-Raptors win 4-3

LeBron does everything in his power but Jermaine O’Neal and Chris Bosh outscore the Cleveland big men by an average of 22 points per game.  Surprisingly,  the Raptors guard LeBron (6'8") with Hassan Adams (6'4") down the stretch which ends up being a great move.

2nd seed Detroit Pistons vs. 7th seed Washington Wizards-Detroit wins 4-3

The Wizards almost pull a huge upset, but Detroit seems to have some gas left after beginning the series 3-1 and allowing the Wiz back into it.  Stuckey is the hero of the series, doing a good job of containing Gilbert Arenas and attacking him on offense.

East Semi-Finals

1st seed Boston Celtics vs. 5th seed Philadelphia 76ers-Boston wins 4-2

Philly steals the first game, but Ratliff goes down injured after playing significant defense.  Dalembert fouls out 2 of last 4 games and is plagued by foul trouble the whole series.  Ray Allen is lights out from the outside as Young and Igoudala go cold.

2nd seed Detroit Pistons vs. 6th seed Toronto Raptors-Raptors win 4-2

Calderon lobs the Pistons to death, throwing alley-oops to O’Neal, Bosh and Moon.  The Raptors, down 2-1, play small ball and sit O’Neal for much of the time, deciding to push the tempo.  Detroit cannot keep up…end of a pseudo contender.

East Finals

1st seed Boston Celtics vs. 6th seed Toronto Raptors-Boston wins 4-2

Boston, now rolling on all cylinders at home, win all their games in blowouts.  Jermaine O’Neal destroys the Celtics centers, but all other positions and the bench go to the Celtics.  They are back in the finals.