1-Boston:I'll start off by saying that I think that KG's knee will not be a big issue but even with him out they have depth with Rasheed Wallace and Glen Davis. The only thing stopping this team from falling out of this spot is father time with most of their key guys being over 31.But I feel that they should hold up and if Garnett plays,they won't take any nights off and will try to prove that they are back to a few years ago.
2-Cavs:Nipping at Boston's heels will be Cleveland and they have retooled a little bit.It will be an ongoing thing to track Shaq's health and I don't think he'll be like he was last year(75 games!).Anthony Parker and Jamario Moon will help a very thin bench but the questions won't be here but in the playoffs...has Mo Williams stopped choking yet and will Lebron go 1 on 5 like he did last year?
3-Magic:Alot of people wondered how Orlando made it to the finals last year...well add Vince Carter and lose Hedo Turkoglu and we still have no idea how this will work out.There could be some slippage but they are still good enough to be here mainly because the other teams aren't as good talent wise. Here's a question..who will take the big shot with Hedo gone?..
4-Hawks:This team finally broke through the 1st round ceiling last year and there's no reason why that can't happen again. Hopefully Josh Smith grows up and moves in(jump shots that is) and adding Jamal Crawford will help Joe Johnson create something else on the perimeter.Speaking of Joe he has something to prove being in a contract year and passing on the offer that Atlanta gave him earlier. Something of note.
5-Wizards:Gilbert Gilbert Gilbert...I think he's back..but the season won't rest just on him this year.They added Mike Miller and Randy Foye to solidify the guard spots and I think that Andray Blatche is one of the most intriguing talents in the league being 6-11 and playing 3 positions well. The Jamison injury should set them back marginally but I feel that they will be just fine.
6-Raptors:Team euro as I see it. The dinos should have a bounce back year after injuries killed them last year. Chris Bosh is the best young power forward these days and pencil in a budding 20-10.The additions of Hedo Turkoglu,Jarrett Jack should increase the scoring on the outside and overall versatility.
7-Sixers:This team has the chance to sneak up the standings if the offense is learned quickly.They are one of the most athletic teams in the league and they added Jason Kaponoto a team who desperately needed outside shooting. The return of a legit big in Elton Brand should prove valuable if they want to do anything in the east and Marreese Speights is a guy who everyone raves about coming off the bench.
8-Bulls:This is the shock of the bunch to me. The baby Bulls coming off an super exciting series with the Celtics last year this time around as an 8 seed?....yes..they lost their best scorer in Ben Gordon and they regained Luol Deng. To me that is not a balance transition at all..the best Deng could do in his career was 19pts and Ben could do that in his sleep. A full year of John Salmons helps and the emergence of Joakim Noah will help too but still won't be enough. Heres something to note..the Bulls are painfully thin off of the bench. Kirk Hinrich, and Brad Miller are the main guys to know before you start turning to journeymen and rookies.
