NBA Eastern Conference Season Preview

(Overall Conference ratings in parentheses)

ATLANTIC DIVISION

1. (1) New Jersey - Things are looking good in New Jersey and expectations are higher than ever after a second straight Finals appearance last summer. Richard Jefferson and Kenyon Martin are both emerging stars and Jason Kidd should be as confident as ever after signing a contract extension. The addition of Alonzo Mourning certainly brings with it the question of how he will be able to fit in with the Nets' fast-paced transition game, but his defensive intensity and all-around skill appear to be a step up from the solid but unspectacular play of Jason Collins. No surprise here: The Nets are the clear favorites to represent the East in the Finals.

2. (4) Philadelphia - Glenn Robinson should provide more consistency at the small forward position and he will get plenty of solid, open looks with Allen Iverson's devastating ability to penetrate to the basket. The new coach, Randy Ayers, has been with the Sixers for a while now and if he can work well with Iverson, the Sixers may be able to make it past the Conference Semifinals. Any bench that has Aaron McKie gets my vote of confidence and the addition Marc Jackson will only help that.

3. (6) Orlando - Juwan Howard's arrival provides a much needed post presence, but this team is in desperate need of a decent center. Drew Gooden and Gordan Giricek should both have phenomenal sophomore years and they will need to as the Magic's continued success is largely contingent upon their respective developments. McGrady and his 30 points are a given and he seems very confident this year, but questions still remain as the Magic were only able to muster one win in eight preseason contests. If Grant Hill makes it back at a reasonable time during the season and is able to contribute consistently, the Magic may be too talented to ignore come playoff time.

4. (8) Washington - Believe it or not, I think this team is better without Michael Jordan. His aura was too much of a distraction for the younger players and the expectations that came with his presence were unrealistic and far too high to live up to. Enter Gilbert Arenas, last season's Most Improved Player. Arenas is a phenomenal athlete and should build on last years success, teaming with another deadly offensive weapon in Jerry Stackhouse to create a talented, unyielding duo. Kwame Brown will undoubtedly be a huge part of this team's success or failure. He will need to convert his flashes of brilliance into consistent, inside productivity if this team wants to improve. Larry Hughes had a good year last year; he has the potential to do even better. In the center-deprived East, Brendan Haywood and Christian Laettner should suffice. This will be more than just a fun team to watch - this will be a team in the midst of the playoff picture.

5. (9) Boston - I wasn't the biggest fan of Antoine Walker and his sporadic three-point theatrics, but without a second reliable offensive contributor I simply don't see this team going anywhere. Paul Pierce, with all his talent, just has too much of a burden to carry. Even the optimism surrounding Vin Baker and his new look will not be enough to help this team succeed as it did in recent years. Raef LaFrentz is a pretty talented player but he will not be enough to bring this team back to the Eastern Conference Semifinals (and maybe not even the playoffs). The Celtic organization took a serious step back this year and seems to have unnecessarily entered a significant transition period.

6. (10) New York - There are just too many unknowns here to rank these Knicks any higher. First and foremost is Antonio McDyess. Any success will be dependent on his productivity and it remains to be seen when he will return and how effective he can be in this system. Second, the departure of Latrell Spreewell left the erratic Keith Van Horn with big shoes; Van Horn must step up. With Clarence Weatherspoon and Kurt Thomas, the Knicks are starting an oversized small forward and an undersized center at the four and five positions respectively. The Howard Eisley / Charlie Ward combo is a little weak at point guard. Mike Sweetney could be a nice surprise but when McDyess comes back he will likely see little playing time. Outside of Allan Houston there aren't enough offensive weapons for New York to get out of the lower echelons of the Atlantic Division.

7. (14) Miami - The off-season addition of Lamar Odom gives the Heat a much needed third offensive weapon to complement Eddie Jones and Caron Butler. Dwyane Wade has received rave reviews from his teammates and scouts and should be a solid rookie contributor. Brian Grant can be depended on for a double-double every night and can bang down low with anyone in the East. The Heat are young and they will be searching for some chemistry for a while, but they have such a bright future and it is impossible to deny that even this year should see improvements in many areas. The loss of veteran coach Pat Riley came as a major shock to many, but Stan Van Gundy knows the ins and outs of the Miami system and things shouldn't change too much under his reigns.

CENTRAL DIVISION

1. (2) Detroit - Although everyone was baffled when Rick Carlisle was fired, replacement Larry Brown knows what he's doing and is as able as anyone to help get this team past the best in the East. Signing veteran Elden Campbell was a solid move aimed at giving Detroit an experienced inside banger who can put in good backup minutes. Chauncey Billups and Richard Hamilton are back and will need to once again spearhead this Pistons offense. Detroit may be putting a little too much faith in Tayshaun Prince and Mehmet Okur. The play of these two forwards will be interesting to watch as neither one has fully proven himself over the course of a full season - though both are clearly talented. Corliss Williamson and Chucky Atkins, two very solid backups, will have to pick up even more of the slack now that Jon Barry and Cliff Robinson are gone.

2. (3) New Orleans - This team is far too talented to ignore. There entire starting lineup from last year is intact and they have solid backups at every single position. Jamaal Magloire showed signs of being a reliable presence down low and this year may very well see him grow into one of the better centers in the East. Baron Davis is just so good at the point and, assuming he can avoid any serious injury problems, he may be ready to emerge as the consummate leader that this team needs to take them to the next level. Jamal Mashburn is one of the best all-around players in the NBA and assuming the Hornets can get him to play as well as last year, things are looking good in New Orleans. It appears that the new coach (unproven Tim Floyd) and his approach is the only real question mark on a team that otherwise seems poised to make a strong run in the playoffs.

3. (5) Indiana - Re-signing Jermaine O'Neal in the off-season was huge, but there are still some questions lingering as the Pacers head into 2003-2004. Does Reggie Miller still have another solid season left in him? Who will back him up at the shooting guard (a burning question)? Can Scot Pollard adequately replace All-Star Brad Miller? Will Ron Artest have another Rasheed Wallace-esque season plagued by bad behavior? These questions may very well be solved throughout the course of the season, but as of now they remain questions that are hampering the Pacers. Jonathan Bender, Austin Croshere and Al Harrington can all potentially contribute off the bench and Harrington especially showed that he can take over games (he scored 40 against Atlanta last year). Croshere didn't get that many minutes last year but who knows what will be with new Coach Rick Carlisle. Carlisle could be the stabilizing force in Indiana that will take this team to new heights, but there are a number of factors that could prevent such progress.

4. (7) Chicago - You never thought this would happen, right? Well, all of those terrible seasons at the bottom of the league appear to be over and the day has finally come when the lowly Chicago Bulls seem to be back on the right path - the path to the playoffs. All of the pieces just seem to be coming together this year despite the loss of starting point guard Jay Williams for the entire season. In his place is the talented and versatile Jamal Crawford, whose play simply exploded at the end of last season. The offensive ringleader Jalen Rose is back for what should be another productive all around year. Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry are the big men of the future in this league and started to show why during stretches of last year. Most importantly and most overlooked the Bulls made a move this off-season brought back Scottie Pippen. What Pippen lacks in youthful athleticism he makes up in veteran leadership and the ability to make others play better. Donyell Marshall and Kendall Gill will provide even more veteran leadership off the bench to lead the first post-Jordan Bulls playoff runs.

5. (11) Atlanta - On paper it's hard to see why this Hawks squad would be better than last year's team, but if some things fall into place they may be able to add a few more games to the win column. Glenn Robinson and his 20 points are gone and so are useful reserves Ira Newble and DerMarr Johnson. However, Robinson, despite his production, wasn't such a good fit chemistry-wise for this team, and his absence allow other players to step up to fill the void. Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Jason Terry will get more touches and score more points. Theo Ratliff can be counted on for 3 blocks a game. They're not spectacular, but in the East they might not have to be in order to fight for one of the last playoff spots.

6. (12) Cleveland - While everybody talks about high school star LeBron James they ignore the fact that the Cavs have improved in more areas than just the draft. Ricky Davis doesn't have too much to improve on - at least offensively - after a breakout season in which he led the team in scoring. Even if LeBron gets a lot of touches, Davis's 20 points per game shouldn't change much. Zydrunas Ilgauskas has proven that, when healthy, he can compete with some of the better centers in the league. My guess is that LeBron James should average about 15 points, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds a game. This team needs about a year to get things together before it is playoff-ready. And when that happens...watch out.

7. (13) Toronto - Morris Peterson, a player the Raptors desperately need to emerge as a legitimate scoring threat to go with Vince Carter, played five more minutes per game last season and his scoring average didn't change, his assists and steals went down, and his turnovers went up. Vince Carter may have looked good in the summer, but will that translate into a productive 82 game season, and is his offensive production enough to lead this team? Rookie Chris Bosh is something to be excited about for future years, but, on the whole, these Raptors are looking a little weak right now and it doesn't appear as if they will be able to put up much of a fight.

8. (15) Milwaukee - Glenn Robinson? Nope. Ray Allen? Nope. Sam Cassell? Nope. Not even Gary Payton. Where did all that talent go? Are there answers to any of these questions? Nope. The Bucks have always been underachievers who have still put together winning records, but this year they will have to be overachievers to just be bad. On the bright side, in Michael Redd, Desmond Mason and Tim Thomas Milwaukee has a core of talented, highly athletic players who could ultimately bring some success to this city. Just not this year.