NBA: The Beasts–and the Leasts–of the East
By JORDAN IKEDA
RAFU STAFF WRITER
Saturday, Nov. 8, 2008

Associated Press
This year’s MVP favorite Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James drives by Boston Celtics forward Paul Pierce who was last year’s finals MVP.

The NBA season has officially kicked off. We’ve already seen Hack-a-Shaq, a re-injured Greg Oden and the Lakers dominating. Now, it’s time to focus our Western bias on the East.

Boston Celtics
Positive spin: Being that I’m from Los Angeles, the positive spin would be that they get back to the finals and the Lakers wipe the floor with them. But from a Boston perspective, once again having the league’s best D, an MVP year from Paul Pierce and the blossoming of the deep Celtic bench will equal another championship.

Negative spin: They don’t win it all. Kevin Garnett gets hurt. Ray Allen’s ankles give out on him. Nobody fills the James Posey void. I repeat, they don’t repeat.

What I think: The Celtics are good enough and motivated enough and, more importantly, deep enough, to be the first repeat team since the Lakers in 2001. I hope that everything falls through, but feel they’ll be, at least, back in the Eastern Conference finals.

Cleveland Cavaliers
Positive spin: Lebron James ascends the throne and takes home the first of many MVPs. Mo Williams acts as the perfect second option to the King and helps get him to the finals. Wally Szczerbiak is traded for someone who can actually shoot (Michael Redd?)

Negative spin: Ben Wallace continues his downward spiral into obscurity. Zydrunas Ilgauskas bucks his healthy trend. Both hit the DL. The lack of bigmen causes the Cavs defense and rebounding to suffer. Cavs lose in the first round.

What I think: Mo will be great with the King. Lebron will win his first MVP. He will average 28, 8 and 8. The Cavs get to the finals and lose a close competition to the Los Angeles Lakers.

Detroit Pistons
Positive spin: New coach Michael Curry does what Flip Saunders couldn’t and gets this incredibly deep team to the finals. Rodney Stuckey finds a shot and wins sixth man of the year. Rasheed Wallace racks up a bunch of technicals, thus having his best season since 06 when he earned an all-star birth (and led the league in techs.)

Negative spin: Same old story. The Pistons play great during the regular season, get a high playoff seed, Rasheed guarantees a championship, and they lose in the first round off of a Chauncy Billups 7-45 series performance.

What I think: Same old story.

Toronto Raptors
Positive spin: Chris Bosh, bolstered by the interior defense of Jermaine O’Neal, plays like Olympics-Bosh and wins the MVP. Andrea Bargnani finds some toughness and shows the world his sweet stroke. The Raptors ride Bosh’s success to the Conference finals.

Negative spin: JO continues his downward trend of sucktitude. Jose Calderon wears down. Bosh gets hurt…again. Chris Humphries starts the “Scare in the Air” resulting in JO punching another fan.

What I think: JO and Bosh will form the East’s most fearsome bigman duo. Calderon will make the all-star team. Bargnani wins most improved player award. Raptors prove to be a lethal team, but their lack of a bench is ultimately their undoing. Raptors make a 7 game series in the second round, but lose.

Orlando Magic
Positive spin: Dwight Howard, Mr. Superman himself, gets MVP considerations. Michael Pietrus and Jameer Nelson are the answer to the backcourt question. Rashard Lewis shoots for the scoring crown.

Negative spin: Howard, with a long summer, remains the same player he was last year. Pietrus and Nelson remain inconsistent. The lack of a bench derails the team’s slim championship hopes. Howard is forced to relinquish his superman persona to Andrew Bynum after only one season.

What I think: They’ll end up a fifth or a sixth seed—which would ultimately be disappointing. Pietrus won’t be as good as apologists hope, but not as bad as detractors believe.

Philadelphia 76ers
Positive spin: Elton Brand plays like it’s 2005-06. Andre Igoudala, Louis Williams and Thaddeus Young all continue to get better. The team gets into the second round.

Negative spin: Drunk and cocky as hell off of their recent World Series win, Philly fans will turn violent against Brand and Co. when they fall way short of expectations. This will scare David Stern into SuperSonicking the Sixers and sending them to relocate in Seattle.
 
What I think: This team will compete, but championship expectations are way too high. Brand will officially be stamped with the “overrated” label after being “underrated” for so long.

Miami Heat
Positive spin: Dwayne Wade will play like Olympic Wade for the whole season. He’ll challenge Lebron for the MVP. Michael Beasley will win rookie of the year. Shawn Marion will prove he’s a superstar without Steve Nash. Shaun Livingston not only returns healthy, but has his best season.

Negative spin: The dearth of point guards and centers, the two most important positions, along with the inevitable Wade injury will send this team to the lottery. Marion, in need of a new contract, tries to assume the alpha male role.

What I think: Wade plays out of his mind. Marion gets traded by the trade deadline. The team wins more than last year, but doesn’t make the playoffs.

Atlanta Hawks
Positive spin: Josh Smith becomes an all-star. Joe Johnson becomes an all-star. Acie Law plays ten times better than last season. Marvin Williams wins most improved player. The Hawks not only get into the playoffs, but make it to the second round.

Negative spin: Smith and Williams don’t improve. The lack of Josh Childress (not offset by Mo Evans) and even a decent bench sees the Hawks back in the lottery. The whole teams jumps ship to Olympiakos Greece next season.

What I think: Even if Williams, Smith, Law and Al Horford all get better, the inevitable decline of Mike Bibby and the absence of Josh Childress will offset those increases. Atlanta will do about what they did last year (make the playoffs, scare whoever they play). Put bluntly, that’s not at all half bad for this franchise.

Indiana Pacers
Positive spin: Larry Bird will trade Jamal Tinsley for a productive player. T.J. Ford will stay healthy and average 10 assists per game. Danny Granger skyrockets into stardom. Brandon Rush blossoms.

Negative spin: Tinsley, from the bench, infects the whole team with his bad attitude and perpetuates the same atmosphere that was cultivated during the Artest/Stephen Jackson era.

What I think: They’ll play fast and be exciting and will surprise a lot of people with how good they are. They’ll make the playoffs and Larry Bird will win GM of the year.

Chicago Bulls
Positive spin: People won’t forget about MJ, but they’ll stop talking about him and wholly embrace Derrick Rose (this year’s rookie of the year). Tyrus Thomas will explode.

Negative spin: The glut of wing players creates uneven playing time which produces a glut of wing players all simultaneously playing below expectations. Vinny Del Negro discovers he has no idea how to coach.

What I think: Derrick Rose will get rookie of the year consideration. Kirk Hinrich will re-find himself (though still not live up to his contract) but the Bulls will play like they are constructed. A team with too many wings and not enough bigs.

New York Knicks
Positive spin: Mike D’Antoni’s new offense will fill the Garden and have the Knicks averaging 110 points per game. Zach Randolph will be an all-star snub. Spike Lee will be inspired and make a good film.

Negative spin: Hell, I can’t think of any scenario that is worse for the Knicks than what they just endured during the Isaiah Thomas era. With Donnie Walsh and Mike D, it’s all upside. Unless, god forbid, they both get fired.

What I think: They will be a lot of fun to watch, but, without the elite and unique talents of Shawn Marion and Steve Nash driving the D’Antoni system, even in a watered down East, this team will struggle to make the postseason.

Washington Wizards
Positive spin: Antawn Jameson, Caron Butler and a vastly improved Andray Blatche hold this team in the playoff race. Gilbert Arenas comes back healthy and immediately starts paying dividends on his $111 million contract. The Wiz play the Cavs in the first round and Brendan Haywood returns just in time. Jay-Z rap battles Soldja Boy and ratings peak until the Lakers/Cavs finals.

Negative spin: Basically, all the bad stuff that happened last year happens again.

What I think: Without their starting point guard and center, this team, no matter how good of a coaching job Eddie Jordan does, will not have enough man­power to get into the playoffs. However, if Hibachi comes back healthy and gives the Wiz a late push, they’ll be a scary first round opponent.

New Jersey Nets
Positive spin: Yi Jianlian’s sum­mer with the Chinese Olympic team, despite poor play, improves his con­fidence. He then goes out and shows people he’s legit, bucking the Chair­man Yi jokes. Brook Lopez gets rookie of the year consideration. Devin Harris blows up.

Negative spin: Everybody quits on Lawrence Frank, who assumes the Little General/tyrant moniker from Avery Johnson. Vince Carter coasts.

What I think: As long as they can stay motivated this team could be pretty good. It all hinges on Carter. If he goes half-amazing on the league, the Nets are playoff material. If he goes half-man, then they’re lottery.

Milwaukee Bucks
Positive spin: Charlie Villanueva wins most improved player. Michael Redd and Richard Jefferson stay healthy. Andrew Bogut continues to improve. Ramon Sessions averages 11, 7, and 7.

Negative spin: Everyone sucks or gets hurt. Yeah, that would be the worst case scenario—and unfortunately, it looks 85 percent likely.

What I think: Redd will break down thanks to the Olympics. Jefferson will want out. Fans will stop wondering and start being enraged that the team traded Mo Williams for Luke freaking Ridnour. UCLA’s own Luc Mbah a Moute is a darkhorse for rookie of the year.

Charlotte Bobcats
Positive spin: Jason Richardson improves on last year. Gerald Wallace learns some handles, doesn’t hit the floor too many times and has another 2-steal/2-block season. Sean May gets his butt in shape and dominates like his talent suggests.

Negative spin: Too many SF/SG spoil the broth. Larry Brown gets frus­trated again, and, instead of waiting until the end of the season, quits before the all-star break. Raymond Felton misses 250 layups.

What I think: They’ve got talent, but a lot of it is redundant or at the same po­sition. If Sean May and Raymond Felton can play well, this team could make the playoffs. Larry Brown is coaching after all (that goes both ways).