Looking into the Eastern Conference Crystal Ball
1. Pacers – Serta Mattress Season here in Indy. Everyone is sleeping but I’ve been crushing red bulls for years making sure I never sleep on the pacers. This is it it’s the year. Talking it into existence. 60 win pacers. Lets all say it together SIXTY WIN PACERS. New Coach Same Players. Warriors went from average with Mark Jackson to Lethal with Steve Kerr. I imagine well be similar just better than the warriors ever were. Myles Turner is the new Steph Curry.
2. Heat- It hurt to knock the reigning champs of the eastern conference down to two, but I stand by what I’ve been saying: the heat got lucky in the first round. The Pacers and Lakers were their only real competition and it showed. The whole thing is that this team doesn’t give a fuck if they lost in the finals or won every eastern series with relative ease. This team plays with swagger and can win against any team really.
3. Nets- Kyrie and KD. Are obvious focal point for most Nets coverage but I feel as if a major point is being missed. Joe Harris, Caris LaVert, Spencer Dinwiddle are an insane cast of “role players’ if you consider them role players. I love what the Nets did. If you don’t like Kyrie and KD you probably watch sports news way too much. Like they get painted as the bad guys so easily. The thing is I don’t care what the talking head pundits are misconstruing these day. Just watch either of them play and thts fucking art. I think they’ll paint themselves as a legit contender this season.
4. Celtics- I really hate the Celtics. And that hate is mostly all coming from how well this team is coming together over the years. I think they made are great decision to let Gordon Hayward walk, him being on the Celtics just felt redundant. Letting this team grow with larger roles available for their young stars could being crucial to making out of the Conference finals for the first time since 08
5. Toronto – In a prove it kind of season after a less than successful playoff trip last season. Spicy P and Fred VanVleet are set to take control of this team as Gasol and Ibaka both head west and Kyle Lowry heads to his mid thirties this team will require creativity and youth to stay successful. Its entirely possible that Nick Nurse has this team running like a well oiled machine by the end of the season, but for right now I think the pieces they have just fall a little short of where they need to be.
6. Bucks I hate this team. Mostly because a kid I knew in college. But also because they’re fraudulent. Giannis in the playoff looks like a guy trying to build a rocket with just a hammer. Jrue Holiday could be the X factor this season he’s a great player who should really fit wherever he plays. Middleton is pretty Mids. I have a lot of doubts about your team when Wes Matthews leaves, usually a bad omen.
7. Atlanta – It’s the trae young show. Everybody gather around. Atlanta is slowly putting together a roster that might be able to really do some damage. Defense has been an issue a for this hawks team so it will do them wonders having Nate McMillian on the coaching staff. Lots of potential from these baby Hawks. Not only adding Bogdanovic from the Kings, they added rondo and Gallinari in hopes of getting some very crucial veteran leadership. Lets see if the hawks get what they payed for this season
8. Bulls- Another team with a new coach. Still have Zach Lavine being swag as hell. Lot of youth and lots of questions: Is Wwendell Carter legit? Will lauri be taking a leap? Can Colby White be an unconscious bucketgetter the windy city needs? My buddy Trev things they got a shot to get in the playoffs this year, and I’m inclined to agree. Thad Young will guide this team where they need to go and that’s a fact.
9. Philly – Doc Rivers coming to town to fuck up another team with a talented core. Embiid is just such an annoyance to my basketball viewing experience. I don’t like watching his pump fake and flop style of basketball. Simmons is unreal good at basketball youd be crazy to pick embiid over simmons if it came down to it, it seems like a waste of everyones time to keep them together. But I don’t think youll ever hear me say that Elton Brand is a good GM or POBO or what ever job he is fucking sucking at right now.
10. Washington – Russ and Beal two guys that make sense together in a 2k Myleague fantasy draft team. Interested to see how that cookie crumbles.I love their draft pick, Deni. Hopefully there will be enough offense to go around in the capital, I’d love to see deni get a chance to shine.
11. Orlando- I’m happy Markelle Fultz found a home, but this team won’t be the same without Jonathan Issac, Could be a togh year for olando. Is Mo Bamba good? Shit I guess we’ll be finding out here soon he should get plenty of run this season for better or for worse.
12. Cleveland- My dude, Dillion keeps telling me how good Darius Garland is going to be this year. And it has me slightly nervous about the cavs… slightly. They still have a climb a head of them if they want to be anywhere near as good as they were back in the good old days of 2016.
13. Charlotte – I’d have Charlotte higher but that Gordon hayward signing makes my eyes bleed. The young core of Miles Bridges, Devonte Graham, and Pj Washington just got a lot better after adding the prodigal son of the ball family. I sincerely hope Lamelo is good. The young hornets will have a lot of growing up to do if they hope to make the playoffs this year
14. Pistons – It felt like the pistons signed every free agent available this year. Jerami Grant should be a baller but should be all hype. Hayes is nice, they did great in the draft. Shipping out luke Kennard is great for the pacers questionable for the pistons.
15. Knicks- They’re getting better so I don’t know how much longer I can bag on the knicks, so I must take advantage while I can. As long as James Dolan is running this team theres a pretty good chance they’ll still suck so I like my odds.
