Derrick Rose is ready to go, the Boston Celtics may be a cellar dweller and the Washington Wizards could have what it takes to make the playoffs. It seems the world has turned upside down as far as the NBA (the East in particular) goes, but the 2013-14 season has a chance to be a lot different than what basketball fans have become accustomed to over the past few years.
Luckily, for those who can’t take too much change, the Heat are still the clear team to beat, and LeBron James’ hairline is still receding.
Ladies and gentlemen, your 2013-14 NBA Eastern Conference Preview:
As the season approaches and preseason games get underway, it’s just about that time of year when instead of tuning in to the usually lousy Thursday Night Football matchups, you can turn on the NBA on TNT.
Once again in the Eastern Conference, the Miami Heat are the runaway favorite. However, teams such as the Chicago Bulls, Indiana Pacers and Brooklyn Nets (sorry Knicks fans, the Nets are the best team in the Big Apple) will all be contenders.
The Heat, coming off their second consecutive NBA title last season, are looking to make it a three-peat and further cement LeBron James in the record books as one of the greatest players the game has ever seen. Miami is returning just about every significant player from their 2012-13 roster, which makes them hard to bet against. In addition, the Heat added a pair of low-risk, high-reward players in Greg Oden and Michael Beasley. They both have the potential if they pan out, to make the team even scarier than it already was.
It would be wrong, however, to not pay attention to this season and automatically assume Miami will win the Eastern Conference. There are several other contenders that may have what it takes to make deep runs into the playoffs.
Since Derrick Rose last played an NBA game, a new Pope has been chosen, Barack Obama has run for and won re-election and Adrian Peterson has returned from an ACL tear. The Chicago Bulls will finally get their star point guard back when they tip off their season Oct. 29 with a heavyweight matchup against the Heat. Chicago has been a strong team without Rose. However, they have lacked that necessary spark to seriously contend in the playoffs. The return of Rose, as well as the addition of the underrated Mike Dunleavy, may be enough to finally allow the Bulls to get over the hump.
As optimistic as Chicago fans are about the upcoming season, the Bulls may not even be the best team in their own division. That accolade may belong to the Indiana Pacers. After taking the Heat to a game seven in last year’s Eastern Conference finals, the Pacers went into the offseason to improve what they thought was a weak bench and signed the always productive Luis Scola. Additionally, Indiana will be getting back one of their best players in Danny Granger, who missed nearly all of last season due to a knee injury. The Pacers have quietly turned into one of the strongest teams in the NBA over the last several years and will look to officially take the next step heading into this year.
Unfortunately for Knicks fans, the Brooklyn Nets look to be the better New York team heading into the 2013-14 season. It appears the Nets are building to win a championship now rather than later with the additions of veteran future Hall-of-Famers Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. GM Billy King also brought on 10-time NBA All-Star and recent retiree Jason Kidd as head coach with the hopes of sparking a talented but underachieving Nets roster. The Nets may be the biggest boom or bust team in the NBA this year with so much of their season relying on the health of seven players who are 30 or older.
The rest of the conference certainly has some bright spots, but barring an unforeseeable event, it is unlikely any other team will go deep into the playoffs (But that’s why they play the games).
The Boston Celtics era of excellence has officially come to an end as this is largely seen as a rebuilding year for them under new head coach Brad Stevens. Meanwhile, two young teams to keep an eye on are the Cleveland Cavaliers and Washington Wizards. The Cavs added the always interesting Andrew Bynum and hope he can produce alongside their young star Kyrie Irving. The Wizards, on the other hand, believe they have a shot to contend, following a strong finish last season and after locking up point guard John Wall long term.
Josiah Kachelmeyer can be reached at josiah.kachelmeyer@spartans.ut.edu.