At this time last year, the Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat seemed to be clear favorites in the Eastern Conference. With LeBron James landing back in Cleveland and Indiana’s Paul George brutally breaking his leg during a United States National team scrimmage, this year has entirely new expectations.
The Heat has ruled the Eastern Conference since the arrival of the “Big Three” in 2010, reaching the NBA Finals all four years. But with no king, the reign of Miami is diminished. Just hours after James announced he was returning home to the Cavaliers, the Houston Rockets offered a whopping 4-year, $88 million offer to Heat forward Chris Bosh. Thankfully, all was not lost for Heat fans and Bosh re-signed and will seemingly finish his career in South Beach. The Heat have made other acquisitions like small forward Luol Deng and power forward Josh McRoberts in the offseason, which strengthens their depth and size. With that said, star guard Dwayne Wade is battling knee injuries and seems to be a shell of his former self. Wade and the Heat are good enough to be a fourth or even a third seed at best, but they lack the youth star-power they will need to make a deep playoff push.
Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love aren’t Wade and Bosh, but they’re younger, arguably more dynamic and have a higher ceiling than any other team in the league.
The Cavs look to be the heavy favorite and why not? Any team with LeBron James has to be considered a potential NBA Finals team. Since the Cavs have added Love, who can drop a 20-point, 20-rebound game at will and a top five point guard in Irving, they are not only a championship favorite but a potential dynasty in the waiting. Naturally, veteran players like power forward Shawn Marion jumped on board to boost the bench and smart play any team needs to complete a playoff run. Who doesn’t want to play with King James?
Another team that is in contention for not only a top seed but possibly the league’s best record is the Chicago Bulls. They lost Carlos Boozer, but signed power forward Pau Gasol to fill the void. More importantly, superstar guard Derrick Rose is back. He is coming off knee surgery on alternating knees during the last two seasons.
Rose is the type of player to take a team all the way, but clearly his health has always been a question mark. His athletic and soaring-through-the-air type of play puts him one slip away from re-injuring one of his knees, but with every drive to the basket, D-Rose amazes. So for the entire league’s sake, we can only hope for his health. He is arguably one of the most impressive players to watch when he is at his best. If he stays on the court, look for the Bulls to be the top seed coming out of the East.
The last team in the Eastern Conference that is worth mentioning is the Washington Wizards. They have one of the best young backcourts in all of basketball with Bradley Beal and John Wall. Both guards in their early twenties, have dazzled the league with their fast pace and athletic play. The duo can take over any game at both sides of the spectrum. Their defense turns to offense because of their high-risk, high-reward mentality. The Wizards also had a very underrated acquisition in Paul Pierce in the offseason. His experience and ability to make the big shot at the end of the game could put them over the top and emerge them as one of the top four teams in the Eastern Conference.
James Belluscio can be reached at james.belluscio@spartans.ut.edu