Music to listen to: Cygnus…Vismund Cygnus (live) by the Mars Volta
Time for your quick preview of the NBA Eastern Conference for this upcoming 2012-13 season
Atlantic division:
Best team: Boston Celtics. The Brooklyn Nets have made some improvements, the New York Knicks still have a core of Carmelo Anthony, Tyson Chandler and Amare Stoudemire but the Celtics are still the class of the division. Kevin Garnett’s move to center full-time may actually improve the team defense, along with full-time implementation of Avery Bradley when he’s healthy, Jason Terry coming off the bench and even a healthy Jeff Green will make Boston the top team in the division.
Weakest team: Toronto Raptors. Each team in the division made improvements in the offseason accept for the Raptors. Toronto made a major push for Steve Nash but came up short and now have the weakest roster in the Atlantic. Landry Fields had some moments for the Knicks and Andrea Bargnani is a good scorer, but outside of that, optimism will be at a premium for the Queen City.
Wildcard team: Brooklyn Nets. The Nets have a new arena, new city, re-signed Deron Williams, acquired Joe Johnson from Atlanta and have hopes of not only returning to the playoffs for the first time since 2007 but making a major run in the postseason. The guards are going to score many points but the defensive unit in the front court, particularly Brook Lopez and Kris Humpheries leaves much to be desired. If the defensive rebounding can improve and the bench can contribute well, a fifty-win season for the Nets isn’t outside of possibility.
Best player: Rajon Rondo, Boston. Rondo emerged as a major offensive force in the playoffs last season, especially showing a decent jumpshot against Miami in the Eastern Conference Finals. With the departure of Ray Allen, Rondo will be expected to score more, which means a season average of 20 points, 10 assists and six rebounds can happen. If this takes place, Rondo is not only an All-NBA first team selection, but an MVP candidate as well.
Most important player: Carmelo Anthony, New York. Anthony is coming off an inconsistent campaign last season that saw injuries and the emergence of Jeremy Lin make some question his importance to the Knicks. The reality is that Anthony has to improve his overall game, especially at the defensive end, for the Knicks to reach maximum potential and become a contender. It won’t be enough for him to just score 25 points and hope all goes well.
Top Newcomer: Andrew Bynum, Philadelphia. Every team in the division has been mentioned so far accept Philadelphia and the wildcard for their entire season is the top newcomer in the division. Bynum has an inconsistent tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers which is NBA big-man code for lacking positive attitude and injury problems. Bynum mostly stayed healthy last season and had moments when he looked like the best center in the league. He also had times when leg injuries and bad shot selection (just think of him taking three-pointers) which sullied his attempts. With the 76ers, Bynum has a team where he’s expected to be the top player and has nice complementary pieces in Evan Turner, Jrue Holiday and Nick Young. Philly took Boston to the limit in the playoffs last season and arguably have a better roster this season to go even further. It all comes down to Bynum who is already having injury issues this preseason.
Best coach: Doc Rivers, Boston. Rivers was almost fired five years ago in Boston and now he’s recognized as one of the top-two coaches in the NBA alongside Gregg Popovich in San Antonio. If anyone can handle a mix of head strong veterans alongside a younger group trying to implement itself into the rotation in Boston, it’s Rivers.
Coach on the hot seat: Doug Collins and Mike Woodson are safe, even though if the Knicks get off to a horrendous start, the latter may be in trouble. I’m tempted to go with Avery Johnson but the momentum of the Nets in Brooklyn would be stalled with a firing even though expectations are now at a premium. Dwayne Casey is in his second year as head coach for the Raptors and should be safe as well because the expectations are low. However, in comparison to his contemporaries in the division, Casey has the least margin of error by default.
Predicted finish (in order): Boston, New York, Brooklyn, Philadelphia, Toronto
Central Division:
Best team: Indiana Pacers. They have the deepest roster in the division. The Bulls are missing Derrick Rose for at least half of the season so that decreases Chicago’s ability greatly.
Weakest team: Milwaukee Bucks. I like Brandon Jennings and thought he made nice strides last season at point guard for the Bucks. However, outside of Monta Ellis, the rest of the squad is questionable. Furthermore, the thought of Jennings and Ellis starting in the same backcourt is troublesome because not only are both players small but struggle with passing, especially Ellis. A selfish backcourt will lead to a stagnant offense.
Wildcard team: Chicago. The recovery of Derrick Rose from major knee surgery is arguably the biggest wildcard in the entire NBA. The Bulls have found ways to stay competitive in the past few seasons when Rose had to miss time, but this year will be the stiffest test. Chicago must get more production from Richard Hamilton and Carlos Boozer to fill in the missing points from Rose. I didn’t pick the Bulls to be the top team in the division because the best bench in the NBA last season has been weakened outside of the return of Taj Gibson.
Best Player: Kyrie Irving, Cleveland. When healthy, Rose is arguably the best point guard in the league. However, I’m going to make a play for Irving to stake a claim for becoming a top-15 player in the NBA this season. He had an outstanding rookie campaign for the Cavs and should only get better as the season goes on. If you want to make a case for Roy Hibbert for Indiana, I’ll understand.
Most Important Player: Rose. The entire landscape of the division comes down to his overall health.
Top newcomer: Andre Drummond, Detroit. Young, mobile big men who can block shots and score on offense are hard to find and the Pistons have the chance of two of them serving as a cornerstone for the squad over the next five to six seasons. If Drummond pans out and based on the preseason, he looks like a potential Rookie of the Year, the combination of him along with Greg Monroe gives Detroit a luxury that many teams can’t claim, making them a darkhorse for the playoffs this season.
Best coach: Tom Thibodeau, Chicago. Byron Scott has made appearances as a head coach in the NBA Finals but Thibodeau has been the top coach in the division since his arrival two seasons ago.
Coach on the hot seat: Scott Skiles, Milwaukee. He has been with Milwaukee for five seasons and has a losing record during his tenure. If the Bucks have a slow start to the season, he may be in major trouble.
Predicted finish (in order): Indiana, Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, Milwaukee
Southeast division:
Best team: Miami Heat. This may be the easiest division winner to pick.
Worst team: Charlotte Bobcats. This may be the easiest last-place division team to pick.
Wildcard team: Atlanta Hawks. The departure of Joe Johnson and Marvin Williams not only opened up the financial flexibility for the Hawks, it also placed greater emphasis on Josh Smith and Al Horford, two veterans who have been ready to make this step for years. Smith is in a contract year which has the potential to produce an All-Star campaign. Horford is coming off an injury-plagued last season and should be in strong form this year. Furthermore, Jeff Teague is a solid point guard, Kyle Korver and and John Jenkins gives Atlanta solid outside shooting and I like Devin Harris coming off the bench. Miami is still the class of the division but a 50-win season for the Hawks may be a possibility.
Best player: Lebron James, Miami. If James plays up to his highest level doesn’t win his fourth MVP, a conspiracy must be in place. BTW, only Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (6), Bill Russell (5) and Wilt Chamberlin (4) have won four or more MVPs. James joins that list very, very soon.
Most important player: John Wall, Washington Wizards. My choice was Josh Smith during my initial planning but I’m switching it to Wall. Cases can be made for Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, Horford and a few others. However, the third-year point guard has reached a crossroads of his career and the entire Washington franchise. Wall has become a forgotten man in the overall NBA landscape and a strong season could also help the Wizards emerge from the shadow of Gil Arenas and become a viable playoff contender again.
Top newcomer: Ray Allen, Miami. The Heat’s weakest spot besides center is the bench. If Allen can help alleviate the minutes that Wade plays at shooting guard that would help Miami out greatly.
Best Coach: Eric Spoelstra, Miami. When you win an NBA title, that puts you at the top of the list for this division.
Coach on the hotseat: Larry Drew, Atlanta. The Hawks have a new general manager (Danny Ferry) and a rebuilding plan that may take several years to materialize. Ferry and the rest of upper management for Atlanta will look intensely at Drew to see if he’ll be part of these future plans.
Predicted finish (in order): Miami, Atlanta, Washington, Orlando, Charlotte
Those are my thoughts, what are yours?
The Sports Inquirer 
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