The East

Well based on the fact you’re saying the Pacers won’t finish in the top four… 

Overachieve: 

Indiana Pacers

People are predicting they’ll drop significantly due to losing Lance Stephenson. Good Lance will definitely be missed, but bad Lance won’t. The ball will move more and there will be more spacing. Not only that, are people forgetting the Pacers still have Paul George? He’s currently adding muscle, working on his post game and getting ready to compete with Team USA the rest of the summer. He’s the 2nd or 3rd best player in the conference depending on how you feel about Carmelo Anthony. Rodney Stuckey and CJ Miles can get it done at the two by committee. This is still a team that will win in between 50-55 games. Losing Lance hurts in certain areas, but team chemistry could improve and I think everyone will be happier. Getting Stuckey at the veteran’s minimum is an absolute steal. 

Underachieve:

Miami Heat 

They’ll be a good team, but they just lost LeBron James. The offense will now be ran through Chris Bosh, which is a complete different style of play for the Heat. Dwyane Wade’s knees can’t hold up anymore. He’s bone on bone. Luol Deng can play both ends of the floor, but he’s never been a big threat to create his own offense. Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole are back at point guard, so they didn’t get better there. Danny Granger… Please. Josh McRoberts? Good player, but not going to really impact the wins in a serious way. With James gone, Spoelstra’s weaknesses as a coach will no longer be hidden. 

The East will be much improved next season, but are still significantly behind the West in my opinion. 

Well based on the fact you’re saying the Pacers won’t finish in the top four… 

Overachieve: 

Indiana Pacers

People are predicting they’ll drop significantly due to losing Lance Stephenson. Good Lance will definitely be missed, but bad Lance won’t. The ball will move more and there will be more spacing. Not only that, are people forgetting the Pacers still have Paul George? He’s currently adding muscle, working on his post game and getting ready to compete with Team USA the rest of the summer. He’s the 2nd or 3rd best player in the conference depending on how you feel about Carmelo Anthony. Rodney Stuckey and CJ Miles can get it done at the two by committee. This is still a team that will win in between 50-55 games. Losing Lance hurts in certain areas, but team chemistry could improve and I think everyone will be happier. Getting Stuckey at the veteran’s minimum is an absolute steal. 

Underachieve:

Miami Heat 

They’ll be a good team, but they just lost LeBron James. The offense will now be ran through Chris Bosh, which is a complete different style of play for the Heat. Dwyane Wade’s knees can’t hold up anymore. He’s bone on bone. Luol Deng can play both ends of the floor, but he’s never been a big threat to create his own offense. Mario Chalmers and Norris Cole are back at point guard, so they didn’t get better there. Danny Granger… Please. Josh McRoberts? Good player, but not going to really impact the wins in a serious way. With James gone, Spoelstra’s weaknesses as a coach will no longer be hidden. 

The East will be much improved next season, but are still significantly behind the West in my opinion. 

Rosters aren’t even set yet.

Rosters aren’t even set yet.

Overachieve: The Wizards

They are a really talented team. Everyone knows this. They got their first real taste of the postseason last year. So now they not only gained playoff experience but a man who knows what it takes to win the big one in Paul Pierce. He might not have a huge statstical impact on the game but I think his habits in practice, his experience and his leadership is really going to propel them forward next year. Plus they keep most of the same guys around.

Underachieve: The Pacers

Hard to really say they are going to underachieve but of the top teams in the conference I think they are the one who could fall off more then expected. I mentioned it the other thread how these guys think they are stars now. That needs to change for them to be any type of threat. It wasn’t just Lance. George let the hype get to him, we’ll see if he plays more level-headed this year or not. Either way, losing Lance and Hibbert turning to hot garbage is hard to overcome. I think they could go anywhere from 3-8 in the East.

Overachieve: The Wizards

They are a really talented team. Everyone knows this. They got their first real taste of the postseason last year. So now they not only gained playoff experience but a man who knows what it takes to win the big one in Paul Pierce. He might not have a huge statstical impact on the game but I think his habits in practice, his experience and his leadership is really going to propel them forward next year. Plus they keep most of the same guys around.

Underachieve: The Pacers

Hard to really say they are going to underachieve but of the top teams in the conference I think they are the one who could fall off more then expected. I mentioned it the other thread how these guys think they are stars now. That needs to change for them to be any type of threat. It wasn’t just Lance. George let the hype get to him, we’ll see if he plays more level-headed this year or not. Either way, losing Lance and Hibbert turning to hot garbage is hard to overcome. I think they could go anywhere from 3-8 in the East.

The Heat aren’t going anywhere with that team. People want to believe in make believe things, that Wade hasn’t been able to play his best because of LeBron, and that Bosh put up good stats on a lottery team in 2010 so he must be way better this year when he was last year.

The entire purpose of LeBron James on a basketball floor is that he makes every other player better. Wade playing 75 games will be a challenge. Bosh turning into anything more than a jump shooter at this point is unlikely. They are a 45 win team, they aren’t winning the East, competing in the East, or any of that. We left the 2014 post season talking about how their whole team was outside LeBron…now we are trying to defend it? Stop.

Also, the Pacers have big problems ahead of them. Lance was a better ball handler than their PG, and he was the best player on the team at getting his own shot, in what was already a terrible offensive. 2nd worst in the NBA after the all star break. West is getting older, and outside he and George you don’t have a single reliable offensive player. They also are short on good rebounders, they have no depth, and Hibbert is a complete wild card. I expect them to make the playoffs, but George wasn’t exempt from all the off the court issues that involved this team last year. He made a few questionable decisions and slipped in the 2nd half. 

The team I actually good see finishing better than people expect? Charlotte. I like their team, I think they have an identity as a really good defensive team, and with Jefferson and Stephensen, they should have an okay offensive team as well. Vonleh was a steal for them, and a really good fit. 

The Heat aren’t going anywhere with that team. People want to believe in make believe things, that Wade hasn’t been able to play his best because of LeBron, and that Bosh put up good stats on a lottery team in 2010 so he must be way better this year when he was last year.

The entire purpose of LeBron James on a basketball floor is that he makes every other player better. Wade playing 75 games will be a challenge. Bosh turning into anything more than a jump shooter at this point is unlikely. They are a 45 win team, they aren’t winning the East, competing in the East, or any of that. We left the 2014 post season talking about how their whole team was outside LeBron…now we are trying to defend it? Stop.

Also, the Pacers have big problems ahead of them. Lance was a better ball handler than their PG, and he was the best player on the team at getting his own shot, in what was already a terrible offensive. 2nd worst in the NBA after the all star break. West is getting older, and outside he and George you don’t have a single reliable offensive player. They also are short on good rebounders, they have no depth, and Hibbert is a complete wild card. I expect them to make the playoffs, but George wasn’t exempt from all the off the court issues that involved this team last year. He made a few questionable decisions and slipped in the 2nd half. 

The team I actually good see finishing better than people expect? Charlotte. I like their team, I think they have an identity as a really good defensive team, and with Jefferson and Stephensen, they should have an okay offensive team as well. Vonleh was a steal for them, and a really good fit.