Post by repole ಠ_ಠ on Jun 1, 2012 18:05:50 GMT -5
Atlanta Hawks
Key Arrivals: John McGlocklin, Toby Knight
Key Departures: Phil Smith, Fatty Taylor
Analysis: Heading into their contract year, Jay and the Hawks have a good amount of work to do. Glock looks like he's just about finished, a far cry from the player who carried teams to the finals on his back, and outside of him the Hawks lack anyone to really carry the scoring load. Irvine's historically been a good offensive player, but who knows with him, and Bridgeman looks like he may be capable but is far from proven. The offense is a problem, but the bigger issue is the defense and rebounding. For now, Ira Harge and Reggie Harding attempt to serve as defensive anchors, but both are so awful offensively that they more than undo any of their defensive contributions on the offensive end. Barring any moves, I think the Hawks best option is to try to win with rebounding. Play McGinnis at SG, and Owens or Kupchak at SF. If Boswell doesn't return to his rookie form though, there may not be any hope. Jay needs to make moves, and he needs to make them fast.
Prediction: 35-47
Charlotte Bobcats
Key Arrivals:
Key Departures: George Karl?
Analysis: The Bobcats return from a 63 win season that ended in an epic showdown with Bingo Smith and the Magic in a 7 game Eastern Conference Finals. While their roster looks virtually unchanged, they're a year older and it's likely to show a bit. Curtis Rowe is expected to step into a more involved role this season after a solid showing last season, but outside of that it looks like minutes will be delegated pretty similarly. The Bobcats I'm sure felt a great sigh of relief when they saw Bingo Smith being shopped around the league, but any relief was quickly lost when they saw him land in their own division. It looks like yet again Bingo will stand between them and a trip to the finals, but with a different core around Bingo this year, the Bobcats just might break through this year.
Prediction: 59-23
Chicago Bulls
Key Departures:
Key Arrivals: Glen Gondrezick
Analysis: Like the Bobcats, the Bulls return essentially unchanged. Fred Brown should continue to carry the scoring load, hopefully for Chicago cutting back on the turnovers a bit, and Derrick Dickey should continue to develop into a dominant all around player. With improved play from Marvin Webster and Gus Williams, along with a full season of Bob Kauffman, the Bulls should undoubtedly be improved this time around. How much so remains to be seen, but I expect this to be the first big step in Play's return to the elite of the Eastern Conference. I wouldn't be shocked to see the Bulls make it past Bingo and the Bucks, which says a lot about how special of a player Derrek Dickey is. On the same note, no one should be surprised to see them over take the Bobcats this season.
Prediction: 60-22
Cleveland Cavaliers
Key Arrivals: Jasper Wilson, Jim Eakins, Jeff Mullins, JoJo White, George Karl, Norm Nixon
Key Departures: Dwight Jones, Don Chaney, Randy Smith, World B. Free,
Analysis: The Cavs saw as much roster turnover as anyone in the league this offseason, and on paper it looks like it should lead to a bunch more wins. To start, getting rid of Dwight Jones is addition by subtraction, and replacing him with solid bigs like Jim Eakins, assuming he rebounds after an awful season, should only help. Jasper Wilson should be a nice pickup, the do it all forward is likely to provide just about everything other than scoring off the bench. The 35 year old Jeff Mullins should provide some scoring off the bench so that the Cavs don't miss a step when JoJo White comes out of the game. White looks like he may have lost a step, but he's still a damned good player, and pairing him with Dantley means the Cavs should be all set on the wings. Up front is another story. Roundfield is a high caliber contributor, and Eakins should be alright, but after that things are a bit rocky. Truck Robinson never lived up the the hype, and the Cavs may be forced to squeeze some big man minutes out of Jasper Wilson. The biggest question remains at PG however, where rookie Norm Nixon looks to run the show without any blunders, and while he appears to be ready to guide the team, his ability to score even in as a role player leaves a lot to be desired.
Prediction: 44-38
Detroit Pistons
Key Arrivals: Wayne Cooper, Kent Benson
Key Departures: Charlie Scott, John Block, Elmore Smith, Ron Boone
Analysis: Like a number of other teams in the East, the Pistons are focused on the up coming draft as opposed to winning games this season, which is probably the right decision as the team had seemingly peaked. The only problem with this strategy is old man Walt Hazzard wants nothing to do with losing, and looks poised to try and lead this team to an unwanted playoff birth. With Hazzard, an improved Mickey Johnson at SF, a young shot blocking rookie Wayne Cooper, and a resurgent Levern Tart, the Pistons will have some issues losing games. Unless they can unload more of that talent, and fast, they're going to be stuck in mediocrity.
Prediction: 33-49
Indiana Pacers
Key Arrivals: Bill Walton, Fred Carter, Randy Smith, Dick Cunningham, Joe Ellis, Sidney Wicks
Key Departures: Nate Bowman
Analysis: Biggie made a number of moves this offseason in an attempt to get his team in position to compete. Though Bill Walton had a pretty rough offseason, it's hard to imagine Michael Cooper is going to become as impactful a player as Walton, so it's hard to blame Biggie for that move. There were a few questionable decisions from Biggie however. The first was passing up on Bingo Smith, but I won't go too far into that. The second was bidding on mediocre players on Day 1 of free agency. The latter cost him a chance at superior guys signing. Still, he made a nice move to acquire Fred Carter, who despite the big contract is still a major contributor, and Joe Ellis should serve as a great role player. The Pacers aren't ready to contend yet, but their on their way to building a team that should win 50 games a season for a while. Whether that's worth passing up Bingo Smith is another question for another day.
Prediction: 48-34
Milwaukee Bucks
Key Arrivals: Bingo Smith, Steve Mix, George Trapp, Dave Cowens, Lamar Green, Don Buse
Key Departures: Bill Walton, Dennis Johnson, Don Ford, Bill Willoughby
Analysis: The pressure is officially on. Aar acquired the best player BBS has seen in its history in a much talked about trade, and has gone on to try and shape the roster and put his own stamp on things. Because of this, we now have to question whether or not he's put the right pieces around Bingo, and just how this team compares to the Bingo led Magic of past years. There's little doubting that Don Buse is an excellent point guard, and offensively he clearly appears to be better than Norm Van Lier, but defensively he isn't on the same level. Jack Marin will see time at SG, but Bingo's previous running mate George Trapp is waiting in the wings, so there shouldn't be any drop off there. At SF Steve Mix replaces Willie Davis, and like Buse it's hard to argue that Mix isn't the superior offensive player, but defensively it's no comparison. Up front Cowens gives the Bucks a more dynamic player than Lamar Green, who like Trapp is waiting on the bench to reclaim a spot next to Bingo, but the question is whether he fits as well. What we should expect to see is a Bucks team that is clearly superior to the Magic offensively, but sacrifices too much defensively to live up to the 72 win standard the Magic set last year. While Aar can insert Trapp and Green into the lineup any time, Davis, Van Lier, and Mel Daniels were huge pieces to the defensive puzzle.
Prediction: 67-15
Toronto Raptors
Key Arrivals: Travis Grant
Key Departures: Zelmo Beaty, Fred Carter
Analysis: It would appear that DJs long run of contending is finally over, and unfortunately for him it came without any championships [ED: Yes it did, I'm dumb. He beat me in the playoffs that year as well]. The heart and soul of the club, Zelmo Beaty, retires after one hell of a career, choosing to bow out at the top of his game. Carter had carried more than his fair share of scoring for the team over the years, but he too is now gone. Left are guys like Wes Unseld and Eldridge Webb, both good players, but not nearly enough to compete. The recurring theme in the East is teams wanting to tank but stuck with a bit too much talent to do so properly, and the Raptors certainly fall into this category. Between Webb, Unseld, Rich Jones, and the newly acquired Travis Grant, Toronto seems to have enough talent on its roster to win a few games. I'm sure DJ will try to continue the tear down, but he's never been known to take bad value on a deal, and the way the market is right now, that's the only real option out there.
Prediction: 36-46
