Boston Celtics
(56-26, 3rd in the East, lost in the Semifinals to Miami 4-1)
Boston feels like an aging squad—they always talk a big game about titles, but they usually lack that certain... something. Whether it’s depth, freshness, or just bad luck with injuries, they struggle. Last season, they couldn't get past a mediocre Miami team in the Semifinals. This year looks different, though. They moved on from guys like Krstić, Murphy, Davis, and West—not that they added much to compensate, really. The real headache will be their interior presence; they're left with just J.O'Neal, Wilcox, Stiesma, and a rookie named JaJuan Johnson. That’s thin—dangerously thin—for a contender. Plus, there's the health of the core to consider—Paul Pierce is already sidelined for a few early games with a heel injury. They did bring in B.Bass, K.Dooling, M.Daniels, plus the duo of Stiesma and Wilcox, and even inked deals with Jeff Green and Sasha Pavlović. If they stay healthy, making the Semifinals would be a win; anything beyond that would be a genuine shocker.
New Jersey Nets
(24-58, 12th in the East, missed playoffs)
I actually had high hopes for this group, but everything just fell apart once B.Lopez went down—he's looking at being out anywhere from six weeks to the rest of the season. He was supposed to be the centerpiece of a major trade for Howard, so that's dead in the water now. Deron Williams is essentially flying solo here, which means he might just head for the exits at the end of the year since the Nets didn't land the help he wanted. The one bright spot? Signing K. Humphries to a one-year deal.
The roster hasn't changed drastically—B.Wright and Sasha Vujačić are gone, replaced by three different Williamses (Shelden, Shawne, and rookie Jordan), along with Udok and rookie M.Brooks. With that injury, they're stuck with Johan Petru as their only true classic center—so, how much can the perimeter carry them? If Avery Johnson can somehow organize this mess and they find a decent big man, we might see some decent basketball, but honestly? I don't see them making the playoffs.
New York Knicks
(42-40, 6th in the East, swept by Boston in the first round 4-0)
The big spenders are back in the hunt. They actually did a pretty stellar job cleaning up the roster this year. They cleared out the excess—R.Mason, D.Brown, A.Carter, Turiaf, Rautins, those two Williamses from the Nets, and even the amnestied C.Billups (though he wasn't really "excess," let's be real :P). From the draft, they snagged Immanuel Shumpert, who should be a huge asset, along with Josh Harrellson and Jerome Jordan. Then they added Mike Bibby, Baron Davis, and Tyson Chandler—it's a deep, well-rounded roster. You've also got young talents like T.Douglas, Shumpert, and Landry Fields, though with Bibby, Davis, and the superstar Anthony, things might get a little crowded at the one and two spots. Under the hoop, they have Stoudemire, Chandler, Harrellson, and Jerome Jordan. It's a solid setup with real championship aspirations. If D'Antoni can gel this group, they'll be dangerous. I'm predicting a much better run than last year—maybe even a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Toronto Raptors
(22-60, 14th in the East, missed playoffs)
They're the basement dwellers of the division this year, though I suspect they won't be quite as bad as they were last season.
Not many changes—S.Weems left, while J.Magloire, R.Butler, A.Carter, Aaron Gray, and Gary Forbes joined. Nothing groundbreaking. The roster is a bit more veteran-heavy, and I'm expecting DeRozan to really explode this year alongside Ed Davis. The backbone will likely remain the international contingent—Calderon, Bargnani, and Kleiza—plus Brazil's Barbosa. Nothing spectacular here; maybe 10th in the East if they're lucky.
Philadelphia 76ers
(41-41, 7th in the East, lost in the first round to Miami 4-1)
My favorite squad is heading into the season again—not with massive expectations, mind you—but with a solid roster and just a few tweaks. We lost guys like J. Kapono, D. Songaila, and A. Daniels, but we brought in two rookies, Nikola Vučević and Lavoy Allen. It’s an incredibly young group, with only two veterans holding things down—our primary center Elton Brand and Tony Battie, who just inked a new deal. They have two stellar young guards, Jodie Meeks and Jrue Holiday; if they can find some consistency—think Russell Westbrook style—they could be absolute stars. Then there's Louis Williams, Thaddeus Young, Evan Turner, the seasoned Nocioni, and our leader, Iguodala. Young Vučević shows real promise—his post technique is quite good—he just needs to tighten up his defense to become a mainstay for the future. We still have Spencer Hawes, Marrese Speights, Craig Brackins, and rookie Allen at center. Honestly, this team is brimming with potential—it should only get better with age—though right now, Iguodala and Brand are the ones keeping everything from drifting apart. During preseason, we faced Washington, which was a total change of pace. We had a dominant showing in the first game, winning 103-78 behind 19 points from Williams, followed by a real grind in the second, eventually pulling away for a 101-94 win led by Holiday's 24 points. All in all, I think it'll be a decent season—making the playoffs shouldn't be an issue—and anything beyond that would just be a wonderful bonus, even if it is a steep climb.