The 2015/16 Eastern Conference Predictions Thread

[magoon]

Mine:

1. Cleveland (will have the full squad back plus Mo Williams for additional guard depth)
2. Miami (Chris Bosh's blood clot cost them probably 6-7 games alone last year - and they've added Dragic, Winslow, and Gerald Green, and may well trade for more from Denver)
3. Toronto (we added playmaking, defense and perimeter shooting in gobs via free agency while not losing anything terribly dramatic)
4. Chicago (they are still Chicago, but I think Hoiberg will need a season to really become a true NBA-level coach)
5. Washington (added shooting and defense, which is what they needed)
6. Milwaukee (not quite ready to make the leap - but very close)
7. Atlanta (still a good team, but Tiago Splitter doesn't address their rebounding needs greatly enough, the Tim Hardaway trade is questionable, and the loss of Carroll hurts them a lot)
8. Boston (were a good defensive team, and just added much more credible bigs - weak draft, though)
9. Charlotte (if there's a team that jumps up into the playoffs unexpectedly, it's them)
10. New York (made smart signings for good players at decent value - but it's not enough and the triangle isn't gonna work)
11. Indiana (will need at least one season to truly become the new, smaller team they are now - but should start contending again sooner rather than later)
12. Orlando (will become better defenders under Scott Skiles; still need scoring and don't have nearly enough)
13. Detroit (SVG needs to work dark magic to make these guys contend)
14. Brooklyn (this is the season where this team just collapses)
15. Philadelphia (still in rebuild)

[TrueTorontoFan]

I think we will be 4th or 5th cause the bucks will be third and we will face chicago. I agree with most of your predictions except i think the 5-8 will include atlanta, boston, and orlando. I feel like orlando will make the jump they need to make this year they have drafted well and are super defensive so I am excited to see that team.

[ceez]

Magic in, Wizards out.

Skiles historically gets his teams to overachieve in his first year and then everything falls apart. i expect them to be the "darlings" of the East.

Milwaukee will continue their ascent. wouldn't surprise me if they're a top 4 team, especially if Po takes the next step.

I think Chicago are going to slip. Lot of locker room issues.

Think Hawks will be good, but i don't know who's playing SF for them.

Brad Stevens will have a roster full of good not great players compete, like he always does. look for Ainge to swing a blockbuster trade at the deadline. dark horse in the east.

Raps will be better despite having a worse record than last year. if that makes sense. Casey will be fired early in the season and my dude Nick Nurse is going to turn the team around completely. both DD and Lowry will be moved by the deadline. Team will reach second round of the playoffs.

[raptors999]

Magic in, Wizards out.

Skiles historically gets his teams to overachieve in his first year and then everything falls apart. i expect them to be the "darlings" of the East.

Milwaukee will continue their ascent. wouldn't surprise me if they're a top 4 team, especially if Po takes the next step.

I think Chicago are going to slip. Lot of locker room issues.

Think Hawks will be good, but i don't know who's playing SF for them.

Brad Stevens will have a roster full of good not great players compete, like he always does. look for Ainge to swing a blockbuster trade at the deadline. dark horse in the east.

Raps will be better despite having a worse record than last year. if that makes sense. Casey will be fired early in the season and my dude Nick Nurse is going to turn the team around completely. both DD and Lowry will be moved by the deadline. Team will reach second round of the playoffs.

really hope MU is using the Casey firing as this season Gay trade

[tDotted]

1. Cleveland (Healthy with Mo)
2. Chicago (Hoiberg)
3. Toronto (Every issue was addressed besides Casey)
4. Miami (Shaky team defensively, bench isn't particularly strong. Starters will carry this team)
5. Atlanta (They'll drop off but not off the map)
6. Indiana (PG13 & Monta should be good)
7. Washington (Not many roster improvements)
8. MIL/BOS (Big names added who aren't great defenders)
9. ORL/DET (I dunno)

That's all I got.

[SkywalkerAC]

I'll go ahead and take the Raptors 2nd.

[GuiJaeger]

My early, early predicts

1. Cleveland
2. Chicago
3. Atlanta
4. Toronto (yes, again)
5. Miami
6. Washington
7. Milwaukee
8. Indiana

[mjt20mik]

Here we go. I'm gonna get a lot of hate for this but...

1) Cleveland (retained everyone)
2) Chicago (retained everyone)
3) Miami (added wing players and healthy bosh)
4) Washington (lost pierce but picked up solid pieces to replace him)
5) Indiana (had a quiet but solid offseason- playing PG at the four will be beneficial to their team)
6) Milwaukee (retained all their pieces and picked up a good big man and backup guard)
7) Toronto ( added defensive pieces but haven't improved at the 4 position- bench is also not as deep as last year)
8) Boston (could be a sleeper team - brad Stevens is a mastermind and wouldn't be surprised if this team wins the Atlantic if their cards fall right)

[Snooch]

Here we go. I'm gonna get a lot of hate for this but...

1) Cleveland (retained everyone)
2) Chicago (retained everyone)
3) Miami (added wing players and healthy bosh)
4) Washington (lost pierce but picked up solid pieces to replace him)
5) Indiana (had a quiet but solid offseason- playing PG at the four will be beneficial to their team)
6) Milwaukee (retained all their pieces and picked up a good big man and backup guard)
7) Toronto ( added defensive pieces but haven't improved at the 4 position- bench is also not as deep as last year)
8) Boston (could be a sleeper team - brad Stevens is a mastermind and wouldn't be surprised if this team wins the Atlantic if their cards fall right)

This right here.

Unless the raps somehow catch lighting in a bottle like they did the first half of last year tgus team is barely above 500.

[yabadabayolo]

Cleveland
Toronto (cuz raps in 4)
Miami
Atlanta
Washington (they have made no changes at all)
Miluake
Indiana
Chicago

Honestly, east is going to be deep this year. With 6-12 having very few difference in between

[raptors999]

This right here.

Unless the raps somehow catch lighting in a bottle like they did the first half of last year tgus team is barely above 500.

The issue is the number of teams Raptor can not count on to go 3-1. Most Eastern teams now are likely 2-2 or 1-3.

[Snooch]

The issue is the number of teams Raptor can not count on to go 3-1. Most Eastern teams now are likely 2-2 or 1-3.

West is still the west, and oddly enough our counterparts int he East improved alot.

Busk are better than us right now and will kill us in the playoffs. We have no pf to stop Monroe and their incredible long wing will kill our brand of "raptor basketball" offensively

Miami is alot better

Washington will be at about the same level through the playoffs, but Carroll cannot guard wall in the playoffs

Atlanta is not gonna drop off like some people thing they will and will hover around 4-6 with Milwaukee and indiana.

Chicago is incredibly dangerous team and if Rose is 70% healthy is better than us. we have no one to guard Gasol and no one to check Rose. Butler might get slowed by Carroll.

this team is at best a 5 seed, more likely 6 or 7. And an injury to JV away from outside the playoffs.

[slaw]

I find it amusing that on all these lists no one has Atlanta higher than third and one poster has them out of the playoffs. I thought the Hawks were the optimal NBA team with their motion offense and the genius Mike Budenholzer as the coach? Is he not a genius anymore? LOL.

I also find it interesting that everyone is so high on the Bucks. Monroe is a solid add but he changes philosophically what they are doing offensively and he will definitely take touches away from Po, Parker and MCW. That might be a good thing or a bad thing but the implication that there's a straight line to climb in Milwaukee (not to mention having to re-integrate Parker after the injury) is not really warranted at the moment.

As for everyone being high on Indy I don't get that. If the Raptors added Ellis and Stuckey this board would be going on about how the Raps were the worst team in the world run by idiots. But Indy does it and they're a playoff team again.

[GuiJaeger]

How can so many people think Atlanta is dropping off out of the playoffs? Do you guys really think DeMarre Carroll, 4th to 5th most important player in their rotation, and Pero Antic, are seriously gonna bring that much of an impact? Because they retained everyone else of a team that was good for 60 wins last season. Even if they drop off because they got worse and the East got better, those fluctuations aren't that drastic to justify thinking they're out of playoffs.

[raptors999]

How can so many people think Atlanta is dropping off out of the playoffs? Do you guys really think DeMarre Carroll, 4th to 5th most important player in their rotation, and Pero Antic, are seriously gonna bring that much of an impact? Because they retained everyone else of a team that was good for 60 wins last season. Even if they drop off because they got worse and the East got better, those fluctuations aren't that drastic to justify thinking they're out of playoffs.

Wizards and Raptors will take the biggest hit in regular season W-L both feasted on weak teams. Hawks, Bulls and Cavs can beat good teams. Bulls under Hoiberg who knows.