NBA Season Preview: Eastern Conference

Contenders

Miami Heat: After securing their second franchise championship and LeBron James’ first, Miami will remain the team to beat this season.

While much of the pressure will be on the Los Angeles Lakers to overthrow the Heat with their new look squad, it remains harder to defend a championship than it is to initially win it.

The pressure on LeBron will ease this season after securing his first ring as well as bringing home a gold medal from this summer’s London Olympics.

On top of that, the additions of Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis will offer perimeter threats that they lacked last season, as well as allowing LBJ to exploit the inside.

Although Allen, 37, is unable to play the minutes he once was, his ability to knock down perimeter shots remains the best in the game.

This season will also see the return of a fully fit Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade and, if all goes well for Eric Spoelstra’s side, it’s hard to see anyone in the East touching them.

Chicago Bulls: After battling Miami for the top spot in the East last season, an injury to Derrick Rose’s knee in the playoffs instantly killed any hopes they had of a ring.

While they were able to hold it together without the former No.1 pick for large chunks of the regular season, the post-season is a different intensity and the Bulls need Rose if they are to stand a fighting chance.

With the news that their All-Star point-guard will not be rushing his return, Chicago has added to their already deep squad.

Signing former New York Knick, Nate Robinson, as well as bringing back Kirk Hinrich after a two-year absence, they have found adequate backups at the lead-guard role.

Within the roster they possess a wealth of talent, with players such as Luol Deng, Joakim Noah, Carlos Boozer and Richard Hamilton all making an impact.

Sadly though, as much as they try to prepare for the temporary absence of Rose, if he is once again unable to make it through the playoffs, so will the Bulls.

Teams To Watch

Indiana Pacers: The big surprise of 2012, Indiana is ready for another crack at it this season.

While they didn’t make any substantial transactions over the summer, the contract extensions of Roy Hibbert and George Hill were exactly what the team needed.

A team built around unity rather than flashy stars, much like Larry Bird’s team’s during his playing days, they now possess the talent and unison to compete at the top end of the East.

After finishing third in the regular season standings last season, they will be hoping to build upon that, challenging Miami and Chicago for a top two finish.

In order to help them they have signed D.J. Augustin as Hill’s backup at the point, after trading Darren Collison to the Dallas Mavericks this summer.

They have also added swingman, Gerald Green, a player that is eager to prove himself in the NBA after a prolonged period away from the league.

The continual improvement of Paul George is encouraging and, if things go to plan, he could have his best season to date.

On the down side, though, Indiana lacks an out-and-out scorer. While their team-first principles work well in the regular season, lacking a true scorer in the playoffs could be deadly against a stout defence.

Brooklyn Nets: As they prepare to enter their new home in Brooklyn, the Nets will also have to prepare for a few new faces in the roster.

After giving up on bringing Dwight Howard to the Barclays Center, they set their sights elsewhere, adding Josh Childress, C.J. Watson, six-time NBA All-Star, Joe Johnson, and a host of others to the squad.

Just as important was the re-signing of their current superstars, Deron Williams, Gerald Wallace and Brook Lopez.

While it is sure to take time for the new faces to gel, with a starting five comparable to any in the league, the Nets look good to progress easily into the playoffs.

The problems for Brooklyn lie in the bench. Highly lacking in backup talent, Avery Johnson will have to add to his bench or, rather, find a way to rest his key players without it having a highly detrimental effect on the team’s performance.

If he can find a way then things are sure to be looking up for the Nets, though it is undoubtedly going to take a year or two before they are competing for the top honours.

Strugglers

Orlando Magic: After trading away the league’s best centre since Shaquille O’Neal, things couldn’t be much worse in Orlando.

As the post-Dwight Howard era begins, the Magic start the season with Jacque Vaughn in charge, a man with no previous experience as an NBA head coach.

The man who hired him and oversaw the Howard trade was the inexperienced first-year General Manager, Rob Hennigan.

In return for the three-time Defensive Player of the Year, Hennigan and the Magic received Al Harrington, Arron Afflalo, Nikola Vucevic and three protected first-round picks.

While they are all decent players in their own right, not one of them represents quality worth trading away the most dominant player in the league for, especially considering Andrew Bynum was up for grabs.

The roster is now down to its bare bones and will be relying on youth to see them threw this season.

With the future in mind when making this summer’s blockbuster trade, Orlando will be looking for one thing come June, the first pick in the NBA draft.

Charlotte Bobcats: The Bobcats’ regular season record last season was 7-59.

Need I say more?

Finishing the worst season in NBA history on a 23-game losing streak doesn’t bode well as they look to make the playoffs for the first time since 2010.

Nonetheless, Michael Jordan and the Bobcats franchise have made some shrewd summer additions.

Former Lakers point-guard, Ramon Sessions, joined as a free agent as well as 32-year-old centre Brendan Haywood.

While the addition of Ben Gordon is not the All-Star calibre player MJ would have hoped for, his energy and perimeter shooting will be a major facet for a struggling side.

Most importantly, the Bobcats brought in the second pick in the draft, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.

A tough defender, Kidd-Gilchrist will bring a strong work ethic to a side desperately in need of a leader.

Whether or not he will be the man to lead Charlotte out of this hole it is too early to tell but with his desire to improve, mixed with a few new faces, the Bobcats are sure to win more than seven games this season.