It's now time to take a look to the East for our official NBA Fan Guide. There are lot of question marks in the Eastern Conference that will be answered this season. More than just how far will the LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers go in the conference.
+Rodney Fisher |
| Kyrie, LeBron, and Kevin. Photo credit: Clevelander |
Cleveland will still be the team to watch in the East, but they are not the only storyline for fans to follow.
Storylines
Third Times The Charm
Another NBA season, and another hold-your-breath return of Derrick Rose. First of all, I am a huge Rose fan, but I cringe ever time he leaves the ground and comes down. He remains the only other player to win the NBA MVP in the Eastern Conference since LeBron began his reign. He returns with more offensive firepower to lighten the load with Pau Gasol, Doug McDermont, and Jimmy Butler. Joakim Noah was a legitimate MVP candidate last year with his onslaught of double-doubles. If this team can stay complete this year, they are the favorite in the East.Heat Check
The Miami Heat may not have LeBron, but they did pretty good filling out their roster by keeping Chris Bosh and adding Luol Deng. The storyline for the Heat is what type of shape will Dwyane Wade be in this year. He has lost weight to get back to his "flash" speed, but will his legs follow suit.We also get to see how good of a coach Erik Spoelstra is. |
| Derek Fisher begins his NBA coaching career. Photo credit: NY Knicks |
Fish in a Big Pond
And so begins the Derek Fisher coaching era. Fisher will be next player to coach in back-to-back seasons since Jason Kidd, but with the team in the Garden under his former coach Phil Jackson. The team only has one player, although that one player is Carmelo Anthony. The combination will make headlines, good, bad, and entertaining. This will Carmelo biggest challenge of his basketball career. How long before he gets tired of losing...that is the question.Lance the Hornet
While we all focused our attention on the free agency of players like LeBron, Carmelo, and Chris Bosh, the famous instigator Lance Stephens went down south to Charlotte with a team that will allow him to take as many shots as he wants. Michael Jordan said he brought in Lance because of the way he played Lebron and to win the East you have to beat LeBron. Jordan also thinks he can still play at his Air Jordan level too.Five Teams To Watch
Boston Celtics
We know they will not have a valid chance to be a real contender, but with all the young players on the squad they will be entertaining at least. Rajon Rondo is slated to make a return soon, but nobody knows how well he will perform. They open the season against KG and the Nets, so you can give me a first glance then draw your own conclusions.Detroit Pistons
The Pistons new coach and president Stan Van Gundy will be moving players this season until he can get his "guys" in there. Andre Drummond should continue to move up the ladder in the NBA, while you can watch if Josh Smith and Brandon Jennings can play together, or play with anybody. They will also be the one of the many affordable tickets in the Eastern Conference to see live.Washington Wizards
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| The new Three Amigos: Wall, Pierce, and Beal. Photo credit: Washington Wizards |
Toronto Raptors
Even though the Raptors made it to the playoffs last year, many fans have not seem them play. Our neighbors to the North, led by DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry, have big dreams. They truly feel like they are legitimate contenders, and in the East half of the teams are. Dewayne Casey worked magic last year. Let's see if he has a second act.Orlando Magic
Say what you will, but Victor Oladipo can ball. Its too bad, we won't see him or Channing Frye for the first couple of weeks this season. If you really watched the preseason, then you may have seen flashes of two rookies that will both be contending for ROY, Elfrid Payton and Aaron Gordon. I am not predicting that they win 50 games, but by the midway point you could see a sneaky, competitive team.Milestone Moments
- Believe it or not, LeBron James is going to passing a few people in all-time categories this season.
And the Nominees are...
- MVP: LeBron James, Derrick Rose, Carmelo Anthony, Joakim Noah, Chris Bosh
- Coach of the Year: Tom Thibeadueax, Erik Spoelstra
- Rookie of the Year: Elfrid Payton, Aaron Gordon, Nerlens Noel
- Defensive Player of the Year: LeBron James, Marcin Gortat, Joakim Noah
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