Comments: A lot of people are convinced they're going to instantly be contenders with everyone healthy, but I don't think they'll be able to stay totally injury-free, and just like last year they have zero depth.…Offensively, they're not going to be horrible — their top guys will certainly be efficient, and that includes the new guy, Mike Miller. So their starters are going to make shots, no doubt, but their bench is littered with poor offensive players. That's really going to drag them down, especially if the injuries come up again.…Their defense is awful. If it wasn't for Sacramento, this would be the worst D in the league, and Flip Saunders isn't going to turn it around with coaching.…It's going to come down to how healthy their Big 3 are, obviously, but this is not the same group that was a .500 team from 2004-05 through 2007-08. The supporting cast is really terrible. They're probably going to be a major disappointment.

12. New Jersey Nets (34-48, 4th in Atlantic Division)

Comments: It's going to be the same story for them as it was last year, made worse by Vince Carter's absence. They've got some talent for the future — Harris, Lopez, Lee, etc. — but this season is basically a write-off in preparation for spending that cap money next summer.…I'm not sold on Yi: he's only 22, and there have been flashes of potential, but in the end he's had two terrible seasons. The track record for players starting their careers this way is not encouraging.…Devin Harris is a stud, a bona fide star. If you're going to trade away a Hall of Famer, you can't do any better than the Nets did when they picked up Harris.…I like Brook Lopez a lot: he's efficient, he rebounds, he blocks shots, etc. Legit centers are hard to come by, and New Jersey has one in Lopez.…The next step for them is luring someone to come play with their core. Prokhorov's money was nice, but with the relocation plans still up in the air, I wonder what kind of effect their off-court situation will have on potential signees?

11. Chicago Bulls (36-56, 4th in Central Division)

Comments: They lost Ben Gordon via free agency, to another team in the division, and they didn't do anything to make up for that loss. It was a great run in the playoffs last year, but it's going to be very difficult to replicate that in 2009-10.…Derrick Rose came with a lot of hype last season, and he's got the potential to be a superstar, but I'm not sure he's one of the game's elite point guards yet. Defensively, he has issues, as you saw when Rajon Rondo lit him up in the playoffs.…Even before the injury, what happened to Luol Deng? A few years ago, it looked like he was going to be a star. Now he's a good player, but nothing more.…They have a lot of guys with more potential than production — Rose, Thomas, Deng, etc. If they all figured things out, this could be a dangerous team.…Joakim Noah and Brad Miller are a terrific offensive duo in the frontcourt. When Noah got significant minutes, he proved he could produce.…They're going to struggle to return to the playoffs, but you have to focus on that young talent. They'll be back in a few years if they play their cards right.

10. Miami Heat (36-46, 4th in Southeast Division)

Comments: This team screams "Plexiglas Principle" to me. Teams that make vast improvements in one season tend to give some of that back the next year.…Miami made a 28-game turnaround on the strength of Wade being healthy for the first time in 3 years. If he plays 79 games again, fine, they've got a chance to go back, but what happens if he's hurt?…Beasley didn't really impress anybody last year. But if they make the playoffs again, it's going to be because he turned a corner.…Jermaine O'Neal is toast. He's on the wrong side of 30, his offensive game is shot, and he doesn't even defend well anymore. Between him and Magloire, the center position is going to kill them.…The big question for them is obviously whether Wade sticks around next summer. You have to think that if they miss the playoffs this season, it's going to really cause him to question if he's in the right place or not.

9. Philadelphia 76ers (36-46, 3rd in Atlantic Division)

Comments: Losing Andre Miller hurts. The difference between him and Louis Williams at this point in their careers is probably going to be the difference between making the playoffs and staying home.…I'm really high on Iguodala and Young; they're going to be the two best players on this team, because they're efficient on offense and they're terrific defenders, especially Iguodala. For my money, he's one of the league's most underrated players.…Elton Brand got the benefit of the doubt last year because he was injured, but I question whether he can be anything close to what he was. In his prime he was one of the best in the game, but he hasn't showed that in 2½ years.…Dalembert is frustrating, always has been. His talent and his contract don't match what you get out of him on a nightly basis.…Marreese Speights is a legit offensive player, for sure. But they can't play him more until he quits fouling and plays tougher D.…There are too many question marks to consider Philly anything more than a one-and-done, and that's if they make the playoffs at all.

8. Charlotte Bobcats (37-45, 3rd in Southeast Division)

Comments: They've never made the playoffs, but I think that's going to change this year. If you look at the moves they made since Larry Brown took over, you see them getting much better defensively, and that's the foundation they wanted to have.…Okafor never really became the kind of player you expect from a #2 pick, so swapping him for Chandler doesn't really make a big difference, as they're both D-first bigs without much offensive talent. The key thing for Charlotte was to get out from under Okafor's contract.…Gerald Wallace is outstanding. He doesn't shoot particularly well, but aside from that he's an all-around beast.…D.J. Augustin is going to be a great one. He's undersized and he needs to work on his defense, but he's highly talented.…Diaw doesn't seem like a Larry Brown guy, he doesn't always give 100%. Raja Bell, though, works as hard as anybody.…They made enough positive changes to be a legit playoff contender, but they won't make any noise once they get there.

7. Detroit Pistons (38-44, 3rd in Central Division)

Comments: Rumors of Detroit's demise were greatly exaggerated last season. The Billups/Iverson situation had a lot of people down on Joe Dumars, but he responded by picking up Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva. Regardless of fit, that's a pretty nice haul in terms of talent.…Stuckey is a guy I thought would make big strides last year, but he's still not efficient enough. They annointed him the successor to Billups, but he's not there yet, not even close. Fortunately, at 23 he still has some time to improve.…I don't know how they're going to handle the Gordon/Hamilton timeshare. Hamilton is declining, but he had a problem with coming off the bench last year. Gordon is better, but he's been a sixth man for a while.…Villanueva is a good player. He scores, he can stretch defenses, he's an underrated rebounder — he's like a defensively-challenged version of Rasheed Wallace.…Will Bynum is a sparkplug, he can score in bunches.…Ben Wallace is probably finished, but there's an off chance he can add something to their D.…Michael Curry needed to go, he had lost the players. I'm not sure if John Kuester can do better, but he probably can't do worse.

6. Indiana Pacers (39-43, 2nd in Central Division)

Comments: They're going to be one of the surprise teams of the league. They had a solid second half last year, and could have a pretty decent season in 2009-10 with more improvement from Granger and the other young players.…Granger is a superstar in the making, but he has to get better defensively to take that next step.…Mike Dunleavy was very effective the last time he was healthy, but he'll be gone for half of this year and there's no telling what he can bring when he does return. Dahntay Jones, his replacement, is the anti-Dunleavy — not a lot of offensive skill, but a guy who puts the necessary effort into defense.…T.J. Ford surprised me. Early in his career, he was inefficient and it didn't look like he would live up to the billing, but he's grown into his game and he's a great fit in Indiana.…Troy Murphy doesn't play PF the conventional way, but he had a great season last year and is one of the most underrated players in the game.…O'Brien and Dick Harter can flat-out coach. People think Indy doesn't defend, but that's just an illusion of pace — they were basically equal on offense and defense last year.

5. Atlanta Hawks (40-42, 2nd in Southeast Division)

Comments: Everyone talks about the fact that they've improved their win total in five straight seasons, but the streak probably ends this year. It's not that they lost anyone special, but they also didn't improve, they still don't have a lot of depth, and the plexiglas principle looms.…Jamal Crawford is overrated because he doesn't defend, and what's worse is that he was Atlanta's headline acquisition while everyone else in the top half of the conference added stars.…Mike Bibby had a renaissance year last season, but at 31 I have my doubts as to whether he can repeat it. It won't be a surprise if he reverts back to the inefficient form he showed in '07 and '08.…Joe Johnson is consistent, you have to give him that. We've probably seen his best (and this is it), but there are worse go-to guys out there.…Joe Smith was a good veteran pickup, but I hated the Jason Collins addition. He used to defend but now he's a total non-entity.…Those 47 wins were probably the most they could realistically expect out of their talent base.

4. Toronto Raptors (43-39, 2nd in Atlantic Division)

Comments: The 2008-09 season was a total aberration — this was morally a 49-33 team in 2007-08, and they won 47 the year before that. Last year the role players weren't efficient and the whole team regressed defensively, but given the track records of the current roster, you have to think they'll bounce back.…Bosh is a superstar and Calderon is an elite point guard; the addition of Turkoglu gives them another talented offensive player, so I fully expect an offensive resurgence this year.…I don't know how wise the Turkoglu deal was long-term, but as far as win-now moves go, it helped make Toronto relevant in the East again.…Bargnani is still soft and has some major flaws, but he showed signs of life last season. Any improvement he makes will go a long way toward Toronto rejoining the East's second tier.…Marco Belinelli is talented, he has a lot of skills. Between him, Demar DeRozan, and Jarrett Jack, the guard rotation alongside Calderon could surprise.…Amir Johnson has great per-minute statistics, but he still doesn't understand that you can't stay in the game if you foul every 5 minutes of court time.

3. Orlando Magic (56-26, 1st in Southeast Division)

Comments: Not many teams coming off of a Finals appearance: A) get better the next season and B) aren't even the 2nd-biggest favorites to represent the conference in the Finals again. But that's where Orlando is. Carter was a fantastic addition and he makes them a stronger team; at the same time, I'm not sure they would be favored head-to-head against Boston or Cleveland if they played again today.…I was impressed with the way they responded without Nelson. Alston didn't light the world on fire in the playoffs, but the supporting cast was so good that it didn't matter. With Nelson back, the gap between them and the rest of the East's elite is that much smaller.…The team is scary deep in the frontcourt. In addition to the starters, which has maybe the best PF-C combo in the Conference in Lewis-Howard, they've got Bass, Gortat, Barnes, and Anderson coming off the bench. As far as backups go, that's a lot of talent.…They may not be the odds-on favorites to win the East again, but it would surprise no one if they go back to the Finals next summer.

2. Boston Celtics (58-24, 1st in Atlantic Division)

Comments: I thought losing Garnett would destroy their chances, but they survived Chicago and pushed Orlando to the brink. With KG at full strength, they're going to be as formidable as ever.…Rajon Rondo is amazing. He's so versatile, such a great defender, and every year he gets better. I know he had some locker-room issues and they dangled him in trade talks, but letting him go would be crazy.…The Wallace signing was the kind of move a veteran-laden team like Boston pulls off, and it makes them that much more dangerous. He's older, but his defense is going to fit right in on this team.…What can you say about Ray Allen and Paul Pierce? They're All-Stars, as usual — it's the backups I'd be concerned about. Daniels is overrated, he's badly inefficient, and there's not a whole lot to be said for Tony Allen, Bill Walker, or Scalabrine, either. Throw in Eddie House behind Rondo at PG, and this bench is the main weakness.…Still, barring injury, the Celtics will be a formidable force in the Eastern Conference.

1. Cleveland Cavaliers (63-19, 1st in Central Division)

Comments: This is the most talented team in the conference, hands down — probably the best team in the entire league. James is the game's best player and that goes a long way, but they've also surrounded him with great complementary players. This whole roster is tailored to play off of James' strengths.…Shaq was the big-name pickup, and he'll be an upgrade over Z, but the most important pickup was Anthony Parker. With West's situation up in the air, Parker's defense and versatility is going to be crucial.…Jamario Moon's acquisition was underrated; he constantly made his teams better when he was on the court, so he'll be another defensive asset.…My only concern is whether they did enough to address their issues against a team like Orlando, who used Dwight Howard and a killer pick-n-roll game to exploit Cleveland's D.…James' free agency is going to hang over this team all season. I think the players will be insulated from the distraction, but don't think for a second that it won't be a near-constant topic of conversation whenever the Cavs play.

The Eastern Conference Playoffs

First Round

• #1 Cleveland over #8 Charlotte
• #4 Toronto over #5 Atlanta
• #3 Orlando over #6 Indiana
• #2 Boston over #7 Detroit

Semifinals

• #1 Cleveland over #4 Toronto
• #2 Boston over #3 Orlando

Finals

• #1 Cleveland over #2 Boston