Leonard and Green add intrigue but stacked Celtics look tougher
The major impediment to reaching the NBA final has been removed for 14 other teams now that LeBron James has taken his estimable skills from the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Los Angeles Lakers, and the sounds you hear are sighs of relief from a handful more. There is still an awful lot of time between now and the late-May start to the championship series, and it’s impossible to comprehend that more significant changes won’t occur by then, but what unfolds will unfold. Here’s how things shake out today in the Eastern Conference:
THE UPPER TIER BOSTON
And the rich get richer. They were already stacked coming off a run to the conference final a year ago, and adding all-stars Kyrie Irving and Gordon Hayward after injuries should make the Celtics prohibitive favourites in the East. They retained Marcus Smart, are imbued with confidence after last year’s run and have one of the more innovative coaches in the NBA in Brad Stevens. Adding Irving and Hayward might give Boston almost too much talent to groom into a truly cohesive one-for-all team, but the wise bet is that they’ll figure it out.
TORONTO
Yes, it all depends on Kawhi Leonard, his right quadriceps and his mind, but adding a plus defender and experience in Danny Green to a 59-win team can’t be a bad basketball trade. The Raptors have a chance to be among the very best defensive teams in the league — they could have rebounding issues, though — and the spotlight is shining on first-year coach Nick Nurse. It should be an interesting time around the Raptors.
PHILADELPHIA
The Sixers did not have a particularly great summer. Trade acquisitions Wilson Chandler and Mike Muscala are OK, but they may not be an upgrade on Ersan Ilyasova and Marco Belinelli, both free-agent rentals who bolted. Joel Embiid remains an ascending star, of that there is no doubt, But for as good as Ben Simmons can be, he’s shown no inclination to shoot, and Markelle Fultz has shown no ability to shoot. Philadelphia is a good team, no question, but they might be a bit more sizzle than they are steak right now after finishing last season with the cupcake of all cupcake schedules down the stretch.
INDIANA
The Pacers ended last season as the flavour of the month after extending Cleveland to seven games and they’ll begin the coming season in much the same role. The addition of bruiser Kyle O’Quinn will help on the glass and inside defensively, while noted Raptors killer Doug McDermott and Tyreke Evans were nice under-theradar acquisitions. Losing Lance Stephenson to the Lakers as a free agent might be a plus.
MILWAUKEE
For a couple of years now we’ve heard about Giannis Antetokounmpo taking the Bucks to the next level, and fans have been left wanting more. Will a proven coach in Mike Budenholzer, a hidden draft gem in Donte DiVincenzo and the addition of Ilyasova and Brook Lopez get them to the heights expected? Yes, even if some question Eric Bledsoe’s suitability.
THE NEXT TIER
Washington, Detroit, Miami The Wizards, bless their “less than the sum of their parts” existence, swapped out Marcin Gortat for Dwight Howard — which is odd — and Washington could very well implode. Many in Toronto want the Dwane Casey Pistons to return to the playoffs and they probably should, while the Heat plod along — refusing to go away, refusing to fully rebuild — and should probably trade Hassan Whiteside if they can. But in the East, these three teams aren’t terrible and someone has to make the playoffs.
THE OTHERS
Chicago, Cleveland, Charlotte, New York, Brooklyn, Orlando, Atlanta
The Bulls would seem to be the cream of this crop and probably belong in the second tier, but there are questions. The rest will all play 82 games and win fewer than they lose, but some are likely to at least cause a bit of a ruckus at different points.