Feast on the East this NBA season
MATT DOYON- Associate Sports Editor While sifting through all the Kobe Bryant stories and rumors, you might have noticed the NBA season tipped off Tuesday. And the Eastern Conference is no longer the little brother of the West that it had been since Michael Jordan’s, err, second retirement.
MATT DOYON- Associate Sports Editor
While sifting through all the Kobe
Bryant stories and rumors, you might have
noticed the NBA season tipped off Tuesday.
And the Eastern Conference is no longer
the little brother of the West that it had
been since Michael Jordan’s, err, second
retirement.
The migration of Kevin Garnett and Ray
Allen to the Celtics has transformed the
storied franchise from the last-place team of
a year ago to a title threat once again. That
gives the Atlantic Division a grand total of
one team that could advance to the second
round of the playoffs. Well, not exactly, but
almost. Toronto was the lone team to escape
the regular season with a winning record
last year in 2006-2007 and won’t take a
step back this year – Chris Bosh proved
he is the heart of the team and can carry
it through the turmoil it’ll undoubtedly
face on its mid-season West Coast trip.
The Knicks are facing too many obstacles
on and off the court with no one to unify
the talent. Isiah Thomas is the Matt Millen
of the NBA; the worse his team performs,
the more lucrative the contract extension
he receives. The 76ers demonstrated their
resignation to rebuilding with the trade of
Allen Iverson last Dec. 19 and are still is
the development process. New Jersey in
the wild card of the Atlantic, providing it
doesn’t trade Jason Kidd.
Detroit, a perennial contender, continues
to keep its core intact and leaves
no reason to think this season will break
the mold. But speaking of Kobe, Chicago,
another Central Division playoff team
of a year ago, has been rumored to be a
potential suitor for the disgruntled Bryant.
The deal would send yet another Western
Conference All-Star eastward and change
the balance of the league. Cleveland, last
season’s Eastern Conference representative
in the NBA Finals, has done the least of
any Central contender to improve. LeBron
James is going to have to do the heavy
lifting again. The Cavs are still dealing
with precarious dissension from Sasha
Pavlovic and Anderson Varejao, who might
opt not to play in the NBA rather than
rejoin Cleveland. Larry Hughes and Daniel
Gibson will have to have a bigger impact
on the offense for Cleveland to make it
deep in the playoffs.
The Southeast is the weakest of the three
Eastern divisions, but the Wizards, Heat
and Magic could all make the post-season,
conceivably. That means every playoff team
could actually finish above .500!
Leagues, such as the NFL and MLB now
have greater disparities between their two
leagues/conferences, and the NBA is no
longer the lopsided mess it had become.