Predict the East

[Underdog]

Originally Posted by tap2390

After the top 2 it gets a little murky, but here's where I'm at:

1) Bulls -> my championship pick; D-ROSE is 100% and ready to dominate; right combo of depth, shooting, youth, defense, and coaching

2) Cavs -> they're going to be ridiculously fun to watch, but ultimately the Bulls are the better team

3) Indy -> Stephenson is a huge loss, but CJ Miles should space the floor better than Stephenson did; better chemistry and continued advancement of Paul George means they don't fall off as much as everyone thinks they will

4) Wizards -> tough call between them and Raptors for the #4 spot, but I think they have more upside and Glen Rice Jr. looks like he can ball

5) Raptors -> they will feast on a weak division but whether they can take that next step remains to be seen, also how motivated is Lowry with the new deal?

6) Hornets -> I'm tempted to put them as high as 3, but they're not very potent on offense; defense should be suffocating however

7) Brooklyn -> veteran fortitude and weak division keep them relevant for one more year

8) Atlanta -> Healthy Horford keeps them in the picture



DARK HORSE -> Orlando Magic; made some moves to add some scoring, youth and athleticism may overwhelm some teams; Elfrid Payton is my pick for Rookie of the Year

How are the Heat not on your list?? Bosh used to take the Raptors to the playoffs pretty much by himself... Obviously Deng isn't LeBron, and Wade isn't as good as he used to be, but they're still a playoff squad in the East.