Post-Offseason Eastern Conference Power Rankings

team. 156. LeBron James. I could stop there and it’d be an acceptable answer for why the Cavaliers are ranked number one. Kyrie Irving found his footing and became a true star, bordering on superstar, in the Finals. Also, J.R. Smith, when having a shirt on, is actually a really good three-point shooter. Pair that with Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson down low, and factor in the underrated acquisition of Mike Dunleavy, and the Cavaliers stand alone looking down on the rest of the East.. . . Cleveland Cavaliers. 1

18. The rankings actually become interesting after Cleveland. Boston is coming off a 48-win season but looked terrible in the playoffs against the Hawks – losing in the first round for the second straight season. Although, there’s not many coaches I would take over Brad Stevens, and adding a veteran whose been around a winning environment since college – Al Horford – was arguably the biggest signing of the offseason besides Durant heading to the Warriors. His post defense and scoring, rebounding and ability to spread the floor fills every hole the Celtics had last season. Simply put, Horford is the difference between a long playoff run and another first round exit. He’s why people are viewing the Celtics as a team and their otherwise mediocre front court differently.. . . Boston Celtics. 2. team

. . Toronto Raptors. 3. team. 81. Losing Bismack Biyombo and Luis Scola is going to be tough, but I really like Jared Sullinger for $6 million on a “prove it” deal and their rookie Jakob Poeltl. Besides, the Raptors are coming off three straight division titles and the most wins in franchise history last season. The Raptors might not have made a big splash this summer, but they’re not just going to fall off a cliff. I’m not in love with their back court of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, as neither are great outside shooters, but they’ve proven to be enough to last among the East’s elite in the regular season. Besides, most teams would take two Olympians on one team. Getting over the hump and performing in the postseason will be their biggest challenge, but a healthy DeMarre Carroll – who only played in 26 games last season – will help in the regular season and playoffs.

team. 100. The Pacers put together an amazing offseason. They upgraded at point guard by basically swapping George Hill for Jeff Teague in a three-team trade and then traded for underrated power forward Thaddeus Young in exchange for the 20th pick. The Pacers also added Georges Niang through the draft, who put together a strong summer league, and veteran Al Jefferson via free agency. Paul George can now move back to his natural small forward position, and Myles Turner was one of the best rookies in the league last season. Indiana now sports one of the best starting fives in the NBA, and they seem to be the favorite to finish behind Cleveland in the Central Division.. . . Indiana Pacers. 4

. Detroit Pistons. 5. team. 64. Henry Ellenson was a steal with the 18th pick. Detroit also retained one of the best centers in the NBA to hold onto their strong starting lineup that they completed after trading for Tobias Harris last season. Sure, they don’t have the most notable names on their bench, however, Jon Leuer was a sneaky add this offseason and Stanley Johnson will be even better in his second season. They need to add a go-to wing player to become true contenders, but Andre Drummond is a rare big man you can build around, and they’re doing the rebuilding process right thus far..

Atlanta Hawks. 6. team. 125. The Hawks had an interesting offseason. They tried to clear cap space by trading Jeff Teague for the 12th pick to try to attract Al Horford back, but, instead they signed Dwight Howard early in free agency which ruined their chances of bringing Horford back. How well Howard and Dennis Schroder mesh will determine how far Atlanta goes. There’s high hopes for both, but if the Schroder era doesn’t get off to a fast start then they’ll be in for a rocky road. Still,I love the draft picks of Taurean Prince – to replace DeMarre Carroll – and DeAndre’ Bembry, and Jarrett Jack as a backup point guard was a sneaky add at the end of free agency.. .

170. Losing Jeremy Lin, Courtney Lee and Al Jefferson will hurt them. None were stars, but all had a big part of their 48-win season last year. Although, bringing back Marvin Williams and Nicolas Batum were good moves by the Hornets. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist returning from injury after only playing in seven games last season is an under the radar improvement for Charlotte. Can Kemba Walker take the next step and become an All-Star? Because the Hornets will need him to do so if they want to stay competitive. Can Frank Kaminsky and Cody Zeller continue to grow? Because if they don’t, Charlotte will be in trouble. Will trading the 22nd pick for Marco Belinelli pay off? It seemed like  massive overpay on the Hornets end, but maybe it’ll work.. . . Charlotte Hornets. 7. team

. Chicago Bulls. 8. team. 24. The Bulls made moves. Were they good? Eh, but they were moves. Chicago refuses to start a rebuild as they added big names, but none that will really get them any closer to a title. Rajon Rondo, Jimmy Butler and Dwyane Wade all struggle shooting from the perimeter and need the ball to be effective. The Rondo signing also limits the minutes second-year guard Jerian Grant will see, who should have seen the bulk of the minutes at point guard following the Derrick Rose trade. The Bulls offseason started out strong as they traded away an injury-prone point guard in Rose for a solid center in Robin Lopez, a high-potential guard in Jerian Grant and Jose Calderon. If they stopped there they’d be in better shape than now as they continue to hold on for dear life trying to stay relevant, when they might not even make the playoffs. I like the Denzel Valentine pick, but it’s not getting the Bulls younger like their front office said they were trying to do. Good luck, Bulls. You’ll stay relevant, but you won’t win..

9. team. 110. Dwyane Wade is the difference between Miami making and missing the playoffs in my mind. Bringing back Tyler Johnson was a nice consolation prize, but it’s not even close to enough for losing Wade. While Wade isn’t the superstar he once was, he was still the team’s go-to player. Now, Miami lost Joe Johnson and Luol Deng, as well, and their star player is a center who can’t shoot outside of the paint. Andre Drummond is more skilled and has a better supporting cast, which is why it works so well in Detroit. The Heat do still have Chris Bosh alongside Hassan Whiteside, however blood clots isn’t something to joke around with. I can’t trust his health, and I’m not even sure if he should be playing anymore. Goran Dragic isn’t as bad as he was last season, but his contract will restrict the Heat in upcoming free agencies. One injury and this team can go crashing down, yet again, if they stay healthy and Bosh stays on the floor, they could sneak into the playoffs.. . . Miami Heat

team. 27. The Knicks are in the same boat as the Bulls – they added big name players but it probably won’t do much more than garner media attention. Rose can’t stay healthy for more than 65ish games a year, and Noah has become an injury risk since his stellar 2013-14 season. I do think the Courtney Lee signing was underrated, mostly due to adding Eric Gordon would have given New York three starters who will miss a lot of time. Also, Brandon Jennings for $5 million as a backup is great value. The Knicks have the big names and a solid bench, but health and Carmelo Anthony and Rose both needing the ball to be effective worries me. Besides, in my mind, trying to win a couple of games is hurting the development of Kristaps Porzingis. If this works, they could be semi-dangerous, but I have a hard time believing in this plan.. . . New York Knicks. 10

Thon Maker, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Greg Monroe and John Henson is one lengthy, high-potential front court. Although, Monroe didn’t fit well in the Bucks’ system last season and their big free agent signing from a year ago didn’t vault them higher in the Eastern Conference playoff picture – it did the opposite. I think Jabari Parker continues his development, but their point guard position still worries me as Matthew Dellavedova is nothing more than a backup in my mind. Going with the Greek Freak at point would be their best plan, as it gives them a near seven-footer in their front court, something teams can’t match. Also, Khris Middleton is a basketball nerd’s best friend as his basketball analytics are some of the best in the league. Malcolm Brogdon has a chance to put together a solid rookie season, and Mirza Teletovic is quietly a decent three-point shooter – 39.3 three-point percentage. The potential is there, but they won’t be back in the playoffs this year. Give Maker a couple of seasons and then check back in.. . . Milwaukee Bucks. 11. team. 89

Orlando Magic. 12. team. 38. I like Serge Ibaka, but was he worth giving up Victor Oladipo, Domantas Sabonis and Ersan Ilyasova? Probably not, especially not when considering they also signed Bismack Biyombo, Jeff Green and drafted Stephen Zimmerman Jr. to go along with Aaron Gordon and Nikola Vucevic. Elfrid Payton will continue to grow and they have solid depth, but the Biyombo signing was confusing since they gave him $18 million a year, which is a ridiculous amount for a backup. Ibaka and Vucevic? Biyombo and Vucevic? Biyombo and Ibaka? Take your choice, but the Magic gave up their best young player to create a logjam in their front court, moving Aaron Gordon ahead of Mario Hezonja at small forward, as well.. .

Washington Wizards. 13. team. 142. Bradley Beal isn’t a star, but he got star money. The Wizards did add Ian Mahinmi, however with Marcin Gortat and Markieff Morris, it was a bit puzzling, to say the least. If Trey Burke can revive his career in Washington, the Wizards could have gotten their future backup to John Wall for basically nothing. It was a good low-risk, high-reward scenario for them. Although, in the end, the Wizards have basically no depth and relying on Beal to stay healthy is not a safe bet. At least they can look forward to watching Kelly Oubre Jr. develop.. .

Philadelphia 76ers. 14. team. 93. Congrats, Philadelphia, you’re not last anymore. It’s not just Ben Simmons who will make the difference, rather Simmons paired with Joel Embiid and Dario Saric. Jahlil Okafor and Nerlens Noel didn’t mesh well together, and it seems that Okafor will eventually be traded. Missing out on Kris Dunn was a huge mistake for the 76ers, although they must believe in Simmons being able to run the point. The 76ers have a lot of young players who actually aren’t that bad, but someone needs to develop into a star. Robert Covington, T.J. McConnell, Hollis Thompson and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot all have a lot of potential, and luckily they’ll get a lot of playing time next season. The 76ers aren’t going to be good, but they’ll be better. Still a couple of years away, but <em>The Process</em> is working.. .

team. 147. Sean Marks took over as GM with the impossible task of rebuilding the Brooklyn Nets. They nearly pulled off signing Tyler Johnson and Allen Crabbe – which would have jump-started their rebuilding project – but their respective teams matched their offer sheets. Now, the Nets are left with an injury-prone big man in Brook Lopez, a former global icon in Jeremy Lin and a bunch of young players. Not to mention that Boston owns their first round picks in the next two drafts. Still, trading Thaddeus Young to get back into the first round, and drafting Caris Levert and Isaiah Whitehead were good moves. Both will need time to develop, and Brooklyn has time to kill. Watch out for Chris McCullough and Sean Kilpatrick, but neither are going to turn this franchise around. Simply put, they’re a mess.. . . Brooklyn Nets. 15