Cramer: East Predictions

Tomorrow marks the start of a brand new NBA season, and with that comes predictions. I've been off a little on my baseball predictions (though I did subliminally choose Yankees vs. Phillies, so I don't feel too bad), but I'm pretty confident in my NBA picks. So sit back, relax, and read about how I think the Eastern Conference will shape up.

Seeds: 1 through 8 (playoff teams)

1. Boston Celtics- The Celtics had a very good off-season. They resigned Big Baby, signed coveted free agent Rasheed Wallace, and even managed to grab Marquis Daniels. Add that to a potent mix of all-star players with Pierce, Allen, a healthy Garnett, and Rondo, and you're looking at a team that's likely going to end up with the East's best record. Their defense will be fantastic as always, and their offense will be close to impossible to stop with the vast improvement of Rondo in the playoffs, and the addition of offensive weapons coming off the bench.
Record: 65-17

2. Cleveland Cavaliers- The only reason I put the Cavs here is because I don't think they can duplicate the magic of last year, especially with the personnel changes they had this off-season. This is bad news for Cavs fans who had the luxury of 2 easy rounds last year, but I think this year they'll have to go through Boston and Orlando to reach the Finals. They added some good pieces (Shaq, Parker, Moon, and now apparently Daniels), but unless Delonte West gets his act together, they still will open the season with some uncertainty in terms of chemistry, and a solid starting line-up. After losing to the Magic in the ECF, it will be hard to go 66-16. All focus will be on the playoffs, and the summer of 2010. Still, they are one of the best teams on paper, with the best player in the league.
Record 61-21

3. Orlando Magic- The Magic are probably the team to beat in the East to begin the season, but they had a lot of changes, and they will be missing Rashard Lewis for the first 9 games of the season. I would expect them to start off a bit slow (or not), and then get into a serious roll from about the one quarter point on. They have a great starting 5, and a good bench. John Hollinger, a writer for ESPN, is always quick to point out that they also have the best defense in the league, which LeBron and the Cavs can attest to. With a healthy Jameer Nelson, a rejuvenated Vince Carter, and a hungry Dwight Howard, this team could find itself back in the Finals.
Record 60-22

4. Washington Wizards- The Wizards are my surprise pick of the year. They got a good new coach in Flip Saunders, added 2 good pieces in Randy Foye and Mike Miller, and are getting Gilbert Arenas back. They'll be without Antawn Jamison for a good part of the beginning of the season, but this is a team that is used to playing without at least one of their big three (Arenas, Butler, and Jamison). I expect a big rebound year for Arenas, and a spot back in the playoffs. Four may be a little high (5, 6, or 7 are more realistic), but I'm going to be bold and put them here.
Record- 48-34

5. Atlanta Hawks- The addition of Jamal Crawford will give this team a boost offensively, but they're still not quite there in terms of competing for the Eastern Conference crown. There's not much to say about this team. They're good, but they're not great. They may make the second round again, but don't expect them to fair any better against the Celtics than they did against the Cavs last year (they got swept in ugly fashion).
Record- 45-37

6. Miami Heat- Dwyane Wade. Michael Beasley? We'll see what happens, but this team could pull off an upset of Orlando in the first round if things shape up this way. No one wants to face a hungry D-Wade in the first round, especially not a team with title expectations.
Record- 44-38

7. Chicago Bulls- I don't really think the Bulls will do very well this year, but I'm placing them here to avoid any controversy from my readers. They lost their one sure scorer in Ben Gordon. Derrick Rose should be close to all-star form this year, but plenty of teams have had one great player and not managed to reach the playoffs. He's not great yet, which is why I think 7 may be wishful thinking for Bulls fans. We'll see how a young team shapes up, but either way they see the Cavs in the first round, and are lucky to win one game.
Record- 42-40


8. Toronto Raptors- I may be biased after watching Hedo Turkoglu take the Cavs dreams away, but I think this team is talented. Calderon, Bosh, Turkoglu, a young Demar Derozan (who I think will be similar to Courtney Lee), and Bargnani form a formidable core that could take this team places if Bosh decides to stay put. If they're competing at the start of the season, they'll make the playoffs, if not, expect Bosh to be in a Cavs uniform by the trade deadline (and Shaq in a Raptors uniform? We'll see).
Record- 41-41

Teams Just Missing Out

Detroit Pistons- They don't have the point guard play to capture a playoff spot. Villanueva should have gone to the Cavs (idiot). Ben Gordon should have gone to the Cavs (moron). The Pistons never should have traded Billups (insert derogatory word in the plural form).

Philadelphia 76ers- Lost Andre Miller to the Blazers, and thus don't have the senior leadership to get to the playoffs again. Not enough star power here, and Elton Brand likely will be useless again.

The Rest
Bobcats, Pacers, Bucks, Knicks, and Nets- I expect these teams to finish in this order. Looks like a good year for Tri-State area basketball. LeBron is definitely gonna sign with the Nets or Knicks, right?

Check back tomorrow for my West predictions and World Series Prediction should be up too.