NBA off-season part 2

Wade and Bosh forming a dynamic duo going forward.

After Chicago, Cleveland, and Indiana I would say Miami and Washington are next. Just because Miami has more experienced players and won the East last year I'll give them the nudge over Washington. The story this off-season is how Miami lost King James. It makes sense because no team can recover from losing a player of LeBron's caliber. Well then a Heat fan would say Chris Bosh got way over paid. I agree, but the counter argument is that Bosh is still a productive player and can still be a number two option on a team. After all the dust settled Miami brought back Dwyane Wade, Mario Chalmers, Chris Anderson, and Udonis Haslem. They also added new role players in Danny Granger, Josh McRoberts, Loul Deng and Shabazz Napier. Deng didn't have his best season last year, but he can still score the ball and defend his position. Napier is a young athletic, scoring guard who has proven his worth while playing at UConn. McRoberts had one of his best seasons last year and gives Miami another stretch four.

John Wall in 2014 slam dunk contest.

The Wizards are a young athletic team that has a blossoming star in John Wall. The Wizards finished 5th in the conference last year and could potentially end up higher this year. They lost Trevor Ariza who could stretch the floor and defend his position well, but the added Paul Pierce who is a veteran that can still produce on offense and can defend when needed. The Wizards also added Kris Humphries to their bench. Humphries had a very forgetful season last year with the Celtics only 8.4 points per game (ppg) and 5.9 rebounds per game (rpg). Hopefully Humphries will be rejuvenated and average double figure points and more rebounds. The Wizards are a young team on the rise and also added many veterans to the roster. They brought back Marcin Gortat who has played well for the Wizards averaging 13.2 ppg, 9.5 rpg and 1.5 blocks per game. They also brought in DeJuan Blair who played for the Mavericks last season averaging 6.4 ppg and 4.7 rpg off the bench. They also brought back Drew Gooden and Added Paul Pierce for that veteran experience.

NBA off-season part 1

Derrick Rose goes dunks on Gorgan Dragic

The NBA has had another historic off-season and it will lead to a change in power in both conferences. The most notable change will come in the Eastern Conference where LeBron James has elected to reunite with the Cleveland Cavilers and form a homecoming never before seen in professional sports. James decision to head home causes a huge shake up in power in the Eastern Conference.
Suddenly the Bulls have become the favorite to win the East this year and rightfully so. The Bulls added Pau Gasol to provide offense to an offensively challenged team. Last season Gasol averaged a career high in rebounds per game and can be a great role player on the right team. The Bulls are now easily the favorite to win the Eastern Conference assuming that Derrick Rose stays healthy and returns to MVP level of play. The Bulls also added to there offense by drafting Doug McDermott and signing Nikola Mirotic. Both players can stretch the floor and added to the depth of Chicago's bench.

LeBron James decided he will revert back to number 23

Right now the second seed is wide open. I want to say the Cavaliers will finish second in the conference, but there are a few teams in the East that could finish above the Cavaliers and it wouldn't be too much of a shock. No one knows what to expect from a young squad like Cleveland. Adding LeBron James doesn't change the fact that Cleveland was 33-49 last season when they were expected to be playoff bound at the beginning of the season. The Cavaliers will make the playoffs this year, but where they end the season depends on many factors. Let's just say Cleveland would Love to be at the top of the conference.

Lance Stephson and George Hill after missed call

Indiana proved at the beginning of last they weren't messing around. Then they fell apart. Some like to blame the youth of Indiana for there collapse, but in reality they should have never had to battle for the one seed as hard as they did. Putting the regular season aside Indiana did make it to the Eastern Conference finals, but only to fall once again to the Miami Heat. It's hard to say Indiana isn't the favorite to win the East this year, but that's the truth. They lost Lance Stephenson and that alone is why they won't be the favorite. Stephenson provided the Pacers with instant offense and had one his best seasons so far as a pro. Indiana signed much needed role players in free agency, but lost a major piece to the puzzle.