NBA off-season part 3

Nets looking for strong season from their three stars

Charlotte Hornets return in 2014

The next tier of teams to make the playoffs would be the Hornets, Nets and Knicks. Charlotte has a promising roster moving forward and can keep building on the trio of Al Jefferson, Kemba Walker and Lance Stephenson. Don't be surprised if the Hornets finish in the top 4 in the East this year.
The Nets are a wild card. It all depends on health. If the Nets can stay healthy they might move into the middle of the pack in the East, but with all the injuries this team has it is hard to stay positive. Deron Williams hasn't been the player he was since moving to Brooklyn and has had nagging ankle injuries. Brook Lopez has not played a full season since the 2010-2011 season. Doctors say Lopez is now at 100% and can resume all basketball activities.
That's great news for the Nets because Lopez is the best offensive center in the league.
Having his scoring ability by the hoop opens up shots for other guys on the team and will take the pressure of Joe Johnson and Deron Williams. This also lets Garnett move back to his original position which is the 4. The Nets have the potential to be a threat in the East, but there age hurts them. The window might have already closed on Brooklyn when Pierce walked out the door.

Phil Jackson as new President of
Basketball of operations for the Knicks

The Knicks managed to retain Carmelo Anthony which was the primary goal for New York this off-season. The funny thing is there are a lot of payers the Knicks would like to let go of. Phil Jackson tried to trade away Amare Stoudemire's expiring contract. The Knicks by no means have a bad roster, but the same could be said for last year's team and they missed the playoffs. With Phil Jackson now running the show there is no doubt the Knicks will make the playoffs it's just the matter of how good they will be.