After a flurry of offseason moves, the Eastern Conference is now the dominant conference. With teams like the Celtics, Cavaliers, Magic, Bulls, Wizards, Hawks, Pistons and Heat, the east now has the supreme talent.
Just like in the 1980’s, the east has the most competitive teams and a number of the NBA’s most recognizable players.
With players like LeBron James, Kevin Garnett, Dwayne Wade, Dwight Howard, Gilbert Arenas, Derrick Rose, and Shaquille O’neal, the east has the most marketable teams in the league. Only the Lakers, have a team of more than one famous superstar in the west (Kobe Bryant, and Pau Gasol).
Free agent signings, trades, and draft picks have made the east’s best teams stronger this summer.
The Celtics signed all star forward Rasheed Wallace from Detroit. The Cavaliers traded for Shaquille O’Neal. The Magic traded for Vince Carter, and re-signed backup center Marcian Gortat. The Bulls continue to develop a young core of players including last year’s rookie of the year Derrick Rose.
The Wizards traded for Mike Miller and Randy Foye, and will get all star guard Gilbert Arenas back from injury. The Wiz also have Antwan Jamison and Caron Butler. The Hawks, are filled with young talent, and continue to get better, and have more success in the playoffs.
The Pistons have lots of talent returning such as Rodney Stuckey, Tayshaun Prince, Rip Hamilton, and they signed free agents Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva.
The Heat have the incomparable Dwayne Wade, and are always looking to get better as Pat Riley as their general manager.
The east will be super competitive, and earning a playoff spot will be tough for young and inexperienced teams. There are several championship contenders in the east, and it seems the next decade will see a return to prominence for the beasts of the east.