2009 NBA EAST PREVIEW W/ ED TIERNEY

EASTERN Confrence Preview (Preview Grades)

Cleveland Cav’s – A+ Last year's collapse in the Eastern Conference finals only made LeBron hungrier and more willing to expand his game. Now, opponents can expect to see him in the post more. Scary. And look for a resurgence from a truly motivated Shaq. Great bench full of big men.

Boston Celtics- A+ The return of KG and all he brings to the table at both ends will be the key for the Celtics. Pierce and Allen are both clutch and they need to re-sign Rondo ASAP. Wallace can play power forward and center and is a matchup nightmare. PS he's comming off the bench.

New Jersey D- The Nets have intriguing young players from Harris to Lopez to newly acquired Lee. But the real intrigue is whether the Nets, with a potential new Russian billionaire owner and a new arena planned, can win the LeBron sweepstakes. But the only way to win the Lebron lottery is to get a deal done and have ground broken by mid season.

New York- C- This should be a fun year the majority of the players are on one-year contracts. Fun-and-gun will be on display. David Lee will be among the league leaders in double-doubles. Knicks were up in the league in scoring and that should continue. Al Harrington will be the team leader in scoring, while Wilson Chandler continues to really impress. Nate Robinson is a sixth man of the year candidate if not the winner. Lee Should and will be an all star this season. Look for this team to be in the running for a post season berth later then expected.

Philadelphia C+ Andre Iguodala, Thaddeus Young and Lou Williams give the Sixers youth and athleticism, but a rusty and aging Elton Brand combined with the loss of veteran point guard Andre Miller means that the Sixers will slip in the East, but will still have fight for a play off spot. Should be in it the whole season.

Toronto C+ With Hedo Turkoglu, Andrea Bargnani and Chris Bosh, the Raptors have a big-time frontline. Jose Calderon is a good point guard. Calderon broke out last season. They lack some perimeter shooting but that frontline will be tough to deal with. Look for them to make the playoffs as a 7th or 8th seed.

Chicago Bulls B- Chicago's memorable playoff loss should help unify what has been a somewhat disjointed collection of talent. Oddly enough Brad Miller and Joakim Noah form the best combo of passing centers in the game, which helps make up for the Bulls' lack of scoring in the paint and the loss of Gordon. But their still will be a loss. The scoring will have to be made up by committee.

Detroit C+ The Pistons got better by adding a go-to scorer in Gordon and an athletic big man in Villanueva. But that won't translate to a better postseason because the top teams improved at a more rapid rate and the jury is still out on whether Rodney Stuckey can be the point guard of the future. Bubble team for the post season, should go down to the final week. Maybe in a battle with Philly and Toronto.

Indiana C The Pacers were the best team no one paid attention to last season. Riddled with injuries, the team still almost made the playoffs and could score on anyone. They didn't add star power this summer, but they did shore up their defense. If Mike Dunleavy gets healthy, they'll surprise a lot of people. Look for Hansbrough to have many down games followed by many up games as well.

Milwaukee F - There are two reasons to watch the Bucks this season: the silky stroke of Michael Redd, and the development of lightning-quick rookie Brandon Jennings. Jennings has star potential and will look like Isaiah Thomas on some nights. On others he'll look like a youngster with a lot to learn.

Atlanta B+ After improving in each of the past four seasons, they've finally maxed out. Problem is, their ceiling is well below the space where Cleveland, Orlando and Boston operate. So the Hawks will once again be fun, exciting and home watching with the rest of us by mid-May.

Charlotte D+ They have a good coach but very little talent. I thought Allen Iverson would have been a good addition for them. He is a big-time scorer who would have been good for their fan base and would have had them in the playoff hunt.

Miami B We know what Wade will give them: 30 a night. The big key is what Jermaine O'Neal does in his contract year. Beasley at the 3 could be a genius move if he's truly developed the quickness coach Erik Spoelstra claims he has

Orlando A+ The Magic have the best big man in basketball, two elite veteran scorers and a healthy Jameer Nelson. Dwight Howard this season will be in the MVP talks. He could be a constant MVP award winner if not for Kobe and Lebron. And they shored up a weak frontcourt bench by re-signing Marcin Gortat and acquiring Brandon Bass and Ryan Anderson. Look for a real battle for the top 3 seeds and home court. They have a better chance of dethroning the Lakers.

Washington B The Wizards were awful without Arenas. But now that he's healthy they have a chance to be dangerous in the East. Arenas is a game-changer, Caron Butler and Antawn Jamison are excellent sidekicks and the additions of Randy Foye and Mike Miller really strengthened the bench. They should make the post season after a dismal year