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Post by The Athletic on Jul 1, 2018 19:59:19 GMT -5
1. Detroit Pistons
GM: Detroit Pistons (Irwin)
2017 Record: 5-9
2017 Points: 6010 (11th in the East)
Did not make the playoffs
Current Cap: $38.65M
Projected Roster:
Analysis: The Pistons had high hopes coming into the 2017 season and I know i had them pegged as an easy playoff team. However the whole Kawhi situation really put a damper on their season. Hopefully this next year clears up because this team does have a lot of promise. Kevin Love should be the focal point in Cleveland atleast to start the season, if he's up near 32/33 point a game with Kawhi that could form a pretty formidable duo in the East. The Pistons had the chance to re-sign either Zach Lavine or Brook Lopez and decided to do neither. Instead i assume they will look to match whatever offer Lavine receives in the off-season and let Brook walk. While Brook is no longer a huge impact player, he had some flashes with the Lakers and in the right situation he could be a decent center. Bojan, Collison, and Bullock all had really solid seasons and are part of the reason I think this team has a chance to compete next year. Overall the off-season really is going to come down to Zach Lavine's price. If the Pistons can get him under contract with a reasonable deal they can have some money to play with and expand the roster. I could also see them dealing Leonard and Love and blowing this thing up. A really big off-season is in store here for the motor city. Let's see what happens. |
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Post by The Athletic on Jul 2, 2018 12:15:48 GMT -5
2. Indiana Pacers
GM: Indiana Pacers (Jon)
2017 Record: 4-10
2017 Points: 6232 (10th in the East)
Did not make the Playoffs
Cap Room: $4.54M
Projected Roster:
Analysis:
Jon is back at the helm of the Pacers after a short time away and quite honestly has a lot to work with. Let's start with the center pieces. Andre Drummond had a phenomenal year. I'll be completely honest I thought he was going to kinda fade out, obviously i didn't think he'd be bad bad. but something along the lines of Dwight where we would start and play good minutes but never really be viewed as a key piece. Well i was wrong, despite having no semblance of a jumper he continued to dominate on the glass and had a really great year. Dwayne Casey limited JV's minutes in Toronto because of his lack of shooting so maybe there is some concern he'll do the same with Drummond but who really knows. The Pacers also have to be thrilled with Dennis Smith's rookie season. Carslile let him play through his mistakes and really grow as a player. The big thing for him will be efficiency, if he can't be efficient it's gonna cap his upside. Still he's a very exciting player to own even if he doesn't reach that star potential. Randle also had a really nice year last year and just earned a nice 15 mill per year pay day. Those 3 will be crucial to the team's success. The obvious big issue on this team is Nerlens Noel, who is living proof you don't wanna overpay certain guys. I mean that is just absolutely brutal. If the Pacers can find a way to rid themselves of his deal they could be in good good shape. The 2nd pick is obviously extremely valuable and we've heard they are locked in on Doncic. Either way, the Pacers are exciting team and we are pumped to see their development over the next year. |
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Post by The Athletic on Jul 4, 2018 0:42:58 GMT -5
![]()   3. Chicago Bulls 2017 Record: 12-22017 Points:8988 (3rd in the East)Lost in the Championship Game Cap Room: $1.91MProjected Roster:  Analysis:
Ooooowie Boogie is a Bull. The Bulls had an awesome year last year after some pretty mediocre seasons by Charlie's standard. The team is led by Damian Lillard. He's making close to 28 million and the team goes as he goes. The Bulls dealt Horford early on in the off-season for financial reasons but already have recouped pretty well. They acquired Demarcus Cousins just hours ago. This is one of the more interesting situations in league history, because of Boogie's season last year he cost 28 million to re-sign. He was one of the best 5 players in all of fantasy last year, but then he tore his achilles. It's almost certain he won't be back for opening day, and he also joins a team in which he will be the 3rd or 4th option. All things considered it is Boogie, and it's a motivated Boogie. This has the potenital to be a steal or devastating for a Bulls franchise that is trying to make it right back to the title game. Other than that a lot of the Bulls remain the same, Covington and Tobias will both have to take steps forward for the Bulls to be contenders again. The team has a lot of talent but is also pretty cap strapped. It'll be interesting to see what moves Charlie can even make moving forward. Expect this Bulls team to try and find a diamond in the rough this off-season and be right back at the top of the East. |
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Post by The Athletic on Jul 4, 2018 14:55:00 GMT -5
 ![]()  4. Milwaukee Bucks
GM: Milwaukee Bucks (Jacob)
2017 record: 12-2
2017 Points: 8141 (5th in the East)
Lost in the 2nd round of the Playoffs
Salary Room: $20.22M
Projected Roster:  Analysis:
The Bucks have been a league power house the past two years, and despite still not having any conference titles they have two 12-2 seasons under their belt. This off-season however does present some real challenges moving forward. The team's second best player Kristaps Porzingis tore his ACL towards the end of last year, and the Knicks will have really no reason to rush him back, I wouldn't be surprised if they sit him out the whole season. Hopefully for the Bucks that's not the case. The Bucks also have are looking at some cap issues, yes they have about 20.22 in space right now but they also only have 6 players under contract, and will most likely want to match any offer Gary Harris gets in free agency. The problems are obvious. Tyler Johnson, Tyson Chandler, and Miles Plumlee are making a combined 48 million and that is more than just not ideal. The Bucks are in for a interesting off-season, do they trade to the two stars and blow it up? Or do they look to find ways to cut cap and try and to add smaller pieces in free agency? Either way the Bucks need to make some moves going into next season or else they will not have another 12-2 season. I still would not bet against Jacoby, let's see what he has up his sleeve. |
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Post by The Athletic on Jul 4, 2018 15:06:02 GMT -5
5. Cleveland Cavs
GM: Cleveland Cavaliers (Jon)
2017 Record:7-7
2017 Points: 6882 (6th in the East)
Lost in the First Round
Cap Room: $59.63M
Projected Roster:
Analysis:
The Cavs are sneakily one of the most exciting teams in the league right now. Jon isn't a man of many words but he's put together a squad. Kyrie and Jokic are both studs entering their primes, this year is a huge year for the Cavs because after this they are going to have to cash out to keep Nikola Jokic. But because of his cheap deal right now they have about 60 million in cap space with only a couple roster spots to fill. Will Barton, Zach Lavine, Gary Harris, Lamarcus Aldridge are just a couple of free agents that can make an impact. With a lot of teams being pretty cap strapped, it wouldn't surprise me to see the Cavs be able to add 2 or even 3 impact vets in free agency. This Cavs team is my darkhorse to make a run in the East. If Winslow and Murray make strides this team can be dangerous. Let's see what Jon can do. |
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