While the Cavaliers are the favorites in the Eastern Conference, fans need to watch Toronto as the Raptors made three solid moves in the off season to add some tough defense to their already potent offense. The signing of DeMarre Carroll was the biggest move, but adding backup point guard Cory Joseph to spell Kyle Lowery will help keep the offense rolling when their All Star is on the bench.
The “sleeper” team of the East is Milwaukee as the Bucks have perhaps the most talented young team in the league. Adding center Greg Monroe was a big move and the return of Jabari Parker from injury gives the Bucks a solid front court and plenty of scoring options.
Don’t look past the Miami Heat this season as Chris Bosh is once again healthy and rookie Justise Winslow adds a scorer from the bench. This squad has a good combination of youth and experience, making them dangerous if the injury bug stays out of town.
It’s hard not to believe Golden State won’t have another outstanding season. This squad is talented at every position and has the best shooting back court in the NBA, but winning back-to-back championships is never easy and with a target on their back, look for the Warriors to slip just a bit from the squad that smashed through the league last year.
One team in the West that can challenge Golden State is San Antonio. The Spurs definitely have the experience and the addition of LaMarcus Aldridge over the summer has this team thinking championship.
With all the depth in the Western Conference, don’t forget about Oklahoma City. The Thunder have Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook both at full strength and some good talent around them. The biggest question surrounding the franchise is Durant’s contract issues, he becomes a free agent after this season and with the constant questions form the media, it could hurt this team, especially over the second half of the season.
