The top teams in the Eastern Conference really weren’t all that special this past season. Only the Miami Heat proved that they were a next-level team, and even they got waxed in the NBA Finals. How can the top four teams in the East during the regular season get better in the 2014-2015 season?
1. Miami Heat
The Eastern Conference champions need to get younger and more athletic more than anything else. The Heat still have the Big Three, and that’s going to help them go a long way, but the time has clearly come for this team to make its bench younger and less prone to either injury or cautious handling. Dwyane Wade just can’t play 82-game seasons anymore, so Miami’s bench needs to have more players who can score and defend in his place. The Heat also need to replace a retiring Shane Battier. If Ray Allen decides to retire, and he might do just that, Miami could fill a second position on its roster. The Heat would probably benefit from Allen moving on so that they could maneuver to get another piece. Quick wing defenders with decent jump shots – that’s what this team is after.
2. Indiana Pacers
This team needs leadership and a commitment to staying the course. The Pacers had the talent to beat the Heat this season. They came so close a year ago, and they were the best team in the East through the first three months of the 2013-2014 season. Then the team came apart. Why did it happen? A lot of people have their own opinions, and to a certain degree, the removal of Andrew Bynum from the locker room had a positive effect during the playoffs, leading many to think that Bynum was dragging the team down. This season, the Pacers need to get back to being one team. They need Roy Hibbert to return to being the player he was in the 2012-2013 season. If they get that and can cut down on turnovers, they can succeed.
3. Toronto Raptors
A young team with great guards and wings needs a quality center. The Raptors were lacking in the paint against the Brooklyn Nets in the first round of the playoffs. Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan were good, but their teammates didn’t do enough to get the Canadian team through to the second round of the playoffs. If the Raptors can bring aboard a low-post scoring force, they can space the floor even better and ensure that Lowry and DeRozan will get a lot more one-on-one freedom with which to operate. If the Raptors make progress in this part of their offseason, they’ll be able to be even better than they were this past season.
4. Chicago Bulls
The Bulls are trying to do what they ought to be doing: They’re going after a big-time scorer. Everyone in the NBA knows that the Bulls can play defense. This is not and has never been a problem under head coach Tom Thibodeau, who has always gotten the Bulls to fight hard and exert themselves all the time at the defensive end of the court. Chicago needs a dose of offensive firepower, and that’s why Carmelo Anthony would make a great addition to the roster. The Bulls can’t count on the health of Derrick Rose, whose body just might not be able to deal with the strain of constant pounding. They need Anthony in order to contend for a conference title.
