Improving East

The East is now a beast.  OK, that may be a bit of an exaggeration, but the Eastern Conference figures to be much improved this upcoming NBA season, and much more competitive.  In ESPN.com writer John Hollinger’s annual article on breakout NBA players, he included the conference in general as a breakout candidate.  “I am ready to state boldly that the East, after a long, dark decade in the wilderness, no longer will be the NBA’s doormat,” Hollinger writes.  “In fact, I am projecting that Eastern teams will win six games more than Western teams this season, which would be a huge turnaround from a 2007-08 season in which eight Western teams won at least 50 games.”

With Elton Brand moving to the East and Dwyane Wade 100 percent, the conference basically gains two superstars that it did not have last season.  Hollinger also points out that the West has lost Manu Ginobili and Monta Ellis to significant injuries, while the East has only lost Gilbert Arenas, who was also out for most of last season.  Plus, the reigning NBA Champions reside in the East.  The Celtics, Cavs, Sixers and Pistons all figure to be really good teams that can challenge for the East title.  The improved level of play in the conference won’t make things any easier for the Bulls this season, but they’re up to the challenge.

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