Rank teams from each conference by tiers

[kshutts1]

lol @ people putting the Bulls above the Wiz. New coach, Rose won't be an all-star, Pau is a year older, Jimmy Buckets fell off at the end of last season.

Meanwhile: Wall improving, Beal improving, Wittman getting it, Porter improving, Hump nailing 3's, Nene backing up Gortat instead of us playing 2 centers. Martell might even be healthy this season. Gary Neal was a great add. Jared Dudley recovered early from surgery.

I really liked some additions by Washington. I like that team a lot, and mostly because of Wall.

But you failed to mention likely growth from Mirotic, potentially more growth from Butler (and hopefully more consistency), a healthy Joakim, and Bobby Portis (my pick for steal of the draft).

Not to mention, one negative that you mentioned (coaching change) may be a positive. The Bulls have long been desperate for 3p shooting. They have the shooters, and now they (apparently) have the coach to utilize them. Not saying it will work out better than Thibs' approach to the game, but it could.

[Legends66NBA7]

Eastern Conference

Tier 1 (NBA Title contenders)

Cleveland Cavaliers

Tier 2 (Main threat to title contenders)

N/A

Tier 3 (Strong teams; middle of the pack)

Atlanta Hawks
Chicago Bulls
Miami Heat
Milwaukee Bucks
Washington Wizards

Tier 4 (Fighting for low seed playoff spots)

Boston Celtics
Brooklyn Nets
Detroit Pistons
Indiana Pacers
New York Knicks
Orlando Magic
Toronto Raptors

Tier 5 (Either poorly constructed, injury riddled or rebuilding)

Charlotte Hornets
Philadelphia 76ers



Western Conference

Tier 1 (NBA title contenders)

Golden State Warriors
Oklahoma City Thunder
San Antonio Spurs

Tier 2 (Main threat to title contenders)

Los Angeles Clippers
Houston Rockets
Memphis Grizzlies

Tier 3 (Strong teams; middle of the pack)

New Orleans Hornets
Utah Jazz

Tier 4 (Fighting for low seed playoff spots)

Dallas Mavericks
Phoenix Suns
Sacramento Kings
Los Angeles Lakers

Tier 5 (Either poorly constructed, injury riddled or rebuilding)

Denver Nuggets
Portland Trailblazers
Minnesota Timberwolves

[Derka]

Western Conference:
Tier 1(top contenders): Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs
Tier 2(contenders): Houston Rockets, OKC Thunder
Tier 3(noise makers): Memphis Grizzlies, New Orleans Pelicans, LA Clippers
Tier 4(playoffs racers): Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings, Utah Jazz
Tier 5(lottery-bound): Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, LA Lakers
Tier 6(bottom teams): Minnesota Timbervolves, Portland Trailblazers

Eastern Conference:
Tier 1(top contenders): Cleveland Cavaliers
Tier 2(contenders): Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat
Tier 3(noise makers): Toronto Raptors, Washington Wizards, Atlanta Hawks
Tier 4(playoffs racers): Boston Celtics, Charlotte Hornets, Indiana Pacers, Milwaukee Bucks
Tier 5(lottery-bound): Orlando Magic, Detroit Pistons, New York Knicks
Tier 6(bottom teams): Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets

My own after some thought.

- I'm done buying that the Clippers are contenders; too much unfulfilled potential there. I know the West playoffs are tough but tough shit; either win the big ones or lose contender status.
- Big thing for Miami will be staying healthy, if they can do that I think they have a legit shot at the Conference Finals.
- Brooklyn is horrible.
- Orlando has a bunch of potential and I think they're going to show improvement this year.
- Lakers are going to be a low-lottery team, but they're going to make strides and finish better than last season.
- Celtics are in a terrible division and could really upset the apple cart in the playoff seedings 1.) if they play up to their talent and 2.) Toronto gets out to a slow start.

[All Net]

Call me crazy, but I think Pierce was a better addition than Lawson.

Is he the Pierce from 4-5 years ago? No. But he's a stable, solid vet presence that can still ball for 15-20 mpg.

Lawson, IMO, is a bad fit with Harden. Great fit for the team, but I'm very, very curious to see how Lawson and Harden fit together.

But regardless, you have your opinion and I have mine. I was just curious about your thought process.

I personally think Pierce will be a great addition if they limit his mins very low in the regular season. His impact will be shown in the playoffs. It

[Legends66NBA7]

Celtics are in a terrible division and could really upset the apple cart in the playoff seedings 1.) if they play up to their talent and 2.) Toronto gets out to a slow start.

Slow start ? No injuries, so if they have a bad start it will because they are not as confident as the year before.

They probably are in the same boat, if not lower, than the Celtics and Knicks. Low tier all-stars and a bunch of role players with a bad coach. At least Bostons has a good coach and the Knicks the best player in the division.

[Uncle Drew]

LA Lakers are worse than the Mavs? They are literally better on every position.

Dangelo>Barea, D Will is still injured and a fat slob
Kobe>Harris
Swaggy P>Evans
Randle=Dirk (Dirk is pretty much done, he could not do anything against scrubs during Eurobaskets)
Hibbert>Zaza Pachulia

That's not how basketball works.

[chips93]

Lawson, IMO, is a bad fit with Harden. Great fit for the team, but I'm very, very curious to see how Lawson and Harden fit together.

Lawson isnt a perfect fit with harden, but hes a perfcet fit with houston.

they desperately needed a second ball handler. just somebody to push the tempo and get all of their athletes points in transition, and open 3s.

I presume mchale will have one of the two of harden and lawson on the floor at all times. the rest of their players are good offensively, but for the most part, need shots to be created for them.

[Kiddlovesnets]

Quoted to make my own projections. Unfair to critique one set and not offer any of my own. I tried to "bold" my changes, but I did it after everything, so I hope I remembered them all

Nets, Knicks and Pistons belong to the same tier, they will have similar records.

[LoneyROY7]

If you have Clippers top tier then Rockets need to be top tier too. No way Clippers should be rated higher.

Clippers have more talent. Not a shocking placement.

[Captvic]

i think the pistons will be better idk why

[Rocketswin2013]

Western Conference:
Tier 1(top contenders): Golden State Warriors, San Antonio Spurs, OKC Thunder
Tier 2(contenders): Houston Rockets, LA Clippers
Memphis simply won't win more than two straight rounds in the WC, IMO. Neither will Utah or NOP.

The Clippers and Rockets are really good but I still see flaws. With that said, I could honestly see either team winning it all.

Eastern Conference:
Tier 1(top contender(s)): Cleveland Cavaliers
Tier 2(contenders): Atlanta Hawks, Chicago Bulls, Miami Heat

Hawks are still really good. Miami has more potential than Chicago but Chicago has proven better resiliency through injuries.

[Dr. Cheesesteak]

Based on talent/ability/depth/coaching coming in to the season (and not necessarily how I think they