Detroit won 29 games last year.
Key word is last year.
Young big men like Drummond and Monroe always increase their game. They will be the hardest duo to stop the East in terms of big men, even harder than Garnett and Lopez because Drummond is a monster inside and will cause havoc on the rebounds and close to the paint scoring.
Josh Smith, whether you want to underrate him or not is a great player. Do it all type who can block, steal, pass, score and rebound. His weakness is shooting, but he still has decent range so you gotta respect that.
Josh Smith an all star talent. Top 25-30 player at worst.
Josh Smith has helped the Hawks be a playoff team since 2007.
That's 6 straight seasons in a row.
You don't know what you're talking about and you're just writing a mindless homer post with very little insight in the NBA and other teams.
Detroit got a lot better this season.
Knight
Caldwell Pope
Smith
Monroe
Drummond
They're still working for a trade for Rondo so it's definitely really profoundly retarded to believe Detroit isn't going for the playoffs, especially with so many teams tanking in the East for the 2014 draft.
Tell me which teams make the playoffs in the East...let's have a good laugh now.
Cavs get better based on the fact Irving, Waiters and Thompson are getting more NBA experience and will enter their growing years. If these 3 stay healthy, they'll have very productive years spending a full second season playing together. Why don't you think these things out? It's very simple...lilman has a lilbrain.
Cavs also improved based on the addition of a healthy Varejao who's a top center in the East, Bennett who's a scoring tank and of course the addition of Bynum if he's healthy. Is Bynum the only reason you could think of for Cavs making the playoffs? Really weak thinking from you.
Stat is soft, even if he's healthy he hurts this team more than he helps. He's negative on defense and offensively he can't fit with Melo so he has to come off the bench. The difference with Bynum is that he can rebound and play defense and score at more efficient rate than Amare. They're two totally different players. Both injury prone, but you'll take the risk with Bynum. However, I believe Bynum had a fatal injury and don't think he'll be the same player. Cavs will make the playoffs with or without Bynum. Do your research on their other players. I guarantee you can't even name 11-12 guys on their roster right now without google, so it's safe to say you don't know what you're talking about because you haven't even scouting the Cavs team itself. Don't put your mindless opinion on something when you didn't even do any research on the squad.
Garnett and Pierce been old for the last 3-5 years. It hasn't stop them from making the Celtics a nuisance to us. They still play at a strong and respectable level. You're acting like Pierce is Penny Hardaway and Garnett is Shaquille O'Neal at the end of their careers. If you can't see how Pierce and KG make the Nets better, then I don't need to waste my time with your dumbass. Deron and Brook Lopez are top 20 NBA players, with the addition with the BEST NBA vets not named Tim Duncan, Parker and Bryant within Kirilenko, Garnett and Pierce, and a deep bench with Terry, Blatche and Evans...you're just being oblivious to the facts.
Mayo is better than Redick.
Monta Ellis was a bad fit in Milwaukee.
The Bucks have an A+ level defensive big man in Larry Sanders, do your homework about him. John Henson is an underrated 6"11 220lb PF/C prospect who may have the biggest break out year in 2013-14 and will be on a lot of NBA scouts radar plus fantasy owners.
How are you going to disagree with me but not back it up with anything? I learned nothing from what you said, no research or information provided to back up your garbage.
You stated that adding talent doesn't equal winning- well you kind of refuted that whole statement with this thread and your initial post. c'mon Josh Smith to Detroit, yea AND? Detroit won 29 games last year with Drummond and Monroe. Adding Smith doesn't make them a playoff team, it makes them win a couple more games at the most, but still a lottery team. Bynum is a great talent, but hasn't played in a year- you can't say they the Cavs improved based on the potential of Bynum coming back and being as productive as he was in LA. If you want to go down that line, then why is it impossible for the same thing to happen with Stat? At least Stat played games last year and was productive. Milwaukee didn't get better lost Reddick and Ellis, replaced them with Mayo & Zaza Pachulia c'mon son, are you being serious now? Adding the Nets to this list is laughable, the Nets got better named Talents this off season, they didn't get more talented. These guys are OLD, to think Garnett and Pierce are going to perform to make the Nets better than the Knicks i'm sorry, its not going to happen. CHARLOTTE?/ Please --
The Knicks were the number 2 seed in the East not because of luck of the draw, they were the number 2 seed because at the end of the day teams playedthe games, they played the 82 game schedule and won the games on the COURT while those 4 or 5 other teams who were projected to have better records than them, won the games on PAPER!! The Knicks lost to the Pacers who were 100% healthy (not including granger) while the Knicks had a hurt chandler and melo and stat and an iced cold JR Smith. Now they lost, I'm not going to cry over spilled milk, but for people to believe that now because of they lost to the pacers, considering everything that happened, now they are an after thought because Josh Smith signed with the Pistons - or because of what the Nets done? stop it with the insane talk.