Does this offseason change the complexity of the Eastern Conference much more than the West?

most of the top Free Agents hail from the Eastern Conference and the West looks likely to remain nearly identical to how it was this year.

The teams that have saved up big money and are likely to sign these big name Free Agents mostly come from the East

so would this offseason dramitically change the Eastern Conference? or much so compared to the West?

It might not - right now, it is rumoured that Wade/Bosh are headed to Chicago and if that does happen...the Raptors and Heat would become significantly worse than the previous season. So, Cleveland (assuming Lebron stays)/Orlando/Atlanta (assuming JJ stays)/I guess Boston would still be the top team along with Chicago...and everyone else would prolly suck.

On the other hand, if all the FAs move to different teams in the East; then it could make things interesting for sure.

Yes, it's much more likely we see big changes in the East than in the West. In the West, there are very few big names going into free agency. The only All Star caliber player who's contract is up is Carlos Boozer, and of the others, just Dirk, Amare, and Yao have the ability to opt out early. Amare has pretty much declared that he's going to be a free agent, but Dirk and Yao opting out isn't likely. Yao is coming off a major injury, and isn't likely to make more money anywhere else. He's also very loyal, and the Rockets actually did decent without him this season. Dirk is in a great situation in Dallas, and as poorly as they've done in the playoffs recently, he can't really go anywhere and play with more talent than he has there. He'll probably play out his contract. So in the West, that's just high-caliber players that are likely to be free agents this summer, and both of them have as much of a chance to stay with their current teams as go anywhere else. Amare is playing for a team that has just swept its way into the Western Conference Finals, and Boozer's Jazz made the Conference Semi-Finals while not fully healthy. Their core is also still getting better.

Another reason that the West isn't likely to change much is the amount of teams in the conference with the ability to sign major free agents. The Thunder could certainly make a big move this off-season (they have nearly $20 million to work with), but that would force them to sacrifice a lot of the money they'll have in a couple years to pay both Durant and the rest of their young core. They may make a move, but they are far from certain to. The Clippers have more than $30 million to spend, and will certainly be in the market for an All Star. The Timberwolves have nearly as much too, but they haven't really indicated that they plan to be big spenders. They seem content to stay in rebuilding mode right now. The Kings are essentially in the same situation as the Wolves after dumping Kevin Martin this season. So of the teams with money in the West, only 2 of them are really interesting destinations for potential free agents, and its no guarantee that the Thunder spend this off-season.

In the East there are a lot of guys looking to become free agents this year. The contracts of Joe Johnson, Ray Allen, and David Lee are up. LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh are set on becoming free agents this summer. There are also lots of teams looking to spend money now. New Jersey has almost $40 million right now, and the Knicks have even more than that. Miami has the same when Dwyane Wade opts out, and the Bulls have $30 million regardless. Washington also has $30 million. So that's 5 teams with a lot of money looking to spend now. With 6 All Star caliber players and 5 teams in the mix this summer, the East could see huge changes. The summer has the possibility to effect 3 of the top 4 teams in the East. Boston has Ray Allen, as well as Pierce having the ability to opt out. Cleveland will see Ilgauskas, Shaq, and LeBron become free agents. Atlanta might lose Joe Johnson. There could potentially be huge shake ups, even if a couple of those guys decide to stay. The point is, somewhere in the East, there is likely to be a new top team. Are we going to see that in the West? Not likely.

Dub C wrote:

Amare has pretty much declared that he's going to be a free agent,

i dunno... hes seemed pretty content since the all-star weekend with the suns making the playoffs has GOT to be a positive thing for the suns and Amare, they just need to treat him right! they were trynna trade an all-star starter?? wtf! suns front office has made some pretty dumb mistakes eg. trading marion for shaq?

like i said if they sign him next year they also need to get a slashing guard which they miss, i mean j-rich is good but veeerry inconsistent, i hope they trade for someone liek andre iguodala... like i said before (again) they will be a championship caliber team.

Andre Iguodala is very inconsistent himself. With a piss poor shot selection and a less than adequate overall offensive game for a 1st option player to have. If they need a slasher go after a cheaper slasher in Ronnie Brewer or just bring back Raja Bell (not a slasher, but gives them yet another experienced guy and another defender with the ability to score especially from outside). They should not fix what isn't broke just tweak things up a bit.

Jazz- probably gonna lose Boozer
Suns- could lose amar'e
Mavs- could lose Dirk
Rockets-could lose Ming
Memphis- could lose Gay
Heat could lose Wade
Cavs could lose LBJ
Raptors could lose Bosh

Most likely, Dirk will stay with the mavs and Ming will stay with the rockets. The Jazz can't afford Boozer, so he's likely out. The teams interested in him are all eastern conf. teams. If the suns don't re-sign Amare, they're morons. But he'll test free agency, and again, only eastern conf. teams would be able to afford him [and also the suns]. Same with Wade, LBJ and Bosh. All of them are staying in the eastern conf. Only gay might stay in the western conf.


so.. if Boozer and amare leave to the EC, the jazz and Suns would get worse.. obviously. They might not even be 50+ win team anymore... Jazz might, not the suns though. Which ever EC team gets those 2 players would be a lot better.. esp. if they keep their own superstar along with getting another one.

So the west could either stay the same or get worse.. while the East will likely get better.

Also, it depends on how the draft goes. If teams score with whoever they draft, they could be a rising team as well.. like the Nets, wizards, kings, etc.

TonyEM: I Inspire wrote:

If they need a slasher go after a cheaper slasher in Ronnie Brewer. They should not fix what isn't broke just tweak things up a bit.

A perfect fit I reackon... Some who can replace the role Marion had with Nash... Those MVP seasons when suns were regular 1st seeds...

King Of NJ wrote:

most of the top Free Agents hail from the Eastern Conference and the West looks likely to remain nearly identical to how it was this year.

The teams that have saved up big money and are likely to sign these big name Free Agents mostly come from the East

so would this offseason dramitically change the Eastern Conference? or much so compared to the West?

Well I don't think many Eastern Teams will change much at all. The only free agent likely to move out is Chris Bosh. LeBron is bound to play the NBA's version of "The Bachelor" but he will ultimately stay in Ohio. Even if they lose tomorrow.

Teams bound to be the best in the East
Orlando - Everyone's back, and the core's still young.
Atlanta - Still high flying
Boston - It's Rajan and the Three Musketeers, not the Big Three Rondo
Cleveland with LeBron - LeBron, Antawn, Z, and Shaq and Mo go for another hellacious run.

Teams that will be in the Mix for Playoffs, barring injury
Cleveland without LeBron - Even without LeBron, Antawn will still be just like the color of his jersey. Fine Wine. Mo will now become the new Gilbert as well. This squad without LeBron is still a playoff team.
Miami - They are bound to have someone team up with Wade
Chicago - Derrick Rose and Noah gain yet another year of experience.
Milwaukee - With Bogut and Redd back, this team could be a Top 3 seed if lucky.
Charlotte - Should be talented enough to get one more playoff run and now win some games.
New York with LeBron - Even if LeBron comes here, he may have one other player for the max and no one else. David Lee of course was shown the door.
New Jersey - They should only be better than what they were last year
Indiana - Can they finally piece one good season together? They're more talented than we give them credit for..
Philly - Last year's team sucked because they didn't fit the Princeton. They should be better.


Teams bound to suck, regardless of what happens
Washington - They got money, but players won't come to DC even if they're guaranteed bulletproof vests at all times. They will probably be the worst team in the NBA next year on paper.
Toronto - Who wants to play in Canada besides Steve Nash and Dalembert and the International team they already have?
New York without LeBron - Not only do they lose mating rights to LeBron, but they also lose David Lee who got pissed off because they never seemed to realize he was the only good player they had!
Detroit - Barring some contracts getting moved, this team will be screwed again, unless Villanueva and Gordon play like they did back in college.

my prediction:
d-wade gets sick of miami and goes to orlando.
orlando trades carter for picks and money
release matt barnes and mickael pietrus
sign lebron

nelson
wade
lebron
lewis
howard

smoove+superman=YES wrote:

my prediction:
d-wade gets sick of miami and goes to orlando.
orlando trades carter for picks and money
release matt barnes and mickael pietrus
sign lebron

nelson
wade
lebron
lewis
howard

Dirk gets sick of the Mavs and demands a sign-and-trade with ORL for Lewis and picks.
The Hornets decide that they're content with Collison and trade away CP3 to the Magic to preserve money

Well after this offseason, Cleveland may just lose LeBron, and the Wizards will still suck.