1. Miami Heat –

2. Philadelphia 76ers – Doug Collins will have the 76ers playing great basketball and winning ball games this year. With the addition of Andrew Bynum no one should sleep on Philadelphia.

3. Boston Celtics – The Celtics have to be up for out of respect for Doc Rivers. We learned last year to never count his team out and with Rajon Rondo as a veteran and Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce still hungry for another ring. Don’t sleep on a Rivers’ team.

4. New York Knicks – This is finally Carmelo Anthony’s team and he is in the prime of his career. They added pieces he loves and he needs to have a championship run. If everything clicks for New York early in the season, the Knicks can be a top team in the East.

5. Indiana Pacers – The Pacers are one of the legit deep teams in the East. A lot of familiar faces will be back for Indiana as their young talent is coming up together. The Pacers are for real this year.

6. Chicago Bulls – They still have Tom Thibodeau as their coach who will not let this team fall off until Derrick Rose comes back. The Bulls won’t be an elite team without their leader but no way they skid too far until Rose comes back.

7. Brooklyn Nets – Deron Williams came back to the Nets to make a splash in Brooklyn. With Joe Johnson in the same backcourt as him, the Nets won’t be the laughing stock of the league anymore. A breath of fresh air is exactly what the Nets needed as they start a new life in Brooklyn.

8. Atlanta Hawks – Losing Johnson will sure hurt this team but Atlanta is still looking to compete in the East. They still have a great duo down low in Josh Smith and Al Horford. The Hawks didn’t completely sell all their pieces and will win games this year.

9. Cleveland Cavaliers – Kyrie Irving showed signs of superstardom in his rookie year but to be a true superstar in this league you have to win. There is a lot of raw young talent on this team and it will be Byron Scott’s job to bring it all together.

10. Milwaukee Bucks – How Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis will play together will be an interesting story all year long. Scott Skiles will need to get these two scorers to coexist and have the big trade pay off.

11. Detroit Pistons – Detroit is rebuilding and decided to go the big man route with Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond. Brandon Knight will learn how to play point guard in this league with his first 82 game season. There’s a lot of talent in Detroit to like.

12. Toronto Raptors – The Raptors are in the toughest division in the league so it will be hard to compete. Big things are expected out of rookies Terrence Ross and last year’s No. 1 pick Jonas Valanciunas. DeMar DeRozan needs to pick up his game if the Raptors ever want to be relevant.

13. Washington Wizards – Washington’s starting five is filled with high draft picks with John Wall, Bradley Beal, and Emeka Okafor. Nene is a great piece along with Trevor Ariza. The Wizards are loaded with young talent but that seems to be the problem year in and year out.

14. Charlotte Bobcats – It can only go up for the Bobcats sake. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist will need to make an immediate impact to give this franchise hope in themselves.

15. Orlando Magic – The Magic got played by Dwight Howard and got the worst deal they could have gotten for him. Aaron Affialo isn’t going to carry your team. With Glen Davis as probably your best player, things aren’t looking good.

1. Los Angeles Lakers –

2. Oklahoma City Thunder – Kevin Durant is the best pure scorer in the universe. He isn’t even in his prime and he can average 30 points a game this season. Russell Westbrook is a freak athlete at the point guard position and maybe a summer with Team USA helped him become a better point guard. The Thunder are an elite team and will be one of the best all year.

3. Los Angeles Clippers – The second team in LA will be a force this season. Chris Paul is now in his prime has an awesome team around him. If Blake Griffin stays healthy, Paul will make him into an elite big man. The Clippers are no longer a laughing stock.

4. San Antonio Spurs – You would be foolish to count out the Spurs this year. Gregg Popovich is the best coach in the league and the Spurs will not let the Lakers and Thunder just run away with the West.

5. Denver Nuggets – The Nuggets are loaded with young talent at every position this season. If George Karl can get this team to play together and maximize their potential, the Nuggets will be a threat in the West.

6. Memphis Grizzlies – The Grizzlies will always be consistent and win games in the West. They have a great starting five that is very balanced. They have a scorer in Rudy Gay, defender in Tony Allen, floor general in Mike Conley, and two great post players in Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol. Memphis is no joke.

7. Dallas Mavericks – Two years removed from their championship season, the Mavericks are a different team. They still have Dirk Nowitzki so they won’t be a pushover and he won’t have that championship hangover like last season. They have new faces in Darren Collison and o=O.J. Mayo in the backcourt that give them speed. The Mavs are different but are still good.

8. Minnesota Timberwolves – The Timberwolves are loaded with young, but inexperienced talent. Ricky Rubio showed when healthy he is a playmaker while Kevin Love is one of the league’s best players. With Brandon Roy and Andrei Kirilenko added to the roster, this team will take the next step this season.

9. Sacramento Kings – Like the T’wolves, the Kings have a lot of young talent. That might have reached with their Jimmer  Fredette pick a year ago but they are still a very talented team. DeMarcus Cousins seems to be growing up and he and Thomas Robinson can be the next big dominant duo down low. Tyreke Evans will have to step it up if the Kings have playoff dreams.

10. Golden State Warriors – Do the Warriors get over the hump or are they still the Warriors? They finally have a solid nucleus of players in Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes, David Lee and Andrew Bogut. Can Mack Jackson really coach? The Warriors will have an interesting season.

11. Portland Trailblazers – Portland is a sleeper team this year. LaMarcus Aldridge is having himself quite a career up there in Portland and is heavily underrated. Damian Lillard is apparently the real deal at point guard. I still think this team will take a few years to compete.

12. Utah Jazz – The Jazz will be quiet this season. They lack star power and big playmakers. Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson are great but can they put this Jazz team on their back? I don’t see it at all.

13. New Orleans Hornets – Rebuilding begins now in NOLA but it might be sooner rather than later when the Hornets play in some serious ball games. They got lucky with landing Anthony Davis and Austin Rivers. They still have Eric Gordon and when he is healthy, he is one of the best shooting guards in the league. The Hornets will grow together.

14. Phoenix Suns – The post-Steve Nash era begins now for the Suns, and it might be a little rough. Goran Dragic will have to show he can handle the starting role as point guard and Michael Beasley will finally have the main scorer title for the first time in his career. The Suns will not be the Suns of the past we are used to watching.

15. Houston Rockets – Sorry Jeremy, I had to do it to you. I can’t see the Rockets being very good this year. Linsanity will stop, Omir Asik is the most overpaid player in history, and I just feel bad for Kevin Martin. Sorry Houston, there is going to be a lot of problems this year.