Miami Heat: Who will rule the Eastern Conference in 2018-19?

4 of 4

MIAMI, FL – FEBRUARY 9: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks drives to the basket during the game against the Miami Heat on February 9, 2018 at American Airlines Arena in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2018 NBAE (Photo by Issac Baldizon/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Close, But No Cigar

At this point, the East is just a mess.

Arguably, a top-level talent like Giannis Antetokounmpo should fling his Milwaukee Bucks towards the top of the standings. But considering Milwaukee’s track record, anything higher than No. 6 is volatile.

Adding renowned head coach Mike Budenholzer will surely give the Bucks a new look. He’s a defensive maestro who learned under Gregg Popovich and the Bucks’ collective wingspan should serve his schemes well.

"“It was miserable coaching against him and I’m so happy to be (saying), `34’s on my team?”‘ Budenholzer said to NBA.com, referring to Antetokounmpo. “That’s like really cool. He’s a nightmare to coach against, to game-plan, to figure out how you can keep him away from the basket.”"

Alongside Antetokounmpo, Budenholzer and the Bucks should ideally be a top-four team, but inconsistencies from Eric Bledsoe and Malcolm Brogdon leave the Bucks with a positional deficiency at point guard.

Consider 6^th place precautionary. Milwaukee could easily displace the Heat or Pacers in the top five, and even the Raptors if they are lucky. Antetokounmpo is growing into a generational talent, capable of redefining what a peak basketball player looks like.

Another stellar season for him and Khris Middleton could be the difference maker in climbing the East, but really, would anything other than ‘Bucks in 6^th’ look appropriate?

(Thanks, Brandon Jennings.)

And then there were two

At this point, the East is a crapshoot.

In keeping with last year’s standings, the Washington Wizards and Detroit Pistons are the easy choices for 7^th and 8^th.Both squads return a pair of recent All-Stars (John Wall and Bradley Beal for the Wizards, Andre Drummond and Blake Griffin for the Pistons), and have the skeletal frame of a competitive Eastern Conference team.

That frame, however, is marred by a lack of direction that would make even the 2017-18 Phoenix Suns chuckle.

Neither the Pistons nor Wizards have the managerial track record that instills playoff confidence. Dysfunction thrived in both cities last season, with neither team good enough to compete nor bad enough to tank.

Unfortunately, the rest of the East has a similar problem. Down the standings few teams are better off than they were last season. The Knicks are down Kristaps Porzingis for at least half the year, while the Charlotte Hornets have proved successful only at stealing the prime years of Kemba Walker.

The bottom of the Eastern Conference is like filling a piñata with small candies and colorful thumbtacks. Sure, there will be a sprinkling of enjoyment – Kevin Knox in New York, Trae Young in Atlanta – but biting into a shiny metal spine will leave an anemic aftertaste.

Final Standings:

Milwaukee Bucks

A 40-something win team

A 30-something win team

Next: Miami Heat: 3 reasons why Devin Harris is a perfect fit for the culture

Let the games begin.

Home/Heat News