Atlanta Hawks: Eastern Conference Power Rankings, Dec. 3
By John Buhler
9. team. 64. . . Previous: . Detroit Pistons
This week’s Tier III is hard to differentiate. Can all three of these teams get either the 7 or 8-seed? They certainly can. What puts the Pistons 9th is that they have come back to earth after their hot start. Playing in the toughest division in the NBA doesn’t help either. They are clearly the 4th best team in the Central, which could have four playoff teams in 2016.
I feel like HC/GM Stan Van Gundy is one head-scratching trade away from getting the Pistons over the top in 2015-16. He’ll make front offices move that make sense in sequence, but not immediately out of the gate. Getting back either Brandon Jennings or Jodie Meeks could serve as the impetus for the Pistons to make push for the playoffs in the second half.
team. 170. . . Previous: . Charlotte Hornets. 8
The 2015-16 Charlotte Hornets look like what we thought the 2014-15 Charlotte Hornets would look like. They’re playing solid basketball even without terrific perimeter defender Michael Kidd-Gilchrist for the entire season.
Charlotte has improved offensively from a bottom fifth team to a top fifth team. The Hornets are 6th in both points per game and offensive efficiency. Giving HC Steve Clifford a long-term extension seems to have been the right move for Owner Michael Jordan. Charlotte is a serious playoff threat in 2016.
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Boston Celtics. 7. team. 18. . . Previous:
This is all about the Brad Stevens/Danny Ainge factor. Though Boston is clearly the second best team in a weak Atlantic Division, the head coach/general manager combination gives the Boston Celtics an incredibly high floor and possibly a higher ceiling than we realize at the moment.
Stevens continues to get the most out of his players, turning a team of role players into a .500 caliber team. If Ainge can orchestrate a trade with a Western team, then Boston could charge up the standings if they are finally able to get themselves their first superstar in the Brad Stevens Era at the TD Garden.
Next: Tier II: Eastern Conference Finals Ceiling