All this talk about LeBron James at the PF position is nuts...really, really nuts. There's no way that he is going to play that position.
The problem the Cavs and the Magic both have is that the Power Forward position and the front court still win championships in today's game, and neither team has a good one. We've already talked about how overpaid Varejo is and how Rashard Lewis is actually a 3 because he's such a perimeter player.
I like the Celts a lot in the east because they've actually fixed the one problem that was exposed last year when KG went down: depth. They've added Rasheed Wallace, who can play both the Power Forward and Center positions, which means he'll be in the game for both Garnett and Perkins at time, and then Glen Davis is the 4th big man coming in.
The x-factor in the East is definitely Shaq. When he's motivated, he's easily one of the most dominant offensive forces in the NBA. He's a guy who can take some of the scoring burden off of LeBron James, and it might be exactly what the Cavs need to get better. That said, Shaq is a huge liablility defensively. He can't defend the pick and roll, and any Power Forward with a decent jumpshot (like Rashard Lewis and Garnett) are going to give him fits.
I also think Orlando got better with the addition of Carter and the loss of Hedo. Having another guy who can drive to the basket and score makes the Magic less of a perimeter team, which is a good thing in Orlando's case.
The problem the Cavs and the Magic both have is that the Power Forward position and the front court still win championships in today's game, and neither team has a good one. We've already talked about how overpaid Varejo is and how Rashard Lewis is actually a 3 because he's such a perimeter player.
I like the Celts a lot in the east because they've actually fixed the one problem that was exposed last year when KG went down: depth. They've added Rasheed Wallace, who can play both the Power Forward and Center positions, which means he'll be in the game for both Garnett and Perkins at time, and then Glen Davis is the 4th big man coming in.
The x-factor in the East is definitely Shaq. When he's motivated, he's easily one of the most dominant offensive forces in the NBA. He's a guy who can take some of the scoring burden off of LeBron James, and it might be exactly what the Cavs need to get better. That said, Shaq is a huge liablility defensively. He can't defend the pick and roll, and any Power Forward with a decent jumpshot (like Rashard Lewis and Garnett) are going to give him fits.
I also think Orlando got better with the addition of Carter and the loss of Hedo. Having another guy who can drive to the basket and score makes the Magic less of a perimeter team, which is a good thing in Orlando's case.