In recent memory, teams of the National Basketball Association on the right side of the Mississippi River have been referred to as The Leastern Conference. Fake College Jerseys . It is a place where once only 2-3 teams seemed to legitimately have a chance to win the conference and/or the NBA title while many of the other teams fought to be the biggest loser, positioning themselves for draft lottery glory and/or ignominy. With iconic figures in the game switching geography, key free agents looking to change fortunes and a young star looking to shine brightly once again, Duane Watson and Will Strickland of TSN Radio 1050 bring you the news, views and truths on whos doing what, when, why, where and how in the shifting landscape of the now-wide open Eastern Conference. Derrick Rose Re-Affirms Elite Status In The NBA. Watson: As long as Derrick Rose is healthy, he is one of the most dangerous guards in the league. His speed and strength make him unstoppable after just one dribble. His mental conditioning seems to have caught up to his physical conditioning and, after only playing 49 games over the last two seasons, hes ready to reclaim his spot and take the Bulls far in a wide open Eastern Conference. Strickland: On name alone, Derrick Rose, the youngest NBA MVP ever, will have elite status. But that is ancient history for many. Rose says hes back and better, but we shall soon find out how loyal those knees are, especially after multiple back-to-back games. If Rose presses too much to regain his MVP form, it may end up hurting him team. With less of an offensive load and lots of time on the sidelines to contemplate how he can better manage his game to suit other, Rose will keep his Bulls in the hunt all season and his name. Kevin Love Will Fail To Meet The Challenge Of The Moment. Watson: Love already has made comments about getting touches on the perimeter instead of getting them on the wing, and his comfort with starting the game from the outside in. His adjustment will be greater than Irvings but 75 per cent of Kevin Love is more than enough to make the Cavs a competitive team in this league. Strickland: Is he really a Top 10 player in the NBA or is he just a very good complimentary piece to the Cleveland Cavaliers new Big Three who put up huge numbers on a horrid team for years in Minnesota? These questions abound. And regardless of Chris Boshs assertion that Love will have a hard time submitting to the will of the team (read: James, LeBron Raymone), all will be revealed in his first disco on the playoff dance floor, where he will prove his worth and more in a pressure situation. Life is a cruel teacher at times, though, for she gives you the Test first and the Lesson after. Lance Stephenson Helps The Charlotte Hornets To A Top 4 Seeding For The Playoffs. Watson: The Hornets were on the cusp of something last year, but faced a hot Heat team in the first round of the playoffs. One year more seasoned with Al Jefferson manning the pivot, they acquired a player who shifts the scales for them on both sides of the court and also led the league in triple-doubles last year in Lance Trick or Treat Stephenson. He may not be a leader for the Hornets, but he will be their most valuable player. Strickland: Apropos that Halloween is nigh as young Lance is affectionately known as Trick Or Treat on #1On1. Expect more tricks than treats from Stephenson, the league leader in triple doubles last season in Indiana. His role and responsibilities in the Queen City will be expanded, as will his talents in a major co-starring role with Big Al Jefferson and Kemba Walker, built less on antics and more on a very solid all around skill set. Jason Kidds Head Coaching Job Will Be In Jeopardy Again For A Second Consecutive Year. Watson: At 15-67, the Bucks were the worst team in the league. They are young, raw and inexperienced, much like their second year coach. Under Kidd, the Brooklyn Nets were 10-21 for 2013, managed to turn it around in the latter part of the season, but Kidd had former All-Stars on his roster to right the ship. He doesnt have that luxury, and wont be able to keep running isolation plays. If he didnt sign such a good contract, he would be on the outs early. Strickland: Would love to say thats hard to imagine with a young team that needs guidance and then we look at their bench boss and the plausibility of Milwaukee scouting for a new coach doesnt seem so far-fetched. That said, however, Kidd will get at least three years to turn Jabari Parker, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Brandon Knight and Larry Sanders into a competitive unit before hes sent to spill Diet Coke on someone elses sideline. The New York Knicks Will Master The Triangle. Watson: If the Knicks figure it out often enough, they will be a problem. There will have to be buy-in from all of their players but learning the triangle and adjusting to a new coach in an environment of me-first players is going to be a challenge. But if anyone can do it, it will be Phil Jackson. Strickland: You mean the Knicks of the I dont think I can win the scoring title in The Triangle superstar Carmelo Anthony? The same Knickerbockers who have a fellow by the name of Earl Smith, Jr., who, despite knowing new head coach Derek Fisher would run that offence, said it would take him about two months to learn it? The same Knicks who have a $23.5M per year power forward who feels rejuvenated enough after taking red wine baths on his days off to come off the bench? Yeah. Wondering if these Knicks will master The Triangle is like wondering what the number 8 smells like. Nikola Mirotic Will Be A Strong Candidate For Rookie Of The Year. Watson: While everyone will be focused on Wiggins and Parker, Mirotic has three solid years of Euroleague experience under his belt. At 610, he can pass, dribble and score with his rookie counterparts and there wont be one ounce of pressure on him. On a Bulls team that finds offence hard to come by at times, hell be the antidote. Strickland: Who? No Bueno. With the Bulls high on the upside of McBuckets Doug McDermott, Mirotic could end up being a better, more versatile player than McDermott. That said, Mirotic wont get the recognition as rookie of the year in a class that features Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker, who will get the shots and minutes to amass numbers on very bad teams. The 76ers Will Be Worse Than They Were Last Year. Watson: Philadelphia lost 63 games last year, including 26 in a row, and thats a tough number to beat, particularly with last years lottery pick Nerlens Noel, suiting up after sitting out his rookie season due to injury. But both of their lottery picks from the 2014 Draft wont be suiting up for them this season - Joel Embiid (#3) and Dario Saric (#12) - while their top player and NBAs reigning Rookie of the Year Michael Carter-Williams is recovering from shoulder surgery. Philly is bound for the lottery again and not by accident. Strickland: Rhetorical. Sixers GM Sam Hinkies asset management plan of collecting high draft picks, whittling contracts, jettisoning players to free up as much cap room as possible to attract high-end free agents while the Philly faithful fan base suffers through yet another season in the basement doesnt sound like much of a plan for a place not really considered a destination city despite the franchises rich history. If any team can be worse than the 2013-2014 Sixers, itll be the 2014-2015 version. The Heat Will Miss The Playoffs This Year. Watson: Miami will have to learn about life after LeBron. Players take for granted how much easier a player of his caliber makes the game for them. The defence, the scoring, the playmaking and the double teams are all gone now. More will be expected of Dwyane Wade and Bosh will not benefit from sagging defences waiting to help LeBron and from there, the talent gets decidedly thinner. While good, Luol Deng is aging and with Wades health a perennial concern, expect him to miss games and the Heat to miss the playoffs. Strickland: No. Miami lost its King, but not the Prince of The City, Dwyane Wade. He, along with Christopher Wesson Bosh, newly minted as The Man on South Beach at least for the next five years and $118M, will barely lead the Heat Gang limping into the playoffs. Free agents Josh McRoberts, Danny Granger and two-time All-Star Luol Deng, who should not be seen as The Replacement LeBron, will be along for the ride, hoping for the opportunity to show James what hes missing... or not. Paul George Will Come Back From Injury To Lead The Pacers To The Playoffs. Watson: More like a fairytale! Larry Bird cannot afford to rush back his star player and, with this team taking a step back this season, will likely keep George out as long as possible in the hopes of picking up a solid draft pick. Strickland: PG-13, most recently seen shooting jumpers and breaking his dog off the dribble in one-on-one, has recovered far more rapidly that most anyone could have anticipated in the face of his horrific injury on August 1. After signing a new $90M deal to stay in Indianapolis for at least the next five years last September, George experienced a tough close to a disappointing second half of the 2013-2014 season, both on and off the court. Top that with Indiana losing Lance Stephenson in the off-season to free agency and one would hope there is not a great deal of pressure to hurry George back on the court prematurely. However, if he did come back in the Pacers fold this season, the squad would barely, if at all, make the playoffs, only to be promptly bounced by the top team in the conference. The Cavaliers Will Win The Eastern Conference. Watson: When you have the best player on the planet, thats an easy call. Couple that with two all-stars in Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love and its the Cavs conference to lose. The big question is can they win it all in Year 1? Strickland: The Central Division race will have all eyes on it as the expected playoff matchup between the Bulls and Cavs will be must-see TV. The Bulls scored a huge coup in picking up the most all-around skilled big man in the NBA in 34-year-old Pau Gasol. Couple that with excitement of the return of Derrick Rose, coach Tom Thibideaus grit, add Jimmy Butler, Kirk Hinrich, Taj Gibson x the heart and soul of the squad, Joakim Noah, and it still wont be enough to overcome the worlds best basketball player and his new court of Kyrie Irving, Kevin Love and potential hired gun for the playoff run in Cleveland: Walter Ray Allen. You can find Duane Watson(@duanewatson) and Will Strickland(@wallstrizzle1) plying their trade in the Art of Basketball Commentary on #1On1 with Will & Duane every Saturday afternoon at 3pm et on TSN 1050 Radio. College Jerseys Outlet . It led to his downfall on Tuesday. The Major League Soccer club fired Rennie after a second straight up-and-down season that saw the Whitecaps start strong before limping across the finish line. Cheap NCAA Jerseys Authentic . 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Its a kind of wild, wrong situation, which needs to be sorted out with joint effort.Kuksennkov competed for Ukraine under the name Mykola Kuksenkov before taking Russian nationality in 2013. Cheap College Jerseys 2020. He won European Championship gold in the team all-around in 2014, and gold in the same event at last years inaugural European Games.Kuksenkovs is the first known doping case in gymnastics involving meldonium. More than 20 other Russians across all sports have tested positive for meldonium, which was banned on January 1 2016, with at least 123 cases worldwide.Also, Russian Pavel Kulikov, an Olympic hopeful in skeleton, said in a statement he failed a test for meldonium.Kulikov finished 12th at the World Championships in Austria in February. ' ' '