The Magic is the top pick, if not second in the East. They have added great players in their team. Carter isn't who he used to be but he can still score, plus getting rid of Turkoglu isn't a bad choice as the team will be ran by Nelson now instead of him and that is from a Hedo fan. Their acquisition of Jason Williams as a back up PG is a great choice, when Nelson got hurt last year, they were stuck with a scoring PG in Alston and an aging Johnson, now they have a true PG that can pass and shoot the 3. The addition of Matt Barnes is a good pick for defensive purposes, team him up with Pietrus and howard on the floor and you got a defensive trio that will break almost anyones offense. Then they got Brandon Bass, another big guy who can crash the boards when Howard is in the bench or in foul trouble. Along with Ryan Anderson, a rookie with huge potential. This team will be a pain and will dominate the East barring injuries.
The Cavs got Jamario Moon and Anthony Parker, two who are rarely key players. Leon Powe, who is a good pick up for the price but that injury he had isn't easy to recover from. Then there is Shaq, an aging fat man. I think he has gained pounds and he is an improvement over Ilgauskas but against Howard & Bass, KG, Perkins & Wallace, Shaq just won't be enough. Shaq will probably miss at least 20 games due to injury next year too. If this were the Shaq of 2001-2003, hell even of 2005, I would say hand the title to the Cavs now but Shaq just isn't the same anymore.
The Celtics are an aging team but they still have the best defensive minded teams out there and could make a run for the money. Wallace is a good acquisition, he spreads the floor and can defend well. With a healthy KG, they have a great combo going there, both can knock mid range shots or take it to the hole. The Celtics also acquire Marquis Daniels and if you've seen what he can do last year when the Pacers players are out, you'd know he can run and score, he hustles and plays well when he gets some PT. Rondo is getting better, Perkins is getting better, Ray Allen will be well rested, so will Pierce. It's a scary team overall.
Out of those 3 teams, I would rate the Cavs 3rd place and award the 1st and 2nd place to the Celtics and Magic.
