The NBA season is fast approaching and after an entertaining summer with plenty of moves, signings and trades, it's time to take a look at some teams that could be much improved in 2013-14 and two options are from the East in the New York Knicks and the Detroit Pistons.
While these two teams are still not championship contenders (although the Knicks could turn into one depending on how they play together this season), they easily could be improved over last year, especially the Pistons after they got Josh Smith and Brandon Jennings on their roster with young players like Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe. The Knicks made some smart moves with free agent Metta World Peace and trading for Andrea Bargnani, but while it looks good on paper, it has to be seen on the court.
Looking at the Pistons first, clearly they are improved over last season, as they added two high-profile players that were not on the roster without giving up much. The team signed Josh Smith as a free agent and while he may have been a bit overpaid, he brings consistent scoring and explosiveness, while Jennings now gives the team a huge upgrade over Brandon Knight, who was solid at times, but wasn't taking the team anywhere on his own.
Last season the Pistons won 29 games and lost 53 and were just 8-8 in their division, but with the new players coming in along with Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Tony Mitchell as well as Chauncey Billups, the team will have more experience and should win closer to 40 games at least. The team brought in a new coach and Maurice Cheeks should be a solid leader for the team Pistons, who ranked 18th in points allowed last season and just 22nd in scoring. Adding Smith and Jennings will change that.
The Pistons were not a threatening team last season, but with a stronger bench and stars like Jennings and Smith paired with Drummond and Monroe, the team is immensely talented. The East is very top heavy with teams like the Miami Heat, Indiana Pacers, Chicago Bulls, Brooklyn Nets and Knicks up front, but the bottom playoff spots will be up for grabs and if the Bucks can make it like they did last season, there's no reason to think why the Pistons can't.
The Knicks are coming into the season with some new bench players and some familiar faces back with JR Smith and Pablo Prigioni coming back and with Metta World Peace, Tim Hardaway Jr., Beno Udrih and Andrea Bargnani joining, the team looks better on paper. The tough thing will be seeing whether it can connect on the court. The Heat still will reign supreme, but Carmelo Anthony has a nicer supporting cast than last season, although there are plenty of question marks.
Peace is getting older, while Bargnani is coming off of an injury plagued season and that came after years of disappointment in Toronto. The team has a deep point guard situation with Felton, Prigioni and Udrih and that could come in handy down the stretch, but it might be enough to beat the Heat this season.
