1. Chicago Bulls

2006-07 record: 49-33, No. 5.

Key newcomers: No. 9 pick Joakim Noah.

Outcome: Still a long way from their glory days and lacking Boston's star power, the Bulls have the East's deepest, hardest-working young team, a junior version of the Mavericks. Luol Deng averaged 18.8 points, Ben Gordon is an amazing shot-maker, and everyone goes all-out nightly for hard-driving Coach Scott Skiles. However, they're still small with 6-7 1/2 Ben Wallace at center. GM John Paxson pased up 6-9 LaMarcus Aldridge in 2006 to draft 6-7 1/2 Tyrus Thomas, or that bright future of theirs would be a lot closer.

2. Boston Celtics

2006-07 record: 24-58, No. 15.

Key newcomers: Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen.

Outlook: The Celtics, who won 16 titles from 1957 to 1986 but have made the playoffs only four times since 1994, are back, having hit the jackpot in the Garnett sweepstakes. The versatile Garnett, sharpshooting Allen and take-charge Paul Pierce should fit wonderfully. With their supporting cast, they'll have to. The Celtics may be better in the playoffs; if Garnett (31), Allen (32) and Pierce (30) can handle the minutes they'll have to play, they'll be there.

3. Detroit Pistons

2006-07 record: 53-29, No. 1.

Key newcomers: Jarvis Hayes, No. 15 pick Rodney Stuckey.

Outlook: Once more than the sum of their parts, the Pistons have become less than the sum of their big opinions of themselves. They started to splinter in the 2006 playoffs, coming off a 64-win season and still considered the NBA's best team amid a wave of nostalgia for Flip Saunders' predecessor, Larry Brown. After fragmenting again last spring, they're trying to pump in fresh blood with youngsters such as Jason Maxiell, Hayes and the impressive Stuckey (who is injured to start the season). Now to see if it's too late.

4. Toronto Raptors

2006-07 record: 47-35, No. 3.

Key newcomer: Jason Kapono.

Outlook: In a major surprise, Coach Sam Mitchell, about to be fired with a 7-14 record and GM Bryan Colangelo looking for someone to put in the Phoenix offense, got it as the Raptors finished 40-21. Showing how overlooked their rise was, they're expected to go back where they came from. Nevertheless, they have Chris Bosh and shooters like Andrea Bargnani, who shot 40 percent on three-pointers after the All-Star break, and Kapono, who led the league at 51.4 percent on threes. The best may be yet to come.

5. Cleveland Cavaliers

2006-07 record: 50-32, No. 2 (NBA finalist).

Key newcomer: Hassan Adams.

Outlook: Poor LeBron James. From his arrival, he has been held to ridiculous standards and pilloried if he fell short. He's in real trouble now after last spring's collapse by the Eastern powers cleared the Cavaliers' way to the Finals. Unfortunately, the East got better and the Cavaliers didn't, making no significant moves and being unable to sign Anderson Varejao and Sasha Pavlovic. So LeBron had better figure out how to get the Bulls and Pistons to fall apart again and take Boston with them.

6. New Jersey Nets

2006-07 record: 41-41, No. 6.

Key newcomers: Jamaal Magloire, Darrell Armstrong.

Outlook: Everyone had become accustomed to the Nets' looking better on paper than on the court before last season's nightmare when wild rumors dogged them after Jason Kidd's sensational divorce. Assuming no more legal actions, this season won't be as harrowing, with Nenad Krstic, a legitimate offensive threat, returning after knee surgery and the bench being deeper. As far as postseason success goes, it's up to Vince Carter, but his temperament is more like Tracy McGrady's than Kobe Bryant's.

7. Washington Wizards

2006-07 record: 41-41, No. 7.

Key newcomer: 2006 first-round pick Oleksiy Pecherov.

Outlook: The Fun Bunch was on its way to its usual 41 to 45 wins when Gilbert Arenas blew out his left knee. The Wizards finished 2-6 and were swept by Cleveland. Arenas is back, ready to take his 30 shots from wherever it strikes his fancy. Arenas (28.4), Antawn Jamison (19.8) and Caron Butler (19.1) averaged a combined 67.3 points, but that's standard. Playing defense would help, but losing Etan Thomas after heart surgery leaves Brendan Haywood, whose heart has yet to be detected at center.

8. Indiana Pacers

2006-07 record: 35-47, No. 9.

Key newcomer: Coach Jim O'Brien.

Outlook: Donnie Walsh and Larry Bird rebuilt their 2000 Finals team overnight with Jermaine O'Neal, Ron Artest, Al Harrington and Stephen Jackson, but they were more like the Hole in the Wall Gang than the Reggie Miller-Rik Smits Pacers. Only O'Neal, whose value doesn't match his $19.7 million salary, remains after being shopped all summer. With Danny Granger and Ike Diogu, there's some talent, and they'll finally get to run. O'Brien blew up in Philadelphia, but after Rick Carlisle, Obie's a relief.

9. Miami Heat

2006-07 record: 44-38, No. 4.

Key newcomers: Ricky Davis, Mark Blount.

Outlook: This is a hard way to go out for Pat Riley, who once didn't even mess with problem players but now, with Shaquille O'Neal declining, Dwyane Wade still out and Jason Kapono, James Posey and Eddie Jones gone, takes anyone he can get. With the young players he hoped to bring along looking overmatched, Riley wheeled and dealt to the end, acquiring Davis and Blount, two more players who have bounced around because of their attitudes. Now they might even make the playoffs! Yes, the glory days are over.

10. Orlando Magic

2006-07 record: 40-42, No. 8.

Key newcomers: Coach Stan Van Gundy, Rashard Lewis.

Outlook: Amway magnate Rich DeVos prides himself on his managerial skills, but this is harder than signing up people to peddle stuff. His team hasn't won a playoff series since he let Shaquille O'Neal get away in 1996, the first of several pratfalls like hiring GM John Weisbrod, a former hockey player who said after his brief tenure he really saw himself as an NHL GM. Current GM Otis Smith gave Lewis $118 million while losing Grant Hill. Now the capable Van Gundy has Dwight Howard, Lewis and little else.

11. Milwaukee Bucks

2006-07 record: 28-54, No. 14.

Key newcomer: No. 5 pick Yi Jianlian.

Outlook: Yi Jianlian finally decided he could play there, after all. Now if tradition holds, he'll rarely be glimpsed again, no matter how he turns out. Even players like sharpshooting guards Michael Redd and Mo Williams are rarely sighted. Nevertheless, the Bucks have talent. Turning up the tempo last season, they started 18-17 before injuries hit and Larry Krystkowiak replaced nice-guy coach Terry Stotts. Unknown as Krystkowiak is, he's highly regarded by people who know him.

12. New York Knicks

2006-07 record: 33-49, No. 12.

Key newcomer: Zach Randolph.

Outlook: After their summer with Isiah Thomas found liable for sexual harassment and owner James Dolan personally fined $3 million, what worse could happen in the season? They could miss the playoffs — but they've done that in four of Dolan's five seasons. Their roster is more like a post office wall, led by Stephon Marbury, who acknowledged in court having sex with a Knicks intern. Thomas has made the Knicks bigger and younger. The question is whether he or anybody can coach them.

13. Philadelphia 76ers

2006-07 record: 35-47, No. 10.

Key newcomer: Reggie Evans.

Outlook: In an all-timer, the 76ers, who had the No. 29 record when they traded Allen Iverson, won 17 of their last 26 and wound up with the No. 12 pick ... after which owner Ed Snider said the NBA should give everyone in the lottery an equal chance as the NHL does. Instead of a shot at Greg Oden or Kevin Durant, they got Thaddeus Young. With Samuel Dalembert suffering a stress fracture playing for Canada, their team isn't much, and there's no Iverson to bring people out.

14. Charlotte Bobcats

2006-07 record: 33-49, No. 11.

Key newcomer: Jason Richardson.

Outlook: Well, everyone wanted Bobcats boss Michael Jordan to make moves. The Tar Heels legend, who won't make appearances in North Carolina, traded the draft rights to another promising Tar Heel, Brandan Wright, for Richardson, an $11 million-a-year shooting guard. Proving absentee owner Bob Johnson will, too, spend money, they gave Gerald Wallace $57 million, bumping their annual payroll to $50 million ... while putting off an extension for Emeka Okafor, who'll be a restricted free agent ... with little shot at even crashing the top 10 in the East.

15. Atlanta Hawks

2006-07 record: 30-52, No. 12.

Key newcomer: No. 4 pick Al Horford.

Outlook: Stop me if you've heard this one, annually.