NBA Power Rankings: Eastern Conference Post Kevin Love

156. . Kevin Love gives them a major boost but the main reason the Cleveland Cavaliers are on top is because they have the best player on the planet in LeBron James.. . Cleveland Cavaliers . 1

2. 24. . Derrick Rose looks like he’s back for good this time and is getting better every day. The Chicago Bulls are a much deeper team than Cleveland and have some shooting prowess now to go along with that trademark defense.. . Chicago Bulls

Washington Wizards . 3. 142. . John Wall and Bradley Beal came of age last season and the team managed to retain Marcin Gortat. The Washington Wizards have a solid core in place. Now it’s a question of how much the loss of Trevor Ariza will hurt..

Losing James would’ve buried most teams, but Pat Riley is a veteran of the league. He rolled with the punches and managed to reassemble a pretty good roster that include Luol Deng and Josh McRoberts. The Miami Heat aren’t what they were, but they’re still dangerous.. . Miami Heat . 4. 110.

. They were already a tough defensive team last season, but the Charlotte Hornets got even better when they added Lance Stephenson. Al Jefferson is still a presence and Noah Vonleh bears serious watching.. . Charlotte Hornets . 5. 170

. Being able to retain Kyle Lowry in free agency was huge for the Toronto Raptors. DeMar DeRozan offers loads of offensive help and Jonas Valanciunas is on the verge of averaging a double double at center. Solid team.. . Toronto Raptors . 6. 81

Changes keep coming for the Atlanta Hawks but they don’t let that stop them from competing. Paul Millsap, Al Horford and Jeff Teague are an underrated grouping along with sharpshooter Kyle Korver.. . Atlanta Hawks . 7. 125.

. Call this the Paul George effect. The Indiana Pacers were the #1 seed and beat Atlanta in the playoffs last season. That was with George though. Without him they still have some bite, but are going to hurt bad offensively.. . Indiana Pacers . 8. 100

9. 147. . Their wild spending spree didn’t pay off last season and now the Brooklyn Nets are left with an aging roster filled with question marks. Maybe Deron Williams just isn’t meant to lead a team.. . Brooklyn Nets

. Andre Drummond is becoming a better player, but he has not proven a good pairing with Josh Smith as the Detroit Piston still identity, particularly on the defensive end.. . Detroit Pistons . 10. 64

New York Knicks . 11. 27. . Carmelo Anthony is back and Phil Jackson is in charge. New York Knicks fans can breathe easier. Still, it will take some time before this team is playoff worthy again..

. Milwaukee Bucks . 12. 89. . Call this the Jabari Parker effect. The Milwaukee Bucks finally have a budding superstar in their midst and his already polished game is going to help them right away. The roster needs more work though.

13. 38. . Aaron Gordon could turn into a game changer for the Orlando Magic if he plays up to his potential. Victor Oladipo looks like a keeper as well.. . Orlando Magic

. There are a lot of unresolved issues surrounding the Boston Celtics. Their roster likely isn’t complete yet what with the Rajon Rondo situation among others. That leaves them in limbo until otherwise.. . Boston Celtics . 14. 18

Philadelphia 76ers . 15. 93. . They strive so hard to be the worst team in the NBA and the Philadelphia 76ers are getting pretty good at it. They just dealt away Thaddeus Young and lack any sort of cohesion. A very young squad with no tangible leadership..