Are we in the midst of the end of the LeBron James era in Cleveland? This has to be the burning question on every Eastern Conference GM's mind, as the King has romped, tossed, aside, and destroyed every team in his way en route to eight straight conference championships. With James entering his 14th season in the Association and with an easy exit path to the bright lights of Hollywood next offseason, could we see a new challenger take down the Cavaliers?

Atlantic Division

Heading into this season, Boston looked absolutely impenetrable and were presumably the Cavs' finest challengers, but the Gordon Hayward injury has absolutely derailed their campaign, and should be looking toward the post-LeBron era. Kyrie Irving has proven himself time and time again to be completely incapable of carrying a franchise on his back in the manner that his former teammate James has, as he has lost in every scenario where he is his team's de facto best player. First, he starred on Cleveland teams that were annually picking at the top of the draft, then, he lost nearly every time LeBron missed a game, and now, has a .500 record as the offense's focal point in Boston. Due to this turnover, expect Toronto to pip Boston to the division title behind the core of Kyle Lowry and Demar DeRozan. Following them will be the much-discussed Celtics and the ascending Philadelphia 76ers. Led by the trio of Ben Simmons, Markelle Fultz, and Joel Embiid, this team has risen from the ashes of The Process and are ready to reap the rewards of years of systematic failure with an early playoff exit (although this club is poised to make multiple finals appearances in the 2020's). Both New York clubs are atrocious, but I actually give the Nets the edge to finish fourth behind a stellar campaign from first-time All-Star D'Angelo Russell. The much-maligned third year guard has posted arguably better numbers than NBA stars James Harden, Russell Westbrook, Kawhi Leonard, and Jimmy Butler through his first two seasons, but has somehow been criticized as a bust despite competing in a league where it typically takes stars three to four years to emerge unless your name is LeBron James. Russell validated this point already by dropping 30 points in his first game against Indiana, while the crosstown Knicks enter their first post-Carmelo Anthony season as the most poorly-run franchise in all of American sports, and should finish rock bottom despite heroics from Kristaps Porzingis.

Southeast Division

I predict the guard duo of John Wall and Bradley Beal to steamroll this division for the Wizards on their way to the number two overall seed in the East. Behind them, the Miami Heat are somehow poised to be a playoff team (this is how bad the Eastern Conference has become) behind Hassan Whiteside, Goran Dragic, Dion Waiters, and little else. Continuing, the Charlotte Hornets will be carried by Kemba Walker to playoff contention, while the Orlando Magic will continue rebuilding behind a core of solid, young talent, and could be very interesting this year. The Atlanta Hawks will be in the division's cellar, and will duke it out with the Knicks and Bulls to be the worst team in the NBA. When your best player is Dennis Schroder, things aren't looking good.

Central Division

This part of the conference will be a two-horse race all the way. The Cavaliers will win it in the end and finish as the East's number one overall team, but the Milwaukee Bucks and MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo will lead this rising team to be the number three seed in the East alongside Khris Middleton and Jabari Parker. Behind them, the Pistons and Pacers remain in the league's doldrums of not being good enough to contend while also not being bad enough to acquire top talent, and Indiana has started to go the way of the Hawks (who had filled this role for the past decade) and begin the all-out rebuild for the mid-2020's by trading Paul George. The Chicago Bulls are the worst team in this league, simply put.

Playoff Predictions

1. Cleveland Cavaliers def. Charlotte Hornets 4-0

2. Washington Wizards def. Philadelphis 76ers 4-2

3. Milwaukee Bucks def. Miami Heat 4-2

4. Toronto Raptors

5. Boston Celtics def. Toronto Raptors 4-3

6. Miami Heat

7. Philadelphia 76ers

8. Charlotte Hornets

Cleveland def. Boston 4-1

Milwaukee def. Washington 4-3

Cleveland def. Milwaukee 4-1, wins Eastern Conference championship.