How did the eastern conference get so weak?

[Reid2Achieve]

Vs

Same reason the tech money is out west and not in the east...

Underrated point. The best executives are in many warmer climates, and often free agents go there and may be willing to take discounts

 

[SchoolboyC]

The east has ALWAYS been a weak conference, even during the MJ era. Teams with losing records were making it to the east playoffs even back then too. Outside of the Bulls, Knicks, Pacers, and heat the east was weak

During the 1996-97 season, three teams in the West made the playoffs with losing records.
During the 1997-98 season, the West had 6 teams win less than 30 games, with 4 of them winning less than 20.
During the 1987 playoffs, the 65 win Lakers faced the 37 win Nuggets in the 1st round, the 42 win Warriors in the 2nd round and the 39 win Sonics in the conference finals.

My point...the West pre-2000 wasn't exactly a powerhouse either

East conf. teams traded their good players across country in the late 90's.
Shaq from Orl to LA
Kobe from Cha to LA
Sheed from DC to Port
CWebb from DC to SacTown

Not to mention Utah already having Stockton and Malone

Seattle having Payton and Kemp

Rockets had Dream, Barkley, and Drexler

Twolves had a young KG to build around
Spurs drafted Duncan to put alongside Robinson

Phoenix had JKidd and McDyess

East never really recovered

This essentially covers it.

If Shaq re-signs in Orlando, the Celtics get the #1 pick in 97 instead of the Spurs and Charlotte decides to keep Kobe for themselves does this topic even exist?

 

[Bernie Madoff]

Underrated point. The best executives are in many warmer climates, and often free agents go there and may be willing to take discounts

I'm an east coast guy, and I've tried to stress this point to these dweebs on here but they always hit me with "but they have so much money they can fly anywhere" diatribe..

 

[mbewane]

The east has ALWAYS been a weak conference, even during the MJ era. Teams with losing records were making it to the east playoffs even back then too. Outside of the Bulls, Knicks, Pacers, and heat the east was weak

Hmm, not totally sure about this one. I seem to recall that at some point damn near all the teams in the Central Division were good, to which you could add the Knicks, Miami and Orlando. Not championship level good, but good nonetheless. And for a long time there were TERRIBLE teams out west (Dallas, Clippers, Grizzlies, Kings...).

Its the stupid lottery and allowing 8 teams per conference to get in the playoffs.

You have good teams missing the playoffs in the West getting lottery picks and improving. While bad teams in the east aren't getting lottery picks because they are making the playoffs

Never thought about it that way...

Like brehs said I think it's a mix of better management, better weather, and then playing against the best only makes you better, so there's a winning mentality out West. On the other hand you have teams like Philly who's in it to lose as much as they can

 

[Ethnic Vagina Finder]

Bad GM's.
The bar his higher out west because it takes more wins just to go to the playoffs. Right now the west his point guard heavy so teams draft/trade accordingly.
A team like Phoenix will get to the playoffs every year in the east.

There there's the luck of the Draft.
Anthony Davis could've easily gone to Charlotte if the ping pong's bounced right.
Usually when top West players switch teams, they stay in the west as well.

 

[Ace2306]

Its just crazy on what teams could have done if it was not for the gm's picking wrong


those years the knicks missed on amare ron artest brandon jennings nene LMA etc..


cavs had a very young lebron still with maybe 4 years on a contract and the let boozer walk out, picked luke jackson they could have had josh smith and i think amare also


nets traded for deron williams they could have had dame lillard its like they had no idea what they was doing

Al Jefferson josh smith kevin martin hell even Ariza would've been a better choice

 

[MJ Truth]

The east has ALWAYS been a weak conference, even during the MJ era. Teams with losing records were making it to the east playoffs even back then too. Outside of the Bulls, Knicks, Pacers, and heat the east was weak

The West was weak as hell in the 80s though.

 

[The Goodz]

Hmm, not totally sure about this one. I seem to recall that at some point damn near all the teams in the Central Division were good, to which you could add the Knicks, Miami and Orlando. Not championship level good, but good nonetheless. And for a long time there were TERRIBLE teams out west (Dallas, Clippers, Grizzlies, Kings...).

The Hawks were "meh" status in the central division
The cavs fell out of releveancy after The Shot
Orlando was on pace to do some damage until Shaq left

 

[KOBE]

Thats what I'm talking about why would the hornets give up kobe?

why would the magic not pay shaq? they had to be making ass loads (no homo) of money off of shaq

hornets didn't give up on kobe, the lakers made the trade targeting the pick so they could get kobe. hornets themselves never drafted him.

shaq left the magic, it's not the fact they didn't want to pay him, he just wanted to leave.

 

[FTBS]

During the 1996-97 season, three teams in the West made the playoffs with losing records.
During the 1997-98 season, the West had 6 teams win less than 30 games, with 4 of them winning less than 20.
During the 1987 playoffs, the 65 win Lakers faced the 37 win Nuggets in the 1st round, the 42 win Warriors in the 2nd round and the 39 win Sonics in the conference finals.

My point...the West pre-2000 wasn't exactly a powerhouse either



This essentially covers it.

If Shaq re-signs in Orlando, the Celtics get the #1 pick in 97 instead of the Spurs and Charlotte decides to keep Kobe for themselves does this topic even exist?

Then people would be talking about how weak the west is .

 

[Jesus Shuttlesworth]

Easy.

Left Orlando

Charlotte traded

Bucks traded Dirk.

David Robinson got "hurt" the right year and the Spurs won the lottery.

Penny and Grant Hill got hurt.

Jordan broke nikkas spirits.


That pretty much sums it up.

 

[SchoolboyC]

hornets didn't give up on kobe, the lakers made the trade targeting the pick so they could get kobe. hornets themselves never drafted him.

shaq left the magic, it's not the fact they didn't want to pay him, he just wanted to leave.

It was a combination of he & Penny's egos clashing and the Magic lowballing him with their contract offer

 

[CarltonJunior]

The rich get richer, good teams tend to have good players go to them, and a lot of the west coast teams are in Cali or Texas which are great places to live. It's pretty common for the East to draft a great player and have him go west for whatever reason, but not vice-versa. The only notable superstar to go from the West to the East that I can think of was Melo. The great players drafted into the western conference tend to stay there