MIAMI — The prevailing notion once LeBron James put pen to paper on July 27 was that the stage was set in the Eastern Conference, that assessments could be set when it came to standings, seedings.
Yes, there was some cleanup work around the conference in the interim, most notably the Cavaliers' acquisition of Peyton Watson, but otherwise mostly ancillary stuff, like the 76ers adding Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Charlotte adding Dennis Schroder, and the Heat signing Klay Thompson and Nick Richards.
And then came Kawhi Day on Wednesday, in all its NBA drama in regard to the death penalties delivered to the Los Angeles Clippers.
Because with that finality, it meant that Kawhi Leonard to the Raptors again was a thing, an East acquisition on a level somewhere between Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Heat and Jaylen Brown to the 76ers.
So, no, we weren't done with the LeBron-a-thon resetting the East.
But now we seemingly should be.
Because the Raptors are for real, perhaps as for real as when Leonard last was in the team's colors, during that run to the 2019 title.
So now, and only now, can stock truly be taken of where Pat Riley's massive Miami makeover has left the Heat in a conference upgraded with significant talent, what with both LeBron and Kawhi coming East.
At the moment, FanDuel lists 10 Eastern Conference teams with projected winning records, which also is the limit for postseason spots (when counting the four play-in seeds).
From that list, FanDuel has the Heat tied with the Raptors for the sixth and final direct entry to the playoffs, as the No. 6 seed, at 45 1/2 wins.
So Heat play-in for a fifth consecutive season?
Or ready to challenge not only for direct entry into the playoffs, but potentially even homecourt in the first round?
A case could be made for both.
But at least now, with Kawhi resolution, cases can be made in earnest.
Considering the Pistons won the East last season at 60-22, projecting the conference's best at 52 1/2 wins speaks volumes about the competition in the East.
Last season's championship had a lightning-in-a-bottle feel, with New York City seemingly celebrating as such.
Subbing in Andre Drummond for Mitchell Robinson is a downgrade, which could lead to a downturn from the Knicks' 53 victories last season.
This is not like chasing the Thunder at the top of the West.
The top seed in the East is there for the taking.
In light of the Jaylen Brown trade, it's almost as if the Celtics are being viewed as top two in the East based on reputation.
For all the power tandems in the East, who exactly stands as second-best Celtic to Jayson Tatum? Derrick White? Paul George?
And for all the doubts about the Heat's depth, it's not exactly as if the Celtics are rolling out starting-level talent off their bench, with all due respect to Sam Hauser, Hugo Gonzalez and Baylor Scheierman.
Tobias Harris out and John Collins in. Is that necessarily an upgrade? And don't discount the loss of Isaiah Stewart and his incredible bulk.
Yes, there were gains in the margins with the additions of Isaiah Joe, Gary Harris and Taurean Prince, but there remains the question of one-year wonder or something more from the Pistons.
The addition of Peyton Watson is meaningful, but consider also how it came at the cost of Max Strus, Dean Wade and Dennis Schroder.
After consecutive playoff flameouts, is the motivation still there?
Any time a team puts this much stock into James Harden, doubts are reasonable.
Is it fantasy (as in stats) or reality when it comes to this much talent in a single lineup?
The usage rate with Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, Jaylen Brown, LeBron James, Anfernee Simons and VJ Edgecombe seemingly would require at least 1 1/2 balls in play to sate all six based on last season's numbers.
Something has to give. The talent is there, but it is a huge sum of a lot of parts for Nick Nurse to manage.
When it comes to measuring up to the Heat, you could start here: Which duo is better – Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo for the Heat or Leonard and Scottie Barnes for the Raptors? Taking either side would be by the slimmest of margins.
Then, looking at the remainder of the Raptors' roster, a case that with the likes of RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley, Ja'Kobe Walter, Jakob Poeltl and Collin Murray-Broyles, there is depth that measures up to the Heat.
The games between the teams have always been close … so could this season's final record.
As mentioned above with the example with the Raptors, where does Antetokounmpo-Adebayo stand in the East? On par with Toronto's Leonard-Barnes, the Knicks' Jalen Brunson-Karl-Anthony Towns, the Celtics' Tatum-White, the Pistons' Cade Cunningham-Jalen Duren, the Cavaliers' Donovan Mitchell-Harden, or any 76ers two-man group?
Otherwise, the Heat's supporting case seemingly is being sold short by most, when considering the presence of Andrew Wiggins, Davion Mitchell, Bobby Portis, Tim Hardaway Jr., Klay Thompson and Pelle Larsson, to name a half-dozen supporting players.
Did we mention that Tyrese Haliburton is back? Or that Ivica Zubac is about to start his first full season with the Pacers?
And there still are Pascal Siakam, Aaron Nesmith, Obi Toppin, Andrew Nembhard, T.J. McConnell, plus the addition of Kelly Oubre.
Remember, two seasons ago the Pacers were a 50-win team and in the NBA Finals.
Yes, the team that went 5-0 last season against the Heat, with a returning core, is ranked below.
With Nikola Vucevic in for Moe Wagner, the Magic will stand as Exhibit A of how much a coaching change, alone, can change a culture.
It was an offseason of quality gained (Devin Carter, Lu Dort, Ryan Nembhard and Aaron Wiggins) and little of contribution lost (Jonathan Kuminga, Zaccharie Risacher).
It likely will come down to whether a defensive-driven roster can find enough scoring beyond Jalen Johnson. If Atlanta does, the win total could far exceed expectations.
