Capsules in Predicted Order of Finish

1. TORONTO RAPTORS

2000-01 record: 47-35, fifth in East.

Offense: 97.6 (5).

Defense: 95.4 (12).

Leaving: Charles Oakley.

Arriving: Hakeem Olajuwon.

Talk about your surprising off-seasons.

After proving they weren’t ready for prime time in a second-round loss to the 76ers, during which Vince Carter took his famous trip to Chapel Hill, the Raptors were expected to lose free agent Antonio Davis, which would have likely meant losing Carter.

Instead, they re-signed Davis and Carter and acquired Olajuwon, who may be a faint Dream at 38 (39 in January) but will still be one of the best centers in the East.

Prediction: Instant favorite, as long as Carter doesn’t discover another errand next spring

TORONTO RAPTORS

Projected Starters

G: Alvin Williams

G: Vince Carter

F: Morris Peterson

F: Antonio Davis

C: Hakeem Olajuwon

2. PHILADELPHIA 76ERS

2000-01 record: 56-26, first in East.

Offense: 94.7 (15).

Defense: 90.4 (5).

Leaving: Tyrone Hill, George Lynch, Jumaine Jones, team President Pat Croce.

Arriving: Derrick Coleman, Matt Harpring, Vonteego Cummings.

No, Virginia, they can’t duplicate their memorable, heartwarming season. Eric Snow is out three months. Allen Iverson and Aaron McKie missed most of the preseason, which Coach Larry Brown called “a total waste.” That was before he traded for the talented but troublesome Coleman.

Also, Croce walked in a dispute with corporate bigwigs, leaving Brown and Iverson to prove their truce wasn’t temporary.

Prediction: All that heart deserves a better reward, but the only question is how far they’ll slip.

PHILADELPHIA 76ERS

Projected Starters

G: Speedy Claxton

G: Allen Iverson

F: Matt Harpring

F: Derrick Coleman

C: Dikembe Mutombo

3. ORLANDO MAGIC

2000-01 record: 43-39, seventh in East.

Offense: 97.5 (6).

Defense: 96.5 (17).

Leaving: Michael Doleac.

Arriving: Patrick Ewing, Horace Grant.

The good news for the Magic was that Grant Hill’s twice-repaired left heel, which forced him to miss all but four games of his Orlando debut, held up through the exhibition season. The bad news was that was about the only thing that held up this exhibition season. Tracy McGrady went out with back spasms, Mike Miller with a chip fracture, Ewing with a strained hamstring, and the other center, Andrew DeClerq with a badly sprained ankle. Then Hill sprained his left ankle.

Prediction: Assuming the Magic is ever able to put its team on the floor, it should be a pretty good one.

3. ORLANDO MAGIC

Projected Starters

G: Grant Hill

G: Darrell Armstrong

F: Tracy McGrady

F: Horace Grant

C: Patrick Ewing

4. MILWAUKEE BUCKS

2000-01 record: 52-30, second in East.

Offense: 100.7 (2).

Defense: 96.9 (21).

Leaving: Lindsey Hunter, Scott Williams.

Arriving: Anthony Mason, Greg Foster, Mark Pope.

Talk about missing a window of opportunity. After a 2-10 start, George Karl booted them to within one victory of the NBA finals. Since they’d beaten the Lakers twice, people said the Bucks would have “a shooter’s chance.” It became moot when the casual Bucks lost to the gritty 76ers.

The Bucks can shoot but they don’t defend, rebound or listen to Karl, whose big initiative, adding the grumpy Mason, won’t do anything for their chemistry, either.

Prediction: The East will be tougher this time around, but the Bucks won’t be.

MILWAUKEE BUCKS

Projected Starters

G: Sam Cassell

G: Ray Allen

F: Glenn Robinson

F: Anthony Mason

C: Ervin Johnson

5. MIAMI HEAT

2000-01 record: 50-32, third in East.

Offense: 88.9 (27).

Defense: 86.6 (2).

Leaving: Tim Hardaway, Bruce Bowen, Dan Majerle, Anthony Mason.

Arriving: Rod Strickland, Kendall Gill, LaPhonso Ellis.

Swept by the Hornets last spring, put on a budget by owner Micky Arison, a humiliated Pat Riley recently summed up his six years in town in two words: “We failed.” Nor do things seem rosy now with Alonzo Mourning’s stamina still a problem, young Anthony Carter taking over at the point and Eddie Jones and Brian Grant yet to prove they’re $80 million players.

Prediction: You may not have Riles to kick around just yet. He won his last two Laker titles when everyone thought they were washed up.

MIAMI HEAT

Projected Starters

G: Anthony Carter:

G: Eddie Jones:

F: Kendall Gill:

F: Brian Grant:

C: Alonzo Mourning:

6. CHARLOTTE HORNETS

2000-01 record: 46-36, sixth in East.

Offense: 91.9 (24).

Defense: 9.8 (4).

Leaving: ddie Robinson, Derrick Coleman.

Arriving: George Lynch, Stacey Augmon, Bryce Drew, Matt Bullard.

Not that fans weren’t captivated by their stirring run to Game 7 in the second round (which, of course, they lost in Milwaukee), but a bond issue for a new arena was then voted down, 57%-43%. The Hornets, who averaged 20,000 attendance for their first nine seasons and led the league in eight, are down to 6,000 season tickets.

The team insulates itself from a zany front office and wins more than it loses, but only slightly.

Prediction: Lots of players, including breaking-out Baron Davis, but no franchise player. Right now, there’s barely a franchise.

CHARLOTTE HORNETS

Projected Starters

G: Baron Davis

G: David Wesley

F: Jamal Mashburn

F: P.J. Brown

C: Elden Campbell

7. NEW YORK KNICKS

2000-01 record: 48-34, fifth in East.

Offense: 88.7 (28).

Defense: 86.1 (1).

Leaving: Glen Rice, Larry Johnson, Luc Longley, Garden President Dave Checketts.

Arriving: Howard Eisley, Clarence Weatherspoon, Shandon Anderson.

New York could use another feel-good story but this won’t be it. The Knicks should have been over six seasons ago, but Jeff Van Gundy and his players kept overachieving, reaching the East finals two years running and the NBA finals once.

Unfortunately, in the process they lost Checketts, Ernie Grunfeld, Charles Oakley, Patrick Ewing, LJ and, finally, hope. They’re small going on puny, and Marcus Camby is hurting again.

Prediction: When they do go over the falls, the question won’t be “Why?” but “What kept you?”

NEW YORK KNICKS

Projected Starters

G: Mark Jackson

G: Allan Houston

F: Latrell Sprewell

F: Kurt Thomas

C: Marcus Camby

8. INDIANA PACERS

2000-01 record: 41-41, eighth in East.

Offense: 92.6 (19).

Defense: 92.8 (9).

Arriving: No one of note.

Leaving: Sam Perkins.

After a little time to experiment with his new job, otherwise known as the 2000-01 season, Coach Isiah Thomas promises to finally name five starters. The problem is, it’s not an easy choice. The Pacers are fine on the perimeter with Reggie Miller, Jalen Rose and Travis Best and have one good big man, Jermaine O’Neal. But after that, everyone’s just “promising.”

Former high school phenom Al Harrington hasn’t happened yet. Worse, Jonathan Bender, drafted out of high school with the fifth pick in 1999, hasn’t shown anything in two seasons.

Prediction: Add it up, it spells No. 8, at best.

INDIANA PACERS

Projected Starters

G: Jalen Rose

G: Reggie Miller

F: Al Harrington

F: Jermaine O’Neal

C: Jeff Foster

9. NEW JERSEY NETS

2000-01 record: 26-56, 12th in East.

Offense: 92.1 (23).

Defense: 97.1 (22).

Leaving: Stephon Marbury, Stephen Jackson, Johnny Newman, Eddie Gill.

Arriving: Jason Kidd, Todd MacCulloch, No. 1 picks Richard Jefferson, Brandon Armstrong and Jason Collins.

Marbury terrorized Keith Van Horn, led the Nets to finishes of 16-34, 31-51 and 26-56 and helped finish off John Calipari and Don Casey. Adding by subtraction, GM Rod Thorn moved Marbury. As a bonus, he got Kidd, who arrived anxious to restart his career and has everyone excited, for a change. Kenyon Martin and Kerry Kittles are healthy, at least for the moment.

Prediction: Without the usual two or three ruinous injuries, they could make a run at playoffs.

NEW JERSEY NETS:

Projected Starters

G: Jason Kidd

G: Kerry Kittles

F: Kenyon Martin

F: Keith Van Horn

C: Todd MacCulloch

10. WASHINGTON WIZARDS

2000-01 record: 19-63, 13th in East.

Offense: 93.2 (18).

Defense: 99.9 (28).

Leaving: Mitch Richmond, Rod Strickland, Coach Leonard Hamilton.

Arriving: Michael Jordan, Coach Doug Collins, Tyronn Lue, No. 1 overall pick Kwame Brown.

Too bad Jordan didn’t think of coming back and hiring Collins a year ago, when they still had some help. Having cleared out the overmatched Juwan Howard, the injured Richmond and the balky Strickland, the Wizards are down to Jordan, Collins and a bunch of unproven kids. There’s so little size, they tried rookie Brendan Haywood as their starting center in camp, and he was already on his third NBA team.

Prediction: Dear Mike: You thought baseball was tough?

WASHINGTON WIZARDS

Projected Starters

G: Tyronn Lue:

G: Richard Hamilton:

F: Michael Jordan:

F: Christian Laettner:

C: Etan Thomas:

11. BOSTON CELTICS

2000-01 record: 36-46, ninth in East.

Offense: 94.6 (16).

Defense: 96.8 (20).

Arriving: No. 1 picks Joe Johnson, Kedrick Brown and Joe Forte.

Leaving: Bryant Stith, Adrian Griffin, Jerome Moiso.

Rick Pitino, who wore everyone out, is finally gone. And Paul Pierce signed long-term. Unfortunately for them, it will take a lot more than that.

Pitino’s nice-guy successor, Jim O’Brien, still has Rick’s team, which wasn’t big enough, but wasn’t quick enough to press, either. Pierce and Antoine Walker give them firepower, but no one else gives them enough of anything else.

Prediction: Fans dream anew that Larry Bird will buy the team as it waffles in the middle of the pack.

BOSTON CELTICS

Projected Starters

G: Kenny Anderson

G: Joe Johnson

F: Paul Pierce

F: Antoine Walker

C: Tony Battie

12. ATLANTA HAWKS

2000-01 record: 25-57, 13th in East.

Offense: 91.0 (26).

Defense: 96.2 (16).

Leaving: Lorenzen Wright, Brevin Knight.

Arriving: Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Jacque Vaughn.

This cobwebbed corner of the Ted Turner empire has been quiet for years. Thus it was a surprise when GM Pete Babcock poked his head out through the gloom last summer and beat everyone to Abdur-Rahim, giving the Hawks a young star to rebuild around, at last.

Abdur-Rahim will play alongside Theo Ratliff and Toni Kukoc up front. Lon Kruger, a successful college coach, didn’t have a chance as an NBA rookie but now they’ll see what he’s got.

Prediction: The Hawks won’t get much higher but it will seem heady enough to them.

ATLANTA HAWKS

Projected Starters

G: Emanual Davis

G: Jason Terry

F: Toni Kukocdur-Rahim

C: Theo Ratliff

13. DETROIT PISTONS

2000-01 record: 32-50, 10th in East.

Offense: 95.6 (13).

Defense: 97.3 (24, tie).

Leaving: Coach George Irvine, Mateen Cleaves.

Arriving: Coach Rick Carlisle, Clifford Robinson, Jon Barry, Zeljko Rebraca, Mehmet Okur, Ratko Varda, No. 1 pick Rodney White.

After the Bad Boys in the ‘80s and the Grant Hill renaissance in the ‘90s, they’re back to backwater status, with a small team, led by an unreconstructed gunner, Jerry Stackhouse, and a neophyte administrator, Joe Dumars.

Dumars brought in Robinson and emptied Europe looking for size, signing the 6-11 Rebraca, 6-11 Okur and 7-1 Varda.

Prediction: They’ll be a little better, if not much happier.

DETROIT PISTONS

Projected Starters

G: Chucky Atkins

G: Jerry Stackhouse

F: Corlis Williamson

F: Clifford Robinson

C: Ben Wallace

14. CHICAGO BULLS

2000-01 record: 15-67, 15th in East.

Offense: 87.6 (29).

Defense: 96.7 (19).

Leaving: Elton Brand.

Arriving: Charles Oakley, Eddie Robinson, Greg Anthony, No. 1 picks Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler.

GM Jerry Krause, who proclaimed, “Players don’t win championships, organizations do,” has seen his organization win 45 games in the three seasons since chasing off its own dynasty. But Krause has also figured a way out, gambling everything on the development of the prep centers, Curry (looked OK in preseason) and Chandler (longer-term project).

Prediction: Krause hopes he has a long-term solution, and, if so, that he survives to take credit in person.

CHICAGO BULLS

Projected Starters

G: Greg Anthony

G: Ron Mercer

F: Marcus Fizer

F: Charles Oakley

C: Brad Miller

15. CLEVELAND CAVALIERS

2000-01 record: 30-52, 11th in East.

Offense: 92.2 (22).

Defense: 96.56 (18).

Leaving: Coach Randy Wittman, Clarence Weatherspoon, Matt Harpring.

Arriving: Coach John Lucas, Tyrone Hill, Bryant Stith, Jumaine Jones, No. 1 pick DeSagana Diop.

Diop, Hill and Zydrunas Ilgauskas start the season on the injured list, typical for a franchise that has been jinxed since the injuries to Mark Price and Brad Daugherty in the ‘90s. Ilgauskas has played 24 games in two seasons. Turned down by Mike Dunleavy, they hired Lucas, whose optimism has been unflagging, at least so far.

Prediction: All the other bad Eastern teams helped themselves, but they’re going the other way.

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS

Projected Starters

G: Andre Miller

G: Bryant Stith

F: Lamond Murray

F: Tyrone Hill