Welcome to our ninth annual Summer Forecast!In the next couple of weeks, well share our early projections for every team, and predict the rookie of the year, MVP, best newcomers, NBA champion and much, much more.Today, we kick things off with a look at the 2016-17 Eastern Conference standings. For our results, we surveyed our ESPN Forecast panel on each topic.Lets go!Projected East standings1. Cleveland Cavaliers Proj. record: 57-25 Last season: 57-25The Cavaliers cruised to 57 wins last season and will face an even lighter challenge in the East this season, according to our forecast. While free agent LeBron James is expected to return, J.R. Smith could still sign elsewhere this summer. Smith led the Cavaliers with 204 3-pointers last season, 46 more than anyone else on the roster.T-2. Boston Celtics Proj. record: 51-31 Last season: 48-34Our panel sees the Celtics improving their record for the third straight season and breaking the 50-win barrier. Does it shortchange Boston to suggest Al Horford and No. 3 pick Jaylen Brown are worth only three wins? Perhaps. But though accomplished, Horford has been a part of only two 50-win teams in his nine-year NBA career.T-2. Toronto Raptors Proj. record: 51-31 Last season: 56-26The Raptors frontcourt lost depth this offseason, as both Bismack Biyombo (82 games played last season) and Luis Scola (76 games) signed elsewhere, to be replaced by Jared Sullinger and rookie Jakob Poeltl. If the Raptors do win their projected 51 games next season, it would still be the second-most wins in a season in franchise history.T-4. Detroit Pistons Proj. record: 45-37 Last season: 44-38The Pistons are bringing back virtually the same roster they fielded last postseason, which would explain an increase of only one win by our panel. Last season, the Pistons didnt have many peaks or valleys: They never finished a month more than three games above or below .500.T-4. Indiana Pacers Proj. record: 45-37 Last season: 45-37Upon first glance, the 3-team trade that brought in Jeff Teague and shipped out George Hill might appear to be a win for the Pacers. Teague is two years younger and is coming off a 2015-16 season in which he averaged more points and assists per game than Hill. But ESPNs Real Plus-Minus (RPM) paints a different picture. In 2015-16, Hill ranked 17th among point guards while Teague ranked 29th. Hill had ranked ahead of Teague in RPM each of the past three seasons.6. Atlanta Hawks Proj. record: 44-38 Last season: 48-34On the surface, Dwight Howard brings more rebounds, blocked shots and a better ability to finish at the hoop. However, according to RPM, which estimates on-court team performance, former Hawk Horford ranked 27th with a 2.97 rating last season, while Howard had a -0.04 rating. Atlanta still projects as a playoff team, but our forecast thinks itll take a hit with Dwight.7. Charlotte Hornets Proj. record: 43-39 Last season: 48-34Kemba Walker took a step forward last season, averaging a career-best 20.9 points per game. His potential has the Hornets still above .500 according to our projections, but the losses of Al Jefferson, Jeremy Lin and Courtney Lee will make it hard for the Hornets to get back to such heights.8. Washington Wizards Proj. record: 41-41 Last season: 41-41Having spent seven seasons with Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, new Wizards coach Scott Brooks has experience winning with a pair of young stars. And while John Wall is a proven All-Star, there are still questions about Bradley Beal, who inked a max contract this summer. For Brooks to get the most out of them, Beal needs to be healthy. In four seasons, the now 23-year-old shooting guard has played in 65 or more games just once (179 players have appeared in more games than Beal in the past four seasons).T-9. New York Knicks Proj. record: 40-42 Last season: 32-50The Knicks were the most improved team last season in terms of win-loss record, and now theyve added former MVP Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah to the fold. If healthy, our projections could short the Knicks. However, our panel knows that Rose has missed 244 games the past five seasons and Noah has missed 68 games the past two seasons.T-9. Chicago Bulls Proj. record: 40-42 Last season: 42-40The Bulls made some of the biggest splashes of the offseason, trading Rose while bringing in assist machine Rajon Rondo and three-time NBA champion Dwyane Wade. But is this Bulls team built for the modern NBA? The Bulls starting perimeter -- Rondo, Wade and Jimmy Butler -- combined to make 133 3-pointers last season on 31.7 percent shooting.11. Milwaukee Bucks Proj. record: 39-43 Last season: 33-49The Bucks size continues to intrigue and leads our panel to believe the team can improve despite Matthew Dellavedova and Mirza Teletovic being the big offseason additions. But a starting lineup of five players all 6-foot-6 or taller, and the potential of more Giannis Antetokounmpo at the point, should get the Bucks closer to .500.12. Miami Heat Proj. record: 36-46 Last season: 48-34The franchise leader in scoring and the guy who helped bring three titles to Miami is gone, as are Luol Deng and Joe Johnson. But our panel isnt totally crushing the Heat, because a youth movement built on Hassan Whiteside, Justise Winslow and Josh Richardson could keep Miami in the hunt.13. Orlando Magic Proj. record: 35-47 Last season: 35-47Are the Magic any better or worse off for trading Victor Oladipo for Serge Ibaka? Both play great defense but struggle to get involved offensively. You could say the same for other Magic additions in Bismack Biyombo and Jeff Green.T-14. Philadelphia 76ers Proj. record: 20-62 Last season: 10-72Our projections have the 76ers doubling their win total from last season thanks in part to No. 1 overall pick Ben Simmons. While its a projection of only 20 wins, for Philadelphia that would be the franchises most since 2012-13 when the Sixers won 34 games.T-14. Brooklyn Nets Proj. record: 20-62 Last season: 21-61Despite mainstay Brook Lopez and Linsanity hitting Brooklyn, the Nets are projected to drop a win, according to our panel. The Nets had the second-worst defensive efficiency last season, and offensive-minded additions like Lin, Luis Scola and Greivis Vasquez arent going to help matters.*Notes from John McTigue and Micah Adams of ESPN Stats & Information. Sony Michel Youth Jersey . PAUL, Minn. 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IOWA CITY, Iowa -- The University of Iowa is planning to lay off a former top athletic administrator who is suing the school for gender discrimination and retaliation, the school confirmed Wednesday.Iowa has informed former senior associate athletic director Jane Meyer that her position as a project manager will be eliminated Sept. 9, saying it is no longer necessary.Meyers attorney, Jill Zwagerman, went to court Wednesday seeking an injunction to block the termination from taking effect. Zwagerman argued that the layoff was further retaliation for Meyers complaints about unequal pay and treatment of women and lesbians in the athletics department and went back on previous promises that shed remain employed.The university said it would resist the injunction and denied discrimination and retaliation.The dispute is the latest in a messy personnel situation that has contributed to two lawsuits and an ongoing federal civil rights investigation of Iowas athletics department.It dates to August 2014, when athletic director Gary Barta abruptly fired longtime successful womens field hockey coach Tracey Griesbaum shortly before the season began. Meyer is Griesbaums longtime partner. Griesbaum has denied the universitys allegations that she bullied players and has sued the school, alleging she faced bias as a gay female coach.After Griesbaum gave notice that she planned to sue, the university reassigned Meyer to a job outside of the athletics department, where she had been the senior womans administrator since 2001. Barta said that Meyer could not work in the department while her partner pursued legal action and that Meyers leave would continue until Griesbaums case was resolved.The reassignment came one day after Meyer sent Barta a letter alleging that she was being targeted and discriminated against because she is a gay woman. Meyer noted that a newly-hired male administrator, deputy athletic director Gene Taylor, was given a much higher salary even though he performed many of the duties Meyer did previously.ddddddddddddThe complaint, released for the first time in court documents Wednesday, also recounted several instances when Meyer said she complained about the treatment of women.Many of these issues have been ignored, in my view, because they are important to women or threaten the male dominated culture in the athletics department, she wrote.The university allowed Meyer to keep her $173,000 annual salary after her move to a job overseeing university construction projects. She was later transferred to a position helping coordinate the complex moves of art and music programs into new buildings that have been built to replace those destroyed in a 2008 flood. She received positive evaluations in those roles, according to the evaluations submitted as court evidence.With the moves wrapping up at the beginning of the fall semester, the university gave Meyer the three-month notice required under university policy of her pending job elimination, spokeswoman Jeneane Beck said. The notice said that Meyer was eligible to apply for other positions.But Zwagerman said that Meyer had been assured her reassignment was temporary and that she would remain employed by the university. Now its clear, she said, that the school never had any intention of returning her to athletics.They merely wanted to create a time gap between Ms. Meyers whistleblowing and her termination in order to avoid any further retaliation allegations, Zwagerman wrote.Iowa could transfer Meyer to another job or return her to athletics by removing her from any involvement in Griesbaums case, she wrote.A judge is expected to rule on the injunction request in coming weeks. ' ' '