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The short answer is "no."

Kevin Garnett is arguably the most versatile player in the NBA, and certainly one of its most unselfish. Together with the addition of Ray Allen, he brings instant credibility to the Boston Celtics, and all but assures them the capture of the Atlantic Division title.

But I remain unconvinced the Celtics are now the class of their own conference - that title belongs to the Detroit Pistons - much less the best team in the National Basketball Association.

The East is certainly on the rise, as the likes of Chicago, Washington and LeBron James' Cavaliers gain strength gradually and edge toward a day when the current imbalance between the two conferences will be resolved.

But despite recent championships by the Pistons and Heat, respectively, the manhandling of the Cavs in last season's NBA Finals is telling.

It is, in fact, a metaphor for the state of the Eastern Conference as a whole: what passes there for excellence there amounts to little more than mediocrity on the opposite side of the continent.

Almost without exception, a match-up between an elite Eastern Conference team and an elite Western Conference club is a mismatch a David vs. Goliath scene in which Goliath wins.

With a starting five likely to include Garnett, Allen and All-Star Paul Pierce, the Celtics' lineup seems imposing at first, but falls off quickly after that.

Many have noted the team's inexperience at point guard second-year floor general Rajon Rondo has a big upside, but lacks the teeth to mettle with Tony Parker or Steve Nash at the playoff level and the team's bench leaves much to be desired.

As it stands now, Boston's Big Three will be supplanted by a combination of Kendrick Perkins, Leon Powe, Brian Scalabrine, Eddie House and Tony Allen and a few other little-known scrubs that can't hold a candle to Detroit's reserves.

A healthy Cavs squad is also deeper than the Celtics are, and the Bulls are ever more so.

Conventional wisdom and common sense hold that the Celts will feature prominently in the Eastern Conference playoff picture, and despite my ramblings here may be able to catch lightning in a bottle and capture the conference crown.

When stacked up against Western Conference behemoths like San Antonio, Phoenix and Dallas, however, they're likely to be steamrolled.

Garnett's arrival in Boston ensures the East will be more entertaining and competitive this coming season, but anyone who believes he will lead the franchise to its 17th NBA title suffers from wishful thinking or unabashed ignorance.

Learn more about this author, Ben Forrest.
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