Is the East finally getting respectable? The conference has lost six of the past seven Finals since Michael Jordan retired and has been hammered in interconference play the past several years. But if you think the East will again be Detroit and Miami’s playhouse, think again. While both the Pistons and Heat have enough talent to leave opposing coaches quaking in their boots, several other challengers are ready to rise up and challenge them. Of course, the Knicks won’t be one of them, but here are a few others.

The Cleveland Cavaliers, as our Martin Johnson pointed out yesterday, have made wholesale improvements that should vault them ahead in the standings. Where once there was Ira Newble, there is now Larry Hughes. Where once there was Tractor Traylor, there is now Donyell Marshall. And where once there was LeBron … there’s now an even better LeBron.

The Nets, with the addition of Shareef Abdur-Rahim, the return of Richard Jefferson, and a full season from Vince Carter, should return to the Eastern Conference elite.

The Indiana Pacers, who lost last season to a rash of injuries and suspensions, now have every key player back except the retired Reggie Miller and could add yet another body or two in free agency.

The Boston Celtics, though still probably at least a year away from making a deep playoff push, have more young talent than any team in the NBA.

And of course, there are the Bucks.

Come again?

That’s right, the forgotten, anonymous Milwaukee Bucks – the same Bucks who went 30-52 last year and waited until two months after the season to fire coach Terry Porter. While most of the discussion about off-season winners has focused on Cleveland’s acquisitions, Milwaukee has quietly had a summer that was at least as good, and it’s still adding to its hoard.

For starters, the Bucks were fortunate enough to win the lottery and take Utah center Andrew Bogut. Though he’s not going to start dropping 25-and-12 right away, Bogut will be an effective pro center in the mold of Brad Miller. He can shoot, pass, and is willing to be physical, which should make Milwaukee’s front line much tougher.

In addition to Bogut, point guard T.J. Ford will return to the lineup after having missed all of last season with a bruised spinal cord. While Ford was hardly dominant two years ago, the Bucks missed his ability to push the ball upcourt and hound opposing dribblers. With Ford around, the Bucks should be much more effective in transition.

Milwaukee finally has a small forward, too. Some thought the Bucks overpaid by giving a five-year, $47 million deal to the Clippers’ Bobby Simmons, but I’m not so sure. I’ll concede that it’s at the limit of what I would pay for his skills since he’s not a big-time scorer, but Simmons should really help this team. Milwaukee was getting killed at small forward with the undersized Desmond Mason starting there last season, but the 6-foot-6 inch Simmons is a fantastic defender who addresses the team’s greatest weakness. Additionally, he’s become a reliable outside shooter from the corners and should benefit greatly from Bogut’s passing skills.

Add to that mix the two guys Milwaukee kept: Michael Redd and Dan Gadzuric. Redd rebuffed a maximum offer from Cleveland to stay with the Bucks, and while Milwaukee had to overpay to keep him, it made sense from a salary cap standpoint. Milwaukee was in a position where it could sign Simmons and then go over the cap to keep its own player. (This rarely happens because of an obscure provision known as a “cap hold,” but Milwaukee was able to take advantage of it because Redd made so little coin last year).

Besides, he should be much more productive with the upgrades around him. Redd is an amazing outside shooter, but not nearly as productive when forced to create his own shot, as he’s had to do the past two seasons. With passers like Ford and Bogut on the floor, he should get a lot more open jumpers.

As for Gadzuric, a lot of people don’t realize that he’s one of the game’s better centers. He had the best rebound rate among NBA centers last year, grabbing 22.1% of missed shots when he was on the court. He also shot 54% and was the Bucks’ only legitimate shot-blocker, so it’s not clear why Porter was only playing him 22 minutes a game. Come to think of it, maybe that’s why he’s the former coach. With Bogut in tow, Gadzuric may need to play power forward, but he seems versatile enough to do it.

It goes without saying that well-built teams are a result of good management, and I’ve always been a fan of Milwaukee General Manager Larry Harris. He has an eye for inexpensive deals that take his team up a notch, as when snagged young center Zaza Pachulia in the expansion draft last summer for the price of a second-round pick. Harris also got point guard Mo Wiliams on the cheap, and he’s proven to be a quality complement to Ford.

That’s why I’m willing to give Milwaukee the benefit of the doubt on the firing of Porter. While it was random to fire a coach so far into the summer, the Bucks have nailed nearly every other personnel move the past two seasons. It wasn’t as apparent last season when they finished last in the Central Division amid multiple injuries, but since Harris has taken over, the Bucks have made several moves to position themselves as a playoff team in the East.

Can they hang with Detroit and Miami? Doubtful. The starting five of Ford, Redd, Simmons, Gadzuric, and Bogut looks potent, but there isn’t an A-list star in the group and Ford and Bogut still have a lot to learn. But when one considers that the oldest player in this quintet is the 27-year-old Gadzuric, that talented players like Wiliams and Mason are waiting on the bench, and that Harris hasn’t completed his summer bargain shopping yet, Milwaukee’s future seems bright.

Nobody is talking about the Bucks yet – people rarely do – but that’s an oversight. They could be the most improved team in the East next season.

Mr . Hollinger is the author of the “2005–06 Pro Basketball Forecast.”