CelticsStrong
Celtics Basketball => Celtics Talk => Topic started by: max215 on August 23, 2017, 02:52:37 AM
-
I was at 57 pre-trade, but I'm going to drop my number to 51 now. In true talent the team might be better this year, but massive roster turnover (and regression after good luck in close games) should lead to a downtick in wins.
-
your logic is a bit backwards, Kyrie is possibly the best closer in the game...
and add hayward
-
That's a pretty steep drop off. I"d guess nearing the 60-win mark will depend largely on how the wildcards come along - Brown and Tatum - and how many games Kyrie actually plays (53, or 73?), and for how many he'll actually be healthy.
-
60-22.
Adding Kyrie + Hayward and the other fishes this summer along with a bad east will propel the Celtics a decent record. A good offense wins games against average defense nowadays.
-
your logic is a bit backwards, Kyrie is possibly the best closer in the game...
and add hayward
We massively outperformed our point differential last year. It's not about closing; it's math.
-
60-22.
Adding Kyrie + Hayward and the other fishes this summer along with a bad east will propel the Celtics a decent record. A good offense wins games against average defense nowadays.
Problem with this is that we got to 53 wins last year largely by beating up on crappy teams. We took care of business against non-playoff teams, but had a pretty middling record against the league's elite. The bad teams getting worse doesn't do much for a team that beat bad teams anyway.
-
If you think the C's are you to completely turn over the whole roster and not miss a beat you're in for a rude awakening. Much more talented on paper but learning curve will be steep. There will be a culture shock that doesn't happen overnight.
50 wins should be the goal IMO.
-
58-24
Strong Management and Coaching getting everyone to buy in.
Smart and Horford being glue guys with their defense and passing being unselfish whilst Irving and Hayward take the glory on the offensive end.
Finish the season strong beating up on the teams that have turned up on the season will help pad some wins.
Better constructed team for the playoffs aswell.
-
52.
Going to be hard to begin with considering our roster has changed so much, and a heavy reliance on youth. I reckon we'll finish strongly however.
-
54 I think. We'll have a rough start and then it'll pick up and up as the year goes on.
Training camp hasn't started yet, everyone is healthy and a lot of teams have had serious turnover this summer. There is a lot of time for these guys to come together before the season starts
-
There will be some tough stretches what with the tough start to the season, and getting decent defense up and running, but ultimately the high powered offense means we may yet see 60 wins
-
50 wins. Pre-Irving trade I would say 57 wins. The 7 win drop in prediction is the massive roster turnaround, as well as heavy reliance on younger players who has little seasonal experience. I expect a struggling start before a strong 2nd half of the season and playoff run. Go Celtics.
-
55 wins would be a nice and possible number to reach.
East is weak in the bottom and mid tier, 55 is an improvement over 53.
Especially since we have outperformed our point differential and since we are still developing many young players.
Would that be enough for the 1st seed? It could be.
But, I am not that sure about it as Cleveland also got better/deeper for the regular season.
-
Holy sky is falling, I hope many of you will never be in a foxhole. Panic City!
58 wins, I think we will be better.
Irving is better than IT and Hayward is better than Crowder. Losing the pick hurts but I think the big hole that I worry about is losing Avery Bradley because I am almost sure that we are worse at this position.
-
62 minimum if everyone makes it in one piece by seasons end.
-
Scal went on NBA radio last night and predicted the Celtics would be worse next year because of this trade (but in the long term better). I think I agree. Just too many changes to the roster, going to take time to gel. I predict second in the east (maybe 3rd). 48-50 wins.
-
I said 57 before - I'll change it to 56. I have injury concerns.
-
55 wins -- it was 60 wins previously
-
I had them at around 56 wins and I'm upping it to 58 wins.
58-24
-
I had them at around 56 wins and I'm upping it to 58 wins.
58-24
This sounds about right. I had them between 55-60 before the trade, where I was considering some time to gel and IT to work his way back in.
I'll stick with a similar number, but I think the ceiling is several wins higher now. If all goes well and we develop chemistry quickly, I think we can win 60+ being in the East. This team is the "Warriors East" with how it's built. We should be able to get back to that run-and-gun style that we had previous to last year, while still being elite in the half court set.
-
dropped to solid 55 wins . with Irving
I think I was at 60 . Thats was understanding IT would,have surgery and could play 82 games at his peak level.
IT gimping and shooting brick , no d , I would max celtics at 50 . No surgery , i think increases his chances in the long term.
I feel more confident of reaching 55 with Irving after 82 than with IT.
-
Yeah chemistry didn't mean much when IT came in at mid-season and took a lottery team to the playoffs. I get that people are upset over losing IT, but get real.
60 wins should be the goal, and we've got the talent + coaching to do it.
-
I'd say a couple of wins better then before so I'd put them right around 55 (I thought they would be in the low 50's before).
-
57-25
I don't remember my other prediction, but it was close to this one. People lowering their previous prediction are assuming IT was going to be fresh and ready to go for a full season after not playing 1 second of basketball this summer. That seems pretty bold.
Still, losing Crowder along with IT may hurt our depth and cohesiveness...at least to start out the year.
I do think we are better poised to compete in the playoffs. I also think Brown and Tatum must really be impressive behind the scenes...which is wonderful!
-
They are materially better than last year, but this is a brand new team and they will be bad for the first month or so.
Post ASB Id expect 60 win pace, but think they end up around 52 for the year.
-
55 wins seems about right.
Bigger issue than Kyrie for IT is the bet on Brown/Tatum to fill in more minutes, assuming Smart stays around the same number as last year.
-
The current Celtic roster shows we have 3 new faces in the probable starting unit. It will take time for this group to click.
I'm also concerned about scoring on the second unit.
55 wins.
-
55-58 wins. Biggest hole to me now is the 2. Who plays there? Brown? Tatum?
Kyrie
Brown
Hayward
Al
Bynes
Bench: Tatum, Larkin, Smart, Rozier, Morris, Semi, TBA FA, Abdul
-
High 40s.
This team is very young and will take time to get it together. I think they'll be on a similar level to the Wizards and Raptors all season.
Kyrie will score almost as much as IT did last year, perhaps with better defense. Hayward will score 18-20 a game with solid playmaking and defense thrown in. Horford will be a 14-6-5 guy who helps everybody play better and keeps the team functioning on both ends.
Everybody else will have to figure out how they fit into this new team.
The hope will have to be that Kyrie, Hayward, and Horford figure out how to jam together by playoff time, and Jaylen and Jayen develop enough to have some big games when it matters.
-
I'd say 57 might be about right. I think before the trade that prediction was a little high.
-
55-58 wins. Biggest hole to me now is the 2. Who plays there? Brown? Tatum?
Kyrie
Brown
Hayward
Al
Bynes
Bench: Tatum, Larkin, Smart, Rozier, Morris, Semi, TBA FA, Abdul
I think the 4 spot is the bigger hole. Im fine with a rotation of Irving-Smart-Rozier-Brown. Now if either Baynes or Horford gets injured we're doomed.
-
Funny that people are lowering their predictions after the trade when it actually should go up seeing that there was no guarantee that IT was going to be ready for the season to begin with.
Now you have a PG ready for the opener so I say 58 wins and the #1 seed again.
-
Funny that people are lowering their predictions after the trade when it actually should go up seeing that there was no guarantee that IT was going to be ready for the season to begin with.
Now you have a PG ready for the opener so I say 58 wins and the #1 seed again.
I'm not saying I agree with their logic but I can understand it. It really boils down to two different things:
1. A HUGE amount of turnover should cause some disruption. We're down to 4 players left from last season's team. Before the deal was done it could be hand-waived away because of the top 6 only Bradley was lost. That's 3 of the same guys (IT, Crowder, Horford) starting like they did last year. But now the guy who runs the team has changed. If Brown starts at SG - as I think he will - then there's only one starter that's the same (Horford). Irving, Brown, Hayward and Morris are all new starters. That's a tremendous amount of change.
2. Losing Crowder also may drop the wins in the short term. Long-term, you have to expect that we'll be better in that area with Tatum, Morris and Hayward. That's before we consider some of the guys like Semi and Yabu. But short term we lose a capable guy and some defensive toughness. That could cost some games this year.
Again, I'm not saying I agree with the logic but I understand it.
Personally, I have no earthly idea what's going to happen this coming year. We're dealing with turnover that is unprecedented on a 50+ win team. Yet on paper we're significantly more talented than last year with Hayward and Irving. I have no idea if our record will be better or worse because there's no frame of reference to base an opinion on.
I will say this - this season is Brad's toughest challenge yet. If the team slumps he'll get all the blame because the talent has improved. But putting together so many new pieces has got to be overwhelming. I think he's up to the challenge but wow...what a challenge it is.
-
My win prediction is swept by Cavs in the playoffs
-
Obviously Boston has a lot of turnover, but we've seen turnover close to this before. heck the Warriors were coming off a 73 win season and only returned 7 players and 1 of them was Varejao (who barely played). Obviously the Warriors returned their 4 best players so a bit different, but they still had crazy turnover for a 73 win team. The Bulls after the 1st 3 peat (when MJ went to baseball) only returned Pippen, Grant, Armstrong, Paxson, Perdue, and some deep bench players like Jo Jo English and Stacey King. They won 55 games that season.
-
I was at 57 pre-trade, but I'm going to drop my number to 51 now. In true talent the team might be better this year, but massive roster turnover (and regression after good luck in close games) should lead to a downtick in wins.
[/quote
This is the opposite take professional linesmakers have had on the trade for what it is worth.
-
I was in the 53-55 range before the trade and am settling into 55 wins as my prediction.
Being behind on chemistry is a concern for a slow start, sure, but our schedule is very weak early in the season. Up through Dec 31, we play:
Elite teams: Cleveland x1, GSW x1, Houston x1, Spurs x2, OKC x1 (6 total)
Next level of good playoff teams: Toronto x1, Washington x1, Minnesota x0 (2 total)
Next level of playoff to fringe playoff teams: Milwaukee x3, Charlotte x2, Philly x2, Miami x3, Detroit x2, Portland x0, Memphis 1x, New Orleans x0, LAC x0, Denver x1 (14 total)
Lotto teams: NYK x2, Magic x2, Hawks x2, Pacers x2, Nets x2, Bulls x2, Utah x1, Lakers x1, Mavs x2, Suns x1, Kings x1 (18 total)
I'll make up some arbitrary percents that we think we'll win of those games, say we'll beat lotto teams 85% of the time, next level of playoff-fringe playoff 70% of the time, good playoff teams 55% of the time, and elite teams 40% of the time. That would give us a record of 29-11 through the end of December. That's a 0.725 winning percentage which would be on pace for 59 wins. But our second half schedule gets tougher which is why I'll settle into 55 wins.
-
My win prediction is swept by Cavs in the playoffs
Go make yourself some money!
https://www.sportsbook.ag/sbk/sportsbook4/nba-betting/season-futures-eastern-conference.sbk
-
55-58 wins. Biggest hole to me now is the 2. Who plays there? Brown? Tatum?
Kyrie
Brown
Hayward
Al
Bynes
Bench: Tatum, Larkin, Smart, Rozier, Morris, Semi, TBA FA, Abdul
I think the 4 spot is the bigger hole. Im fine with a rotation of Irving-Smart-Rozier-Brown. Now if either Baynes or Horford gets injured we're doomed.
I think Morris is a slight upgrade over Amir, so I'm ok with the current status of the 4 spot. Yeah if Horford get injured, sure we're doomed, but that was always the case pre-trade and it was the case last season as well (7-7 record in games he sat).
-
My win prediction is swept by Cavs in the playoffs
Go make yourself some money!
https://www.sportsbook.ag/sbk/sportsbook4/nba-betting/season-futures-eastern-conference.sbk
Yeah I would love for all the people saying the Cavs are some huge favorite juggernauts to go put their money where their mouth is.
-
High 40s.
This team is very young and will take time to get it together. I think they'll be on a similar level to the Wizards and Raptors all season.
Kyrie will score almost as much as IT did last year, perhaps with better defense. Hayward will score 18-20 a game with solid playmaking and defense thrown in. Horford will be a 14-6-5 guy who helps everybody play better and keeps the team functioning on both ends.
Everybody else will have to figure out how they fit into this new team.
The hope will have to be that Kyrie, Hayward, and Horford figure out how to jam together by playoff time, and Jaylen and Jayen develop enough to have some big games when it matters.
High 40s? Ouch.
I can't see Brad letting that happen. Personally, I think the C's are about to storm the east.
Kyrie won't need too much time to gel, not with players like Hayward and Horford alongside him. Basketball is going to be easy for them. Brad had been waiting for something like this for some time, I expect this new group to come out a well-oiled machine.
Gordon and Kyrie is comparable to Curry and Thompson.
And we still have Smart, whom no one -- especially Curry or IT -- wants to face.
Not to mention, we may also be sitting on the ROY.
I like our makeup. And I think this trade made the Cavs much worse. Corrosive to their chemistry, trading their 2nd best player to a top rival. And Kyrie is going to know -- time is now to back up that trade demand.
We're going to be good. 2008 good, but that still may not be enough to beat GSW.
65 wins.
-
Celtics will make the finals
61 regular season wins
-
My win prediction is swept by Cavs in the playoffs
Lol we're going to the Finals, brah.
It's going to be hilarious when Brad *literally* exploits IT defensively every trip up the floor. There's simply going to be nowhere for him to hide, and Brad is savvy enough to realize this, especially after seeing it work so well when Washington employed this tactic.
-
High 40s.
This team is very young and will take time to get it together. I think they'll be on a similar level to the Wizards and Raptors all season.
Kyrie will score almost as much as IT did last year, perhaps with better defense. Hayward will score 18-20 a game with solid playmaking and defense thrown in. Horford will be a 14-6-5 guy who helps everybody play better and keeps the team functioning on both ends.
Everybody else will have to figure out how they fit into this new team.
The hope will have to be that Kyrie, Hayward, and Horford figure out how to jam together by playoff time, and Jaylen and Jayen develop enough to have some big games when it matters.
High 40s? Ouch.
I can't see Brad letting that happen. Personally, I think the C's are about to storm the east.
Kyrie won't need too much time to gel, not with players like Hayward and Horford alongside him. Basketball is going to be easy for them. Brad had been waiting for something like this for some time, I expect this new group to come out a well-oiled machine.
Gordon and Kyrie is comparable to Curry and Thompson.
And we still have Smart, whom no one -- especially Curry or IT -- wants to face.
Not to mention, we may also be sitting on the ROY.
I like our makeup. And I think this trade made the Cavs much worse. Corrosive to their chemistry, trading their 2nd best player to a top rival. And Kyrie is going to know -- time is now to back up that trade demand.
We're going to be good. 2008 good, but that still may not be enough to beat GSW.
65 wins.
❤️ Love the optimism, TP!
-
55-60
People don't expect much from Brown and Tatum next year, but I think they will be very good.
Brown will be a stud defender against 1-3, and will be a beast on the fast break.
Tatum is going to be a stud on the offensive end. He has all the tool. The Dirk step back, pp mid range game, smooth 3 point shot , length to get his shot off over almost anyone.
By the end of the year, this will be the best lineup IMO
Kyrie
Jaylen
Hayward
Tatum
Horford
That is so much fire power
-
High 40s.
This team is very young and will take time to get it together. I think they'll be on a similar level to the Wizards and Raptors all season.
Kyrie will score almost as much as IT did last year, perhaps with better defense. Hayward will score 18-20 a game with solid playmaking and defense thrown in. Horford will be a 14-6-5 guy who helps everybody play better and keeps the team functioning on both ends.
Everybody else will have to figure out how they fit into this new team.
The hope will have to be that Kyrie, Hayward, and Horford figure out how to jam together by playoff time, and Jaylen and Jayen develop enough to have some big games when it matters.
High 40s? Ouch.
I can't see Brad letting that happen. Personally, I think the C's are about to storm the east.
Kyrie won't need too much time to gel, not with players like Hayward and Horford alongside him. Basketball is going to be easy for them. Brad had been waiting for something like this for some time, I expect this new group to come out a well-oiled machine.
Gordon and Kyrie is comparable to Curry and Thompson.
And we still have Smart, whom no one -- especially Curry or IT -- wants to face.
Not to mention, we may also be sitting on the ROY.
I like our makeup. And I think this trade made the Cavs much worse. Corrosive to their chemistry, trading their 2nd best player to a top rival. And Kyrie is going to know -- time is now to back up that trade demand.
We're going to be good. 2008 good, but that still may not be enough to beat GSW.
65 wins.
This is...something.
-
50+
-
50+
-
same as ever. 82-0. ;D
-
I had 57 and sticking with post trade. But I am now switching from the Celts losing to the Cavs in 7 in the ECF and I am taking the Celts in 6 against the Warriors.
-
My win prediction is swept by Cavs in the playoffs
Lol we're going to the Finals, brah.
It's going to be hilarious when Brad *literally* exploits IT defensively every trip up the floor. There's simply going to be nowhere for him to hide, and Brad is savvy enough to realize this, especially after seeing it work so well when Washington employed this tactic.
Good luck stopping Bron and IT on defense. What are you gonna do? Use Marcus Smart and Jaeeee....oh, I mean Kyrie and Jaylen.
-
High 40s.
This team is very young and will take time to get it together. I think they'll be on a similar level to the Wizards and Raptors all season.
Kyrie will score almost as much as IT did last year, perhaps with better defense. Hayward will score 18-20 a game with solid playmaking and defense thrown in. Horford will be a 14-6-5 guy who helps everybody play better and keeps the team functioning on both ends.
Everybody else will have to figure out how they fit into this new team.
The hope will have to be that Kyrie, Hayward, and Horford figure out how to jam together by playoff time, and Jaylen and Jayen develop enough to have some big games when it matters.
High 40s? Ouch.
I can't see Brad letting that happen. Personally, I think the C's are about to storm the east.
Kyrie won't need too much time to gel, not with players like Hayward and Horford alongside him. Basketball is going to be easy for them. Brad had been waiting for something like this for some time, I expect this new group to come out a well-oiled machine.
Gordon and Kyrie is comparable to Curry and Thompson.
And we still have Smart, whom no one -- especially Curry or IT -- wants to face.
Not to mention, we may also be sitting on the ROY.
I like our makeup. And I think this trade made the Cavs much worse. Corrosive to their chemistry, trading their 2nd best player to a top rival. And Kyrie is going to know -- time is now to back up that trade demand.
We're going to be good. 2008 good, but that still may not be enough to beat GSW.
65 wins.
This is...something.
I think this is reasonable. I'd say the gap between Curry and Irving is about the same as the gap between Hayward and Thompson, who I think is an overall more complete player than Thompson.
-
My win prediction is swept by Cavs in the playoffs
Lol we're going to the Finals, brah.
It's going to be hilarious when Brad *literally* exploits IT defensively every trip up the floor. There's simply going to be nowhere for him to hide, and Brad is savvy enough to realize this, especially after seeing it work so well when Washington employed this tactic.
Good luck stopping Bron and IT on defense. What are you gonna do? Use Marcus Smart and Jaeeee....oh, I mean Kyrie and Jaylen.
Marcuz/ Rozier on IT
Jaylen, Tatum, Morris on LeBron
May also sign someok like TA who can spend time defending both.
Who on Cle is going to guard Kyrie Irving ?
-
My win prediction is swept by Cavs in the playoffs
Lol we're going to the Finals, brah.
It's going to be hilarious when Brad *literally* exploits IT defensively every trip up the floor. There's simply going to be nowhere for him to hide, and Brad is savvy enough to realize this, especially after seeing it work so well when Washington employed this tactic.
Good luck stopping Bron and IT on defense. What are you gonna do? Use Marcus Smart and Jaeeee....oh, I mean Kyrie and Jaylen.
Huh? Lol
Smart, Rozier, Brown, Hayward, and Morris have a much better chance of limiting IT and Lebron than they have of limiting of Kyrie and Hayward. They literally, not figuratively, have no person who can even think about containing Kyrie. Hell, AB and Smart, two of the best defenders in the league, couldn't do it, so Cleveland has no chance in hell in containing him.
-
My win prediction is swept by Cavs in the playoffs
Lol we're going to the Finals, brah.
It's going to be hilarious when Brad *literally* exploits IT defensively every trip up the floor. There's simply going to be nowhere for him to hide, and Brad is savvy enough to realize this, especially after seeing it work so well when Washington employed this tactic.
Good luck stopping Bron and IT on defense. What are you gonna do? Use Marcus Smart and Jaeeee....oh, I mean Kyrie and Jaylen.
Huh? Lol
Smart, Rozier, Brown, Hayward, and Morris have a much better chance of limiting IT and Lebron than they have of limiting of Kyrie and Hayward. They literally, not figuratively, have no person who can even think about containing Kyrie. Hell, AB and Smart, two of the best defenders in the league, couldn't do it, so Cleveland has no chance in hell in containing him.
TP....nailed it JP
-
High 40s.
This team is very young and will take time to get it together. I think they'll be on a similar level to the Wizards and Raptors all season.
Kyrie will score almost as much as IT did last year, perhaps with better defense. Hayward will score 18-20 a game with solid playmaking and defense thrown in. Horford will be a 14-6-5 guy who helps everybody play better and keeps the team functioning on both ends.
Everybody else will have to figure out how they fit into this new team.
The hope will have to be that Kyrie, Hayward, and Horford figure out how to jam together by playoff time, and Jaylen and Jayen develop enough to have some big games when it matters.
High 40s? Ouch.
I can't see Brad letting that happen. Personally, I think the C's are about to storm the east.
Kyrie won't need too much time to gel, not with players like Hayward and Horford alongside him. Basketball is going to be easy for them. Brad had been waiting for something like this for some time, I expect this new group to come out a well-oiled machine.
Gordon and Kyrie is comparable to Curry and Thompson.
And we still have Smart, whom no one -- especially Curry or IT -- wants to face.
Not to mention, we may also be sitting on the ROY.
I like our makeup. And I think this trade made the Cavs much worse. Corrosive to their chemistry, trading their 2nd best player to a top rival. And Kyrie is going to know -- time is now to back up that trade demand.
We're going to be good. 2008 good, but that still may not be enough to beat GSW.
65 wins.
This is...something.
I think this is reasonable. I'd say the gap between Curry and Irving is about the same as the gap between Hayward and Thompson, who I think is an overall more complete player than Thompson.
I think this is insane. Curry comes in at 4 in my player ranks, but more importantly he fits into the elite superstar tier. I have Hayward as a star in the 15-17 range and Irving and Thompson roughly on par with each other in the 17-20 range. This isn't even to mention that the comparison is kind of bizarre in that we're not looking at the two backcourts, and we're not looking at the teams' top two players. These players are cherry-picked to make Boston look good, and they fail to even do that.
-
Curry is right there with Bron, KD, and Kawhi for most impactful player in the league.
Irving has been a top 10-20 guy. Maybe he's more impactful than that on the Celts in an expanded role. He may have the talent to equal Curry -- though likely never what Curry did in 2016 during the regular season -- but he hasn't been particularly close to this point.
Klay and Hayward are comparable talents, perhaps, but I think Klay's exceptional shooting is more of an outlier skill than anything Hayward brings to the table, so he's more difficult for the other team to handle.
-
Curry is right there with Bron, KD, and Kawhi for most impactful player in the league.
Irving has been a top 10-20 guy. Maybe he's more impactful than that on the Celts in an expanded role. He may have the talent to equal Curry -- though likely never what Curry did in 2016 during the regular season -- but he hasn't been particularly close to this point.
Klay and Thompson are comparable talents, perhaps, but I think Klay's exceptional shooting is more of an outlier skill than anything Hayward brings to the table, so he's more difficult for the other team to handle.
Klay and Thompson? I'd go so far as to say identical ;D.
-
Curry is right there with Bron, KD, and Kawhi for most impactful player in the league.
Irving has been a top 10-20 guy. Maybe he's more impactful than that on the Celts in an expanded role. He may have the talent to equal Curry -- though likely never what Curry did in 2016 during the regular season -- but he hasn't been particularly close to this point.
Klay and Thompson are comparable talents, perhaps, but I think Klay's exceptional shooting is more of an outlier skill than anything Hayward brings to the table, so he's more difficult for the other team to handle.
Agree with all of that but I think it's worth noting that Curry didn't even make an all star team until his 5the season when he was 25 (the age that Kyrie will be this coming season) and he wasn't a top 5 MVP candidate until he was 26. Irving, having spent 6 years under Lebron, hasn't had a chance to break out and this could be the season he realizing his potential a la Curry in '15 or '16.
BTW, Looking at Curry's numbers, it's sort of bizarre that he didn't make the AS game in his 4th year.
-
My win prediction is swept by Cavs in the playoffs
Lol we're going to the Finals, brah.
It's going to be hilarious when Brad *literally* exploits IT defensively every trip up the floor. There's simply going to be nowhere for him to hide, and Brad is savvy enough to realize this, especially after seeing it work so well when Washington employed this tactic.
Good luck stopping Bron and IT on defense. What are you gonna do? Use Marcus Smart and Jaeeee....oh, I mean Kyrie and Jaylen.
Marcuz/ Rozier on IT
Jaylen, Tatum, Morris on LeBron
May also sign someok like TA who can spend time defending both.
Who on Cle is going to guard Kyrie Irving ?
I'd consider putting Lebron on him.
-
My win prediction is swept by Cavs in the playoffs
Lol we're going to the Finals, brah.
It's going to be hilarious when Brad *literally* exploits IT defensively every trip up the floor. There's simply going to be nowhere for him to hide, and Brad is savvy enough to realize this, especially after seeing it work so well when Washington employed this tactic.
Good luck stopping Bron and IT on defense. What are you gonna do? Use Marcus Smart and Jaeeee....oh, I mean Kyrie and Jaylen.
Huh? Lol
Smart, Rozier, Brown, Hayward, and Morris have a much better chance of limiting IT and Lebron than they have of limiting of Kyrie and Hayward. They literally, not figuratively, have no person who can even think about containing Kyrie. Hell, AB and Smart, two of the best defenders in the league, couldn't do it, so Cleveland has no chance in hell in containing him.
Oh, so you think it'll be a real defensive struggle. Very interesting. So you think we've gotten better defensively and the Cavs got worse defensively. And offensively. Very interesting
-
So let's realize here that the Cavs beat us pretty badly this year.
They made their team deeper and are just as good defensively, if not better. They're also better offensively now. And in a year they have the ability to make their team meaningfully younger and faster with a key player.
We have gotten better offensively. Maybe even a good handful better. And significantly worse defensively.
-
Curry is right there with Bron, KD, and Kawhi for most impactful player in the league.
Irving has been a top 10-20 guy. Maybe he's more impactful than that on the Celts in an expanded role. He may have the talent to equal Curry -- though likely never what Curry did in 2016 during the regular season -- but he hasn't been particularly close to this point.
Klay and Thompson are comparable talents, perhaps, but I think Klay's exceptional shooting is more of an outlier skill than anything Hayward brings to the table, so he's more difficult for the other team to handle.
Agree with all of that but I think it's worth noting that Curry didn't even make an all star team until his 5the season when he was 25 (the age that Kyrie will be this coming season) and he wasn't a top 5 MVP candidate until he was 26. Irving, having spent 6 years under Lebron, hasn't had a chance to break out and this could be the season he realizing his potential a la Curry in '15 or '16.
BTW, Looking at Curry's numbers, it's sort of bizarre that he didn't make the AS game in his 4th year.
I don't think anyone's going to make the argument that Kyrie can't break out. He's one of the most talented offensive players in the league and has a virtually unrivaled resume for a 25 year-old, but banking on that break out is where you misstep. A Curry-like development from star to megastar is beyond rare. Kyrie certainly has the baseline talent necessary to become that sort of player, but so much more has to go right for that transformation to occur. Here's to hoping playing for Stevens, alongside Horford and Hayward provides the right environment for Kyrie's emergence, but I won't be holding my breath.
-
Glad we don't have to deal with defensive shortcomings of a 5'7" guy.
-
50.
It will take a while to work out the kinks.
2nd half record will be better than the first.
-
Curry is right there with Bron, KD, and Kawhi for most impactful player in the league.
Irving has been a top 10-20 guy. Maybe he's more impactful than that on the Celts in an expanded role. He may have the talent to equal Curry -- though likely never what Curry did in 2016 during the regular season -- but he hasn't been particularly close to this point.
Klay and Thompson are comparable talents, perhaps, but I think Klay's exceptional shooting is more of an outlier skill than anything Hayward brings to the table, so he's more difficult for the other team to handle.
Agree with all of that but I think it's worth noting that Curry didn't even make an all star team until his 5the season when he was 25 (the age that Kyrie will be this coming season) and he wasn't a top 5 MVP candidate until he was 26. Irving, having spent 6 years under Lebron, hasn't had a chance to break out and this could be the season he realizing his potential a la Curry in '15 or '16.
BTW, Looking at Curry's numbers, it's sort of bizarre that he didn't make the AS game in his 4th year.
I don't think anyone's going to make the argument that Kyrie can't break out. He's one of the most talented offensive players in the league and has a virtually unrivaled resume for a 25 year-old, but banking on that break out is where you misstep. A Curry-like development from star to megastar is beyond rare. Kyrie certainly has the baseline talent necessary to become that sort of player, but so much more has to go right for that transformation to occur. Here's to hoping playing for Stevens, alongside Horford and Hayward provides the right environment for Kyrie's emergence, but I won't be holding my breath.
I didn't mean to sound like I'm banking on it (although I am optimistic that it'll happen) only that if it were to happen, this is when it does happen for some players. Curry, for one.
-
Curry is right there with Bron, KD, and Kawhi for most impactful player in the league.
Irving has been a top 10-20 guy. Maybe he's more impactful than that on the Celts in an expanded role. He may have the talent to equal Curry -- though likely never what Curry did in 2016 during the regular season -- but he hasn't been particularly close to this point.
Klay and Thompson are comparable talents, perhaps, but I think Klay's exceptional shooting is more of an outlier skill than anything Hayward brings to the table, so he's more difficult for the other team to handle.
Agree with all of that but I think it's worth noting that Curry didn't even make an all star team until his 5the season when he was 25 (the age that Kyrie will be this coming season) and he wasn't a top 5 MVP candidate until he was 26. Irving, having spent 6 years under Lebron, hasn't had a chance to break out and this could be the season he realizing his potential a la Curry in '15 or '16.
BTW, Looking at Curry's numbers, it's sort of bizarre that he didn't make the AS game in his 4th year.
I don't think anyone's going to make the argument that Kyrie can't break out. He's one of the most talented offensive players in the league and has a virtually unrivaled resume for a 25 year-old, but banking on that break out is where you misstep. A Curry-like development from star to megastar is beyond rare. Kyrie certainly has the baseline talent necessary to become that sort of player, but so much more has to go right for that transformation to occur. Here's to hoping playing for Stevens, alongside Horford and Hayward provides the right environment for Kyrie's emergence, but I won't be holding my breath.
I didn't mean to sound like I'm banking on it (although I am optimistic that it'll happen) only that if it were to happen, this is when it does happen for some players. Curry, for one.
I didn't get the impression that you were banking on it, but whenever someone invokes Curry in relation to player development, I am compelled to give the outlier speech lol.
-
same as ever. 82-0. ;D
Mikey Adams, is that you?