Author Topic: East is WIDE OPEN  (Read 10931 times)

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Re: East is WIDE OPEN
« Reply #30 on: July 26, 2014, 09:34:20 AM »

Offline bopna

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Okay, let's look at our playoff prospects for next year as presently constituted.

Neither Philly nor the Knicks are going to win the division.

3-way race with the Nets and Toronto.

Nets have serious problems with a lineup of What's Left of Deron Williams at PG, Iso Joe, and Lopez coming back from a lost season.  If Rondo comes back as good or better shape as Lopez, or sooner, I think we can finish with a better record than the Nets, though they may make the playoffs.  Or not.

So it's us and Toronto, and I can root for us to finish with a better record honestly believing it can happen.

And that's worth a 4th seed.

We may ride Rondo, Bradley, Green, and Bass along with Zeller/Olynyk/Sully to do it, but I'd say we'd have a puncher's chance at winning the division.

I agree, the East Talent at the top diluted and the bottom actually improved a bit, Danny has made some improvements as well with the team.

Overall, this team may not look good based on their 2013/14 record, but you can throw that out of the window now with RR expected to be back to 2012 or even better Rondo (it is a contract Yr.). And I don't know about you but I somehow see Turner making a big leap in proving his detractors wrong. And with AB improving, KO, and Sully, yes I see this team as an 8th seed.

The good part of being an 6th to 8th seed is that because the East is so wide open, an upset is really not that far to happen.

Re: East is WIDE OPEN
« Reply #31 on: July 26, 2014, 10:16:48 AM »

Offline Jailan34

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Whatever our record, it doesn't matter too much to me. All I want out of this year is a solid player development season. I don't want Bass and Wallace taking minutes from the young guys this year. If Smart, Sully, OK and Bradley all develop enough for us to make the 6th seed? Great that's fine with me. If they develop and we lose a lot of games that's okay too, there's a nice crop of big men incoming in this draft.

All I want to see is progress from the young guys, and to see Stevens implement some sort of offense.
You can't reason someone out of a position they didn't reason themselves into.

Re: East is WIDE OPEN
« Reply #32 on: July 26, 2014, 11:08:30 AM »

Offline CFAN38

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Though the east is open I think it will be much more competitive then last year. The celtics at best are battling for the 8th seed at the seasons end. Not a position I want to see them in.
Mavs
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Re: East is WIDE OPEN
« Reply #33 on: July 26, 2014, 12:32:03 PM »

Offline Csfan1984

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I think the East is wide open at the top, as Miami has been toppled and Indy suffered a setback losing Stephenson. Chicago can fill that void if Rose is solid in his return and Mirotic makes a smooth transition. Cleveland can fill the void if they land Love.

But the low playoff seeds that Boston is competing for are mostly stronger than last year. There's a lot of young teams that are improving every year. We can make a little bit of a bigger improvement than most with RR back full-time. But let's not delude ourselves into thinking a playoff run is imminent, at best we'll be 7th or 8th seed and get crushed by DRose or Lebron.
Rose! 49 games in three years. Guy would be retired if he wasn't still under contract.

I really mean the bulls, but "lebron or the bulls" isn't parallel. I think Rose could easily come back and still be really good by the end of next season, he doesn't have to be MVP level for the Bulls to be scary. Especially since they're also getting Mirotic...
I knew what you meant was just jumping on like the other guys. It's funny. Still I don't believe in the Bulls at all they always find a way to lose. They're the Dallas Cowboys of the NBA

Re: East is WIDE OPEN
« Reply #34 on: July 26, 2014, 01:00:44 PM »

Offline pearljammer10

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Bulls, Wizards, Cavs, Heat, Pacers are easily locks at the top (in no particular order)

Raptors, Hornets, Hawks, Pistons round our the next tier with Nets and Knicks both likely to be knocking on the 8th spot door...

The Celtics are unfortunately in the 10-last tier.
The Knicks are better than Boston, just as they were last year.
How are the knicks better than the celts?? Look at their lineup

Celts are in the race for 7th-8th. Not the best starting lineup but has a strong looking bench

Other than melo who do they have?? JR Dmith if he doesnt act like a clown maybe. Thats it. I would take zeller over dalembert also

Calderon/Prigioni
Shumpert/Smith
Melo/Hardaway Jr.
Amare/Smith
Dalembert/Bargs

That's really not as bad as everyone makes it out to be, and it certainly is better than what we have. The presence of a guy like Melo alone improves the Knicks chances of having a better record than us. There no reason that Knicks lineup, with a new coach, and Phil Jakcson on board wont make the playoffs over us.

Re: East is WIDE OPEN
« Reply #35 on: July 26, 2014, 01:19:22 PM »

Offline Smitty77

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Chicago, cleveland, washington, and charlotte are the only locks in the east... Celtics can easily sneak up to a #6 seed (indy or miami would be #5) and go against a washington team and perhaps sneak into the second round and go against the cavs where it will most likely (not certainly) end


Lance is a FLASHY player and you, like most NBA fans, seem to be taken in by the fact that he had 5 triple doubles and led the league in those.  The problem is that Lance simply does NOT bring in night in and night out or he would be an 18 or up PER player and he is NOT close to that.  He can blow in Lebron's ear better than anyone though:-))))  I live 45 minutes from Time Warner Arena and you simply do NOT understand the HUGE role that McRoberts played for this team.  It will take them a while to incorporate Williams and Lance.  Also, they were as healthy a team in the regular season as about ANY team in the league last year.  I predict that will NOT happen again.  Big Al is getting older and foot problems can very OFTEN flare back up.  I do NOT think Kemba can continue to play at his frenetic pace without injuries forthcoming.

Smitty77
PLEASE explain to me how in the name of all things logical is Charlotte a LOCK and Indy, Miami, and Toronto NOT locks???

Charlotte signed a player that had UNDER a 15 Efficiency Rating for the year which is the threshold for an AVERAGE NBA starter in Lance.  Stephenson has NOT yet arrived and he may NEVER be more than a good role player with the possibility of exploding on the court leading to multiple suspensions.  Then their other GREAT signing was arguably the WORST 2nd pick in the last stinking 10 years, Marvin Williams, all the while LOSING the guy that connected the dots per MJ, McRoberts!!!

Looking forward to a really nice explanation on this.

Smitty77
Efficiency ratings dont mean squat and their team can only go up  from last year with Lance and their rookies... They just have the feeling of a very good basketball team and i feel theyll make great strides this year... Toronto r far from a lock and neither r miami especially if wades knees give up again which i think will happen... Indy r pretty much a lock but i think theyll be severely hurt by lances departure and their bench took another hit when Turner left... If hibbert continues his playoff form they could be facing disaster...
Didnt have time for ur "really nice explanation" but well here u go..

Re: East is WIDE OPEN
« Reply #36 on: July 26, 2014, 01:24:29 PM »

Offline Smitty77

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Chicago, cleveland, washington, and charlotte are the only locks in the east... Celtics can easily sneak up to a #6 seed (indy or miami would be #5) and go against a washington team and perhaps sneak into the second round and go against the cavs where it will most likely (not certainly) end

PLEASE explain to me how in the name of all things logical is Charlotte a LOCK and Indy, Miami, and Toronto NOT locks???

Charlotte signed a player that had UNDER a 15 Efficiency Rating for the year which is the threshold for an AVERAGE NBA starter in Lance.  Stephenson has NOT yet arrived and he may NEVER be more than a good role player with the possibility of exploding on the court leading to multiple suspensions.  Then their other GREAT signing was arguably the WORST 2nd pick in the last stinking 10 years, Marvin Williams, all the while LOSING the guy that connected the dots per MJ, McRoberts!!!

Looking forward to a really nice explanation on this.

Smitty77


The problem with looking at PER as a way if rating players is that it kind of down plays the players contribution on the defensive end a bit and how that player fills a need on a given roster.

One of Charlottes major problems last year was they lacked any outside shooting threats, they have added 2 in the offseason including a guy who can be used as a second play maker/ball handler, plus a solid interior defender who showed in college he has a bit of an outside shot.

PJ Hairston has a better chance of jail time this year than of making the rotation!!!!  Vonleh will NOT help for at least 2 more years!!!  They had a comparable outside shooter in Ridnour and simply did NOT use him probably.  Poor coaching in my opinion.  Watch and see if Luke Ridnour does not QUICKLY return to his career numbers in Orlando!!!

Who are the TWO outside shooters that you referred to?  Are you referring to a 28 year old TWO YEAR NBA player that shot around 42% overall from the field in Brian Roberts?  I assume the other one you are referring to is Marvin Williams, who can ONLY shoot threes and is likely the MOST disappointing #2 pick in the last 10 years!!!!

Smitty77

Re: East is WIDE OPEN
« Reply #37 on: July 26, 2014, 01:27:10 PM »

Offline Smitty77

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Chicago, cleveland, washington, and charlotte are the only locks in the east... Celtics can easily sneak up to a #6 seed (indy or miami would be #5) and go against a washington team and perhaps sneak into the second round and go against the cavs where it will most likely (not certainly) end

PLEASE explain to me how in the name of all things logical is Charlotte a LOCK and Indy, Miami, and Toronto NOT locks???

Charlotte signed a player that had UNDER a 15 Efficiency Rating for the year which is the threshold for an AVERAGE NBA starter in Lance.  Stephenson has NOT yet arrived and he may NEVER be more than a good role player with the possibility of exploding on the court leading to multiple suspensions.  Then their other GREAT signing was arguably the WORST 2nd pick in the last stinking 10 years, Marvin Williams, all the while LOSING the guy that connected the dots per MJ, McRoberts!!!

Looking forward to a really nice explanation on this.

Smitty77


The problem with looking at PER as a way if rating players is that it kind of down plays the players contribution on the defensive end a bit and how that player fills a need on a given roster.

One of Charlottes major problems last year was they lacked any outside shooting threats, they have added 2 in the offseason including a guy who can be used as a second play maker/ball handler, plus a solid interior defender who showed in college he has a bit of an outside shot.

And Vonleh was NOT a very good interior defender, but he was a very good rebounder.  He took 33 TOTAL three point attempts and you think that shows he has a bit of an outside shot??  Let him take 100 attempts or more in the NBA and you will have me on that one.

Smitty77

Re: East is WIDE OPEN
« Reply #38 on: July 26, 2014, 01:29:27 PM »

Offline Smitty77

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I think the East is wide open at the top, as Miami has been toppled and Indy suffered a setback losing Stephenson. Chicago can fill that void if Rose is solid in his return and Mirotic makes a smooth transition. Cleveland can fill the void if they land Love.

But the low playoff seeds that Boston is competing for are mostly stronger than last year. There's a lot of young teams that are improving every year. We can make a little bit of a bigger improvement than most with RR back full-time. But let's not delude ourselves into thinking a playoff run is imminent, at best we'll be 7th or 8th seed and get crushed by DRose or Lebron.
Rose! 49 games in three years. Guy would be retired if he wasn't still under contract.

I really mean the bulls, but "lebron or the bulls" isn't parallel. I think Rose could easily come back and still be really good by the end of next season, he doesn't have to be MVP level for the Bulls to be scary. Especially since they're also getting Mirotic...
I knew what you meant was just jumping on like the other guys. It's funny. Still I don't believe in the Bulls at all they always find a way to lose. They're the Dallas Cowboys of the NBA

Thanks for slamming my BOYS:-((((

Smitty77

Re: East is WIDE OPEN
« Reply #39 on: July 26, 2014, 01:34:37 PM »

Offline Csfan1984

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Sorry but at least you guys have Dez and Lee still.

Re: East is WIDE OPEN
« Reply #40 on: July 26, 2014, 02:59:02 PM »

Offline rondoallaturca

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Tier 1: Higher probability of winning 50+ games
1. Chicago
2. Toronto

Tier 2: Lower probability of winning 50+ games
3. Indiana
4. Washington
5. Cleveland

Tier 3: Back-end playoff teams
6. Miami
7. Charlotte
8. Atlanta

Tier 4: Wild cards
9. Brooklyn
10. New York
11. Detroit

Tier 5: Lottery
12. Milwaukee
13. Boston
14. Orlando
15. Philadelphia
« Last Edit: July 26, 2014, 03:09:23 PM by rondoallaturca »

Re: East is WIDE OPEN
« Reply #41 on: July 26, 2014, 03:15:37 PM »

Offline Finkelskyhook

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Tier 1: Higher probability of winning 50+ games
1. Chicago
2. Toronto

Tier 2: Lower probability of winning 50+ games
3. Indiana
4. Washington
5. Cleveland

Tier 3: Back-end playoff teams
6. Miami
7. Charlotte
8. Atlanta

Tier 4: Fringe playoff dark horses
9. Brooklyn
10. New York
11. Detroit

Tier 5: Lottery
12. Milwaukee
13. Boston
14. Orlando
15. Philadelphia

Well...Cleveland will be in the regular season first tier just by virtue of how the messiah is officiated.  Cleveland will be exposed in the playoffs when officiating actually gets closer to the rulebook.   If Rondo is healthy....And on our team..There is no way we are close to the bottom tier.  If Rondo is healthy there is no way the knicks or Detroit are  better teams than we are. 

Re: East is WIDE OPEN
« Reply #42 on: July 26, 2014, 04:16:32 PM »

Offline SHAQATTACK

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East is wide open?

For anybody NOT named the

Celtics

Re: East is WIDE OPEN
« Reply #43 on: July 26, 2014, 06:09:54 PM »

Offline BudweiserCeltic

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Tier 1: Higher probability of winning 50+ games
1. Chicago
2. Toronto

Tier 2: Lower probability of winning 50+ games
3. Indiana
4. Washington
5. Cleveland

Tier 3: Back-end playoff teams
6. Miami
7. Charlotte
8. Atlanta

Tier 4: Wild cards
9. Brooklyn
10. New York
11. Detroit

Tier 5: Lottery
12. Milwaukee
13. Boston
14. Orlando
15. Philadelphia

Tier 1: Toronto?

You lost me right away.

Re: East is WIDE OPEN
« Reply #44 on: July 26, 2014, 06:23:47 PM »

Offline rondoallaturca

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Tier 1: Toronto?

You lost me right away.

I defined tier 1 teams as near locks for 50+ wins. After the Rudy Gay trade, Toronto was a .650 team, which is a 53-win pace in a 82-game season. Their core is extremely young, and there's tons of internal improvement to be had. Their "veteran" leaders are DeRozan (24), Lowry (28), and Johnson (27), the other two starters are promising young players in Ross (23) and Valanciunas (22), and outside of Hayes (31), every bench player is 28 or younger. Beyond this, Ujiri has already improved the bench significantly, swapping out John Salmons and Landry Fields for Lou Williams and James Johnson. They still have flexibility and space on the roster to accommodate another move. Unless I lost you again, tell me how these circumstances won't lead to a 50+ win season for Toronto.