As of right now?
Pelicans can be a 50+ win team next year. Davis is a beast. If Jrue HOliday is healthy, it makes a difference.
If Bucks keep Middleton and get a healthy Jabari Parker back, they could be a solid 45+ win team
This Boston team is about even with what it was last year... so 30-40 wins.
Our rookies aren't going to make a difference. Need to make a splash in free agency or we'll probably be in the lotto next year.
Bet Danny wishes he took Giannis eh?
Not really. That kid makes some absolutely beautiful plays on the court and I think he'll grow into a good player but people around here make it seem like he's some kind of a Anthony Davis level super-star in the making and that's just not true. There's a whole bunch of guys Id rather have going forward, I think Parker has a higher ceiling. KO isn't perfect, and he may always be a rotation player, but it wasn't like we picked Sam Bowie with Michael Jordan on the board.
I'm interested to see what happens in New Orleans. That team is an example of the difference good coaching makes. Gentry is a really good offensive mind but he's been a HC before with limited success. They should be a lock for the playoffs, even in the West. They have much more talent than we do, and they hardly made it over a horribly injured OKC team.
The Bucks have a bright future, but I wonder how much the MCW trade messed with their continuity. I think Kidd saw him as a young version of himself without realizing just how broken his jumper really is. The rumors of him being on the block at the draft backs this up, Brandon Knight was a much better fit for that group.
As for us, people make it seem like the sky is falling. We have one of the best GMs in the league, and Ainge is not going to let us sit in the 6-8th seed and tread water for a few years while never actually taking big steps. He'll blow it up and tank of that happens. Not this year obviously, but in the next couple years without significant progress he will.
But yet, one thing I don't understand around here is that this team was on a 56 win pace over the last third of the season once this roster came together. Obviously, they won't be able to keep that up over a full season and a lot of things factored into that run, but we finished one game out from .500 and finished the season on a tear. Where does this notion that all of a sudden were a 30 win team come from? That just seems awfully pessimistic. We could return this exact same group and just with internal improvements from Smart, Young, KO and a small but effective signing like Koufos and we could get close to 50 wins. I just don't see where this huge step back is coming from? Do you guys think Smart's gonna regress? Thomas will be less effective? We should expect no improvement from Olynyk, Zeller or any of our other young core guys? That doesn't make much sense.
Of course, LarBird is the guy who once said the Nets could easily be a 50 win team so, who knows? I would say if we literally return pretty much the same team, were anywhere in the 38-46 or 47 win range. 30 wins is certainly possible if everything goes wrong or there's a major shake up, but so is 50 of everything goes right. We have more ways to improve than any of those teams, and I trust Ainge (at least at this point) to do what's necessary for us to build a true contender. Idk of I can say the same about the brain trusts in Milwaukee and New Orleans.
Topic: How would you rank: Celtics, Bucks, Pelicans (Read 1810 times)