Bravenewworld wrote:Thunderhead wrote:I like the Raptors as a defensive team , I have much respect for Dwane Casey. He devised the defense that took the Mavs to the 2011 championship .......... and I think defense wins in the NBA.
..........So are you suggesting the Raptors are going to win a title? In the finals? In the ECFs? Better then Bulls, Cavs, Heat, Detroit, Wizards, Nets, Knicks and HornetCats?
I see two exceptional teams in the East, then a drop off with the Raptors as the third best team.
But the caveat there , is the Cavs and whether they can live up to the hype. There's a school of thought, that the Cavs won't have the problem learning to play together, that the Heat had in the first year of LBJ/Bosh/Wade, because Love fits much better with Lebron. But I'm not sure how Kyrie fits with Lebron, my opinion is far from expert, but it appears to me that Kyrie needs the ball and Lebron needs the ball, and while that may be extremely simple, I think maybe the hype of the Cavs is over looking this item.
I think the Cavs are gonna have to prove it on the court, before they get awared the East title.
Nets, Knicks, Hornets, Det .............. not this year. And I'm not sure the Nets won't implode under Lionel Hollins, there's gonna be some adjustment involved in that change.
The Heat, well, that's entirely on DWade staying healthy, ya wanna bet on that ? I would not put a lot of money on that .
Wizards are a wild card, they could be the third best team in the East, I like adding Miller and Pierce.
But the Bulls are the cream of the crop, IMO, it will take injuries to the Bulls for any other team to challenge. Adding DRose, Gasol and the three pt shooting could be all they need, to go along with Thibs defense, to dominate the East.
And if they have injuries, then I would not be surprised to see the Raptors win the East.
That's pretty much how I arrive at that.