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Perennial 45 to 48 team?

The new Atlanta Hawks?

Contend?

The new Wizards?

I honestly don't know, but I don't buy the optimism some users profess. Same for pessimism.

No one knows. That's what great about sports.

We are very young. Should keep Improving. These next five games will give me a better grasp of where we are. RJ just came back. No Training Camp, No Pre-Season.

There's no way of knowing for sure, but if you look at where the was last year we should be moving close to the highish 40 win mark this season and better after that.
Super young core, added bench depth and continuity in the system are the things that make me optimistic, but there's a few things that are worrying too. Reggies knees, uncertainty of Drummonds ceiling, keeping the core in tact... all those things could ruin the team.
No point putting too much effort into predictions, just enjoy the fact that they don't suck and they're improving.

Grizzlies of the East.

we're built around RJ and Dre which at this moment have huge holes in their games. And worryingly this season we've been better with them off the floor. We're well coached and young but that ceiling will be dependent on how these two develop to the next level.

World Champion within 5 years with this core.

afroxnas wrote:we're built around RJ and Dre which at this moment have huge holes in their games. And worryingly this season we've been better with them off the floor. We're well coached and young but that ceiling will be dependent on how these two develop to the next level.

Of course the offense has looked better with Ish than Reggie for 2 games, they played the whole first quarter of the season with Ish, preseason and training camp. It's WAAAAY too soon to worry that the team has "been better with Reggie off the floor".
It's been 2 games lol
I also have a hard time believing that we've been better with Drummond off the floor, but if you have any real evidence to confirm that then feel free to post it. He's our best rebounder and pretty damn good by defensive rating also so I just have a hard time believing that.

DetPistons04 wrote:

afroxnas wrote:we're built around RJ and Dre which at this moment have huge holes in their games. And worryingly this season we've been better with them off the floor. We're well coached and young but that ceiling will be dependent on how these two develop to the next level.

Of course the offense has looked better with Ish than Reggie for 2 games, they played the whole first quarter of the season with Ish, preseason and training camp. It's WAAAAY too soon to worry that the team has "been better with Reggie off the floor".
It's been 2 games lol
I also have a hard time believing that we've been better with Drummond off the floor, but if you have any real evidence to confirm that then feel free to post it. He's our best rebounder and pretty damn good by defensive rating also so I just have a hard time believing that.

I recall in 2008 or 2009 where people were using advanced stats to say the Magic were playing better with Gortat over Dwight.

Gimme a break. That laughable. It is like comparing the stats of guys playing with the 2nd unit against another teams 2nd unit then stating those stats are better than who the starters are playing against. There is no substance to those stats.

BadMofoPimp wrote:

DetPistons04 wrote:

afroxnas wrote:we're built around RJ and Dre which at this moment have huge holes in their games. And worryingly this season we've been better with them off the floor. We're well coached and young but that ceiling will be dependent on how these two develop to the next level.

Of course the offense has looked better with Ish than Reggie for 2 games, they played the whole first quarter of the season with Ish, preseason and training camp. It's WAAAAY too soon to worry that the team has "been better with Reggie off the floor".
It's been 2 games lol
I also have a hard time believing that we've been better with Drummond off the floor, but if you have any real evidence to confirm that then feel free to post it. He's our best rebounder and pretty damn good by defensive rating also so I just have a hard time believing that.

I recall in 2008 or 2009 where people were using advanced stats to say the Magic were playing better with Gortat over Dwight.

Gimme a break. That laughable. It is like comparing the stats of guys playing with the 2nd unit against another teams 2nd unit then stating those stats are better than who the starters are playing against. There is no substance to those stats.

I mean I like Baynes as a backup 5, but he's not even half of the rebounder that Dre is and he misses a lot of shots in close also.
I think Baynes is better against perimeter big men and setting screens than Andre, but that's it.
Better with Andre off the floor, not seeing it.

I really think contender. I know that is a homer view, but we have a lot of young players that can seriously play and we have an excellent coach and and owner that is willing to spend money. It would be perfect if one or two players stepped up to be legit all stars, if not, we might need to make a trade for a star, but we should be deep enough to make that happen. Anyway, so contender is certainly our ceiling. WE just get to watch now and see if SVG can make it happen.

Within 3-4 years of continuity under SVG, they should be contending by then.

This year I have 2nd round or ECF. Not sure about the future. One year at a time, one game at a time

They could just as easily stagnate into a yearly battle-it-out-for-the-7th-or-8th-seed team as they could flourish into an NBA champion. Potential's a funny thing and it can be difficult to predict in what ways the players will develop and how that will effect their synergy. Overall, the young talent growing together on this team reminds me a lot of the Conley-Mayo-Gay-Randolph-Gasol Grizzlies. Obviously not on an individual player-to-player or even an overall skills level, but just as far as a group of players of fairly evenly distributed talent with different specialties growing up together. I think that is the most likely course for this team as well if we stand pat - the Grizzlies made a couple Conference Finals and seriously challenged all the teams they played. They were on the cusp of being a Finals team.