NBA Landscape 2010/11 and the Raptors

[CPT]

Teams with good management usually find a way to stay near the top. I think the Spurs will be in the top 5-10 teams for the rest of Tim Duncan's career. I could see the Mavs making the moves necessary to stay near the top as well. With pockets as deep as theirs, they can keep moving expiring deals for quality players. Kind of like what the Knicks do, except they pick the right players.

Then you have the teams with bad management that fall ass backward into success with one or two big moves, like this year's Celtics. Even the Ray Allen trade was kind of bad until the KG deal was made. The Lakers might fall in this category as well, but they do get credit for drafting Bynum, and they were looking very good even before picking up Gasol. Who knows what team could be next in this list. Atlanta, Philly, Charlotte? Probably Atlanta, but I bet at least one of those teams will be **** scary in 3 years.

I don't even really know what my point is here. I guess just that it's kind of pointless to speculate on things that far in the future. But it is fun. So as long as we're here...

I think Miami will be back in a big way in the next few years. They already have Wade locked up. If they can keep Marion and add a Rose, Beasley, or other top prospect, and have that prospect turn out...yikes. Also, a good team in Miami will never have much trouble attracting free agents to fill out the rest of the team.

[jbraptor]

ATL===> JOE JOSH AL BIBBY

[stopnpop]

Portland, LA Lakers, Minny, Atlanta, Miami

[SpaceJam]

With the team (No second weapon established) we have at the time being I dont see us being an elite force of any kind, predicted we would be in the playoffs for the next 3 seasons we would be stuck in the high 40's low 50's win coloum, that said we wouldnt get passed the second round in the playoffs.

3 years is not a lot of time for a young core, I can see us going into the path of how Minni went, first having a few awful seasons with KG as a youngin the they added players after and they started to get better.

I can see us being called a force in the east next season or the one after, a force in the nba?...like 4 or 5 years from now.

[CreaM]

-= original quote snipped =-



You could have kept this to yourself, or qualified it with analysis. Speculation is what this board is about, and shifts in the NBa are long-term things. The MLB may have the Marlins win a championship every 4 years and then be the worst team the other 3, but in the NBA things morph slowly.

The suns disagree, so do the timberwolves.
The NBA is a star driven league, you can be good one year and crap the next or vice versa. All it takes is an injury to a key player or a bad move by management. I disagree that things morph slowly in the NBA.

[djsunyc]

if lebron is still in cleveland, i will say the cavs.

they can make a major splash next year or the year after with their expirings. pair lebron with one more stud and you got a new jordan/pippen combo for the next 5-7 years.

[rise of raptors]

Its easy to assume that the Raptors' young core will propel this team to contender status in three years. However there are still many question marks around this franchise:

- what impact player (if any) can BC get with our expiring contracts?
- will Bargnani ever be an All-star?
- how will BC handle the PG situation?
- will BC's philosophy of "the evolution of the game" ever pan out? etc.

Until we can get a more accurate read on these questions (probably by the end of next season) no one can say the Raps will be contenders. And these questions revolve only around the Raptors organization, it doesn't even take into account what other teams do.

[ponder276]

a) too far away, so much could happen between now and then
b) portland, utah, NO, lakers, seattle, golden state, washington, atlanta, chicago, orlando, etc. All could be very strong teams by then.

[zong]

Portland: Roy, LMA, Oden, Webster, Outlaw, Sergio, another lotto pick coming up this year, Rudy Fernandez waiting in Europe, and 2 high second-round picks (MEM and NYK) this year

I would say they're right up there with the Lakers and the Hornets in the west in 5 years maximum

[j3yuen]

Inspired by thoughts from another thread, I thought I would start this discussion. It seems to me that the Raptors are poised to be one of the undisputed heavyweights in the NBA in 2010/11 (barring enormous injuries, of course). Under contract for that year are Bosh, Bargnani, Ford, Kapono, and likely Calderon. As a core of guys, all of whom will be in their prime years (26, 25, 27, 29, 29 respectively), I feel there are few teams that are liekly to be fielding a more formidable core group.

The Blazers come quickly to mind, but who else? Of today's powerhouse teams:

Phoenix - Nash is the key here, and he will be 36 and already has a wonky back. Shaq will also be gone.
Dallas - Kidd will be gone. Dirk will be 32 so he should still be strong, as should Howard (30) and Terry (33), although they will be a little older. Still a very good team out west.
Lakers - Bynum will be just 23, Kobe will be 32, Gasol 30. Definitely strong, with Farmar as well.
Utah - Boozer/Williams, still solid, but not terrifying
New Orleans - West/Paul, see above
San Antonio - Duncan will be 34, ginobili 33. Parker will still be in his prime, but I see them being a step behind, with guys like bowen and finley and horry all likely gone.
Boston - Big 3 all getting older here...Allen 35, Garnett 34, Pierce 33. Likely faltering
Detroit - Billups 34, Rip 32, Prince 30, Rasheed 36...again, older guys likely faltering

Only Orlando and Cleveland (maybe atlanta too....) seem to have big time younger talent, but both seem heavily reliant on one guy and will need to find them some help, esp. cleveland. But I wouldn't be surprised if a kept-together Toronto core was head and shoulders the best of the bunch.

What groups are you looking forward to seeing challenge the raps in a few years?

there are so many flaws in your arguments...
i agree that portland is gonna be good, but I can't believe that you think NO and UTAH are only gonna be solid and not terrifying

Paul and Williams are just as young as our core players and they are still pretty early in their careers, they will no doubt be the top 2 point guards in the league come 2010. I seriously think they can both still improve, paul more so than williams because he's a bit more athletic. Another two year's in the league would also help them be better floor generals not that they are bad now.

West and Boozer aren't to old either. Boozer has pretty much reached his ceiling but west will be a bonafied star by 2010.

Surround paul/west or williams/boozer with any decent role players and you have urself a terrifying team.

It might be a long shot but the wolves might also be pretty scary by 2010... if all their cards fall in the right places...

First of, BIG AL is gonna be a force, then there's telfair. This is really his first year of NBA ball with out of court distractions, sure he's only mediocre rite now but he can still improve to be an average pg. Throw in a healthy gomes, brewer, maybe a injury free marco jaric and this year's draft pick... derrick rose or beasley (if the balls fall in their favour) and you have urself a pretty decent team...

[RingItUp!]

I say whatever team gets LeBron after Cleveland loses him will be pretty good.

[RockTHECasbah]

You forgot the Hornets? the Jazz?

[LiSTWithLani]

rubio is my boy jonny three time, i really appreciated ur comment at the end of page 1... not sure why..?