Wide Open Eastern Conference Expected To Lead To More Trade Activity

Post #1 » by **RealGM Wiretap** » Fri Nov 10, 2017 3:12 pm

With the Eastern Conference being relatively wide open following the struggles of the Cleveland Cavaliers and the injury the Boston Celtics faced with Gordon Hayward, more teams believe they have a chance to advance far into the playoffs. That mindset may may for a more active trading period.

"There's a lot of teams between 7-4 and 4-7 who still are trying to figure out who they are and where they're playing," said Wojnarowski. "In the East, are the Cavs vulnerable here? They've looked very vulnerable. There's teams now, multiple teams thinking 'hey, we have a chance.' There's several teams in the East who think they can get to the Eastern Conference Finals.

"In the West, I don't think anybody's feeling has changed about Golden State.

"I think that's going to dictate, as we get closer to trade season, just the idea that with so many teams in the East especially thinking 'we have a chance', executives think there's going to be a lot of activity this year. As one said to me, 'you may see a lot more West to East deals where teams in the West who just don't think they can compete, whether they're getting salary off or trying to create flexibility for the summer. You may see some of these contenders in the East trying to load up and you may see that talent surge from East to West, you may see it come back this year."

Via Adrian Wojnarowski/ESPN

KamikazeK · Post #2 » by **KamikazeK** » Fri Nov 10, 2017 4:23 pm

Boston is the clear #1. Everything after that is wide open, sure.

tocooks101 · Post #3 » by **tocooks101** » Fri Nov 10, 2017 5:19 pm

KamikazeK wrote:Boston is the clear #1. Everything after that is wide open, sure.

Cavs still clear #1 in the East, Bucks strong case for being #2. Celtics and Magic have nice starts, too early to buy into those teams.

Lee in Oregon · Post #4 » by **Lee in Oregon** » Fri Nov 10, 2017 5:41 pm

Boston-Toronto-Washington are all solid. Boston has the injury-exception, so Ainge will be listening and waiting on buy-outs. Charlotte is close too, but I'm not sold on Orlando yet. Cleveland will attempt moves to placate Lebron into staying, as IT won't exactly bolster that matador defense. I'd also look for Miami to try and upgrade, now that they appear to be the second-best team in Florida.

Green89 · Post #5 » by **Green89** » Fri Nov 10, 2017 5:46 pm

tocooks101 wrote:
KamikazeK wrote:Boston is the clear #1. Everything after that is wide open, sure.

Cavs still clear #1 in the East, Bucks strong case for being #2. Celtics and Magic have nice starts, too early to buy into those teams.

Bucks are currently the 12th seed and the Celtics are 5 games better at the 1 seed, but you feel the Bucks have a stronger case for #2??

JunkYardDog6ix · Post #6 » by **JunkYardDog6ix** » Fri Nov 10, 2017 6:26 pm

Green89 wrote:
tocooks101 wrote:
KamikazeK wrote:Boston is the clear #1. Everything after that is wide open, sure.

Cavs still clear #1 in the East, Bucks strong case for being #2. Celtics and Magic have nice starts, too early to buy into those teams.

Bucks are currently the 12th seed and the Celtics are 5 games better at the 1 seed, but you feel the Bucks have a stronger case for #2??

You do realize that :

1) The season just started
2) The bucks just got bledsoe
3) The season just startedd !!!

I don't know whats more delusional , all these execs thinking they have a chance to beat LeBron in the playoffs or Celtics fans thinking they are number 1 contenders because of one winning streak :lol:

5 game lead on the bucks ? No chance any team can come back from that , might as well wrap up the season now , no playoffs for Bucks and Cavs :banghead:

Post #7 » by **moocow007** » Fri Nov 10, 2017 6:50 pm

If the Celtics were terrible last season then it would be a bit of a premature ejaculation, but didn't they have the best regular season record in the East last season? And didn't they have one of the best records in the East the season before that? To say that the Celtics is the best team in the East is not far fetched at all. We're talking about the best team in the East (record wise) in 2016-2017 who actually got better (on paper), even after losing Hayward. Will they be the best team in the East by seasons end? Who knows. But I'm not seeing what the LOL is about someone saying the Celtics are the best team in the East. And this is coming from a Knick fan who normally dislikes most things Celtics related. If we were talking about the Knicks and their surprisingly good start, then, yes, it's a bit too early to start chest bumping but the Celtics being a top team isn't just a dozen or so games deep.

Patsfan1081 · Post #8 » by **Patsfan1081** » Fri Nov 10, 2017 7:04 pm

JunkYardDog6ix wrote:
Green89 wrote:
tocooks101 wrote:
Cavs still clear #1 in the East, Bucks strong case for being #2. Celtics and Magic have nice starts, too early to buy into those teams.

Bucks are currently the 12th seed and the Celtics are 5 games better at the 1 seed, but you feel the Bucks have a stronger case for #2??

You do realize that :

1) The season just started
2) The bucks just got bledsoe
3) The season just startedd !!!

I don't know whats more delusional , all these execs thinking they have a chance to beat LeBron in the playoffs or Celtics fans thinking they are number 1 contenders because of one winning streak 5 game lead on the bucks ? No chance any team can come back from that , might as well wrap up the season now , no playoffs for Bucks and Cavs

Delusional is thinking the Cavs are the best team and the east and the Bucks are the second despite having two of the worst records in the east. Twelve games isn't a small sample either, issues can't get solved overnight. Cleveland has the worst defense in the league, that doesn't get solved by Thomas coming back or changing up rotations. The Bucks have a weak bench and are extremely thin up front, Henson/Maker/Teletovic/Wilson is prob the worst group of big men in the league. Bledsoe is a decent pickup but he's still an average pointguard in the league who has never made a team much better, besides the fact he agreed to sit out so his team can tank despite being healthy, no really a winning attitude there.

alamin330 · Post #9 » by **alamin330** » Fri Nov 10, 2017 7:45 pm

The Bucks are not going to be better with Bledsoe. Bledsoe is a ball stopper and not good at getting his teammates involved as evidenced by his terrible assist numbers. Bucks may miss the playoffs if Orlando and Detroit keep winning.

JunkYardDog6ix · Post #10 » by **JunkYardDog6ix** » Fri Nov 10, 2017 8:15 pm

Patsfan1081 wrote:
JunkYardDog6ix wrote:
Green89 wrote:
Bucks are currently the 12th seed and the Celtics are 5 games better at the 1 seed, but you feel the Bucks have a stronger case for #2??

You do realize that :

1) The season just started
2) The bucks just got bledsoe
3) The season just startedd !!!

I don't know whats more delusional , all these execs thinking they have a chance to beat LeBron in the playoffs or Celtics fans thinking they are number 1 contenders because of one winning streak 5 game lead on the bucks ? No chance any team can come back from that , might as well wrap up the season now , no playoffs for Bucks and Cavs

Delusional is thinking the Cavs are the best team and the east and the Bucks are the second despite having two of the worst records in the east. Twelve games isn't a small sample either, issues can't get solved overnight. Cleveland has the worst defense in the league, that doesn't get solved by Thomas coming back or changing up rotations. The Bucks have a weak bench and are extremely thin up front, Henson/Maker/Teletovic/Wilson is prob the worst group of big men in the league. Bledsoe is a decent pickup but he's still an average pointguard in the league who has never made a team much better, besides the fact he agreed to sit out so his team can tank despite being healthy, no really a winning attitude there.

Do you even know what you're talking about ? Bledsoe was forced to sit out , which actually led to his frustrations this year and ultimately led to the trade, he wanted to play last year not sit on the bench. So I guess using your logic he actually does have a winning attitude ? But that doesn't fit your narrative does it ?

And regarding the cavs, they are in serious trouble and would get embarrassed by any west team in the finals. But if you actually believe LeBron is losing to the Celtics this year , you are either lying to yourself or you haven't watched LeBron play much in the playoffs.

PDXKnight · Post #11 » by **PDXKnight** » Fri Nov 10, 2017 8:27 pm

tocooks101 wrote:
KamikazeK wrote:Boston is the clear #1. Everything after that is wide open, sure.

Cavs still clear #1 in the East, Bucks strong case for being #2. Celtics and Magic have nice starts, too early to buy into those teams.

I'd say the cavs are the best playoff team in the east but it wouldn't shock me if they finish as a 2 seed

Donnyxc · Post #12 » by **Donnyxc** » Fri Nov 10, 2017 8:34 pm

I love this Celtics team, but we haven't proven anything yet. Need these guys to be healthy in June, but it's clear Danny made the right decisions this summer.

Gianstoppable · Post #13 » by **Gianstoppable** » Fri Nov 10, 2017 8:35 pm

Patsfan1081 wrote:
JunkYardDog6ix wrote:
Green89 wrote:
Bucks are currently the 12th seed and the Celtics are 5 games better at the 1 seed, but you feel the Bucks have a stronger case for #2??

You do realize that :

1) The season just started
2) The bucks just got bledsoe
3) The season just startedd !!!

I don't know whats more delusional , all these execs thinking they have a chance to beat LeBron in the playoffs or Celtics fans thinking they are number 1 contenders because of one winning streak 5 game lead on the bucks ? No chance any team can come back from that , might as well wrap up the season now , no playoffs for Bucks and Cavs

Delusional is thinking the Cavs are the best team and the east and the Bucks are the second despite having two of the worst records in the east. Twelve games isn't a small sample either, issues can't get solved overnight. Cleveland has the worst defense in the league, that doesn't get solved by Thomas coming back or changing up rotations. The Bucks have a weak bench and are extremely thin up front, Henson/Maker/Teletovic/Wilson is prob the worst group of big men in the league. Bledsoe is a decent pickup but he's still an average pointguard in the league who has never made a team much better, besides the fact he agreed to sit out so his team can tank despite being healthy, no really a winning attitude there.

If his team is trying to tank, why would he want to play and give it his all just to lose almost every night? He's seen his name mentioned on the block for a couple years now and hes probably tired of it. He wants to win, isnt that a winning attitude? Im guessing he has his best year overall this year with the Bucks since there are actually other good/great players on his team now. Bucks were missing a legit PG and he brings that as long as he can stay healthy.

alamin330 · Post #14 » by **alamin330** » Fri Nov 10, 2017 8:47 pm

The Bucks have one good player in giannis. Everyone else is a role player. Stop being silly. Bledsoe couldn’t make guys like booker and TJ warren better and those guys would be better than anyone on the Bucks other than giannis so do you really think the Bucks scrubs are going to be better now with Bledsoe? I think not.

tmorgan · Post #15 » by **tmorgan** » Fri Nov 10, 2017 9:32 pm

alamin330 wrote:The Bucks have one good player in giannis. Everyone else is a role player. Stop being silly. Bledsoe couldn’t make guys like booker and TJ warren better and those guys would be better than anyone on the Bucks other than giannis so do you really think the Bucks scrubs are going to be better now with Bledsoe? I think not.

TJ Warren is better than Khris Middleton and Jabari Parker? C'mon now.

Don't even try to make the defense argument for Jabari, either, because Booker doesn't play any defense either.

tmorgan · Post #16 » by **tmorgan** » Fri Nov 10, 2017 9:34 pm

Oden2 wrote:
tocooks101 wrote:
KamikazeK wrote:Boston is the clear #1. Everything after that is wide open, sure.

Cavs still clear #1 in the East, Bucks strong case for being #2. Celtics and Magic have nice starts, too early to buy into those teams.

I'd say the cavs are the best playoff team in the east but it wouldn't shock me if they finish as a 2 seed

I'd be pretty surprised if the Cavs finished even #2. They have a lot of issues to work out, and one of them, being OLD, can't be solved.

They're obviously still an extremely dangerous playoff team, and will still be the favorite once things get under way, but it wouldn't shock me if they only won 45ish games and end up the 4th or 5th seed.

tocooks101 · Post #17 » by **tocooks101** » Fri Nov 10, 2017 9:38 pm

Patsfan1081 wrote:
JunkYardDog6ix wrote:
Green89 wrote:
Bucks are currently the 12th seed and the Celtics are 5 games better at the 1 seed, but you feel the Bucks have a stronger case for #2??

You do realize that :

1) The season just started
2) The bucks just got bledsoe
3) The season just startedd !!!

I don't know whats more delusional , all these execs thinking they have a chance to beat LeBron in the playoffs or Celtics fans thinking they are number 1 contenders because of one winning streak 5 game lead on the bucks ? No chance any team can come back from that , might as well wrap up the season now , no playoffs for Bucks and Cavs

Delusional is thinking the Cavs are the best team and the east and the Bucks are the second despite having two of the worst records in the east. Twelve games isn't a small sample either, issues can't get solved overnight. Cleveland has the worst defense in the league, that doesn't get solved by Thomas coming back or changing up rotations. The Bucks have a weak bench and are extremely thin up front, Henson/Maker/Teletovic/Wilson is prob the worst group of big men in the league. Bledsoe is a decent pickup but he's still an average pointguard in the league who has never made a team much better, besides the fact he agreed to sit out so his team can tank despite being healthy, no really a winning attitude there.

I am going to take a WILD guess here and say you are a Celtics fan?

Cavs have been hands down the best team in the east the last 3 years because they have gone to the finals, that is just a fact. They have more less the same team this year(minus the Kyrie - IT Rose swap) so saying they are STILL the best team is anything but delusional.

If the Celtics do ANYTHING against the Cavs in the playoffs or go to the finals you can make your argument, but until then please sit down.

JunkYardDog6ix · Post #18 » by **JunkYardDog6ix** » Fri Nov 10, 2017 9:44 pm

moocow007 wrote:If the Celtics were terrible last season then it would be a bit of a premature ejaculation, but didn't they have the best regular season record in the East last season? And didn't they have one of the best records in the East the season before that? To say that the Celtics is the best team in the East is not far fetched at all. We're talking about the best team in the East (record wise) in 2016-2017 who actually got better (on paper), even after losing Hayward. Will they be the best team in the East by seasons end? Who knows. But I'm not seeing what the LOL is about someone saying the Celtics are the best team in the East. And this is coming from a Knick fan who normally dislikes most things Celtics related. If we were talking about the Knicks and their surprisingly good start, then, yes, it's a bit too early to start chest bumping but the Celtics being a top team isn't just a dozen or so games deep.

What ? I mean I guess if you stopped watching basketball when the regular season ends it's not far fetched at all. But if you have watched either a) Cavs vs. Celtics last year or B) LeBron against any team in the playoffs then this would explain all the LOLs.

I would of thought the cavs vs. celtics playoff series last year put an end to all this nonsense but here we are again.

I guess fans will never stop underestimating LeBron .. I mean we saw what he did to that 60 win hawks team right ? Not sure what else he can do to prove he's on cruise control in the season.

Green89 · Post #19 » by **Green89** » Fri Nov 10, 2017 9:55 pm

tocooks101 wrote:
Patsfan1081 wrote:
JunkYardDog6ix wrote:
You do realize that :

1) The season just started
2) The bucks just got bledsoe
3) The season just startedd !!!

I don't know whats more delusional , all these execs thinking they have a chance to beat LeBron in the playoffs or Celtics fans thinking they are number 1 contenders because of one winning streak 5 game lead on the bucks ? No chance any team can come back from that , might as well wrap up the season now , no playoffs for Bucks and Cavs

Delusional is thinking the Cavs are the best team and the east and the Bucks are the second despite having two of the worst records in the east. Twelve games isn't a small sample either, issues can't get solved overnight. Cleveland has the worst defense in the league, that doesn't get solved by Thomas coming back or changing up rotations. The Bucks have a weak bench and are extremely thin up front, Henson/Maker/Teletovic/Wilson is prob the worst group of big men in the league. Bledsoe is a decent pickup but he's still an average pointguard in the league who has never made a team much better, besides the fact he agreed to sit out so his team can tank despite being healthy, no really a winning attitude there.

I am going to take a WILD guess here and say you are a Celtics fan?

Cavs have been hands down the best team in the east the last 3 years because they have gone to the finals, that is just a fact. They have more less the same team this year(minus the Kyrie - IT Rose swap) so saying they are STILL the best team is anything but delusional.

If the Celtics do ANYTHING against the Cavs in the playoffs or go to the finals you can make your argument, but until then please sit down.

Hands down? Wait, did the Cavs beat the #1 seed in the east last year when they were 100% healthy or did they win with IT trying to play on a torn up hip? Yah, that's what I thought.

JunkYardDog6ix · Post #20 » by **JunkYardDog6ix** » Fri Nov 10, 2017 9:58 pm

Green89 wrote:
tocooks101 wrote:
Patsfan1081 wrote:
Delusional is thinking the Cavs are the best team and the east and the Bucks are the second despite having two of the worst records in the east. Twelve games isn't a small sample either, issues can't get solved overnight. Cleveland has the worst defense in the league, that doesn't get solved by Thomas coming back or changing up rotations. The Bucks have a weak bench and are extremely thin up front, Henson/Maker/Teletovic/Wilson is prob the worst group of big men in the league. Bledsoe is a decent pickup but he's still an average pointguard in the league who has never made a team much better, besides the fact he agreed to sit out so his team can tank despite being healthy, no really a winning attitude there.

I am going to take a WILD guess here and say you are a Celtics fan?

Cavs have been hands down the best team in the east the last 3 years because they have gone to the finals, that is just a fact. They have more less the same team this year(minus the Kyrie - IT Rose swap) so saying they are STILL the best team is anything but delusional.

If the Celtics do ANYTHING against the Cavs in the playoffs or go to the finals you can make your argument, but until then please sit down.

Hands down? Wait, did the Cavs beat the #1 seed in the east last year when they were 100% healthy or did they win with IT trying to play on a torn up hip? Yah, that's what I thought.

Lol you can't seriously be suggesting that the Celtics had a chance in that series with a healthy IT ... :lol:

I think that tells us all we need to know about your basketball knowledge