Early Top 8 in the East projections.

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Re: Early Top 8 in the East projections. 

Post#421 » by Bubstubbler » Thu Jul 17, 2014 2:58 pm

bgroban wrote:
Pnjguy wrote:
bgroban wrote:Lots of Bulls fans on this board. Winning the Conference? Finishing ahead of the Cavs/Wiz/Raps? Keep dreaming.


you don't follow the league a lot do you?


How will the Bulls finish #1 in the Conference? Enlighten me. I think they will finish 3-5.

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Re: Early Top 8 in the East projections. 

Post#422 » by Trader_Joe » Thu Jul 17, 2014 3:07 pm

I'm kind of surprised to see so many Raptor fans not have the Nets in the playoffs and then have their team so high. Maybe that's just by default due to division standings, but in general it does appear most Rap fans have BK ranked considerably lower on average than most neutral fans.

Essentially they are saying they were beaten by a below average/non-playoff team as BK is returning pretty much the same team and regardless of any officiating conspiracies they were clearly very evenly matched.

Nets have 10 players returning.

As for who they lost:

Livingston - he was benched in the Raps series because Derozen was torching him. He was replaced by Alan Anderson (an actual 3+D guy who re-signed with the team) when down 2-3 and the Nets came back and won thanks in large part to that switch. So Livingston is essentially being replaced by Jack (a better offensive player who probably will run the 2nd unit better than Livingston as he struggled there and why we traded for Teague and signed the D-Leaguer Guitterez) at PG and Anderson (a 3+D player as opposed to a D only player) at SG.

Pierce - who, other than the block, wasn't all that impressive in the playoffs (especially on D) and his minutes will be replaced by AK, JJ, AA and Bogdanovic at SF, AK, Teletovic and Plumlee at PF. He was also the reason why the Raps were able to dominate the boards and on the inside with their size.

Blatche - who is being replaced by Lopez. Obviously Lopez is a much better player. One is an AS C, while the other can't seem to find a contract right now.

Anyway, while this may come across as a bait thread, it's not. I did not bait the entire playoff series despite the repeated attacks against BK and if you know me I don't operate that way. I remember some Rap fans at the end of the series saying they lost to the second best team in the East and took solace in that. But if they truly think Brooklyn is not a playoff team this year (despite going 34-17 in 2014 and returning a a majority of that team and looking to add their AS center), then I don't see how they could think the Raps are much of a threat in the East this year. Not much separated them 2 months ago and not much has changed roster wise since then. Either way, it just seems they are dissing their own team by "admitting" they lost to a lotto team in the playoffs just 2 months ago.
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Re: Early Top 8 in the East projections. 

Post#423 » by Pnjguy » Thu Jul 17, 2014 3:15 pm

bgroban wrote:
Pnjguy wrote:
bgroban wrote:Lots of Bulls fans on this board. Winning the Conference? Finishing ahead of the Cavs/Wiz/Raps? Keep dreaming.


you don't follow the league a lot do you?


How will the Bulls finish #1 in the Conference? Enlighten me. I think they will finish 3-5.


They won 48 games last year and they've added Rose, Gasol, Mirotic, and McDermott.
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Re: Early Top 8 in the East projections. 

Post#424 » by bgroban » Thu Jul 17, 2014 3:27 pm

Pnjguy wrote:
bgroban wrote:
Pnjguy wrote:
you don't follow the league a lot do you?


How will the Bulls finish #1 in the Conference? Enlighten me. I think they will finish 3-5.


They won 48 games last year and they've added Rose, Gasol, Mirotic, and McDermott.


Rose - major question mark, yes?
Mirotic / McDermott - unproven in the NBA
Gasol - super solid
Snell - is he going to step up in season 2?

No doubt - I think Chicago will be a good team. Just don't see them finishing at the top unless the stars align.
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Re: Early Top 8 in the East projections. 

Post#425 » by Hangtime84 » Thu Jul 17, 2014 3:31 pm

bgroban wrote:
Pnjguy wrote:
bgroban wrote:
How will the Bulls finish #1 in the Conference? Enlighten me. I think they will finish 3-5.


They won 48 games last year and they've added Rose, Gasol, Mirotic, and McDermott.


Rose - major question mark, yes?
Mirotic / McDermott - unproven in the NBA
Gasol - super solid
Snell - is he going to step up in season 2?

No doubt - I think Chicago will be a good team. Just don't see them finishing at the top unless the stars align.


You just ignored all the positive additions to the team and addressed our major weakness this off season.
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Re: Early Top 8 in the East projections. 

Post#426 » by Pnjguy » Thu Jul 17, 2014 3:39 pm

bgroban wrote:
Pnjguy wrote:
bgroban wrote:
How will the Bulls finish #1 in the Conference? Enlighten me. I think they will finish 3-5.


They won 48 games last year and they've added Rose, Gasol, Mirotic, and McDermott.


Rose - major question mark, yes?
Mirotic / McDermott - unproven in the NBA
Gasol - super solid
Snell - is he going to step up in season 2?

No doubt - I think Chicago will be a good team. Just don't see them finishing at the top unless the stars align.


All your concerns are valid, but i could come up with the same for every team in the East. The Bulls have as good as shot as anybody in the East. I don't know why people are dreaming because they think that.
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Re: Early Top 8 in the East projections. 

Post#427 » by DG88 » Thu Jul 17, 2014 3:39 pm

Trader_Joe wrote:I'm kind of surprised to see so many Raptor fans not have the Nets in the playoffs and then have their team so high. Maybe that's just by default due to division standings, but in general it does appear most Rap fans have BK ranked considerably lower on average than most neutral fans.

Essentially they are saying they were beaten by a below average/non-playoff team as BK is returning pretty much the same team and regardless of any officiating conspiracies they were clearly very evenly matched.

Nets have 10 players returning.

As for who they lost:

Livingston - he was benched in the Raps series because Derozen was torching him. He was replaced by Alan Anderson (an actual 3+D guy who re-signed with the team) when down 2-3 and the Nets came back and won thanks in large part to that switch. So Livingston is essentially being replaced by Jack (a better offensive player who probably will run the 2nd unit better than Livingston as he struggled there and why we traded for Teague and signed the D-Leaguer Guitterez) at PG and Anderson (a 3+D player as opposed to a D only player) at SG.

Pierce - who, other than the block, wasn't all that impressive in the playoffs (especially on D) and his minutes will be replaced by AK, JJ, AA and Bogdanovic at SF, AK, Teletovic and Plumlee at PF. He was also the reason why the Raps were able to dominate the boards and on the inside with their size.

Blatche - who is being replaced by Lopez. Obviously Lopez is a much better player. One is an AS C, while the other can't seem to find a contract right now.

Anyway, while this may come across as a bait thread, it's not. I did not bait the entire playoff series despite the repeated attacks against BK and if you know me I don't operate that way. I remember some Rap fans at the end of the series saying they lost to the second best team in the East and took solace in that. But if they truly think Brooklyn is not a playoff team this year (despite going 34-17 in 2014 and returning a a majority of that team and looking to add their AS center), then I don't see how they could think the Raps are much of a threat in the East this year. Not much separated them 2 months ago and not much has changed roster wise since then. Either way, it just seems they are dissing their own team by "admitting" they lost to a lotto team in the playoffs just 2 months ago.

The Raptors and the Nets will both come out of the Atlantic this season. I still think the Raps will end up winning the division but you'll give us a run for our money.
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Re: Early Top 8 in the East projections. 

Post#428 » by bgroban » Thu Jul 17, 2014 3:43 pm

Hangtime84 wrote:
bgroban wrote:
Pnjguy wrote:
They won 48 games last year and they've added Rose, Gasol, Mirotic, and McDermott.


Rose - major question mark, yes?
Mirotic / McDermott - unproven in the NBA
Gasol - super solid
Snell - is he going to step up in season 2?

No doubt - I think Chicago will be a good team. Just don't see them finishing at the top unless the stars align.


You just ignored all the positive additions to the team and addressed our major weakness this off season.


I am sorry - which "positive" additions did I leave out? Hinrich coming back? Boozer being amnestied? Between Rose/Mirotic/McD/Gasol, what other additions were made to the roster?
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Re: Early Top 8 in the East projections. 

Post#429 » by SpeedyG » Thu Jul 17, 2014 3:45 pm

Troubadour wrote:
EscapoTHB wrote:Pacers
heat
bulls
Nets
hawks
raptors
cavs
wizards


The Nets got worse this off-season...how are they now better than the Raptors who added two quality rotation players in Lou Williams and James Johnson?

Lost Livingston and Pierce. Garnett is a year older. Lopez and Williams coming off of major surgeries.

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I'm not going to put the Nets up that high, but there are valid reasons as to why they "could" be better than last year:

- more experienced HC
- lost Livingston but gained Jarrett Jack
- Garnett is a year older, but Teletovic and Plumlee are one year more experienced in the NBA
- lost Pierce but added some younger players (Bogdanovic, Karasev, Brown) that can help the team's overall athleticism, which was severely hurting last year.

Lopez and Williams may be coming off major surgeries, but is that really a negative compared to an ACTUAL injured Lopez and Wiliams?
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Re: Early Top 8 in the East projections. 

Post#430 » by Prokorov » Thu Jul 17, 2014 3:45 pm

Trader_Joe wrote:I'm kind of surprised to see so many Raptor fans not have the Nets in the playoffs and then have their team so high. Maybe that's just by default due to division standings, but in general it does appear most Rap fans have BK ranked considerably lower on average than most neutral fans.

Essentially they are saying they were beaten by a below average/non-playoff team as BK is returning pretty much the same team and regardless of any officiating conspiracies they were clearly very evenly matched.


I think they just have a bad taste in their mouth and still cant admit we were the better team. The extents they went to in order to pretty much the entire series on the refs was quite embarrassing. They were blaming the officials before the series has even started.
Nets have 10 players returning.

As for who they lost:

Livingston - he was benched in the Raps series because Derozen was torching him. He was replaced by Alan Anderson (an actual 3+D guy who re-signed with the team) when down 2-3 and the Nets came back and won thanks in large part to that switch. So Livingston is essentially being replaced by Jack (a better offensive player who probably will run the 2nd unit better than Livingston as he struggled there and why we traded for Teague and signed the D-Leaguer Guitterez) at PG and Anderson (a 3+D player as opposed to a D only player) at SG.

Pierce - who, other than the block, wasn't all that impressive in the playoffs (especially on D) and his minutes will be replaced by AK, JJ, AA and Bogdanovic at SF, AK, Teletovic and Plumlee at PF. He was also the reason why the Raps were able to dominate the boards and on the inside with their size.

Blatche - who is being replaced by Lopez. Obviously Lopez is a much better player. One is an AS C, while the other can't seem to find a contract right now.


Agreed, on paper, we replaced all of our losses well. Jack is a solid backup point gaurd and Alan Anderson did really well when we started him last year (8-1 w/ him starting including playoffs). Bogdanovic is an unknown, but Mirza is a suitable replacement to pierce as a stretch 4 who should be able to replicate the 13/4 pierce posted. pierce brings leadership, but with a verteran team and KG/Hollins i dont think that loss has a big impact. Lopez, as much as i hate on him, is clearly an upgrade to Blatche.

Now thats all on paper. how it shakes out is yet to be seen, but returning 10 starters and a veteran team I think the odds are the bottom doesnt fall out.

Anyway, while this may come across as a bait thread, it's not. I did not bait the entire playoff series despite the repeated attacks against BK and if you know me I don't operate that way. I remember some Rap fans at the end of the series saying they lost to the second best team in the East and took solace in that. But if they truly think Brooklyn is not a playoff team this year (despite going 34-17 in 2014 and returning a a majority of that team and looking to add their AS center), then I don't see how they could think the Raps are much of a threat in the East this year. Not much separated them 2 months ago and not much has changed roster wise since then. Either way, it just seems they are dissing their own team by "admitting" they lost to a lotto team in the playoffs just 2 months ago.



Yea, The Nets probably dont have a high ceiling, but to count them out of the playoffs seems a bit off. We have a pretty high floor with so many veterans and the talent level.

Deron Williams | Jarrett Jack
Alan Anderson | Bojan Bogdanovic
Joe Johnson | Andrei Kirilenko
Mirza Teletovic | Mason Plumlee
Kevin Garnett | Brook Lopez

Thats the same starting lineup we finsihed the year with only with mirza in place of Pierce, and then bench you are adding brook lope to a cast of pretty solid playes. I just dont see how that team finsihes under .500, even if lopez misses time to injury
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Re: Early Top 8 in the East projections. 

Post#431 » by Prokorov » Thu Jul 17, 2014 3:49 pm

Troubadour wrote:The Nets got worse this off-season...how are they now better than the Raptors who added two quality rotation players in Lou Williams and James Johnson?

Lost Livingston and Pierce. Garnett is a year older. Lopez and Williams coming off of major surgeries.

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Isnt Lopez coming off surgery better then no lopez at all?

isnt deron williams coming off surgery better then a deron williams who desperately needs surgery?

Livingston was replaced by jack. thats not an enormous downgrade

you say garnett is old as a negative, yet replacing peirce with a younger player in bogdanovic is a bad thing? seems like a really inconsistent viewpoint
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Re: Early Top 8 in the East projections. 

Post#432 » by Trader_Joe » Thu Jul 17, 2014 3:50 pm

DG88 wrote:
Trader_Joe wrote:I'm kind of surprised to see so many Raptor fans not have the Nets in the playoffs and then have their team so high. Maybe that's just by default due to division standings, but in general it does appear most Rap fans have BK ranked considerably lower on average than most neutral fans.

Essentially they are saying they were beaten by a below average/non-playoff team as BK is returning pretty much the same team and regardless of any officiating conspiracies they were clearly very evenly matched.

Nets have 10 players returning.

As for who they lost:

Livingston - he was benched in the Raps series because Derozen was torching him. He was replaced by Alan Anderson (an actual 3+D guy who re-signed with the team) when down 2-3 and the Nets came back and won thanks in large part to that switch. So Livingston is essentially being replaced by Jack (a better offensive player who probably will run the 2nd unit better than Livingston as he struggled there and why we traded for Teague and signed the D-Leaguer Guitterez) at PG and Anderson (a 3+D player as opposed to a D only player) at SG.

Pierce - who, other than the block, wasn't all that impressive in the playoffs (especially on D) and his minutes will be replaced by AK, JJ, AA and Bogdanovic at SF, AK, Teletovic and Plumlee at PF. He was also the reason why the Raps were able to dominate the boards and on the inside with their size.

Blatche - who is being replaced by Lopez. Obviously Lopez is a much better player. One is an AS C, while the other can't seem to find a contract right now.

Anyway, while this may come across as a bait thread, it's not. I did not bait the entire playoff series despite the repeated attacks against BK and if you know me I don't operate that way. I remember some Rap fans at the end of the series saying they lost to the second best team in the East and took solace in that. But if they truly think Brooklyn is not a playoff team this year (despite going 34-17 in 2014 and returning a a majority of that team and looking to add their AS center), then I don't see how they could think the Raps are much of a threat in the East this year. Not much separated them 2 months ago and not much has changed roster wise since then. Either way, it just seems they are dissing their own team by "admitting" they lost to a lotto team in the playoffs just 2 months ago.

The Raptors and the Nets will both come out of the Atlantic this season. I still think the Raps will end up winning the division but you'll give us a run for our money.

I think so too.

But, again, I'm surprised how much lower Raps fans have ranked the Nets than neutral fans on average and what that implies or says about the Raps. Again it's basically saying, the Raps lost to a lotto team 2 months ago (or what would be a lotto team this year in the East) in the POs....and not much has changed has since then. I think emotion came into play when making these rankings by some, but in this case it makes their own team look bad. If emotion did not come into play, and most think the Nets will be this bad (again despite returning essentially the same roster), then I don't see how the Raps should be anything more than the 7th or 8th best team in the East...as in slightly better than the team they just lost to, that they were very evenly matched with.

That's kind of why I did not rank by seeding, rather a power ranking. By default someone from the Atlantic has to get a top 4 seed, but I'd rather know where that team ranks in relation to other teams, not so much where they will sit in the standings by default.
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Re: Early Top 8 in the East projections. 

Post#433 » by Trader_Joe » Thu Jul 17, 2014 4:02 pm

Prokorov wrote:Yea, The Nets probably dont have a high ceiling, but to count them out of the playoffs seems a bit off. We have a pretty high floor with so many veterans and the talent level.

Deron Williams | Jarrett Jack
Alan Anderson | Bojan Bogdanovic
Joe Johnson | Andrei Kirilenko
Mirza Teletovic | Mason Plumlee
Kevin Garnett | Brook Lopez

Thats the same starting lineup we finsihed the year with only with mirza in place of Pierce, and then bench you are adding brook lope to a cast of pretty solid playes. I just dont see how that team finsihes under .500, even if lopez misses time to injury

Given we're back to our original "big 3" and considering Hollins is much closer to Avery/PJC than Kidd, I think it makes most sense to compare that team to the 49 win team from 2 years ago.

Deron Williams | Jarrett Jack
Joe Johnson | Bojan Bogdanovic
Alan Anderson | Andrei Kirilenko
Mason Plumlee l Mirza Teletovic
Brook Lopez | Kevin Garnett
vs.
Deron Williams | CJ Watson
Joe Johnson | MarShon Brooks
Gerald Wallace | Keith Bogans
Reggie Evans l Kris Humphries
Brook Lopez | Andray Blatche

PG: I'll take Deron with cleaned out ankles and Jarret Jack over the wildly inconsistent Deron we had that year and Watson.
Edge 2014.

SG: Joe had his best season as a Net last year, and I'm much more intrigued by Bogdanovic than Brooks. Joe also had Plantar F. in 2012.
Edge 2014.

SF: Wallace was a disaster that year. At least Anderson can make 3 pointers and AK is a major upgrade over Bogans.
Edge 2014.

PF: We actually have a PF that can shoot in Teletovic and Plumlee is a much better player than Evans.
Edge 2014.

C: This is what it all comes down to.. Brook. He was an AS and had a great season that year. If he isn't healthy KG and Plumlee are in tow, but they still aren't Brook.
Edge 2012 for now.

Hollins vs Avery/PJC
Considering Avery and PJC are still looking for jobs years later, says it all.
Edge 2014.
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Re: Early Top 8 in the East projections. 

Post#434 » by Johnlac1 » Thu Jul 17, 2014 4:08 pm

Pnjguy wrote:
bgroban wrote:
Pnjguy wrote:
you don't follow the league a lot do you?


How will the Bulls finish #1 in the Conference? Enlighten me. I think they will finish 3-5.


They won 48 games last year and they've added Rose, Gasol, Mirotic, and McDermott.

Plus Snell is looking pretty good in SL. Looks like he's made a jump.
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Re: Early Top 8 in the East projections. 

Post#435 » by Trader_Joe » Thu Jul 17, 2014 4:21 pm

Question for people..

What seed do you project for the following Chicago teams...

a. Rose comes back 100%

b. Rose comes back, but clearly isn't the player he once was
(vague I know but didn't want to list the endless number of scenarios he could fit under, say he is 75% the player he once was and more a top 12 PG as opposed to top 2 PG along with Paul)

c. Rose misses most or all of the season


Also, what odds do you assign to each scenario?
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Re: Early Top 8 in the East projections. 

Post#436 » by DG88 » Thu Jul 17, 2014 4:27 pm

Trader_Joe wrote:
DG88 wrote:
Trader_Joe wrote:I'm kind of surprised to see so many Raptor fans not have the Nets in the playoffs and then have their team so high. Maybe that's just by default due to division standings, but in general it does appear most Rap fans have BK ranked considerably lower on average than most neutral fans.

Essentially they are saying they were beaten by a below average/non-playoff team as BK is returning pretty much the same team and regardless of any officiating conspiracies they were clearly very evenly matched.

Nets have 10 players returning.

As for who they lost:

Livingston - he was benched in the Raps series because Derozen was torching him. He was replaced by Alan Anderson (an actual 3+D guy who re-signed with the team) when down 2-3 and the Nets came back and won thanks in large part to that switch. So Livingston is essentially being replaced by Jack (a better offensive player who probably will run the 2nd unit better than Livingston as he struggled there and why we traded for Teague and signed the D-Leaguer Guitterez) at PG and Anderson (a 3+D player as opposed to a D only player) at SG.

Pierce - who, other than the block, wasn't all that impressive in the playoffs (especially on D) and his minutes will be replaced by AK, JJ, AA and Bogdanovic at SF, AK, Teletovic and Plumlee at PF. He was also the reason why the Raps were able to dominate the boards and on the inside with their size.

Blatche - who is being replaced by Lopez. Obviously Lopez is a much better player. One is an AS C, while the other can't seem to find a contract right now.

Anyway, while this may come across as a bait thread, it's not. I did not bait the entire playoff series despite the repeated attacks against BK and if you know me I don't operate that way. I remember some Rap fans at the end of the series saying they lost to the second best team in the East and took solace in that. But if they truly think Brooklyn is not a playoff team this year (despite going 34-17 in 2014 and returning a a majority of that team and looking to add their AS center), then I don't see how they could think the Raps are much of a threat in the East this year. Not much separated them 2 months ago and not much has changed roster wise since then. Either way, it just seems they are dissing their own team by "admitting" they lost to a lotto team in the playoffs just 2 months ago.

The Raptors and the Nets will both come out of the Atlantic this season. I still think the Raps will end up winning the division but you'll give us a run for our money.

I think so too.

But, again, I'm surprised how much lower Raps fans have ranked the Nets than neutral fans on average and what that implies or says about the Raps. Again it's basically saying, the Raps lost to a lotto team 2 months ago (or what would be a lotto team this year in the East) in the POs....and not much has changed has since then. I think emotion came into play when making these rankings by some, but in this case it makes their own team look bad. If emotion did not come into play, and most think the Nets will be this bad (again despite returning essentially the same roster), then I don't see how the Raps should be anything more than the 7th or 8th best team in the East...as in slightly better than the team they just lost to, that they were very evenly matched with.

That's kind of why I did not rank by seeding, rather a power ranking. By default someone from the Atlantic has to get a top 4 seed, but I'd rather know where that team ranks in relation to other teams, not so much where they will sit in the standings by default.

For Raptors fans a lot us see our lost to you guys in the playoffs as a great learning experience for our young players. Something that will push there development. Terrence Ross after coming off a brutal playoff performance has worked on his body and he really been pushing himself hard after being disappointed in himself with his performance. JV is working with Hakeem and doing other workouts before playing for his national team. Our depths has gotten better with adding Lou Williams and James Johnson. Plus the biggest factor is the stability by bringing back all our free agents. Our chemistry is only going to get better. So we're very excited with our team, so you can understand why some fans are overzealous.
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Re: Early Top 8 in the East projections. 

Post#437 » by Cliff Levingston » Thu Jul 17, 2014 4:30 pm

bgroban wrote:I am sorry - which "positive" additions did I leave out? Hinrich coming back? Boozer being amnestied? Between Rose/Mirotic/McD/Gasol, what other additions were made to the roster?

That's about it, but that's a lot. Gasol is a big upgrade on Boozer who was being pushed out the rotation by Gibson. Gasol adds length and low post offense to this team where we didn't have it before while also bringing a decent defensive presence.

Mirotic isn't that big of an addition right now just due to all the other good players we have in the front court. What he can do that no other big man we have is shoot from distance. He was a 40+% shooter from 3 point land in Europe so he provides some value there.

McDermott is a pretty big addition. He'll fit right into Thibs' defense once he gets it down because he's got a great awareness level and that's the most important thing to have in order to play for Thibs. His shooting is invaluable for a team that lacked it last year outside of Dunleavy. He's also not just a shooter so that helps an offensively challenged team like the Bulls too.

Snell improving is nice but he's just a bench player. More valuable than what Snell provides on the court would be that if he's a capable rotation player, combined with McBuckets and Dunleavy at the 3, it would allow Thibodeau to pull back Jimmy Butler's minutes. Jimmy fought through nagging injuries logging 40+ minutes most night and it killed his jumper completely. If those other guys can log some quality minutes, Thibodeau probably won't feel the need to lean on Jimmy so hard so he can cut back his minutes a bit which will help his offense and his shot, if only a bit. That's a little improvement.

Derrick Rose is the big one. Everything above is pretty moot as far as competing for a title is concerned if Rose can't stay healthy. Rose "getting" healthy isn't the problem: he's 100% without any degeneration in either knee. The problem is going to be staying healthy, and can his knees take the torque he puts on them with his incredible speed and explosion? ICLO, having Rose is going to be the difference between the 2nd seed at the lowest (with him) and the 4th to 6th seed (without him). He's that important to the Bulls' offense.
JohnnyNightrain
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Re: Early Top 8 in the East projections. 

Post#438 » by JohnnyNightrain » Thu Jul 17, 2014 4:32 pm

How would Chicago not be the top one or two? Aside from, obviously, Cleveland, what other team has improved as much as Chicago? They've dumped Boozer, lost Augustin, but they're getting back Rose and have added Gasol, Mirotic and McDermott. Finishing between three and five? They were four last year without Rose and Deng and the Heat and Pacers, who were above them, are now weakened. Thibs can coach. Mirotic and McDermott might not be the next Dirks, but they aren't gonna be bad under Thibs.

Anyway, this is all on paper now, but looking at projected starting line-ups, who is better, position-by-position? Of course, anything can happen in terms of injuries, chemistry, trades, etc., but, saying the Bulls are a fifth seed in a still weak conference is a little ridiculous.
aad
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Re: Early Top 8 in the East projections. 

Post#439 » by aad » Thu Jul 17, 2014 4:38 pm

pistons will be alot better then people think they upgraded the coach and got better shooters
bgroban
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Re: Early Top 8 in the East projections. 

Post#440 » by bgroban » Thu Jul 17, 2014 4:38 pm

JohnnyNightrain wrote:How would Chicago not be the top one or two? Aside from, obviously, Cleveland, what other team has improved as much as Chicago? They've dumped Boozer, lost Augustin, but they're getting back Rose and have added Gasol, Mirotic and McDermott. Finishing between three and five? They were four last year without Rose and Deng and the Heat and Pacers, who were above them, are now weakened. Thibs can coach. Mirotic and McDermott might not be the next Dirks, but they aren't gonna be bad under Thibs.

Anyway, this is all on paper now, but looking at projected starting line-ups, who is better, position-by-position? Of course, anything can happen in terms of injuries, chemistry, trades, etc., but, saying the Bulls are a fifth seed in a still weak conference is a little ridiculous.


The talking heads in the media will have you think otherwise, but I do not see them faring better than the Cavs/Raps/Wash.

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