Bensational wrote:
It’s not like the rest of the East coast has been on fire post ASB, but for some reason our struggles are enough to question our entire identity while everyone else is presumed to be some kind of legit.
It’s just part of the growth of the team. This time last year we were hoping against odds of making the play-in. This time we’ve been hoping against odds for #2 (or HCA). We improved in the year between those events and got into a position where these games count more than they did the season before. That’s progress.
Yeah, I don't get the over reactions. We are a bottom 10 offense and a top 5 defense who is great at home and against sub .500 teams and decent against above .500 teams. We have one of the most successful young cores of all time and are ahead of schedule. We've particularly been struggling against playoff teams with a few bad road losses against sub .500 teams mixed in.
The recent dip in defensive performance is almost certainly a slump and not a trend. We can be confident we'll get our top 5 defense back in time for the play-ins or playoffs.
This season's success will be driven by Paolo, Franz, Suggs, Cole, Isaac, and probably Moe. The core will gain invaluable experience.
We should not expect a first round victory but we should absolutely root for one and envision the scenario's where we win. We can definitely win a series, I'd expect its a 33% probability or something.
Long-term, our success will be driven primarily by the development of Paolo, Franz, Suggs, AB, and Jett, along with critical role player acquisitions. We know the role players that need to be shipped out, WCJ, Fultz, and Harris just don't seem to fit or have a long-term spot on this team.