Predict the Wizards Record '14-'15 season

[Induveca]

Predicting 46 wins....my optimism on Beal has risen drastically. Love Blair, and Pierce's influence on Porter as well.

[dckingsfan]

Note: If you share a win record, tie is determined by ECS

Wins

57 - deneem4
56 - jeffsays
55 - leswizards, TheBabyMaker, TheBlackCzar
54 - Wizardspride, stevemcqueen1
53 - dangermouse, Hidden Eye
52 - CntOutSmrtCrazy, AFM, hands11, MOrgil, barelyawake, JWizmentality, MarcoPolo
51 - FreeBalling, sfam, diaboliQ_Mo, Higga, bgroban, Bleacher Report
50 - nuposse04, 2Mas, TheKingOfVa360, CobraCommander, DCZards, WallToWall, jivelikenice, Higga, Wall34
49 - thricethefun, gesa2, BarnabyJones, Jimmy Recard, blazinskillz
48 - miller31time, KevinFCheng, jmrosenth, keynote, long suffrin' boulez fan, McFilthy, Illmatic12, Kanyewest, dandridge 10, nate33
47 - DCKingsFan, The Fax, Jay81, Nigel Tufnel, Severn Hoos, The Fax, ESPN
46 - penbeast0, montestewart, DaRealHibachi, mohammed10, Induveca
45 - Ruzious, Nivek, J-Ves, Earth2Ted
44 - MJG, verbal8
43 - Dat2U, queridiculo, TGW
42 - FAH1223, Chocolate City Jordanaire
40 - BigA

ECS

1st -
2nd - leswizards, deneem4, stevemcqueen1, bgroban, MarcoPolo
3rd - miller31time, CntOutSmrtCrazy, 2Mas, FreeBalling, hands11, McFilthy, sfam, BarnabyJones, Illmatic12, JWizmentality, Bleacher Report, Severn Hoos
4th - gesa2, DCZards, J-Ves, montestewart, The Fax, mohammed10, dandridge 10, nuposse04, nate33, ESPN
5th - DCKingsFan, verbal8, long suffrin' boulez fan, Earth2Ted
6th - Nivek
7th
8th - BigA

[dckingsfan]

Mean is now - 48.8, creeping up...

Median is still - 48.5

Range is still - 17

Mode is still - 48

[noworriesinmd]

46 wins and 5th place in EC.

The Wiz will not be better than
Cleveland (turning into Super team)
Chicago (gained offensive spark in DRose + incredible D)
Toronto ( I believe they are a tad better than the Wiz...I'm in show me mode)
Miami (D Wade one more great season left after "resting" last season, Bosh underestimated with something to prove; Deng great addition; possible Bynum signing)

Wall and Beal chemistry is questioned early on.
Wall with something to prove tries to beast mode --epic fail
Beal drinks kool-aid and believes he's a one man scoring machine.

Team meeting with Pierce settling everything down.
Remember: Ariza was, at times, the best Wiz player. This is a big team reboot with a lot of new faces...including Otto.

By All Star break Wiz are playing .700 ball, then Nene gets hurt. Wiz finish strong.
Wiz barely advance through round 1

[cammac]

I like the Wizards for 3rd and Chicago 4th.
Chicago is being overblow I doubt that Rose and Pau play a total of 90 games together. Rose right now is hype he wasn't that good against Brazil and at best he will be 80% of the MVP Rose. That makes Wall/Lowry better and likely Teague ahead of him as PGs. McDermott tore up SL but that's summer league and McDermottt is 22 against srubs and younger players. I predicted he would be a failure in the NBA still think that. Mirotec might be a very good player but it will take 50 games to get used to NBA. Noah is the best C in the East but has had off and on injury problems.

Washington has one of the 2 best PG&SG combinations in the East and likely no worse than 4th in the league.
Plus they have good depth in Miller and Webster something most teams don't have. Which would put them really only behind Toronto as the best 4 or 5 man PG&SG combination in the NBA (Lowry,Vasquez, Demar, Williams & Ross). I'm hoping a better Porter shows up this year because Pierce isn't quite as good as Ariza and he has been playing PF a lot for the Nets. Nene and Gortat are very solid and Hump is a tough player.

[Hidden Eye]

46 wins and 5th place in EC.

The Wiz will not be better than
Cleveland (turning into Super team)
Chicago (gained offensive spark in DRose + incredible D)
Toronto ( I believe they are a tad better than the Wiz...I'm in show me mode)
Miami (D Wade one more great season left after "resting" last season, Bosh underestimated with something to prove; Deng great addition; possible Bynum signing)

Wall and Beal chemistry is questioned early on.
Wall with something to prove tries to beast mode --epic fail
Beal drinks kool-aid and believes he's a one man scoring machine.

Team meeting with Pierce settling everything down.
Remember: Ariza was, at times, the best Wiz player. This is a big team reboot with a lot of new faces...including Otto.

By All Star break Wiz are playing .700 ball, then Nene gets hurt. Wiz finish strong.
Wiz barely advance through round 1

I disagree what makes these teams MUCH better than the Wizards? I am not seeing it. They could be better than the Wizards but saying they will be better than them beating them in a playoffs series guaranteed I don't see it. Wall has something to prove that instantly makes them better than every team in the East.

[montestewart]

46 wins and 5th place in EC.

The Wiz will not be better than
Cleveland (turning into Super team)
Chicago (gained offensive spark in DRose + incredible D)
Toronto ( I believe they are a tad better than the Wiz...I'm in show me mode)
Miami (D Wade one more great season left after "resting" last season, Bosh underestimated with something to prove; Deng great addition; possible Bynum signing)

Wall and Beal chemistry is questioned early on.
Wall with something to prove tries to beast mode --epic fail
Beal drinks kool-aid and believes he's a one man scoring machine.

Team meeting with Pierce settling everything down.
Remember: Ariza was, at times, the best Wiz player. This is a big team reboot with a lot of new faces...including Otto.

By All Star break Wiz are playing .700 ball, then Nene gets hurt. Wiz finish strong.
Wiz barely advance through round 1

I disagree what makes these teams MUCH better than the Wizards? I am not seeing it. They could be better than the Wizards but saying they will be better than them beating them in a playoffs series guaranteed I don't see it. Wall has something to prove that instantly makes them better than every team in the East.

Kyrie Irving, Derrick Rose, and Toronto and Miami as teams, all have even more to prove than Wall does. So the Cavs, Bulls, Raptors and Heat are better than the Wizards.

[Hidden Eye]

46 wins and 5th place in EC.

The Wiz will not be better than
Cleveland (turning into Super team)
Chicago (gained offensive spark in DRose + incredible D)
Toronto ( I believe they are a tad better than the Wiz...I'm in show me mode)
Miami (D Wade one more great season left after "resting" last season, Bosh underestimated with something to prove; Deng great addition; possible Bynum signing)

Wall and Beal chemistry is questioned early on.
Wall with something to prove tries to beast mode --epic fail
Beal drinks kool-aid and believes he's a one man scoring machine.

Team meeting with Pierce settling everything down.
Remember: Ariza was, at times, the best Wiz player. This is a big team reboot with a lot of new faces...including Otto.

By All Star break Wiz are playing .700 ball, then Nene gets hurt. Wiz finish strong.
Wiz barely advance through round 1

I disagree what makes these teams MUCH better than the Wizards? I am not seeing it. They could be better than the Wizards but saying they will be better than them beating them in a playoffs series guaranteed I don't see it. Wall has something to prove that instantly makes them better than every team in the East.

Kyrie Irving, Derrick Rose, and Toronto and Miami as teams, all have even more to prove than Wall does. So the Cavs, Bulls, Raptors and Heat are better than the Wizards.

How you know they have more to prove? That's your opinion but I being sarcastic because saying some team or player has more to prove is really baseless. Everybody has something to prove in the NBA that doesn't mean they are a better team.

[montestewart]

I disagree what makes these teams MUCH better than the Wizards? I am not seeing it. They could be better than the Wizards but saying they will be better than them beating them in a playoffs series guaranteed I don't see it. Wall has something to prove that instantly makes them better than every team in the East.

Kyrie Irving, Derrick Rose, and Toronto and Miami as teams, all have even more to prove than Wall does. So the Cavs, Bulls, Raptors and Heat are better than the Wizards.

How you know they have more to prove? That's your opinion but I being sarcastic because saying some team or player has more to prove is really baseless. Everybody has something to prove in the NBA that doesn't mean they are a better team.

You had me at hell

[noworriesinmd]

I hope I'm wrong. Where everyone saw Beal grow up and become a #1 scoring option...I saw the following
* A SG that can't take care of the ball. He doesn' dribble well (it's really obvious if you look at the playoffs)
* A SG that hogs the ball more. If you watch Wall, at times he got a little frustrated.

A SG that can't dribble, but hogs the ball means more turnovers.

This is not a bad thing..this is growing pains. Kindof like Wade and James when they first began to play with each other. Hopefully they will learn how to play with each other because they do compliment each other. Both are still learning and their powers are getting stronger

For many games Ariza was our best player. I'm in show me mode. Ariza carried this team at times. When the Wiz didn't have offense...he was hot. When they needed a defensive stop...Ariza provided that. Someone needs to step up.

We have a lot of changes. The core last year was Ariza, Wall, Beal. This year it is Wall, Beal, and ?.

Otto and GRJR have a lot to prove. Will they integrate well with the team/together...find their "niche".

We brought on a lot of new faces. Are they humble? Do they have other motives? Do they work well?

Can Randy go to the next level? I think he is a great motivator. This is the first year where the team has REAL expectations. I think playoffs or bust last year was too easy. Most teams wanted Wiggins, Parker, or Randle....that "historic" draft is over; how will teams react? We got a good playoff matchup because of Kidd...not because of our skills. Though I believe we would have swept Indy, if we had them the first round.

The Wiz are good. They have a chance to go to the ECF. They are deep and they have a lot of upside.

I just think Toronto, Chicago, Cleveland, and Miami are better.

There is a reason why veteran teams win championships.
3/4 teams listed are veteran teams. Toronto could switch places with Washington.
I believe that 2/4 teams will not go hard for a great record....but they will try to get into one of the top 5 spots. I think James wants Cleveland to be special. Plus they have young legs and instance offense everywhere. They might lack D, but no team will be able to hang offensively.

Of course all this changes with injury. We were lucky last year. I'm not sure we'll be so lucky this year.

[nate33]

46 wins and 5th place in EC.

The Wiz will not be better than
Cleveland (turning into Super team)
Chicago (gained offensive spark in DRose + incredible D)
Toronto ( I believe they are a tad better than the Wiz...I'm in show me mode)
Miami (D Wade one more great season left after "resting" last season, Bosh underestimated with something to prove; Deng great addition; possible Bynum signing)

Wall and Beal chemistry is questioned early on.
Wall with something to prove tries to beast mode --epic fail
Beal drinks kool-aid and believes he's a one man scoring machine.

Team meeting with Pierce settling everything down.
Remember: Ariza was, at times, the best Wiz player. This is a big team reboot with a lot of new faces...including Otto.

By All Star break Wiz are playing .700 ball, then Nene gets hurt. Wiz finish strong.
Wiz barely advance through round 1

I seriously doubt your predictions regarding Miami. Wade isn't going to be better after "resting" last season. Last season, he spent the entire season being guarded by the opposition's second-best defensive player and he had the luxury of never playing back-to-backs, yet he still broke down. He is going to be much worse this year having to play through injury and always dealing with the opposition's best defender. I also wonder if Bosh can change gears mentally and get back into being the true PF he once was back with Toronto. He played a lot of stretch four in Miami and I wonder if he has gotten soft over the years. He might not have the same willingness to be physical anymore. Deng isn't exactly an iron man either. He's probably going to miss 15-20 games.

I also have issues with some of the criticisms you have with Washington. Questioning Wall and Beal's chemistry is just silly. Those guys have great chemistry and there's no reason whatsoever to expect that to change. Beal is a humble guy and isn't going to come out trying to prove he's the Man. And why does Wall "have something to prove" more so than anybody else? Wall has already proven he's an All-Star and has taken his team to the 2nd round. If anything, he might play a bit more relaxed and comfortable this year (which may or may not be a good thing).

The big question mark about the Wizards is how will they handle the loss of Ariza. If that was your primary concern, then I wouldn't disagree. We're going to have to hope that Pierce makes up for much of Ariza's production, and that improvements out of Beal and our depth makes up for the rest.

[nate33]

I hope I'm wrong. Where everyone saw Beal grow up and become a #1 scoring option...I saw the following
* A SG that can't take care of the ball. He doesn' dribble well (it's really obvious if you look at the playoffs)
* A SG that hogs the ball more. If you watch Wall, at times he got a little frustrated.

LOL. Beal was much improved in the playoffs. He went from a PER of 14.3 in the regular season to a PER of 17.0 in the playoffs despite being guarded by 3 of the top 5 perimeter defenders in the league. He went from averaging 4.9 assists and 2.6 turnovers per 100 possessions in the regular season to 6.0 assists and 2.7 turnovers per 100 possessions in the post season. How in the world can you describe that as being and "ball hog" and "obvious" that he couldn't take care of the ball?

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

46 wins and 5th place in EC.

The Wiz will not be better than
Cleveland (turning into Super team)
Chicago (gained offensive spark in DRose + incredible D)
Toronto ( I believe they are a tad better than the Wiz...I'm in show me mode)
Miami (D Wade one more great season left after "resting" last season, Bosh underestimated with something to prove; Deng great addition; possible Bynum signing)

Wall and Beal chemistry is questioned early on.
Wall with something to prove tries to beast mode --epic fail
Beal drinks kool-aid and believes he's a one man scoring machine.

Team meeting with Pierce settling everything down.
Remember: Ariza was, at times, the best Wiz player. This is a big team reboot with a lot of new faces...including Otto.

By All Star break Wiz are playing .700 ball, then Nene gets hurt. Wiz finish strong.
Wiz barely advance through round 1

I agree with you about Chicago, Cleveland, and Toronto being better than the Wizards.

I also think Charlotte with Lance Stephenson is going to overtake Washington. They also added Darren Collison IIRC. Their backcourt depth is much better. A surprise team that is going to be much improved is Boston.

The Celtics will have Rondo healthy, plus they added a beast rookie Marcus Smart, and a true C in Tyler Zeller. Zeller is one candidate for most improved. (Either Zeller brother, actually). I believe Brad Stevens will prove to be a great coach. Boston has more talent with Sullinger and Olynyk that's on a trajectory to improve. I can foresee them winning as many games as Washington because Zeller is going to be a huge surprise.

Miami with Deng and McRoberts probably squeeks into the playoffs, but I like the Wizards over them

Last, I expect the Knicks will surprise with Calderon, healthy Bargnani, contract year Amare, Hardaway Jr ready to explode, and new coaching.

My gut feeling is the Wiizards have not improved as much as most people think. All our power forwards cannot all play at the same time. I would have been happier with Blair or Humphries but not both. Defense is not going to be better. Ariza was a very valuable contributor-- and I don't think that either Porter for Rice replace him. Pierce is getting old to defend SFs.

I have projected more toward negativity than to project positivity from Pierce, Blair, Humphries, Rice, and Porter. What I think is Wall and Beal are overrated and Ariza should have been retained because Porter isn't ready.

NOW I COULD BE WRONG...

Sent from my SGH-M919 using RealGM Forums mobile app

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

I forgot about the Detroit Pistons. Stan Van Gundy can coach. Kentavious Caldwell - Pope is going to blow up. They will be very much improved. SVG will maximize production out Monroe, Drummond, and Smith.

Washington will not be improving like other teams such as the Pistons.
Unless Porter and Rice blow up. The problem is I think Wittman will just play Pierce at the expense of the young forwsrds.

Sent from my SGH-M919 using RealGM Forums mobile app

[DCZards]

ccj, I think you'll see Porter getting plenty of minutes next season. Rice may play a lot as well, especially with Webster out.

I assume that a big part of the reason for signing Pierce rather than Ariza was the presence of Porter and the need to make sure the youngin' gets the PT he needs to develop. On top of that, PP is probably best used as a 20-25 minute per game player at this point in his career, and there will be some lineups where Otto and Pierce are on the on court together.

[GhostsOfGil]

I'm going with 48 wins and 4th in the eastern conference.

[nuposse04]

46 wins and 5th place in EC.

The Wiz will not be better than
Cleveland (turning into Super team)
Chicago (gained offensive spark in DRose + incredible D)
Toronto ( I believe they are a tad better than the Wiz...I'm in show me mode)
Miami (D Wade one more great season left after "resting" last season, Bosh underestimated with something to prove; Deng great addition; possible Bynum signing)

Wall and Beal chemistry is questioned early on.
Wall with something to prove tries to beast mode --epic fail
Beal drinks kool-aid and believes he's a one man scoring machine.

Team meeting with Pierce settling everything down.
Remember: Ariza was, at times, the best Wiz player. This is a big team reboot with a lot of new faces...including Otto.

By All Star break Wiz are playing .700 ball, then Nene gets hurt. Wiz finish strong.
Wiz barely advance through round 1

I agree with you about Chicago, Cleveland, and Toronto being better than the Wizards.

I also think Charlotte with Lance Stephenson is going to overtake Washington. They also added Darren Collison IIRC. Their backcourt depth is much better. A surprise team that is going to be much improved is Boston.

The Celtics will have Rondo healthy, plus they added a beast rookie Marcus Smart, and a true C in Tyler Zeller. Zeller is one candidate for most improved. (Either Zeller brother, actually). I believe Brad Stevens will prove to be a great coach. Boston has more talent with Sullinger and Olynyk that's on a trajectory to improve. I can foresee them winning as many games as Washington because Zeller is going to be a huge surprise.

Miami with Deng and McRoberts probably squeeks into the playoffs, but I like the Wizards over them

Last, I expect the Knicks will surprise with Calderon, healthy Bargnani, contract year Amare, Hardaway Jr ready to explode, and new coaching.

My gut feeling is the Wiizards have not improved as much as most people think. All our power forwards cannot all play at the same time. I would have been happier with Blair or Humphries but not both. Defense is not going to be better. Ariza was a very valuable contributor-- and I don't think that either Porter for Rice replace him. Pierce is getting old to defend SFs.

I have projected more toward negativity than to project positivity from Pierce, Blair, Humphries, Rice, and Porter. What I think is Wall and Beal are overrated and Ariza should have been retained because Porter isn't ready.

NOW I COULD BE WRONG...

Sent from my SGH-M919 using RealGM Forums mobile app

Well you are wrong about Darren Collison, I believe he plays for SAC. CHA's backup guard play is Neal/Pargo/Henderson and Roberts....Not really...worth a damn. CHA might get a boost from Taylor coming back but we'll see how he good he is after injury, think he tore his Achilles. Cody Zeller still sucks and MKG can't shoot. The gamble with CHA is does the addition of Lance offset the supposed strides that Wall and Beal make?

Your projection of the knicks also seems off. Amare has been done for a while, the triangle isn't going to save him. There is a difference between aging and having disintegrating knees. Hardaway JR is also a laughable player to rely on. He's a good 4th/5th option as a spot up shooter, but he can't dribble or defend. Also any positive remarks regarding Bargs makes me question your agenda entirely.

Lastly, the remarks around BOS are astounding. Marcus Smart may be a beast, but he's a horrific shooter and not ready to lead nor take over games at the NBA level. Looked meh in SL and counting him to lift the Celtics this year would be foolish. I also think your love for Zeller is entirely asinine. He has a standing reach that is mediocre for a 4 let alone for a center. He's a liability as defender and only real value offensively is as a pick and pop player. If you honestly think he changes the fortunes of the celtics...well...ok, sounds a bit out there to me.

I can understand the notion that we may not improve as much as want to believe, but then going around and saying other flawed players who haven't shown to be worth a damn or are new to league and are going to change the fortunes for their squads seems a bit backwards.

[Dat2U]

I agree with you about Chicago, Cleveland, and Toronto being better than the Wizards.

I also think Charlotte with Lance Stephenson is going to overtake Washington. They also added Darren Collison IIRC. Their backcourt depth is much better. A surprise team that is going to be much improved is Boston.

The Celtics will have Rondo healthy, plus they added a beast rookie Marcus Smart, and a true C in Tyler Zeller. Zeller is one candidate for most improved. (Either Zeller brother, actually). I believe Brad Stevens will prove to be a great coach. Boston has more talent with Sullinger and Olynyk that's on a trajectory to improve. I can foresee them winning as many games as Washington because Zeller is going to be a huge surprise.

Miami with Deng and McRoberts probably squeeks into the playoffs, but I like the Wizards over them

Last, I expect the Knicks will surprise with Calderon, healthy Bargnani, contract year Amare, Hardaway Jr ready to explode, and new coaching.

My gut feeling is the Wiizards have not improved as much as most people think. All our power forwards cannot all play at the same time. I would have been happier with Blair or Humphries but not both. Defense is not going to be better. Ariza was a very valuable contributor-- and I don't think that either Porter for Rice replace him. Pierce is getting old to defend SFs.

I have projected more toward negativity than to project positivity from Pierce, Blair, Humphries, Rice, and Porter. What I think is Wall and Beal are overrated and Ariza should have been retained because Porter isn't ready.

NOW I COULD BE WRONG...

Sent from my SGH-M919 using RealGM Forums mobile app

I disagree with much of what you said but….

I could see Charlotte surpassing us. Hell, they were basically as good as we were last year. I think having Marvin Williams man the PF spot (instead of McRoberts) alongside Al Jefferson creates some interesting issues defensively. Brian Roberts is actually their backup PG…. he’s meh. MKG has made great strides with his jumper this offseason so an increased role may be in the offing this season which helps the Hornets because he’s already very good defensively.

The Celtics won’t sniff 35 wins and that’s being generous. You don’t win with no low post presence and the Celtics have absolutely none. Sullinger & Olynyk are nice complementary types but when your pairing them with Brandon Bass and Jeff Green, it makes defending the post impossible. Having a Zeller makes ZERO difference. Especially Tyler. He gives a good effort but the lack of length & strength makes him a low level backup, nothing more. Also until they trade Rondo, Smart is going to be stuck as a backup and he is incapable of playing without the ball.

Miami is the hardest team to figure out. Unless Wade or Bosh can regain elite status it’s hard seeing them as anything more than a mediocre team battling for .500 and one of the last playoff spots.

Lastly, New York is complete trash. It would be hard to disagree with you anymore. Calderon can’t defend his shadow which is really bad news considering they downgraded significantly from Chandler to Dalembert. Bargnani has clearly been one of the worst players in the NBA the past few seasons. He simply kills teams on both sides of the ball with his presence, especially defensively. You could say Amare’ is Bargs lite. His injuries have taken their toll and his on-court presence significantly hurts the Knicks ability to win games. It would not surprise me if the Knicks are battling the Lakers, Philadelphia & Orlando (rookie PG & PF) as one of the worst teams in all of the league.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

I agree with you about Chicago, Cleveland, and Toronto being better than the Wizards.

I also think Charlotte with Lance Stephenson is going to overtake Washington. They also added Darren Collison IIRC. Their backcourt depth is much better. A surprise team that is going to be much improved is Boston.

The Celtics will have Rondo healthy, plus they added a beast rookie Marcus Smart, and a true C in Tyler Zeller. Zeller is one candidate for most improved. (Either Zeller brother, actually). I believe Brad Stevens will prove to be a great coach. Boston has more talent with Sullinger and Olynyk that's on a trajectory to improve. I can foresee them winning as many games as Washington because Zeller is going to be a huge surprise.

Miami with Deng and McRoberts probably squeeks into the playoffs, but I like the Wizards over them

Last, I expect the Knicks will surprise with Calderon, healthy Bargnani, contract year Amare, Hardaway Jr ready to explode, and new coaching.

My gut feeling is the Wiizards have not improved as much as most people think. All our power forwards cannot all play at the same time. I would have been happier with Blair or Humphries but not both. Defense is not going to be better. Ariza was a very valuable contributor-- and I don't think that either Porter for Rice replace him. Pierce is getting old to defend SFs.

I have projected more toward negativity than to project positivity from Pierce, Blair, Humphries, Rice, and Porter. What I think is Wall and Beal are overrated and Ariza should have been retained because Porter isn't ready.

NOW I COULD BE WRONG...

Sent from my SGH-M919 using RealGM Forums mobile app

Well you are wrong about Darren Collison, I believe he plays for SAC. CHA's backup guard play is Neal/Pargo/Henderson and Roberts....Not really...worth a damn. CHA might get a boost from Taylor coming back but we'll see how he good he is after injury, think he tore his Achilles. Cody Zeller still sucks and MKG can't shoot. The gamble with CHA is does the addition of Lance offset the supposed strides that Wall and Beal make?

Your projection of the knicks also seems off. Amare has been done for a while, the triangle isn't going to save him. There is a difference between aging and having disintegrating knees. Hardaway JR is also a laughable player to rely on. He's a good 4th/5th option as a spot up shooter, but he can't dribble or defend. Also any positive remarks regarding Bargs makes me question your agenda entirely.

Lastly, the remarks around BOS are astounding. Marcus Smart may be a beast, but he's a horrific shooter and not ready to lead nor take over games at the NBA level. Looked meh in SL and counting him to lift the Celtics this year would be foolish. I also think your love for Zeller is entirely asinine. He has a standing reach that is mediocre for a 4 let alone for a center. He's a liability as defender and only real value offensively is as a pick and pop player. If you honestly think he changes the fortunes of the celtics...well...ok, sounds a bit out there to me.

I can understand the notion that we may not improve as much as want to believe, but then going around and saying other flawed players who haven't shown to be worth a damn or are new to league and are going to change the fortunes for their squads seems a bit backwards.

Thanks for responding, and also the very candid thoughts if contrary to mine.

I should know better than to try and go by memory these days. Noted that Collison is with the Kings.

As for Cody Zeller, he's going to fill McRoberts' minutes and I think he's going to be the player I projected when he was at Indiana. Cody will be a solid offensive player. MKG with Lance is going to give teams defensive pressure on the wings that the Wizards won't be able to match. I think Charlotte is young and improving.

As for Amare, I saw one game where he looked explosively quick. http://www.basketball-reference.com/pla ... dam01.html I see he still posts an 18.8 PER. Still shoots around his career eFG and/or TS%. His per-36 numbers are 18.8 points, 7.9 rebounds. I think with Fisher and it being a contract year you will see a much more active Amare. He's not completely done IMHO.

My love for Tyler Zeller does run somewhat irrationally deep. No argument on his gator arms. But I noticed his splits when he finally got to play good minutes late in the season for Cleveland. http://www.basketball-reference.com/pla ... lits/2014/

12 points, 7 rebounds, 1 block in 22 minutes is not bad production. I'm going to be right and you wrong about Tyler Zeller. Book it.

As for the Celtics improving, the reason is that RONDO was hurt last season but he will be competitive and healthy this season. Smart's defensive pressure combined with Rondo's will give the Cs a tough brickcourt ... errr backcourt. Their 4s and 5s have the ability to score, including Zeller. Nobody is predicting much from Boston, but I think Brad Stevens is going to show how he guided Butler to two straight Final Fours. Their analytics, team talent, and excellent coaching are going to make the Cs much improved.

As for your conclusion that basically says I'm slamming our players and pumping up scrubs from other teams, I can't even argue that you aren't right. Looks that way right now. I just happen to believe in my opinion at this time. Hopefully, I'll be as wrong as I was about Darren Collison.

[Chocolate City Jordanaire]

I agree with you about Chicago, Cleveland, and Toronto being better than the Wizards.

I also think Charlotte with Lance Stephenson is going to overtake Washington. They also added Darren Collison IIRC. Their backcourt depth is much better. A surprise team that is going to be much improved is Boston.

The Celtics will have Rondo healthy, plus they added a beast rookie Marcus Smart, and a true C in Tyler Zeller. Zeller is one candidate for most improved. (Either Zeller brother, actually). I believe Brad Stevens will prove to be a great coach. Boston has more talent with Sullinger and Olynyk that's on a trajectory to improve. I can foresee them winning as many games as Washington because Zeller is going to be a huge surprise.

Miami with Deng and McRoberts probably squeeks into the playoffs, but I like the Wizards over them

Last, I expect the Knicks will surprise with Calderon, healthy Bargnani, contract year Amare, Hardaway Jr ready to explode, and new coaching.

My gut feeling is the Wiizards have not improved as much as most people think. All our power forwards cannot all play at the same time. I would have been happier with Blair or Humphries but not both. Defense is not going to be better. Ariza was a very valuable contributor-- and I don't think that either Porter for Rice replace him. Pierce is getting old to defend SFs.

I have projected more toward negativity than to project positivity from Pierce, Blair, Humphries, Rice, and Porter. What I think is Wall and Beal are overrated and Ariza should have been retained because Porter isn't ready.

NOW I COULD BE WRONG...

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I disagree with much of what you said but….

I could see Charlotte surpassing us. Hell, they were basically as good as we were last year. I think having Marvin Williams man the PF spot (instead of McRoberts) alongside Al Jefferson creates some interesting issues defensively. Brian Roberts is actually their backup PG…. he’s meh. MKG has made great strides with his jumper this offseason so an increased role may be in the offing this season which helps the Hornets because he’s already very good defensively.

The Celtics won’t sniff 35 wins and that’s being generous. You don’t win with no low post presence and the Celtics have absolutely none. Sullinger & Olynyk are nice complementary types but when your pairing them with Brandon Bass and Jeff Green, it makes defending the post impossible. Having a Zeller makes ZERO difference. Especially Tyler. He gives a good effort but the lack of length & strength makes him a low level backup, nothing more. Also until they trade Rondo, Smart is going to be stuck as a backup and he is incapable of playing without the ball.

Miami is the hardest team to figure out. Unless Wade or Bosh can regain elite status it’s hard seeing them as anything more than a mediocre team battling for .500 and one of the last playoff spots.

Lastly, New York is complete trash. It would be hard to disagree with you anymore. Calderon can’t defend his shadow which is really bad news considering they downgraded significantly from Chandler to Dalembert. Bargnani has clearly been one of the worst players in the NBA the past few seasons. He simply kills teams on both sides of the ball with his presence, especially defensively. You could say Amare’ is Bargs lite. His injuries have taken their toll and his on-court presence significantly hurts the Knicks ability to win games. It would not surprise me if the Knicks are battling the Lakers, Philadelphia & Orlando (rookie PG & PF) as one of the worst teams in all of the league.

I've never been a Marvin Williams fan. I think what's going to happen is Sullinger will move to PF, Zeller will be the C, and Green will be the SF. They will compete because Tyler will be a better high post C than Olynyk.
Smart is going to do like Michael Carter Williams. He looks like a terrible shooter now but he's going to be in the running for ROTY before all is said and done. The guy is a competitor.

My main reason for saying New York will compete is they got rid of Felton and I think Fisher will succeed as a coach. I could be very biased having seen Hardaway Jr. seem to be able to score at will in one game I saw.