LKeet6

Gonna be a very hard division i think! post the order you foresee as well.

@BaileysBlitz

1st: Celtics (48-34)
2nd: Knicks (44-38)
3rd: Raptors (39-43)
4th: Nets (36-46)
5th: Sixers (29-53)

LKeet6

not seeing big improvements for nets? and think sixers are taking a big dive? not criticising, it's so hard to predict.

i think it could be the closest division this year!

@BaileysBlitz

Yea the Nets are improved. Avery Johnson is a good coach too. Wallace & Williams get hurt a lot,as does Lopez. Wouldn't be suprised if Joe gets stuck running the show by himself.

Philly,being a younger team benefitted from the shorten schedule. I think teams will be more prepared. Also it depends if they lose Lou Williams and Elton Brand and who they replace them with.

Records I'm guessing but I think the teams will finish in that order

Psi

1st: Nets (49-33)
2nd: Raptors (46-36)
3rd: Celtics (45-37)
4th: Knicks (43-39)
5th: Sixers (31-51)

10gizzle

Nets will need some time to gel.

JJ hasn't played this role since he's been with the Suns so I don't think it'll be smooth sailing from the get go.

I REALLY like Boston this year. Terry is tremendous and won't have to be the #2 scorer like he was on Dallas so I see them winning with about 55-60 wins health permitting.

LKeet6

i've been thinking about this since i started the thread and i still can't decide how i think it's gonna pan out! my instinctual feeling says:

1st: Boston
2nd: Nets
3rd: Knicks
4th: Raps (roughly 50% record)
5th: Sixers

i think no teams will be much over or under 50% records except maybe boston who could break away from the pack.

Don Vito

2nd or 3rd, I think New York will struggle yet again.

J-Bo

This looks like the strongest division...has there ever been a time all teams from a division made the playoffs?

fancylad

honestly i don't like our chances too much.

The lowry trade definitely improves the team, but shit those are some heavy hitters we're up against. Still see us finishing at or near the bottom of the atlantic to tell the truth.

Hope i'm wrong.

jeffb

Why don't we wait and see what the roster will actually look like when the season starts?


If we add a solid SF we should be 44-38 imo. Wherever that puts us..

Raps4Ever

I admire the optimism in this thread, but realistically, our current roster might be good enough to be a .500 club at best. Should be enough to make the playoffs in the East though.

LKeet6

yeah, i think i agree mate.

annoyingly ironic that a previously fairly weak division has suddenly got strong!

but at least we're all fairly confident that we have a decent/good team and can play good ball next season.

INSIDER

realistically, with our current build i see us finishing last in the division. but not because we suck... its because the other 4 teams are better than us.

we'll be a good team, and will be fun to watch... but we're still building, so i wouldnt predict us to be in the mix at all.

that being said, if we get a premiere SF, well then that changes everything.... playoffs for damn sure.

DanH

Hey, if this strong division gets us a ninth place finish and out from under that Lowry pick earlier, all the better. Then next year when NYK crash and burn and the Celtics are even older, we make our move.

jeffb

Put it this way:

IF- Valanciunas contributes in reb/blocks dept (doesn't have to be an all-star or anything)
IF- We upgrade the starting 3
IF- Fields gets back to something even near his rookie season (under Casey)
IF- We stay relatively healthy

We should be a much improved team, especially on the defensive end. And i have a lot of confidence in Dwane Casey with an improved roster.

Crose

That's a lot of if's

jeffb

Sure but really, not asking for much that isn't realistic.


Valanciunas- Contribute (he won't be a stiff so he should be able to contribute)
Fields- Play better (more like his rookie season) under Casey that is attainable
SF Spot- That's up to BC, we'll see who he gets that's when we can really mak an assessment.
Stay Heatlthy- this one is a crap shoot, you never know with injuries

LKeet6

agreed.

I think even without the bolded part we can be a strong team, so hard to predict our record and standing tho at this point obv.

i don't feel the SF signing is the be all and end all. obv if we sign iggy or the like i will be excited but i think we could make play-offs without him (just about,) and i think we could not make the play-offs even with an upgrade at SF! based on the strength of our division.

DC and BC have said we need more talent and we have a considerable amount of extra talent going into next season. Whatever happens i think we will see DC's philosophy fully implemented and i'm excited.

jeffb

Last season with a healthy Bargnani we're a 30+ win team in a shortened 66 game season (he missed 36 games). You can't tell me that with an upgrade at SF + Lowry we can't be a 40-45 win team in a full 82 game schedule under Dwane Casey.