Boston's Competition in the East

Well, we all know about the Kyrie Irving melodrama by now.  If his trade request is honored it is likely that the Cavs, already a bit long in the tooth, decline unless they get an All-Star in return.  And the chances of a team giving away that kind of talent now that everybody knows Irving wants out is...?

Washington just signed John Wall and Otto Porter to massive contracts.  The Wizards do not have much salary flexibility to surround Wall/Beal/Porter with talent for a while.

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Guaranteed salary in Washington for the next four seasons: $126M, $126M, $108M and $98M.
7:07 PM - 21 Jul 2017


Toronto has $92M tied up in DeRozan, Lowry, Ibaka and Valanciunas for the next couple of years.  They have Poetl and some other players (I like Nogueira) but how deep is their bench?


The salary cap this year is $99M.

We have high quality young talent working to flatten out their learning curve.  Jaylen Brown will be a sophomore and Tatum is a rookie, Terry Rozier and Marcus Smart is, if you can believe it, the senior member of this quartet with 3 years (going on 4) of NBA experience.  We have other youth (Semi, Yabby, and Zizic).  That is a LOT of youth.  Too much, really, for a really strong Championship run (young teams do not win championships) but we have our core of veterans as well:  IT, Horford, Crowder, Hayward, Baynes and Morris.  

6 true veterans, 2 players who are young veterans and the rest is a kindergarten. Jaylen Brown is still in kindergarten (ok maybe first grade) and I am including Daniel Theis as part of that kindergarten since he is an NBA rookie (and it is fitting that a German should be part of a kindergarten, which means "child's garden" in German).  A little thin in veterans, an overall young team.  We are also quite aware of our limited rim protection and the distinct possibility of getting obliterated on the boards.  We should score a ton, though. We better.

If Cleveland trades Irving and doesn't get comparable quality back (and the chances are good they won't) then we might win the East this year, all the way to the Championship round vs the West, where we will get obliterated any of the teams coming out of the West.  However, it will be excellent experience, it will make us a destination team for quality free agents (more so than we already are with the signings of Horford and Hayward in consecutive years).  Toronto and Washington are both quality opponents, but they may struggle filling out their benches with quality players and that means their top 3-4 players better stay healthy.

We're looking good for a short and long-term run.


bob


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Astute analysis Bob.

worcester wrote:Astute analysis Bob.

Worcester,

Thanks. This country needs more stutes...


bob


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Kyrie is too valuable to that franchise, Lebron will call him and they will make up and work it out. Kyrie just needed a little/a lot of attention.

cowens/oldschool wrote:Kyrie is too valuable to that franchise, Lebron will call him and they will make up and work it out. Kyrie just needed a little/a lot of attention.

oldschool,

Could very well be what will happen.

swish

I would be very surprised if the Celtics don't put up much better rebounding numbers this season. The additions of Baynes, Theis, Yabusele, and Zizic will obliterate the bad taste of last year's rebounding numbers.

This is a much better roster than last year's, IMO. The rebuild is over. This is a legit title contender and that is for much more than the Eastern Conference title. The Cavs w LeBron can always be had by a good Celtics team. This team will improve over last years in almost every category from wins, scoring efficiency, to rebounding.

Many thot that the C's wouldn't do as well last season minus Sully and Turner. We did better. Same this year. We may or may not be able to beat the Cavs in the ECfinals but we have a legit shot. Most will say there is about as much chance of the C's winning the title this year and raising Banner 18 as there was for the Sox to come back from 0-3 to win the American League and then the World Series.

Because it has never been done before or because it may be difficult is no reason to give up hope. Danny isn't waiting on LeBron to start to fade. He is going for it this season. He is as all in as he can be and so am I. The odds makers may say I am wrong but my heart bleeds green so I'm with Danny. We will not be obliterated!

Bob,

What area your thoughts as Philly being a contender in the East?

Yes, they are very young and have not proven themselves as of yet as either healthy or a cohesive team, but if they are healthy and get off to a good start of the season they may also be a threat. They certainly have much more talent and depth these days, and a couple of vets to help mold them, than they have had in the past 8 years.

mulcogiseng wrote:I would be very surprised if the Celtics don't put up much better rebounding numbers this season. The additions of Baynes, Theis, Yabusele, and Zizic will obliterate the bad taste of last year's rebounding numbers.

This is a much better roster than last year's, IMO. The rebuild is over. This is a legit title contender and that is for much more than the Eastern Conference title. The Cavs w LeBron can always be had by a good Celtics team. This team will improve over last years in almost every category from wins, scoring efficiency, to rebounding.

Many thot that the C's wouldn't do as well last season minus Sully and Turner. We did better. Same this year. We may or may not be able to beat the Cavs in the ECfinals but we have a legit shot. Most will say there is about as much chance of the C's winning the title this year and raising Banner 18 as there was for the Sox to come back from 0-3 to win the American League and then the World Series.

Because it has never been done before or because it may be difficult is no reason to give up hope. Danny isn't waiting on LeBron to start to fade. He is going for it this season. He is as all in as he can be and so am I. The odds makers may say I am wrong but my heart bleeds green so I'm with Danny. We will not be obliterated!

Last I checked all the teams were 0-0.  

I think too many believe all the GS hype. Yeah they are defending champs but will they be hungry or complacent? And who knows what may happen with injuries or other assorted issues.  The unknown might be quite interesting.

It's a long season.   

beat

I for one am cautiously optimistic.

Our rebounding deficiency has been addressed.  We will have a very deep rotation and now the offense will be held together by an impressive collection of wings.  

My two concerns are rim protection and three point shooting.  

The Cavs were emotionally damaged by Golden State and this off season is proving to be very difficult for them so I think they are ripe for the picking.  Washington and Toronto are solid teams but they have not added enough

So it is on to Golden State, a team that we should be able to match up with in terms of pace and energy.  I am just not sure we can shoot with them.

In order to beat half the teams out WEST you must have a very high powered offense.

Brad has a lot of tools to work with but it is up to each player to be prepared.

dboss

wideclyde wrote:Bob,

What area your thoughts as Philly being a contender in the East?

Yes, they are very young and have not proven themselves as of yet as either healthy or a cohesive team, but if they are healthy and get off to a good start of the season they may also be a threat.  They certainly have much more talent and depth these days, and a couple of vets to help mold them, than they have had in the past 8 years.

Clyde,

They look good on paper, but that's not where the game is played.

Their franchise player, Joel Embiid, has played <60% as many minutes in his two years in the league as Jaylen Brown played in his only year in the league.

Ben Simmons is entering his 2nd year and has never laced up an NBA sneaker in a regular season game.

Dario Saric is the real deal.

Markelle Fultz is still an NBA unknown, as is Simmons.

Jahlil Okafor is the forgotten dinosaur, excluded from Embiid's FEDS (Fultz, Embiid, Dario, Simmons) clique.

I like TJ McConnell, but their only ball-handlers are him and Fultz and Fultz has never broken an NBA press.

I like their forwards of Covington and Holmes.

JJ Redick will provide shooting and veteran leadership, as will Amir, but they isn't going to take them anywhere.  They are there to teach them how to stop being bottom-dwellers.  And that pretty much sums up the Sixers.  Colangelo paid big bucks to bring in a couple of real NBAers to teach the kindergarteners how to not be doormats.

Everybody says "OH, but what about a couple of years from now!?".  That's what they said a few years back after they brought on Noel, and waited for his foot to heal.  Embiid to heal.  Simmons to heal.  Saric to come over from Europe.  Embiid is going into his 3rd contract year and will cost BIG bucks fairly soon, Saric and Simmons are going into their 2nd.  In a couple of years they will be wanting big bucks but will still have only limited NBA experience because of their injuries.  It's hard to keep a team together for 4 years, due to salary issues and personalities and turnover and new draftees and recurring injuries.  Everybody thought Minny has been loaded with superior talent for a few years now.  They still have yet to make the playoffs.  They just shipped off some of that young talent to get Jimmy Butler, to get older and more proven and not younger and more "potential".  Youth is wasted on the young and old age and treachery will overcome youth and exuberance.  

That is why the future is always NOW.  That is why breaking the piggy bank for Gordon Hayward was a good move, it has put us in a position to take advantage of whatever may come from that mess in Cleveland, and not just lay in the weeds for a few years until LeBron needed a walker, and who knew just a week ago these clouds would break so soon?  


bob


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The young may have there day in the sun - but often times it can be a long painful wait. Don't go overboard on potential.

swish

swish wrote:The young may have there day in the sun - but often times it can be a long painful wait. Don't go overboard on potential.

  swish

Agreed.

There are a lot of players to integrate.

Regarding Philly I think they have a legit shot for a playoff birth.  Understanding the Philly youth movement takes time but the talent they have assembled is very impressive.  Adding Reddick was an excellent move and Amir brings an important veteran presence.  Last year I was also impressed with Covington.  They will not be an automatic W anymore.


Dboss