[MRArtman2uParticipant]

we are all thinking it, it just needed to be said

as for the magic, we will suck on purpose by design, the bulls are sucking because they suck and rely on one player who still wouldnt be good enough if he was at 200%

[ENOGSIWONdede]

 not the Knicks

[BlazermannParticipant]

Your absolutely right , but most of that list changes with a healthy Derick Rose doesn’t it

[ChewyParticipant]

One is with the current Rose- Noah- Deng core

The next one is with an older Rose- Mirotic- Charlotte’s Lotto pick core

[HaleParticipant]

The Bulls are the best regular season team in basketball when Derrick Rose is on the court. When he’s out they are probably where you rank them.

[J-rueMykelParticipant]

Why is everyone so high on this team?

They just flipped their best player, A promising young center, and their first round draft pick for an immature, moody, problem child center, albeit the 2nd best center in the game and an immense talent.

He is a nice piece to build around, and was the 2nd best player in that trade but the 76ers are a very young team that just got considerably younger.  I look for them to struggle out of the gate like they usually do, nevermind the fast start last year with no training camps and jam packed schedule.  Doug Collins is at best a mediocre NBA coach and will need sometime to get this team clicking on all cylinders.

Derek Rose will likely miss considerably time, but this guy is a genuine specimen, monster in the workout room, and probably the single most driven to succeed basketball player since MJ.  He is ahead of schedule and likely won’t miss as much time as expected.  Having said that, Lucas showed signs that he could play very effectively, at least offensively.  The still have Boozer and Noah being two high quality bigs, and Taj Gibson looks like to be the real deal as a big of the bench (I would start him over Boozer but I don’t see that happening.)  They lost some of their key parts and their roster isn’t what it was two years ago but I feel like Jimmy Butler will surprise a lot of people this year.  By the end of the season I believe the  East standing will look something like this

Heat….Obvious

Pacers….They put together an impressive reg season and played the Heat tough.  They get another year to grow together all their young pieces getting more time in with each other, and David West will have a season in a new system under his belt and should be more effective than last season.  George is developing at a rate that he could be an all star and borderline superstar.  Granger is already deadly.  Psycho T gives you everything he has every night.  George Hill is a cerebral player who almost always makes the right play, and these guys seem to love playing for Vogel.  Expect this team to really do well this season.

Celtics….KG, Rondo, Pierce…I don’t like alot of the additions they made, especially Terry.  I don’t think Fab Melo brings anything this year, and Sullinger is so hit or miss that he is impossible to project.  But like I said KG, RONDO, Pierce…and Bradley looked like he may have made a leap late in the season.

Knicks….With Carmelo looking inspired, Chandler being Chandler, and hopefully a rejuvenated Stoudemier The Knicks have more than enough fire power.  If Felton can return to form of years past and Shumpert can keep improving they could be a factor come playoff time.

Bulls….Rose will be back.  With revenge on his mind.  Would love to see them and the Knicks matched up in the postseason.

Nets…Loads of hype for a team that calls a declining PG, an aging and declining SG, and aging and declining SF, and a one dimensional PF a big four.  Brooks looks to be a nice young piece but besides that they pretty much have an empty cupboard.  And we saw what kind of struggles that can cause with a Prime Lebron, and superstars Wade and Bosh behind him.

Wizards…John Wall makes a huge leap in stardom with some higher bball iq-ed guys around him.  Loved the trades this team made to help compete and get Wall some help, plus Beal should provide an excellent foil for him.  Would be shocked if they didn’t make the playoffs.

Bucks…They as well as the Wizards probably wouldn’t finish in the top 12 in the west but in the EVEN MORE WATERED DOWN EAST (Thanks ORL and ATL!) they are playoff teams!!!!

[J-rueMykelParticipant]

 Were the 8th best team in the West last year that struggled to beat a Rose-less Bulls and pushed Boston to 7….But they lost their engine (Iggy) and are unbeliavably young and inconsistent.  Holiday is overrated.  Thaddeus Young has huge flaws.  I love Evan Turner’s desire but he turns it over when he gets frusterated!  I just see this blowing up.

[F_S]

 east dude…

i probably wouldn’t have replied but very bad read overall

[Mr. 19134Participant]

Doug Collins is a mediocre coach really? He’s a hall a famer n took a young team with no post presence that shot as a team below 40% for most of the playoffs to about 90 seconds away from facing the Heat for the ECF. The Sixers biggest problems last year were a lack of shooters and post scoring all which have been filled.

The Sixers have now the most dominant big man in the East who will be the East All Stars starting C that alone will. warrent them a playoff birth. And they also added by subtraction by letting Lou, Iggy, Meeks and Brand go. By the end of the playoffs. Lavoy Allen replaced BRAND, Lou stayed on the bench in favor of Turner and replacing Iggy wit Bynum is a huge upgrade. The Pacers took a huge step forward becz Hibbert did, well Bynum will own Hibbert.

Plus they’re. about to deploy a starting lineup featuring two 7 footers who r perfect compliments to each other. Nick and Thad Young r gonna roast. teams 2nd units. The Sixers big man rotation of Hawes, Bynum, Lavoy Allen, Thad, Kwame and even Mohltrie is deep, big, strong and mobile.

And to top it off its the Turning Point. Look for Turner to break out and b a MIP candidafe. I keep hearing Paul George but as the Rising Stars game showed last year Turners skill set is far more advanced then Georges. George is a great shooter and athlete. but he doesn’t have the ability to take a game over down the stretch like Turner can.

[roni3Participant]

Rose is out until at least January and that is being nice on my hand. The Bulls downgraded by losing members off the "bench mob" like Brewer, Asik, Korver, Watson and John Lucas is on the Raptors. They replaced all those guys with players who play no defense Ramonovic, Hinrich, Nate Robinson, Bellinelli and Mohammad. They def. got weaker in my opinion.

Heat are obviously the best team in the east and with the additions of Ray Allen and Rishard Lewis they are a huge threat to lead the league in 3 pointers attempted and made.

I love how a lot of people are counting off the Celtics, lets rewind for a second and remember that if the Celtics had a healthy Avery Bradely to stick Wade, Jeff Green to stick Lebron and Jermaine O’Neal to protect the paint the would have probably won game 7. Now take out Allen who was not himself in the playoffs shooting 70% free throws, 40% from the field and 30% from the 3 and replace him with Jason Terry who is a top 6th man of the year candidate, along with a healthy Jeff Green, Avery Bradely, Courtney Lee, and Sullinger who will improve the Celtics rebounding stats and showed he can shoot the 3 in the Summer League and you have a team that could prove to be a big threat to the Heat’s repeat.

Knicks were a top 5 defensive team last year and with new players like Brewer and Camby returning they could be a top 3 defensive teams this year. Carmelo showed this Olympics just how deadly of a catch and shoot player he could be coming off of screens and hitting 3s and mid range jumpers like when he dropped 37 points in 15 minutes, along with Amare staying in the block and using that newly aquired spin move from Hakeem the Knicks offense should be unstoppable. Then you add Shumpert defense and Chandlers defense and you got a well oiled machine. The Knicks are easily one of the deepest teams in the league with Felton, Brewer until Shumpert gets back, Melo, Amare, Chandler and off the bench Kidd, Smith, Novak, Thomas and Camby.

Pacers are also a threat for a top 4 seed, esp. with a full offseason and the development of Paul George. They did lose Collison and Barbosa which will def. hurt their second unit. They did get Gerald Green, Dj Augustin and Ian Mahinmi which will help them, but they will regret giving huge contracts to Geroge Hill and Roy Hibbert.

Nets are going to be a team that will def. prove to be a threat to certain teams esp. when they got a realy good point guard in Deron and a center who can spread the floor with his mid range jumper and has a post up game. Then you include Wallace a tenacious defender and Joe Johnson who will take a lot of pressure off of Deron. Humphries who will bang with the big men for rebounds and provide hustle plays. Their bench is solid with Watson, Brooks, Greene, Tetovic and Reggie Evans and with a very balanced offense they could possibly be a second round playoff team.

The 76ers lost some key players as Brand, Iggy and their leading scorer Lou Williams but they got back the 2nd best center in the league, shooters to spread the floor for him like Jason Richardson, Nick Young and Dorrel Wright, also with the development of Jrue Holiday hopefully becoming a top tier point guard who averages at least 7 assists, Evan Turner finally becoming a focal point on offense and taking some of the duties of Iggy on defense, and Thaddeus Young thriving in the 6th man role. I def. see this team contending for the 5th or 6th seed with the Nets as the other.

 

[Bird_YearsParticipant]

Amen

[ENOGSIWONdede]

 The Nets big 4 is Williams, Johnson, Wallace, Lopez not Humphries.  Humphries is not even slated to start this Teletovic kid is better than you think he is the starter.  Brooklyn is about 14 times better than the Bulls and is probably the favorite since Wade looks washed up, Marshon Brooks might be a better player than Wade by the time the playoffs roll around lol.

[TallmanNYCParticipant]

 I think the Nets are going to be fine. They should have a good player starting at every spot and that will be enough to beat a lot of teams on most nights. 

The Bulls have dropped three good players: Brewere, Asik and Korver from their bench. That will hurt them in the regular season. The guys they brought back aren’t as good. But the Nets have no bench, so I’m not sure they will be better than the Bulls. 

The East is going to be crazy weak this year. So both teams should be locks for the playoffs. Just having a 500 record will definitely get you into the playoffs in the East this year. 50 wins might not be enough in the West. 

[apb540Participant]

From the original post:  "the bulls are sucking because they suck and rely on one player who still wouldnt be good enough if he was at 200%"

Do you mean Derrick Rose in this sentence MRArtman?

 

[F_S]

never forget one thing…. (do i need to say it?)

rose is over-credited!!!

[J-rueMykelParticipant]

1. The sixers get swept if Derrick Rose plays in the playoffs…there apparantly "impressive" run to the Eastern Conference Semis mirrors the year Sam Cassel lead the Clippers to the Semis…mediocre team that fluked its way to a gift of a first round win.

2. Doug Collins hasnt won anything as an NBA coach, and he coached MJ….The sixers lost the leagues most elite wing defender…save for maybe lebron and tony allen, their overpaid but solid PF Brand, and their leading scorer and you expect this team to move from 8th to 4th because they got an arrogant man child who sometimes dominates games, and Jason richardsons corpse?  You don’t replace one of the leagues best athletes and wing defenders with a large unathletic lazy center. If your counting Kwame Brown and a late first round pick as depth you are probably in trouble.  Hawes is a nice looking player but he is soft, maybe he is a nice compliment to Bynum but they haven’t played together yet so you can’t say that with any kind of resolution.  I’m honestly about as high on E. Turner as anyone could be, I firmly believe he will be a better basketball player than J Wall when its all said and done, but he hasn’t taken a single game over once, let alone possesing the ability to do so with some sort of frequency.  At this point he is probably more of a defensive player than offensive.

3.  Lopez needs to prove he can stay healthy before he is anything.  Also, since he’s 7 foot tall, he should be able to grap the occasional rebound.  So Teletovic is going from unknown to starting over a guy that gets 10 million a year?  What are you smoking and can I have some?

4. Didnt realize Lucas was a Raptor thanks for pointing that out, but they still have Noah, Deng, Gibson, and Boozer…Nate Rob is an exceptional offensive player and given the Bulls size his defensive inadequacies should be able to be hidden just a tad.

5. Boston is Boston….they will do exactly what they have done after their title season…coast through the regular season and enter somewhere at 3 or 4 seed…then turn it on and be a force to be reckoned with.  Jeff Green isn’t healthy.  Jason Terry is a defensive liability and in Boston’s pace control system this will be evident and he will probably be getting about 12 mins a game come playoffs.

6. You people have overrated so many players from watching the Olympics and Summer League that it is pretty laughable.  

7. Who had the more impressive postseason, Indiana or Philadelphia?
 

[J-rueMykelParticipant]

Just read that BRK is the fave since D-Wade is washed up….So BRK got an even more washed up SG Johnson and an undersized sophmore named Brooks who got passed on by 20 something teams in the draft, and that is an improvement over a Finals MVP and scoring champion???  Your ignorance is only surpassed by your lack of logic.  Kris Humphries is probably the only Net starter who isn’t significantly past his prime, and you don’t think he will be starting?

[Author]

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