-
Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.
NBA Offseason 2017 |OT| Only Big Ballers Allowed *please pay $495 to be a Big Baller
- Thread starter Jarate
- Start date
XiaNaphryz
LATIN, MATRIPEDICABUS, DO YOU SPEAK IT
lol at putting Deng all the way in the back
darkwing-buck
Member
lol at putting Deng all the way in the back
MJ's face looks much better then last year.
Randolph Freelander
Member
lol at putting Deng all the way in the back
Fake news.
There's 3 players behind him.
RedAssedApe
Banned
that was kind of large...lol...sorry mobile
MegaManTrigger
Banned
Just wonder, who do you guys think is under more pressure to win, Kyrie or LeBron?
LeBron has been constant pressure to win every year he has been in the league. I'd like to say that has gone away but even after winning 3, it seems like he is under pressure as if he hasn't delivered or lived up to his hype.
That being said, Kyrie has more pressure on him to make the Celtics be at least as good as they were last year since he asked to leave Cleveland and because he wanted to be the man, out of LeBron's shadow.
Beooklyns biggest flaw last year was that they were a bad 3pt shooting team and couldnt score. They were on pace for 30 wins last year when Lin was healthy.
This offseason they added D'Angelo Russell a player who can both create for others and score plus a few more 3pt shooters. They wont be a good team, but its unlikely they will be a bottom 5 team especially with how easy it will be to tank in the West.
Kyrie, and it's not particularly close. He is now the face of a franchise with ostensible title aspirations and no one knows whether or not he is good enough to handle that and he's replacing a local folk hero in one of the most hostile fan/media environments in the country.
BlackGhost
Banned
Dreams-Visions
Member
Suddenly glad I didn't pay out the ass for the tie dye KI shoes last year.
I can't root against KI, guys. I don't want him to beat my team of course, but I just can't do it beyond that. I liked him.
:-(
I can't root against KI, guys. I don't want him to beat my team of course, but I just can't do it beyond that. I liked him.
:-(
I'd say it's a little more complicated than that, at least for the 2017-18 season. There will be talking heads that compare whatever he does to IT, but the Celtics made this deal with a long term view and there's been a lot of turnover this summer. Figuring out what works, relying on younger players to contribute, a step back can reasonably be expected. Kyrie and Gordon will share the face of the franchise load, even if Kyrie has primary ball handling duties on the court.
If they end up in the ECF again that would exceed expectations for me given the continuity on teams like the Raps and Wizards. C's have the brighter future though, and the pressure will grow in years 2-3.
The Cavs are the clear favorites to win the East again. Nothing new in terms of pressure for LeBron, would still give the edge to Kyrie, but they'll be under a microscope too. For all intents and purposes, the Cavs have to be operating under the assumption that they have a 1 year window on top before an earnest rebuild begins.
Ninja Scooter
Member
And if they add Greg Monroe? It's a wrap.
Randolph Freelander
Member
LeBron is never under pressure. He can have 7 Finals losses next year and nobody cares because it's amazing getting there through the talent laden East
This idea that the Brooklyn pick is unlikely to be top 5 is baffling to me. The Nets have the worst frontcourt in the league after trading Lopez. They have no players on their roster that are top 50 in the league. Sure, their roster is more respectable this year than it was last, but that doesn't mean they're jumping from the 1st pick to the 8th. What team is DEFINITIVELY worse than Brooklyn? I can't think of a single one.
Atlanta
True Savior
Member
lol at putting Deng all the way in the back
Am I going crazy or they ditched Luc Longley?
Starters
Shroeder - Lin
Bazemore - Russell
Prince - Carroll
Muscala - Hollis-Jefferson
Dedmon - Mozgov
Bench
Illyasova - Booker
Bellinelli - Crabbe
Babbitt - Kilpatrick
They seem pretty similar in terms of talent. Saying either team is significantly better than the other would be a stretch IMO.
Atlanta, Bulls, Pacers, Magic
Ninja Scooter
Member
Oladipo and Turner are far better than anyone on the Nets unless DLo miraculously breaks out. This revisionism from Celtic fans to try and convince them selves that the Nets are now good is hilarious.
i don't think they're any good, but i do think they're great. playoff team, no doubt. enjoy your mid teens pick cleveland u bums.
Sirpopopop
Member
You forgot Caris LeVert...
BlackGhost
Banned
Isaiah "Hero" Thomas
Ninja Scooter
Member
What if Danny knows not only that the Nets will be great, but secretly is expecting the Celtics to be terrible, thus he will get the number 1 pick anyway while giving Cleveland the 31st pick after Mozgov leads Brooklyn to the title!?!
I didn't forget him. I just stopped after the 8 man rotation. I know he'll get some minutes. Delaney/Bembry will get minutes for the Hawks as well as the 9th guy.
LyleLanley
Banned
Nets are winning it all this year.
Nets might be a bit better, but they are still the worst team in the east at this moment IMO
Tier 1
Cavs
Celtics
Tier "2"
Wizards
Raptors
Tier 3
Bucks
Tier 4
Heat
Pistons
76ers
Charlotte
Tier 5
Atlanta
Indiana
Chicago
Tier 6
New York
Orlando
Nets
Atlanta has a good coach, I could see them overachieving. Detroit might improve if Reggie Evans stops being bad, Chicago might be way worse, but I think Wade can carry them a little bit
Tier 1
Cavs
Celtics
Tier "2"
Wizards
Raptors
Tier 3
Bucks
Tier 4
Heat
Pistons
76ers
Charlotte
Tier 5
Atlanta
Indiana
Chicago
Tier 6
New York
Orlando
Nets
Atlanta has a good coach, I could see them overachieving. Detroit might improve if Reggie Evans stops being bad, Chicago might be way worse, but I think Wade can carry them a little bit
It's the Underdog and the Bigdog together. Gilbert did it!
I would put the Bucks in tier 2, Heat and Hornets in tier 3, Atlanta in tier 4, Orlando in tier 5. I agree with your overall point though that the Nets are in the bottom tier no matter how you organize it.
darkwing-buck
Member
hornets legend baron davis
respect
Heat is Tier 3
darkwing-buck
Member
Just realized Brady is on Madden's cover and now Irving a Celtic is on 2k's cover...
Please, everyone else here besides Celtics fans were saying that the Nets were going to be a decent enough team this year. No one here's saying they're going to be good, but they're not going to be totally dreadful
Reporters in the know have mentioned that the Boston FO is the largest font of misinformation in the league. Glance around twitter and you'll see goober local reporters and bloggers dutifully repeating that Brooklyn is a dark horse playoff contender, IT's hip injury is career-threatening, etc. It's just selling the trade to the fanbase.
I guess it depends on your definition of dreadful. If they win 8 more games this year than they did last, they will still only be 28-54. That's a 10% improvement which is pretty significant. Even if that happens, they would still be one of the worst 5 teams in the league with pretty good lottery odds to potentially move up into the top 3.
That's still a pretty dreadful team if you ask me.
And I am less optimistic about a drastic improvement as most people are. They lost their best player (Lopez) and added 3 serviceable rotation players in Russell, Crabbe and Carroll. They are still going to be at a talent disadvantage 80% of the times they play.
Dr_LawyerCop
Member
The only thing that makes the Nets interesting is that they have no reason to tank when a team like the Bulls clearly are. I still don't think they're good enough to take the pick out of the top 5. They're not trying to tank but they probably aren't as concerned with wins and losses as getting things going in the right direction. It's a very good pick to have.
Cornbread78
Member
I don't even know this Celtics team anymore, lol.
Seriously, 11 new players out of 15, lol.
Seriously, 11 new players out of 15, lol.
lol at putting Deng all the way in the back
I loved Deng and am happy hes a part of the all bulls team. Dude played his soul out for the team.
fucking awesome, Davis, Ellis, Barnes, Harrington, Richardson and Dunleavy
god that was a fun team to watch
Rozier and Smarts veteran leadership will guide them.
Knicks, Pistons, lakers, Dallas, Chicago, Pheonix (due to strength of Schedule), Minnesota. (Strength of schedule) Indy
Cornbread78
Member
Seriously, lol
Horford
Smart
Rozier
Brown
I'm interested in who is still available as a MLE to fill their final roster spot.