Can Raptors compete for #1 seed in east this upcoming season?

[psrs1]

If one more person puts Cleveland in the first or second seed my head might explode

Lots of unknowns but they have LeBron. Kyrie Irving has yet to prove he is a winner though they should make playoffs at a minimum and could contend for top two seeds depending on how well they mesh.

[jshepp]

I think that the Raptors are going to win the atlantic again but I see them finishing third, chicago being first and washington being second

[Day One]

If one more person puts Cleveland in the first or second seed my head might explode

I really don't understand why you keep going on about this, i am not invested in Cleveland, I don't like Cleveland, and i do not like lbj. I am a fan or the raptors and i always have been. im not sure if your saying this because of team chemistry but if you are i will remind you that 5 out there top 7 players from last year are returning the other 2 spots will be filled by arguable the best all around player maybe ever ( i guess oscar robertson maybe can be an argument) and the other is one of the most sought after draft pick ever. idk if you have time or if i missed reading it in another thread but please elaborate on your hatred for this team.

[Puffer]

...Kyrie Irving has yet to prove he is a winner...

This is not an attack on your post psrs1 but the above phrase just tweaked me (note: not twirked).

I wonder what people mean when they say this? I assume that most pro ballers play to a very high level. They try their best. The good ones work within the team concept. And at the end of the game, one team wins and one team loses. Does the outcome of the game make half of the guys on the floor "winners" and the other half "losers?"

What about guys who make it to the finals? Are guys like Stockton, Barkley, Malone, etc. not "winners" because they haven't wond the trophy? Do "winners" have some genetically gifted, or environmentally developed switch they throw when the game gets close? Is Kobe now a "loser" because he team has been shit for years?

Sorry to go on and on but saying a player has to "prove he is a winner" or that a certain player "is a winner" seems like one of the most tired cliches in sports.

(Apologetically stepping down off of soap box)

Peace psrs1 and thanks for the opportunity to get that one off my chest.

[Day One]

We're the third best team in the Conference, and I don't think we're that far off from Chicago.

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

im looking at apples and seeing apples, i have no clue why everyone keeps talking about Chicago being one of the best teams. people keep picking them to win the east. I'm sure a lot of people will freak out at this but i dont see them making the play offs next season. look at there roster. rose is done and owed 60 mil over the next 3 years. i would hate to be Chicago's GM. can anyone with intelligence and a bit of forsite please prove me wrong so i can understand peoples logic here. are they assuming rose after multiple surgery will regain his previous form. if so just youtube the video of how he injured it the second time, you will notice zero contact. its sad but he is done, his best bet is following grant hills method and become a role player who will provide flashes of his younger self.

[Day One]

I think that the Raptors are going to win the atlantic again but I see them finishing third, chicago being first and washington being second

hey man can you let me know why you think chicago will be good. i know the question sounds dumb but im being serious.

[Day One]

what the heck is going on with our fan base, why are so many people putting Washington ahead of us, they lose trevor and get PP and now there a top 3 team omg this is to wild, i feel like there are hidden cameras around me and im on a comedy show, Toronto will win the east next year, the only team that would have any chance of beating us is Cleveland.

[enlightenment]

what the heck is going on with our fan base, why are so many people putting Washington ahead of us, they lose trevor and get PP and now there a top 3 team omg this is to wild, i feel like there are hidden cameras around me and im on a comedy show, Toronto will win the east next year, the only team that would have any chance of beating us is Cleveland.

Well, they do have an older Beal, Wall, and Otto Porter. Paul Peirce will give them a vet presence that Trevor didnt have. I dont claim they will be better than us, but they will be better than last season which was slightly on par with our team.

[Day One]

I guess I should have made a list of people that are with me rather than against me...twould be a lot shorter.

Anywho...let's see how it all plays out. I will accept all of your apologies in April and will not hold it over your head much longer than the 2015 draft

it's almost embarrassing at this point, but i have to admit its true. i dont understand why but there are so many of us Canadians who have the mentality of a 4th grade student who will make wild accusations hoping they come true so they can tell people they told them so. it's also so Canadian to expect an apology for having difference of opinions on a open topic forum based on guessing the predictions of our favorite teams conference standings half a year before there final rosters for the season are set.

but luckly i am Canadian so if Cleveland does not finish with home court advantage in the first round ill buy you a couple pitchers of beer out side the acc and offer up an apology for guessing wrong based on their current roster. but you will have to share me lol ( do you agree they trade waiters for an asset that better suits there teams needs ? )

[Day One]

Well, they do have an older Beal, Wall, and Otto Porter. Paul Peirce will give them a vet presence that Trevor didnt have. I dont claim they will be better than us, but they will be better than last season which was slightly on par with our team.

every teams players that are coming back will be older, thats how time works. Paul cannot and will not provide the same minutes or production of Trevor. look at there roster its not that good. east is still weak. i love that indy just lost lance that helps us alot.

[enlightenment]

every teams players that are coming back will be older, thats how time works. Paul cannot and will not provide the same minutes or production of Trevor. look at there roster its not that good. east is still weak. i love that indy just lost lance that helps us alot.

Yeah ofcourse, but a 1 year difference in a young star matters a lot more to a teams success than a 1year difference to a bench warmer or a vet.

I don't know how PP will affect the team. Maybe the better balance of old and young will induce more intelligent play.

[Day One]

Yeah ofcourse, but a 1 year difference in a young star matters a lot more to a teams success than a 1year difference to a bench warmer or a vet.

I don't know how PP will affect the team. Maybe the better balance of old and young will induce more intelligent play.

ahhh very nice i like the way you think, and i think your right when you say maybe. all we can do is speculate about how it will all play out. i've been reading your comments for years and you seem very logical with your thought. professional sports writers are wrong about there predictions more often then not so i would expect them same for us. I do love rational debates rather then emotional.

i also agree 1 year more for a young star equals improvements, where as a vet or bench warmer tends to mean a decline in physical effectiveness but it does allow for the intellectual part to increase.

Trevor although not star should get better, as for paul we know he is not getting any better physically, and i would guess he has plateaued on the intelligence side.

[Other Scott]

This is not an attack on your post psrs1 but the above phrase just tweaked me (note: not twirked).

I wonder what people mean when they say this? I assume that most pro ballers play to a very high level. They try their best. The good ones work within the team concept. And at the end of the game, one team wins and one team loses. Does the outcome of the game make half of the guys on the floor "winners" and the other half "losers?"

What about guys who make it to the finals? Are guys like Stockton, Barkley, Malone, etc. not "winners" because they haven't wond the trophy? Do "winners" have some genetically gifted, or environmentally developed switch they throw when the game gets close? Is Kobe now a "loser" because he team has been shit for years?

Sorry to go on and on but saying a player has to "prove he is a winner" or that a certain player "is a winner" seems like one of the most tired cliches in sports.

(Apologetically stepping down off of soap box)

Peace psrs1 and thanks for the opportunity to get that one off my chest.

I would say it both tweaked and irked you. Put that together and what do you get?

I agree, by the way. Claiming someone is less valuable because they "aren't a winner" is dumb. Put a great team around them, and they'll be a winner.

Bill Simmons had a pretty good column about Carmelo to this effect a couple days ago.

[charlesnba23]

Why is everybody suddenly putting CHI at 1st? Cuz they got Gasol instead of Boozer?

[DanH]

Why is everybody suddenly putting CHI at 1st? Cuz they got Gasol instead of Boozer?

They also have this other guy playing PG.