Pretty Much the End of the OffSeason - Who got Better ? Who Got Worse ? Who is Hanging On ?

[DanH]

Plus even when we had divisional seeding, division winners didn't get the top 3 spots, just guaranteed top 4 spots (and not even home court guaranteed, home court determined by record). So then BOS could still have been 3rd if TOR placed 2nd, with the other division winner getting 4th. But as noted, that's not the system anymore.

[Maury]

I honestly believe that Indiana got worse. We are better suited to beat them now as well. We struggle against great defences but we can play good defence against good offensive teams, so IMO we can beat the new pacers easier. The backcourt of Teague and Ellis is redundant and they will get roasted on defence.

[planetmars]

Lowry is our engine.. and I expect him to be playing like a top 15 player.. but if he's hurt then it'll be hard.. Hard to predict injuries though. I suspect the Raps will be either first or second. Lebrons don't have to prove themselves so badly like last year so may dip in the standings.

Taking a stab now.. here is what I think will happen (and it's still really early):

1. Toronto
2. Cleveland
3. Boston
4. Indiana
5. Atlanta
6. Chicago
7. Detroit
8. Orlando
9. Charlotte
10. NY
11. Washington
12. Milwaukee
13. Miami
14. Philly
15. Brooklyn

[guyroch]

I think the Magic have an access of Centers and so they may have another trade up their sleeve ... They did lose their second leading scorer .

[slaw]

A bunch of teams are different but that doesn't always equate to better.

I think the top of the conference is still CLE and TOR, followed by BOS and ATL in tier 2. No one has done anything, IMO, to displace that group in in terms of talent. The rest of the conference (other than 76ers and Nets) is basically the same team to me. Miami could fall off a cliff, too, but the Bosh situation will affect that.

As for surprises, well, I was down on the Bucks last year cause I thought the Monroe signing would throw their style of play for a loop but I think now, with a year under their belts, they will be a much better team. Wouldn't be surprised to see them sneak into the playoffs. Detroit could also be much better than advertised but not sure the Pistons are much of a dark horse at this point.

As an aside, I see people down on the Hawks again. I remember last offseason we had some people on here picking them to miss the playoffs or finish 7-8. Guys, this is still a really good team, with a great system and an excellent coach. They are going to be fine.

[guyroch]

Imagine your a fan and your team is up 3 - 1 and that means 1 game from reaching the NBA Finals ... Wow your on top of the world eh ... Now the team that isn't hanging on will be the Thunder ... IF they trade Westbrook they will go from feeling like Champions to feeling like a 76ers fan ..

[ceez]

think the magic and nets will be better, as opposed to what the first post said.

weird to think we got better despite losing Scola/Biz and gaining Scully. having 2 reliable post scorers will help in the long run, especially in the playoffs. i want to watch this team pick and roll teams to death. i'm not sure the raps win the same/more games than last year but i get the feeling they'll be better, if that makes sense. here's hoping Carroll is actually/stays healthy.

[Apollo]

Really the main reason Miami hung with the Raptors for seven games was because of Wade. Take him out and maybe add back in Bosh and they're just not as good. Oh and they just broke the bank on a guy lucky to be in the league. lol

What they added is far less than what they lost. They're no longer a legit threat.

[ceez]

i HOPE Casey is smart enough to keep Lowry's minutes down and even play Wright more if needs be. it'll probably result in a few regular season losses but a fresher Lowry in the playoffs would be wonderful.

[Apollo]

i HOPE Casey is smart enough to keep Lowry's minutes down and even play Wright more if needs be. it'll probably result in a few regular season losses but a fresher Lowry in the playoffs would be wonderful.

I'd much prefer them storm out of the gates and start resting guys after the all star break.

[ceez]

i think the Heat will scrap and fight for the 7th/8th seed if Bosh is healthy. they still have some good players and are well coached.

i'm still baffled at the tyler johnson re-signing though

[ceez]

I'd much prefer them storm out of the gates and start resting guys after the all star break.

sure, that makes sense too. i just want Casey to figure out his rotations and not run Lowry into the ground before the playoffs start.

[ceez]

i also want Demar to be able to shoot 3s. and a Tesla.

[DanH]

I'd much prefer them storm out of the gates and start resting guys after the all star break.

That worked out great last year...

They have the depth to storm out of the gates while maintaining reasonable workloads for their stars.

[Apollo]

That worked out great last year...

They have the depth to storm out of the gates while maintaining reasonable workloads for their stars.

One could argue that they're a work in progress and possibly a strategy that failed last season could work this season if properly executed. It's pretty normal for things to fail in the beginning, it doesn't mean quitting on it is the right choice.