Who is the Most Overrated Team in the East ..aka.. Why Boston Sux.

[Fully]

The loss of Batum is a big one for Charlotte but I thought they were getting overhyped anyway. This was a team that won 36 games last season with relative good health. Dwight is an upgrade at centre but people seemed to think that he was going to help them win 10+ more games, which I just didn't see.

[sanyo]

Really doesn't matter GS is gonna win again (OKC with the wild card).

East is super weak and if Lebron goes next year to LA, it could be the Raps year to try and at least make the NBA finals next year. Dark horse is Philly and how they progress, if the stars align for them they will be the top team within 2-3 years (tho they are the most jinxed team in the NBA so it gonna really take a lot to get the stars aligned).

[Other Scott]

I voted for Philly, because I don't think they're ready to be a .500 team relying primarily on 3 players who've played a grand total of about 30 games in the NBA.

That said I think Cleveland deserves more consideration. They replaced an All Star point guard with potentially nothing (who knows when Isaiah is getting back though I think at full health he could be just as impactful as Irving - but that's a bad injury). LeBron is a year older and while he's an absolute machine, there's gotta be a dropoff somewhere.

As currently constructed the team's starting back court is Derrick Rose and D Wade - that's not a lot of shooting for a team that used to rely on Lebron and shooters.

[tDotted]

The loss of Batum is a big one for Charlotte but I thought they were getting overhyped anyway. This was a team that won 36 games last season with relative good health. Dwight is an upgrade at centre but people seemed to think that he was going to help them win 10+ more games, which I just didn't see.

Zeller was very important for them and he missed 20 games.

The splits with and without him are pretty startling:

33-29 with
3-17 without

They would have definitely made the playoffs if he had been healthy all year, and Dwight seems to be a solid upgrade over him as the starter.

[The Great One]

This guy is trying so hard to become Cleveland's #1 villain.

Kyrie Irving on playing for #Celtics: “Boston, I’m driving in and (thinking), ‘I’m really playing in a real, live sports city?’" #Cavs

— Tom Withers (@twithersAP) October 12, 2017

[Fully]

Zeller was very important for them and he missed 20 games.

The splits with and without him are pretty startling:

33-29 with
3-17 without

They would have definitely made the playoffs if he had been healthy all year, and Dwight seems to be a solid upgrade over him as the starter.

Losing 20 games from your 3rd or 4th best player is still relative good health. For comparisons sake, Lowry missed 22 games last season.

[007]

This guy is trying so hard to become Cleveland's #1 villain.

Kyrie Irving on playing for #Celtics: “Boston, I’m driving in and (thinking), ‘I’m really playing in a real, live sports city?’" #Cavs

— Tom Withers (@twithersAP) October 12, 2017

lol what a tool

[Demographic Shift]

lol what a tool

This should be quite the game...More times than not it’s the front office or the coach that wants a player out..or the player asks to leave for his own reasons....but Irving kinda shit on the players on the team as the reason he wanted to go.....Don’t think the bro hugs on his return will be forthcoming....

[Nilanka]

This guy is trying so hard to become Cleveland's #1 villain.

Kyrie Irving on playing for #Celtics: “Boston, I’m driving in and (thinking), ‘I’m really playing in a real, live sports city?’" #Cavs

— Tom Withers (@twithersAP) October 12, 2017

He's not wrong though. Cleveland is a dive, lol.

[Mack North]

This guy is trying so hard to become Cleveland's #1 villain.

Kyrie Irving on playing for #Celtics: “Boston, I’m driving in and (thinking), ‘I’m really playing in a real, live sports city?’" #Cavs

— Tom Withers (@twithersAP) October 12, 2017

No words can describe how much I detest this POS. Wait til you're injured and losing and all the Boston racists show up lol

[ebrian]

So I decided to take a more pro-active approach by looking at how Boston will distribute their minutes. It's a little harder to extrapolate given that more than two thirds of their roster is playing for other teams this year but here's my best bet:

Celtics minutes last year:
1. PG Isaiah Thomas, 34 (gone)
2. SG Avery Bradley, 33 (gone)
3. SF Jae Crowder, 32 (gone)
4. C Al Horford, 32
5. SG Marcus Smart, 30
6. C Kelly Olynyk, 21 (gone)
7. PF Amir Johnson, 20 (gone)
8. SF Jaylen Brown, 17
9. PG Terry Rozier, 17
10. PF Jonas Jerebko, 16 (gone)

2017-2018 projections (I'm only going to put the order):
1. PG Kyrie Irving
2. SF Gordon Hayward
3. SF Jaylen Brown
4. C Al Horford
5. SF Jayson Tatum
6. SG Marcus Smart
7. PF Marcus Morris
8. C Aaron Baynes
9. PG Terry Rozier

You can see that Olynyk played a huge chunk of minutes last year and Boston's only other C is now Aron Baynes, who played about 15 mpg for Detroit. It's not a huge drop but similar to Siakam, Baynes is not going to be able to stretch the floor by any means the way Olynyk could. I suspect any time Baynes sees the floor they'll just need to load up on shooters. It's going to be a tricky situation for them if/when Horford misses any time.

Boston has no choice but to play small ball a lot this year, but that might not be so bad as most teams are doing it anyway. The lineups that Boston will use this year will depend a lot on how much Jaylen Brown improves or how quickly Jayson Tatum acclimates to the NBA. My money is on Tatum but I guess we'll see. I was never that high on Boston choosing Jaylen Brown 3rd overall last year.. seemed like a stretch.

Kyrie has slightly more leeway than Kyle Lowry does in terms of needing to stay healthy. Terry Rozier is the backup but thy also still have Marcus Smart, who I think will play more at the point this year since they're loaded with wings.

I assume Hayward will slide into the SG spot and they'll rotate Brown/Tatum accordingly depending on matchup. The Morris twins have been exonerated so that gives them the guy they need at the 4.

Boston has similar problems as we do in the front court with depth.. we have a little more at C, they have a little more at the wing. I think where they have a slight advantage in depth overall is that the ceilings of their inexperienced youth should be fairly higher, just by way of how high they were taken in their respective drafts. Rozier and Yabusele were both just outside the lottery, and Tatum/Brown both taken 3rd overall. Marcus Smart is a former 6th overall pick. Sure, one could argue they were taken too early or that they could be complete draft busts (cross your fingers!) but for now let's just give them the benefit of doubt.

I'll look at Washington tomorrow.

I never did get around to looking at Washington.. but I am reminded of this thread after Hayward's gruesome injury. Suddenly, I'm not as worried about the Celtics but I do think it'll be interesting to see how they fill the minutes now.

[Hotshot]

I never did get around to looking at Washington.. but I am reminded of this thread after Hayward's gruesome injury. Suddenly, I'm not as worried about the Celtics but I do think it'll be interesting to see how they fill the minutes now.

Its easy they just give more minutes Marcus Smart and Tatum in the SG spot as well finding more minutes for Rozier . The Celtics have enough depth to minimize this.

[golden]

Celtics now look a heck of lot like the Lebron-less, Kyrie Irving Cavs. Can you say lottery?

[Fully]

Celtics now look a heck of lot like the Lebron-less, Kyrie Irving Cavs. Can you say lottery?

Boston isn't ending up in the lottery, let's not be silly. Even without Hayward all year they're a more talented roster than last year. I'd expect them to be in the 46-52 win range.

[KeonClark]

Boston isn't ending up in the lottery, let's not be silly. Even without Hayward all year they're a more talented roster than last year. I'd expect them to be in the 46-52 win range.

Lol wut