Where Do The Raptors Rank In The East?

[S.R.]

It's just a game or two into the season but I'm not sure a whole bunch of teams haven't actually lost a step. I'm hoping anyway.

I'm not convinced on the Bucks. They now need guys like Lopez and Ilyasova to shoot the lights out. We know these guys can be limited offensively and exposed defensively. The role players around Giannis are not as good as the guys they had a year ago, lost a couple of pieces.

I think the Sixers are worse without Butler and Reddick. Not enough shooters, too many big guys who are good defensively but average or below average offensively.

Boston can maybe return to form but Kemba is a step down from Kyrie no matter how you spin it + they peaked 2 years ago with IT playing a key role no one has been able to duplicate. They don't have a guy who can break down a defence or get them a bucket.

Westbrook is fun and Houston will win games but they peaked in the 3rd round a couple years ago. They don't have enough defenders anymore and they shoot themselves out of games.

The Warriors are done. Yay!

The Lakers can still pull it together, Lebron + AD is a really good pairing. But the other pieces. Yikes. AD refused to play without a security blanket like Dwight or McGee on the floor with him. And they have no point guard and want to start Rondo now. That means 2 of the 4 guys on the floor with Lebron can't shoot. A Lebron team needs shooters - this should be painfully obvious by now but it's not to the Lakers for the second year in a row. That team won't hit its ceiling with this set up.

I still have the Nuggets a step down until they prove it, but they are good. Teams like Blazers and Raptors are also a step back obviously.

The Clippers are for real and may run away with this thing.

These are my way, way too early observations.
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[KeonClark]

One of my favorite things of the year will be watching bubba gump I mean Draymond sulk thru mediocrity. Fucking Ringo Starr of the warriors

[planetmars]

If the Clippers win it all, that would be two franchises that were in perpetuous hell that Kawhi won a chip for. Pretty remarkable. He should be the NBA assassin that turns every franchise around. I think he should head over to Charlotte next.

[nubreed000]

It's just a game or two into the season but I'm not sure a whole bunch of teams haven't actually lost a step. I'm hoping anyway.

I'm not convinced on the Bucks. They now need guys like Lopez and Ilyasova to shoot the lights out. We know these guys can be limited offensively and exposed defensively. The role players around Giannis are not as good as the guys they had a year ago, lost a couple of pieces.

I think the Sixers are worse without Butler and Reddick. Not enough shooters, too many big guys who are good defensively but average or below average offensively.

Boston can maybe return to form but Kemba is a step down from Kyrie no matter how you spin it + they peaked 2 years ago with IT playing a key role no one has been able to duplicate. They don't have a guy who can break down a defence or get them a bucket.

Westbrook is fun and Houston will win games but they peaked in the 3rd round a couple years ago. They don't have enough defenders anymore and they shoot themselves out of games.

The Warriors are done. Yay!

The Lakers can still pull it together, Lebron + AD is a really good pairing. But the other pieces. Yikes. AD refused to play without a security blanket like Dwight or McGee on the floor with him. And they have no point guard and want to start Rondo now. That means 2 of the 4 guys on the floor with Lebron can't shoot. A Lebron team needs shooters - this should be painfully obvious by now but it's not to the Lakers for the second year in a row. That team won't hit its ceiling with this set up.

I still have the Nuggets a step down until they prove it, but they are good. Teams like Blazers and Raptors are also a step back obviously.

The Clippers are for real and may run away with this thing.

These are my way, way too early observations.
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A part of me thinks that the Bucks peaked last year. We ripped their souls out, and I don't think they'll get back to that same level again (and they're missing a few key players here and there also)

[KeonClark]

If the Clippers win it all, that would be two franchises that were in perpetuous hell that Kawhi won a chip for. Pretty remarkable. He should be the NBA assassin that turns every franchise around. I think he should head over to Charlotte next.

That would be a sweet gimmick. The lone ranger. Cap it off with the Knicks at the end.

[CNinja26]

I put money on the Raptors winning the Atlantic Division. I have a hunch that the Raptors are going to do what the Spurs do: beat the teams they should beat and accumulate a bunch of wins. I think this Raptors team can win 50 games. I think Philly will have ups and downs with the loss of Butler and Reddick and with Embiid's unpredictable health. I think they Raptors and 76ers will have similar records and I'm thinking that load management / rest at the end of the season for PHL means the Raps overtakes the 76ers for the Atlantic. I wouldn't be surprised if the Raptors finished as high as #2, but I voted they would finish #3 behind PHL and MIL in all likelihood. Would be fun to see that play out -- I'm just not expecting this crazy drop off that everyone is predicting, especially given how well they played without Kawhi last year.

[LJ2]

If the Clippers win it all, that would be two franchises that were in perpetuous hell that Kawhi won a chip for. Pretty remarkable. He should be the NBA assassin that turns every franchise around. I think he should head over to Charlotte next.

The Clippers are really good, and their bench is so deep they can afford to rest Kawhi. What I don't think will happen though is the load management he received from the Raptors. That was a situation where he was playing for his next big contract and wasn't going to take a chance of hurting himself playing for a team he was sent to against his wishes. He's in LA now and is going to have to show up for games, including back to backs. He might have taken the crown as the best player in the NBA, from LeBron, but you know LeBron doesn't get injured often like Kawhi does.

[bertarapsfan]

Early hot take. The clips dont need PG. The players they have plus kawhi are perfect fit right now very similar to how the raps were just a bunch of guys who know their role. PG returning is going to limit the impact of Lou will, Shamet, Harrell and Harkless.

[LJ2]

Early hot take. The clips dont need PG. The players they have plus kawhi are perfect fit right now very similar to how the raps were just a bunch of guys who know their role. PG returning is going to limit the impact of Lou will, Shamet, Harrell and Harkless.

Don't you dare compare the Clippers to the Raptors. Don't-You-Dare.

I prefer to compare the Clippers without PG to the Bucks, more than the Raptors. And similarly, they lack a second high level play maker like Lowry, Gasol, Siakam, FVV, in the playoffs.

[slaw]

Early hot take. The clips dont need PG. The players they have plus kawhi are perfect fit right now very similar to how the raps were just a bunch of guys who know their role. PG returning is going to limit the impact of Lou will, Shamet, Harrell and Harkless.

The Clippers need PG cause Leonard could barely walk by the end of the playoffs despite getting ~25% of the season off.

[KeonClark]

Early hot take. The clips dont need PG. The players they have plus kawhi are perfect fit right now very similar to how the raps were just a bunch of guys who know their role. PG returning is going to limit the impact of Lou will, Shamet, Harrell and Harkless.

They dont need PG, in the same way that golden state didnt really need Durant. With him, they're just too deep, too talented.

[S.R.]

PG will fit fine, more like Iggy going to GS the first time - only better. PG is happy to take a secondary role and can help you just playing defence, being a spot up shooter, whatever you need. He can do everything but isn't demanding about it.

Kawhi looks way better right now than he did at the start of last season. Whatever that weird injury was, he really wasn't healthy for the first half of last year. But yeah that whole thing is so strange, is he really going to play 33 mpg for 82 games and not have any issues? I don't know but I'm guessing the Clippers have enough cushion in the West to load manage Kawhi and PG if they want to.

[bertarapsfan]

The New Balance commerical has got me thinking alot about Kawhi and L.A. If Clips end up being as good as they look and laker under perform they have the opportunity to take over that City. As a long time Lebron Hater it would be beautiful to me if Lebron goes to the Lakers to try and cement his legacy and become a even bigger star by capturing the L.A market only for Kawhi to roll into town quietly and slowly turn L.A blue and diminish lebrons star power in L.A. Watch for the crowd distribution in the all Los Angelas matchup. Opening night was probably 70-30 Lakers fans. Next matchup will be 60-40. 50-50 by the 3rd and by then end of the season that arena will be 70-30 clippers fans (how many of those laker fans are bandwagon anyways). If Kawhi can turn that city Blue by years end, win a championship it will catapult him to that very top tier of best NBA players of all time.

[KeonClark]

The New Balance commerical has got me thinking alot about Kawhi and L.A. If Clips end up being as good as they look and laker under perform they have the opportunity to take over that City. As a long time Lebron Hater it would be beautiful to me if Lebron goes to the Lakers to try and cement his legacy and become a even bigger star by capturing the L.A market only for Kawhi to roll into town quietly and slowly turn L.A blue and diminish lebrons star power in L.A. Watch for the crowd distribution in the all Los Angelas matchup. Opening night was probably 70-30 Lakers fans. Next matchup will be 60-40. 50-50 by the 3rd and by then end of the season that arena will be 70-30 clippers fans (how many of those laker fans are bandwagon anyways). If Kawhi can turn that city Blue by years end, win a championship it will catapult him to that very top tier of best NBA players of all time.

You and T Rex are underestimating how deep the Laker gold runs through the veins in LA.

[bertarapsfan]

You and T Rex are underestimating how deep the Laker gold runs through the veins in LA.

I think alot of fans are bandwagon/celebritys looking for something "cool" to do. I get the old time die hards who were around for the showtime days. But once Kawhi starts to become to the hot ticket in town that young demographic who actually haven't seen a good lakers teams and the celebrity's who only care about being seen turn clips i think you see a different distribution of L.A fans. This isn't taking into account those Kobe fans who don't actually want to see Lebron get more rings then the Mamba.