Why do Raptors fans think we are better than Wizards and Hornets?

[GLF]

If Pierce plays the 4 the reason they got him becomes moot. Also means Hump or Blair sits. Porter at the 3 as a starter means .500

I was thinking about that too but don't they have Martell Webster? He can play the three. I know he's injured and just had surgery or something but when he's healthy he's a pretty good player.

[raptors999]

I was thinking about that too but don't they have Martell Webster? He can play the three. I know he's injured and just had surgery or something but when he's healthy he's a pretty good player.

Out a couple months. Ariza ->Webster is just an upgrade to Porter and then the bench weakens. Pierce at the 4 helps Wiz offense but that interior defense would be brutal. Nene is a good low post defender who hurts the Wiz offense. Also makes the Hump + Wagner signings terrible. They should have tried to get Marion or Marvin Williams instead of adding two PF , three if you count Pierce.

[YoungGunRaptor]

Well I believe us and Washington are gonna be fighting for that 3rd seed and the Horncats will be fighting for 5th seed along with Miami and Atl.

Washington is replacing Trevor Ariza with Paul Pierce and Otto Porter which is gonna be a downgrade
PP cannot defend 3s well in the NBA anymore, that's why when he was moved to the 4 Brooklyn started winning.
Otto Porter played well in the Summer League but its just summer league. Porter next year is gonna play like Tross in his rookie season.
So when the Wizards run into a team with a good SF, they're gonna get abused like we did in the Brooklyn series

And about Horncats, Im gonna be honest I just dont like that team personally because they beat our ass 3x last season and now there fans think adding Lance Stephenson and 2 rookies is gonna make then a contender or something haha

I wouldn't say that 2 rookies + Stephenson is what everyone is hyping them for.

If they open up the season with a lineup of: Walker, Stephenson, MKG, C. Zeller, and Big Al,

this lineup has a bit of everything, but defence tops it. With Stephenson and MKG at the wings, it will make things very difficult for opposing wings to get into any flow. Cody Zeller is expected to be a scrapper at the PF, and if he can do that, he takes a lot of pressure off of Big Al. If not, Vonleh will certainly fit that void with his rebounding and low post skills. Kemba Walker is still Kemba Walker.

If internal growth is a factor, then I'm sure that MKG has been working on that jumpshot. Zeller has solid range for a PF, so he can help stretch the floor for Jefferson in the post. Stephenson too will likely be working on his perimeter game, seeing as stretching the floor will be key for Jefferson and Vonleh. I wonder if Kemba will be looking to make an all star push this season?

The Hornets ranked 10th in defensive efficiency last year, and Stephenson+ Vonleh will likely thrive in this sort of a physical system.

They have a solid bench, and plenty of potential. That is why I feel like they do deserve some of the recognition they are getting this summer. I expect them to be a more improved, more cohesive team next season, and with Stephenson joining them, they now have two playmakers in the starting lineup, which will definitely help increase their offensive efficiency and help the ball move around more rapidly, especially into the post to Jefferson.

[raptors999]

I wouldn't say that 2 rookies + Stephenson is what everyone is hyping them for.

If they open up the season with a lineup of: Walker, Stephenson, MKG, C. Zeller, and Big Al,

this lineup has a bit of everything, but defence tops it. With Stephenson and MKG at the wings, it will make things very difficult for opposing wings to get into any flow. Cody Zeller is expected to be a scrapper at the PF, and if he can do that, he takes a lot of pressure off of Big Al. If not, Vonleh will certainly fit that void with his rebounding and low post skills. Kemba Walker is still Kemba Walker.

If internal growth is a factor, then I'm sure that MKG has been working on that jumpshot. Zeller has solid range for a PF, so he can help stretch the floor for Jefferson in the post. Stephenson too will likely be working on his perimeter game, seeing as stretching the floor will be key for Jefferson and Vonleh. I wonder if Kemba will be looking to make an all star push this season?

The Hornets ranked 10th in defensive efficiency last year, and Stephenson+ Vonleh will likely thrive in this sort of a physical system.

They have a solid bench, and plenty of potential. That is why I feel like they do deserve some of the recognition they are getting this summer. I expect them to be a more improved, more cohesive team next season, and with Stephenson joining them, they now have two playmakers in the starting lineup, which will definitely help increase their offensive efficiency and help the ball move around more rapidly, especially into the post to Jefferson.

Comparing Indy to Charlotte player to player , Charlotte's offense is worse than Indy last season. Walker + Lance + Al <<<<<< Lance + PG + West. MKG and Zeller barely gets guarded. If Charlotte wants to take a step they need a Rose or Melo type scorer and that isn't Lance. They should try for Gay in 2015.

[GLF]

Out a couple months. Ariza ->Webster is just an upgrade to Porter and then the bench weakens. Pierce at the 4 helps Wiz offense but that interior defense would be brutal. Nene is a good low post defender who hurts the Wiz offense. Also makes the Hump + Wagner signings terrible. They should have tried to get Marion or Marvin Williams instead of adding two PF , three if you count Pierce.

That's true, it does make the Hump and Blair signing terrible but i think they would take that chance if they are winning more games with Pierce at the four. And to me the bench doesn't weaken because that mean either Nene or Gortat would move to the bench. Nene or Gortat coming off the bench is better than Webster or Porter

[raptors999]

That's true, it does make the Hump and Blair signing terrible but i think they would take that chance if they are winning more games with Pierce at the four. And to me the bench doesn't weaken because that mean either Nene or Gortat would move to the bench. Nene or Gortat coming off the bench is better than Webster or Porter

Nene with Miller make a lot more sense then with Wall but the spacing is terrible. If the Wizard want to improve they have to move Nene. He clogs everything up on the court and with the cap.

[GLF]

Nene with Miller make a lot more sense then with Wall but the spacing is terrible. If the Wizard want to improve they have to move Nene. He clogs everything up on the court and with the cap.

I was just trying to play devil's advocate here. We will we what transpires. But for sure if Pierce stays at the 3 I don't think they're as good. Pierce can't guard those guys anymore and offensively he won't be able to use his quickness and savy to beat then off the dribble the way he does with the bigs.

[Pong]

Out a couple months. Ariza ->Webster is just an upgrade to Porter and then the bench weakens. Pierce at the 4 helps Wiz offense but that interior defense would be brutal. Nene is a good low post defender who hurts the Wiz offense. Also makes the Hump + Wagner signings terrible. They should have tried to get Marion or Marvin Williams instead of adding two PF , three if you count Pierce.

Nene is one of the better offensive bigmen in the league...

[raptors999]

I was just trying to play devil's advocate here. We will we what transpires. But for sure if Pierce stays at the 3 I don't think they're as good. Pierce can't guard those guys anymore and offensively he won't be able to use his quickness and savy to beat then off the dribble the way he does with the bigs.

Washington offense played better without Nene. He ball stops and Wall and Beal can't function if defenses set up. Pierce might be the worst signing because they will be tempted to run and that means they aren't a playoff team. If Pierce ends up at the 4 they look like an early first round exit. Atlanta is better at small ball and they aren't a deep playoff team.

[IROR]

wouldn't backup center be our obvious glaring weakness?

Wouldn't say glaring, considering we have 4 other bigs. All can play backup C by committee, minus Bebe who will likely be in a suit or the d league. We could use another 7 footer but what team couldn't? Hayes Hamsbrough and Patterson can get it done for the 10-15 mins unclaimed by JV and Amir at C.

[Axel]

I think the Hornets are going to be better than the Wiz.

Steve Clifford seems like a very good defensive coach and he has some good defenders on that team. MKG and Lance are two of the better perimeter defenders that will cause a lot of problems for teams. Kemba and Al Jeff will continue to carry the offence, with Lance filling in the secondary passer role for the departed Josh McRoberts. At the PF spot, they have a couple of good young prospects in Zeller and big time prospect Noah Vonleh. Vonleh is young, talented and works hard. He rebounds and should be able to stretch the floor a bit with his shooting. Marvin Williams played a lot of small ball 4 with Utah and had a pretty good season. He gives them a veteran option. With Al jeff controlling the low block, they don't need a traditional 4 post player and are actually better off with a small ball 4 or stretch.

They also have guys like Jeff Taylor and Jeff Adrien, blue collar workers who play solid D.

Remember, this team wasn't as bad as their draft slot to grab Vonleh (their pick was from the Pistons). They've had a full year to learn how to best incorporate Al jeff too.

Washington is the more likely team to implode I think. Ariza was their glue guy. Pierce isn't filling that role and Otto hasn't really shown anything yet (remember last years summer league MVP?). He was a #3 pick but in a bad year, so he's really more of a 8-9-10 pick; so the upside isn't that of Wall/Beal.

Raps are steady as she goes. The continuity will help us early while I see the Wiz taking longer to get going and then having to hope that Nene and Co stay healthy.

[ezz_bee]

I like the Hornets, but I am worried about the impact of Lance. He really seems like he's cut from the Ron Artest (now Metta World Peace) Stephen Jackson cloth. Both those guys were able to find success and contribute positively to winning teams, but both have been a cause of instability... The East is (at least) as wide open as the West, although the overall strength of teams is lower (Although the gap is closer together than it was last year).

[OptimalOptimist]

Another thing to consider is that the Wizards' division is hella tougher than ours.

[Other Scott]

I'm a little nervous about the Hornets, as their jump in production was caused by Al Jefferson having a career year in his 10th year in the league, and I have my doubts that he can repeat it in any way. And if he can't, then the team can become too dependent on Stephenson for offense, which is not ideal.

Defensively, though, certainly a scary team.

[Fully]

I'm a little nervous about the Hornets, as their jump in production was caused by Al Jefferson having a career year in his 10th year in the league, and I have my doubts that he can repeat it in any way. And if he can't, then the team can become too dependent on Stephenson for offense, which is not ideal.

Defensively, though, certainly a scary team.

Al Jefferson has had better, or at the very least equal statistical seasons compared to what he did last year. It's not like he's come out of nowhere - he's been in the 20 & 10 realm for pretty much the past 8 seasons, the only difference was this past year in Charlotte he was the sole option down low unlike in Utah so he saw a small bump in both points and rebounds.