4. Which team had the most underrated offseason?
Golliver: Raptors. GM Masai Ujiri didn't ink any contracts that made you go, "Whoa! What a fleecing!" but he did pound out a series of B/B+ moves that kept his rotation together while adding minor players around the edges. Because the Raptors lost in the first round, it's easy to forget that they finished with the East's third-best record last season. The two teams above them -- Indiana and Miami -- must deal with the departures of Lance Stephenson and LeBron James, respectively. Meanwhile, Toronto's postseason foe, Brooklyn, is suddenly without Paul Pierce and Shaun Livingston (not to mention coach Jason Kidd). With so many teams falling back to the pack, the Raptors calmly treaded water by retaining Kyle Lowry, Patrick Patterson and Greivis Vasquez. The addition of Lou Williams has the potential to be an under-the-radar steal too.
Let's not overlook the fact that Ujiri also brought back coach Dwane Casey, who oversaw last year's surprising campaign and created a defense-first culture that helped the Raptors overcome their lack of A-list starpower. Casey will be tasked with keeping the positive mojo going for a second season, but he approaches that job without any major new roster holes to fill.
http://www.si.com/nba/2014/07/24/nba...mavericks-suns
I agree with all of this.
Only thing I would add is the Raptors added low risk, high reward players in Bebe and Bruno. Neither will likely do much for the 2014-15 season but beyond that? Very, very interesting.
The bold nailed it. Top teams from last year took a step back while Toronto treads water. Question is did the likes of Charlotte, Chicago, and Washington do enough to overtake Toronto? Going to be a fun year!
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