Raptors Discussion: v70| It's off-season time (pre-season vs LAC from Hawaii: Sun Oct 1 @ 10pm ET/7pm PT | SN
- Thread starter The Nemesis
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Sure they do Celts or Cavs are going to the finals so they obviously have a shot at a ring.
Eyedea
The Legend Continues
stickty111
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Quoted for truth. If anything Raptors got better by not being in this deal. Raptors still have a shot at the finals
Diamond Joe Quimby
A$AP Joffrey
The Celts are what??
Celtics now have a big 2 and will be lucky to finish third in the conference, and Cleveland just got weaker defensively after watching its roster get a year older (rhetorical question: who plays the point in crunch time trying to hold a lead: the zombified corpse of Derrick Rose or the dwarf?). Also, IT isn't going to have a 34% usage rate with Lebron. Both teams were better at 5:00 today than now.
The Celts are what??
Celtics now have a big 2 and will be lucky to finish third in the conference, and Cleveland just got weaker defensively after watching its roster get a year older (rhetorical question: who plays the point in crunch time trying to hold a lead: the zombified corpse of Derrick Rose or the dwarf?). Also, IT isn't going to have a 34% usage rate with Lebron. Both teams were better at 5:00 today than now.
Celts are going to win close to 60 games with Irving-Hayward-Horford, with guys like Smart/Brown/Tatum/Morris to give those 3 a little help. Cleveland still has Bron/Love. It's not like the Raptors can beat either team in a best of 7.
The Raptors as currently constructed aren't ready to beat either team in the playoffs.
stickty111
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The Celts are what??
Celtics now have a big 2 and will be lucky to finish third in the conference, and Cleveland just got weaker defensively after watching its roster get a year older (rhetorical question: who plays the point in crunch time trying to hold a lead: the zombified corpse of Derrick Rose or the dwarf?). Also, IT isn't going to have a 34% usage rate with Lebron. Both teams were better at 5:00 today than now.
Yup. Also Raptors are in a better position to make the finals and beat those 2 teams.
LaPlante94
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Celtics should've just kept the 1st pick and traded IT for something that would've made them better.
Mitchy
#HFOutcasts
Celtics absolutely fleeced.
lmao, I wonder where all the Ainge worshippers are now.
Both pgs are overrated as hell, but at least this is a good deal for Cleveland, when looking towards the future. Also, Crowder is a nice add as well.
lmao, I wonder where all the Ainge worshippers are now.
Both pgs are overrated as hell, but at least this is a good deal for Cleveland, when looking towards the future. Also, Crowder is a nice add as well.
inthe6ix
Registered User
If KI doesn't re-up, Boston got fleeced big time, but if an extension is coming, the trade looks in favour of the Cavs, but not by a huge margin.
Diamond Joe Quimby
A$AP Joffrey
Lmao. Surely, you're joking.
The only thing valid in this post is "Cleveland still has Bron". That I'll buy, and alone makes them the favourite to come out of the east. The rest? My lawd.
So you think the Celtics won't make the Eastern Finals again? I think you're cutting the Celts very short Irving-Hayward-Horford is a great trio. You will see guys like Smart/Brown make strides. This really opens up time for Tatum to play the 3 or 4. I also never said the Celts were the favs I said in my original post that both teams have a great chance at making the finals therefore they have a shot at the ring by making the NBA Finals. The Celtics leveraged 2 great years from Thomas into one of the best scorers in the NBA and one of the top young players in the league. Considering they didn't want to max out Thomas I would say that's pretty good.
Diamond Joe Quimby
A$AP Joffrey
Yeah, no I don't.
And conversely, I think you're overrating Kyrie and Horford, while underrate get the effect of losing Bradley/IT/Crowder. The Celtics 16/17 strategy of "everyone play great defence and IT do whatever the hell you want on offence, 35% usage ftw" has now flown completely out the window. You've now made a big three out of two guys who were clearly the #2's on their teams in 16/17 (neither of which is a top 5 player at their position), and 31 year old Al Horford. Smart is what he is (solid wing defender, broken jumper), Brown has a long way to go to be a neutral vorp player, and Tatum is a daisy fresh rookie.
The trade itself is fine from an asset management perspective. IT is as flawed an asset as I've seen in some time in the NBA, and have said that since the season ended. But let's not act like either team has gotten better for 17/18. The east is essentially if Lebron is healthy, the Cavs are through.
I see them making the finals again, simply because I don't see anyone else who can challenge them for it. It would not surprise me to see Cleveland-Boston in the East again.
It hinges on two things, can the Raptors top one of Cleveland or Boston, how far have the Bucks come, which lives and dies with Giannis.
Really, who else could challenge them?
Diamond Joe Quimby
A$AP Joffrey
I feel like the people with the greatest level of confidence in the Celtics outside of the city of Boston are Bill Simmons and Raptors fans.
Swap Boston/Cleveland/Toronto in the regular season standings, and its Raptors-Cavs in the East final again. Couple that with the fact that Boston got worse, and it wouldn't surprise me to see that final again, with the Cavs of course being the overwhelming favourite because they have the best player in the world.
That said, things get interesting with the Cavs in the playoffs because even though Kyrie was trash on the defensive end, you could hide him. You can't hide 5"9.
All these people saying the Raptors can go to the finals now, have you even watched this team the past few years?
Our best two players are still second tier stars, both of which struggle to perform in the playoffs. Lowry has been showing some injury troubles recently as well.
This team should be top half of the Eastern Conference, win a round, maybe two in the playoffs, but that is it. This isn't a finals team let alone a possible winner.
Our best two players are still second tier stars, both of which struggle to perform in the playoffs. Lowry has been showing some injury troubles recently as well.
This team should be top half of the Eastern Conference, win a round, maybe two in the playoffs, but that is it. This isn't a finals team let alone a possible winner.
Eyedea
The Legend Continues
The Nemesis
Semper Tyrannus
http://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/20461226/cleveland-cavaliers-examine-isaiah-thomas-mull-next-move
The Cavs are apparently somewhat spooked by Isaiah Thomas' medical results. There's some quiet rumblings it could alter or (less likely) scuttle the trade.
The Cavs are apparently somewhat spooked by Isaiah Thomas' medical results. There's some quiet rumblings it could alter or (less likely) scuttle the trade.
LaPlante94
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