Raptors preview from a Celtics perspective

[mcHAPPY]

I very good write up. Id love to see Ross starting .. but I think itll be Fields for at least the first 20-30 games. Otherwise, I agree with most everything said here. I think hes bang on that the success (or lack thereof) of the rookies is really the swing factor. If Ross / JV can be legit contributors .. playoffs are very realistic. If not, no chance ..
I think 44 wins is optimisitc .. but otherwise like what this guy has to say.

One final thing .. not to beat the dead horse .. but pretty much every write up that has been posted here (and there have been some good ones in the last couple days) notes that Landry is overpaid and we got him due to the Nash chase .. so can we please drop the "BC really wanted him and his contract is appropriate" stuff and just move on with the fact that we hopefully got a good, young player, but had to overpay for him given unfortunate circumstances ..

I agree with your final paragraph. No doubt he is overpaid..... BUT.... I really do think Fields was a guy they would have had interest in regardless (young, can shoot better than shown in yr 2, glue-type player, solid D, great rebounder). The overpayment and rush to sign came because of the Nash pursuit. If there had been no Nash in the equation, I feel he was a guy they would have looked at. To get him they likely still would have had to overpay but I think it would have been a MLE type deal (3 year, $15M) versus what they paid (3 year, $18.7M).

[mcHAPPY]

Wow, this is just going to be a very interesting NBA season, and not just for Toronto, but it will be the most fun for us in years. I think for the most part the preview is pretty much spot on. Toronto has a legitimate shot at the bottom of the playoffs. I would say that being in our division will make it tough for us to make the playoffs, but the NBA is maybe the most balanced pro league in terms of facing teams. The other divisions in the East will be very very weak. I think there's a slim shot our entire division makes the playoffs.
Central: Indy should run away with it. If Chicago struggles and is too far down the ranks when Rose comes back, I can see them missing the playoffs. Even if Irving is healthy, I still think Cleveland is too young and lacks depth. They have a lot of promise with him, Thompson, Waiters, and if Zeller can be a solid player, that's great too. But what do they have after that? If Irving takes a BIG step forward I can see them challenging for the playoffs, but otherwise I just don't see it. Milwaukee and Detroit won't make it. So really, I see Indy as a sure thing, and it's possible no other team makes it from this division.
Southeast: Miami. Nuff said. Orlando will be in tanksville this year. Same with Charlotte. Washington is a big mystery but could easily challenge for the spot. Atlanta is also a mystery, but I see them taking a step back, just not sure if it's out of the playoffs.

So with no order: Miami, Boston, NY, NJ, Indy should all be locks. If Bynum fits in with Philly, I'd say they've got a pretty safe shot too. Then I think Toronto, Atlanta, Washington, Chicago, Cleveland battle it out for the last 2 spots. Mil, Det, Orl, Cha all miss for sure.

Cleveland as of now has no chance in my opinion. However, they are positioned for a huge trade with assets and lots of cap space. Things could change for them around December 15. They are also very well coached.

[mountio]

I agree with your final paragraph. No doubt he is overpaid..... BUT.... I really do think Fields was a guy they would have had interest in regardless (young, can shoot better than shown in yr 2, glue-type player, solid D, great rebounder). The overpayment and rush to sign came because of the Nash pursuit. If there had been no Nash in the equation, I feel he was a guy they would have looked at. To get him they likely still would have had to overpay but I think it would have been a MLE type deal (3 year, $15M) versus what they paid (3 year, $18.7M).

Agreed .. something like 3 yrs $12-$15 mm probably market and still would have been tough for the NYK to match if the last year is $7-$8 mm (ie 3/3/7 or something like that). I realize its not a massive difference .. but every bit counts .. if you overpay everyone on the roster by $2mm/year (I realize thats extreme) .. thats enough more than a max guy ..

[stretch]

I am hoping for a playoff birth but I don't believe this Celtic fan has as good a grasp of what's going with the Raptors.

For starters, the Raptors are not likely to start two rookies unless injuries play a part. Then there is Derozan as starting SF. DD may play some shifts at SF but I expect he will be the starting SG or even possibly coming off the bench as SG or SF. The Celtic fan has ED as back up center when it is obvious that JV and Gray will compete for the starting position with Amir, who is stronger than ED getting whatever minutes at C that are leftover, that is unless someone like Magloire is signed.

44 wins would be great! It could happen.

[thead]

I agree with 8th seed but 44 wins is too high imo.

I think in terms of a range 38 - 45 wins is doable. 44 would obviously be near the higher end of said range and require a lot of things to go right (Kleiza returns to form - DeRozan/Davis take a step forward - BigV and Ross contributing at a decent clip. For 44 - 45 wins everything has to go right.

[KingMaxwell47]

I also didn't realize Ed led the Raptors in rebounding last year. Was his the lowest team leading rebounding number in the league?

Biyombo lead Charlotte with 5.8 rpg. Man that team was a mess.

[Brandon]

JV had better be one of the best centers in the East and Ross a good defender/rebounder if that record is going to happen. Would also be nice if they'd get rid of Derozan.

[RandomGuy]

Linus Kleiza......