(For Small-ball.com)
2015-16 Standings
Toronto Raptors - 56-26
Boston Celtics- 48- 34
New York Knicks- 32-50
Brooklyn Nets- 21-61
Philadelphia 76ers- 10-72
The Atlantic Division was probably the worst Division in the NBA last year; regardless of having two playoff teams in it. The Toronto Raptors lost 4-2 to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals, while the Boston Celtics are coming off back to back Playoff First Round and bounce seasons. The New York Knicks have almost a brand new looking team on their hands with the additions of Derek Rose and Joakim Noah & company. And the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers are just trying to build relevant enough teams to try and maybe reach the 25-30 win mark this season. For the Celtics sake, they need the Nets to lose as many games as possible so their odds in the 2017 NBA Lottery will go up for the #1 pick (unless they trade it beforehand). For the Knicks, this is a big season to show all the Free Agents of next summer that they could be a good place to go to going forward and not be the pathetic Franchise that they have been. And for the Raptors, it's time to try and make a little more of a statement against the Cavs in the Playoffs with the addition of ex-Celtics big man Jared Sullinger. The Nets and 76ers stink.
2015-16 Standings
Toronto Raptors - 56-26
Boston Celtics- 48- 34
New York Knicks- 32-50
Brooklyn Nets- 21-61
Philadelphia 76ers- 10-72
The Atlantic Division was probably the worst Division in the NBA last year; regardless of having two playoff teams in it. The Toronto Raptors lost 4-2 to the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals, while the Boston Celtics are coming off back to back Playoff First Round and bounce seasons. The New York Knicks have almost a brand new looking team on their hands with the additions of Derek Rose and Joakim Noah & company. And the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers are just trying to build relevant enough teams to try and maybe reach the 25-30 win mark this season. For the Celtics sake, they need the Nets to lose as many games as possible so their odds in the 2017 NBA Lottery will go up for the #1 pick (unless they trade it beforehand). For the Knicks, this is a big season to show all the Free Agents of next summer that they could be a good place to go to going forward and not be the pathetic Franchise that they have been. And for the Raptors, it's time to try and make a little more of a statement against the Cavs in the Playoffs with the addition of ex-Celtics big man Jared Sullinger. The Nets and 76ers stink.
The Atlantic Division has some incredible guard play with the likes of Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, Isaiah Thomas and Avery Bradley, and Derek Rose and Courtney Lee. Already you start to see the difference in the relevant teams in the Division (Raptors, Celtics and Knicks), and the non-relevant teams in the Division (Nets and 76ers). When you match up guys like Nik Stauskas (76ers) or Rondae-Hollis Jefferson (Nets) against any of these guys, it's an instant mismatch. The duo guard play has become very popular in todays NBA, where you can have a dominant backcourt to build a team around and then go try to spend money on some big men. Think of the 1-2 duos around the NBA; Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, John Wall and Bradley Beal etc. Even last year the Atlanta Hawks had Jeff Teague and Kent Bazemore that was a pretty formidable 1-2 that was just separated this offseason. If you notice, a lot of the playoff teams start with a dominant back court, or have at least one Elite guard in their arsenal (Clippers with Chris Paul, Thunder with Russell Westbrook, Cavaliers with Kyrie Irving). It obviously helps to have a top 5 player in the world on your team like LeBron James or Kevin Durant, but the guard play in the Atlantic Division can match up with just about any duo of guards in the league.
Where they can't even come remotely close to comparing with the rest to of the league Star Power wise; is at the big men positions. Not to say the Atlantic Division doesn't have any good or Star big men, because Brook Lopez, Kristaps Porzingis, Jahlil Okafor/Nerlens Noel, Jonas Valanciunas and newly acquired Celtic Al Horford, are all pretty much Star players in their own right. But compared to the top Guys in the game league DeMarcus Cousins, Blake Griffin, Anthony Davis, Andre Drummond or Kevin Love; the Star Power just isn't as powerful. However, night in and night out the Atlantic Division always has young defensive grinders at the big men positon that can annoy any Star that comes into their respective Cities. Guys like Jerami Grant (76ers), Kelly Olynyk (Celtics), and Patrick Patterson (Raptors) are hard working, young & talented and hungry players that don't quite have the skill set of the big Star players; but work their butts off night in and night out on the boards and on the offensive side of the ball. You would think that the Sixers, who Draft the #1 big man overall every year with their Lottery Pick it seems, would dominate the glass in the Atlantic. But they just never seem to be able to win games, even though it seems like they have all the ability in the world with all the high Draft picks they have (2-14 in the Division last year). And Centers like Brook Lopez and Jonas Valanciunas are some of the more dominant Centers in the game; but they just aren't quite the Star scorers that they have to be against teams with guys like DeMarcus Cousins, DeAndre Jordan or Anthony Davis. The Celtics got their much needed big man in Al Horford this offseason with a 4 year, $113 million dollar deal. It seems like the Celtics aren't done yet in their Frontcourt (maybe taking Okafor or Noel from the Sixers), but as of right now adding Horford to young guys like Olynyk is going to be great for the team learning and chemistry going forward. Horford is a terrific passer for a big man and can find some of the other guys open down low, as well as rebound and hit his mid range jumpers on the offensive side. The Atlantic will be better at the big men positions this year; but again not enough to compete with the better big men in the league most of the time night in and night out.
Where they can't even come remotely close to comparing with the rest to of the league Star Power wise; is at the big men positions. Not to say the Atlantic Division doesn't have any good or Star big men, because Brook Lopez, Kristaps Porzingis, Jahlil Okafor/Nerlens Noel, Jonas Valanciunas and newly acquired Celtic Al Horford, are all pretty much Star players in their own right. But compared to the top Guys in the game league DeMarcus Cousins, Blake Griffin, Anthony Davis, Andre Drummond or Kevin Love; the Star Power just isn't as powerful. However, night in and night out the Atlantic Division always has young defensive grinders at the big men positon that can annoy any Star that comes into their respective Cities. Guys like Jerami Grant (76ers), Kelly Olynyk (Celtics), and Patrick Patterson (Raptors) are hard working, young & talented and hungry players that don't quite have the skill set of the big Star players; but work their butts off night in and night out on the boards and on the offensive side of the ball. You would think that the Sixers, who Draft the #1 big man overall every year with their Lottery Pick it seems, would dominate the glass in the Atlantic. But they just never seem to be able to win games, even though it seems like they have all the ability in the world with all the high Draft picks they have (2-14 in the Division last year). And Centers like Brook Lopez and Jonas Valanciunas are some of the more dominant Centers in the game; but they just aren't quite the Star scorers that they have to be against teams with guys like DeMarcus Cousins, DeAndre Jordan or Anthony Davis. The Celtics got their much needed big man in Al Horford this offseason with a 4 year, $113 million dollar deal. It seems like the Celtics aren't done yet in their Frontcourt (maybe taking Okafor or Noel from the Sixers), but as of right now adding Horford to young guys like Olynyk is going to be great for the team learning and chemistry going forward. Horford is a terrific passer for a big man and can find some of the other guys open down low, as well as rebound and hit his mid range jumpers on the offensive side. The Atlantic will be better at the big men positions this year; but again not enough to compete with the better big men in the league most of the time night in and night out.
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As for the Stars in the Division? There's not many actually. Obviously Carmelo Anthony is the biggest Superstar in the Division by far. Behind him, you have guys like Kyle Lowry, newly acquired Derick Rose, Isaiah Thomas, DeMar DeRozan, newly acquired Al Horford, Brook Lopez, Jahlil Okafor and Kristaps Porzingis. There are other players, but these are the main All Stars that people talk about. I definitely can not forget about Avery Bradley, who made first team All-NBA Defensive Team, and may just be one of the top 5 two-way guards in the league this year. It will be interesting to see how the new Big 3 work out for the Knicks with Melo, DRose and Porzingis. With the additions of Joakim Noah and Courtney Lee, this starting 5 for the Knicks could be interesting to watch going forward. Like I said, this will be an important year for the Knicks to show they have the ability to compete going forward. The Celtics finished second in the Kevin Durant sweepstakes, so their Big 3 consists of Isaiah Thomas, Al Horford and Jae Crowder as of right now. Horford and Thomas could be a deadly combo similar to Chris Paul and Blake Griffen (minus the dunks); and Jae Crowder can go out and play your best player each night (LeBron, Durant, Melo etc.). Raptors are coming off of a chippy Eastern Conference Finals loss, and fall heavily on their Lowry/DeRozan duo and hope Carroll/Valanciunas can play well enough down low to get by. It seemed like they were going to get swept the way the Conference Finals started, but they managed to win two games at home before losing 4-2. They should be the favorite to win the Division after last year, but going into the year according to Sports Betting Sites, it goes Celtics, Raptors, Knicks. If I were to guess I would say that order should be right, with the Nets then Sixers bottoming out the Division.
Now onto Breaking Down the new-look teams of the Atlantic Division.
Boston Celtics
48-34
Additions: Al Horford, Gerald Green
Departures: Evan Turner, Jared Sullinger
As for the Stars in the Division? There's not many actually. Obviously Carmelo Anthony is the biggest Superstar in the Division by far. Behind him, you have guys like Kyle Lowry, newly acquired Derick Rose, Isaiah Thomas, DeMar DeRozan, newly acquired Al Horford, Brook Lopez, Jahlil Okafor and Kristaps Porzingis. There are other players, but these are the main All Stars that people talk about. I definitely can not forget about Avery Bradley, who made first team All-NBA Defensive Team, and may just be one of the top 5 two-way guards in the league this year. It will be interesting to see how the new Big 3 work out for the Knicks with Melo, DRose and Porzingis. With the additions of Joakim Noah and Courtney Lee, this starting 5 for the Knicks could be interesting to watch going forward. Like I said, this will be an important year for the Knicks to show they have the ability to compete going forward. The Celtics finished second in the Kevin Durant sweepstakes, so their Big 3 consists of Isaiah Thomas, Al Horford and Jae Crowder as of right now. Horford and Thomas could be a deadly combo similar to Chris Paul and Blake Griffen (minus the dunks); and Jae Crowder can go out and play your best player each night (LeBron, Durant, Melo etc.). Raptors are coming off of a chippy Eastern Conference Finals loss, and fall heavily on their Lowry/DeRozan duo and hope Carroll/Valanciunas can play well enough down low to get by. It seemed like they were going to get swept the way the Conference Finals started, but they managed to win two games at home before losing 4-2. They should be the favorite to win the Division after last year, but going into the year according to Sports Betting Sites, it goes Celtics, Raptors, Knicks. If I were to guess I would say that order should be right, with the Nets then Sixers bottoming out the Division.
Now onto Breaking Down the new-look teams of the Atlantic Division.
Boston Celtics
48-34
Additions: Al Horford, Gerald Green
Departures: Evan Turner, Jared Sullinger
General Manager Danny Ainge and CEO/Owner Wyc Grousbeck had some tough decisions to make going forward with where they wanted to go with the future of this Celtics team. The Celtics could be a serious title contender for multiple upcoming years going forward if they play their cards right. It seemed to be only a matter of time and |
how they were going to do it. So far through the Draft, the Celtics haven't gotten anyone yet that could be a cornerstone of their Franchise over the past two years. In the 2016 Draft that just past, the Celtics took Jaylen Brown, Guerschon Yabusele, Ante Zizic, Demetrius Jackson, Ben Bentil and Abdel Nadar. They took Brown with the #3 pick and Yabu with the #16 pick, where they hope Brown can be that cornerstone of their Franchise, and let Yabu play overseas this year to save money and let him improve in his 20 year old year. Brown was awesome in the Summer Leagues where he basically outplayed everyone he played against; averaging 16 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.8 steals per game. Going forward, if he can work on his shot he may just be the guy that the Celtics were looking for, and they can silence the Celtics fans who were booing when they drafted Jaylen instead of trading the pick off. It's not known yet who of their drafted players will make the Celtics Opening Night roster, but you can bet on Brown being there and Yabusele not. But as for the team they have now?
Returning Players: Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder, Isaiah Thomas, Kelly Olynyk, RJ Hunter, Marcus Smart, Jonas Jerebko, Terry Rozier, Jordan Mickey, James Young, Amir Johnson, Tyler Zeller.
After coming in second in the Kevin Durant sweepstakes, the Celtics can at least be happy with the fact they got newly acquired big man Al Horford to head to Boston one way or another. Durant told the Celtics to sign Horford if he wanted him to go there, so they won him away from the Hawks and the Wizards who he was considering going to. I quickly touched upon Horford earlier with his veteran presence, but to this young Celtics team it will come into play very quickly. Last year, the Celtics were 6th in the league in rebounding, and with the addition of Horford and if they trade for another big; that will help their rebounding that seemed to be lacking last year even though they finished that high. Grinders like Olynyk that I was talking about earlier are the reason as to why that was so high, and obviously rebounding is one of the biggest parts of the game.
Returning Players: Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder, Isaiah Thomas, Kelly Olynyk, RJ Hunter, Marcus Smart, Jonas Jerebko, Terry Rozier, Jordan Mickey, James Young, Amir Johnson, Tyler Zeller.
After coming in second in the Kevin Durant sweepstakes, the Celtics can at least be happy with the fact they got newly acquired big man Al Horford to head to Boston one way or another. Durant told the Celtics to sign Horford if he wanted him to go there, so they won him away from the Hawks and the Wizards who he was considering going to. I quickly touched upon Horford earlier with his veteran presence, but to this young Celtics team it will come into play very quickly. Last year, the Celtics were 6th in the league in rebounding, and with the addition of Horford and if they trade for another big; that will help their rebounding that seemed to be lacking last year even though they finished that high. Grinders like Olynyk that I was talking about earlier are the reason as to why that was so high, and obviously rebounding is one of the biggest parts of the game.
G- The guard play from the Celtics is by far their strongest part of their team, apart from their defense. The Celtics have one of those great 1-2 duos of guards in the League in Isaiah Thomas and Avery Bradley. Thomas is more of the scorer, averaging 22.2 points, 6.2 assists and 3.0 rebounds per game last year; whereas Bradley averaged 15.2 points, 2.1 assists and 2.9 rebounds, and is more of the defensive guy. Thomas was an All-Star guard last year, and Bradley was first team All Defense as I mentioned earlier. Isaiah is one of those little guys that get to the rim so easily somehow and can shoot, as he led all Celtics scorers last year. And Bradley might have just turned himself into be one of the top premier two-way guards in the NBA. Losing Evan Turner is going to be a gap that their bench guys will have to fill. They have so much depth at the guard position in guys like Marcus Smart, Terry Rozier, RJ Hunter and James Young; along with just signing draftee Demetrius Jackson. Smart is one of the picks from the last two years that have sort of been good for the Celtics; as he averaged 9.1 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game off the bench. Rozier and Hunter can add the long range shots as they mature, and James Young hasn't gotten much action yet; but can eat up minutes. The guards of the Celtics are what got them to the playoffs last year, as you could see them play so well against guys like Steph Curry and Klay Thompson in the regular season.
F- I personally believe that Jae Crowder is one of the most underrated players in the league. His defense doesn't speak enough volume as to what he plays against guys like LeBron or Durant. He's an incredible perimeter defender on them and can run and rebound with almost anyone. Last year he only averaged 14.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists; but is one of those guys that the defense relies to heavily on. When you have a lock down spot at the guard position in Bradley, and a fantastic defender in Crowder at the 3-4 spot; it's gonna call for some rough nights for guys like LeBron/Kyrie or Draymond/Steph etc. Adding Horford to the 4 some nights if he isn't playing the 5 can call for some mismatches on the offensive side for Al; and he can also snag a lot more rebounds. Guys like Jonas Jerebko are awesome for the Celtics. They are the guys off the bench the Celtics and Celtics fans thrive for. Come in off the bench, hit some threes, grab some boards and give the Celtics meaningful minutes when they matter most. Him and Kelly Olynyk, who can play Center or Forward like Horford, is the glue that keeps this team of no superstars together to form one megastar. Adding Jaylen Brown to Amir Johnson and that mix should be interesting to see; and how Jordan Mickey will be this year if he plays. Maybe Gerald Green will bring back some bounce this year too.
C- It looks like the Celtics will mix off with a duo of Horford and Olynyk at the Center spot. Drafting Ante Zizic may be an answer there depending on what they want to do with him once he comes back from play overseas; but as the roster looks now, it's gonna be a duo of those two. The Celtics obviously aren't done with what they're doing trade wise or draft wise down low, but having Horford play the 4 will be an advantage to the Celtics; if Olynyk can prove he can play the 5. Horford is a poor mans Tim Duncan I call him so he can create mismatches left and right and create double teams to open up some lanes. Olynyk isn't the best defensive Center, but can hit threes and rebound down low. Losing Sullinger is going to hurt, as he was a big body underneath and could also hit some threes; just like when he was a dominant College Player at Ohio State. But Horford should fill that gap and some as long as they can work out that duo at the 4/5 spots between Horford and Olynyk with some help of Tyler Zeller who just resigned a 2 year, $18 million dollar deal. The Center spot might be one of the weaker spots of the Celtics this year if they can't seem to find rebounding against some of the bigger guys in the Division like Brook Lopez or Jonas Valanciunas.
F- I personally believe that Jae Crowder is one of the most underrated players in the league. His defense doesn't speak enough volume as to what he plays against guys like LeBron or Durant. He's an incredible perimeter defender on them and can run and rebound with almost anyone. Last year he only averaged 14.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists; but is one of those guys that the defense relies to heavily on. When you have a lock down spot at the guard position in Bradley, and a fantastic defender in Crowder at the 3-4 spot; it's gonna call for some rough nights for guys like LeBron/Kyrie or Draymond/Steph etc. Adding Horford to the 4 some nights if he isn't playing the 5 can call for some mismatches on the offensive side for Al; and he can also snag a lot more rebounds. Guys like Jonas Jerebko are awesome for the Celtics. They are the guys off the bench the Celtics and Celtics fans thrive for. Come in off the bench, hit some threes, grab some boards and give the Celtics meaningful minutes when they matter most. Him and Kelly Olynyk, who can play Center or Forward like Horford, is the glue that keeps this team of no superstars together to form one megastar. Adding Jaylen Brown to Amir Johnson and that mix should be interesting to see; and how Jordan Mickey will be this year if he plays. Maybe Gerald Green will bring back some bounce this year too.
C- It looks like the Celtics will mix off with a duo of Horford and Olynyk at the Center spot. Drafting Ante Zizic may be an answer there depending on what they want to do with him once he comes back from play overseas; but as the roster looks now, it's gonna be a duo of those two. The Celtics obviously aren't done with what they're doing trade wise or draft wise down low, but having Horford play the 4 will be an advantage to the Celtics; if Olynyk can prove he can play the 5. Horford is a poor mans Tim Duncan I call him so he can create mismatches left and right and create double teams to open up some lanes. Olynyk isn't the best defensive Center, but can hit threes and rebound down low. Losing Sullinger is going to hurt, as he was a big body underneath and could also hit some threes; just like when he was a dominant College Player at Ohio State. But Horford should fill that gap and some as long as they can work out that duo at the 4/5 spots between Horford and Olynyk with some help of Tyler Zeller who just resigned a 2 year, $18 million dollar deal. The Center spot might be one of the weaker spots of the Celtics this year if they can't seem to find rebounding against some of the bigger guys in the Division like Brook Lopez or Jonas Valanciunas.
coach in the league, and he probably should of won Coach of the Year award last year. He works so well with the young players and as a young coach coming out of college with a 166-49 record. His basketball mind is like no other, and him and Ainge are always on the same page with players they want to come in and what ones they want to develop. He can handle any type of personality that comes to Boston (ex. rumors of Russell Westbrook or DeMarcus Cousins), but hasn't really had to yet. A lot of non-selfish players fill this Boston squad, and when led by a top 5 coach in the League; the Celtics could be a force to be reckoned with in the East.
Overall
The Celtics are the favorite to win this Division and rightfully so. They got better with the addition of Al Horford, plain and simple. Losing guys like Evan Turner off the bench will be tough who was a 6th man of the year candidate with 10.5 points per game, 4.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists. Also at the big man position, Sullinger will be a big loss as a big body down low. Jae Crowder said earlier this Summer that the expectations are the Eastern Conference Finals. Obviously you can't say it's the Finals because you have to get by LeBron first; who is basically like a Finals series himself. But I think if the Celtics can make a Playoff run this year and show teams Boston is the place to go to after Horford laid down the pathway to the Beantown; the future of the Celtics could be very bright this year and years going forward.
Prediction: 58-24
Overall
The Celtics are the favorite to win this Division and rightfully so. They got better with the addition of Al Horford, plain and simple. Losing guys like Evan Turner off the bench will be tough who was a 6th man of the year candidate with 10.5 points per game, 4.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists. Also at the big man position, Sullinger will be a big loss as a big body down low. Jae Crowder said earlier this Summer that the expectations are the Eastern Conference Finals. Obviously you can't say it's the Finals because you have to get by LeBron first; who is basically like a Finals series himself. But I think if the Celtics can make a Playoff run this year and show teams Boston is the place to go to after Horford laid down the pathway to the Beantown; the future of the Celtics could be very bright this year and years going forward.
Prediction: 58-24