# Rank the East



## yodurk (Sep 4, 2002)

Inspired by taco_daddy's thread. How do you rank the East now that nearly all big FA decisions are made?

My rankings:

1. Miami (enemy #1)
2. Chicago
3. Boston
4. Orlando
5. Atlanta
6. Milwaukee
7. Washington (Wall/Hinrich will surprise)
8. Charlotte

9. New York
10. Cleveland
11. New Jersey
12. Philadelphia
13. Detroit
14. Indiana
15. Toronto

A couple points:

-- The East's top 6 should all be VERY good; much deeper than last year.

-- There is a huge drop off from #6 to #7. IMO, the top 6 is pretty clear.


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## Ben (Nov 7, 2006)

Adding Carlos Boozer takes you from .500 and the #8 seed, to being the #2 seed?


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## ATLien (Jun 18, 2002)

Boston is too high. They probably are the 3rd best team, but this is seeds & regular season wins are all thats relevant.

1.) Miami
2.) Orlando
3.) Atlanta
4.) Chicago
5.) Boston
6.) Milwaukee
7.) Charlotte
8.) New York

After hearing about all the moves, my first gut instinct was, "Oh man. Atlanta is going to drop to the 6th seed now." But I don't know that Boston got better, & Chicago and Milwaukee will need to a really large W/L improvment to be a 3rd seed.


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## taco_daddy (Jun 13, 2004)

Here's my prediction, based on Rose/Boozer being a dangerous combo.

1. Miami
2. Orlando
3. Chicago
4. Atlanta
5. Boston
6. Milwaukee
7. Charlotte
8. Cleveland

Truthfully, I see positions 3 - 6 kind of up for grabs as I doubt there will be a huge difference in W/L records. It just depends on who wants it more. I can't see Cleveland completely dropping off because they still have some quality players, unless they just decide to tank the season.


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## 29380 (Feb 23, 2009)

1. Orlando
2. Miami
3. Boston
4. Chicago
5. Charlotte
6. Atlanta
7. Milwaukee
8. New York


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## yodurk (Sep 4, 2002)

FX™;6318623 said:


> Adding Carlos Boozer takes you from .500 and the #8 seed, to being the #2 seed?


Let me qualify this.

- Miami is #1, no doubt about it

- #2 through #5 is very muddled; IMO, they will all reach 50 wins, but probably none will exceed 56 wins.

- Chicago has an edge b/c they are very balanced, all their best players are younger than 30, and they are all experienced and playoff tested

- Boston is going downhill; they can prolong breaking up the team, but all those guys are another year older. I believe Rondo has peaked with his great season last year; there's nothing else he can do to improve -- don't say shooting, b/c the guy has a physical deformity preventing him from shooting properly. 

- Orlando doesn't seem to be adding anyone (unless they grab Arenas); in fact they are losing guys to age (Carter, Lewis) and possibly free agency (Reddick). They are still primarily a one-man team.

- Atlanta is suffering same problem as Orlando. Still very good but doing nothing to improve. None of their guys stand to play better than last year, except perhaps Horford (note: I think Horford is a stud and I can't rule out he becomes a 20 ppg scorer).

- As for Chicago, they were "only" a #8 seed and .500 team because of constant injury problems. When they had their whole team last year, they were doing great. Besides, everyone knows there was very little gap in talent between #5 and #8 last year. By adding their long missing post threat and some shooters as they are expecting in addition to Rose, Noah, and Deng, you've got yourself one of the most complete teams in the East. 

Note: I am not predicting the Bulls to be a real contender; they are not. They are one player away (i.e, one very good scoring wing) from being a legit contender. I am merely saying that, if healthy, they should win 55 games and be a top 3 seed in the East, or very darn close.


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## roux (Jun 20, 2006)

so adding carlos boozer and losing kirk hinrich makes you better than the bucks who are bringing back damn near the same team only adding maggette and gooden and having salmons all year


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## yodurk (Sep 4, 2002)

General Question:

Why is everyone expecting Orlando to be so good? 

Last I checked, they are still a one man team surrounded by very average wing players. Are they even keeping Vince Carter? Even if they do, he is going down hill fast. Lewis and Nelson don't scare me in the least, nor should they. There is literally nobody else on that team to be afraid of.


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## 29380 (Feb 23, 2009)

Because unless your team can guard Dwight one on one there's a good chance they're going to beat you.


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## yodurk (Sep 4, 2002)

roux2dope said:


> so adding carlos boozer and losing kirk hinrich makes you better than the bucks who are bringing back damn near the same team only adding maggette and gooden and having salmons all year


They will be good. I have them in the top 6. IMO, the top 6 in the East will all be 50-win teams.

They still lack ideal balance IMO and didn't make the free agent impact that you allude to.

Jennings will be a great player, but will take him more time to overcome the dreadful 37% shooting. Bogut was playing great ball last year; how quickly does he recover that form? Nobody knows. Salmons is a mystery who doesn't always play like a 20-pt scorer; Bulls fans know that all too well.

Drew Gooden and Corey Maggette are barely worth mentioning. Both are numbers guys. Gooden was SO BAD when he was with the Bulls. One of the worst defenders I've ever seen. 

They'll be a good team like I said, but I think they are adequately ranked as a #5 or #6 team winning 50 or so games.


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## TheDarkPrince (May 13, 2006)

FX™;6318623 said:


> Adding Carlos Boozer takes you from .500 and the #8 seed, to being the #2 seed?


You see to forget that we were at the #5 seed before Noah and Rose went down and we dropped 9 games in a row and fell to the 8# seed.

1)Magic
2)Heat
3)Bulls
4)Celtics
5)Hawks
6)Bucks
7)Bobcats
8)Knicks


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## yodurk (Sep 4, 2002)

Knicks4life said:


> Because unless your team can guard Dwight one on one there's a good chance they're going to beat you.


This isn't exactly Shaq we're talking about. He's never scored more than 21 ppg.

Orlando has been so good the past few years b/c they had a good cast around Howard. It sure seems to me that cast is going to be the weakest it's been in a while. 

They are more than beatable.


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## TheDarkPrince (May 13, 2006)

yodurk said:


> This isn't exactly Shaq we're talking about. He's never scored more than 21 ppg.
> 
> Orlando has been so good the past few years b/c they had a good cast around Howard. It sure seems to me that cast is going to be the weakest it's been in a while.
> 
> They are more than beatable.


True, but the Magics strengths will be the Heats weaknesses (Center and PG).


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## roux (Jun 20, 2006)

yodurk said:


> They will be good. I have them in the top 6. IMO, the top 6 in the East will all be 50-win teams.
> 
> They still lack ideal balance IMO and didn't make the free agent impact that you allude to.
> 
> ...


well with the lebron giant out of the division i think divisions is up for grabs between the bucks and the bulls, and it remains to be seen how the bucks use maggette, i think they should still start the better shooter and defender in delfino and just let maggette go nuts as the 6th man leading the 2nd team, i am not thrilled about gooden mainly because of his contract but he is the kind of guy that the bucks needed to put next bogut. Boguts interior d will hopefully allow gooden to concentrate on rebounding and scoring all while not having to worry about guarding the opposing teams center which he has done for a number of years out of position. I think the Bucks and Bulls have very close starting 5's right now but the bulls have to almost completely rebuild their bench where as the bucks go 10 deep with mbah a moute, ilyasova, delfino/maggette, cdr and maybe michael redd.. i also think the bucks have a better coaching sitution at the moment since nobody knows what thibideau is all about yet...all that being said i think the bulls have improved and clearly have the cap space to add more pieces so i wouldnt be shocked if you guys were better than the bucks, i guess i was just suprised to see so many people think chicago was clear cut better than milwaukee.. and it is my instincts to defend them


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## roux (Jun 20, 2006)

yodurk said:


> This isn't exactly Shaq we're talking about. He's never scored more than 21 ppg.
> 
> Orlando has been so good the past few years b/c they had a good cast around Howard. It sure seems to me that cast is going to be the weakest it's been in a while.
> 
> They are more than beatable.


I think its more howards defense and the fact that he takes the lane out of the equation for so many opposing teams and jump shooting is truely a lost art which makes howards impact even more devastating


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## taco_daddy (Jun 13, 2004)

Ha! No one has faith in Cleveland.


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## 29380 (Feb 23, 2009)

TheDarkPrince said:


> True, but the Magics strengths will be the Heats weaknesses (Center and PG).


PG is one of their strengths?


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## TheDarkPrince (May 13, 2006)

Knicks4life said:


> PG is one of their strengths?


Last time I checked Jameer Nelson was pretty solid, sure as hell better then Mario Chalmers.


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## TwinkieTowers (Jul 16, 2002)

Knicks4life said:


> PG is one of their strengths?


Jameer Nelson isn't a strength? Did he not dominate Mike Bibby in the playoffs?


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## ATLien (Jun 18, 2002)

To be fair, everyone dominates Mike Bibby in the playoffs.


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## Firefight (Jul 2, 2010)

Everyone seems to be polarized on Chicago... Does adding Boozer improve them that much? Yes. A lack of a scoring big has hurt this team so much over the years.

But, we have to remember, just because the big FA's are gone..this team is not done. We still need a shooter, (Korver), and a bench. With all this cap room, you know Gar/Pax are calling teams looking for a SG to take on... Let's see how this pans out before we rank the Bulls to high/low... although, as it stands now, adding Boozer and the progression of Rose/Noah, this team will be a lot better.


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## Kneepad (Jun 24, 2002)

Too early for this thread... the off-season is far from over.


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## Wynn (Jun 3, 2002)

I think it's a little pre-mature to rank everyone until the rest of the moves are made. I DO think, though, that Chicago will improve GREATLY:

*Positives*

Replace VDN with Thibodeau
Add Boozer (20ppg, 11rpg, 3apg, 34mpg last season)
Improved Rose (21ppg, 4rpg, 6apg, 37mpg last season)
Improved Noah (11ppg, 11rpg, 2apg, 30mpg last season)
Same Deng (18ppg, 7rpg, 2apg, 38mpg last season)

Move Gibson to back-up position off the bench (9ppg, 8rpg, 1apg, 27mpg last season)
Ability to sign 3 or 4 SOLID FA 

*Potential Additions*
Reddick (10ppg, 2rpg, 2apg, 22mpg last season)
Korver (7ppg, 2rpg, 2apg, 18mpg last season)
Asik (9ppg, 6rpg, 1apg, 22mpg in Euroleague last season)
Some PG (Luke Ridnour/Earl Boykins/Anthony Johnson/Acie Law??)

*Negatives*
Lose Kirk (11ppg, 4rpg, 5apg, 34mpg last season)
Lose Brad (9ppg, 5rpg, 2apg, 24mpg last season)

*Strengths* -- We go from being a team with 6 NBA quality players to a team with 9 NBA quality players, we have a better starting 5, a much deeper bench, and a better coaching staff guiding the process. We have 2 former all-stars on the roster, and a top 10 player for their position at each of four positions on the court. Best inside presence we've had in a long time, awesome rebounding, and good outside shooting.

*Weaknesses* -- Starting SG and back-up PG


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## caseyrh (Jun 10, 2003)

roux2dope said:


> so adding carlos boozer and losing kirk hinrich makes you better than the bucks who are bringing back damn near the same team only adding maggette and gooden and having salmons all year


Hinrich should be replaced by someone who fits better here (and it looks like you guys will lose ridnour). 

Boozer is a legit 20 and 10 guy. He fills a _huge_ gap for us. So his addition is not a minor one at all.

But I think the thing that a lot of people fail to recognize is that the Bulls weren't built to win last year. We had our core but the rest of the guys were just people on expiring contracts and one year deals. A lot of those guys absoluteley killed our team.

I mean there was a point in the season where this was our starting lineup:

Acie Law
Flip Murray
James Johnson
Taj Gibson
Brad Miller

We still took the 8th seed based soleley on the strength of our core in spite of injuries and with almost no help from decent roleplayers.

This year we will upgrade our position of biggest weakness with an all-star pf. And we should address our other 2 major weaknesses (shooting and Depth) with the 19 mil we have to spend. 

Rose and Noah will continue to develop.

This is going to be a completeley different team and should finally be a team that is built to win, not create cap space.

This will make a huge difference.


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## yodurk (Sep 4, 2002)

Kneepad said:


> Too early for this thread... the off-season is far from over.


Oh mark my word, this will come up at least 10x more between now and November 1st. 



I just figure that all the big names have made their decisions so there is some merit to these predictions to some degree.


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## Ben (Nov 7, 2006)

TheDarkPrince said:


> True, but the Magics strengths will be the Heats weaknesses (Center and PG).


And then Carter attempts to defend Wade, as Lewis attempts guarding LeBron/Bosh, and whoever the 3/4 is guarding the other from LeBron/Bosh..what happens then?


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## caseyrh (Jun 10, 2003)

FX™ said:


> And then Carter attempts to defend Wade, as Lewis attempts guarding LeBron/Bosh, and whoever the 3/4 is guarding the other from LeBron/Bosh..what happens then?


Yeah we know. Miami Kills the rest of the NBA. I believe it, trust me. Anyone saying otherwise is kidding themselves. 

That being said, it's super lame...

And anything can happen in a 7 game playoff series, See you in the east finals Miami... I wish you not so Good luck with your bogus trio.


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## taco_daddy (Jun 13, 2004)

Screw it, I'm bored, so I'll just take this a step further. It couldn't possibly happen this easily but it's fun to predict nonetheless.

Assuming my prediction of the regular season goes this way:
1. Miami
2. Orlando
3. Chicago
4. Atlanta
5. Boston
6. Milwaukee
7. Charlotte
8. Cleveland

Then the playoffs would go this way:

Round 1
Miami vs. Cleveland - Miami wins 4 - 0 (Miami uses this as the kickoff for their championship run EDIT: What a horrible way for LeBron to do his former team  )
Orlando vs. Charlotte - Orlando wins 4 - 2
Chicago vs. Milwaukee - Chi wins 4 - 2
Atlanta vs. Boston - Boston wins 4 - 3 (Have to have at least one upset series, although in reality there is always more than one)

Round 2
Miami vs. Boston - Miami wins 4 - 1 (LeBron exacts sweet revenge on Boston for denying him two out of the last 3 years)
Orlando vs. Chicago - Chicago wins 4 - 3 (Chicago scraps it out with Orlando to barely win in a double overtime in Game 7 with the game winning shot taken by Joakim Noah :eek8: )

Round 3
Miami vs. Chicago - Miami wins 4 - 2 (LeBosh Wade goes on to represent the East in the NBA finals, but not without duking it out with them Chi boys first. Rose learns some valuable lessons and prepares to do battle with Miami in 2012! :azdaja: )


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## caseyrh (Jun 10, 2003)

taco_daddy said:


> Screw it, I'm bored, so I'll just take this a step further. It couldn't possibly happen this easily but it's fun to predict nonetheless.
> 
> Assuming my prediction of the regular season goes this way:
> 1. Miami
> ...


Correct me if im wrong. But aren't MIami, Orlando and Atlanta all in the same division?
And doesn't the team that wins their division guarantee at least a top three seed?

I could be wrong but that's what I thought?

So it seems to me like the eastern conference will play out like this:

1.)Miami (division winner)
2.)Chicago (division winner)
3.)Boston (division winner) 
4.)Orlando
5.)Atlanta
6.)Milwaukee
7.)Knicks
8.)Charlotte

which would have us beating the knicks first. Then Boston. Then we face Miami.


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## King Joseus (May 26, 2003)

caseyrh said:


> Correct me if im wrong. But aren't MIami, Orlando and Atlanta all in the same division?
> And doesn't the team that wins their division guarantee at least a top three seed?
> 
> I could be wrong but that's what I thought?
> ...


It's top 4, isn't it? It used to be that they got a top 3 seed, but then they switched it so that the top 4 are seeded in order of win total, but with 3 of the 4 being the division winners.


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## caseyrh (Jun 10, 2003)

King Joseus said:


> It's top 4, isn't it? It used to be that they got a top 3 seed, but then they switched it so that the top 4 are seeded in order of win total, but with 3 of the 4 being the division winners.


I'm sure your right. I wasn't that confident in my statement.

Anyways that kinda sucks. Because Assuming Miami wins the east getting into that top 3 seed is going to be very important to our playoff run. I'd love to not meet Miami until the ECF.


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## Wynn (Jun 3, 2002)

caseyrh said:


> I'm sure your right. I wasn't that confident in my statement.
> 
> Anyways that kinda sucks. Because Assuming Miami wins the east getting into that top 3 seed is going to be very important to our playoff run. I'd love to not meet Miami until the ECF.


Means we need to win our division and have a better record than Orlando.


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## jnrjr79 (Apr 18, 2003)

caseyrh said:


> Correct me if im wrong. But aren't MIami, Orlando and Atlanta all in the same division?
> And doesn't the team that wins their division guarantee at least a top three seed?
> 
> I could be wrong but that's what I thought?
> ...


I see it close to this.

1) Miami
2) Chicago (assuming the SG situation is sorted out satisfactorily)
3) Orlando
4) Atlanta
5) Milwaukee
6) Boston (I think a combination of taking the regular season off and injuries come into play)
7) Charlotte
8) Knicks

Nos. 7 and 8 are a total crapshoot.


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## E.H. Munro (Jun 22, 2004)

jnrjr79 said:


> I see it close to this.
> 
> 1) Miami
> 2) Chicago (assuming the SG situation is sorted out satisfactorily)
> ...


There's a 0% chance that Milwaukee, Atlanta, or Orlando win the Atlantic Division next year.


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## yodurk (Sep 4, 2002)

jnrjr79 said:


> I see it close to this.
> 
> 1) Miami
> 2) Chicago (assuming the SG situation is sorted out satisfactorily)
> ...


Pretty close to my prediction. Orlando is getting to be a little overrated, IMO. No matter how good Howard is, they are severely lacking a #2 star. The Bulls have 3 players in Rose, Boozer, and Noah who are all better than Orlando's 2nd best player (i.e., one of Nelson, Carter, or Lewis depending on what game you're watching).

I'm unsure what to expect of Boston. For them it will all come down to health. Their age doesn't show very much when Rondo is the one facilitating the offense and setting them up for easy scores.


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## jnrjr79 (Apr 18, 2003)

yodurk said:


> Pretty close to my prediction. Orlando is getting to be a little overrated, IMO. No matter how good Howard is, they are severely lacking a #2 star. The Bulls have 3 players in Rose, Boozer, and Noah who are all better than Orlando's 2nd best player (i.e., one of Nelson, Carter, or Lewis depending on what game you're watching).
> 
> I'm unsure what to expect of Boston. For them it will all come down to health. Their age doesn't show very much when Rondo is the one facilitating the offense and setting them up for easy scores.



Orlando strikes me as a talented but flawed team. They'll get lots of regular season wins, but they are a star player away from an NBA title, to be sure. Still, with largely the same cast as last year, I can't see their regular season performance being wildly different this season.

I think after Miami, there are really a cluster of 50-some win teams that could all be fairly similarly situated.

I think Boston will do well. I put them at 6 somewhat for fun. They could just as easily be number 2 or 3. Still, I can see them kind of taking it easy and I could see them being without Garnett for an extended period of time, which might really hit them in the regular season win column. If Garnett were banged up and you had an unexpected injury to Paul Pierce, for instance, things could go downhill quickly. With Doc essentially seeming to want one last run and these guys aging, I think they're not going to sweat the regular season terribly and will be all about saving gas for the playoffs.


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## TwinkieTowers (Jul 16, 2002)

> Pretty close to my prediction. Orlando is getting to be a little overrated, IMO. No matter how good Howard is, they are severely lacking a #2 star.


Orlando is either a #2 star or a true post offense from Howard away from being a title contender. Houston had no #2 star until they traded for Clyde Drexler during their second championship -- obviously, the Magic are modeling their team after the 90s Rockets.


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## Dornado (May 26, 2003)

Don't sleep on Orlando... it is a big man's game and they have the best big man. 


I also think people need to slow their roll about the Bulls here... it may take a while for this unit to gel. Thankfully the Central doesn't look particularly strong this year, but this team is going to have to prove to me that they belong in the same conversation as Boston, Orlando and Miami...

I'm thinking we're a 50 win team.


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## TwinkieTowers (Jul 16, 2002)

If they're serious about contending against the Heat and Lakers, the Magic should redirect their Redick money to buying out Fran Vazquez's Euro contract (which is reportedly around $7 million).


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## BG7 (Jun 25, 2003)

I would say

1. Miami Heat
2. Orlando Magic
3. Chicago Bulls
4. Boston Celtics
5. Atlanta Hawks
6. Milwaukee Bucks
7. Charlotte Bobcats
8. New York Knicks


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## seifer0406 (Jun 8, 2003)

Overall record not playoff seeding.

1. Miami Heat
2. Orlando Magic
3. Boston Celtics
4. Atlanta Hawks
5. Chicago Bulls
6. Milwaukee Bucks
7. New York Knicks
8. Charlotte Bobcats
9. Philly Sixers
10. Detroit Pistons
11. Washington Wizards
12. Cleveland Cavs
13. Toronto Raptors
14. Indiana Pacers
15. New Jersey Nets


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## Wade County (Jun 22, 2003)

We split the season series with the Magic last year. Magic struggle against us - Wade averages over 30 against them in his career I believe.


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## roux (Jun 20, 2006)

E.H. Munro said:


> There's a 0% chance that Milwaukee, Atlanta, or Orlando win the Atlantic Division next year.


haha


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## BullFan16 (Jun 2, 2003)

1. Miami 
2. Orlando
3. Chicago
4. Boston
5. Atlanta
6. Milwaukee
7. Charlotte 
8. New York

9. New Jersey
10. Washington
11. Phili
12. Detroit
13. Cleveland
14. Indiana
15. Toronto


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## BDMcGee (May 12, 2006)

Dornado said:


> Don't sleep on Orlando... it is a big man's game and they have the best big man.
> 
> 
> I also think people need to slow their roll about the Bulls here... it may take a while for this unit to gel. Thankfully the Central doesn't look particularly strong this year, but this team is going to have to prove to me that they belong in the same conversation as Boston, Orlando and Miami...
> ...


Well said. The Bulls now have a ton of talent, but they'll have to adjust to incorporating so many new players and roles will need to be defined. My main concern is the durability of Carlos Boozer. With him in the lineup I think the Bulls can play with anybody, but without him, I think there's a huge drop-off. He had a lot of difficulty consistently staying healthy in Utah. Hopefully that'll change with the Bulls. If it does, the Bulls have the potential to contend.


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## mvP to the Wee (Jul 14, 2007)

Boston will take it slow during the season again but since they're in a weak division, they are a top 4 seed.

1)Miami(64 wins)
2)Orlando(60 wins)
3)Chicago(56 wins)
4)Boston(47 wins)
5)Milwaukee(48 wins)
6)Atlanta(47 wins)
7)Charlotte(44 wins)
8)Cleveland(41 wins)
____________________________________
9)New York(39 wins)
10)Philadelphia(37 wins)
11)Indiana(35 wins)
12)Detroit(35 wins)
13)Washington(34 wins)
14)Toronto(25 wins)
15)New Jersey(23 wins)


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## Bulls96 (Jun 25, 2003)

7)Chicago (45 wins)


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## taco_daddy (Jun 13, 2004)

Bulls96 said:


> 7)Chicago (45 wins)


You have the most pessimistic view of the Bulls' 2011 season so it is worth soliciting a more detailed response. What insight led you to believe the Bulls would have another mediocre season where they barely make the playoffs? Note, I'm not saying you're right or wrong, diverse viewpoints are valuable. I just want to see where you're coming from.


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## Bulls96 (Jun 25, 2003)

It is very simple my friend.

We lost Kirk and Miller and we added Boozer(even considering improved Rose and Noah ). Of course I am not counting a few new bench players we added as well.

*So, how far do you think we are away from what we had before ?!*

... and if God Forbid something happens with Rose or Noah, we will be a candidate number on for the high lottery pick.

I hope I am wrong.


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## seifer0406 (Jun 8, 2003)

Boozer does fill a big hole though. You can sort of cover up the loss of Hinrich with guys like Brewer and whoever SG the Bulls pick up. Miller was a bench player whose role will be taken over by Taj Gibson.

That said, I don't see this team being better than the Hawks or Magic. After a disappointing finish the Hawks have a lot to prove this year and they have guys like Crawford and Horford in a contract year. That team won 53 games last year and they'll probably be 50+ again this year. Orlando on the other hand kept all their guys as well. Really no drop off for any of the top teams in the East except for the Cavs.

Depending on the health of Bogut the Bucks will surprise some people. Bogut when healthy is the 2nd best center in the East and perhaps in the league as well. If Jennings becomes more consistent they can prove that 46 wins last year wasn't just a fluke.


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## Wynn (Jun 3, 2002)

Bulls96 said:


> It is very simple my friend.
> 
> We lost Kirk and Miller and we added Boozer(even considering improved Rose and Noah ). Of course I am not counting a few new bench players we added as well.
> 
> ...


Last year we were 41-41 and were without Rose AND Noah for several games in the season. Without Rose AND Noah this season we have a line-up of:

Brewer
Korver
Deng
Boozer
Asik

With a bench of JJ, Taj, vetPG (hopefully Mason/House), vetSwing (hopefully Barnes/Howard), vetPF/C (hopefully Thomas?), and deep bench. Just Boozer and Deng in that line-up makes us better than a lot of teams...


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## Bulls96 (Jun 25, 2003)

Wynn said:


> Last year we were 41-41 and were without Rose AND Noah for several games in the season. Without Rose AND Noah this season we have a line-up of:
> 
> Brewer
> Korver
> ...


Good luck my friend !

*"Blessed are those who believe"*

P.S. BTW, who is Asik ? …Oh 7 ft “cabin” that we expect to occupy some space in the paint. I am not sure why did we replace a perfect Pennsylvania made “furniture” we had before with a turkish one – Gray, do remember a guy with a stupid smile ?!


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## BullsBaller (Oct 6, 2002)

*Eastern Conference and Charlotte Pick*

Was going to start as a new thread but decided it would fit with this thread. Looking at the Eastern Conference and more specifically, each division in the East, it seems to me that our division didn't get any better compared to other ones. It will be the least competitive division in the East this year. 

*Central *
Milwuakee and Chicago will be good due to some nice additions, Cleveland sucking, and teammates getting more experience playing with each other.
The Pistons & Pacers are going to be about the same.
Cleveland won't be good at all.

*Atlantic*
Boston will be Boston and still own the Atlantic.
NY, NJ, & Philly all got signicantly better with their picks and free agency.
Toronto won't be as good putting them closer to the level of NY, NJ, & Philly. It will be quite competitive between those 4 teams. 

*Southeast*
Miami and Washington will be much better.
Orlando, Atlanta, and Charlotte didn't improve at all.

This brings me to my point. The Southeast was already the most competitive division. It will be even more competitive this year. With Miami becoming a potential dynasty and Washington becoming much better, I believe Charlotte could end up being the worst team in that division 4 some years to come. I see Charlotte either being an 8th seed or just outside the playoffs this year alone. We will get between a 11-15 pick from them without factoring in players like Stephen Jackson blowing up or injuries. Cross our fingers!


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## Firefight (Jul 2, 2010)

Bulls96 said:


> It is very simple my friend.
> *
> We lost Kirk and Miller and we added Boozer*(even considering improved Rose and Noah ). Of course I am not counting a few new bench players we added as well.
> 
> ...


Yes we lost Kirk/Miller ... both big parts of our squad last year... BUT, we added pieces too. It's seems you said we added Boozer and "bench players" as if the bench players we added were non-factors.

I have to disagree.

We are drastically improving our PF and low post scoring by adding Boozer. This also improved our depth in the low-post by moving our starting PF from last year (Gibson) to the bench as a back-up.
We lose Kirk, but added Brewer. Brewer will not run the PG as well as Kirk, but is just as good of a defender, especially if we needed him to guard the 3.
On top of that, we added a pure shooter in Korver, which was one of our biggest needs from last season... Factor in that Noah had major foot issues and the further development of Rose, no way this team is like last year.


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## TwinkieTowers (Jul 16, 2002)

> Gray, do remember a guy with a stupid smile ?!


Do you remember a guy with even less footspeed than Brad Miller's?


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