# ESPN Forecast Standings



## changv10 (Apr 25, 2005)

The forum has been dead for a few days. Let's get things going a bit. Here's the latest forecast standings from ESPN:
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?page=OffseasonPredictions09-EastStandings

They have us winning 39 games and just missing the playoffs. If this is the case, goodbye to CB4. 

I don't really agree with a lot for their standings. 

1. I think the Celtics frontcourt of Rasheed and Garnett will be tremendous. They'll be the team to beat
2. Hawks will make the playoffs, but not at 4th place
3. I think the Heat will not make the playoffs. There is no big man to help out. 
4. Without Andre Miller, the Sixers should drop. But with Iggy and Brand, they should make the playoffs.
5. The return of Arenas should push the Wizards up. 
6. Raptors will make the playoffs, and I'm guessing it'll be a strong 5/6 at least behind obviously Boston, Cleveland, Orlando. 

Thoughts?


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## Dee-Zy (Jan 12, 2006)

*Re: ESPN Forecase Standings*

Raps make the playoffs 6-8 seed.


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## seifer0406 (Jun 8, 2003)

*Re: ESPN Forecase Standings*

Only Cavs/Celtics/Magic/Hawks are playoff bound in the East imo. The rest of the teams aren't exactly separating themselves with each other.

2 teams that got worse in the off season are the Bulls and Sixers imo. 

Losing Ben Gordon for nothing is going to hurt them and they still don't have a legitimate low post scorer. Tyrus Thomas doesn't look like he will develop into a 4 in this league and Brad Miller has always been more of a shooting big then an inside big.

The Sixers don't have a point guard and if Jrue Holiday doesn't pan out they don't even have a backup point either. Even though Elton Brand is coming back this year it's hard to say how much he can actually help the Sixers. Since he got to Philly he hasn't been the best fit to their young guys like AI and Thaedous Young. Then theres the question of how good Brand is now after these injuries and can he stay healthy next year. Just a lot of questions surrounding this team.

The same thing with the Wizards. If Arenas comes back 100% then they have the chance to be the #4 seed but it's a big if considering the guy has been out for 2 years. There are raves about how he played in workouts but who knows what will happen 10-20 games into the season. Their other guys like Butler and Haywood aren't exactly durable guys themselves.

As for the Heat if Wade can stay healthy again like last year they should get in as a lower seed. Beasley checking into rehab can't be a good sign though. I'm surprised that they didn't try to sign Jason Williams themselves as they could've used a backup point and J-Will knows their system.


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## Porn Player (Apr 24, 2003)

*Re: ESPN Forecase Standings*

I just don't know how the Raptors will fit into the playoff race. I see it all depending on how we open the season with our first few games, say we snag a 7-3 record and I could see us getting 48+ wins and taking 4th in the east.

If this team gets off to a horrible start, confidence will drain out of these guys and they'll essentially give up and lead us to the lottery and lead Bosh to the Heat (not a terrible thing if that is the case)...


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## Mr_B (Mar 6, 2004)

*Re: ESPN Forecase Standings*

ESPN throwing us under the bus again what else is new , Im surprised there wasn't a "Bosh is leaving" article attached to the prediction


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## WillFlight! (Jul 11, 2009)

*Re: ESPN Forecase Standings*

The east will be tough this year.

Boston
Orlando
Cleavland
Washington
Atlanta
Detroit
Chicago
Indiana 
Miami 
Toronto
Charlotte

All those teams have the playoffs as a realistic goal....with some as locks. Even the Bucks with a healthy Bogut and Redd and the additions of Delfino, Warrick, Kurt Thomas and the rookie Jennings could improve on their 34 wins last year.
Now I feel Toronto will be in the playoffs without a doubt, but I am a Raptors fan and see through rose colored glasses. Our point guard position will be great, Jose at 100% and Jack will be the best duo we have ever had. Hedo gives us a legit all star quality small forward for the entire season, Bosh will do what bosh does, and Andrea hopefully will build on a great December on from last season. THE battle at shooting guard with Belenelli, Wright, and Derozan should be a good one as well. THe depth is on the team with Jack, Rasho, Evans, and what ever 2 guard comes off the bench. It looks like we will have a nice 10 man rotation for the the regular season, and that should help keep guys fresh and winning ball games.


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## Porn Player (Apr 24, 2003)

*Re: ESPN Forecase Standings*

Detroit? really?

Charlotte? really? 

Bucks have a better shot than both those teams in my opinion.


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## Dee-Zy (Jan 12, 2006)

*Re: ESPN Forecase Standings*

Don't sleep on Detroit, they look like a mess but I wouldn't be surprised if something happens out of it. Maybe an 8th seed?


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## kirk_2003 (Jun 23, 2003)

^ remind me who they have upfront again other than maxiell? 

kwame brown?!


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## Porn Player (Apr 24, 2003)

The have all the offense they need in Ben Wallace silly...


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## WillFlight! (Jul 11, 2009)

*Re: ESPN Forecase Standings*



Porn_Player said:


> Detroit? really?
> 
> Charlotte? really?
> 
> Bucks have a better shot than both those teams in my opinion.


Detroit has Charlie V, Prince and Maxiell as some solid forwards and in the back court they have Stucky, Hamilton and Gordon. They are not deep, but they are an experienced group. If they get anything out of Wilcox, Will Bynum and Austin Daye and they will win some ball games.

Charlotte has a Wallace, Diaw, Felton, Bell, DJ Augustin, Chandler, Radmanivic, and rookie Gerald Henderson....not a bad core, not contenders, but a strong enough team to win 35-40 games...and that gets you in the playoffs in the east sometimes.


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## Knick Killer (Jul 16, 2006)

Missing the playoffs? Thats ridiculous. I personally believe the Raptors really improved the squad this offseason. They added a tough guy in Reggie Evans, a legit starting small forward in Hedo, and a perfect backup for Jose in Jarret Jack. I really like what we have done and I definitely see us making the playoffs around the 4-6 seed area.


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## Blue (Jun 21, 2007)

*Re: ESPN Forecase Standings*



seifer0406 said:


> 2 teams that got worse in the off season are the Bulls and Sixers imo.
> 
> Losing Ben Gordon for nothing is going to hurt them and they still don't have a legitimate low post scorer. Tyrus Thomas doesn't look like he will develop into a 4 in this league and Brad Miller has always been more of a shooting big then an inside big.


Bulls got worse? How so?? Ben Gordon was a chucker who played no D. They lose his offense but add Deng's defense, a healthy Hinrich for a full season, John Salmons for full season, and James Johnson(real good rookie) coming in... Combine that with young guys like Rose, TTime, & Noah all making baby steps and Chicago is just a good as last year if not better.


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## kirk_2003 (Jun 23, 2003)

^think you didnt watch the playoffs. Without Ben Gordon the bulls wouldve been done for. 

I still think the Bulls should fight for a playoff seed though even w/o BG.. im a big fan of james johnson and hope he gets playing time.. deng needs to reassert himself and earn his contract.. and hinrich is and will be always be steady for them.


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## WillFlight! (Jul 11, 2009)

Ben Gordon may not be a lock down defender, but the guy is a very good player. He is a great scorer and is quite strong, enabling him to at least hold his own on "D".

The teams in the east that took a step back or got worse are Detroit (still good though) New Jersey and Miami.


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## WillFlight! (Jul 11, 2009)

Ben Gordon may not be a lock down defender, but the guy is a very good player. He is a great scorer and is quite strong, enabling him to at least hold his own on "D".

The teams in the east that took a step back or got worse are Detroit (still good though) New Jersey and Miami.


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## Porn Player (Apr 24, 2003)

How did Miami get worse? They'll always be in with a shout aslong as D-Wade is healthy.


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## WillFlight! (Jul 11, 2009)

Porn_Player said:


> How did Miami get worse? They'll always be in with a shout aslong as D-Wade is healthy.


Wade is great, but an aging O'neal, Beasley in rehab, undersized Haslem, and a fat Q Richardson does not make the heat better, to me they may have slightly dropped off. Chalmers was a nice rookie, and if he improves on last year it will help. On the flip side though, what will James Jones, Magloire, Quinn, Dorell Wright and the rest of the bench bring?


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## kirk_2003 (Jun 23, 2003)

lets put it this way if either miami or charlotte are ahead of us in terms of playoff positioning come april next year.. it'll be pretty sad.


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## Porn Player (Apr 24, 2003)

I honestly think Miami will be up there around the 4th spot. D-Wade is that good. They haven't got any worse, sure they haven't improved but to say they go worse is crazy. Chalmers and Beasley were both rookies last year, yes Beas is having his offseason problems but no doubt he will be a more effective player on that squad next year than he was last. And like you said Chalmers was already good and will obviously only improve. O'neal has been aging forever but the dude still has it, he knows how to play ball. Their bench will bring exactly what it did last year, nothing. But with Wade it doesn't matter he'll take those scrubs to the playoffs I have no doubt in my mind.


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## Blue (Jun 21, 2007)

WillFlight! said:


> Wade is great, but an aging O'neal, Beasley in rehab, undersized Haslem, and a fat Q Richardson does not make the heat better, to me they may have slightly dropped off. Chalmers was a nice rookie, and if he improves on last year it will help. On the flip side though, what will James Jones, Magloire, Quinn, Dorell Wright and the rest of the bench bring?


So you're writing off Beasley improvement because he has to serve mandatory rehab? Doesnt sound too convincing to me, Beas & Chalmers should be better. O'neal is what he is... He can get them 13/7/1.5 if he can stay healthy. They still got Wade, UD, Cook, Jones(for a full year), QRich in the mix, so I really dont anticipate Miami being any worse... I mean, who did they lose Moon?? Just give his minutes to Beas, problem solved... 

Mario
Wade/Cook
Q/Jones
Beas/UD
Jermaine

That's a dece 8 man rotation right there.


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## seifer0406 (Jun 8, 2003)

The Heat didn't really get better over the summer while the East is somewhat improved. This might sound like hating because O'neal got traded from the Raptors, but I don't think he can stay healthy after watching him limp half a season last year. He's going to give you around 55 games next year, of which 15-20 of them he's playing through pain. The biggest contribution that he can give to them next year is if Riley finds a team that will trade for O'neal's expiring contract, which might not happen because the Heat want the cap space themselves in 2010.

I'm just not a fan of what Miami did this off season. This is suppose to be the year that they try to impress Wade in order to make him stay. The way it looks now Wade is going to have to put the team on his back again. Even if they make it to the playoffs, theres no way that they can beat one of the top 3 teams.


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## Blue (Jun 21, 2007)

Beas can take pressure of Wade, he was playing well late last year so I dont see why you want to write him off. Miami didnt do anything this off-season because they want the cap room to make a run @ Bosh/Amare/Booz next summer. You cant be big spenders every year, there just simply weren't any MLE FA's this summer worth jeapordizing the money they can spend next summer.


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## seifer0406 (Jun 8, 2003)

I am not writing Beasley off but if I'm a Miami fan and my #2 pick from last year just went into rehab I am not sitting comfortable going next season. It would be great if he gets whatever issue he has taken care of this year, but if it becomes a lingering issue it might be a theme with him for the rest of his career.

Miami just isn't a very deep team right now. Getting ready for 2010 is a good plan, but next year alone I don't like their chances at getting out of the first round. At best they are a 45-48 win team if Wade stay healthy. If he gets injured, it's going to be 2007 all over again.


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## Porn Player (Apr 24, 2003)

^

And that's about where I expect them to be, although in the playoffs you can never count out the ability of Wade. Posters in here seemed to be writing Miami out of the playoff picture in the East is all I believe me and Blug Magic had the problem with. 

Oh and I'm not worried about Beas at all. He must have been struggling with these issues towards the tail end of last season and maybe his whole basketball career (high school, college etc) and being a baller he has managed to leave those issues off court and if anything progressed as a player last year.


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## Onions Baby (Mar 12, 2007)

1-3 (no order) - Boston, Orlando, Cleveland
4-10 (no order) - Toronto, Washington, Miami, Chicago, Atlanta, Detroit, Philadelphia
11-15 (no order) - Charlotte, Milwaukee, New Jersey, New York, Indiana

That's really how I see the East shaping up this season. 3 distinct tiers, but no decisive order within them. Wide open.


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## Dee-Zy (Jan 12, 2006)

Het finished 5th seed last season with a a starting rookie PG, a rookie coach and another rookie player in the main rotation. They had a Marion tha didn't do **** and a JO that was traded mid season that broke down in injuries.

Yet still finished with the 5th seed.

Heat are making the playoffs, They are young and they improve just because they are young. They didn't need to make big acquisitions to improve.


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## kirk_2003 (Jun 23, 2003)

going to be exciting year in the east thats for sure..
its going to be a dog fight from the top all the way to the bottom.


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## lucky777s (Nov 13, 2003)

Raps will not finish below .500 period.

This team was built for regular season success. Solid depth and a group that will work hard every game. That wins you 45+ games in the nba most years because so many teams take so many nights off.

Are we significantly better than Heat, Bulls, Pacers, Pistons, Wiz, Hawks, Sixers, Bucks, Bobcats? Not really but we should be more consistent than most of those teams and land in the 4-6 spots.

As for the Heat, they are playing the 2010 game so expectations of a big move this season were unrealistic. They would have taken Odom at the MLE if that dropped into their laps but otherwise they are waiting for Bosh, Amare, Yao?, or the ultimate longshot in Lebron.
I like their lineup this year with QRich, Cook, James Jones as shooters on the wing - JO, JoelAnthony, Haslem, Beas upfront - Chalmers and Quinn at PG and DWade doing it all. Obviously they are thin on talent and lots of injury risks but you can't play the 2010 game and be stacked. They are better than most of the teams chasing that dream and are solidly in that 5-8 hunt.

DET could be real bad. Are Rip, Tay, and Stuck good enough to hold that ship together? Does BenW have anything left? I see them at the same level as the Bucks and Indiana and Chicago and Charlotte and maybe Philly fighting for 7-8 spots


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## narrator (Feb 11, 2006)

The Raptors might squeak into the playoffs, but I doubt it. IMO, they have done nothing to improve their defense this summer.


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## WillFlight! (Jul 11, 2009)

narrator said:


> The Raptors might squeak into the playoffs, but I doubt it. IMO, they have done nothing to improve their defense this summer.


Your right, a 100% healthy Jose and Jack are not going to be better than last year, a bulked up (15 lbs) Bosh will not hold the post better or bump cutters, Bargnani will will regress from his improved defense last year, Rasho's vet presence will have zero effect, Evans grit will serve no purpose, the shot blocking ability of Amir will go missing, and Wright will throw away his role from Dallas as a defensive starter and become a matador!


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## Kidd (Jul 2, 2009)

WillFlight! said:


> Your right, a 100% healthy Jose and Jack are not going to be better than last year, a bulked up (15 lbs) Bosh will not hold the post better or bump cutters, Bargnani will will regress from his improved defense last year, Rasho's vet presence will have zero effect, Evans grit will serve no purpose, the shot blocking ability of Amir will go missing, and Wright will throw away his role from Dallas as a defensive starter and become a matador!


Boy are you going to be sorry if that turns out to be true.


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## Porn Player (Apr 24, 2003)

:laugh:

Will the season start already!!


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## Dee-Zy (Jan 12, 2006)

briaN37 said:


> Boy are you going to be sorry if that turns out to be true.



:bowen:

hahahahahahahahaa


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## kirk_2003 (Jun 23, 2003)

everyone should have realistic dreams for the upcoming season.. 50wins at least!




just kidding.. 45! ha.


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## Porn Player (Apr 24, 2003)

I take your 45 and raise you to 60!!! Come on Raptors!


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## kirk_2003 (Jun 23, 2003)

^60 is a big number, i'll go all in! 82 baby!


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## Porn Player (Apr 24, 2003)

:laugh:

Optimism in the Raptors forum. I never thought I'd see the day.


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## ballocks (May 15, 2003)

for me, wins are not crucial. that sounds funny but it's become true with this team. i just want entertaining basketball, fiery outbursts, passion and unity on the sidelines, momentum, life in the crowd, and a team that won't get pushed around. i don't think any of those are unrelated.

basically, i want everything we haven't had the past few years.

i'm glad the raptors shook it up, i really am. but the fact remains that we still have three players who were anything but inspiring last year: bosh became a woe-is-me sulker; calderon became a matador on defense who wouldn't cross the three-point line at either end; bargnani was, surprisingly, the only one you could actually rally behind... at least a little bit once in a blue moon... and that's not saying much.

these three are still around. i don't blame other fans for getting excited and expecting them to return to form (calderon, bosh) or take it to the next level (bargnani) on account of the new players. but at the end of the day, i can't get the nasty little brother syndrome out of my head that we've grown accustomed to over the past few years. until i see on-court actions, and not just off-the-court _trans_actions, i'll reserve judgment on whether this team is any better.

the raptors have no excuses anymore- so they've got to stop using them. yes, chris, at some point YOU have to win- you can't just look for ways to excuse your losses. because in the end, i have news for you: you'll always have an excuse as long as you want one. that pool will never drain up. but until you learn to stop using them- and instead look in the mirror- all you're doing is getting older.

peace


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## narrator (Feb 11, 2006)

WillFlight! said:


> Your right, a 100% healthy Jose and Jack are not going to be better than last year, a bulked up (15 lbs) Bosh will not hold the post better or bump cutters, Bargnani will will regress from his improved defense last year, Rasho's vet presence will have zero effect, Evans grit will serve no purpose, the shot blocking ability of Amir will go missing, and Wright will throw away his role from Dallas as a defensive starter and become a matador!


Still think the Raptors defense is good? Or have you opened your eyes to reality?


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