# Where do the Celtics rank against the East



## aquaitious (Jun 11, 2002)

The camp is a few weeks away, it doesn't look like there will be a lot more changes so we may as well get some early predictions on the east.

What do you guys think the east will look like this year?

Who has improved, who's worse?

The Celtics, I do think, will not be making the playoffs this upcoming season again, too much competition and a lot of teams have improved.

My predictions:

1) Cleveland

I just have a feeling about them this year. The team is young, they've kept the core together and LeBron James.

2) Miami

Old team, but I don't think anyone will be challenging them this year in the Southeast.

3) New Jersey

Jason Kidd.

4) Detroit (actual 2nd team)

They've lost one of their keys, but they're still pretty good, they'll clearly do some damage.

5) Bulls

This team is the same as last year, except better. They've added a guy who'll be a force inside (defensively, duh)

6) Wizards

Nothing has really changed on this team, except that they're a year older. They've made some minor signings, and some minor losses also took place.

7) Indiana

If JO stays healthy, they can do something, but even with him this team could use some help. A lot of key players were lost.

8) This one's the toss up. IMO, it'll be between Toronto, Orlando and Milwaukee and the Celtics. Four very young teams duking it out to see who'll get a first round knockout in the hands of the Cavs.

I'm going to enjoy the battle for the 8th spot, a lot of good young teams from the east.

Celtics, eh, lol.


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## Premier (Oct 30, 2003)

*Re: Celtics vs the East*

Orlando will be in the top seven.

Dwight Howard, Darko Milicic, Jameer Nelson, with a surrounding cast of Hedo Turkoglu, Carlos Arroyo, JJ Redick, and Trevor Ariza will be good.


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## whiterhino (Jun 15, 2003)

*Re: Celtics vs the East*

I'd have to say it's going to be a tough year in the East. Everyone is better. 
My early guess would be
1. Detroit
2. New Jersey
3. Miami
4. Chicago
5. Cleveland
6. Orlando or Washington
7. Orlando or Washington or Boston or Indiana
8. Washington or Boston or Indiana

Going to be very tough


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## agoo (Jun 1, 2003)

*Re: Celtics vs the East*

The Celtics have a shot depending how much the summer work we're hearing about from the kiddos actually pans out on the court. If Al can make some sense of the game, Gerald plays a little bit of defense and Doc gets fired, we could be a playoff team.


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## Zuca (Dec 4, 2003)

*Re: Celtics vs the East*

I do agree that most part of the Eastern Teams have improved...


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

*Re: Celtics vs the East*



agoo101284 said:


> The Celtics have a shot depending how much the summer work we're hearing about from the kiddos actually pans out on the court. If Al can make some sense of the game, Gerald plays a little bit of defense and Doc gets fired, we could be a playoff team.


The upside for this squad is about 38 wins. Absent a rash of plane crashes thinning out the Eastern Conference, we'd better just accept the fact that the highlight of the Celtics season will happen in Secaucus. Here's hoping the ping pong balls turn our way for once.


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## DWADE4 (Aug 18, 2006)

*Re: Celtics vs the East*

I dont think we should count out Milwaukee Bucks. They also have improved from the last years squad they had. With the line up of-

PG- Maurice Williams
SG- Michael Redd
SF- Bobby Simmons
PF- Charlie V.
C- Andrew Bogut

looks like they can also do some damage in the east fighting for the final 2spots


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## Premier (Oct 30, 2003)

*Re: Celtics vs the East*

Orlando, Washington, Indiana, and Milwaukee are all better than the Celtics.


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## whiterhino (Jun 15, 2003)

*Re: Celtics vs the East*

I did forget about the Bucks and they will be in the race too they have a good squad. It's going to be a rough go of it the East is no longer a league of doormats.


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## beantown (Sep 2, 2005)

*Re: Celtics vs the East*

1.Miami
2.Cleveland
3.Chicago
4.Detroit
5.New Jersey
6.Indiana
7.Boston 
8.Orlando

Injuries, as always, will emphasize depth.


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## aquaitious (Jun 11, 2002)

*Re: Celtics vs the East*



beantown said:


> 1.Miami
> 2.Cleveland
> 3.Chicago
> 4.Detroit
> ...


No Wizards, Raptors or Bucks?


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

*Re: Celtics vs the East*



aquaitious said:


> No Wizards, Raptors or Bucks?


He's expecting their charter planes to collide mid air somewhere over Lake Michigan.


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## Floods (Oct 25, 2005)

1. Miami
2. Cleveland
3. Chicago
4. New Jersey
5. Washington
6. Indiana
7. Detroit
8. Orlando
9. Toronto
10. Boston
11. Atlanta
12. Milwaukee
13. New York
14. Philadelphia
15. Charlotte


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## beantown (Sep 2, 2005)

*Re: Celtics vs the East*



ehmunro said:


> He's expecting their charter planes to collide mid air somewhere over Lake Michigan.


Woot.


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## #1AntoineWalkerFan (Mar 10, 2005)

TheBigDonut said:


> 1. Miami
> 2. Cleveland
> 3. Chicago
> 4. New Jersey
> ...




if milwaukee ends up with a worse record than atlanta and a barely better record than NY ill tattoo the yankees symbol on my forehead...it should look more like this...


1. Miami
2. Cleveland
3. Chicago
4. New Jersey
5. Washington
6. Milwaukee
7. Detroit
8. Orlando
9. Indiana
10. Toronto
11. Boston
12. Atlanta
13. New York
14. Philadelphia
15. Charlotte


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## SheikuKabba13 (Feb 9, 2004)

I think it might be a good thing that we don't have the expectations we've had in years past. We can concentrate on the players finally developing and anything that happens win-loss-wise will be icing on the cake. IMO, this is by far the most important season in our rebuilding to date. We finally see what we've got in a lot of these young guys. Especially Perk, Al, and Telfair. I think we pretty much know what we are going to get out of West and Gomes, and Green is still a couple years away.
But anyway...

1. Miami
2. Cleveland
3. New Jersey
4. Detroit
5. Chicago
6. Indiana
7. Orlando
8. Washington
9. Milwaukee
10. Toronto
11. Boston
12. Atlanta
13. Charlotte
14. Philadelphia
15. New York


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## Floods (Oct 25, 2005)

#1AntoineWalkerFan said:


> if milwaukee ends up with a worse record than atlanta and a barely better record than NY ill tattoo the yankees symbol on my forehead...it should look more like this...


I like what Atlanta's done in the offseason, they got two quality players and won't miss Harrington a whole lot. Milwaukee traded Magloire for a jar of cheezwiz, and traded Joe Smith for another SF (patterson). They have no defensive muscle down low.

Don't tattoo a Yankee symbol on your forehead. No crime is worth that punishment.

And I just want to throw this in - even though i have us 10th right now, we could definitely be one of those suprise young teams (think Chicago in 04-05) that all of sudden puts it together and is ready for prime time.


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## gruntbygod (Jun 21, 2006)

I think the Celtics should be good enough to challenge for one of the last two playoff spots, whether or not they get it :whoknows: . I think the compition for the 7-8 spots is gonna be tough. Washington and Milwaukee are obviosly gonna be in the thick of it, and depending on how much the respective young teams improve ( Boston, Toronto, Orlando, Atlanta) their could be some serious competition.


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

TheBigDonut said:


> I like what Atlanta's done in the offseason, they got two quality players and won't miss Harrington a whole lot. Milwaukee traded Magloire for a jar of cheezwiz, and traded Joe Smith for another SF (patterson). They have no defensive muscle down low.


Andrew Bogut? Also, they (in essence) traded T.J. Ford and the remains of Jamaal Magliore for Charlie Villanueva, a player to provide depth at the 1 (Steve Blake), and a wing defender to slot in with Simmons & Redd (Patterson). That's a pretty good move (because Ford is a seriously bad defender), as is finding a long/mobile player to match up with the less mobile Bogut on the defensive end. The Portland trade cost them their relatively physical post player, so they dealt Joe Smith (who would be redundant with Villanueva) for a physical post player (Skinner). I don't see any of this as a downgrade.



TheBigDonut said:


> And I just want to throw this in - even though i have us 10th right now, we could definitely be one of those suprise young teams (think Chicago in 04-05) that all of sudden puts it together and is ready for prime time.


You mean that all the kids could click and we could win 38 games and be the ninth best team in the east?


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## Guest (Sep 23, 2006)

chicago is being overrated.


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## unluckyseventeen (Feb 5, 2006)

1. Detroit
2. Miami
3. Cleveland
4. New Jersey
5. Chicago
6. Washington
7. Boston
8. Orlando


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## mrsister (Sep 9, 2002)

My feeling is that the Celtics don't have anywhere to go but up from last year (maybe not in the standings if everybody else improves, but in performance). Everyone's got another year under their belt, and it sounds like most of them have been working very hard over the summer. Injuries are always a concern, but when are they not? We also have several point guards to choose from, so the second unit might not be as lost. I expect continued good play from Gomes and Perkins, and it sounds like Al is ready to break out if he can stay healthy. Green could be a surprise contributor. Ratliff should be a nice veteran presence and can teach the youngsters (and veterans for that matter) a thing or two about defense. And just when you think Pierce has peaked, he seems to improve. I just don't see how we could be much worse than last year when we couldn't win more than 2 games in a row.


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## Causeway (May 18, 2005)

Agreed mrsister.


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## gruntbygod (Jun 21, 2006)

I think for us to be a playoff team, the young guys in the post are gonna have to break thru. It comes down to Jefferson finally stepping up, and Perks being able to handle 30 minutes a game. I f Jefferson can seize the 4, we can bring that Gomes off the bench where he could come in at 4 when we go small, at 3 when we go big.


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## KingHandles (Mar 19, 2005)

1. Miami
2. Cleveland
3. Washington
4. Chi-town
5. Detriot
6. Beantown
7. Jersey
8. Orlando


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## Guest (Sep 24, 2006)

gruntbygod said:



> I think for us to be a playoff team, the young guys in the post are gonna have to break thru. It comes down to Jefferson finally stepping up, and Perks being able to handle 30 minutes a game. I f Jefferson can seize the 4, we can bring that Gomes off the bench where he could come in at 4 when we go small, at 3 when we go big.


perkins will be >>>ben wallace


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## Guest (Sep 24, 2006)

KingHandles said:


> 1. Miami
> 2. Cleveland
> *3. Washington*
> 4. Chi-town
> ...


wow. wow. wow. woooooow.


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## gruntbygod (Jun 21, 2006)

peg182 said:


> perkins will be >>>ben wallace


Im not knockin him, Im sayin we need him to take that step (30 mins a game at a level he played last year)


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## Guest (Sep 25, 2006)

gruntbygod said:


> Im not knockin him, Im sayin we need him to take that step (30 mins a game at a level he played last year)


i know, i'm not saying that. i hope he'll be able to make that step too. i was just making a random statement, and decided to hit reply on your post.

i'm confident perkins will be able to get better this season, but i'm sort of nervous about al jefferson. anyone who could prove me wrong on him being a bust, please do.


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## Causeway (May 18, 2005)

Big Al has not yet lived up to the hype. But I would not call him a "bust".


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## aquaitious (Jun 11, 2002)

If Perk could be somewhat like Wallace, I think this team would be in decent shape for years to come if Pierce stays on it.


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## P-Dub34 (May 19, 2005)

Big if.


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## Floods (Oct 25, 2005)

KingHandles said:


> 1. Miami
> 2. Cleveland
> 3. Washington
> 4. Chi-town
> ...


Washington and Jersey, damn.


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## gruntbygod (Jun 21, 2006)

Causeway said:


> Big Al has not yet lived up to the hype. But I would not call him a "bust".


They say it takes awhile for big men to develope. Hopefully if he does develope, its not with someones else


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## Floods (Oct 25, 2005)

by their 3rd year, all of the notable big guys in this league have produced big numbers by then.


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## aquaitious (Jun 11, 2002)

TheBigDonut said:


> by their 3rd year, all of the notable big guys in this league have produced big numbers by then.


Notable like Jermain O'Neal?


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## Sundance (Oct 2, 2006)

If things fall into place, I could see the Celtics finishing 6th or 7th. Most likely we're looking at 8-10, hopefully landing that last playoff spot. I think it's shaping up to be a very competitive year.


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

aquaitious said:


> Notable like Jermain O'Neal?


Unlike Jefferson and Perkins, Jermaine O'Neal was playing behind an NBA All-Star, an all-time great center, and Brian Grant at the 4/5. Jefferson & Perkins were losing time to Moobs Scalabrine & Captain Creampuff. Everyone knew that O'Neal could play, but at the turn of the century the Blazers were a legit title contender that couldn't afford to play a high-schooler major minutes. The Celtics, on the other hand...


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## aquaitious (Jun 11, 2002)

ehmunro said:


> Unlike Jefferson and Perkins, Jermaine O'Neal was playing behind an NBA All-Star, an all-time great center, and Brian Grant at the 4/5. Jefferson & Perkins were losing time to Moobs Scalabrine & Captain Creampuff. Everyone knew that O'Neal could play, but at the turn of the century the Blazers were a legit title contender that couldn't afford to play a high-schooler major minutes. The Celtics, on the other hand...


...have a coach who couldn't tell the difference between Ryan Gomes and Brian Scalabrine?

I just don't see where this "if you're a big man, and you don't make a splash by your 3rd season, you're a bust" comes from.


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

aquaitious said:


> ...have a coach who couldn't tell the difference between Ryan Gomes and Brian Scalabrine?
> 
> I just don't see where this "if you're a big man, and you don't make a splash by your 3rd season, you're a bust" comes from.


It doesn't mean that they're busts. As a 27th pick it'd be hard to really qualify Perkins as a bust even if he isn't anything more than an end of the bench guy. But, if you can't beat out the dregs of the NBA for playing time, it _is_ an indication that the All-Star game probably isn't in your future. By his third season O'Neal had trouble getting crucial minutes because he was behind a future Hall of Famer, an All-Star, and a starter-quality power forward. But everyone had seen O'Neal play and knew what the 'Blazers had (even the Blazers). There was a reason that Pitino offered the Blazers the 2001 draft for Jermaine (and in retrospect it would have saved both teams if the Blazers had taken the Ricktator's offer). The Blazers turned the deal down, and made the Davis trade in the mistaken thought that Davis was the missing piece of the puzzle that would get them past the Lakers. All I'm saying is we need to stop pretending that Jefferson is going to be the next Jermaine O'Neal and accept them for what they are, deeply flawed players that may or may not be decent rotation guys one day. Rivers can't be blamed for Jefferson's work ethic, his lackadaisical attitude towards defense, his lack of strength or his athletic shortcomings. The things that can be controlled are controllable by Jefferson. It's up to him.

Is Rivers a good coach? No. But frankly, this isn't a good team, either. Aside from Green, their young prospects are of the "potential roleplayer" variety. That isn't the coach's fault. That's the ownership/front office's fault for not spending the coin to bring in better talent or in making poor decisions in drafting. For example, Tony Allen over Anderson Varejão looks pretty bad now, as does Orien Greene over Amir Johnson or trading away Darius Songalia for Brandon Hunter & Greene. The refusal to use the MLE on a real NBA player last summer looks disastrous about now. The decision to squander the Walker Traded Player Exception looks like a franchise killer in retrospect as that $5.6 million exception could have been used to bring in Harrington or ameliorate the damage of the Szczerbiak trade by bringing in Darko Milicic & Carlos Arroyo (for the TPE & Kandiman). These are items within the control of Ainge/Wyc, but not the coach. The coach has to deal with what he's given, and let's be honest, they haven't given him much.


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## P-Dub34 (May 19, 2005)

> Is Rivers a good coach? No. But frankly, this isn't a good team, either. Aside from Green, their young prospects are of the "potential roleplayer" variety. That isn't the coach's fault. That's the ownership/front office's fault for not spending the coin to bring in better talent or in making poor decisions in drafting. For example, Tony Allen over Anderson Varejão looks pretty bad now, as does Orien Greene over Amir Johnson or trading away Darius Songalia for Brandon Hunter & Greene. The refusal to use the MLE on a real NBA player last summer looks disastrous about now. The decision to squander the Walker Traded Player Exception looks like a franchise killer in retrospect as that $5.6 million exception could have been used to bring in Harrington or ameliorate the damage of the Szczerbiak trade by bringing in Darko Milicic & Carlos Arroyo (for the TPE & Kandiman). These are items within the control of Ainge/Wyc, but not the coach. The coach has to deal with what he's given, and let's be honest, they haven't given him much


Good post.


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## Guest (Oct 3, 2006)

aquaitious said:


> Notable like Jermain O'Neal?


hmm...so maybe he won't be a bust.


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## BingoKeane (Oct 3, 2006)

If Perk could be somewhat like Wallace, I think this team would be in decent shape for years to come if Pierce stays on it.


Think you'll find Wallace is away to Sunderland there mate.


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## Celticfan (Oct 3, 2006)

Sundance said:


> If things fall into place, I could see the Celtics finishing 6th or 7th. .



Yer joking man :curse: 7th *faints*


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