OT: Best team in the East currently?

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BlazerDuckSeahawkFan94

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With LeBron going back to Cleveland, Melo/Bosh re-signing with their respective teams and Gasol (most likely) heading to Chicago, who is the best team?
 
Cleveland but they have always had something go wrong. When it comes to sports the just have had such bad luck in the past. It'll be interesting.
 
I was thinking about this yesterday and I think Indiana is right now. Not sure what their chemistry problem is, but if they fix that
they will be #1 in the east.
 
It depends on what happens with Lance Stephenson. The Pacers had the best point differential in the NBA when their starters played and an abysmal one when any other unit played...even four starters and one reserve. The Pacers' starting lineup was a machine finely tuned to play with each other and only with each other. Remove even one part and it broke down.

Stephenson is one of those parts and Indiana will have a tough time bringing him back. If they lose him, I don't think they'll be as bad as they were last year when a starter sat, because they'll adjust their system a bit...but I think they'll drop down a reasonable amount.

For now, I'll put Cleveland at the top with Indiana a possible contender if they can retain Stephenson. If the Cavs manage to add Love, though, I don't think Indiana compares even if they get Stephenson back.
 
Minstrel said:
It depends on what happens with Lance Stephenson. The Pacers had the best point differential in the NBA when their starters played and an abysmal one when any other unit played...even four starters and one reserve. The Pacers' starting lineup was a machine finely tuned to play with each other and only with each other. Remove even one part and it broke down.

Stephenson is one of those parts and Indiana will have a tough time bringing him back. If they lose him, I don't think they'll be as bad as they were last year when a starter sat, because they'll adjust their system a bit...but I think they'll drop down a reasonable amount.

For now, I'll put Cleveland at the top with Indiana a possible contender if they can retain Stephenson. If the Cavs manage to add Love, though, I don't think Indiana compares even if they get Stephenson back.
Click to expand...

Pretty much this.

And Stephenson, from the sounds of it, is gonna get PAID by someone who loses out in free agency with big money.

Even so, it's hard to bet against any team with LeBron. Truthfully, having a REAL PG (and a damn good one at that, Kyrie), might make LeBron an even better player than he already is, which is insane, by alleviating some PG duties from him.

Also, Wiggins, Kyrie, LeBron are all VERY, VERY good defenders for the most part and so is a healthy Varejao.
 
OregonHuskerMan said:
Pretty much this.

And Stephenson, from the sounds of it, is gonna get PAID by someone who loses out in free agency with big money.

Even so, it's hard to bet against any team with LeBron. Truthfully, having a REAL PG (and a damn good one at that, Kyrie), might make LeBron an even better player than he already is, which is insane, by alleviating some PG duties from him.

Also, Wiggins, Kyrie, LeBron are all VERY, VERY good defenders for the most part and so is a healthy Varejao.
Click to expand...

Really? It's one thing to be a great college defender, but how do we know Wiggins is going to be a good NBA defender? That's awfully presumptuous for 0 minutes in the NBA to say he's a VERY VERY good defender like a Lebron.
 
Cavs. Indy can't beat LeBron no matter what team he's on.
 
With Gasol signing with the Bulls and Rose coming back healthy I'm putting the Bulls in the conversation as well as the Wizards. Really way too early to tell until rosters are complete though
 
I see the East shaping out this way:

1. Cleveland
2. Indiana
3. Chicago
4. Miami
5. Washington
6. Toronto
7. New York
8. Charlotte
 
BlazerDuckSeahawkFan94 said:
I see the East shaping out this way:

1. Cleveland
2. Indiana
3. Chicago
4. Miami
5. Washington
6. Toronto
7. New York
8. Charlotte
Click to expand...

I think Miami, Washington and Toronto could finish in any order among those three teams.

Also, Chicago could rise to #2, or even #1, depending on Rose's health and assuming they get Gasol. But until I see Rose put in another big year, I'm not going to assume health or elite performance.
 
Minstrel said:
I think Miami, Washington and Toronto could finish in any order among those three teams.

Also, Chicago could rise to #2, or even #1, depending on Rose's health and assuming they get Gasol. But until I see Rose put in another big year, I'm not going to assume health or elite performance.
Click to expand...

I agree, 4-6 will be a rotating door of those three teams.

A healthy Rose could do a lot for the Bulls and I could see them as the 1 seed but in the playoffs I don't see them beating a team lead by LeBron or a battle tested unit like the Pacers. Also as great as Gasol is, he is injury prone at this point in his career.
 
Adrian Wojnarowski
The Chicago Bulls are gauging interest with free agent Dwyane Wade, league sources tell Yahoo Sports.
1:16 PM - 11 Jul 2014
 
BigGameDamian said:
Adrian Wojnarowski
The Chicago Bulls are gauging interest with free agent Dwyane Wade, league sources tell Yahoo Sports.
1:16 PM - 11 Jul 2014
Click to expand...

No offense man, but what's with the old news all the time?
 
Baltimore is currently the best team in the east, although I think they get caught at some point
 
Strenuus said:
Really? It's one thing to be a great college defender, but how do we know Wiggins is going to be a good NBA defender? That's awfully presumptuous for 0 minutes in the NBA to say he's a VERY VERY good defender like a Lebron.
Click to expand...

Defense usually translates to all levels. Very, very rarely is it that you're a GREAT college defender and average/less than average in the NBA. Actually, it never happens.

Draft analysts say its one thing you KNOW will translate to the NBA level for sure, and it was also a reason people had Wiggins rated higher than Parker, because he'll be an ELITE NBA level defender from day 1 guarding the 1-3 positions. You can even watch the NBA draft and that is one thing the panel unanimously agreed on - he's a great defender and will be from day 1 in the NBA, and they pointed to that as a reason Cleveland had to select him.

Kinda like how Tony Allen was picked by the Celtics purely because of his defense, he has no offensive game to speak of. They know what translates and what doesn't. He's a great defender and he will be in the NBA as well.
 
OregonHuskerMan said:
Defense usually translates to all levels. Very, very rarely is it that you're a GREAT college defender and average/less than average in the NBA. Actually, it never happens.

Draft analysts say its one thing you KNOW will translate to the NBA level for sure, and it was also a reason people had Wiggins rated higher than Parker, because he'll be an ELITE NBA level defender from day 1 guarding the 1-3 positions. You can even watch the NBA draft and that is one thing the panel unanimously agreed on - he's a great defender and will be from day 1 in the NBA, and they pointed to that as a reason Cleveland had to select him.

Kinda like how Tony Allen was picked by the Celtics purely because of his defense, he has no offensive game to speak of. They know what translates and what doesn't. He's a great defender and he will be in the NBA as well.
Click to expand...

LaMarcus was DPOY in his conference in college. He's not a terrible defender now, but he's by no means elite.

But to be fair, a lot of that is just how the Blazers organization molded him. Had we kept Z-bo and figured out how to make that work, Aldridge would probably be a full-time defensive center now, and probably a very good one.

If I'm the Cavs, I think it's pretty clear LeBron will have a heavy hand in ensuring Wiggins continues to grow as a defender.
 
Miami heat will still have the most talented team in the east for 1-2 years
 
OregonHuskerMan said:
Defense usually translates to all levels. Very, very rarely is it that you're a GREAT college defender and average/less than average in the NBA. Actually, it never happens.

Draft analysts say its one thing you KNOW will translate to the NBA level for sure, and it was also a reason people had Wiggins rated higher than Parker, because he'll be an ELITE NBA level defender from day 1 guarding the 1-3 positions. You can even watch the NBA draft and that is one thing the panel unanimously agreed on - he's a great defender and will be from day 1 in the NBA, and they pointed to that as a reason Cleveland had to select him.

Kinda like how Tony Allen was picked by the Celtics purely because of his defense, he has no offensive game to speak of. They know what translates and what doesn't. He's a great defender and he will be in the NBA as well.
Click to expand...

Mook pretty much stole my example... and I'll have to do research to really get down to it... but I just do not believe that to be the case. Faster, stronger, much better and smarter players... no "nights off" will get to them... And when it comes to the media, they have an agenda to "pimp" a player, so I always take what they say with a grain of salt... Ex: If he's a great defender they'll try to take a positive spin to it.
 
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