Post by getbeard on Oct 22, 2015 20:12:15 GMT
This year the Atlantic Division looks stacked. Without a true tanking team, every game within the division will be a fight, and every match up has serious playoff implications.
Lets take a look at teach of the teams, and breakdown who is most equipped for the battle
Boston Celtics
The Celtics were a team filled with youth until there recent acquisition of All-NBA PG Theodoras Papaloukas. They moved budding superstar Boris Diaw and other assets to bring in one of the best overall players in the league, creating a big 2 of Theo and Marcus Camby. This lineup can score and rebound with the best of them in the league. Theo and Camby are both 25+ PPG threats and every player in the lineup is more than capable of scoring at least 15ppg. They have possibly the best rebounding combo in the league in Julian Ibarria and Caron Butler, both of whom appear eager to break out and take their spot as the 3rd guy in this offense. These 2 are not considered elite defenders, though, and without much wing depth or overpower defensive specialist off the bench, that appears to be where this team may get exploited. It will be interesting to see if they can bring in some defense outside to try and minimize this issue.
Projected Win Total: 45 - 50
Brooklyn Nets
As those of you have done leagues with Greeme before may have noticed, he likes to stick with what has been successful for him. Will now be entering his 5345th straight season of running an outside offense, and its hard to argue when the results justify the plan. He has set up a very prototypical outside offense, with sharp shooters on the outside and defensive focused big bodies. Kyle Hill, Rashard Lewis, and James Posey have formed a very unlikely yet lethal combination from deep that the Nets will look to ride into the playoffs. Unfortunately an injury to one of the two mentioned wings could be a large set back for them, as they look very thin after there top 3 wings (Newman off the bench included). Going out and grabbing some security depth may not be the worst idea for the Nets, especially because they will be relying so much on the play of the perimeter players for offense.
Projected Win Total: 50 - 55
Miami Heat
Thankfully for the rest of the division, there is a little break in the battle as far as divisional games go. The Heat truly look pretty bad. Which sucks really bad at the same time for everyone else because the already loaded Wiz have their 1st this season. Eddy Terrell will likely put up MVP caliber numbers, and could lead the team statistically in just about every single thing. He could possibly set the triple doubles in a season record, whatever that is. This team has a few other ok pieces, but most of their starters are realistically rotational pieces on good teams. There really isn't a ton else to say about them this season. They definitely are really looking forward to next year when they have their pick back and a chance to start over. As bad as it sounds to a GM without his pick, he may need to consider moving any decent players he has for some assets and just take his losses as far as trying to make his pick this year worse, because its gonna be a good pick no matter what he does.
Projected Win Total: 15 - 22
New York Knicks
The Knicks have an exceptional looking roster, and have one of the best starting 5's in the league. There post defense is tenacious with Yao and Foyle capable of locking down some of the best interior scorers in the league. Their perimeter play is also right on par with some other top teams, they can attack offensively in multiple ways which should make them tough to beat. Their biggest weakness is likely there post depth, if Foyle or Yao goes down or experience foul trouble they can be exposed by the right teams. They don't have great depth overall, but they have a few bench wings and guards that should suffice for short stints if they are needed. Addressing the lack of post depth is a must for this Knicks team if they want to really compete for a title this year.
Projected Win Total: 47 - 52
Orlando Magic
The Magic tore down crucial elements of a championship team, but with a high cost came a high reward. The best player in the league, Tracy McGrady, has returned home to Orlando. Though as a team they probably took a step back from last season, they are absolutely not a team to be taken lightly. They should remain the offensive juggernaut they have proven to be in the past, they have 4 guys who should be averaging 20+ ppg, surrounding one of the best defensive specialists in the game in Ben Wallace. This team will certainly score in bunches, but to win basketball games you have to score more than the other team, and their defense may be a bit of a liability at times. Aside from Big Ben, their post defense is nearly nonexistant, so they will really need to rely on Dirk to outperform his matchup. Teams who can get Wallace into foul trouble should be able to feast in the paint. Orlando will likely be in a lot of fun high scoring showdowns this season. I'd expect them to win many more of them than they lose, but there are certainly some issues Shorty will need to address to get this team back to where it was last season.
Projected Win Total: 48 - 54
Philadelphia 76ers
The 76ers are in a bit of an odd spot right now. They have a lot of good talent, some young and some veteran. In most other divisions, I think they are a playoff team, or at the very least battling for a playoff seed, but I think they might be one of the good teams that falls victim to this division. Samaki - Hill - Rice - Hurley is a very nice group, some of which are underrated and perform past their expectations. The issue is this division has so many high powered offenses I'm afraid the 76ers may not be able to keep pace. They don't have great perimeter defense and many of the teams in this division are build around the outside shot, so they could be exploited and give up some huge scoring numbers. They lack depth across the board, though they have some nice young prospects who should develop and fill those roles, I just don't think they are ready yet. This team could go a few ways (I believe they still have their pick), they can probably commit to tanking without giving up all of their talent which may be their best bet, or they can move some of the highly drafted prospects on their bench and try and make a push. Interesting predicament in Philly.
Projected Win Total: 32-37
Washington Wizards
Washington looks to be top dog on paper in the moment in this dogfight. Another absolutely top notch offense, but this team has a more all-around build than some of the others. Recent acquisition of Allen Iverson gave them another stud scoring option. One of the things that sets them a part a bit is they're ability to score inside, and attack from multiple spots on the offensive side of the court. They also are a lot deeper than some of the other high profiled teams in this division. They have starting caliber guys playing roles off the bench all over the place. The only thing that can hold them back is DC problems and running into a hot a team at the wrong time. They are covered for the most part from injuries even, or at least more-so than most teams. I have to say they are probably my early favorite to take the division.
Projected Win Total: 57 - 63 Wins
Division Standings Prediction
1 Washington Wizards
2 Orlando Magic
3 Brooklyn Nets
4 New York Knicks
5 Boston Celtics
6 Philadelphia 76ers
7 Miami Heat
Division MVP: Tracy McGrady
Sleeper Picks / Bold predictions
-Watch out for the Celtics or 76ers to move up in the standings due to an injury or 2 from one of the top teams. Both these teams are more than capable of making the playoffs.
- The final 4 teams standing in the Eastern Conference Playoff Bracket will all be from the Atlantic.
- Whoever comes out on top of the Atlantic will win the championship.
Lets take a look at teach of the teams, and breakdown who is most equipped for the battle
Boston Celtics
The Celtics were a team filled with youth until there recent acquisition of All-NBA PG Theodoras Papaloukas. They moved budding superstar Boris Diaw and other assets to bring in one of the best overall players in the league, creating a big 2 of Theo and Marcus Camby. This lineup can score and rebound with the best of them in the league. Theo and Camby are both 25+ PPG threats and every player in the lineup is more than capable of scoring at least 15ppg. They have possibly the best rebounding combo in the league in Julian Ibarria and Caron Butler, both of whom appear eager to break out and take their spot as the 3rd guy in this offense. These 2 are not considered elite defenders, though, and without much wing depth or overpower defensive specialist off the bench, that appears to be where this team may get exploited. It will be interesting to see if they can bring in some defense outside to try and minimize this issue.
Projected Win Total: 45 - 50
Brooklyn Nets
As those of you have done leagues with Greeme before may have noticed, he likes to stick with what has been successful for him. Will now be entering his 5345th straight season of running an outside offense, and its hard to argue when the results justify the plan. He has set up a very prototypical outside offense, with sharp shooters on the outside and defensive focused big bodies. Kyle Hill, Rashard Lewis, and James Posey have formed a very unlikely yet lethal combination from deep that the Nets will look to ride into the playoffs. Unfortunately an injury to one of the two mentioned wings could be a large set back for them, as they look very thin after there top 3 wings (Newman off the bench included). Going out and grabbing some security depth may not be the worst idea for the Nets, especially because they will be relying so much on the play of the perimeter players for offense.
Projected Win Total: 50 - 55
Miami Heat
Thankfully for the rest of the division, there is a little break in the battle as far as divisional games go. The Heat truly look pretty bad. Which sucks really bad at the same time for everyone else because the already loaded Wiz have their 1st this season. Eddy Terrell will likely put up MVP caliber numbers, and could lead the team statistically in just about every single thing. He could possibly set the triple doubles in a season record, whatever that is. This team has a few other ok pieces, but most of their starters are realistically rotational pieces on good teams. There really isn't a ton else to say about them this season. They definitely are really looking forward to next year when they have their pick back and a chance to start over. As bad as it sounds to a GM without his pick, he may need to consider moving any decent players he has for some assets and just take his losses as far as trying to make his pick this year worse, because its gonna be a good pick no matter what he does.
Projected Win Total: 15 - 22
New York Knicks
The Knicks have an exceptional looking roster, and have one of the best starting 5's in the league. There post defense is tenacious with Yao and Foyle capable of locking down some of the best interior scorers in the league. Their perimeter play is also right on par with some other top teams, they can attack offensively in multiple ways which should make them tough to beat. Their biggest weakness is likely there post depth, if Foyle or Yao goes down or experience foul trouble they can be exposed by the right teams. They don't have great depth overall, but they have a few bench wings and guards that should suffice for short stints if they are needed. Addressing the lack of post depth is a must for this Knicks team if they want to really compete for a title this year.
Projected Win Total: 47 - 52
Orlando Magic
The Magic tore down crucial elements of a championship team, but with a high cost came a high reward. The best player in the league, Tracy McGrady, has returned home to Orlando. Though as a team they probably took a step back from last season, they are absolutely not a team to be taken lightly. They should remain the offensive juggernaut they have proven to be in the past, they have 4 guys who should be averaging 20+ ppg, surrounding one of the best defensive specialists in the game in Ben Wallace. This team will certainly score in bunches, but to win basketball games you have to score more than the other team, and their defense may be a bit of a liability at times. Aside from Big Ben, their post defense is nearly nonexistant, so they will really need to rely on Dirk to outperform his matchup. Teams who can get Wallace into foul trouble should be able to feast in the paint. Orlando will likely be in a lot of fun high scoring showdowns this season. I'd expect them to win many more of them than they lose, but there are certainly some issues Shorty will need to address to get this team back to where it was last season.
Projected Win Total: 48 - 54
Philadelphia 76ers
The 76ers are in a bit of an odd spot right now. They have a lot of good talent, some young and some veteran. In most other divisions, I think they are a playoff team, or at the very least battling for a playoff seed, but I think they might be one of the good teams that falls victim to this division. Samaki - Hill - Rice - Hurley is a very nice group, some of which are underrated and perform past their expectations. The issue is this division has so many high powered offenses I'm afraid the 76ers may not be able to keep pace. They don't have great perimeter defense and many of the teams in this division are build around the outside shot, so they could be exploited and give up some huge scoring numbers. They lack depth across the board, though they have some nice young prospects who should develop and fill those roles, I just don't think they are ready yet. This team could go a few ways (I believe they still have their pick), they can probably commit to tanking without giving up all of their talent which may be their best bet, or they can move some of the highly drafted prospects on their bench and try and make a push. Interesting predicament in Philly.
Projected Win Total: 32-37
Washington Wizards
Washington looks to be top dog on paper in the moment in this dogfight. Another absolutely top notch offense, but this team has a more all-around build than some of the others. Recent acquisition of Allen Iverson gave them another stud scoring option. One of the things that sets them a part a bit is they're ability to score inside, and attack from multiple spots on the offensive side of the court. They also are a lot deeper than some of the other high profiled teams in this division. They have starting caliber guys playing roles off the bench all over the place. The only thing that can hold them back is DC problems and running into a hot a team at the wrong time. They are covered for the most part from injuries even, or at least more-so than most teams. I have to say they are probably my early favorite to take the division.
Projected Win Total: 57 - 63 Wins
Division Standings Prediction
1 Washington Wizards
2 Orlando Magic
3 Brooklyn Nets
4 New York Knicks
5 Boston Celtics
6 Philadelphia 76ers
7 Miami Heat
Division MVP: Tracy McGrady
Sleeper Picks / Bold predictions
-Watch out for the Celtics or 76ers to move up in the standings due to an injury or 2 from one of the top teams. Both these teams are more than capable of making the playoffs.
- The final 4 teams standing in the Eastern Conference Playoff Bracket will all be from the Atlantic.
- Whoever comes out on top of the Atlantic will win the championship.
