Scotty Now Officially Resigned/Roster Now Set

[TheFuzz]

My argument for those they claim injury on Miami and Chicago is that they are all 100% currently.  Rose/Butler/Gibson/Gasol/Noah and Chalmers/Wade/Deng/Bosh/McBob are really good lineups when healthy, which they are.  Not saying they'll be 100% come playoff time, just that aren't injured now.  We could pull the same injury claims on Horford and KK.  Benefit of the doubt.

 

I honestly just don't think Chicago is THAT good. They're good, no doubt, but I really don't see them beating Cleveland, let alone SA, the more I think about it. Cleveland has some holes in their roster but they're really talented and I think Blatt is a legit coach. Really, Blatt is what puts them in a tier alone (the dude has won literally everywhere he has coached). Chicago to me is the best of a big second tier including Atl, Cha, Washington and maybe Miami. I'm also assuming full health.

 

Chicago: Again, the Bulls are the second best team in the East, but they're not a juggernaut unless Rose really gets back in form by the end of the season (I don't think he's looked great from what I've seen). The Bulls need another wing scorer, but that FC is pretty nasty, though I think quick FCs (like our's) could give them trouble (Gasol in particular).

 

Washington: Wittman is really holding them back, plus a lack of shooting and a lack of a bench. They made some good adjustments to their frontcourt though. If Beal quits jacking long 2s they could be really good.

 

Charlotte: Great defense and traditionally a healthy, if uneven, roster. They lack shooters big time, and losing McRoberts was an underrated loss. Zeller and Vonleh are too young, Stephenson is a wildcard. They'll be good, but they won't be great. Not this year at least.

 

Atlanta: (Homer alert). Probably the best 2-way frontcourt in the East, with deep PGs. We need another creator on the wings badly, but our wing depth got a lot better if Sefolosha remembers how to shoot. We'll run a slick offense and be much better defensively than people expect with Horford's agility. Bazemore is the wildcard. We lack rebounding more than anything.

 

Miami: Lebron to Deng is a pretty big downgrade. Wade is still a good player, and Bosh can flex his muscles a bit. Spo is a good coach, particularly defensively. Their depth is really, really bad though. Like, all over the place. Wade is their only 2, McBob and Bosh are their "Cs." Their PGs are atrocious. Their rebounding is probably even worse than ours. Wade/Deng/Bosh/Spo will get this team to the playoffs, but they're not dynamic enough to make any real noise in my opinion.

 

Toronto: Toronto is a good, solid team with depth, so they could be a very solid regular season team. They don't have a lot of creation outside of Lowry, but they're very solid. As I'm typing this, I realize I probably underrated them. They lack top-end talent unless JV becomes the player I thought he could be (he should lose some weight). Probably better regular season than post-season.

 

Indiana (thanks to their defense), New York, Brooklyn and Detroit will fight for that last spot barring injury (Miami is particularly susceptible because of the lack of depth). Unfortunately, I think Brooklyn is probably the best from that group, but I'll be homer and say New York gets it.

 

1. Cleveland

2. Chicago

3. Atlanta

4. Toronto

5. Washington

6. Charlotte

7. Miami

8. New York

 

1 and 2 could swap, and 3-6 could really be in any order.

[Guest]

We don't know what Blatt is/isn't in the NBA.  Nor do we know if he'll be allowed to actually coach.  If you-know-who isn't diggin' Blatt's vibe who's gonna get her way?

[macdaddy]

But my [iNSERT FAVORITE TEAM]'s players don't have that issue.  Our guys with major injuries as part of their history are healthy and will probably never be injured again.  Our guys suffered freak accidents that won't happen again.

 

The [OTHER TEAM]'s players have systemic health problems from which they will never recover.  They are done...it is just a matter of getting injured again before they realize it.

 

That's one way to look at it, but Wade, Pau, Rose, and Noah have all had chronic problems and three of them are on the Bulls.   It's hard to make the claim that the Hawks are as likely to have major injury issues.   Horford is a concern but he's lost two seasons, not in a row, to injuries that i've never even heard of before.   Those four guys have suffered from injuries that are common career enders for nba players.

[High5]

My argument for those they claim injury on Miami and Chicago is that they are all 100% currently.  Rose/Butler/Gibson/Gasol/Noah and Chalmers/Wade/Deng/Bosh/McBob are really good lineups when healthy, which they are.  Not saying they'll be 100% come playoff time, just that aren't injured now.  We could pull the same injury claims on Horford and KK.  Benefit of the doubt.

 

Have you seen Rose play this summer? That man is nowhere near 100%. 

[Wretch]

Honestly...all this talk about Chicago only matters as far as the Finals are concerned.  Being skeptical of their championship chances is justified.  As far as the EC is concerned, with setbacks to Indy and Miami, and excluding Cleveland, Chicago is the favorite by default.  They're a 45-50 win club without Derrick Rose and they own us.  So wherever we're putting ourselves, we have to notch them a step higher.

[AHF]

Horford has played in less than 50% of games the last 3 years. Noah had played in more than 85 %, including 80 games last year.

Horford is safe. Noah is chronically injured.

Glad we played that out so quickly

[Duff_Man]

Wade is deader than Disco.

[thecampster]

Over the last 3 season, Wade has missed 74 games due to injury or sore knees. This is despite his minutes going down from 37 to 32:51 per game last year. In his best season, Wade attempted 10.7 Free Throw Attempts per game. Last year, 4.8 per game. Wade is by no means dead in the water, but his production and especially his defense has suffered greatly in the last 3 years.

 

In the 2008-2009 season, Wade average 30.2 ppg, 5 rpg and 7.5 apg. He has showed steady decline in every year since. Last season he was 19.0, 4.5 and 4.7. He is an unreliable 3pt shooter at just 28%. His 54.5% FG% and inflated PPG is largely due to open looks created by Lebron's presence and fast break opportunities. Without Lebron, it is safe to assume that Wade's FG% returns to his career average of 49% and his ppg drop to about 16. 

 

Korver's overall impact is actually greater based on health (ie not missing 30 games a year), 3pt shooting (and its effect on spacing) and effort.

[thecampster]

Over the last 2 seasons, Chris Bosh has averaged 16.4 ppg, 52.5% FG% and 6.7 rpg. Bosh has not scored 20ppg since the 2009-2010 season.

 

Last season before getting injured, Al Horford was averaging 18.6 ppg (+2.2), 56.8 % FG% (+4.3) and 8.4 rpg (+1.7). He was also better in Assists, 3pt% and blocks. The only category Bosh won is steals by 0.1 per game. It is not a stretch or opinion that Horford is better than Bosh at this point in his career, it is a statistical fact.

[DrReality]

I think our second team willbe one of the better ones in the nba and when it comes to the Heat there is no comparison.

[RedDawg#8]

Cleveland and Chicago from a talent perspective are ahead of the class period.

Was, Atl, and Mia are pretty even to me as the best of the rest and it will be a dog fight to take the division. Mia will be competitive but lets not forget during the Wade era, post-Shaq and pre-Lebron, this teams peak was a 5 seed and that was with Wade playing at an MVP level. WAS has all the young talent in the world with a nice athletic frontcourt the key for them is consistency and growth. ATL is the most consistently succesful team in the EAST and should improve defensively next season with personnel moves which is scary considering how effecient we are on offense.

Charlotte and Toronto are in the same category in that they could both be very good or they could come back down to earth next year. If everything plays out right, both these teams can finish ahead of the Was, Atl, Mia tier, and if it doesnt they could both struggle to get into the playoffs. I like Cha on paper but not sold on their play. Im sold on how Toronto plays together but I really dont like them on paper.

Brooklyn and NY are my overhyped underachievers. Only one of them will make the playoffs and only as a low seed.

[macdaddy]

Horford has played in less than 50% of games the last 3 years. Noah had played in more than 85 %, including 80 games last year.

Horford is safe. Noah is chronically injured.

Glad we played that out so quickly

 

Yep.  You really nailed why the chances of Rose, Wade and Pau getting injuried are so slim.  Nice.   Oh and there is this:

 

 

Joakim Noah said he'll be ready for training camp as he continues his rehab on his left knee.

He had arthroscopic knee surgery back on May 2, which was expected to sideline him for 8-12 weeks. Noah has dealt with a slew of injuries in his career and the 29-year-old center may see his minutes drop a bit this season. He made First Team All-NBA last season for being a big factor on both ends, but he'll have a little more help this season. Jul 28 - 11:06 AM

Source: ESPN Chicago

[AHF]

Yep.  You really nailed why the chances of Rose, Wade and Pau getting injuried are so slim.  Nice.   Oh and there is this:

 

I agree that Rose and Wade are high risks.  I think it is homerism to think Horford isn't at this point.  Here are the recent histories of these people:

 

2011-12 to 2013-14

Noah 210

Pau 174 games

Wade 172 games

Horford 114 games

Rose 49 games

Edited August 28, 2014 by AHF

[Sothron]

Anyone that doesn't think Big Al is now an injury risk is simply in denial. Guy has missed practically the entire season two out of the last three years. No matter how "fluky" those injuries were they still happened and his body is just as prone to another "fluke" as it was before those injuries.

[Guest]

Anyone that doesn't think Big Al is now an injury risk is simply in denial. Guy has missed practically the entire season two out of the last three years. No matter how "fluky" those injuries were they still happened and his body is just as prone to another "fluke" as it was before those injuries.

 

Nah, @Spud2Nique has guaranteed Horford won't get hurt again.  That's all I need to hear.

[High5]

Horford is an injury concern, but it's a different type of injury concern. With him the worry is going to be: Please don't become the first human (the list can't be too long) to tear a pectoral muscle for the third time. With some of the other names the worry is: I hope the constant pain you feel in your legs, knees, and feet on a daily basis doesn't hamper your play too greatly or cause you to miss too many games throughout the season. Horford's injury is more devastating, but much more unlikely to happen (it's already happening for some) and he's 100% until it does. 

[Guest]

Nah, @Spud2Nique has guaranteed Horford won't get hurt again. That's all I need to hear.

He gets hurt for more than 15 games this year I rename myself kg01'sbia

[Sothron]

He gets hurt for more than 15 games this year I rename myself kg01'sbia

Don't make sig or rename bets on the Hawksquawk. It never ends well. Besides we call you Spud for short, way better than "byatch" for short.

[Guest]

He gets hurt for more than 15 games this year I rename myself kg01'sbia

You know I'm not gonna root for Horford to miss games so I cannot be excited about winning this bet.  Smoove move Spud.  Well played.

[Guest]

You know I'm not gonna root for Horford to miss games so I cannot be excited about winning this bet. Smoove move Spud. Well played.

67 games played for Horford over/under

(My squawk Vegas bet)...:-/