Atlantic Division Previews

[Q_FBE]

1. Boston Celtics

Who else could possibly win this division?

2. Toronto, New York, Philadelphia, New Jersey.......

They are all equally bad it would not surprise me if the only representative in this division was the Boston Celtics.

For being complete, I will give out the rosters:

New York

Point Guard Raymond Felton Toney Douglas   
Shooting Guard Kelenna Azubuike Roger Mason Andy Rautins   
Small Forward Danilo Gallinari Wilson Chandler Bill Walker Landry Fields Patrick Ewing Jr.
Power Forward Amare Stoudemire Anthony Randolph   
Center Ronny Turiaf Timofey Mozgov Eddy Curry   

Amare Stoudemire and Anthony Randolph soldify the PF spot. Is Ray Felton a fast break PF. Interesting to note Eddy Curry is 3rd string center. The Melo-drama is the headlines in the New York Post this season.

Philly

Point Guard Jrue Holiday Lou Williams Chris Quinn   
Shooting Guard Andre Iguodala Evan Turner Jodie Meeks   
Small Forward Thaddeus Young Andres Nocioni Jason Kapono   
Power Forward Elton Brand Darius Songaila Craig Brackins   
Center Spencer Hawes Marreese Speights

Can Spencer Hawes and Elton Brand anchor the middle? Is Jrue Holiday for real? I like Marreese Speights though. Nocioni ended up here? Songalia is an unsung player too. I have like his game.

New Jersey

Point Guard Devin Harris Jordan Farmar Ben Uzoh   
Shooting Guard Terrence Williams Anthony Morrow   
Small Forward Travis Outlaw Stephen Graham Quinton Ross Damion James 
Power Forward Troy Murphy Derrick Favors Kris Humphries   
Center Brook Lopez Joe Smith Johan Petro Brian Zoubek

I like the addition of Travis Outlaw but that is not enough to make me take this team seriously.

Toronto

Point Guard Jose Calderon Jarrett Jack Marcus Banks   
Shooting Guard DeMar DeRozan Leandro Barbosa   
Small Forward Linas Kleiza Sonny Weems   
Power Forward Amir Johnson Reggie Evans Ed Davis Julian Wright Joey Dorsey
Center Andrea Bargnani David Andersen

How much did they pay Amir Johnson? 5 years 34 million??? See Toronto needs to stick to hockey and the Canadien Football league. If Amir Johnson is worth 34 million, then Glen Davis should be paid 60 million. Will somebody please contract this franchise?

[mgent]

Ranked in order:
NY
Philly
NJ
Toronto will struggle to win 10 games.

[Kwhit10]

After the Celtics I think it will be

NY
NJ
Philly
Toronto

[Who]

Knicks are making a massive mistake not starting Anthony Randolph.

If ever there was a player that desperately needed court time, game experience, to help him grow as a player it is Anthony Randolph. They are going to hold back and hurt his development in a serious way if they continue to do this ... and in doing so, they are going to waste the best young asset / player on their team.

The Knicks best chance of moving up from being a borderline playoff team to a legit 50+ squad and possible contender is through Anthony Randolph. By developing and either building a team around him and Amare or by trading him.

Anything other than starting A.Randolph and playing him 30-34 minutes a night is short term thinking.

[Kwhit10]

Knicks are making a massive mistake not starting Anthony Randolph.

If ever there was a player that desperately needed court time, game experience, to help him grow as a player it is Anthony Randolph. They are going to hold back and hurt his development in a serious way if they continue to do this ... and in doing so, they are going to waste the best young asset / player on their team.

The Knicks best chance of moving up from being a borderline playoff team to a legit 50+ squad and possible contender is through Anthony Randolph. By developing and either building a team around him and Amare or by trading him.

Anything other than starting A.Randolph and playing him 30-34 minutes a night is short term thinking.

Yea I read this morning they aren't going to start him.  I was very surprised.  He's shown signs of being a good player, but he keeps getting held back in terms of his court time.  And yet again the Knicks are going to do exactly what Don Nelson does.

[Fafnir]

Knicks are making a massive mistake not starting Anthony Randolph.

If ever there was a player that desperately needed court time, game experience, to help him grow as a player it is Anthony Randolph. They are going to hold back and hurt his development in a serious way if they continue to do this ... and in doing so, they are going to waste the best young asset / player on their team.

The Knicks best chance of moving up from being a borderline playoff team to a legit 50+ squad and possible contender is through Anthony Randolph. By developing and either building a team around him and Amare or by trading him.

Anything other than starting A.Randolph and playing him 30-34 minutes a night is short term thinking.

Yea I read this morning they aren't going to start him.  I was very surprised.  He's shown signs of being a good player, but he keeps getting held back in terms of his court time.  And yet again the Knicks are going to do exactly what Don Nelson does.

At this point I wonder if its off the court or work ethic issues that are holding him back. With his talent I think a team like the Knicks would be happy to either develop or showcase him.

[Chris]

Knicks are making a massive mistake not starting Anthony Randolph.

If ever there was a player that desperately needed court time, game experience, to help him grow as a player it is Anthony Randolph. They are going to hold back and hurt his development in a serious way if they continue to do this ... and in doing so, they are going to waste the best young asset / player on their team.

The Knicks best chance of moving up from being a borderline playoff team to a legit 50+ squad and possible contender is through Anthony Randolph. By developing and either building a team around him and Amare or by trading him.

Anything other than starting A.Randolph and playing him 30-34 minutes a night is short term thinking.

Yea I read this morning they aren't going to start him.  I was very surprised.  He's shown signs of being a good player, but he keeps getting held back in terms of his court time.  And yet again the Knicks are going to do exactly what Don Nelson does.

At this point I wonder if its off the court or work ethic issues that are holding him back. With his talent I think a team like the Knicks would be happy to either develop or showcase him.

I would imagine that can't hurt.  There have been plenty of rumors that he is not a hard worker at all, and I think we have seen plenty of evidence that guys who don't work hard do not succeed in the NBA.

I also wonder if he is just overrated as well though.  While he has some talent, he is also a tweener.  He is very skilled for a big man, but he is not strong enough to play inside...and when you put him on the perimeter, suddenly the skills are very mediocre.  So, I think he is going to be stuck in mediocrity until he gets strong enough to play inside, as well as the desire to do that. 

[Who]

Knicks are making a massive mistake not starting Anthony Randolph.

If ever there was a player that desperately needed court time, game experience, to help him grow as a player it is Anthony Randolph. They are going to hold back and hurt his development in a serious way if they continue to do this ... and in doing so, they are going to waste the best young asset / player on their team.

The Knicks best chance of moving up from being a borderline playoff team to a legit 50+ squad and possible contender is through Anthony Randolph. By developing and either building a team around him and Amare or by trading him.

Anything other than starting A.Randolph and playing him 30-34 minutes a night is short term thinking.

Yea I read this morning they aren't going to start him.  I was very surprised.  He's shown signs of being a good player, but he keeps getting held back in terms of his court time.  And yet again the Knicks are going to do exactly what Don Nelson does.

At this point I wonder if its off the court or work ethic issues that are holding him back. With his talent I think a team like the Knicks would be happy to either develop or showcase him.

It's a lack of experience. A lack of game experience.

He does a lot of good things on the court but he also makes a lot of mistakes. He needs game experience to work through these issues ... and if he gets that court time, he'll blossom.

If he doesn't ... his development will stagnate.

[Chris]

Knicks are making a massive mistake not starting Anthony Randolph.

If ever there was a player that desperately needed court time, game experience, to help him grow as a player it is Anthony Randolph. They are going to hold back and hurt his development in a serious way if they continue to do this ... and in doing so, they are going to waste the best young asset / player on their team.

The Knicks best chance of moving up from being a borderline playoff team to a legit 50+ squad and possible contender is through Anthony Randolph. By developing and either building a team around him and Amare or by trading him.

Anything other than starting A.Randolph and playing him 30-34 minutes a night is short term thinking.

Yea I read this morning they aren't going to start him.  I was very surprised.  He's shown signs of being a good player, but he keeps getting held back in terms of his court time.  And yet again the Knicks are going to do exactly what Don Nelson does.

At this point I wonder if its off the court or work ethic issues that are holding him back. With his talent I think a team like the Knicks would be happy to either develop or showcase him.

It's a lack of experience. A lack of game experience.

He does a lot of good things on the court but he also makes a lot of mistakes. He needs game experience to work through these issues ... and if he gets that court time, he'll blossom.

If he doesn't ... his development will stagnate.

A lot of people said the same thing about Marcus Banks...

Seriously though, when you can't earn PT on a team with as little depth up front as the Knicks, then you have a problem.  I personally hate force feeding young guys minutes just for the sake of development.  Unless they earn it, it is just not going to help them as much as it will hurt the team in the short and long run. 

Randolph needs to do the work in practice and in the weight room before he is given extra time on the court.

[Fafnir]

Knicks are making a massive mistake not starting Anthony Randolph.

If ever there was a player that desperately needed court time, game experience, to help him grow as a player it is Anthony Randolph. They are going to hold back and hurt his development in a serious way if they continue to do this ... and in doing so, they are going to waste the best young asset / player on their team.

The Knicks best chance of moving up from being a borderline playoff team to a legit 50+ squad and possible contender is through Anthony Randolph. By developing and either building a team around him and Amare or by trading him.

Anything other than starting A.Randolph and playing him 30-34 minutes a night is short term thinking.

Yea I read this morning they aren't going to start him.  I was very surprised.  He's shown signs of being a good player, but he keeps getting held back in terms of his court time.  And yet again the Knicks are going to do exactly what Don Nelson does.

At this point I wonder if its off the court or work ethic issues that are holding him back. With his talent I think a team like the Knicks would be happy to either develop or showcase him.

It's a lack of experience. A lack of game experience.

He does a lot of good things on the court but he also makes a lot of mistakes. He needs game experience to work through these issues ... and if he gets that court time, he'll blossom.

If he doesn't ... his development will stagnate.

A lot of people said the same thing about Marcus Banks...

Seriously though, when you can't earn PT on a team with as little depth up front as the Knicks, then you have a problem.  I personally hate force feeding young guys minutes just for the sake of development.  Unless they earn it, it is just not going to help them as much as it will hurt the team in the short and long run. 

Randolph needs to do the work in practice and in the weight room before he is given extra time on the court.

Marcus got his shot in the end, I think eventually you have to do that with talents like Randolph.

[Chris]

Knicks are making a massive mistake not starting Anthony Randolph.

If ever there was a player that desperately needed court time, game experience, to help him grow as a player it is Anthony Randolph. They are going to hold back and hurt his development in a serious way if they continue to do this ... and in doing so, they are going to waste the best young asset / player on their team.

The Knicks best chance of moving up from being a borderline playoff team to a legit 50+ squad and possible contender is through Anthony Randolph. By developing and either building a team around him and Amare or by trading him.

Anything other than starting A.Randolph and playing him 30-34 minutes a night is short term thinking.

Yea I read this morning they aren't going to start him.  I was very surprised.  He's shown signs of being a good player, but he keeps getting held back in terms of his court time.  And yet again the Knicks are going to do exactly what Don Nelson does.

At this point I wonder if its off the court or work ethic issues that are holding him back. With his talent I think a team like the Knicks would be happy to either develop or showcase him.

It's a lack of experience. A lack of game experience.

He does a lot of good things on the court but he also makes a lot of mistakes. He needs game experience to work through these issues ... and if he gets that court time, he'll blossom.

If he doesn't ... his development will stagnate.

A lot of people said the same thing about Marcus Banks...

Seriously though, when you can't earn PT on a team with as little depth up front as the Knicks, then you have a problem.  I personally hate force feeding young guys minutes just for the sake of development.  Unless they earn it, it is just not going to help them as much as it will hurt the team in the short and long run. 

Randolph needs to do the work in practice and in the weight room before he is given extra time on the court.

Marcus got his shot in the end, I think eventually you have to do that with talents like Randolph.

Right, and Randolph has gotten (and will continue to get) his shot as well.  He averaged nearly 18 minutes per game as a rookie, and nearly 22 in his second year. 

I also would be shocked if he is not given similar minutes this year, despite his lack of success so far. 

And to me, 20 minutes per game is more than enough time to prove you belong out there, and it is more than enough to develop in.  You don't need to be forcefed 35 minutes per game to become a good player.  You need to be given a chance, and then you need to take advantage of it by proving you deserve those minutes. 

[Fafnir]

Knicks are making a massive mistake not starting Anthony Randolph.

If ever there was a player that desperately needed court time, game experience, to help him grow as a player it is Anthony Randolph. They are going to hold back and hurt his development in a serious way if they continue to do this ... and in doing so, they are going to waste the best young asset / player on their team.

The Knicks best chance of moving up from being a borderline playoff team to a legit 50+ squad and possible contender is through Anthony Randolph. By developing and either building a team around him and Amare or by trading him.

Anything other than starting A.Randolph and playing him 30-34 minutes a night is short term thinking.

Yea I read this morning they aren't going to start him.  I was very surprised.  He's shown signs of being a good player, but he keeps getting held back in terms of his court time.  And yet again the Knicks are going to do exactly what Don Nelson does.

At this point I wonder if its off the court or work ethic issues that are holding him back. With his talent I think a team like the Knicks would be happy to either develop or showcase him.

It's a lack of experience. A lack of game experience.

He does a lot of good things on the court but he also makes a lot of mistakes. He needs game experience to work through these issues ... and if he gets that court time, he'll blossom.

If he doesn't ... his development will stagnate.

A lot of people said the same thing about Marcus Banks...

Seriously though, when you can't earn PT on a team with as little depth up front as the Knicks, then you have a problem.  I personally hate force feeding young guys minutes just for the sake of development.  Unless they earn it, it is just not going to help them as much as it will hurt the team in the short and long run. 

Randolph needs to do the work in practice and in the weight room before he is given extra time on the court.

Marcus got his shot in the end, I think eventually you have to do that with talents like Randolph.

Right, and Randolph has gotten (and will continue to get) his shot as well.  He averaged nearly 18 minutes per game as a rookie, and nearly 22 in his second year. 

I also would be shocked if he is not given similar minutes this year, despite his lack of success so far. 

And to me, 20 minutes per game is more than enough time to prove you belong out there, and it is more than enough to develop in.  You don't need to be forcefed 35 minutes per game to become a good player.  You need to be given a chance, and then you need to take advantage of it by proving you deserve those minutes. 

Randolph has been a productive player during his time on the court, Marcus was not. That's just through their first two years.

Randolph is also several years younger than Marcus Banks was coming into the league. I'm not sure Randolph will ever develop but I'm shocked he isn't getting on the court.

[Chris]

Knicks are making a massive mistake not starting Anthony Randolph.

If ever there was a player that desperately needed court time, game experience, to help him grow as a player it is Anthony Randolph. They are going to hold back and hurt his development in a serious way if they continue to do this ... and in doing so, they are going to waste the best young asset / player on their team.

The Knicks best chance of moving up from being a borderline playoff team to a legit 50+ squad and possible contender is through Anthony Randolph. By developing and either building a team around him and Amare or by trading him.

Anything other than starting A.Randolph and playing him 30-34 minutes a night is short term thinking.

Yea I read this morning they aren't going to start him.  I was very surprised.  He's shown signs of being a good player, but he keeps getting held back in terms of his court time.  And yet again the Knicks are going to do exactly what Don Nelson does.

At this point I wonder if its off the court or work ethic issues that are holding him back. With his talent I think a team like the Knicks would be happy to either develop or showcase him.

It's a lack of experience. A lack of game experience.

He does a lot of good things on the court but he also makes a lot of mistakes. He needs game experience to work through these issues ... and if he gets that court time, he'll blossom.

If he doesn't ... his development will stagnate.

A lot of people said the same thing about Marcus Banks...

Seriously though, when you can't earn PT on a team with as little depth up front as the Knicks, then you have a problem.  I personally hate force feeding young guys minutes just for the sake of development.  Unless they earn it, it is just not going to help them as much as it will hurt the team in the short and long run. 

Randolph needs to do the work in practice and in the weight room before he is given extra time on the court.

Marcus got his shot in the end, I think eventually you have to do that with talents like Randolph.

Right, and Randolph has gotten (and will continue to get) his shot as well.  He averaged nearly 18 minutes per game as a rookie, and nearly 22 in his second year. 

I also would be shocked if he is not given similar minutes this year, despite his lack of success so far. 

And to me, 20 minutes per game is more than enough time to prove you belong out there, and it is more than enough to develop in.  You don't need to be forcefed 35 minutes per game to become a good player.  You need to be given a chance, and then you need to take advantage of it by proving you deserve those minutes. 

Randolph has been a productive player during his time on the court, Marcus was not. That's just through their first two years.

Randolph is also several years younger than Marcus Banks was coming into the league. I'm not sure Randolph will ever develop but I'm shocked he isn't getting on the court.

I don't get where this is coming from that he isn't getting on the court?  He averaged 22 minutes per game in the preseason. 

I hated it when it was the argument for Marcus Banks, and I hate it now.  20 minutes per game is more than enough time to prove you belong and to develop. 

And "productivity" (in other words, numbers) does not equal quality play.  If he was giving them what they needed, he would be playing much more. 

[Who]

And to me, 20 minutes per game is more than enough time to prove you belong out there, and it is more than enough to develop in.  You don't need to be forcefed 35 minutes per game to become a good player.  You need to be given a chance, and then you need to take advantage of it by proving you deserve those minutes. 

In general, I agree with this but in Randolph's specific case ... I think he'd benefit enormously from playing longer minutes.

His biggest problem is a lack of game experience. He needs games, he needs playing time. That will do more good for his decision making on the court than any practice ever will.

Randolph is trying to hard to impress in his shorter minutes. Given a longer stretch on the court, and over time, he'll begin to calm down. Stop trying to force the issue in order to prove to his coach that he should be playing more.

It's his decision making that his biggest problem right now.

[Q_FBE]

Marcus Banks is the 12th man on the Toronto Raptors.

I am impressed that Anthony Randolph is getting a lot of attention here. I will have to monitor his progress through the box scores and game tapes and if I have time, the NBA LP.