haha thank you.

the only reason the celtics did it in the first year was the coach and this young kid  who had to prove something point guard who we all love and hate RONDO. oh yeah james posey and glen davis ****. The bench was deep and the team had heart. Cleveland is kinda a mess in other words. It was last minute but they did get the draft picks. Im rooting for chicago. Hopefully D rose is good because its not the same without one of the most versatile PGs in the game.

I think the cavs should have kept Bennett at all costs. Or trade him to us for a 3rd round pick in 2099. fair right?

Setting aside the issue of health, I think Cleveland is the best team in the east and has a very good shot at winning a title this year.  They have the best player in the world, three all-stars, an impressive mix of veterans and youth, a diversified offensive attack, and an exceptional coach who will implement a Spurs-esque ball movement offense.  They should be a fun team to watch this season. 

Scoring a lot of points isn't going to guarantee a title in itself.  You need to stop the other team from scoring.  In that regard, Cleveland has a pretty glaring weakness: defense.  LeBron's the only reputable defender in the projected starting lineup and he's taken a few steps back in that area.  Beyond that, they can look to Varejao, Marion, and possibly Haywood.

I don't see the Cavs winning a title their first year with not only such a glaring weakness in their defense, but with two-thirds of their core not having ever been to the playoffs.  LeBron can't do it all by himself; he couldn't do it all by himself with a veteran, playoff-tested crew last year.  I can't imagine that Love, Waiters, Irving, and Thompson are suddenly going to be able to navigate the waters of the playoffs en route to a title.  The East is weak, but not as bad as last year and most certainly not as bad as it was at the start of the millennium.  Playoff intensity is an entirely different beast: read accounts from the Raptors, the Wizards, and the Blazers about their first time in the playoffs this year and how they struggled to adjust.  It's not a coincidence guys like Damian Lillard, Terrence Ross, and John Wall weren't as good in the playoffs as they were in the regular season.

2015-16?  We'll see.  But I expect the title to go to one of San Antonio, OKC, or the Clippers this year.

TP for you as well for your first post

I think this year, the Cavs and Bulls will duke it out in the East. I don't think the Wizards will be much of a challenge. I still have my money on the Cavs because Rose makes me scared

his healthy is a VERY big issue. That being said, even if he is healthy, how do we know this is the same Rose pre-ACL injury?

I do like their frontcourt of Gasol and Noah vs Love (Thompson?). Love is good, but he isn't stopping the Gasol/Noah duo, unless they shift LeBron over to PF full time (which I think not likely, he will play PF part-time, but he will be primarily a SF)

LeBron will pretty much dominate the SF position. Now the most interesting matchup in my opinion will be a fully healthy Rose vs Kyrie Irving.

Quote from: Donoghus on October 06, 2014, 11:34:56 AM

I think a healthy Chicago squad can take down the Cavs in the east this year.  If they're not healthy, it's Cleveland's to lose.

I think Year 2 is when the Cavs really start putting it together.

The issue with the Chicago hype is that we're well past the point where anyone should count on Gasol/Rose being healthy.  Gasol's issues are less severe than Rose's clearly, but those two players are going to be counted on to do the majority of the lifting offensively....

In a weak east, they can certainly try to minimize those two's minutes (although, good luck convincing Thibs) during the regular season and sorta coast until playoff.

If that team in healthy in the playoffs when the tempo slows down, I think they're extremely dangerous.  Especially in the half court offense/defense which seems more prevalent come May/June.

However, you're right.  Its going to be tough to count on that team to stay healthy for an entire season.

I think a healthy Chicago squad can take down the Cavs in the east this year.  If they're not healthy, it's Cleveland's to lose.

I think Year 2 is when the Cavs really start putting it together.

I think you just hate Lebron James. There is no way I pick Chicago over Cavs. Gasol is a good player, but nowhere near prime Gasol at Lakers 2009-10. It was evident last year and the FIBA tournament. He can't even will Spain to the semifinals at home. Lebron can shut down Rose if needed and they heve Marion for the job too. He held in check Tony Parker too last year in the first round. Cavs are stacked.