CBS Power Rankings

[Eddie20]

http://www.cbssports.com/nba/powerrankings

Celtics 17 overall (8th seed in East, #15 pick)

Basically if you believe that their late-season run was sustainable, you pencil them in for a playoff spot. If you look at their talent and cock your head like a dog confused by a shiny object like I do, you're less certain they're ready for prime time.

Nets (#7 pick)

This team will be marginally less soul-sucking than last year. There's enough veteran talent to surprise, but too many question marks to believe in them. They'll be less painful for everyone involved to watch, though. Put that on a marketing push.

Mavs (#9 pick)

Their starting five consists of a player whose entire career was derailed with ankle and knee injuries, a 29-year-old shooting guard coming off an Achilles tear, a small forward who had 'minor microfracture surgery,' a 37-year-old seven-foot power forward in his career's twilight, and either Zaza Pachulia, Samuel Dalembert, or... gulp, JaVale McGee. That's OK, though, because at least they sent all their depth to Boston for a point guard who now plays in Sacramento. So yeah, you could say I'm concerned about the Mavs.

[nickagneta]

I think they have the Mavs and Celtics about right, barring any major trades or injuries that change the course of Boston's and Dallas' season. But I think they have the Nets too high. That team looks awful. I expect the Nets to be bottom 4 easily.

[PhoSita]

Getting the #7 and #9 pick out of this season, regardless of what the Celts do, would be awesome.  If there's a guy Danny likes atop the draft, that's great ammunition to move up into the top 3 or 4 spots.


Anyway, I agree that the rankings seem about right.  With the Nets I still think there's something to be said for the power of having a few competent veterans at the top of your roster playing large roles (especially a 20 point-per-game big man), plus the lack of any incentive to be bad. 

I don't believe that will be enough for the Nets to win more than they lose or anything like that, but it'll skew things a bit relative to what you'd expect based on what their roster looks like on paper.


Must admit, and this won't shock anyone here, that I mostly agree with the "cock your head like a dog looking at a shiny object" perspective.  The roster is a mess, which does make sense if you think of it as a pile of assets rather than a roster meant to develop and succeed over multiple seasons.

The Celts will fall somewhere in the 35-45 win range, I think.  I have no idea where in that range they'll fall, honestly.  None.  Zip. 

So long as those picks owed by the Nets and Mavs turn out well, it won't really matter.  Whatever the Celts do on the floor this season will mean very little for the long term, because very few of these players will be here a few years from now.

[Eddie20]

Getting the #7 and #9 pick out of this season, regardless of what the Celts do, would be awesome.  If there's a guy Danny likes atop the draft, that's great ammunition to move up into the top 3 or 4 spots.

Right. Plus, we also would have (based on these projections) picks #'s 32, 33, 39, and to a lesser value Miami's and the Cavs' 2nd rd picks.

[Big333223]

So long as those picks owed by the Nets and Mavs turn out well, it won't really matter.  Whatever the Celts do on the floor this season will mean very little for the long term, because very few of these players will be here a few years from now.

That's going to be the key for me enjoying this season. If both convey top 10 picks then the Celtics can either miss the playoffs (and get yet another lottery pick to aggressively move into the top 3) or make the playoffs and get more experience on the big stage for everyone.

Where those Nets/Mavs picks land will be up in the air for a while but there is a possibility this could break really, really well. I think the Celtics are due for a touch of luck.

[slamtheking]

I think the Nets and C's are a little too high - about a couple of spots each

[Rondo9]

 

I think the Nets and C's are a little too high - about a couple of spots each

Gotta get two lotto picks right? 

[crimson_stallion]

I think they have the Mavs and Celtics about right, barring any major trades or injuries that change the course of Boston's and Dallas' season. But I think they have the Nets too high. That team looks awful. I expect the Nets to be bottom 4 easily.

Agreed.

The Nets basically have one borderline All-Star who is rarely healthy (Lopez), one heavily declining vet who looks to be a season or two from retirement (Johnson) and one good starter (Young).

After that it drops off quick, with their 4th best player (Jack) being roughly on par with our 11th best. 

I see a bottom 5 finish for the Nets, and I find it very hard to believe they will be any better than that when you consider that they are completely lacking in both transcendent talent AND in depth.   

The Celtics I think will fall somewhere between #6 and #8 (this could change if they make any major trades though).

The Mavs are a bit of a wildcard.  I think their lack of health combined with their age makes them a very high risk of finishing in the bottom 7, but if by some chance they DO manage to stay healthy...they do have enough talent and experience to surprise people.

Deron Williams
Wesley Matthews
Chandler Parsons
Dirk Nowitzki
Samuel Dalembert

Two years ago, that would be considered a quality playoff roster.  If Deron somehow flourishes with the change of scenery and Matthews recovers well, that could be a borderline playoff team.  If those two things don't happen, then they'll be bottom 10. 

Either way it looks like we have a legit shot at having three picks in the top 15 (with at least one of those being top 10) so that's very nice.

Lets say we end up with the following picks:

Pick #6 (Brooklyn)
Pick #11 (Dallas)
Pick #15 (Boston)

There's a pretty good chance at getting a quality player with a selection of picks like that, and it would also put us in a pretty good position to either trade up into the top 3 or 4, or move those picks for a quality established player.

This is a very exciting season for me.  Firstly because I think this team is going to be a LOT of fun to watch, and secondly because those picks are a whole other story in themselves.

[Greyman]

I think they have the Mavs and Celtics about right, barring any major trades or injuries that change the course of Boston's and Dallas' season. But I think they have the Nets too high. That team looks awful. I expect the Nets to be bottom 4 easily.

Agreed.

The Nets basically have one borderline All-Star who is rarely healthy (Lopez), one heavily declining vet who looks to be a season or two from retirement (Johnson) and one good starter (Young).

After that it drops off quick, with their 4th best player (Jack) being roughly on par with our 11th best. 

I see a bottom 5 finish for the Nets, and I find it very hard to believe they will be any better than that when you consider that they are completely lacking in both transcendent talent AND in depth.   

The Celtics I think will fall somewhere between #6 and #8 (this could change if they make any major trades though).

The Mavs are a bit of a wildcard.  I think their lack of health combined with their age makes them a very high risk of finishing in the bottom 7, but if by some chance they DO manage to stay healthy...they do have enough talent and experience to surprise people.

Deron Williams
Wesley Matthews
Chandler Parsons
Dirk Nowitzki
Samuel Dalembert

Two years ago, that would be considered a quality playoff roster.  If Deron somehow flourishes with the change of scenery and Matthews recovers well, that could be a borderline playoff team.  If those two things don't happen, then they'll be bottom 10. 

Either way it looks like we have a legit shot at having three picks in the top 15 (with at least one of those being top 10) so that's very nice.

Lets say we end up with the following picks:

Pick #6 (Brooklyn)
Pick #11 (Dallas)
Pick #15 (Boston)

There's a pretty good chance at getting a quality player with a selection of picks like that, and it would also put us in a pretty good position to either trade up into the top 3 or 4, or move those picks for a quality established player.

This is a very exciting season for me.  Firstly because I think this team is going to be a LOT of fun to watch, and secondly because those picks are a whole other story in themselves.

This mostly says what I was thinking as reading this thread, with a bit more added. This season has so many questions to be answered about our team. I like to think most will be in the positive.

[slamtheking]

I think the Nets and C's are a little too high - about a couple of spots each

Gotta get two lotto picks right? 

I honestly think it'll be 3
Nets - top 5 pick
Dallas - pick between 8-10
C's - pick between 10-12 (I think they just miss the playoffs and depending on how many teams in the West miss the playoffs with a better record and if Detroit and/or Charlotte surprise this year to challenge for the playoffs)

[CelticsFanFromNYC]

I think the Nets and C's are a little too high - about a couple of spots each

Gotta get two lotto picks right? 

I honestly think it'll be 3
Nets - top 5 pick
Dallas - pick between 8-10
C's - pick between 10-12 (I think they just miss the playoffs and depending on how many teams in the West miss the playoffs with a better record and if Detroit and/or Charlotte surprise this year to challenge for the playoffs)

Make that 4!!! I believe in TOWNS!!! =]

[Evantime34]

That the 8th seed is the lowest I've seen us on a power ranking is a positive sign.

If the team is close to the 8th seed by the deadline I can see them trying to trade off anyone in the last year of their contract and let the younger players play.

This is shaping up to be a really good season for the development of the franchise. If the team plays well then they have a ton of cap space next year to lure upgrades at several positions. If the team does poorly they could have up to 3 lottery picks. Ideally the team will perform well enough to attract free agents AND end up with two lottery picks next year.

I'm really excited to watch a team that will give more effort than their opponents on any given night.

[chambers]

I think they have the Mavs and Celtics about right, barring any major trades or injuries that change the course of Boston's and Dallas' season. But I think they have the Nets too high. That team looks awful. I expect the Nets to be bottom 4 easily.

Agreed.

The Nets basically have one borderline All-Star who is rarely healthy (Lopez), one heavily declining vet who looks to be a season or two from retirement (Johnson) and one good starter (Young).

After that it drops off quick, with their 4th best player (Jack) being roughly on par with our 11th best. 

I see a bottom 5 finish for the Nets, and I find it very hard to believe they will be any better than that when you consider that they are completely lacking in both transcendent talent AND in depth.   

The Celtics I think will fall somewhere between #6 and #8 (this could change if they make any major trades though).

The Mavs are a bit of a wildcard.  I think their lack of health combined with their age makes them a very high risk of finishing in the bottom 7, but if by some chance they DO manage to stay healthy...they do have enough talent and experience to surprise people.

Deron Williams
Wesley Matthews
Chandler Parsons
Dirk Nowitzki
Samuel Dalembert

Two years ago, that would be considered a quality playoff roster.  If Deron somehow flourishes with the change of scenery and Matthews recovers well, that could be a borderline playoff team.  If those two things don't happen, then they'll be bottom 10. 

Either way it looks like we have a legit shot at having three picks in the top 15 (with at least one of those being top 10) so that's very nice.

Lets say we end up with the following picks:

Pick #6 (Brooklyn)
Pick #11 (Dallas)
Pick #15 (Boston)

There's a pretty good chance at getting a quality player with a selection of picks like that, and it would also put us in a pretty good position to either trade up into the top 3 or 4, or move those picks for a quality established player.

This is a very exciting season for me.  Firstly because I think this team is going to be a LOT of fun to watch, and secondly because those picks are a whole other story in themselves.

crimson keepin it real as usual. TP.
I'm slightly less optimistic about the Brooklyn pick being a sure fire top 5 pick, but I'm confident that there's a really good chance of it being that high with some luck.

I think there's something like an 80% chance of getting at least a single top 10 Nets pick and a top 15 Dallas pick.
Two top 10 picks? About 60%
A top 5 and a top 10 pick? About 50%
The 'good' news for our picks is that both teams have significant health issues and although I'd never wish injury on a player/team (other than Wade and the Heat lol)...There's a very solid chance we get two top 10 picks.

If our own team doesn't make the playoffs then we'd have 3 shots at the #1 pick (and moving up in general) which is pretty awesome to think about.

[slamtheking]

I think the Nets and C's are a little too high - about a couple of spots each

Gotta get two lotto picks right? 

I honestly think it'll be 3
Nets - top 5 pick
Dallas - pick between 8-10
C's - pick between 10-12 (I think they just miss the playoffs and depending on how many teams in the West miss the playoffs with a better record and if Detroit and/or Charlotte surprise this year to challenge for the playoffs)

Make that 4!!! I believe in TOWNS!!! =]

I've been thinking positive thoughts about Minny getting higher than 12 to lose their protection on the pick but after looking at more info on the West teams, I think that will be a tall order for them.  I do think they'll be better than projected by CBS

[fairweatherfan]

Minnesota seems like the kind of team that could have stretches where they play like a playoff team. But they're so young and have such a split between the younger core they're committed to and the older guys with no future with the team that I just don't see them sustaining it long enough to get particularly close to the playoffs.  30-34 wins seems like their ceiling.  Plus if they're close to losing their 1st I expect they'll do some things to insure they'll keep it.