Former Cs Better or Worse than in 2016-17?

[jambr380]

With only four returning players, we have spent quite a bit of time discussing all of the new faces on the roster, as well as the trades (or contracts) that brought them here. Since this is technically still the off-season, I figured it was a good time to make predictions on all of our former players who have moved on to other teams.

With some of these players going to worse teams, increased playing time should help them statistically, however how will they perform without CBS putting them in the best position to succeed? Here are my predictions:

Isaiah Thomas - Cavs - Worse: This one should be fairly obvious. IT is coming off a career year and 2nd team All-NBA honors, but also coming off a major injury that could keep him out for months. On a team like the Cavs, he will no longer be the focal point, even if healthy.

Jae Crowder - Cavs -Worse: Crowder quietly became an above average starting SF over the past two years averaging over 14 PPG and providing stifling defense on some of the league's best. Like IT, however, he is being pushed down the list on the Cavs depth chart and solid 6th man is his ceiling at this point.

Avery Bradley - Pistons - Better: Okay, so it will be difficult to top 6 RPG on a team with Andre Drummond, but Bradley has increased his PPG [just about] every year he has been in the league. SVG was ecstatic to acquire Bradley and I believe he will be given every chance to be their best defensive and, dare I say, offensive player. Avery is a true professional and he has a lot to prove in his contract year.

Kelly Olynyk - Heat - Better: For somebody who seems so inconsistent, KO has put up fairly consistent stats throughout his 4-year career. Why the optimistic view? Well, he will very likely be starting and should become more of a focus of the team's offense. KO is a good player - I will miss him.

Amir Johnson - Sixers - Worse: I loved Amir as a Celtic and even as a starter, but he was slowing down towards the end of last season and should have a lot of competition for minutes. He seems more like a mentor at this point for a young, up and coming Sixers team.

Jonas Jerebko - Jazz - Better: Utah shouldn't be as good this season and that may be good news for Jonas as he will be a main fixture in the 2nd unit, which is more than he can say for his time in Boston. JJ is solid should continue to be so with increased minutes.

Tyler Zeller - Nets - Better: Zeller became less and less of a factor the better the Cs became through the years. The good news for him? He is now on a horrible team (again) and should be the main back-up to Mozgov and, frankly, I wouldn't be surprised to see him out-perfom Mozgov and become a starter. Zeller is a lot more similar to Lopez than Mozgov.

Jordan Mickey - Heat - Better: I am happy he will get another chance with the Heat, but I do have my doubts. Still Mickey should be better this year as he was a complete non-factor with the Cs.

Demetrius Jackson - Rockets - Better - There shouldn't be much of a change here, but he did get signed to a two-way contract and that is an achievement in and of itself after leaving the Cs.

Gerald Green / James Young - Bucks - Better / Worse: Both were on a roster last year. At least one of them will not be (at least on the Bucks) this year. Gerald should realistically get another chance with some team. James Young may impress in camp, but don't see it lasting.

So, there you go, 11 players...crazy. What are your thoughts? Do you think anybody has a chance to break out? Flame out? Who are you going to miss most and who will look the most strange in a different uniform?

[Moranis]

I agree with most of that, but I think Crowder will actually be better in a lesser role.  He really couldn't handle the load that was expected of him, but as a 6th man, I think he will be able to focus more on his defense and shooting, and will be the perfect 3 and D 6th man for the Cavs.  His totals will likely be lower because he will play less minutes, but I expect him to be a better overall player.

I also don't expect KO to suddenly take a jump.  I fully expect him to perform at right around the same rate he always had.  He will likely play a few more minutes and thus might have better totals, but I can't see him taking some leap as it is incredibly rare for a guy to perform at basically the same level for 4 years to all of a sudden make a jump up in play.

[ImShakHeIsShaq]

I expect some to play very close to last season (AB and IT4 if healthy) but I'm not too sure about everyone else. Jae will have a different role but I don't expect he will be worse in that role, just different. Now, everyone else I can see falling off or staying bad, only because it seems that when players have left CBS they have been turrible. It's hard to say what will happen because a lot of these guys are fairly young, they have room to grow.

[jambr380]

When starting the thread, I was thinking more in terms of statistical variance than on actual player (un)improvements. But that is an interesting point and both should freely be discussed.

I agree with you both on Crowder. I don't think he will suddenly become a terrible player, he just likely won't put up the same numbers he did with the Cs. Focusing more on being a spot-up three-point shooter and defense should help him perform at a nice level. I also agree KO should remain relatively the same player, but with greater opportunity to score.

I don't have much hope for IT (sorry) or Amir to improve their games...for very different reasons, however.

[Moranis]

When starting the thread, I was thinking more in terms of statistical variance than on actual player (un)improvements. But that is an interesting point and both should freely be discussed.

I agree with you both on Crowder. I don't think he will suddenly become a terrible player, he just likely won't put up the same numbers he did with the Cs. Focusing more on being a spot-up three-point shooter and defense should help him perform at a nice level. I also agree KO should remain relatively the same player, but with greater opportunity to score.

I don't have much hope for IT (sorry) or Amir to improve their games...for very different reasons, however.

I don't really think KO will have more opportunity to score.  He had plenty of minutes available for him to grab here in Boston and his play just wasn't good enough to get them. 

[Celtics4ever]

Mickey better?   I doubt he plays much regardless.

KO will most likely be good one game and bad the next two.   It was his pattern here.

[SHAQATTACK]

Crowder ..better this year ...will be motivated and now,needs to step up and be the person they expect. No reason not to .  I think he will play as good or better most of the year.  If a injury EVER strikes Lebron , the house of sticks will fall to pieces in a huge mess.  Lots of losses = lots of finger pointing with all those old dudes .  Jae might get annoyed at all,the blamers and whiners on that team pretty fast.  He maybe unhappy with so many divsas and jerks .

IT ..... without surgery I have no faith he can even be 80% the player he was and NOT get hurt again really fast.   Needs to earn a big contract with some team......this is bad luck .....he has to,play crazy hard and NOT mess the hip up .....if he rests too much .....GM s suspect something is wrong and his Brinks truck becomes a grocery bag.   Thomas is in btween a rock and hard place .  He has to go full boogie to earn a max or near and yet stay on the court , pull his weight and impress.  Im expecting the worst for the guy....his ego won't let him quit and get better.

KO ...sligjtly worse...is just strange .  He seems to have trouble mentally and focusing ......i expect worse.....his mind is just not right ...enough of the time.  Stevens was super patient .....Riley may not be so understanding .

Avery ..better ...Huge contract time for him ...same hard working guy .....he'll be a very good scorer and player for Pistons .   But .....as always ....he needs to stay on the court avoid thein injury plague .  He has a major contract to earn ,  he will be working his tail off. Jackson is ball hog . 

[Eddie20]

With only four returning players, we have spent quite a bit of time discussing all of the new faces on the roster, as well as the trades (or contracts) that brought them here. Since this is technically still the off-season, I figured it was a good time to make predictions on all of our former players who have moved on to other teams.

With some of these players going to worse teams, increased playing time should help them statistically, however how will they perform without CBS putting them in the best position to succeed? Here are my predictions:

Isaiah Thomas - Cavs - Worse: This one should be fairly obvious. IT is coming off a career year and 2nd team All-NBA honors, but also coming off a major injury that could keep him out for months. On a team like the Cavs, he will no longer be the focal point, even if healthy.

Jae Crowder - Cavs -Worse: Crowder quietly became an above average starting SF over the past two years averaging over 14 PPG and providing stifling defense on some of the league's best. Like IT, however, he is being pushed down the list on the Cavs depth chart and solid 6th man is his ceiling at this point.

Avery Bradley - Pistons - Better: Okay, so it will be difficult to top 6 RPG on a team with Andre Drummond, but Bradley has increased his PPG [just about] every year he has been in the league. SVG was ecstatic to acquire Bradley and I believe he will be given every chance to be their best defensive and, dare I say, offensive player. Avery is a true professional and he has a lot to prove in his contract year.

Kelly Olynyk - Heat - Better: For somebody who seems so inconsistent, KO has put up fairly consistent stats throughout his 4-year career. Why the optimistic view? Well, he will very likely be starting and should become more of a focus of the team's offense. KO is a good player - I will miss him.

Amir Johnson - Sixers - Worse: I loved Amir as a Celtic and even as a starter, but he was slowing down towards the end of last season and should have a lot of competition for minutes. He seems more like a mentor at this point for a young, up and coming Sixers team.

Jonas Jerebko - Jazz - Better: Utah shouldn't be as good this season and that may be good news for Jonas as he will be a main fixture in the 2nd unit, which is more than he can say for his time in Boston. JJ is solid should continue to be so with increased minutes.

Tyler Zeller - Nets - Better: Zeller became less and less of a factor the better the Cs became through the years. The good news for him? He is now on a horrible team (again) and should be the main back-up to Mozgov and, frankly, I wouldn't be surprised to see him out-perfom Mozgov and become a starter. Zeller is a lot more similar to Lopez than Mozgov.

Jordan Mickey - Heat - Better: I am happy he will get another chance with the Heat, but I do have my doubts. Still Mickey should be better this year as he was a complete non-factor with the Cs.

Demetrius Jackson - Rockets - Better - There shouldn't be much of a change here, but he did get signed to a two-way contract and that is an achievement in and of itself after leaving the Cs.

Gerald Green / James Young - Bucks - Better / Worse: Both were on a roster last year. At least one of them will not be (at least on the Bucks) this year. Gerald should realistically get another chance with some team. James Young may impress in camp, but don't see it lasting.

So, there you go, 11 players...crazy. What are your thoughts? Do you think anybody has a chance to break out? Flame out? Who are you going to miss most and who will look the most strange in a different uniform?

I disagree with Bradley and Olynyk.

Bradley...he was really helped by the passing ability of Horford, as well as the focal point of the D running through Thomas. The Pistons lack offensive spacing, a player that can get teammates easy looks (Jackson is not a willing or good passer), or a go to guy on offense.

Olynyk...while he might be better since the Heat's conditioning program is highly regarded, he won't be starting. The Heat are rumored to have a starting lineup of Whiteside, J. Johnson, Dragic, Waiters, and Richardson/McGruder. The last spot being a competition camp. They want to play at a really fast pace and Olynyk will slow them down starting at the 4.

Oh, and Mickey is still trash. I strongly doubt he even makes the roster.

[More Banners]

With only four returning players, we have spent quite a bit of time discussing all of the new faces on the roster, as well as the trades (or contracts) that brought them here. Since this is technically still the off-season, I figured it was a good time to make predictions on all of our former players who have moved on to other teams.

With some of these players going to worse teams, increased playing time should help them statistically, however how will they perform without CBS putting them in the best position to succeed? Here are my predictions:

Isaiah Thomas - Cavs - Worse: This one should be fairly obvious. IT is coming off a career year and 2nd team All-NBA honors, but also coming off a major injury that could keep him out for months. On a team like the Cavs, he will no longer be the focal point, even if healthy.

Jae Crowder - Cavs -Worse: Crowder quietly became an above average starting SF over the past two years averaging over 14 PPG and providing stifling defense on some of the league's best. Like IT, however, he is being pushed down the list on the Cavs depth chart and solid 6th man is his ceiling at this point.

Avery Bradley - Pistons - Better: Okay, so it will be difficult to top 6 RPG on a team with Andre Drummond, but Bradley has increased his PPG [just about] every year he has been in the league. SVG was ecstatic to acquire Bradley and I believe he will be given every chance to be their best defensive and, dare I say, offensive player. Avery is a true professional and he has a lot to prove in his contract year.

Kelly Olynyk - Heat - Better: For somebody who seems so inconsistent, KO has put up fairly consistent stats throughout his 4-year career. Why the optimistic view? Well, he will very likely be starting and should become more of a focus of the team's offense. KO is a good player - I will miss him.

Amir Johnson - Sixers - Worse: I loved Amir as a Celtic and even as a starter, but he was slowing down towards the end of last season and should have a lot of competition for minutes. He seems more like a mentor at this point for a young, up and coming Sixers team.

Jonas Jerebko - Jazz - Better: Utah shouldn't be as good this season and that may be good news for Jonas as he will be a main fixture in the 2nd unit, which is more than he can say for his time in Boston. JJ is solid should continue to be so with increased minutes.

Tyler Zeller - Nets - Better: Zeller became less and less of a factor the better the Cs became through the years. The good news for him? He is now on a horrible team (again) and should be the main back-up to Mozgov and, frankly, I wouldn't be surprised to see him out-perfom Mozgov and become a starter. Zeller is a lot more similar to Lopez than Mozgov.

Jordan Mickey - Heat - Better: I am happy he will get another chance with the Heat, but I do have my doubts. Still Mickey should be better this year as he was a complete non-factor with the Cs.

Demetrius Jackson - Rockets - Better - There shouldn't be much of a change here, but he did get signed to a two-way contract and that is an achievement in and of itself after leaving the Cs.

Gerald Green / James Young - Bucks - Better / Worse: Both were on a roster last year. At least one of them will not be (at least on the Bucks) this year. Gerald should realistically get another chance with some team. James Young may impress in camp, but don't see it lasting.

So, there you go, 11 players...crazy. What are your thoughts? Do you think anybody has a chance to break out? Flame out? Who are you going to miss most and who will look the most strange in a different uniform?

I disagree with Bradley and Olynyk.

Bradley...he was really helped by the passing ability of Horford, as well as the focal point of the D running through Thomas. The Pistons lack offensive spacing, a player that can get teammates easy looks (Jackson is not a willing or good passer), or a go to guy on offense.

Olynyk...while he might be better since the Heat's conditioning program is highly regarded, he won't be starting. The Heat are rumored to have a starting lineup of Whiteside, J. Johnson, Dragic, Waiters, and Richardson/McGruder. The last spot being a competition camp. They want to play at a really fast pace and Olynyk will slow them down starting at the 4.

Oh, and Mickey is still trash. I strongly doubt he even makes the roster.

KO $12M to come off the bench?  Not so sure. The starting spot is at least his to lose. I could see a coach pushing him to score, and suddenly he's dropping 18 every night.

IT had a career year. That means he peaked. It will be interesting to see what kind of passer he is in their system. It's an interesting roster. They need to make Love into... the passionate, more aggressive Love that makes plays for others.

Bradley plateaued.

Gerald Green might continue to hang around the league, but seriously, he could well end up back overseas. And that surprises me.

[Granath]

There's one reason why every player could decline that I don't really talk about - Brad Stevens. Brad is a better coach than the guys that any of the below teams have. He's simply better at putting his guys in a position to succeed. So I wouldn't be surprised in the least if every single player below is worse this year than he was in Boston. But taking the Brad Factor out of it, here's my list.

Isaiah Thomas - Cavs - Worse: Even if healthy he would be worse. He's no longer in a system that was built around his abilities. He's not the #1 option regardless of health.

Jae Crowder - Cavs - Same/Slightly Worse: I don't know if Crowder will earn his way into the starting lineup but even if he doesn't I think he'll get 30 minutes a night. He's easily better than JR Smith or anyone else not named Lebron, Love, Thompson or IT. I think he'll get his shots and as long as he can continue to hit at 38% from outside he'll be about the same. Watch out though if that percentage drops to 35%...

Avery Bradley - Pistons - Worse: I love Bradley. But I think Bradley is going to have a big problem this year for a few reasons. First, Bradley had a career year last year boosted by two very strong months to start the season. He slid back the entire rest of the season which shows that small stretch was an aberration. Detroit also doesn't have the guys to spread the floor or drive the lane to find him open on the wing. Without Brad's system I think AB is in for a significant drop in production.

Kelly Olynyk - Heat - Same/Slightly Better: KO is who he is. I don't see him being the focus of anyone's offense and I don't know if he'll get more minutes in Miami. His passivity can be maddening and I just don't see him doing much more. Obviously if he gets 30 minutes a night he'll have better stats but I don't know if he'll actually be more effective. 

Amir Johnson - Sixers - Worse: With Embiid, Simmons (depending on where he plays), Saric and Okafor there are already guys who will get the minutes that he'd get. Amir's career is pretty much over anyway. He's the oldest 30 year old in the NBA.

Jonas Jerebko - Jazz - Better: Seems like a good fit for JJ to get 20-22 minutes off the bench.

Tyler Zeller - Nets - Who Cares: The only reason his stats will be better is because the Nets suck and he'll get more minutes by default. But he won't be any better.

No one else matters much - we're talking guys who if they make a roster will be deep on the bench.

[Eddie20]

With only four returning players, we have spent quite a bit of time discussing all of the new faces on the roster, as well as the trades (or contracts) that brought them here. Since this is technically still the off-season, I figured it was a good time to make predictions on all of our former players who have moved on to other teams.

With some of these players going to worse teams, increased playing time should help them statistically, however how will they perform without CBS putting them in the best position to succeed? Here are my predictions:

Isaiah Thomas - Cavs - Worse: This one should be fairly obvious. IT is coming off a career year and 2nd team All-NBA honors, but also coming off a major injury that could keep him out for months. On a team like the Cavs, he will no longer be the focal point, even if healthy.

Jae Crowder - Cavs -Worse: Crowder quietly became an above average starting SF over the past two years averaging over 14 PPG and providing stifling defense on some of the league's best. Like IT, however, he is being pushed down the list on the Cavs depth chart and solid 6th man is his ceiling at this point.

Avery Bradley - Pistons - Better: Okay, so it will be difficult to top 6 RPG on a team with Andre Drummond, but Bradley has increased his PPG [just about] every year he has been in the league. SVG was ecstatic to acquire Bradley and I believe he will be given every chance to be their best defensive and, dare I say, offensive player. Avery is a true professional and he has a lot to prove in his contract year.

Kelly Olynyk - Heat - Better: For somebody who seems so inconsistent, KO has put up fairly consistent stats throughout his 4-year career. Why the optimistic view? Well, he will very likely be starting and should become more of a focus of the team's offense. KO is a good player - I will miss him.

Amir Johnson - Sixers - Worse: I loved Amir as a Celtic and even as a starter, but he was slowing down towards the end of last season and should have a lot of competition for minutes. He seems more like a mentor at this point for a young, up and coming Sixers team.

Jonas Jerebko - Jazz - Better: Utah shouldn't be as good this season and that may be good news for Jonas as he will be a main fixture in the 2nd unit, which is more than he can say for his time in Boston. JJ is solid should continue to be so with increased minutes.

Tyler Zeller - Nets - Better: Zeller became less and less of a factor the better the Cs became through the years. The good news for him? He is now on a horrible team (again) and should be the main back-up to Mozgov and, frankly, I wouldn't be surprised to see him out-perfom Mozgov and become a starter. Zeller is a lot more similar to Lopez than Mozgov.

Jordan Mickey - Heat - Better: I am happy he will get another chance with the Heat, but I do have my doubts. Still Mickey should be better this year as he was a complete non-factor with the Cs.

Demetrius Jackson - Rockets - Better - There shouldn't be much of a change here, but he did get signed to a two-way contract and that is an achievement in and of itself after leaving the Cs.

Gerald Green / James Young - Bucks - Better / Worse: Both were on a roster last year. At least one of them will not be (at least on the Bucks) this year. Gerald should realistically get another chance with some team. James Young may impress in camp, but don't see it lasting.

So, there you go, 11 players...crazy. What are your thoughts? Do you think anybody has a chance to break out? Flame out? Who are you going to miss most and who will look the most strange in a different uniform?

I disagree with Bradley and Olynyk.

Bradley...he was really helped by the passing ability of Horford, as well as the focal point of the D running through Thomas. The Pistons lack offensive spacing, a player that can get teammates easy looks (Jackson is not a willing or good passer), or a go to guy on offense.

Olynyk...while he might be better since the Heat's conditioning program is highly regarded, he won't be starting. The Heat are rumored to have a starting lineup of Whiteside, J. Johnson, Dragic, Waiters, and Richardson/McGruder. The last spot being a competition camp. They want to play at a really fast pace and Olynyk will slow them down starting at the 4.

Oh, and Mickey is still trash. I strongly doubt he even makes the roster.

KO $12M to come off the bench?  Not so sure. The starting spot is at least his to lose. I could see a coach pushing him to score, and suddenly he's dropping 18 every night.

Johnson excelled with Heat at the 4. Plus, not only did they just re-sign him to more money than Olynyk received, but they also extended Richardson for Olynyk type money. In addition, Riley did say that Bam and Olynyk would compliment each other well on the second unit.

[jambr380]

No one else matters much - we're talking guys who if they make a roster will be deep on the bench.

Oh, totally, but after including Zeller, I felt badly leaving the other four out. I also wanted to include all 11 players and indicate where each of them ended up. I figure if any of Mickey/Jackson/Young make a roster, then they are automatically better off than this past season. Not many late round rookies get a 2nd chance, especially when they were complete non-factors with their first team.

I would like to see Green go to a contender and play a role like he did for us last year or to a very young team where he can provide a solid locker room presence. He has been around the block/world and has a fantastic attitude.

[jambr380]

I disagree with Bradley and Olynyk.

Bradley...he was really helped by the passing ability of Horford, as well as the focal point of the D running through Thomas. The Pistons lack offensive spacing, a player that can get teammates easy looks (Jackson is not a willing or good passer), or a go to guy on offense.

Olynyk...while he might be better since the Heat's conditioning program is highly regarded, he won't be starting. The Heat are rumored to have a starting lineup of Whiteside, J. Johnson, Dragic, Waiters, and Richardson/McGruder. The last spot being a competition camp. They want to play at a really fast pace and Olynyk will slow them down starting at the 4.

Oh, and Mickey is still trash. I strongly doubt he even makes the roster.

KO $12M to come off the bench?  Not so sure. The starting spot is at least his to lose. I could see a coach pushing him to score, and suddenly he's dropping 18 every night.

Johnson excelled with Heat at the 4. Plus, not only did they just re-sign him to more money than Olynyk received, but they also extended Richardson for Olynyk type money. In addition, Riley did say that Bam and Olynyk would compliment each other well on the second unit.

I don't disagree with you, Johnson had a very good season, but a poll from hothothoops (SBNation)  shows that Heat fans think KO should be the starter at a staggering 70% to only 27% for Johnson. Johnson was primarily a back-up last year and excelled in that role. Of course the same can be said for KO. Maybe the fans just think KO is better than he is or has some untapped potential.

https://www.hothothoops.com/2017/8/7/16111046/should-james-johnson-or-kelly-olynyk-start-for-the-miami-heat

[crimson_stallion]

With only four returning players, we have spent quite a bit of time discussing all of the new faces on the roster, as well as the trades (or contracts) that brought them here. Since this is technically still the off-season, I figured it was a good time to make predictions on all of our former players who have moved on to other teams.

With some of these players going to worse teams, increased playing time should help them statistically, however how will they perform without CBS putting them in the best position to succeed? Here are my predictions:

Isaiah Thomas - Cavs - Worse: This one should be fairly obvious. IT is coming off a career year and 2nd team All-NBA honors, but also coming off a major injury that could keep him out for months. On a team like the Cavs, he will no longer be the focal point, even if healthy.

Jae Crowder - Cavs -Worse: Crowder quietly became an above average starting SF over the past two years averaging over 14 PPG and providing stifling defense on some of the league's best. Like IT, however, he is being pushed down the list on the Cavs depth chart and solid 6th man is his ceiling at this point.

Avery Bradley - Pistons - Better: Okay, so it will be difficult to top 6 RPG on a team with Andre Drummond, but Bradley has increased his PPG [just about] every year he has been in the league. SVG was ecstatic to acquire Bradley and I believe he will be given every chance to be their best defensive and, dare I say, offensive player. Avery is a true professional and he has a lot to prove in his contract year.

Kelly Olynyk - Heat - Better: For somebody who seems so inconsistent, KO has put up fairly consistent stats throughout his 4-year career. Why the optimistic view? Well, he will very likely be starting and should become more of a focus of the team's offense. KO is a good player - I will miss him.

Amir Johnson - Sixers - Worse: I loved Amir as a Celtic and even as a starter, but he was slowing down towards the end of last season and should have a lot of competition for minutes. He seems more like a mentor at this point for a young, up and coming Sixers team.

Jonas Jerebko - Jazz - Better: Utah shouldn't be as good this season and that may be good news for Jonas as he will be a main fixture in the 2nd unit, which is more than he can say for his time in Boston. JJ is solid should continue to be so with increased minutes.

Tyler Zeller - Nets - Better: Zeller became less and less of a factor the better the Cs became through the years. The good news for him? He is now on a horrible team (again) and should be the main back-up to Mozgov and, frankly, I wouldn't be surprised to see him out-perfom Mozgov and become a starter. Zeller is a lot more similar to Lopez than Mozgov.

Jordan Mickey - Heat - Better: I am happy he will get another chance with the Heat, but I do have my doubts. Still Mickey should be better this year as he was a complete non-factor with the Cs.

Demetrius Jackson - Rockets - Better - There shouldn't be much of a change here, but he did get signed to a two-way contract and that is an achievement in and of itself after leaving the Cs.

Gerald Green / James Young - Bucks - Better / Worse: Both were on a roster last year. At least one of them will not be (at least on the Bucks) this year. Gerald should realistically get another chance with some team. James Young may impress in camp, but don't see it lasting.

So, there you go, 11 players...crazy. What are your thoughts? Do you think anybody has a chance to break out? Flame out? Who are you going to miss most and who will look the most strange in a different uniform?

I disagree with Bradley and Olynyk.

Bradley...he was really helped by the passing ability of Horford, as well as the focal point of the D running through Thomas. The Pistons lack offensive spacing, a player that can get teammates easy looks (Jackson is not a willing or good passer), or a go to guy on offense.

Olynyk...while he might be better since the Heat's conditioning program is highly regarded, he won't be starting. The Heat are rumored to have a starting lineup of Whiteside, J. Johnson, Dragic, Waiters, and Richardson/McGruder. The last spot being a competition camp. They want to play at a really fast pace and Olynyk will slow them down starting at the 4.

Oh, and Mickey is still trash. I strongly doubt he even makes the roster.

I concur with the original post - I think Bradley and Olynyk will both get better.

I disagree that Bradley was helped by Horford's passing, I honestly think it was all about his hard work and dedication to constant improvement.  If you look at Bradley stats over the past four seasons:

2013/14: 14.9 PPG, 44% FG, 39% 3PT
2014/15: 13.9 PPG: 43% FG, 35% 3PT
2015/16: 15.2 PPG: 45% FG, 36% 3PT
2016/17: 16.3 PPG:46% FG, 39% 3PT

It's not like he's been steady for 2-3 years and then made a sudden explosion out of nowhere once Horford came here.  His scoring output and shooting percentages were all within the realm of where they have been over the past 3 seasons (since the big 3 left and his role was increased), so in all honestly I think those improvements were mostly just a result of his contstant hard work and desire to get better. 

In fact I think Isaiah's dominance would have benefited Bradley more than Horford's passing, as Thomas' tendancy to draw defensive attention every time he touched the ball meant that both Bradley and Crowder got a lot more open looks then they have in the past, and I think that had a lot to do with why both Bradley and Crowder had career years from three. 

In Detroit I think Bradley's 3PT percentages will drop, but I think he's scoring will increase because Detroit just doesn't have a lot of scorers. 

I also think Olynyk will start for the Heat.  Either initially or later in the season, but regardless I think he'll end up starting.  He's too talented for today's modern NBA to not start, and an Olynyk/Whiteside frontcourt is about as close to a perfect compliment as I can think of - a long post dominate, defensive oriented old-school big in Whiteside combined with Olynyk
s ability to stretch the floor, pass, dribble and drive on offense.  That's a nice 7-foot duo right there, and if Olynyk can keep his fouls down I think he might be able to really excel given more consistent minutes as a starter.