Help - Search - Members - Calendar
Full Version: Garnett a Celtic, should Bulls worry?
TalkBulls Forums > Nothing But Net > Bulls Talk
ChicagoBullsMadison
what do you guys think of garnett becoming a celtic? boston gave up wayyyyyy to much though. i dont think they will win the east though cuz they have absoloutley no depth. i see the east playin out like this

1st bulls
2nd cavs
3rd celtics
4th pistons
5th wizards
6th knicks
7th orlando
8th dunno yet
sport1016
the east is gonna be wierd....but i like that the bulls are completely flying under the radar. It's like everyone forgot that Tyrus and Thabo are going to be so much better, and Noah and Smith and Gray will all be improvements from the people who had their role last year. Not to mention deng and gordon should continue to improve. Our improvement just from getting a year older is not grabbing the headlines like Boston, charlotte, knicks etc but we are going to be a significantly improved team.

Smith is younger and better than PJ
Noah is coming in with a ton more experience than TT
Gray is way better than....i don't expect him to get too many minutes so who cares

The celtics are now a glorified Wizards team. Their big three is a little better but their supporting cast is shockingly even worse.

The 5 locks for the playoffs (barring major injury issues) are US, cavs, pistons, celtics, and nets

But there are at least 7 more teams that could easily be 45+ win teams but more likely will all be in the .500 neighborhood
Orlando, toronto, Knicks, heat, washington, charlotte, milwaukee

The East has become the NFC-parity abounds, and what separates most teams is very little with no truly world beating team ('cept the bears when they unveil their new top 5 offense this year to go with #1 D)
b-riann
QUOTE (sport1016 @ Jul 31 2007, 03:07 PM) *
the east is gonna be wierd....but i like that the bulls are completely flying under the radar. It's like everyone forgot that Tyrus and Thabo are going to be so much better, and Noah and Smith and Gray will all be improvements from the people who had their role last year. Not to mention deng and gordon should continue to improve. Our improvement just from getting a year older is not grabbing the headlines like Boston, charlotte, knicks etc but we are going to be a significantly improved team.

Smith is younger and better than PJ
Noah is coming in with a ton more experience than TT
Gray is way better than....i don't expect him to get too many minutes so who cares

The celtics are now a glorified Wizards team. Their big three is a little better but their supporting cast is shockingly even worse.

The 5 locks for the playoffs (barring major injury issues) are US, cavs, pistons, celtics, and nets

But there are at least 7 more teams that could easily be 45+ win teams but more likely will all be in the .500 neighborhood
Orlando, toronto, Knicks, heat, washington, charlotte, milwaukee

The East has become the NFC-parity abounds, and what separates most teams is very little with no truly world beating team ('cept the bears when they unveil their new top 5 offense this year to go with #1 D)

you got that right. today on outside the lines, the poll question was "who will win the east?" the bulls werent even a choice

i think it will be a bulls/celtics ECF (only if pierce stays healthy), with the bulls coming out on top.
SoxFan1
QUOTE (ChicagoBullsMadison @ Jul 31 2007, 02:51 PM) *
what do you guys think of garnett becoming a celtic? boston gave up wayyyyyy to much though. i dont think they will win the east though cuz they have absoloutley no depth. i see the east playin out like this

1st bulls
2nd cavs
3rd celtics
4th pistons
5th wizards
6th knicks
7th orlando
8th dunno yet

You can't have 3 central division teams in the top 4, the south-eastern division winner has to be in there.

The only reason the Celtics are getting so much hype right now is because of ESPN. Boston will underachieve big time, especially now that people consider then a lock for the Finals.
Rowand44
The Celtics really don't scare me all that much.
SoxFan1
When contemplating both sides of the trade and whether Boston is now Finals-bound, take everything ESPN has said about the deal, and then do the math.
hinrich fan
next to Hinrich if I was picking sides to make a team I'd take Ray Allen anyday. Think about this after KG, Ray-Ray and Pierce the Celts don't have much depth on the bench (say hello to them in Minn.) and this is assuming everyone stays healthy...but they're a factor in the East...how much is yet to be seen.
Chicago Bulls Franchise
QUOTE (SoxFan1 @ Jul 31 2007, 04:33 PM) *
You can't have 3 central division teams in the top 4, the south-eastern division winner has to be in there.

The only reason the Celtics are getting so much hype right now is because of ESPN. Boston will underachieve big time, especially now that people consider then a lock for the Finals.


Lol I agree completely. Is Gordon,Kirk, and Deng really that far behind Pierce, Allen and Garnett scoring wise? I find that hard to believe. Our three studs are better defenders and probably right up there as a scoring tandum. Now that they have given away basically all their talent they won't have a bench and we all know you need depth to win a finals as history tells us, not to mention neither of these guys have ever tasted a finals appearance let alone a Finals Championship.
Steve9347
OK.

Boston had the WORST record in the Eastern Conference last season. (24 wins) They acquired Ray Allen, who has never been the guy to make a team better (look at the struggles of the Bucks and the Supersonics).

however, his addition is big, and adding him gives them what? 8-12 more wins? We'll be generous... 36 wins with Ray Allen.

Next, add Kevin Garnett, but you lose ANYTHING you had off the bench, AND Al Jefferson, who personally I think was already becoming one of the best big men in the league last season... of course KG is an upgrade, but how much? Adding KG but losing Jefferson and any and all bench depth (think of the scrubs they will have in when their "big three" are resting).

KG bonus for another 6-8 wins, we'll be generous again, putting them at 45-37.

NOW, subtract 2 wins because of the age of their three stars and their perceived decline, and you get my Celtics 2007-2008 regular season record prediction of....

43-39, good enough for 6th best record in the Eastern Conference, 2nd in their division, so they will be the 5 seed behind Chicago, Orlando, Toronto, Cleveland, Detroit, Boston, Miami, New Jersey.

You heard it here first.

EDIT: You have to love the hype though... the only ring KG is going to be AIMing for would be a three-on-three tourney ring.

ZoomSlowik
QUOTE (Chicago Bulls Franchise @ Jul 31 2007, 09:33 PM) *
Lol I agree completely. Is Gordon,Kirk, and Deng really that far behind Pierce, Allen and Garnett scoring wise? I find that hard to believe. Our three studs are better defenders and probably right up there as a scoring tandum. Now that they have given away basically all their talent they won't have a bench and we all know you need depth to win a finals as history tells us, not to mention neither of these guys have ever tasted a finals appearance let alone a Finals Championship.


Um, yeah, they are. The Bulls have one 20-point scoring average season among them, and only two of them even have a chance to crack 20 this year. The Celtics trio has 25 such seasons, as well as 7 over 25 a game. Even if you take longevity out of the equation, each of the 3 guys Boston has have scored at least 20 a game over the last 3 years. You're not going to find a better scoring trio in the league, PERIOD. And while Allen and Pierce aren't much defensively, Garnett is a beast, and you can argue Gordon isn't that great either.

As for the finals thing, the only reason the Bulls have any is that they overpaid for Wallace. One guy won't make THAT big a difference in that regard. As for depth, the Lakers put up several titles there without a whole lot of depth either, it's not like Ron Harper or Lindsay Hunter or Brian Shaw were difference makers.

I could definitely see them being like the 03-04 Lakers though in their current form, just not having enough dependable options to get past the better teams, though they still have some time and the exemptions to add another competent player or two. They need to add at least one Robert Horry/Rich Fox type, another dependable veteran that will do the dirty work
ZoomSlowik
QUOTE (steve9347 @ Jul 31 2007, 11:09 PM) *
OK.

Boston had the WORST record in the Eastern Conference last season. (24 wins) They acquired Ray Allen, who has never been the guy to make a team better (look at the struggles of the Bucks and the Supersonics).

however, his addition is big, and adding him gives them what? 8-12 more wins? We'll be generous... 36 wins with Ray Allen.

Next, add Kevin Garnett, but you lose ANYTHING you had off the bench, AND Al Jefferson, who personally I think was already becoming one of the best big men in the league last season... of course KG is an upgrade, but how much? Adding KG but losing Jefferson and any and all bench depth (think of the scrubs they will have in when their "big three" are resting).

KG bonus for another 6-8 wins, we'll be generous again, putting them at 45-37.

NOW, subtract 2 wins because of the age of their three stars and their perceived decline, and you get my Celtics 2007-2008 regular season record prediction of....

43-41, good enough for 6th best record in the Eastern Conference, 2nd in their division, so they will be the 5 seed behind Chicago, Orlando, Toronto, Cleveland, Detroit, Boston, Miami, New Jersey.

You heard it here first.


You also need to factor in how much time Pierce missed last year though, and the fact that Boston was blatantly tanking at the end. Plus you have more minor injuries, Jefferson and West both missed 13 games, Sczcerbiak missed a ton (not a great player, but he's productive), plus Tony Allen missed most of the year.

That's conservatively 6-8 more wins, which pushes that up to 49-51. That seems a little high to me right now, but it's not out of the realm of possibility given the star power that they have.

I'd put it this way: the only teams I feel REALLY comfortable putting ahead of them are the Pistons and Bulls. After that you have a bunch of teams like Boston: one or two stars and not a whole lot else. Orlando, Cleveland, Miami, and Washington all fit that mold, and if they have injury problems again so does New Jersey (and their guys have proven to be more fragile).

The one odd-ball is Toronto, they have Bosh and a pretty decent core. While I think they're #3, their wings don't impress me a whole lot (unless you count Bargnani, he's more of a 4 that plays outside), and their win total could drop in a deeper conference this year.
sport1016
QUOTE
their win total could drop in a deeper conference this year.


yep. We also have to factor in that a lot of easy wins in the east last year (boston, milwaukee, charlotte, atlanta) are all going to be much mcuh more competitive this year.

Im surprised no one is putting charlotte or milwaukee in the playoffs. The truth is that between miami, washington, and jersey one team will have injury issues that could drop them out of the playoffs. The same could be said for the cavs.

The bucks were horribly riddled with injuries last year. A healthy redd, simmons, and villanueva along with an improving bogut and Yi (cough). Two seasons ago when they were healthy, they were a very competitive 8 seed.

And the bobcats. You have to like their wing athleticism and scoring ability with a rotation or richardson, gerald wallace, carroll and maybe the stauche. Felton and okafor are solid too. They could be make a toronto like rise this year.
madisonsmadhouse
Anytime a team adds an all-world player, who doesn't mind defferring to his teammates, you should worry. The only guy that worries me chemistry wise on that team is Paul Pierce, but you also have the selling point of being able to win something if he plays within the system. Adding Kevin Garnett isn't like adding a scorer, the guy is one of the best big men in the NBA. Not many teams in the East are going to be able to contain that, especially when your doubleteaming ability is limited by two great shooters in Pierce and Allen. They might not be deep, but when you have three guys used to carrying a team, all playing together, they aren't going to expend nearly as much energy as they are used to doing. Even playing their typical 40 minutes, they should be an easier 40 than they are used to.
sport1016
for 20 million a year, no one better even try to play an "easy" 40.
Chicago Bulls Franchise
QUOTE (ZoomSlowik @ Aug 1 2007, 02:40 AM) *
You also need to factor in how much time Pierce missed last year though, and the fact that Boston was blatantly tanking at the end. Plus you have more minor injuries, Jefferson and West both missed 13 games, Sczcerbiak missed a ton (not a great player, but he's productive), plus Tony Allen missed most of the year.

That's conservatively 6-8 more wins, which pushes that up to 49-51. That seems a little high to me right now, but it's not out of the realm of possibility given the star power that they have.

I'd put it this way: the only teams I feel REALLY comfortable putting ahead of them are the Pistons and Bulls. After that you have a bunch of teams like Boston: one or two stars and not a whole lot else. Orlando, Cleveland, Miami, and Washington all fit that mold, and if they have injury problems again so does New Jersey (and their guys have proven to be more fragile).

The one odd-ball is Toronto, they have Bosh and a pretty decent core. While I think they're #3, their wings don't impress me a whole lot (unless you count Bargnani, he's more of a 4 that plays outside), and their win total could drop in a deeper conference this year.


nah, all of them are over 30, once they realize they have crap for subs, they'll be needed to play hefty minutes and will be worn down by seasons end. I also think Ray Allen will be a bust this year, hes over the hill. Garnett definitely helps but I fail to see how much better they are than Kirk,Ben, and Deng, atleast what people seem to make it out as. Sure there better players but we atleast have a supporting cast which will help in the postseason.

I agree with the poster earlier, 43 wins seems about right.
cars
Here's what I don't get about the love of the Celtics right now. Forgive me if I'm restating anything else they've said.


1. Remember the Rockets? You know, the team with Barkley, Pippin, and Olajuwon? What did they win exactly? The key always seems to be 2 top tier players, not 3. How do you share the ball among all 3 players?
2. Everyone focuses on the fact that all these guys average 20 points per game. Is that fully possible with the 3 of them trying to share the ball? I'm not so certain.
3. Point Guards are still important. Can this team be a championship contending team with Rajon Rondo, he without an outside shot at all, as the point guard? I don't really think so.
4. Depth. So these 3 guys are going to have to play 40+ minutes a game basically as their depth is terrible. Brian Scalabrine is a key minutes contributer. They don't have a true backup at PG, SG, or SF. And they're at cap level already and awfully close to luxury tax. With only 3 players under contract.
5. Injuries. The past few years both Pierce and Allen have missed a lot of time. They played 46 and 55 games, respectively. Are they breaking down a bit?

Will they be improved? No question. But a championship contender? No depth, no key vets, no solid pg play....I can see another early playoff exit.
ZoomSlowik
QUOTE (Chicago Bulls Franchise @ Aug 1 2007, 10:48 AM) *
nah, all of them are over 30, once they realize they have crap for subs, they'll be needed to play hefty minutes and will be worn down by seasons end. I also think Ray Allen will be a bust this year, hes over the hill. Garnett definitely helps but I fail to see how much better they are than Kirk,Ben, and Deng, atleast what people seem to make it out as. Sure there better players but we atleast have a supporting cast which will help in the postseason.

I agree with the poster earlier, 43 wins seems about right.


Allen is still an elite shooter, and Pierce and Garnett have shown no signs of wearing down whatsoever (Pierce's injury was a broken bone, can't really avoid that). Though two of them had injury problems last year, they were still all more effective scorers than anyone on the Bulls. Plus two of them are jump-shooters, so they're not going to totally fall off the face of the earth. Basketball players can easily still play at a high level until 35, these guys should easily have a few years.

I'm not arguing the supporting cast, that's why I still have the Bulls ahead of them. Still, I can't really see them winning fewer than about 45 with that core unless serious injuries strike. After that, it'll depend on how much they get from other people.
ZoomSlowik
QUOTE (cars @ Aug 1 2007, 01:06 PM) *
Here's what I don't get about the love of the Celtics right now. Forgive me if I'm restating anything else they've said.
1. Remember the Rockets? You know, the team with Barkley, Pippin, and Olajuwon? What did they win exactly? The key always seems to be 2 top tier players, not 3. How do you share the ball among all 3 players?
2. Everyone focuses on the fact that all these guys average 20 points per game. Is that fully possible with the 3 of them trying to share the ball? I'm not so certain.
3. Point Guards are still important. Can this team be a championship contending team with Rajon Rondo, he without an outside shot at all, as the point guard? I don't really think so.
4. Depth. So these 3 guys are going to have to play 40+ minutes a game basically as their depth is terrible. Brian Scalabrine is a key minutes contributer. They don't have a true backup at PG, SG, or SF. And they're at cap level already and awfully close to luxury tax. With only 3 players under contract.
5. Injuries. The past few years both Pierce and Allen have missed a lot of time. They played 46 and 55 games, respectively. Are they breaking down a bit?

Will they be improved? No question. But a championship contender? No depth, no key vets, no solid pg play....I can see another early playoff exit.


1) All of those guys were shells of their former selves by then, and it happened during the lockout year where everyone had a considerable amount of rust. Hakeem and Barkley were 36, and Pippen was 33 and starting to have injury issues. That's not really the same at all, the only one you can even remotely argue has started to fall off is Allen, and he still averaged 26 a game last year when he played.

Same with the Lakers when they had Kobe, Shaq, Malone, and Payton. Payton was 35 and no longer a top option, Malone was 40 and missed half the year, and Shaq was also starting to get less effective at that time (still only 31, but injuries were starting to mount).

The last time we saw 3 guys like that was the mid-80's Celtics, though they don't have anywhere near that supporting cast.

2) It can definitely be done, especially since KG and Allen don't really dominate the ball. Trio's combining for 60+ points is entirely possible. The Bulls did it for years with Michael, Scottie, and Grant/Kukoc, the Lakers did it with Shaq, Kobe, and Rice/Fisher, The Rockets did it for the second title with Hakeem, Drexler, and Thorpe/Maxwell (both averaged 13), the Celtics did it with Bird, McHale, and Parish, The Lakers did it with Magic, Worthy, and Scott, even getting Jabbar 17 a game as well the first time. I'm sure I can keep going. There are definitely enough shots to go around, especially when they don't have anyone else that'll take a significant number of shots.

3) The Lakers didn't have a real PG when they won their 3 titles either. Derek Fisher was basically a 2-guard in a PG's body, Kobe led the team in assists each of their title years. The Bulls never had a real PG either, Ron Harper played there but certainly didn't do much ball-distributing. The big 3 are going to have the ball basically all the time, you don't want a guy that's going to dominate possession. All they need is a guy that can play D and hit the occasional open jumper. He can at least do the former.

4) Depth is an issue, but Tony Allen is a capable backup at either wing spot (he could even start for a lot of teams), and if their owner endorsed adding those two big salaries I don't see another few mil for some backups stopping him. They still have their exemption, and with that core they can likely convince someone to take less pay to take a shot at a title. That will be a factor though, they need at least one good veteran glue-guy to have any shot at beating the other top teams.

5) Pierce has played at least 79 games for the previous 6 years and his injury was a broken bone, which isn't an endurance/age thing. Garnett has been one of the most durable guys in the league for a LONG time, so he's not really a concern at all. You do worry about Allen a bit, he's missed a fair number of games in the past. As long as he's healthy for the playoffs though that's all that'll really matter, as Pierce and Garnett have both carried crappy teams on their own for long stretches.

While I don't think they'll inevitably win the title, I just don't see how you can rule out a team with 3 guys THAT good, especially in a conference that doesn't have a whole lot of dominant teams.
eddog2
QUOTE (ZoomSlowik @ Aug 1 2007, 02:30 AM) *
Um, yeah, they are. The Bulls have one 20-point scoring average season among them, and only two of them even have a chance to crack 20 this year. The Celtics trio has 25 such seasons, as well as 7 over 25 a game. Even if you take longevity out of the equation, each of the 3 guys Boston has have scored at least 20 a game over the last 3 years. You're not going to find a better scoring trio in the league, PERIOD. And while Allen and Pierce aren't much defensively, Garnett is a beast, and you can argue Gordon isn't that great either.

As for the finals thing, the only reason the Bulls have any is that they overpaid for Wallace. One guy won't make THAT big a difference in that regard. As for depth, the Lakers put up several titles there without a whole lot of depth either, it's not like Ron Harper or Lindsay Hunter or Brian Shaw were difference makers.

I could definitely see them being like the 03-04 Lakers though in their current form, just not having enough dependable options to get past the better teams, though they still have some time and the exemptions to add another competent player or two. They need to add at least one Robert Horry/Rich Fox type, another dependable veteran that will do the dirty work


I definately agree with you on the fact that we are talking 2 different leagues when you try and compare the scoring of Allen/KG/Pierce with Deng/Gordon/Hinrich (Hinrich of all people are you kidding me). I really like your post Zoom.

Anway, let me add my piece to it.

Let's start off by saying that next year the most improved player will be none other than Rajon Rondo. That's right. I said it first. I've been so high on this guy from day 1 and now I'm even more excited to see my boy from Kentucky represent. Imagine what he is going to do with so many options to pass the ball to. Rajon and his super quick first step will get to the hole and either be able to set up KG nice and pretty or he'll be able to break the defense down and find either Pierce or Allen wide open at the arc. I hate to say it but I'm going to love watching the Celtics next year. That's simply as a basketball fan.

Okay, so I think this could go down as on of the best 3 superstar pairings this league has seen in a long time. In terms of the way their games all completment each other I really couldn't draw it up much better. The only thing I am worried about is age. If one of them goes down with injury, the team will take a major hit.

As for the bench, I think we are underestimating it a bit. Did Lebron and the Cavs have a good bench? I would say it was decent but nothing great. Not to mention they went to the finals with basically no production from Hughes.

As it stands, the Celtics have Tony Allen (who's a pretty good option), Glen Davis who is unproven but who at the least will be a big body down low with scoring ability, Leon Powe who's going to be better in his second year, & they just signed Eddie House who will be a good backup PG who can hit the outside shot.

Not to mention that Doc Rivers is strongly pursuing Dikembe Mutombo. If they get Dikembe they are going to be very, very, strong defensively in the paint. Zoom you don't give Pierce much credit on defense but I think he's a good defensive player. The one I worry about is Allen who's getting older, but that's like Ben Gordon except at least he has height. As for Rondo he's a good defender and an excellent lane defender with his long arms. We all know KG plays good D. Kendrick Perkins' D will only get better when he's next to KG.

The Celtics have also been in talks with Jalen Rose, and I wouldn't be shocked if they landed someone like PJ Brown or another good vet. The Celtics have $3.8 million of their mid-level left which is more than enough to get a decent player to sign a 1 year contract. Players looking to win that title would definately be willing to go there to try and win on before they retire.

Even without getting any good players, this team is still in a good position to make the finals if they can avoid any big injuries.


Players that are still available: Chris Webber, (imagine them adding Chris Webber), Matt Barnes, Dikembe Mutombo, Ime Udoka (a defensive stud who would make a lot of sense), PJ Brown, Malik Allen, Austin Croshere, Kevin Willis, Aaron McKie, Eddie Jones, Gary Payton, Melvin Ely, Jarvis Hayes, Danny Fortson, Jalen Rose, Devin Brown (who really played well at the end of last year), Mike Wilks (not a great option but showed some potential last season)

Oh, I forgot to mention Troy Hudson, Ruben Patterson who would make great additions. And last but not least, James Posey (who I hate, and is one of my least favorite players)

In short, I'm picking them as an 80% likelihood to make the finals if they don't have a major injury. However, it will be a tough series b/t them and the Bulls. The Bulls, if the rookies step up and Tyrus/Deng & Gordon all are significantly better could beat any team in the league. Hopefully, they do.

As for the Rockets, if they lose Dikembe they are going to be in a tough situation unless they can trade a couple of PG's for a good backup center.
eddog2
Even if they only get 45 wins which isn't likely (they will be 50+) and they just sneak into the playoffs, which again isn't likely, if their team is healthy they still will be the most dangerous team in the playoffs. It's that simple when you have that much star power.
sport1016
Yeah those celtics in the playoffs....bc, u know, all 3 of those guys have had good success in the playoffs. the pressure of not blowing it will be enough to keep this team down to earth

but i do think 45 wins isnt insane bc u have to figure one of them will miss like 15 games at least

This team will be like the wizards in the sense that when the big 3 are "on" they will win and when they arent they will lose. The only difference is if all three guys have their A games on the wiz, they can still lose to the better teams.
ZoomSlowik
QUOTE (sport1016 @ Aug 3 2007, 06:05 AM) *
Yeah those celtics in the playoffs....bc, u know, all 3 of those guys have had good success in the playoffs. the pressure of not blowing it will be enough to keep this team down to earth

but i do think 45 wins isnt insane bc u have to figure one of them will miss like 15 games at least

This team will be like the wizards in the sense that when the big 3 are "on" they will win and when they arent they will lose. The only difference is if all three guys have their A games on the wiz, they can still lose to the better teams.


That's far from a lock, Garnett has played at least 76 games each of the last 8 years (and maybe a few more if his team was going somewhere), Pierce's broken foot last year, which isn't exactly an age/endurance injury, broke a 6 year streak of playing at least 79, and even the fairly fragile Ray Allen has played 76 or more 3 of the last 5 years. It's not like we're talking about Chris Webber, Grant Hill, and Shaq. Also, this is BY FAR the best core any of them have had, so I wouldn't put too much stock in the past playoff performances. Playing with these guys is a bit different than the one year KG had a good team with Sprewell and Cassell that he carred to the conference finals, or a while back when Pierce and chucker-supreme Antoine Walker did the same thing.

As for Washington, Boston still has an advantage over them in that they'll play at least SOME defense. Garnett and Rondo are both beasts on that end, about all Washington has on that front is Stephenson.
sport1016
Ray allen is a terrible defender. Terrible. Pierce is a smaller sf at 6'6. It will be interesting to see him guard 6;9 and 6'10 guys like rashard lewis and lu. What about lebron, melo etc? Pierce has always guarded 2s. Most games will match him up agst an unfamiliar defensive assignment. I dont think he can guard big strong sfs like lebron and melo. Just isnt happening.

The interior D will be good, but again depth is an issue. Tony allen is a ?. And behind KG and Perkins are there any reliable shot blockers or rebounders?
DrunkBomber
Im not worried about them really. If they are legitimate contenders they should be more worried about us. I dont see how we arent an elite team in the east right now that shouldnt be worried about a team like Boston. We know that we will own Miami if we face them in the playoffs. Cleveland has never matched up well against us and has yet again not done anything big to improve. Detroit is our biggest concern and they are a year older and we are a year more experienced and have added more depth and talent while only really losing PJ.
eddog2
I honestly think that the 3 teams the Bulls have to worry most about are

1. The Celtics
2. The Magic
3. The Pistions

Celtics


I really think it is in that order. I really think they would have trouble matching up with the Celtics b/c they don't have anyone to guard KG, Lu would have difficulty guarding Pierce, Gordon would difinately have trouble guarding Allen (though Thabo probably could do a good job), & although everyone thinks Kirk is a great defender, I think Rondo would be too quick for him.

Of course, the Celtics would have trouble guarding Gordon, Deng ect. and the Bulls have a deeper bench, but that is a lot of star power to overcome.

Magic

The Magic really give us problems for some reason. I know the main reason is that we have no answers for Dwight Howard. Howard was very good last year, and he'll be even better next year. Especially with Lewis taking the double team away from him. I really think Lewis is going to have a huge impact not only in the offense and 3 point shooting he provides, but just by being on the court, it will open up so many opportunities for Nelson, Turkoglu, Howard, ect. Not to mention that Reddick likely will play a lot more this year and he'll likely be a very good outside shooter.

The Pistons

The Pistons are the Pistons and they are always tough. However, every year, they get a little older. Plus they likely will be without Chris Webber next year. However, Maxiell is not a bad option and will likely be better next eyar. Rasheed Wallace will be 33 this year. Billups will be 31. Hamilton is 29. The only real good "young" player they have is Prince who is 27. If Stuckey, or Amir Johnson make big contributions next year, then I'll have to reconsider my post. However, my money is that this team takes a step back from last year. Plus, we'll have more depth (and I think homecourt advantage) should we have to meet them again next year.




I guess I could have put Toronto higher than the Pistons as well. They are going to be better with another year together, plus they also added Kapono who could be lethal in that style of offense that rely's on the 3. The more I think about it, Toronto may even be the 2nd most scary team for the Bulls to face in the playoffs.

I think that Miami if they get healthly could potentially be more dangerous than the Pistons. Especially if they get Ron Artest or Corey Maggette sometime next season.
Bullies4Life
QUOTE (eddog2 @ Aug 4 2007, 11:15 PM) *
I honestly think that the 3 teams the Bulls have to worry most about are

1. The Celtics
2. The Magic
3. The Pistions

Celtics


I really think it is in that order. I really think they would have trouble matching up with the Celtics b/c they don't have anyone to guard KG, Lu would have difficulty guarding Pierce, Gordon would difinately have trouble guarding Allen (though Thabo probably could do a good job), & although everyone thinks Kirk is a great defender, I think Rondo would be too quick for him.

Of course, the Celtics would have trouble guarding Gordon, Deng ect. and the Bulls have a deeper bench, but that is a lot of star power to overcome.

Magic

The Magic really give us problems for some reason. I know the main reason is that we have no answers for Dwight Howard. Howard was very good last year, and he'll be even better next year. Especially with Lewis taking the double team away from him. I really think Lewis is going to have a huge impact not only in the offense and 3 point shooting he provides, but just by being on the court, it will open up so many opportunities for Nelson, Turkoglu, Howard, ect. Not to mention that Reddick likely will play a lot more this year and he'll likely be a very good outside shooter.

The Pistons

The Pistons are the Pistons and they are always tough. However, every year, they get a little older. Plus they likely will be without Chris Webber next year. However, Maxiell is not a bad option and will likely be better next eyar. Rasheed Wallace will be 33 this year. Billups will be 31. Hamilton is 29. The only real good "young" player they have is Prince who is 27. If Stuckey, or Amir Johnson make big contributions next year, then I'll have to reconsider my post. However, my money is that this team takes a step back from last year. Plus, we'll have more depth (and I think homecourt advantage) should we have to meet them again next year.
I guess I could have put Toronto higher than the Pistons as well. They are going to be better with another year together, plus they also added Kapono who could be lethal in that style of offense that rely's on the 3. The more I think about it, Toronto may even be the 2nd most scary team for the Bulls to face in the playoffs.

I think that Miami if they get healthly could potentially be more dangerous than the Pistons. Especially if they get Ron Artest or Corey Maggette sometime next season.


I think the Cavs have given the Bulls some problems in the past as well. Its pretty hard stoppin LeBron in the playoffs.
madisonsmadhouse
The Bulls also have one of the best one on one defenders in the NBA, who just happens to play LeBrons same position. I actually think we get burned worse by guys like Ilgauskus and Gooden than we do James. We just have to make sure that the secondary players don't beat us.
Balta1701-B
QUOTE (madisonsmadhouse @ Aug 14 2007, 09:06 AM) *
The Bulls also have one of the best one on one defenders in the NBA, who just happens to play LeBrons same position. I actually think we get burned worse by guys like Ilgauskus and Gooden than we do James. We just have to make sure that the secondary players don't beat us.

And you'll notice one thing about those 2 guys...they happen to both have this wierd thing called "Size" which for the last 2 years was a pretty big weakness on the Bulls, but which now has become a strength.
ZoomSlowik
QUOTE (Balta1701-B @ Aug 14 2007, 11:25 AM) *
And you'll notice one thing about those 2 guys...they happen to both have this wierd thing called "Size" which for the last 2 years was a pretty big weakness on the Bulls, but which now has become a strength.


Definitely agree, with Smith and Noah joining the team as well as Tyrus developing I don't think we'll see guys like Mikki Moore and Drew Gooden consistently getting 16 a game against us.
madisonsmadhouse
QUOTE (ZoomSlowik @ Aug 14 2007, 02:08 PM) *
Definitely agree, with Smith and Noah joining the team as well as Tyrus developing I don't think we'll see guys like Mikki Moore and Drew Gooden consistently getting 16 a game against us.


I really hope that starts to end now. Really that has been our weakness for years now. If we can stop those kind of nights, this team is a NBA finals type group.
This is a "lo-fi" version of our main content. To view the full version with more information, formatting and images, please click here.
Invision Power Board © 2001-2024 Invision Power Services, Inc.