<div class="quote_poster">Quoting banks3:</div><div class="quote_post">It was hard to generate offense because their coach was a defense first coach. They scored 95+ points in their first 5 games after the trade or so and then it started to decrease because the team had a new system that O'neil had to come up with. It didnt help when Rose and Alvin got hurt either. They'll be a run and gun team this season with Sam.</div> ok.
I though Atkins said he didn't even want to play for the Celtics after they left him un-protected for the expansion draft.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Wink23:</div><div class="quote_post">besides ande, they didnt add anyone...ITS THE SAME TEAM as for the raptors, they didnt change that much either. i thought they wouldve run away with it after the chicago trade, but they never did. even with rose, carter, marshall, they were last in offense. i think the celtics will finally use a fast-break offense, and their frontcourt rotation is farely deep and young. i think that gives them the upperhand in the division. but realisticly, they have virtually no shot at the finals</div> I guess it never occured to you that Jalen Rose broke his hand and missed 17 games. Along with that Vince missed 9 in the same time period leaving Milt Palacio and Dion Glover for the back court, a period spent losing many games. Along with having a stubborn coach, who never changed, the Raptors dressed 23 different players due to injury, how can you expect a team to win with no chemistry? The lineup was constantly changing, Kevin O'neill had to deal with that and the players had to deal with his stupid coaching. The Raptors may not have changed much but when healthy they can definitely light it up. They've also acquired a new coach that has a much different style for this offense, which should increase the productivity of the players to play to their full ability. I'm not counting out the Celtics to win the Atlantic, but you have to look at both sides and realize that just because the Raptors haven't changed a whole lot doesn't mean they can't compete with the Celtics.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Wink23:</div><div class="quote_post"> the Knicks seem like the only competition but I think the Celtics can overpower them. :</div> Well, explain yourself how will you guys 'overpower' us. I'm very interested in reading your response to this.
What the hell happened to this thread? Yesterday banks and I were having a well thought out conversation and I come in here today and it's turned into a bastion of individual team homerism? I'll be removing myself from the rest of this conversation, as it's clearly too early for people to try to remain objective about thier teams chances. Banks: My apologies for not being able to continue our debate.
To Knicks Analyst, the Knicks have an amazingly weak frontcourt and only one center who can play on their roster, Nazr Mohammed. Unless Houston comes back very strong its still going to be a one man show with Marbury having to do everything. Tim Thomas, Kurt Thomas, and Mohammed provide little offensive help to Marbury. the Knicks also have a horrible bench and no depth.
Yeah BC, but the Celts have no depth either and only have two players able to put up double figures each night in Pierce and Davis. Everyone else on the roster pretty much suck.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting pgrudo00:</div><div class="quote_post">Yeah BC, but the Celts have no depth either and only have two players able to put up double figures each night in Pierce and Davis. Everyone else on the roster pretty much suck.</div> The Celtics actually have a afairly deep roster for an EC team. They have by far the most depth in the Atlantic at the 2 and 3 position. Pierce, Davis, and Welsch are all good scorers. They also have Tony Allen who is playing great all around in the SL. At forward they don't have much depth but they have two players who when healthy can probably combine to be the best 4 and 5 in the division with Raef and Blount. Seriously which frontcourt in this divison is better? Dalembart and Thomas, Bosh and Arujao, Mohammed and Thomas, and don't even mention the Nets with Collins and nobody knows who else. They also have quickly devloping frontcourt players with Perkins and Jefferson, and don't forget about Waltah, . They may have some problems when Atkins isn't playing until Banks and West are ready to play, but they probalably have the deepest team in the Atlantic with some competition from Toronto. The Celtics will be no emans a great team, probably not a very good one, probably in the 38-44 win range, but that will probably enough to win this division. Toronto may have better players, but when has Toronto, or any team in this division, proved they can win with the rosters they have now?
Ok, I know your a Celtic fan but Welsch is not a proven scorer, Tony Allen is a rook and you don't know what his turn out will be, Perkins is a bum and you should already see this, Jefferson looked promising in the summer league but that playing against other young players not the proven players in the NBA.
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Perkins is a bum and you should already see this,</div> OMG!!! You're kidding right? Please tell me that you were thinking of someone else? Otherwise, I'll put up money right now that by the end of the season, even an impartial observer will tell you that you are DEAD WRONG about Perkins being a bum.
Kedrick Perkins - Yes. The flop that was over rated when drafted from HS in which you never heard his name last year unless obviously you live in Boston. Hmmmm how many minutes and points did he average.
Oh so because the coaches didnt play him, he is a bum? Make some sense please! It's downright silly do declare a high school player a "flop" after ONE YEAR!!!
LOL. You no longer have much credibility in this conversation, and it's KENDRICK(not kedrick) Perkins. Becuase he wasn't a first year phenom, that means he's a bum, huh? If you knew that no one planned to play him last season, because he needed a dedicated year towards development, then maybe you'd know something besides what you read in the stat lines. How amazingly short sighted you appear to be right now.
Neither I nor hagrid lives in Boston and without speaking for hagrid I heard quite a bit about Perkins and his devlopment throughout the season, maybe in Philadelphia they only talk about games, because who cares about practice, not a game, not a game, we talking about practice. Perkins was a late first round pick, he wasn't top ten like Lebron or Amare, he wasn't expected to help out or even play right away. You can keep talking down the Celtics, but find me a team in the Atlantic that has a better all around team than the Celtics.
the knicks best big man is tim thomas, and hes best at crying about fouls. celtics got a couple 7 footers, raef who can block shots farely well, and two developing big men in perkins and jefferson. davis is a great 6th man or starter, and we also have a veteran point guard. the raptors may be able to contend, but the sixers are no where near that point. ai and his 40% shooting along with big dogs legs, and well, who else is there. the sixers would be better to start korver and green, because they care about winning. the knicks got starbury, an old houston, and a pretty weak frontcourt. unless marbury turns into an mvp, i dont think the knicks will win it either. im not being biast, but i really think the celtics have the best lineup and bench to win the atlantic.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting hagrid:</div><div class="quote_post">LOL. You no longer have much credibility in this conversation, and it's KENDRICK(not kedrick) Perkins. Becuase he wasn't a first year phenom, that means he's a bum, huh? If you knew that no one planned to play him last season, because he needed a dedicated year towards development, then maybe you'd know something besides what you read in the stat lines. How amazingly short sighted you appear to be right now.</div> No room it correct name spelling when you obviously cannot spell "because". LOL
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting pgrudo00:</div><div class="quote_post">No room it correct name spelling when you obviously cannot spell "because". LOL</div> Off the topic of spelling, can you say why he's a definite bust?
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Wink23:</div><div class="quote_post">I may be wrong but couldnt we say that the Celtics are now the favorite to win the Atlantic. The Sixers dont know what they're doing, AI may be traded,Big Dog is an old dog, Raptors have the talent but cant put anything together, so they will probably fade as well, the Nets just lost KMart and Kidd is angry at the organization, the Knicks seem like the only competition but I think the Celtics can overpower them. Anyone Agree? </div> It's an absolutely terrible division, so yeah, I think any team could be considered the favorite, but any team could finish in the basement too.
