Tag Archives: toronto raptors

ESPN Releases Projected Records For The 2019 NBA Season

Leave a reply

ESPN Pegs Golden State as Consensus No.1, Boston Not far Behind

In what may come as a surprise to nobody, the Golden State Warriors are projected to win 53.8 games this season. ESPN had recently dropped their projected win totals for all 30 NBA teams. Rounding out the top 3 for the Western Conference is the Houston Rockets, and Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Eastern Conference shows little surprise as well. The Boston Celtics earned a projected 51.1 wins. With Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving ready to rumble, this team is finally back to full strength. This Celtics team can and will give the Warriors a huge run for their money this season.

The Philadelphia 76ers and Toronto Raptors round out the top 3. Both teams are great second tier talents. They just do not have enough to keep up with this dangerous and versatile Celtics roster.

The 2019 NBA Draft Could be Boom or Bust for Boston

One of the biggest implications towards next year’s draft would be the projected record of the Sacramento Kings. They owe Boston their first round pick( number 1 protected) which means that we own the pick as long as it doesn’t land number 1 overall. Sacramento is going in no apparent direction at the moment and appears in all likelihood to be the worst team in the league this year. ESPN has their projected win total set at a league low 25.4 wins. Under the new lottery rules if Sacramento finishes the season with the worst record the No.1 pick would land in the hands of the 76ers. That would be a disastrous outcome for Boston.

This is a stacked draft class this year, as some pretty good freshman can go one and done. Zion Williamson, Rj Barrett, Nassir Little, Cam Reddish, and Bol Bol are all great talents. There are a lot of guys from Duke this year.   Not to mention the Celtics can also take the Memphis Grizzlies’ first rounder as long as it falls outside the top 8. Boston could have as many as four first rounders this year. If disaster strikes they could be handing over their golden pick to the rival 76ers. We shall see in due time.

While this season can and will be something to watch for Boston fans, we still have teams to keep an eye on throughout the season. Be sure to root for Sacramento to be bad, but not THAT bad. Let’s hope Memphis can land somewhere in the back half of the bottom 10 teams. The future of this team looks bright.

Breaking: The Boston Celtics are Interested in Kyle Korver (@CelticHotTakes)

Leave a reply

It was only a matter of time after the King’s departure from Cleveland that the franchise would begin its salary dump. With LeBron taking his talents to the Hollywood Hills, Cleveland will undergo a revamp centered around young talent out of the draft. The first name up on the list is sharpshooting specialist Kyle Korver. It’s no secret that the team has been searching for a suitor for Korver’s $7.5 million contract next season. They may have found a potential taker.

Boston Interested in Trade for Korver

Sam Amico of Amico Hoops reported Tuesday morning that the Celtics are interested in obtaining the 37-year-old veteran.

“Korver is drawing at least some interest, apparently from the Toronto Raptors, Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers. All are Eastern Conference contenders, and Korver would be a major boost off the bench for a team looking to reach the Finals.”

Cleveland is demanding compensation in the form of a first round pick in exchange for Korver. At this point in time it is unlikely that the Celtics would be willing to cough up an asset of that kind of value for the aging veteran. Korver is entering his 16th season in the league. In 2017 he averaged 9.2 points and 2.3 rebounds per game while shooting an absurd 43.6% from 3. The sharpshooter has made the long-ball his bread and butter throughout his career. There isn’t many out there that can do it better than him to this day. Korver does not rely on his athletic ability or speed to play his game, which bodes well for the longevity of his career.

Boston ranked eighth in the NBA in 3-point shooting in 2017. While this stat certainly isn’t bad, it could use some improvement if the team wants to compete with the likes of the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets. Even at 37 years-old, Kyle Korver would certainly provide a boost to the team in this area.

The Marcus Smart Variable

The news comes on the heels of reports of interest heating up for restricted free agent Marcus Smart. Both the Nets and Kings have reached out to Smart in recent days. Boston extended a qualifying offer to Smart worth $6.1 million through the 2019 season. It was reported that he was close to signing the offer, but with teams beginning to take an interest in Smart’s services it is unlikely such a deal gets done. Entering the offseason Smart made it clear that he feels he is worth more than $14 million a year. Boston has since been very vocal in their desire to retain him moving forward.

Danny Ainge and the team’s front office is currently focused on Smart’s contract. If the team can’t match an offer and Marcus Smart leaves, adding a guy like Korver to fill his role could serve as a solid contingency plan. The team would be much more able and willing to take on Korver’s contract with Smart off of the books and roll the dice with the aging veteran.

If Marcus Smart leaves town, don’t be surprised to see Korver’s name popping up on trade radars before summer’s end.

Views from the 6: Will Raptors Steal #1 Seed and Home Court?

Leave a reply

Kyrie Irving and Marcus Morris made their return last night as the Celtics headed to Toronto to take on the Raptors. After a four-game win streak, (3-0 without Irving) the Cs fell 111-91. Peculiar, considering they won the first match up 95-94 without Irving. Anyway, the Celtics are now 39-16, only one game ahead of the Raptors.

Raptors Put on a Show

Toronto was absolutely electric. Kyle Lowry had 23 points, while C.J. Miles had 20 of his own off the bench. Both were a combined 11-18 from behind the arc, contributing to their team’s overall 47% three-point shooting. DeMar DeRozan added 15 points of his own and six assists. Shots were falling for the Raptors ALL night, no matter who had the ball. Didn’t see the game? Well, all you have to know is their bench put up 59 points— that’s more than 50% of the team’s point total for the game. Apparently, Brad Stevens praised this second unit before the match up. I wonder if he still feels the same way.

The Celtics Looked a Bit… Stale

On the other hand, the Celtics just didn’t play that well. The defense wasn’t up to par, giving up points left and right. But the offense looked equally unimpressive. Horford and Tatum combined for 6 points, going 3-14 from the floor and 0-3 from three. Irving and Brown were the only starters with double digits, while the bench contributed 51 points. When you look at the team stats, this really should have been a close game. Unfortunately, the Cs just couldn’t make any defensive plays and they couldn’t score consistently. The Raptors were just more efficient.

Preview of Eastern Conference Finals?

With the Celtics and the Raptors being the top two teams in the east, there is definitely a chance we’ll see them in the eastern final. But with the way the Raptors are playing, we could possibly see a #1 seed takeover. This means they would get home court advantage in the series. Now that should make everyone in Boston uncomfortable, considering the Raptors have lost only two games at home so far this season. Hopefully, with the addition of Greg Monroe or whatever else they are trying to do before the trade deadline, they will put up a fight. I guess the idea of Tyreke Evans adding depth to the bench isn’t so bad after all.

UPDATE via Adrian Wojnarowski @ 1;14 PM: Lou Williams getting three-year deal with Clippers.

Boston Celtics: The New Favorites?

Leave a reply

From Ashes to New

The Boston Celtics have overcome adversity with great defense and rebounding. Is this enough for them to be called title contenders?

Just five minutes into the season, All-Star Gordon Hayward went down with a potential season ending injury. The Boston Celtics fought hard against the Cavs in their first game but lost by three. Then they lost the subsequent game to the Milwaukee Bucks. It looked like it was going to be a long season, then something sparked. The team didn’t lose another game after that until November 20th.

As the Celtics went on a sixteen game win streak, their notable weaknesses from last season withered away. Rebounding and defense. As last season limped to an end, centers Al Horford and Amir Johnson were struggling to grab more than six boards a game. It feels like Hayward’s injury forced the team to mesh together quickly. There are only four players from last year’s squad in addition to all these new guys that have helped the Celtics grow stronger. They are playing younger and quicker basketball.

Before the season started, the Celtics were tied for the third best chance to make an appearance in the Finals along with the San Antonio Spurs at 12/1. Since then they have fluctuated, but the odds have gone towards their favor at 10/1. You can follow along with the Celtics odds, as well as betting on the team here.

The Competition

Per usual the Western Conference appears stacked this season. The Golden State Warriors have some competition with the Houston Rockets and potentially the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Spurs might be able to make their usual run as long as the injury bug leaves them alone in the second half of the season. The Eastern Conference looks like a dog fight for second place. For the first time in almost a decade LeBron James’s team is closer to ninth place than first. The Cavs are currently third in the East but are riding six games behind first place. They are also ranked almost last in defense efficiency at twenty-eighth. No team has made the playoffs with a ranking as poor as that.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Eastern Conference is shaping up to be as expected. Teams like Toronto, Washington, and Milwaukee are all within contention of making playoffs. Adversely basement dwellers like New York, Chicago, and Brooklyn are not surprising anyone.

With the All-Star break and trade deadline quickly approaching the Celtics have room to improve. With the disabled player exception under Danny Ainge’s belt this team has options. They could trade for a player or sit comfortably until the buyout deadline. No matter what moves are or aren’t made, this team is a favorite to win the 2018 NBA Finals.