Honestly, the players played great all season. They probably overachieved for most of the year and those expectations led to their “disappointment.” Mike Brown’s lack of big time coaching experience hurt them. For most of the conference finals his assistants were running the show during time outs, etc. I see the Cavs flopping again.
I believe the Cavs will win the East and go up against the Lakers or the Blazers for the crown next year. On paper, the Cavs have more depth this year and have become more versatile with their ability to play half court or “run-and-gun”. Once again, their team defense will keep them in every game.
Danny Ferry did another great job of addressing the “weaknesses” exposed by the Magic last year - bigger perimeter defenders (Parker and Green) and someone to anchor the paint and keep Howard in check (Shaq).
I believe both the Celtics, Bulls and the Magic went down a notch.
I don’t know if they’ll win more than 66 games, but they will be better prepared for the playoffs this time.
Do you honestly believe Cleveland is the top team in the East? Sure when you trade Sasha Pavolvic and Ben Wallace for Shaq, you get better automatically, but think about it, how much better did they really get? You got to remember, this is the Shaq at the end of his career, not in his prime. He is not the guy who is going to give you 25 and 12 but more like 16 and 8. Sure they got better in adding perimeter defenders, but they still lack star power to help Lebron. Anthony Parker? Danny Green? Come on man. An unproven vet, and a rookie, and you expect them to roll over Boston who added Wallace and Orlando with Vince (I know Hedo is gone but Vince is still a great pick up) They are still not deep enough to match with Boston and Orlando. I still think they are the third best team behind those two. I admit, the lost will definitely help them with the experience gained but you also have other deep teams such as Washington and Atlanta coming into the mix which will make it even harder. Now when I think about it, if Gilbert Arenas can get back to his playing days, Washington is even deeper than Cleveland with their acquisitions this summer. Cleveland still doesn’t have enough help for Lebron, and I think they will get exposed in the playoffs again.
Celtics is favorite for next year the frontcourt made of big nasty, big ticket and sheed is no match for a trowback shaq, varejo and Z but it will be an interssting matchup….lebron can still rack up 40, 50 but is team will suffer if it takes too much on is shoulders….celtics operate in a system that is based on sharing the ball a lot…and they usually go whit the hot hand!!! magic did some interesting move cant wait to see them versus cavs…who will be the superman…my answer is shaq but what dwight will do after being pubicly humiliated time after time….hope shaq didnt create a monster and hope he come healthy!
Surprised how many people aren’t picking the Cavs in the East next year. Orlando shot the lights out in that series and scored something like nine more total points, losing in the last seconds and in overtime - that series was closer than people are really remembering.
Of the big three teams in the East, only the Cavaliers have obviously improved. Orlando gained Vince Carter, but lost two starters in the process. Boston should be better with Garnett back - but that team is old, and Rasheed Wallace doesn’t make them any younger. And honestly, Rasheed Wallace kind of sucked last year. Cleveland, on the other hand, added Shaq and Anthony Parker for nothing.
yeah, i think most people underestimated the cavs for a long time. its a no brainer that cle would lose to orlando in the playoffs because of dwight/hedo pick n roll.there is no big man that can man him (except shaq– more experienced center) and delonte cannot defend a 6′8 SG.
even if garnet was present last yr the cavs can handle them. this season, orlando added carter but lost 2 key players. we’ll see if they can still play pick n roll good in enough with carter. boston added rasheed well he didn’t do well last yr and cle bigman can still contain him. adding parker and shaq for nothing is a win-win for the cavs. addressed their weakness. plus lebron is much hungrier this season. toronto made the best upgrade but we’ll see if the bench is deep enough. i see cavs making finals or conference finals at the least.
I think the Raptors will win the East next year, Bosh and Barn the best interior in the East, hedo is clutch and Jose will lead the league in assist, FT and FG%
Cavs’ fans, it is not talent that dooms this team but coaching, and management ! Coach Mike Brown must coach Lebron and not try to be his friend. Make him realize that he must use his enormous gifts within team concepts. The Chicago Bulls of the 90’s did not win titles until their star player Michael Jordan accepted, and played within the triangle offense! You have enough talent on this team to win a title but the coach must give his other players(Williams, Z, West. Gibson, Hickson, ect) the trust they deserve as pros. As far as Danny Ferry is concerned I would only ask why give Anderson Varejow a one demensional role player starter money when there were much better players out there ?
Orlando just got worse please keep in mind their biggest shot maker and occasional point guard is gone vince is less of a threat, the Shaq trade made us better but not great remember last year he did not play bad at all. The Cavs will when the East I actually have the spurs beating the Lakers this year though ( too many egos )
Orlando did not get worse. Yea they lost turk who was a big part of the playoff run, but he’s not irreplaceable. He was very inconsistent during the reg. season and during the playoffs… Carter is actually an upgrade IMO, a go-to scorer who can make big plays to stop scoring droughts, something the magic lacked last year. Cavs fans overlooked the magic last year also, and look what happened. We’ll see during the playoffs who really improved…
Non of you guys follow the league well enough to comment, if you look atht depth and experience of the Raps, you all should agree with me that Raps will win the East next year , Boston getting too old, Orlando just lost Hedo to Raptors and Cavs is nothing but LBJ,
U guyz that think Hedo is better than Vince are out of ur minds. A guy is on a wack team for a couple yrs then all of a sudden he’s not that good. Smh. How soon we 4get. The East will come down to Boston & Orlando wit Cleveland on their heels. The thought of the Raptors winning the East is a joke. The Lakers will definately win it all if they resign Odom, if not it will a lot tougher but they will still come out of the West on top. I don’t see the Spurs being a huge threat to the Lakers @ all.
VC is still a big time baller. If you don’t agree..then you don’t understand this game. It’s going to be great seeing the Cav’s and Orl. go at eachother in the ECF; but that’s only if Garnett is healthy enought to do something about it. (which I don’t think he will be)
-Hedo’s okay, I’m not complaining!
-Watch out for the Spurs, they’re going to be the gate crashers in the West.
-Shaq vs.?…I can’t wait to see this!
being a cavs fan, i liked the moves that the team made. one thing people fail to take into account is the cavs’ youth compared to the celtics and lakers. three of their four best players are 26 years old or younger (bron, mo and delonte) and should get better within the next 3-4 years. the celtics and the lakers, are full of players either at or past their primes, with little room for improvement. no matter who danny ferry bring in, the cavs core group of players (not including shaq) should continue to grow and mature together, improving their games simply by getting more accustomed to playing together. the magic are in the same boat; as long as they have dwight howard and jameer nelson, they will continue to improve.
Saying that the Magic have improved is absurd, Vince is not the player he once was, you lost Hedo, Courtney Lee, and Rafer Alston in the process. And gained Vince Carter, who is a minor upgrade of a turkoglu, but not worth losing a solid bench player in Lee and the PG that brought them to the finals in Alston.
also, anyone who thinks that a 36-year-old sheed will help the celtics more than a 37-year-old shaq will help the cavs is out of their mind. sheed can still bring it… but he essentially plays the same role that Z plays, albeit with more athleticism. he is nothing more than a jump shooter now, as is KG (i haven’t seen KG post up on anyone since he was a t-wolf). the celtics have no dominant offensive low post presence, and until dwight howard learns how to consistently play with his back to the basket, the cavs will dominate the paint throughout next years playoffs. until they get to san antonio, at least…. (gulp)
why do most of you guys think turkeyglue is irreplaceable? his numbers were down from a year ago. the only numbers that went up were the turnovers and wild shots. i watched almost every Magic game and thought hedo lost more games for us than won. clutch? i think he had two game winning shots all year including the playoffs. carter has never been around this much talent and i think he will be an all-star this year. Orlando Magic, your NBA champs for 2010!!!
vick Said,
July 18, 2009 @ 2:57 pm
Honestly, the players played great all season. They probably overachieved for most of the year and those expectations led to their “disappointment.” Mike Brown’s lack of big time coaching experience hurt them. For most of the conference finals his assistants were running the show during time outs, etc. I see the Cavs flopping again.
Treemeister Said,
July 18, 2009 @ 3:39 pm
I believe the Cavs will win the East and go up against the Lakers or the Blazers for the crown next year. On paper, the Cavs have more depth this year and have become more versatile with their ability to play half court or “run-and-gun”. Once again, their team defense will keep them in every game.
Danny Ferry did another great job of addressing the “weaknesses” exposed by the Magic last year - bigger perimeter defenders (Parker and Green) and someone to anchor the paint and keep Howard in check (Shaq).
I believe both the Celtics, Bulls and the Magic went down a notch.
I don’t know if they’ll win more than 66 games, but they will be better prepared for the playoffs this time.
John Said,
July 18, 2009 @ 6:49 pm
Treemeister, what are you talking about? The Celtics went down a notch? They are gonna be the most improved team in the East, and WILL win the East.
HOWEVER, nobody can beat the Lakers if they resign Lamar Odom.
Dwayne Said,
July 18, 2009 @ 8:50 pm
Do you honestly believe Cleveland is the top team in the East? Sure when you trade Sasha Pavolvic and Ben Wallace for Shaq, you get better automatically, but think about it, how much better did they really get? You got to remember, this is the Shaq at the end of his career, not in his prime. He is not the guy who is going to give you 25 and 12 but more like 16 and 8. Sure they got better in adding perimeter defenders, but they still lack star power to help Lebron. Anthony Parker? Danny Green? Come on man. An unproven vet, and a rookie, and you expect them to roll over Boston who added Wallace and Orlando with Vince (I know Hedo is gone but Vince is still a great pick up) They are still not deep enough to match with Boston and Orlando. I still think they are the third best team behind those two. I admit, the lost will definitely help them with the experience gained but you also have other deep teams such as Washington and Atlanta coming into the mix which will make it even harder. Now when I think about it, if Gilbert Arenas can get back to his playing days, Washington is even deeper than Cleveland with their acquisitions this summer. Cleveland still doesn’t have enough help for Lebron, and I think they will get exposed in the playoffs again.
maximust Said,
July 19, 2009 @ 1:36 am
Celtics is favorite for next year the frontcourt made of big nasty, big ticket and sheed is no match for a trowback shaq, varejo and Z but it will be an interssting matchup….lebron can still rack up 40, 50 but is team will suffer if it takes too much on is shoulders….celtics operate in a system that is based on sharing the ball a lot…and they usually go whit the hot hand!!! magic did some interesting move cant wait to see them versus cavs…who will be the superman…my answer is shaq but what dwight will do after being pubicly humiliated time after time….hope shaq didnt create a monster and hope he come healthy!
edgar jones Said,
July 19, 2009 @ 5:07 am
Surprised how many people aren’t picking the Cavs in the East next year. Orlando shot the lights out in that series and scored something like nine more total points, losing in the last seconds and in overtime - that series was closer than people are really remembering.
Of the big three teams in the East, only the Cavaliers have obviously improved. Orlando gained Vince Carter, but lost two starters in the process. Boston should be better with Garnett back - but that team is old, and Rasheed Wallace doesn’t make them any younger. And honestly, Rasheed Wallace kind of sucked last year. Cleveland, on the other hand, added Shaq and Anthony Parker for nothing.
mykjuks Said,
July 19, 2009 @ 7:09 am
yeah, i think most people underestimated the cavs for a long time. its a no brainer that cle would lose to orlando in the playoffs because of dwight/hedo pick n roll.there is no big man that can man him (except shaq– more experienced center) and delonte cannot defend a 6′8 SG.
even if garnet was present last yr the cavs can handle them. this season, orlando added carter but lost 2 key players. we’ll see if they can still play pick n roll good in enough with carter. boston added rasheed well he didn’t do well last yr and cle bigman can still contain him. adding parker and shaq for nothing is a win-win for the cavs. addressed their weakness. plus lebron is much hungrier this season. toronto made the best upgrade but we’ll see if the bench is deep enough. i see cavs making finals or conference finals at the least.
Gerard Himself Said,
July 19, 2009 @ 8:52 am
the most improved team in the East is Boston, John? Try Orlando. Not that I’m a Magic fan, but so far, they’ve improved the most.
T-Mac Said,
July 19, 2009 @ 10:29 am
I think the Raptors will win the East next year, Bosh and Barn the best interior in the East, hedo is clutch and Jose will lead the league in assist, FT and FG%
Orlando Jones Said,
July 19, 2009 @ 2:26 pm
I think the Raptors will win the right to be swept by on of the big 3 in the east. cmon… raptors?
P Lewis James Said,
July 20, 2009 @ 9:30 am
Cavs’ fans, it is not talent that dooms this team but coaching, and management ! Coach Mike Brown must coach Lebron and not try to be his friend. Make him realize that he must use his enormous gifts within team concepts. The Chicago Bulls of the 90’s did not win titles until their star player Michael Jordan accepted, and played within the triangle offense! You have enough talent on this team to win a title but the coach must give his other players(Williams, Z, West. Gibson, Hickson, ect) the trust they deserve as pros. As far as Danny Ferry is concerned I would only ask why give Anderson Varejow a one demensional role player starter money when there were much better players out there ?
nick Said,
July 20, 2009 @ 12:46 pm
Orlando just got worse please keep in mind their biggest shot maker and occasional point guard is gone vince is less of a threat, the Shaq trade made us better but not great remember last year he did not play bad at all. The Cavs will when the East I actually have the spurs beating the Lakers this year though ( too many egos )
bobby Said,
July 20, 2009 @ 7:37 pm
Orlando did not get worse. Yea they lost turk who was a big part of the playoff run, but he’s not irreplaceable. He was very inconsistent during the reg. season and during the playoffs… Carter is actually an upgrade IMO, a go-to scorer who can make big plays to stop scoring droughts, something the magic lacked last year. Cavs fans overlooked the magic last year also, and look what happened. We’ll see during the playoffs who really improved…
T-Mac Said,
July 20, 2009 @ 11:03 pm
Non of you guys follow the league well enough to comment, if you look atht depth and experience of the Raps, you all should agree with me that Raps will win the East next year , Boston getting too old, Orlando just lost Hedo to Raptors and Cavs is nothing but LBJ,
Craig Bailey Said,
July 21, 2009 @ 2:01 am
U guyz that think Hedo is better than Vince are out of ur minds. A guy is on a wack team for a couple yrs then all of a sudden he’s not that good. Smh. How soon we 4get. The East will come down to Boston & Orlando wit Cleveland on their heels. The thought of the Raptors winning the East is a joke. The Lakers will definately win it all if they resign Odom, if not it will a lot tougher but they will still come out of the West on top. I don’t see the Spurs being a huge threat to the Lakers @ all.
AG Baller Said,
July 21, 2009 @ 8:21 am
VC is still a big time baller. If you don’t agree..then you don’t understand this game. It’s going to be great seeing the Cav’s and Orl. go at eachother in the ECF; but that’s only if Garnett is healthy enought to do something about it. (which I don’t think he will be)
-Hedo’s okay, I’m not complaining!
-Watch out for the Spurs, they’re going to be the gate crashers in the West.
-Shaq vs.?…I can’t wait to see this!
GO RAPS!!!
JOE Said,
July 22, 2009 @ 8:45 am
The cavs and raptors are the most improved teams period. The cavs replaced sasha, ben, wally with Shaq, Parker, Moon…The cavs WILL win the east
AJ Said,
July 22, 2009 @ 12:43 pm
being a cavs fan, i liked the moves that the team made. one thing people fail to take into account is the cavs’ youth compared to the celtics and lakers. three of their four best players are 26 years old or younger (bron, mo and delonte) and should get better within the next 3-4 years. the celtics and the lakers, are full of players either at or past their primes, with little room for improvement. no matter who danny ferry bring in, the cavs core group of players (not including shaq) should continue to grow and mature together, improving their games simply by getting more accustomed to playing together. the magic are in the same boat; as long as they have dwight howard and jameer nelson, they will continue to improve.
Chris Said,
July 23, 2009 @ 12:21 am
Saying that the Magic have improved is absurd, Vince is not the player he once was, you lost Hedo, Courtney Lee, and Rafer Alston in the process. And gained Vince Carter, who is a minor upgrade of a turkoglu, but not worth losing a solid bench player in Lee and the PG that brought them to the finals in Alston.
AJ Said,
July 23, 2009 @ 10:47 am
also, anyone who thinks that a 36-year-old sheed will help the celtics more than a 37-year-old shaq will help the cavs is out of their mind. sheed can still bring it… but he essentially plays the same role that Z plays, albeit with more athleticism. he is nothing more than a jump shooter now, as is KG (i haven’t seen KG post up on anyone since he was a t-wolf). the celtics have no dominant offensive low post presence, and until dwight howard learns how to consistently play with his back to the basket, the cavs will dominate the paint throughout next years playoffs. until they get to san antonio, at least…. (gulp)
fort pierce blue Said,
July 23, 2009 @ 2:11 pm
why do most of you guys think turkeyglue is irreplaceable? his numbers were down from a year ago. the only numbers that went up were the turnovers and wild shots. i watched almost every Magic game and thought hedo lost more games for us than won. clutch? i think he had two game winning shots all year including the playoffs. carter has never been around this much talent and i think he will be an all-star this year. Orlando Magic, your NBA champs for 2010!!!