Posted By Lynn Worthy, Sun Staff
Celtics head coach Doc Rivers pointed out during Media Day that the Eastern Conference may not have gotten the respect it deserved in 2007-08. Going into this winter, plenty of teams in the conference appear poised for significant improvements.
“Philly is going to be tough,” Rivers said back on Media Day. “Toronto will be different. They’ll probably play an entirely different style, I’m assuming. You know, Miami is going to be tough. (Michael) Beasely is going to be a really good player, and after watching (Dwyane) Wade in the Olympics, we’re all scared again.”
The East figures to improve overall, and the Atlantic figures to make the “Titanic Division” moniker a distant memory. The Atlantic Division no longer houses the bottom of the barrel in the NBA. It could turn out to be the toughest division in the league this winter.
As the season gets going I’ll plan on giving some potential reasons to worry (we love worrying in New England) about challengers to the Boston Celtics’ throne.
RAPTORS NOTES:
- The 2008-09 Toronto Raptors figure to bare a very slight resemblance to the 2007-08 edition. An off-season trade dramatically reshaped the roster, and presumably the style of play the Raptors will employ. Point guard T.J. Ford now plays the Indiana Pacers, and he took center Rasho Nesterovic, forward Maceo Baston, and the rights to rookie Roy Hibbert along with him. Six-time NBA All-Star Jermaine O’Neal came back in return as well as the rights to Nathan Jawai, who played in Australia’s National Basketball League last season.
- Just like that, a size surplus has developed in Toronto. O’Neal (6-11, 260) and Jawai (6-10, 280) join a front court group which includes Andrea Bargnani (7-0, 250) and All-Star forward and Olympian Chris Bosh (6-10, 230). The Raptors rebounding differential last season was-1.54 (22nd in the NBA), and they were also near the bottom of the league in blocked shots (25th, 4.09 per game).
- Shooting should still be a strength for the Raptors. Jose Calderon is a better outside shooter at the point guard position. (37 percent from 3-point in his career compared to 31 percent for Ford). Jason Kapono remains one of the most accurate long-range shooters in NBA history (46 percent for his career). The 7-foot Bargnani isn’t shy about taking stepping out and shooting from behind the three-point line (36 percent, 529 attempts in two seasons). This matters to Celtics fans because their defensive philosophy puts a lot of emphasis on players being in position to play help defense. It also makes means they can, at times, be susceptible to teams that stretching the defense with shooters.
- A thing to keep an eye on will be the how the Raptors progress as the season goes along. Not only did the roster undergo plenty of changes, but they’ve also had plenty of injuries. Recently reports have had Toronto with as little as nine healthy bodies for a team practice. Adjustments may continue well into the season.