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Originally Posted by Bubb Rubb
I think Toronto is lowkey the best team in the East right now. At least they have chosen a clear path instead of what we and Portland did. I thought Wall should have been traded, because it was clear he and Beal don't mesh all that well. Now it's going to be barely scraping by in the middle of the NBA until they age out of relevance. Signing Dwight is a good move, once he complains about not getting enough post touches, I think everything will come to a head.
It's sad because I thought after 2016, this Wall-Beal duo was going to make the jump. I thought paying Otto Porter that much money is going to send us to cap hell for a long time.
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If we use the age old logic that the team can only go as far as the resident superstar can take them then for sure it is Toronto. They have the best player in the Eastern Conference now by a significantly massive margin with Kawhi Leonard. It isn't even close honestly. They have what I consider one of the best four NBA players in the league right now (along with LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Anthony Davis). Kawhi is also just 27, usually majority of the NBA players peak at age 28 - see Curry's unanimous MVP season (2016), Harden's MVP season (2018), LeBron's last and most dominant MVP season (2013), Westbrook's MVP season (2017), Kobe's MVP season (2008), so on and so forth, all at age 28. Toronto's got themselves a bonafide elite two-way talent, probably for the first time ever in franchise history, and they've got him at the absolute peak of his playing career.
They also have a secondary All-Star in Kyle Lowry and a good third banana in Serge Ibaka to round out a formidable roster, though there's question marks with Ibaka's consistency. They also have the versatility to play either small or big, they can control the pace, space, and tempo with the personnel that they have. They can hit shots inside and knockdown jumpers from the outside. They're just superbly stacked and they traded DeRozan for a bonafide closer in Kawhi. They also got Danny Green along with Kawhi Leonard, which is a huge two-way pick up for them too. Toronto last season was Top 5 in offense and defense, which is key to going deep and they have spectacular bench depth with lots of high energy and skilled youngsters. No doubt about it, they're going to be an epically fun team to follow all season and Toronto will go places that their franchise never has before. I'm thrilled for them, about damn time.
The Eastern Conference is finally entertaining now. Boston also has such a formidable team, their starting 5 of Kyrie Irving, Gordon Hayward, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, and Al Horford is spectacular and their second unit is better than like 24 NBA teams' first unit with Terry Rozier, Marcus Smart, Marcus Morris, Aron Baynes, and filler. Remember when the 76ers swapped their pick with Boston and drafted Markelle Fultz (so far a bust)? They should have just drafted Jayson Tatum, then they'd have a bonafide elite two-way future superstar who would fill a position of need for them (the small forward spot) and would have kept him out of Boston's grasp but Bryan Colangelo is an idiot, now he's set them back by a number of years and affirmed Boston's control over the East longterm. They're going nowhere.
Boston versus Toronto is easily going to be an entertaining 7 game series and both are legit teams next season. I could see that series going either direction but like you I also think that Toronto has the metal to edge out the Celtics next season. Only question mark for Toronto is with regard to the quality of coaching and scheming from Nick Nurse but if he's even halfway competent, this team will have a high ceiling for sure.
Barring injury, the East has something legit to build off of and look forward to next season. I cannot remember the last time the East was more than a 1-team conference, I think we have to go back to 2010 for that when it was all open to all comers. The last 8 years have been the LeBron James show, the Beast of the East feasting on the least of the East. Even the teams that took a LeBron James-led team to 7 always had a sense of vulnerability about them that made them suspect contenders. Not anymore!
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