This year’s Atlantic Division may wind up being one of the worst divisions in NBA history. Excluding the Raptors, who will almost certainly repeat as back-to-back Atlantic Division Champions, the Nets, Knicks, Celtics, and 76ers are a combined 40-108. There are two teams that are trying to lose, another that is on a 15 game losing streak, and a fourth team that is stuck in mediocrity. When will any of these teams be able to challenge the Raptors? Which team will have the quickest path to success?
The Celtics and 76ers are two teams in full-out tank mode. Over the past few years they have traded players like Rajon Rondo, Jrue Holiday, Evan Turner, Jeff Green, Spencer Hawes, and Thaddeus Young for the sole purpose of obtaining draft picks and/or salary cap space. Since the goal of these two teams is to lose, it is no surprise that they both sit towards the bottom of the standings. Regardless of their strategies, the Celtics and 76ers are both pathetic teams with a dearth of talent and experience at nearly every position.
The Knicks on the other hand, entered the 2014-15 campaign with their sights set on a return to the postseason. To say the very least, the Knickerbockers haven’t quite performed as well as they had hoped. With just 5 wins in 40 games, New York currently sits with the worst record in the NBA. Phil Jackson and the front office aren’t tanking, but they have come to the understanding that this year isn’t going to be their year, as shown by the salary dumps of swingmen Iman Shumpert and JR Smith.
As for the fourth bad team in the Atlantic Division, the Nets are a team stuck with overpaid, overrated, and aging “stars,” with the term, “stars,” being used loosely due to their lackluster play as of late. Brooklyn has made the playoffs in each of the past two seasons, and probably will again this year due to the lack of depth in the Eastern Conference; however, they’ve never made it past the East Semis, nor have they reached 50 wins. With a scarcity of young talent outside of Mason Plumlee, the future doesn’t look bright for the Nets. On the bright side, at least they aren’t as bad as the other three teams for this season.
The Toronto Raptors are a very good basketball team, and they luckily get to feast on a heavy dose of games against Boston, Philadelphia, Brooklyn, and New York this season. The Raptors are the only team in the NBA to be undefeated against divisional opponents, and I would be surprised if that changes from now to April. The resilience of coach Dwayne Casey and point guard Kyle Lowry has allowed Toronto to withstand the early injury to All-Star guard DeMar Derozan; the Raptors currently have the second best record in the East and remain a legitimate threat to win the conference. If this division goes down as the worst of all time, it’s a shame that the Raptors would have to be a part of it.
So, which team that plays in the United States will be the next to win the Atlantic Division crown? The future for each team appears to be very different.
- The Celtics have way too many draft picks to count over the next two years, along with the savviness and intelligence of GM Danny Ainge.
- The 76ers have already drafted some quality young players, and they will only continue to add to their impressive accumulation of youth in the future.
- As a team who plays in the Mecca of Basketball, the Knicks will rely on signing free agents. They also have their 2015 first round pick, which will almost definitely be in the top five. Fans can hope that a player like Marc Gasol decides to come to New York, but is it realistic to assume that such a good player would come to such a bad team?
- And to round it out, the Nets really have no clear plan for the future. With a lack of young players and draft picks, it can be assured that they will struggle mightily in the future.
If I had to choose one team to defeat the Raptors in the next few years, I would have to go with the Boston Celtics. I simply have more trust in Danny Ainge than I do with any of the other general managers, and they have an abundance of draft picks, as well as cap space. However, until the draft picks can develop into quality NBA players, the Raptors will own the Atlantic for many years to come.
The Atlantic Division is an utter embarrassment, yet it would somehow send two teams to the playoffs if the season ended today. As for the rest of the 2014-15 season, there is no reason to believe that the losing won’t continue in the northeast.
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