A Quick Look At The Atlantic

[Jestor]

Division Of Former Champions Now The Middest Of Mid

Remember when the Brooklyn Nets were one of the most feared franchises, and the Philadelphia 76ers were a blue chip organization? When the Boston Celtics had the De'Aaron Fox years, and Luka Doncic alone was enough for the New York Knicks? That's all gone now. Mediocrity defines the division so far this season.

Boston Celtics (15-13)
Overall Snapshot
A young team with a resurrected Tyrese Maxey who is somehow still only 25, a raft of point guards, some of the most elite rebounders in the league, and Kaiser Gates, the only player on this team older than 27. That's just how young these Celtics are.
Major Issues
For all its declared commitment to defense, the Cs are allowing 101.3 points a game and are on the - side in +/- points per game. Their best shotblocker, rookie Donovan Clignan, is rotting on the bench when he should be the starting center, because the wings and power forward spots have no one who can turn the ball over, and when you can't force turnovers, that's not a recipe for anything higher than mediocrity. Point guards are primarily quantity over quality - Damion Baugh can't hit a 3 point shot and they're running a Pace & Space offense last I looked, when a PG who can't hit a 3 demands that the offense be Grind or Post, so there's a system issue at play here, too. Why is Franz Wagner starting? Why is he even on this team? He adds nothing of value.
Projected Direction
They have all their picks, so can go any direction (also pick #30 because it's highly doubtful anyone catches the Heat this year).
Trade Block
Only two minor players who aren't going to move the needle. They should be much more ambitious - Maxey, Moneke, and Clignan should be the only untouchables at the moment, with everyone else dealt out for much better fitting pieces around them, or a consolidation move. A PG who can hit the ATB is Priority Item #1 if they're going to continue insisting on P&S.

Philadelphia 76ers (15-14)
Overall Snapshot
Roster churn is the name of the game in the City of Brotherly Love. Blink, and this will look completely different by Day 60 again. Still, no one in the CSL believes more in Terry Taylor than the 76ers, who despite most scouts consider being a one-note player as a rebounder, keeps getting PT and money to play for them.
Major Issues
There doesn't seem to be a real identity after the Simons/Okuo for Alvarado/Tillman deal, and that's not surprising. Every team that has traded or lost Simons has ultimately come to regret it - Minnesota was never a contender again after losing him in FA, New Orleans was stuck in play-in purgatory before appearing to maybe have finally righted the ship this season (though second half swoons are common for the Pelicans, so don't hold your breath just yet).
Projected Direction
Trades, trades, and more trades. They have their own 36 and 38 1sts. The front office hates losing, though, so don't expect an actual rebuild to happen. Look for perhaps more targeted moves to re-establish an identity. A true center that allows Tillman to shift to his natural PF spot would be a top priority, given Darren Holmes II's rookie struggles.

New York Knicks (14-14)
They need a GM. That is all.

Brooklyn Nets (9-17)
Overall Snapshot
Oh, how the mighty have fallen. SGA and Ayton were once the most feared 1-2 punch in the CSL, and they still are, but the wins aren't coming... and a quick look reveals why.
Major Issues
Every single player on this roster not named SGA or Ayton is a bench player at this point in their careers. Not one single player would be even a fifth starter on a contender. Small wonder wins have been hard to come by. It's just a group of mediocre, overall unskilled players.
Trade Block
They're offering everyone except super-raw Ron Holland and SGA. This is a mistake. It will take years to rebuild the roster, and SGA is 29 years old. He should absolutely be moved for a premium package that will help kickstart this rebuild. Ayton is 32 years old and a large expiring. No doubt there will be suitors for his half-season rental, but the return will be nowhere close to what the Nets are hoping for. They can not afford the same depreciation of value that SGA will experience and need to sell now.

Toronto Raptors (4-26)
Overall Snapshot
The annual Atlantic doormats stuck in a long, grinding rebuild. Everyone is pissed off. There's pieces here in Sharpe, The Snail, Emoni Bates, and Mays, but that's about it.
Major Issues
Not a single Raptor is a good rebounder. Goga Bitadze is the only one who's okay. That's forced The Snail to be a center when his best spot is as a stretch 4, and the Post Offense has been terrible for him. There's a lack of rim protection overall - no shotblockers here either, and they're weirdly playing a M2M defensive scheme when they don't have the players to support it. There's enough 3 point shooters in Mays, AA, Jones, Levi, eventually Sharpe, and probably Snail to justify trying a Perimeter or Seven Seconds offense, depending on the distribution of their 3 point shooting abilities. Things certainly can't get any worse.
Trade Block
Their math is slightly off. $21 million in expiring contracts, not $25 million is what we're seeing as a rough estimate. But the right idea is here - expiring contracts for future assets, hanging on to the building blocks while also willing to consider moving Snail in the right situation.

[Tulogit2Quit]

Okay to be fair, Franz Wagner was just filling in for that one game at starter, its his only start of the season

The roster definitely isn't a finished product and have had a lot of deals in the works that have almost crossed the finished line, but have fallen a part near the end. Constantly looking to improve and have liked the progression of the young guys so far this season. Have been tinkering a lot with the different playstyles this season to see what works with this group of guys. Enjoyed the write up

[rh0xxy]

Nice recap, Tim. Yeah, it's unusual to see the Atlantic like this, a proud division that produces a number of championships already but don't take these teams for granted lol

As for us, a slow start, not having our pick next year and cap issues forced us to trade Simons and Okouo, we would have kept Simons atleast but it wasn't meant to be.

Taylor has become one of my favorite players in CSL and with that great contract, it would be really hard for me to let him go but never say never lol

[Flaming Homer]

I think Boston is surprisingly good already. He had his philosophy of all out defense in place and followed it through.
The team plays way better than I would have expected that early. Curios to see how the project will proceed.

Brooklyn needs refreshing and the same will be true for the Knicks whenever they have a new GM. Old rosters ...

With Rhox you never know what rabbit he pulls out of the hat next
And Alvarado and Tillman made the team at least a little younger and gives him more time for the next round of trades.

[cb4raptorscb4]

It's pretty wild how badly the Knicks and Nets have fallen. They were so talented previously, but having no GM obviously hurts

[hardenwithnod]

Yeah, this division is definitely quite a bit weaker due lack of GMs this year. I do expect Philly to bounce back though, and Boston is doing pretty well.