GM Roy:Well last year was a solid. We won 50 games, made the playoffs, but fell short of the ultimate goal. Boozer and Hunter established themselves as one of the better frontcourts in the league. Francis was having a 6th Man of the Year type season until he got injured, but continued his excellent play in that role throughout the playoffs. And it appeared we finally found our true PG in Rafer Alston who controlled the game and provided solid defense. We were also very pleased with rookie Charlie Villanueva. He provided solid minutes off the bench and was rewarded with being named to the All Rookie First Team.
We let a 2 game lead slip away against the eventual Eastern Conference Champion Milauwakee Bucks and I'd be lying if I said I haven't lost any sleep over it. But we moved on, RFA came and went we brought back Salmons and Boozer which was what we had planned to do regardless of the contracts handed out. With all of our cap tied up we had to make a choice, run it back with the exact same team and hope TC is kind to us, or make a change. We had been looking for a wing player or more traditional shooting guard since we formed our unconventional backcourt with the undersized combo of combo guards Terry and Francis. We've had our eye on Larry Hughes for a few seasons now, and when the opportunity presented itself to sign and trade for him we went for it. Hughes is 2 years younger than Terry, taller, plays defense, and fits into our inside focused offense quite nicely.
But most importantly our core four are under contract for at least the next 2 years, are all in their prime (average age of 25.5), and have their roles carved out for them quite nicely. Hunter is the defensive anchor who is developing an offensive game, Boozer is the primary scoring option and moster down low, Salmons scores and shoots 3's, and Hughes will be a perimeter defender and volume scorer as well. Add to the fact Francis is the 6th man and Chuck V had another impressive TC and we added vets Anthony Carter and Shandon Anderson. We really like what we have in this team for 2006.
Random Reporter: With Hughes now in the fold and Alston emerging as a capable floor general, where does this leave longtime Celtic Steve Francis? Will he come off the bench as a sixth man?
Xist2Inspire wrote:Random Reporter: With Hughes now in the fold and Alston emerging as a capable floor general, where does this leave longtime Celtic Steve Francis? Will he come off the bench as a sixth man?
He excelled in this role last season up until he got hurt. That's the plan again going into this season. We love what he brings to our offense and his ability to create his own shot and get to the free throw line.
Discuss the gradual rise of the Atlantic conference. Do you think the trend continues this seasons? Do you think the likes of the Nets and the Sixers will give you fits? Or do you think that the division belongs to you?
coltsguy510 wrote:Is Carlos Boozer the best PF in the league?
I think he's in the conversation. But to say he is definitively the best is probably premature. Chris Bosh may be the best PF in the league IMO. Dirk is also still putting up monster numbers, and Tim Thomas is as versatile as ever. But we are very happy with where Boozer is at as a player.
IamQuailman wrote:Discuss the gradual rise of the Atlantic conference. Do you think the trend continues this seasons? Do you think the likes of the Nets and the Sixers will give you fits? Or do you think that the division belongs to you?
We may as well call it the Atlantic Conference instead of just division. I think 4 of the top 5 seeds came from the Atlantic and it's become a very competitive division. Add to that the Nets have put together a scary roster, the Heat still have Kemp, Rose, AI, and Lebron, and the Wizards have a top 5 player on their team. I am worried about the combo of Gasol and Kaman in Jersey, and Philly sucks.
ballsohard wrote:People in Boston say Celtic green is for luck, but there are many other theories by people outside of Boston for example:
-The color of money since you overpay players
- The color of blue potential players after TC
-The color of envy of you towards recently relevant GMS
no questions here just a kind Frye you from philly you baby back bitch
I'll address these one by one
-The color of money since you overpay players - This is correct the color of money is in fact green, congrats on not being color blind dipshit
- The color of blue potential players after TC - What the frye is wrong with your spacing in these questions, Larry Johnson says hi
-The color of envy of you towards recently relevant GMS - Oh you want something recently relevant, Tayshaun Prince says hi
ballsohard wrote:People in Boston say Celtic green is for luck, but there are many other theories by people outside of Boston for example:
-The color of money since you overpay players
- The color of blue potential players after TC
-The color of envy of you towards recently relevant GMS
no questions here just a kind Frye you from philly you baby back bitch
I'll address these one by one
-The color of money since you overpay players - This is correct the color of money is in fact green, congrats on not being color blind dipshit
- The color of blue potential players after TC - What the frye is wrong with your spacing in these questions, Larry Johnson says hi
-The color of envy of you towards recently relevant GMS - Oh you want something recently relevant, Tayshaun Prince says hi
My response to all of this. Bojangles and Lady Luck says hi, dipshit!
IamQuailman wrote:Discuss the gradual rise of the Atlantic conference. Do you think the trend continues this seasons? Do you think the likes of the Nets and the Sixers will give you fits? Or do you think that the division belongs to you?
We may as well call it the Atlantic Conference instead of just division. I think 4 of the top 5 seeds came from the Atlantic and it's become a very competitive division. Add to that the Nets have put together a scary roster, the Heat still have Kemp, Rose, AI, and Lebron, and the Wizards have a top 5 player on their team. I am worried about the combo of Gasol and Kaman in Jersey, and Philly sucks.
To piggyback on this subject, how long do you think it is until the Hawks are back to their dominant form and the rest of the Central rides their coattail back to the top of the conference again?