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ESPN’s early Power Rankings place Raptors at 13

By Brian Boake

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Marc Stein of ESPN, one of the best minds in hoops reporting, has been doing NBA Power Rankings for a long time. He’s released his training camp edition of Power Rankings, and has ranked the Toronto Raptors in the #13 position.

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What’s interesting to me are a few of the Eastern Conference teams he’s ranked above ours. He regards the Cleveland Cavaliers as theleague’ssecond-bestsquad, and has the Atlanta Hawks at #9. Stein, like everyone else on this planet, views the West as Best, a conclusion I can’t argue with. However, he surprises me by ranking the Miami HEAT at 10, and the Milwaukee Bucks at 12.

Nov 2, 2014; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat forward Chris Bosh (1) looks to shoot the ball as Toronto Raptors forward James Johnson (3) defends in the second half at American Airlines Arena. The Heat won107-102. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports

I feel rather lonely with my belief that Miami is being given a lot more pre-season hype and high expectations than the team warrants. While they certainly should be better than last year’s 37-45 record (they were hamstrung by the scary health problem which sidelined ex-Raptor Chris Bosh, and Dwyane Wade’s injured knee), I can’t see them as a 50-win monster.

Milwaukee’s positioning is more plausible. I’m not in love with the Greg Monroe signing, but at least he checks a box for them in the front court. In other words, I don’t view him as The Man, but getting out of Detroit might be just what he needed to step up his game. Continued improvement from this young team’s core should be expected, and I can easily see them as a 45-win challenger.

The NBA’s rule changes about playoff seedings, which were announced this summer, increase our interest in the fate of other Eastern contenders. The Raptors should win the Atlantic Division title once again, but that accomplishment(?) no longer guarantees a top-4 seeding.

Stein places the Raptors at #6 in the East in effect, which is a touch low in my view. Where we differ is who’s in front of our team, Cleveland and Atlanta excepted. I think Stein has overrated the impact on the Washington Wizards of the departure of Paul (Raptor Slayer) Pierce. The Wiz’ kids are only getting better, and Pierce’s regular season contributions should be easily replaceable. I’d flip Miami to #16 and Washington to #10 overall.

The Raptors are deeper than the Bucks. Chicago is already having injury problems, and the season hasn’t even started! Mike (Instant Offense) Dunleavy has undergone back surgery. I’m not placing the Bulls behind our team yet, but like Miami, they could tumble rapidly due to ongoing health issues with their key players.

The other team I think Stein is undervaluing is the Boston Celtics. He has them just behind our guys, and I’ll modify my earlier statement slightly to say the Celtics are the Raptors’ only serious Atlantic challenger. Our team should have enough to fend them off, but I won’t be surprised if I’m wrong.

A final thought: Stein ranks the Indiana Pacers at #19. I understand his reasoning, but if there’s an Eastern dark horse, it’s these guys.

Next: How do new playoff seeding rules affect Raptors?

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