good bench players, some of those bench players will have to start. A good bench is nice, but it's the quality of the starters that will win or lose most of your games. Assuming that Lowry, Fields, Derozan, AB, and A. Johnson are starting, you'd likely have Calderon, Ross, JV, Kleiza, and Davis coming off bench, correct? I think that's a good bench squad with potential but with 2 possibly 3 rooks (acy) it's unproven. I can't assume that each of those guys is gonna have a break-out year. With the exception of Lowry, I'd also argue that the starting roster will be subpar in terms of a playoff team -- especially given that we play in the atlantic... It is a bench with a lot of potential. Do we get starter quality Jose? Do we get Olympic effort Kleiza? Does Davis keep improving? Do JV and Ross keep their fouls under control and can those boys even keep up with the men they will be playing against? If the answers are yes to all, then we will make the playoffs. If there are even one or two NOs then it is very questionable. The starters should mesh well, and be roughly mid pack vs the rest of the leagues other starters. If Lowry keeps improving, if Fields bounces back, if DD starts playing D, if we get 13 game sample AB back, and if Amir and Gray can adapt to playing with Lowry, then we have a real chance.