Atlantic Notes: Chris Smith, Raptors, C’s

Let’s check out a few of the latest items from out of the Atlantic Division….

• The Knicks have assigned Chris Smith to the D-League, the team announced today (Twitter link). The regular season is set to get underway for the Erie BayHawks later this week, so Smith should get a chance to earn the minutes he wasn’t seeing in New York.
• Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun believes the Raptors, as constructed, could be a playoff team in the East this season. However, Wolstat doesn’t endorse building around the current core long-term, suggesting that the pieces don’t really fit together. Wolstat adds (via Twitter) that what should be done with the roster and what can be done are two different things, since teams aren’t exactly “beating down [the] doors” to trade for Rudy Gay, DeMar DeRozan, or Kyle Lowry.
• The Celtics‘ offseason roster moves have forced Jeff Green into a more prominent role, but he may be miscast as a focal point of the offense, observes Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald.
• Earlier today, we rounded up several Knicks rumors and passed along Danny Ainge‘s comments on Rajon Rondo trade rumors.