1. Detroit Pistons: A lot of people probably expect Cleveland to finish first in the Central Division. But with a new coach in Michael Curry, and the ever improving young bench, the Pistons will have an edge over the Cavaliers, although it will be an interesting battle all year long. Curry, a former defensive specialist himself, will hold his players accountable, which former coach Flip Saunders allegedly did not. Curry said Amir Johnson will get the starting nod along with the usual suspects; Billups, Rip, Prince and Sheed at center. That means veteran forward Antonio McDyess will come off the bench, providing leadership to the über-athletic Jason Maxiell, Kwame Brown and the very talented guard Rodney Stuckey. The core of the team might be getting older, but with such a deep rotation they should be competitive throughout the season, and end up first in this division. I would like to see a rematch against the Celtics in the Conference Finals in 2009; who wouldn’t?
2. Cleveland Cavaliers: Mo Williams mo’ problems. For opponents, that is. I know a lot of people think Mo Williams isn’t the solution to the Cavs’ problems, but he sure is part of that solution. Finally a guy who is a legitimate scorer, a pretty good point guard who can run with LeBron. But the thing with the Cavs is that every season their roster is always missing something. Adding Williams was a great move, and I liked how well Delonte West performed in last season’s playoffs. But what about the rest? Wally Szczerbiak should not be a starter. Nice to have him shooting 3’s as a sub, but since he doesn’t defend, he should come off the bench. Pavlovic is inconsistent, Daniel Gibson is a great shooter, but not really a point guard, and too small for playing the shooting guard position. Ben Wallace is getting older, and provides zero offense. Big Z, Zydrunas Ilgauskas is a more than decent center, but you can’t ask 40 minutes out of this guy anymore. So that leaves us with? Anderson Varejao? That’s not enough. Yes, a superstar like LeBron James will take you to the playoffs, or maybe even to the Finals, but a championship is out of reach.
3. Milwaukee Bucks: With this roster they deserve to be in third place (in this blog I mean), and if the Bucks somehow manage to miss the playoffs, we should all point a finger at new coach Scott Skiles. The Bucks are a great mix between veteran and young players. Acquiring Richard Jefferson from the New Jersey Nets will take the pressure off Michael Redd to be the main scorer every night. Andrew Bogut is quietly emerging in one of the best centers in the East, and can only get better. Wit Maurice Williams now gone, Ramon Sessions will probably start at the point guard position, and it will be interesting to see if he’s able to carry the team through a whole season. Charlie Bell is also a guard who can play, but he might be the forgotten man in the rotation, which is a shame. Rumors are Francisco Elson (one of two Dutchmen on this team!) will start, with Charlie Villanueva coming off the bench. Milwaukee also has promising rookie in Joe Alexander, so again: they have to make the playoffs, or else this season is a waste.
4. Chicago Bulls: I don’t know what to make of this team. Promising? Ready to implode? Playoff material? The latter should be the case, but last season was such a disappointment, I really wonder what new coach Vinny Del Negro will do to get them back on track. In Derrick Rose the Bulls have a great young point guard who will be asked to do a lot for this team. Where does this leave Kirk Hinrich? I’ve read that he might switch to the 2-spot, but will that work? And what about Larry Hughes? Since they also have Thabo Sefolosha on the roster, will Hughes get traded when February comes around? Then again, who would be willing to take on his contract anyway? Speaking of guards and trades, where will Ben Gordon be in February? A lot of questions surround this great franchise, but with Rose, Luol Deng, Tyrus Thomas, Andres Nocioni and even Joakim Noah, they should still be able to win more games than they will lose. But playoffs are not a certainty in Chicago anymore.
5. Indiana Pacers: As of right now, Jamaal Tinsley is still a Pacer. But when he’s gone, a new era has started in Indiana. Artest, Jackson, O’Neal, all gone. You might want to call it rebuilding, but the foundation is already there. One of the better and maybe underrated small forwards of the NBA is Danny Granger, obviously the one player Larry Bird wants to build around in the near future. Getting T.J. Ford on board was a smart decision. Let’s just hope we never have to see Ford getting carried off the court again. My heart stops a split-second when I saw him lying motionless on the court in the past, absolutely horrible. But when he gets it going, it’s hard to stop him, he’s that quick. Mike Dunleavy jr. really blossomed since being brought over from Golden State to the Pacers, but other that, this will be a long season for Pacer fans. And with “season” I mean the regular season, because with all those improved teams in the East, it will be difficult for them to crack the top eight.
2. Cleveland Cavaliers: Mo Williams mo’ problems. For opponents, that is. I know a lot of people think Mo Williams isn’t the solution to the Cavs’ problems, but he sure is part of that solution. Finally a guy who is a legitimate scorer, a pretty good point guard who can run with LeBron. But the thing with the Cavs is that every season their roster is always missing something. Adding Williams was a great move, and I liked how well Delonte West performed in last season’s playoffs. But what about the rest? Wally Szczerbiak should not be a starter. Nice to have him shooting 3’s as a sub, but since he doesn’t defend, he should come off the bench. Pavlovic is inconsistent, Daniel Gibson is a great shooter, but not really a point guard, and too small for playing the shooting guard position. Ben Wallace is getting older, and provides zero offense. Big Z, Zydrunas Ilgauskas is a more than decent center, but you can’t ask 40 minutes out of this guy anymore. So that leaves us with? Anderson Varejao? That’s not enough. Yes, a superstar like LeBron James will take you to the playoffs, or maybe even to the Finals, but a championship is out of reach.
3. Milwaukee Bucks: With this roster they deserve to be in third place (in this blog I mean), and if the Bucks somehow manage to miss the playoffs, we should all point a finger at new coach Scott Skiles. The Bucks are a great mix between veteran and young players. Acquiring Richard Jefferson from the New Jersey Nets will take the pressure off Michael Redd to be the main scorer every night. Andrew Bogut is quietly emerging in one of the best centers in the East, and can only get better. Wit Maurice Williams now gone, Ramon Sessions will probably start at the point guard position, and it will be interesting to see if he’s able to carry the team through a whole season. Charlie Bell is also a guard who can play, but he might be the forgotten man in the rotation, which is a shame. Rumors are Francisco Elson (one of two Dutchmen on this team!) will start, with Charlie Villanueva coming off the bench. Milwaukee also has promising rookie in Joe Alexander, so again: they have to make the playoffs, or else this season is a waste.
4. Chicago Bulls: I don’t know what to make of this team. Promising? Ready to implode? Playoff material? The latter should be the case, but last season was such a disappointment, I really wonder what new coach Vinny Del Negro will do to get them back on track. In Derrick Rose the Bulls have a great young point guard who will be asked to do a lot for this team. Where does this leave Kirk Hinrich? I’ve read that he might switch to the 2-spot, but will that work? And what about Larry Hughes? Since they also have Thabo Sefolosha on the roster, will Hughes get traded when February comes around? Then again, who would be willing to take on his contract anyway? Speaking of guards and trades, where will Ben Gordon be in February? A lot of questions surround this great franchise, but with Rose, Luol Deng, Tyrus Thomas, Andres Nocioni and even Joakim Noah, they should still be able to win more games than they will lose. But playoffs are not a certainty in Chicago anymore.
5. Indiana Pacers: As of right now, Jamaal Tinsley is still a Pacer. But when he’s gone, a new era has started in Indiana. Artest, Jackson, O’Neal, all gone. You might want to call it rebuilding, but the foundation is already there. One of the better and maybe underrated small forwards of the NBA is Danny Granger, obviously the one player Larry Bird wants to build around in the near future. Getting T.J. Ford on board was a smart decision. Let’s just hope we never have to see Ford getting carried off the court again. My heart stops a split-second when I saw him lying motionless on the court in the past, absolutely horrible. But when he gets it going, it’s hard to stop him, he’s that quick. Mike Dunleavy jr. really blossomed since being brought over from Golden State to the Pacers, but other that, this will be a long season for Pacer fans. And with “season” I mean the regular season, because with all those improved teams in the East, it will be difficult for them to crack the top eight.
2 comments:
We have the same analysis of how can the Cavs fare this season with o on board with them.. The Pistons will still dominate this division, unless the Bucks fully understand and use their potential (Jefferson and Redd)
In regards with the Bulls, I don't know how to call them this season. Probably will see them busy this coming February.
You will go to Bulls games? Man, I live in the wrong country.
I'm a Nets fan, but it would be awesome to see some games in person. I did went to one pre-season game in 2001 in Orlando, vs Houston, but that's different than a "real" game, you know.
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