NBA 2007-2008 Preview: Central Division

1) Detroit Pistons

The Pistons' starting five is too talented for the team to fall off the map.

In fact, few teams' lineups have an advantage over Chauncey Billups, Rip Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince, Rasheed Wallace, and Antonio McDyess.

That said, unless radical changes are made, Detroit’s reign as a perennial championship contender is over.

With Larry Brown’s consistent nagging long gone, the Pistons have forgotten how to play steady defense. The days of Hamilton endlessly running opponents through mazes of screens are also finished.

Instead, Flip Saunders has his squad playing post-up, isolation, one-on-one basketball.

That style might succeed in the regular season, but against physical defenses—see the Heat and the Cavs—the Piston offense stagnates.

If Saunders revitalizes the commitment to defense, if the Pistons can get any production out of a listless bench, and if Rasheed Wallace stops blaming others for his own mental frailty, maybe Detroit can climb back to where they were under Brown

Until then, the Pistons will be less than what they could be—a championship ball club.

2) Chicago Bulls

The Bulls are good—but not that good.

Yes, they play great defense, and yes, they play with maximum effort all the time. But that tenacity comes with a price.

When an opponent matches their intensity level, the Bulls lack the extra gear to separate themselves from their opponents.

What's more, the Bulls still lack a go-to scorer. For all of Luol Deng’s talents, athletic defenders can neutralize him. And despite Ben Gordon’s soft jumper and slick drives, his lack of size means taller defenders give him trouble.

Another problem: While the focus on energy, hustle, tempo, and perimeter shooting works great at home, it leaves the Bulls toothless in harsh road conditions.

A post scorer would help tremendously, as would a time machine for Ben Wallace.

But since neither of those things exist in Chicago, once again the Bulls will be good—but not that good.

3) Cleveland Cavaliers

It’s hard to imagine Cleveland returning to the NBA Finals.

They got by last season with defensive execution, offensive rebounding, and LeBron James’ brilliance.

But with Anderson Varejao still unsigned, the Cavs stand to lose one of their best defenders and one of their most important rebounders.

Without Varejao's energy, the Cavalier defense becomes incredibly stale and stagnant.

And how will Mike Brown employ LeBron this year? While James is a terrific creator, he should be used more as a finisher than a facilitator.

Given the utter lack of playmakers on the Cavalier roster, it will be up to LeBron to do anything and everything for Cleveland’s offense.

Donyell Marshall and Damon Jones are little more than one-dimensional shooters who fail in the clutch.

Daniel Gibson is more of a spot-up shooter than a point guard. Larry Hughes is talented, but has disappointed in Cleveland.

Zydrunas Ilgauskas is still a boulder on the offensive glass, and a strong defender to boot, but his finer skills are deteriorating with age.

Drew Gooden is the only player on the roster besides LeBron who can create his own shot, but his poor decision-making and inability to avoid stupid fouls hold him back.

All this adds up to the Cavs once again needing LeBron to be Superman. While I won't doubt his ability to don the cape and tights, anything less from him will result in much less for Cleveland.

4) Milwaukee Bucks

The Bucks should be able to contend for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

Their guards are prolific scorers: Mo Williams has both a quality jumper and quickness off the dribble, and Michael Redd’s jump shot is rivaled only by Ray Allen’s.

At the 3, Desmond Mason is a physical defender and rebounder and a powerful baseline scorer, even though he can’t shoot a lick. Bobby Simmons can hit midrange jumpers all game long. Charlie Villanueva has a power forward’s body and a shooting guard’s range.

Sadly for Milwaukee, the Bucks stop there.

Despite Charlie Bell’s ability to score and run the offense, he still harbors resentment towards Milwaukee for preventing him from escaping to Miami. And none of the Milwaukee big men are physical or athletic enough to anchor a playoff-bound ball club.

Villanueva and Yi Jianlian may be the softest power forwards in the league, and Andrew Bogut and Dan Gadzuric are—at best—backups on a playoff team.

Until the frontcourt and the defense improve, Milwaukee will be on the outside looking in. To start moving up, the question of trading Michael Redd for a frontcourt player may be a valid and necessary one.

5) Indiana Pacers

The Pacers have done a good job of purging themselves of the cancers that once inhabited the roster.

Gone, mercifully, are Stephen Jackson and Ron Artest. If Jamaal Tinsely’s abhorrent decision-making and defense would join them, the Pacers could fully plunge into a true rebuilding phase.

Instead, the Pacers still have Tinsely—and the vastly overrated Jermaine O’Neal, whose reluctance to play physically in the post leaves Indiana with a gaping hole in the middle.

Troy Murphy could be a useful pick-and-pop guy on a veteran team, while Jeff Foster is a grunt who excels in the trenches. Neither have any place on the Pacer roster.

Shawne Williams’ best days are in his future. That alone is a reason to keep him. Marquis Daniels’ wild talents have yet to be harnessed. He too is a keeper.

Mike Dunleavy, meanwhile, has neither the physicality nor the athleticism to be a featured player. His presence only limits Daniels’ and Williams’ playing time.

Danny Granger is a versatile offensive scorer, and could be a great No. 2 option on a very successful ball club. Not only should he kept—he should be built around.

Indiana figures to be one of the worst teams in the league this season. Unfortunately for Pacer fans, they’ll start their reconstruction a year too late.