NBA Central Division Preview: Are the Detroit Pistons Still for Real?

Chicago Bulls

Projected Depth Chart:

PG Kirk Hinrich/Derrick Rose
SG Ben Gordon/Larry Hughes/Thabo Sefolosha
SF Luol Deng/Andres Nocioni
PF Tyrus Thomas/Joakim Noah/Demetris Nichols
C Drew Gooden/Aaron Gray

If there’s any team that least deserved the No. 1 pick, it was the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls have a team capable of winning a round in the playoffs, but some bizarre circumstances led to their failure to make the playoffs.

The season started with rumors of Kobe Bryant coming to Chicago in exchange for much of the Bulls’ frontline. Luol Deng admitted that the rumors eventually became a distraction, and they never seemed to move on from that episode.

Then the iron fist of Scott Skiles became irrelevant as he lost control of the team, leading to his firing on Christmas.  The Bulls went the rest of the season with an unproven and incompetent Jim Boylan.

Ben Wallace also caused problems with his attitude, which GM John Paxson decided not to tolerate anymore.  Paxson traded Wallace midseason for Larry Hughes and Drew Gooden.

Chicago will go into this year with a potential superstar in Derrick Rose, who will probably back up Kirk Hinrich, and a first-year coach in Vinny Del Negro, who at the very least has become a media darling with his articulate speaking ability.

Yet the Bulls realize that anything short of making the playoffs will be considered a failure for Del Negro and Paxson.

Cleveland Cavaliers

Projected Depth Chart:

PG Mo Williams/Daniel Gibson/Eric Snow
SG Wally Szczerbiak/Delonte West
SF LeBron James/Aleksandar Pavlovic
PF Anderson Varejao/Darnell Jackson
C Zydrunas Ilgauskas/Ben Wallace/Lorenzen Wright

The Cleveland Cavaliers are in the fight of their life to give LeBron James the supporting cast necessary to win a championship, while having the cap space to give the maximum contract without paying the luxury tax in 2010.

The biggest acquisition they made was acquiring Mo Williams from the Milwaukee Bucks, who is a considerable upgrade from Eric Snow and Daniel Gibson. The Cavs will probably finish in the top half of the Eastern Conference once again, but they are still a step behind Detroit, Boston, and perhaps Orlando.

Although Mo Williams will be a great boost to the offense, Cleveland is most likely one big-time scorer away from having the weapons necessary to compete with the Celtics. The biggest weak spot for Cleveland is its front court.

Aside from Zydrunas Ilgauskas—who is high-risk for an injury anyway—there are no big men capable of scoring. First-round draft pick Darnell Jackson might be that guy later on in his career—but if the Cavs expect to return to the NBA Championship, they need someone who can score now.

Detroit Pistons

Projected Depth Chart:

PG Chauncey Billups/Aaron Afflalo/Will Bynum
SG Richard Hamilton/Rodney Stuckey
SF Tayshaun Prince/Walter Herrmann
PF Amir Johnson/Antonio McDeyess/Jason Maxiell

You're currently logged into Facebook

Do you want to share your Bleacher Report activity on Facebook?