NBA Training Camp Primer: Central Division

Central Division

Detroit

Joe Dumars shopped the entire starting lineup over the offseason, particularly Chauncey Billups and Tayshaun Prince, but no good deals came his way. Hence this year's bad boys will look like last year's, except for perhaps some minutes played.

The power forward position is up for grabs, which means that either Amir Johnson or Jason Maxiell will earn a promotion. Johnson appears the favorite heading into camp.

The Pistons second unit was very impressive last year with future all-star Rodney Stuckey on display. Expect him to get more minutes cutting into the production of Billups and Hamilton.

Cleveland

The thing to be excited about is JJ Hickson. He looked very good during the summer; he has an NBA body and post moves already. It’s not out of the question that he wins the starting power forward position from Ben Wallace during the preseason.  

The Cavs need an infusion of young talent in a major way. It also looks like the Cavs will be going small with Delonte West and Mo Williams in the backcourt. I would have liked to see Kirk Hinrich running the point, but odds are they couldn’t land him.

Williams is a shoot-first point and isn’t what the Cavs need; they need a floor general. Signing Chris Duhon might have been a better option than Williams. Williams is good player, but his role should be a sparkplug off the bench.

Indiana

Why they drafted Jerryd Bayless and traded him for Brandon Rush is total stupidity. Somebody needs to lose their job for that blunder.

Roy Hibbert’s upside is probably a defensive specialist off the bench. Jamaal Tinsley won’t be on the roster for opening day. Danny Granger is really the only thing to get excited about in a Pacer uniform. TJ Ford, Troy Murphy, Mike Dunleavy, Jeff Foster—all these guys are like a bowl of vanilla ice cream.

Chicago

The news around Chicago is the arrival of No. 1 pick Derrick Rose, and what to do with overrated Ben Gordon. I don’t blame the Bulls for not capitulating to his salary demands. He’s an undersized off-guard who can’t play point. He can score for sure, but guards who can score are a dime a dozen. Trade him if you can, but don’t sign him.

I still believe the Bulls should trade Hinrich for a shooting guard with some height. The Bulls have many pieces, but can’t put the puzzle together.

Milwaukee

The Bucks need Charlie Villanueva to crash the boards and play with some edge. He has had two memorable games; one as a Raptor against the Bucks, and one as a Buck against the Raptors. Charlie is a great guy, but he avoids mixing it up and disappears for long periods, or games, at a time.

He has worked his butt off this summer in anticipation of his second and last chance to make a name for himself. He knows coach Scott Skiles demands hard work and defense. I expect CV to meet the challenge and have a breakout year, not to mention he has a new contract to think about.

We know what we can expect from Richard Jefferson, Andrew Bogut, and Michael Redd. I believe Joe Alexander was a bad draft pick and his upside is a role player at best.

What to watch for in camp is if Luke Ridnour can stave off the assault of Ramon Sessions for the starting position. I say they split minutes.

The biggest thing for fantasy owners of Bucks players is that Scott Skiles is a fantasy killer. His rotations are random and he spreads the minutes around.