NBA Preview: Central Division

1. Detroit Pistons (56-26).

Flip Saunders did a lot of good things in Detroit. The one thing that he didn't accomplish, though, was winning a title.

The loss of Saunders isn't going to break the Pistons. Why? Because this group of guys has been together for a long time. When Larry Brown left the franchise, Saunders led his Pistons to an amazing 64-18 season.

I doubt that former Pistons' assistant, Michael Curry, probably won't coach this team to 60 wins. But this team has been together for a while, and Curry is a former player, so he most likely has the knowledge to be a head coach.  

The great thing about the Pistons is that they are a team. Sounds weird right? Well, most teams in the NBA have that one guy that represents the team. I don't feel that there is any individual on the roster that is the team.

Since their title in 2004, Detroit has more or less stuck together, with the exception of Big Ben Wallace. Chauncey Billups, Tayshaun Prince, and Rasheed Wallace have been the building blocks of the Pistons for a while, and if they keep doing what they've been doing, I see another Central division championship in Mo-Town. 

2. Cleveland Cavaliers (53-29).

Why? Why can't the Cavs find the solution to LBJ's side-kick crisis?

Mo Williams is a solid guard, but he will not push Cleveland over the top. Looking back at the last few offseasons, I think the Cavs should've invested money in guys like Rashard Lewis, maybe Gilbert Arenas, or Jermaine O'Neal.

Instead, Cleveland wasted money on players such as Larry Hughes, Joe Smith, Wally Szczerbiak, Delonte West, and Ben Wallace. The year that the Cavs went to the Finals, the East was weak. The conference has beefed up since then, and if the Cavs want to win a championship, it's time they give Danny Ferry some advice.

I could be wrong, and Williams could pan out to be a great addition to the Cavs. After all, he has averaged about 17 points and six, I don't see it, but it could happen.

The thing about Cleveland is that ever since about his third season, LeBron James has been this team—he is the Cavs. The way that James played in game seven of the semis against Boston was just amazing. The Cavs are a good team, but I think they're an all-star short of a great team. 

3. Milwaukee Bucks (39-43).

I like this Bucks team a lot. Scott Skiles had a rough run last season in Chicago, but he's made trips to the post-season as both a coach and a player, and this team has a shot to win some games.

Milwaukee made some good off-season moves, bringing in Luke Ridnour and Richard Jefferson. No, Ridnour isn't Mo Williams, but he's a veteran that didn't get a great chance to play much in Seattle once Nate McMillan left for Portland. They'll bring in Jefferson in exchange for Yi Jianlian, which I think the Bucks got the better deal of, but this one will have to be revisited in a few years. We're still waiting on Andrew Bogut to be the phenomenal player he was supposed to be, and maybe this is his year. 

Michael Redd is one of the most underrated players in the league if you ask me. He doesn't have a ton of playoff experience, which makes me wonder, if the Bucks don't have success this year, Redd could be on the move. He's a great shooter, and I like Milwaukee's chances this year.

Okay, I might be crazy saying a team that won 26 games last year will sneak into the playoffs, but in their 2006-07 campaign, the Bucks snuck in with the eighth seed, and I think this new team has a better coach and a better roster.

 

4. Chicago Bulls (37-45).

Last year, I picked the Bulls to win the Finals, and I don't think I was alone. After the season collapsed around Christmas time, they made a little run, and then lost it. Chicago ended up with 33 wins last season. I don't doubt that that number will go up.

A little lottery luck landed the Bulls an incredibly talented guard in Derrick Rose, and that has solidified their future. I don't think Rose will have the immediate success that number two pick Michael Beasley will have down in Miami, but I'm confident that Rose will one day start in Chicago. 

In the carousel of coaches that is constantly moving in the NBA, there were some good names this off-season. Avery Johnson, Flip Saunders, and Rick Carlisle were among the talented coaches looking for new gigs. The Bulls seemed set on their former coach, Doug Collins, but when he backed out, Vinny Del Negro got the job. I don't like this hire. He was coached by Jim Valvano at NC State, and may take some tidbits from him, but why go with a guy that has no experience when there were a lot of coaches available who have been to the playoffs and won? Chicago is a team with a lot of uncertainty this season. Hopefully I'm wrong about Del Negro.

 

5. Indiana Pacers (28-54).

The post-Jermaine O'Neal era begins this season in Indy. I know it seems like a stretch, but I don't hesitate to call O'Neal's tenure in Indianapolis an era. Sure, he was injured here and there, but he was the building block of this franchise for eight seasons, and this team is going to struggle this year without him.

The past two seasons was the first time since the 1980's that the Pacers have missed the playoffs two years in a row. However, the future should be bright for them, as the O'Neal trade brought both T.J. Ford and Roy Hibbert (draft pick) over from Toronto. Hibbert made the wise decision to stay at Georgetown an extra year, and I think he's definitely more NBA-ready now than he was last season. Ford is still recovering from a pretty bad neck injury that he originally suffered in Milwaukee very early on in his career. It appears that he's now healthy, and will be a solid starting point guard. 

 

Another player to look at for the future is Danny Granger, who had a great campaign last season. I think he could be a surprise all-star this year. The biggest loss that the Pacers suffered this off-season was definitely O'Neal, but you have to look at the loss of long-time GM Donnie Walsh as well. He departed for New York, and team president Larry Bird will now take over as the general manager. I see the Pacers struggling a lot this year.