08/09 NBA Preview: Central Division

(Here's the previews for the Atlantic Division and the Southeast Division.)

Central Division

Indiana Pacers, 5th



The good news is that, mercifully, the Pacers have finally given up on Jamaal Tinsley, the Memphis Bleek of this NBA ish, and will now have T.J. Ford and capable back-up (and, most likely, the starter for at least a third of the season) Jarrett Jack running the point. The bad news is that to get Ford, they had to trade Jermaine O'Neal, who, if healthy, is still an All-Star big man in the East and has been the leader of the squad for a couple years. Danny Granger could be an All-Star this year and Troy Murphy and Mike Dunleavy will light it up every now and then, but, they have a pretty un-imposing front-line. Roy Hibbert is enormous but he doesn't even scare Joakim "Joke" Noah.



Worse, though, it really seems like the life has been sucked out of the once-formidable Pace-show. There's no real personality on the team and, really, it will all be up to Granger to try to carry them to a few extra victories. Even if he does, though, I don't see any way that the Pacers can compete in this stacked division.

Milwaukee Bucks, 4th



The Bucks made a good move this summer in bringing in Richard Jefferson. He forms a much more natural partnership with Michael Redd than he did with Vince Carter. With Charlie Villaneuva and Andrew Bogut also on board, they'll be able to keep up with most teams but, let's be real. This team will struggle to make the playoffs and, at the end of the day, really won't be part of too many conversations across the NBA landscape. Point blank, nobody cares about the Bucks and, in trading Yi Jianlin, management made it clear that they could really care a lot less about that fact. Which is cool, I guess. On the real, they'll really miss Mo Williams, as well. He brings speed and toughness to the backcourt. Luke Ridnour? Not so much. The hope is that Jefferson can bring enough scoring and reverse dunks to make up for the post-Mo malaise, but it's not that simple. This team will get absolutely torched in the backcourt enough times so that they won't even be in the playoff race by the end of March. And Scott Skiles is a d-bag.

Chicago Bulls, 3rd



I have no idea why the Bulls collapsed last year, so I'm gonna go ahead and blame it all on the aforementioned Scott Skiles. With smooth Vinny Del Negro in charge, this team could compete for the top 4 in the East. The roster has some true ballers with Luol Deng, Ben Gordon, Kirk Hinrich and Tyrus Thomas, who has to be on the verge of a serious breakout year. Right? They lack a true low-post presence, but Drew Gooden can do a good enough job in there and if Vinny's smart, he'll go small and end up running half of the teams in the league out of the gym. Really, though, the Bulls of this generation will go as far as Derrick Rose can take them. It's a lot of pressure for a rookie, but he just may end up as one of the all-time Greats.



He's just got that look in his eyes. I think he'll have a unanimous ROY campaign and bring this squad to some important games in May.

(Note: It took me a while to decide between these two. This one will probably go down to the last game of the season and could easily be flip-flopped.)

Cleveland Cavaliers, 2nd



Finally, with Mo Williams on board, LeBron James has a lights-out 20 points-per-game scorer to run with. LBJ has shown that he's more than willing to pass up the big shot if he sees an opening for one of his teammates and Mo has no fear when he's got the ball, so I think these two will get along famously. Delonte West and Boobie Gibson are still on board and will hit the open shots and slash around and make opposing backcourts uncomfortable and Wally Szczerbiak can still be counted on for the occassional offensive explosion. The team is a little slow up front with Zydrunas and Ben Wallace holding it down, but if they, along with Anderson Varejao, who really should be playing rugby, don't try to do much on offense and just stick to being bodyguards for LeBron and his little guard friends, the Cavs could really find their groove. Still, I don't think this squad is as well-constructed as their rivals up north. I see them both rampaging through most of the rest of the East, but, head-to-head, you gotta give the edge to Motown. Mike Brown, who really doesn't know how to diagram a play on offense, also isn't helping the Cavs' cause.

Detroit Pistons, 1st



Expect another stellar season from the Pistons. They still got Rip Hamilton, Sheed and Chauncey Billups smacking fools around, but I think Tayshaun Prince is poised to have a big year. Everyone else on the squad is aging in the wrong direction, but Prince is entering his prime. At some point, Detroit will be his team and if new coach Michael Curry is smart he'll start passing the baton this season. With Jason Maxiell, Rodney Stuckey, Amir Johnson and Walter Herrmann, they got plenty of talent and toughness coming off the bench. The second squad used to be a real problem for the Pistons, but Joe Dumars has made some smart moves and their reserves can now compete with anyone in the league. Most importantly, though, this team is battle-tested and they go into every single game thinking that they're going to win. Really, this could be the best iteration of the Pistons since they won it all a few years back. Flip Saunders has been their weakest link the past couple years, but now that he's out of there, it should be smooth sailing for Sheed and the boys.