Central Division
1. Cleveland Cavaliers
LeBron James is home. He’s looking to lead the city of Cleveland to it’s
first sports championship in 50 years. Very noble gesture, and legacy defining
move. He comes home to a better team than he left in 2010, as well as a better
team he just left in Miami. He went to South Beach to major in winning &
being a leader. He had some great mentors in Dwyane Wade & Pat Riley, and
a helluva a coach in Erik Spoelstra (who I think doesn't get enough props) to
win, getting 2 rings out of 4 consecutive Finals appearances. Not bad at all. Now,
he’s gonna take these lessons, join forces with emerging point god Kyrie Irving
& double double machine Kevin Love to bring the Cavs back to contention
status. Anderson Varejao, the only holdover from LeBron’s first tenure, will no
doubt be starting at center. The young guys (Tristan Thompson, Dion Waiters)
will fall in line. Mike Miller & James Jones already know what it is, as
well as Shawn Marion, so they’ll be a big factor on the court spreading the
floor, as well as in the locker room. He really has no choice but to play his position,
because if you stir up shit on a team like that, you pretty much solidify your
reputation in a negative way & there may be no coming back from that. New
coach David Blatt is up to this challenge. He’s been a winner everywhere he’s
coached & it looks like he got the chess pieces to be a big layer on the board. Conference Finals, most definitely. Finals, a strong possibility. Championship?
Let’s wait & see.
Over/Under: 58 wins
2. Chicago Bulls
Derrick Rose looks like he’s finally back to form. Picking his spots more
effectively & with a deadlier jumpshot, he’s joining possibly the best team
he’s ever had around him, thanks primarily to the addition of Pau Gasol. Putting him in the frontcourt with Joakim Noah gives the Bulls two of the best passing
big men in the game today, and takes much needed pressure off Rose to initiate
the offense. Add Taj Gibson & Nikola Mirotic to that, and you got frontcourt
depth with multiple lineups to utilize them in. Jimmy Butler is progressing into
a reliable two-way player, which is the main reason why they were able to part
ways with Luol Deng. Scrappy Kirk Hinrich & Mike Dunleavy Jr. are back for
another year of solid contributions. Aaron Brooks can be the spark plug backup
point that Chicago has had over the last few seasons, the role previous played
successfully by C.J. Watson, Nate Robinson, John Lucas III & DJ Augustin respectfully. Doug McDermott is
gonna spread the floor & compete.The big concern for this squad is staying
healthy & Coach Thibs not running them into the ground by the ALL-Star
break. They stay healthy & fresh, they could possibly meet their division
rival in the Conference Finals.
Over/Under: 55 wins
3. Detroit Pistons
Josh Smith, as talented as he is, shouldn't be hoisting up 3s from the
perimeter. I’m certain I’m not the only one who feels this way. Stats show he’s
actually better playing the 4, but with Greg Monroe & Andre Drummond, by
default, he’s playing small forward. Can him coming off the bench be the answer,
while a player like Kyle Singler or Caron Butler starts at the 3? Josh, along
with Jonas Jerebko, could potentially give the Pistons strong frontcourt bench flexibility. Brandon Jennings has to take better care of the ball, make better
decisions & balance out getting guys involved with being able to get his
own shot. Oh, and that defense has to improve. DJ Augustin brings some PG
stability. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope may or may not breakout this year, but he
should be better than he was last season. When Jodie Meeks get back from his injury his 3-ball will fit in with what Stan Van is running. Overall, they can surprise some
folks. Stan Van Gundy is gonna change the culture of this team, but it ain’t
gonna happen this year.
Over/Under: 37 wins
4. Indiana Pacers
I wish Paul George the speediest of recoveries. And so does the entire
state of Indianapolis. Him being out for the year automatically takes the
Pacers out of contention. With a healthy Paul George, they would've been able
to survive the departure of Lance Stephenson. Now, it’s up to Roy Hibbert &
David West to stabilize the troops & lead them. Can they hold down the fort
until PG is 100%, whether that be this year or next? Only time will tell. Luis
Scola, George Hill & C.J. Watson will provide whatever offense they have,
as will newcomers Rodney Stuckey & C.J. Miles. They’ll compete on both
ends, cause Frank Vogel is a no-excuses coach. They’ll end up with a lottery
pick to add to the return of Paul George, and will be back in contention by
this time ext year. This year is basically a wash for them.
Over/Under: 35 wins
5. Milwaukee Bucks
If this is what Jason Kidd wanted, then by all means, I hope he’s happy.
Maybe he wanted a squad he can grow as a coach with. Maybe he wanted more power
& say so with the front office. He has both now, so let’s see what he’s
made of. He has two studs in Giannis Antetokounmpo & Jabari Parker to build around.
Larry Sanders, John Henson & Ersan Ilyasova are capable bigs who should
give them quality minutes. Brandon Knight can benefit from having one of the
greatest point guards ever as his coach. OJ Mayo needs to have a redemptive
year. He has the tools to be Milwaukee’s go-to scorer, and needs to look for
his shot, as well as play with the confidence that got him to this level.
Adding Jerryd Bayless should give them some backcourt depth. With the eyes
torward the future, expectations are low for the Bucks. It’s all about effort
& learning how to be professionals & win.
Over/Under: 25 Wins
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