Central Division Preview

(Editor’s Note: This is the fifth installment in our annual six part series of division previews, here at CtB. If you missed the Pacific, Northwest, Southwest, or Atlantic divisions, you can check them out in the aforementioned links.)

Detroit Pistons (Cory Hughey)

The last two times I’ve left Detroit, I said it was my last time going to Detroit. Not necessarily because I didn’t enjoy the White Stripes concerts, or Indians series there, but because there are so many other locales that I’ve never gotten lost in. Detroit has become too familiar for me to the point that I already know which Greek place is solid (Pegasus Taverna), and which one should be renamed Flyro’s because of the army of fruit flies that have overthrown the restaurant.

Stan Van Gundy’s attempt at reconstructing the the Pistons to mirror his old Magic squads is a familiarity that needs to move on as well, as it just doesn’t fit the modern game. The Pistons are kind of at a fulcrum point for the franchise. If they keep the current core together, they’ll be stuck in-between the late lottery, and a late playoff seed for years in the l-eastern conference.

Andre Drummond will portray the part of Dwight Howard and rebound like a savage, but he’ll be a blackhole on offense. Drummond finished 35th at the pivot in RPM last season. Perhaps he could be DeAndre Jordan if he was the third best player on his team, unfortunately his $25 million per year salary over the next four years will prevent that from ever happening. Mark Cuban probably lucked out that Jordan opted to stay with the Clippers after they kidnapped him. If Jordan ended up on the Mavs, they’d probably look a lot like the current Pistons squad.

Additions: Avery Bradley (Celtics), Langston Galloway (Sacramento), Luke Kennard (Draft)

Subtractions: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Marcus Morris, Beno Udrih

Storylines:

https://youtu.be/notu0e_JGr0

1 – A final verdict on Andre Drummond and the future of the team. If this league has taught us anything over the past twenty years, it’s that no bad contract is untradeable. Jermaine O’Neal’s horrible seven-year, $127 post-Malice at the Palace contract was traded twice. Steve Francis’ instantly regretable six-year, $84 million deal was traded three times. Someone will trade for Drummond, and they’ll give something of value up for him too. There’s a GM somewhere out there who thinks that he can maximize Drummond’s imminent prime. There always is.

There have been many times that I’ve wondered how much different the post LeBron and pre-return Cavs could have been if the former GM Chris Grant would have drafted Drummond with the fourth pick in the 2012 draft instead of Dion Waiters. While Drummond doesn’t fit the current game as a leading man, Kyrie and Dion were a pair of preschoolers who couldn’t share Legos with one another.  Drummond at the very least would have been able to contest the shot of the guy who just blew past Kyrie.

2 – Do they retool? Even if the Pistons try to wait out the Cavs run, they won’t be on par with the Bucks, Celtics, Wizards or 76ers either. Stan Van Gundy has been around long enough to know that. Does he deal Drummond, and Avery Bradley and join the final season of Tanked before lottery reform goes into effect next season?

3 – Is the guy who buys all the groceries and cooks the meal NBA  position done? Stan Van must have lost his steroid doctor’s number on a bone plate during the baby back rib promotion at the Applebee’s in Orlando five-years-ago. The rebuild of the Pistons has been passed up by the Bucks, and Heat already and will be by the 76ers this season.

The coach/GM role failed for the Clippers too, and Doc walked into a pair of top 20 players, but at least they made it to the second round a few times. Van Gundy has finished 12th, 8th, and 10th in the oh so weak Eastern Conference, and the Pistons as a franchise haven’t won a playoff game in nine years. The NBA is an 11 month sport now, and one dude can’t do both jobs anymore.

Perhaps Van Gundy has enough clout with ownership to survive another rebuild, or maybe he’ll just realize that the stress isn’t worth it, flying every other night sucks, and that he’d be happier moving onto his destiny of covering the game as an analyst with his brother. Stan giving his little brother Jeff nuggies during a game would be infinitely more entertaining than anything Mark Jackson has ever said in his life.

Player I’d Love to Have: Avery Bradley could start for any playoff team in the East, and I loved that they got him for Marcus Morris, the Ashley Olsen of the Morris twins. Bradley’s poor DRPM numbers don’t give him justice for what a talented on the ball defender he is, and that number is as bad as it is because he shared the court with Isaiah Thomas for so much of the season. I’d gladly deal the Cavs own 2018 first and a player for him. Bradley could match up with Golden State, unlike the majority of the guys David Griffin gave up first rounders for over the past few years.

Player I’d Hate to Have: Reggie Jackson. No not Mr. October Reggie Jackson. I’d love to have a 71-year-old man eating banana pudding during the pregame and taking a nap during the second quarter at the end of the bench. I would want no part of Mr. $51 million over the next three years Reggie Jackson. Jackson is coming off of his worst season in Motown, and I’m not sure if he’s really that much better than Rose or Wade at this point.

Prediction: 37-45

The proclamation above is if they keep together their core and fight to get back into the playoff. If the franchise opts to blow it up and get what they can for Bradley and Drummond, their record will be worse, much, much worse.

Indiana Pacers (Cory Hughey)

Once the Cavs obtained the Nets unprotected first round pick in the Kyrie Irving trade, the Pacers were listed as one of the squads that the Nets would leapfrog over in the standings.. Part of the rationale of the Nets ascension is that they won’t be tanking this year. Neither will the Pacers. They don’t tank, ever, and they aren’t about to start now.

The Pacers squad that challenged the Heat for conference supremacy a few years ago was built organically, and without tanking. Roy Hibbert was acquired via trade a month after he was drafted. They struck gold on Lance Stephenson in the second round until he turned into pyrite a few years later. David West was wooed to corn country in free agency. The highest they drafted in building that title contender was 10th, when they selected Paul George in 2010. A year later they drafted Kawhi Leonard 15th.

Their situation with George sucked. He wanted out, but I’ll give him credit for letting them know his position, and not leaving the franchise empty handed like Kevin Durant did to the Thunder last summer. While the return for George was a player who hasn’t played up to his contract in Oladipo, and prospect who’s actual ceiling is probably slightly above average, there’s still some interesting ingredients in their cupboard.

Additions: Bojan Bogsdanovic (Wizards), Darren Collison (Kings), Cory Joseph (Raptors), Victor Oladipo (Thunder), Domantas Sabonis (Thunder), Ike Anigbogu (Draft)

Subtractions: Paul George, Jeff Teague, Aaron Brooks, Lavoy Allen, Monte Ellis, Kevin Seraphin

Storylines:

1 – Do we learn to appreciate Victor Oladipo for what he is rather than who he’s not? He was the player the majority of us on this very blog pined for instead of Anthony Bennett with the top pick in the 2013 draft. We envisioned Oladipo to pair with Irving better than Waiters, and be capable of locking down the opponents best wing. While he hasn’t lived up to our inflated expectations of him, he’s still a startable wing on a playoff squad. He was sixth at SG with a plus/minus of 1.66.

Dipo was stuck in the thoroughly dysfunctional swamp of Orlando for three years, and then had the opportunity to be a member of the Russell Westbrook will average a triple-double and win the MVP this season campaign, and the development of everyone else on the roster be damned Thunder. Could this be the year Oladipo plays up to his draft status and contract? I think so.

2-Does Myles Tuner turn into a star? He’s 21, and this is his team now. I failed to get him in our fantasy draft, but he was a player I was targeting because his stats are going to explode this year with more opportunity. I hold him in higher regard than most, but I think he surpasses 20 and 10 this year. He’s going to be a young Clifford Robinson in a feature role. Turner is going to help a lot of people win fantasy leagues this year.

3 – Do the Pacers threaten for the playoffs even after losing George? The middle to lower class in the East got worse with the trades of Paul George, Carmelo Anthony, and Jimmy Butler. The 76ers should be better, if they can stay healthy, and the kids can play nice. The Hornets are banking their improvement on Steve Clifford being able to turn Dwight Howard back into the player he was six years, and four franchises ago. The Pistons are decade too late for the party. Could this Pacers team still compete for the eight seed into April? You betcha!

Player I’d Love to Have: Oladipo. He’s finally on a functional franchise and I like his pairing with Turner. The $21 million he makes per season looks bad now, but it’ll be easier to swallow in a few months. There’s sticker shock with a lot of the new cap boom contracts. We now live in a world where Tim Hardaway Jr. makes $18 million per season, and Otto Porter pulls in $5 million more than Oladipo. At his rate, I’d take Dipo over either.

Player I’d Hate to Have: Al Jefferson. We complain about Wade and Roses’ lack of a deep ball because of the affect on floor spacing, but both can still create three point opportunities for teammates off of drive and dish facilitation. Jefferson would be an absolute nightmare on the Cavs because he would clog up the paint like a Ford Econoline van in a compact parking space. If a time machine took Jefferson and us back to 1993, we’d all have Keebler Pizzarias dust stains on our Super Nintendo controllers, we’d fight over who got to play with Al’s team on Tecmo Super NBA Basketball. That would be a horrible use of a time machine, and Jefferson is basically 2015-16 Mozgov with less defense.

Prediction: 38-44

Turner will average 20 and 10, and win the Most Improved Player Award. Oladipo will have his best year as a pro, and prove that he’s worthy of his cheddar, and a capable number two. Bojan Bogdanovic will provide floor-spacing, and be one of the more underrated free agency signings of the offseason. Lance Stephenson’s bad Lance Stephenson things, will be outnumbered by his good Lance Stephenson things.

The Pacers will finish 9th in the conference, just missing the final playoff seed by a few games, and they knock the 12th pick out of the park next July. If Cory Joseph and Thaddeus Young decline their player options, the Pacers could have $40 million in cap room next summer when few teams will have any spending power.

Chicago Bulls (JMay)

The Chicago Bulls are officially in rebuild mode evidenced by the fact that Dwayne Wade is now a Cleveland Cavalier. GM Gar Foreman finally pulled the ripcord this off-season and traded Jimmy Butler for pennies on the dollar. The move was the equivalent of waving the white flag and the tanking began in full force. By the end of September Chicago reached an agreement to buy out DWade and Bulls fans everywhere began to prep for a season full of losing.

To be fair, Jimmy Butler was never enough to get past LeBron and any team he is on. Could they have gotten more for him? It sure seemed like it to me, but nobody is ringing my phone with offers, so who knows? What we do know is that the Bulls will not be a good team this season and will be racing to the bottom of the pack hoping to have the chance to restart the franchise with the likes of Luka Doncic, Marvin Bagley III, or Michael Porter.

Additions: Ryan Arcidiacono (Draft), Antonio Blakeney (Draft), Kris Dunn (MIN), Jarell Eddie, Kay Felder (CLE), Justin Holiday (NYK), Zach LaVine (MIN), Lauri Markkanen (Draft), David Nwaba (LAL), Quincy Pondexter (NOP)

Subtractions: Jimmy Butler, Isaiah Canaan, Michael Carter-Williams, Joffrey Lauvergne, Anthony Morrow, Rajon Rondo, Dwyane Wade

Storylines:

1 – How patient will the Bulls front office be in regards to a rebuild? Somehow I don’t see Gar Foreman being okay with a Sam Hinkie style rebuild. If the Bulls fully commit to being bad for a long time then they will have a chance to draft a nice, young core to put around acquisition Lauri Markkanen, and the still-young Nikola Mirotic and Zach LaVine. Justin Holiday has looked good in preseason and wants to make an impact. They may be able to move Robin Lopez for a few other assets, too. If they get skittish about losing or surprise us with their play it will cut the rebuild short and prevent them from getting a truly fresh start. So far it looks like they are comfortable with the free fall to the bottom of the NBA barrel.

2 – Will Nikola Mirotic make the leap? Mirotic has been off and on for the beginning part of his career. During his second season, Mirotic shot a very good 39% from three. Unfortunately, last season he regressed, shooting just over 34%. Thus far he hasn’t been much of a rebounder, never averaging over five and a half per game and he turns the ball over about as much as he provides an assist. With new acquisition Lauri Markkanen looking like he has a bright future, Mirotic will feel the pressure this season as he tries to hold on to his starting job.

3 – How long will Fred Hoiberg last as head coach? One casualty of the sinking Bulls could be head coach Fred Hoiberg. In the past, there have been rumors of Hoiberg having trouble connecting with his players. His coaching style hasn’t necessarily translated to the NBA yet. With the addition of one-time-coach Doug Collins to the front office, they may have a short leash with Hoiberg, looking to bring in a new coach to helm the young guys. Maybe David Blatt wants an opportunity at what would have been his job before LeBron headed back to Cleveland. Then again, if the Bulls commit themselves to losing for a couple seasons, Hoiberg may last until the Bulls are ready to make the leap with a coach in which they have more confidence.

https://youtu.be/9KylhpqtIvM?t=36s

Player I’d Love to Have: Lauri Markkanen looks like he could be the real deal. Last year at Arizona, the 7-footer shot over 42%. Against the Cavs this preseason, the big fella showed us what he was all about, to the tune of 18 points on 7-12 shooting and 4-7 from beyond the arc. Sounds like a great piece to have moving into the future.

Player I’d Hate to Have: Another casualty of the ever-changing NBA landscape is Robin Lopez. The big, slow trees that once grew underneath the hoop and in the paint are no longer a central feature to today’s NBA. Everyone needs to shoot from the outside now and Robin Lopez can’t.

Prediction: 20-62

The Bulls will be battling it out for last place this season. There is no doubt about it. This team is now a young team at the starting line of a brand new rebuild. It’s going to be a while before they are competing for anything of real significance.

Milwaukee Bucks (JMay)

Ah, the Milwaukee Bucks. This team is such a breath of fresh air. Most teams we regularly face off against drive me absolutely insane. Either I can’t stand the coach (SVG), can’t stand many of the players (I’m looking at you Jon Wall), or I just shake my fist at the whole organization (insert Boston and Golden State). However, the Bucks represent an inter-conference foe I actually enjoy watching. If I weren’t a Cavs fan I’d be signing up for League Pass to watch this exciting Bucks team.

Featuring the next in the line of succession to the NBA’s Iron Throne in Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Milwaukee Bucks also house a wonderful stable of young, versatile talent. Khris Middleton still remains a part of the organization after being a featured name in trade talks with the Cavaliers for maligned guard Kyrie Irving. They still have reigning rookie of the year Malcom Brogdon (albeit from a very off year in terms of rookie talent). Add that to the fact that they have one of the all-time favorite Cavaliers, Matthew Dellavedova, and you get a recipe for an easy-to-watch basketball team. They are even rumored to be interested in the other beloved former Cavalier, Richard Jefferson.

Not much has changed for the Bucks except for experience. The Alphabet is another year older and predicted to be in the running for MVP. They are versatile, long, play great defense, and are going to be gunning for the Eastern Conference’s top-tier. They will be a must-watch this season for League Pass.

Additions: Sterling Brown (Draft), D.J. Wilson (Draft)

Subtractions: Michael Beasley (NYK), Spencer Hawes, Gary Payton II

Storylines:

1 – Is this they year Antetokounmpo makes the jump to top-5 player in the NBA? Some might argue that Giannis has already made this leap. Antetokounmpo is truly a unique player. The guy is just shy of seven feet tall but can play point guard with the best of them. He can essentially shoot a layup from the three point line. The guy is nuts and truly a joy to watch on the court. If he can improve his outside shooting KD, Bron, and Kawhi Leonard better be on notice because he will be coming for them. When Giannis improves, so too do the Milwaukee Bucks.

2 – Can Jabari Parker ever get healthy? I have yet to even mention the once-heralded future star Jabari Parker. That’s because the young forward has been subjected to multiple ACL tears and has only played in 152 games out of a possible 246. It is awful to see this happen to a promising young talent like Parker and it has kept the Bucks from making the next step in their journey to the top of the Eastern Conference. Before going down with yet another ACL tear last season, Parker was averaging over 20 points per game and was showing why he was considered one of the top prospects in 2014. If he can get healthy and stay healthy the Bucks will have a very fearsome, young core to compete with for the next five years.

3 – Will Thon Maker prove he can be a major piece to a contender in the NBA? After adding 30lbs in the off-season, Thon Maker will look to make a bigger impact and carve out a larger role on this Bucks team. It seems as though the once-adored Greg Monroe has become an after-thought after averaging 11.7 points, .5 blocks, 2.2 assists, 1.1 steals, and 6.6 rebounds. Monroe’s per 36-minute stats put him at an 18 and 10 guy but he isn’t really blocking shots and isn’t all that versatile a player. Milwaukee seems to be putting a few of its eggs in Maker’s basket as the 7’1″ 19-year-old looks to supplant Monroe even more this season.

Player I’d Love to Have: If given the choice, it’d be hard to turn down a return to CLE for fan-favorite Matthew Dellavedova. However, the versatility and production offered by Khris Middleton would be absolutely invaluable on the Cavs. He would immediately step in to the starting shooting guard spot and eliminate all of our concerns over a starting back court of DWade and DRose which seems like it could be DPressing. Sign me up for a starting five of Rose, Middleton, Bron, Crowder, and Love. I doubt he becomes available for or the Cavs become willing to part with the BKN pick.

Player I’d Hate to Have: I just don’t think the huge centers like Thon Maker are all that relevant in today’s NBA. If the league continues down its current course, there won’t be any players like Thon Maker left in ten years. If you are seven feet tall, you better be able to dribble and pass like Antetokounmpo, or shoot and move like Kevin Durant and Kristaps Porzingis. Maker is a relic of a past era.

Prediction: 48-37

I have the Bucks due for an improvement this season. If the Raptors regress even a little, and I think they will, the Bucks will sneak into the number four spot and will dispatch the 5th-seeded Raptors in round one of the playoffs. I’m excited to watch how this team progresses all season. Giannis will be incredible and they should make even Golden State work to beat them this coming season.

**All stats retrieved from www.basketball-reference.com