Team to beat: 

Cleveland is still the team to beat, especially since they have the best player in the league holding down the fort for them.  They are consistently going to be a top 5 team.  Drummond is a top level center, but the Cavs also have Ibaka.  He may be slowly regressing, but can still make a major difference this year.  Parker is the ageless wonder that can still be a floor general.  Terrence Ross is a young wing that seems to be progressing nicely.  The Cavs also picked up some key free agents and made a few good trades that should give them great depth.  Jason Terry, Andrew Nicholson, Brian Roberts, Brandon Jennings and Robert Covington will all get playing time.  The Cavs may have a new GM, but it seems like pistolpk will be much more active as a GM and already has shown that he has no problem calling people out for crappy trade offers too.

Key story line: 

In a word, improvement.  As a division, they have all improved.  Detroit has finally rid itself of their putrid owner.  However, Piston fans better be prepared to weather the trade storms that come with GM Laddas. (As I have heard it, Ben Simmons is the only one that WON’T be traded for sure!)  Chicago and GM Dazman also seem to have finally turned a corner, but they have will have a tough uphill battle, as 3 of the 5 teams were already playoff contenders last year.  Kevon Looney and Dragan Bender may be young talent to watch.  Milwaukee has more youth… they seem to always have one of the youngest teams in the league.  They also have 2 of the best 5 players in the division and some rising stars in Lavine and Gordon.  Indiana traded away some bums and got some good players back. (They also have some potential breakout players) Jeff Green and Sergio Rodriguez were great pickups in FA.  Cleveland dumped former GM Alejandro and finally got back an active GM. (We fully expect pistolpk to surpass Alejandro’s career participation with the NLL in week 5)

Five best players:

1.       Lebron James (Cleveland)

Does there really need to be any explanation for the “King”?  Lebron is so good, that you could probably stick 4 scrubs with him and they still would make the playoffs.  He can do EVERYTHING and will be the bane of everyone else in the division’s existence.

2.       Stephen Curry (Chicago)

It seems like 2k has finally worked out the kinks and will give Curry his props in the engine.  This guy can flat out shoot and will always be a problem to defend against.  With how well the players run plays now, I fully expect to see Steph end up in the top 5 overall voting for MVP.

3.       Russell Westbrook(Milwaukee)

Westbrook is another top 5 player that just happens to be stuck behind 2 other top 5 players in his division.  He is the glue for Milwaukee and can take over a game whenever he wants.  He also has breakneck speed that is so difficult to defend.  He will be the driving force for another Milwaukee playoff run.

4.       Blake Griffin (Indiana)

Blake has been stuck in the older engine, wallowing away.  The 2k16 game will finally unleash the beast that is Griffin.  He is an elite big man and with the game finally letting bigs really do their thing, Blake will be helping Indiana make yet another playoff run.

5.       Karl Anthony Towns (Milwaukee)

Big KAT will look to dominate as the other elite PF/C in the conference.  Milwaukee is so stacked this year that KAT was asked to switched to PF to get more talent on the court together.  The inside out combo of KAT and Russ will have opponents waking up in cold sweats.

Sleeper:

Evan Turner.  He was over paid, but his ability to control the ball and get to the paint will be priceless for Chicago.  With the Curry brothers bombing from deep, Turner’s ability to cut could see him get more scoring opportunities.  Since he will likely come off the bench, he will probably be the better player in those matchups and we expect him to take full advantage.

Breakout star:

Zach Lavine will become a huge success this year, as his ratings and athleticism are tailor made to gain advantage over other SG, especially in the 6^th man role we expect him to take with Milwaukee this year.  Cole Aldrich is another name that could be heard often if he continues to impress as he has this preseason.

Best newcomer:

When Ben Simmons finally steps on the court, expect Detroit to win more.  Ben is a “mini Lebron” and we fully expect him to step into a leadership role immediately.  As long as Simmons doesn’t shoot from distance, he should be effective.

Prediction:

1.       Cleveland

2.       Milwaukee

3.       Indiana

4.       Chicago

5.       Detroit

Cleveland will continue to win the division, but they will not win by much, since Milwaukee is continuing to narrow the gap.  Indiana is still a playoff team, but Chicago is knocking on that door and the change in game could see them leapfrog Indiana if all things go smoothly.  Detroit will not be a force this year, but I believe that Laddas will get them progressing.  They will go as Simmons does, but he probably won’t be on the court until after the All Star break.b