 Team to Beat:
This isn’t hard for the Central Division. As long as LeBron remains in Cleveland, they
are going to be the team to beat. GM
Alejandro’s main priority in the offseason was convincing LeBron that they could
still win Championships there. He kept
all his main guys, keeping 6th man Rodney Stuckey, and brought in
some veterans to help the bench. I don’t
see any scenario where Cleveland doesn’t win this division and compete for a
title. The Bucks look to be the team
that has the roster to compete with the Cavs.
Trading away troubled big man Cousins was a big risk, but KAT looks like
he can fill the spot really well.
Key Story Line:
All teams have something to prove in this Division this
year. Indiana was able to resign
Thompson and Dragic. They have a strong
bench and Griffin is a perennial all-star.
Will they be able to repeat a 50 win season? I think they have a good chance, but it
depends on how well they can play without a true center. Steven Adams is a good center, but it looks
like GM Sheed thinks Adams looks better coming off of the bench. Will this experiment work out?
Chicago hopes that obtaining Lance Stephenson as their
starting SG will change their fortunes.
Steph Curry can score in bunches, but where will the rest of the scoring
come from? Big man Bogut will likely
miss games due to injury, and you never know what you are going to get with
JaVale McGee. If the Lance gamble pays
off, and Bogut stays healthy, this team will be competing with the Bucks for 2nd
place.
Detroit has made a complete roster revamp recently, and it’s
hard to tell what to expect out of them.
Adding Eric Bledsoe, Joe Johnson, and Pau Gasol were pretty big gets for
the Pistons. It remains to be seen what
Pau and Joe have left in the tank, but if they can play like last season, both
playing great, Detroit will be the surprise of the East. Detroit has a chance to have the biggest
turnaround this year, and if their team gels together, they can maybe be a fringe
playoff team.
Milwaukee continues it’s youth movement with Westbrook as
their oldest starter. They are actively
shopping the aging big men Marcin Gortat and Brandan Wright (aging means not a
teenager for the Bucks) If Milwaukee can
keep it’s guys and maintain the starting lineup, they have a chance to compete
with Cleveland. My guess is that they
ship one of their starters out by the end of the year for a top pick in next
seasons draft, but that’s just a guess.
Five Best Players:
This division has 5 of the best players in all of basketball,
everyone of these guys is an MVP candidate right out of the gate, so even
though they are ranked 1-5, but the difference between the top an the bottom is
so small, I almost feel bad ranking them.
1) Cavaliers SF LeBron James – He is
the best player in the world, so obviously he’s the best player in the
division. With the chance of a triple
double every outing, he is great at everything.
He doesn’t really have any competition for this spot, and will be an MVP
candidate again. Likely averaging close
to 30 points again, can anyone stop him? 2) Bucks PG Russell Westbrook – Last
years MVP returns trying to get a repeat MVP.
He can do it all, and isn’t far behind James at all. With Boogie out of the picture, there is nobody
in Wisconsin who can demand the ball from Westbrook. He averaged 31 points 4 rebounds and 6
assists and 2.2 steals. These are going
to be hard to replicate, but if there is anyone who can do it, it’s Russell. 3) Bulls PG Stephen Curry – The guy
who can shoot from anywhere and has one of the best shots in the history of the
NBA. He averaged 28 points last season,
and has a good chance of putting up bigger numbers this year. There’s not really anyone else on the team
that can put up shots like him, so he’ll have every opportunity to score. 4) Pacers PF Blake Griffin –
Averaging a double-double last season, he will do even better this season. He averaged 23 points last year, but look for
him to get close to the 30 ppg mark. His
fellow big men on the Pacers don’t really look to score, so he’s got all the
opportunity to get his points. With PG
Goran Dragic looking to set him up all season long, it will be a big year this
year.
5) Pistons PG Eric Bledsoe – He only
average 19 points last season, but he also had 8 assists. The second best PG in the division looks to
pass and is as explosive as they come.
The only thing that will hold him back is that he is now playing with
some legitimate players in Pau Gasol and Joe Johnson. He may not get as many shots as the other
guys on this list, but that doesn’t mean he can’t do it.
Sleeper:
Andre Drummond is one of the best young centers in the game,
and although he doesn’t get a lot of credit, he’s one of the reasons the Cavs
are a title contender this season. He
will be one of the best rebounders and shot blockers in the league, and while
he doesn’t score a lot, that’s not what the Cavs want him to do.
Breakout Star:
Karl-Anthony Towns is a rookie, so he could also qualify as
best newcomer. We decided to put him in
Breakout Star because he will be a star.
The Bucks are wanting him to focus on rebounding and defense this year
since they have plenty of scoring, but he may surprise many with his touch
around the rim and mid-range jump shooting.
My prediction is that he will average about 14ppg and 11 rebounds, and
he will win ROY.
Best Newcomer:
Detroit brought in two guys that will compete for this. Both Pau Gasol and Joe Johnson are legitimate
stars, and we will see who has the better season. My guess is that Pau Gasol has a great season
again and averages a double-double and helps Detroit win 20 more games than
last year.
Prediction:
Cleveland will lead the division, followed by
Milwaukee. Both these teams will be
competing for tops in the East. Indiana
and Chicago will be playoff teams also, and Detroit will be a competitive
team. I predict that 4 of the 5 teams will
make the playoffs, which is great coming out of one division. Detroit shouldn’t feel bad as they are going
to have a great season too, just not quite in a playoff spot yet.
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