NBA Preview: Eastern Conference – Central Division
September 17, 2006 – The NBA’s Atlantic Central Division went pretty much as planned during the 2005-2006 NBA season.
Detroit won the division by 14 games. Lebron James ‘s dominance made Cleveland the runner-up and a strong 4th seed. Indiana broke even in the win-loss column, but that was due in large part to the loss of Ron Artest and the injuries to Jermaine O’Neal.
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Chicago made the playoffs again, and Milwaukee made a jump as a franchise as well after adding Andrew Bogut in last year’s draft. The Central division also had all 5 of its teams make the playoffs, making them the best division in the conference. But even after following a season like that, all of this division’s teams have gotten significantly better, except the Detroit Pistons, thereby making this division one of the most competitive going into the 2006-2007 season.
Detroit Pistons – Despite the Pistons’ loss of Ben Wallace, this team is still going to win the Central division. While Detroit certainly will not win by the 14 game margin that it did last year, the loss of a player who was an offensive liability and gave up 27 points/game to Shaq is not going to result in the detriment of this team. While they could have replaced Ben Wallace’s staring role with the now departed Darko Milicic, or Bonzi Wells, Nazr Mohammed is probably the best model of Ben Wallace out there; he is a solid defender with limited offensive skills. Because they did sign Mohammed, the Pistons will still be a great defensive team, however, Mohammed is going to hurt the team 7 or 8 times this season because of he is not as good of a one-on-one player as Big Ben. Projected Record: 57-25.
Chicago Bulls – Of course many people think the Bulls are the winners and that the Detroit Pistons are the losers of the Big Ben debacle. However, the Bulls certainly overpaid for Wallace ($60 million for 4 seasons), and whenever you commit so much money to somebody who cannot shoot a jump shot, there has to be questions. Not to mention, that they have already been the best defensive team over the last 2 seasons, and signing Wallace certainly does not increase their chances of beating the Miami Heat, so where’s the logic? Well, the logic is that Ben Wallace is playoff veteran and a leader. He boost the overall talent of the team, and he is going to be of concern when other ball clubs prepare for the Bulls. The addition of P.J. will also add some more veteran experience and leadership to the “Baby Bulls.” I look for the Bulls to improve a little more defensively, but no so much on offense. They will be better equipped to beat the rest of their opponents in the division, but they are not better than Detroit. Projected Bulls’ record: 50-32.
Cleveland Cavaliers – The best move of the off-season was the Cavs getting Lebron James to extend his contract. He is the most promising young player in the league and he has proven that he can win in the playoffs, even at this early stage in his career. However, Lebron’s big contract means that there are few players that the Cavs can afford to bring in, and the additions of Scott Pollard and David Wesley are not viable enough to turn this team into the championship contender and wants to and should be. Wesley, however, will be a good a bench player, but what the Cavs need is a player who can play alongside of Lebron. While their incumbent players of Larry Hughes, Damon Jones, Donyell Marshall, and Zydrunas Ilgauskas
are formidable, there is nobody who scares other teams among them. The team will, overall, will not be any better or worse. They will go as far as King James takes them. Cavaliers’ Record: 52-30.
Milwaukee Bucks – The Bucks made some beautiful moves this off-season. Getting rid of Jamaal Magloire and bringing in two advantageous contracts in Brian Skinner and Steve Blake have given them some considerable flexibility with their roster for the next few off-seasons. Getting Charlie Villanueva was a great acquisition, but many people question giving up T.J.Ford. I am a part of the old-school line of thought that says if you get the big man in the deal, you’re probably the winner. And while I think T.J.Ford will go on to be a great player, putting Villanueva alongside Bogut cannot be considered anything but pure genius. Plus the Bucks have a formidable point guard in Mo Williams, who effectively split time with Ford last year. Bucks’ record: 44-38.
Indiana Pacers – The Pacers just were not able to do anything they wanted to this off-season. Granted, they tried, but the openings just were not there for them to make. Yes, they got Al Harrington , but I really doubt they were overjoyed about committing $35 million to a player who they once were willing to let go. They also have 10 new players that just are not all that special. The Pacers tried to move Jermaine O’Neal and couldn’t, and while a lot of people might call me crazy for saying this, if the Pacers find themselves in 5th place come February, I do not think you will see O’Neal in a Pacers’ jersey come March.
