Central Dvision
Chicago Bulls
Ok so the Bulls didn’t need to do much on draft night. They drafted Tony Snell who is meant to be a strong shooter which is exactly what Chicago need. The Bulls will be much better next season. Derrick Rose will come back better than ever after his season out and will continue to lead this team. They may amnesty Carlos Boozer and search for a replacement in the free agent market. Paul Millsap, Josh Smith and Al Jefferson are all possibilities if that’s the case and they can afford them. Another idea that’s been thrown around is to trade Luol Deng. I think it’s a pretty harsh decision if they do trade Deng as he has been their most reliable player over the past few seasons. That being said they need to fill their team with players who can help Rose win now. That’s what they want. They’ve got the perfect coach but their roster could do with a few tweeks. Will Nate Robinson and Marco Bellinelli be back? Rip Hamilton almost definitely won’t be. Chicago has some big decisions to make this off-season. If they make the right ones when blowing up the squad then they will be contenders for sure. Even if they stick with the team they have now then they will still be contenders. Expect a big year in Chicago.
Cleveland Cavaliers
So the Cavaliers selected Anthony Bennett with the 1st pick of the NBA draft much to the surprise of everyone. It was expected that they would go with either Nerlens Noel or Ben McLemore but they shocked everyone by picking Bennett first. From what I’ve heard he may be the right pick. He is apparently more NBA ready then both those other options so that will help the Cavs greatly. He is a big risk but Cleveland likes to take big risks. The Cavs could well make a giant leap in the standings this season. A fully fit Kyrie Irving is one of the best point guards in the NBA. His backcourt partner Dion Waiters had a great first season last year and I fully expect him to kick on going forward. They’ve got cap space as well and if they can pull off a rumored move for either Josh Smith or more likely Andre Iguodala then they may be a team who can make the playoffs next season and surprise a few people. Plenty of possibilities for Cleveland including the return of Lebron this time next year? We will have to wait and see.
Detroit Pistons
The Pistons are not a very good team. They have two promising forwards in Gregg Monroe and Andre Drummond. A decent prospect in Kyle Singler and a whole load of bad contracts on the books. The general consensus is they drafted badly with Kentavious Caldwell Pope. He is seen as a safe bet but nothing explosive and they may regret passing on Trey Burke. They need a good floor general and I expect them to try to bring back Jose Calderon and they should have a go at trying to sign either O.J Mayo or Monta Ellis to add firepower to this team. A move for Brandon Jennings as well may happen as Pope and Brandon Knight aren’t going to be brilliant floor generals. The Pistons will continue to not be very good for another year.
Indiana Pacers
The Pacers are going to be great next season. There I’ve said it. After pushing the Heat to seven in the Eastern Conference finals and the emergence of some brilliant talents. Paul George looks like the real deal and could well be on the way to becoming a superstar. If Roy Hibbert plays like he did in the playoffs then they have an elite center. Lance Stephenson grew massively. David West wants to resign with the Pacers which will be massive. Danny Granger will be back which means they have a quality player that will give them strength in-depth which was their undoing against the Heat. They have a bit of cap space as well so I expect them to strengthen their bench. Kyle Korver, Jarryd Bayless and Darren Collinson have all been rumored signings this post season and all would aid the Pacers. Larry Bird has returned to the team as well and he put together the team we are watching right now. Expect big things from the Indiana Pacers.
Milwaukee Bucks
Well the Bucks are also in transition. They need to blow up their team if they want to be anything more than just first round playoff opposition. Well maybe they won’t blow up the whole team but the backcourt looks like changing. JJ Redick is a free agent and seems the most likely to come back. His signature will be in hot demand though. Monta Ellis has turned down his player option and the general consensus is he will go to wherever pays him the most money or he will go to Dallas to contend. Brandon Jennings may be forced into coming back if they miss out on Ellis and Redick. He won’t want to come back though. I don’t think any of the three actually do. If they lose these guys expect them to make a push for Jarret Jack, Mo Williams or OJ Mayo. The Bucks will struggle next year as their team is not that great. If they do make the playoffs expect them to be a low seed again and to be rolled out in the first round.
So as of this moment this is what I believe will be the Central Divisions standings come the end of the season:
1. Indiana Pacers
2. Chicago Bulls
3. Cleveland Cavaliers
4. Milwaukee Bucks
5. Detroit Pistons
CMG5 