The Central Division, already one of the toughest in
the league, has the potential to be the most competitive division in the
Eastern Conference over the next few years. Surprisingly, there are few
teams in the division with glaring holes on their roster. The Pistons are
back-to-back Eastern Conference champions and have so many quality players
that they can beat you a number of different ways. Indiana is right there
with Detroit, with a deep lineup that only gets better when the volatile Ron
Artest returns next season. Chicago turned a lot of heads this past season
and is loaded with young talent poised to improve on their first playoff run
since the MJ days. LeBron and the Cavs fell just short of the playoffs this
past season, but will surely attempt to improve this off-season to keep pace
with the rest of the division. And don’t forget about Milwaukee who has
several athletic scorers and the luxury of the # 1 overall pick in the 2005
NBA draft.
Detroit
Pistons, 1st place, # 2 seed
54-28, Eastern
Conference Champions
Picks # 26, 56
The Pistons seem to have found a recipe for success:
quality veterans, balanced scoring, and tough defense instead of the
overpriced superstars and flashy scorers that are so common in the NBA. They
have a solid 8-man rotation whose average age is 29.4 and their top six each
averaged at least 9.6 points per game last season. They won the 2004 NBA
Title with this formula and are currently playing in the 2005 NBA finals.
And the success has come without any significant contribution from Darko
Milicic, the # 2 overall pick in the 2003 draft. Imagine how scary this team
would be if Joe Dumars had selected Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, or Dwyane
Wade, who went #’s 3, 4, and 5 behind Darko in the ’03 draft!
As it stands, the Pistons have proven that they don’t
need the extra talent they passed up in that 2003 draft. They have a very
good backcourt, featuring Chauncey Billups, Rip Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince
with Carlos Arroyo off the bench. But perhaps the biggest reason for their
postseason success is the quality of their big men, especially on the
defensive end. Ben Wallace, Rasheed Wallace, Antonio McDyess, and Elden
Campbell give Larry Brown’s squad a strong presence in the paint and on the
glass and good depth off the bench. So where are the holes? Well, nowhere
really, but the Pistons could use some depth at the wing behind Hamilton and
Prince or perhaps another big body to replace the aging Campbell.
Kennedy
Winston, Rashad McCants,
Joey Graham,
Wayne Simien, and Mickael Gelabale are
good possibilities here. However, Detroit also has the luxury of investing
in a long term project, so don’t be surprised to see Dumars take a flyer on
Andrew Bynum,
Johan Petro, Roko-Lenic Ukic or
Monta Ellis with this pick.
Chicago
Bulls, 2nd place, # 4 seed
47-35, lost to
Washington 4-2 in first round
No picks
The Baby Bulls surprised a lot of people last season
with their run to 2nd place in the division and the # 4 seed in the Eastern
Conference playoffs. Unlike the Pistons, Chicago is an extremely young team
and has a lot of promising talent. Due to trades with Phoenix and Utah, the
Bulls do not currently have a pick in this year’s draft. But that is ok,
because as long as they re-sign restricted free agents Eddy Curry and Tyson
Chandler, the team should build upon last year’s improvement just by
maturing and playing together. Kirk Hinrich, Ben Gordon and Chris Duhon have
the backcourt locked up, and Luol Deng and Andres Nocioni played well enough
as rookies to prove that they can hold down the wing positions. Eddy Curry
is coming into his own in the paint, and is receiving ample support on the
glass from veteran Antonio Davis while Tyson Chandler takes longer to
develop.
If John Paxson decides to make a deal to get into the
draft, which he certainly would be able to do given the young talent on his
roster, the biggest priorities will likely be depth on the wing and another
big body, especially if Othella Harrington leaves via free agency.
Indiana
Pacers, 3rd place, # 6 seed
44-38, lost
4-2 to Detroit in Conference Semifinals
Picks # 17, 46
The Pacers are one of the deepest teams in the league
and may look to trade their first round pick. Despite losing their top 3
scorers to suspensions for significant portions of the season as a result of
“Fan Brawl 2004”, Indiana still managed to win 44 games and make it to the
2nd round of the playoffs. Despite Reggie Miller’s retirement, the team will
get stronger next year with the return of Ron Artest. The franchise has a
plethora of athletic small forwards and big men, from Artest, Stephen
Jackson, and Fred Jones on the wing to Jermaine O’Neal, Dale Davis, Austin
Croshere, and Jeff Foster on the glass. Jamaal Tinsley has proven to be a
solid point guard, although the front office would like him to distribute
the rock more and shoot less given the team’s plentiful scoring options and
Tinsley’s 41% field goal percentage. So the only real needs are a true point
guard to challenge Tinsley and a sharpshooter to replace Miller’s ability to
hit the 3. If the Pacers keep the pick, look for them to select from the
likes of Jarrett Jack,
Rashad McCants,
Rudy Fernandez, Martell Webster, or Roko-Leni Ukic.
Cleveland
Cavaliers, 4th place
42-40, no
playoffs
No picks
Like the Bulls, the Cavs do not have any picks in this
year’s draft due to previous trades. Unlike the Bulls, however, Cleveland is
not blessed with loads of promising young talent. True, they have Lebron
James, the NBA’s most promising superstar, and a decent frontcourt featuring
Zydrunas Ilgauskas and Drew Gooden, but the rest of the supporting cast
leaves a lot to be desired. Jeff McInnis is a serviceable point guard, but
is a free agent and if the front office feels they can upgrade at the
position, they will not hesitate to let McInnis sign elsewhere. Ilguaskas is
also a free agent, and though he’s been solid in the paint, his true center
style does not fit well with the up-tempo style LeBron would like to play.
The bench is filled with veterans like Robert Traylor, Lucious Harris and
Eric Snow who would be great role players on a good team, but do not carry
enough weight to fulfill larger roles.
If Cleveland does make a move to get into the draft,
its biggest needs are another big athletic body to compliment Gooden and a
shooter to stretch the defense. Last year’s first round pick, Luke Jackson
(# 10 overall) may be the answer at shooting guard, but he did not get a
chance to showcase his skills due to a herniated disc last season. The Cavs
could also use a true point guard to allow LeBron to focus on scoring
instead of bringing the ball up and distributing.
Milwaukee
Bucks, 5th place
30-52, no
playoffs
Picks # 1, 36
Despite the last place finish, the Bucks are not in as
bad a shape as some other teams going into the draft. They have the # 1 pick
in the draft and do have some talent on the roster, provided they re-sign
Michael Redd. This has got to be a priority for Herb Kohl and the Bucks
front-office. Some feel that the Bucks will be overpaying if they give Redd
the franchise player max contract that he will command on the open market,
but it is worth it for the sole reason that it takes the pressure off the #
1 draft pick. If Redd is the first option and main scorer, it will allow the
rookie to have a much smoother development. And if point guard TJ Ford comes
back next season from spinal surgery to have anywhere near the impact he had
as a rookie (7.1 ppg, 6.5 apg), this team will be much improved. Add in
Desmond Mason’s 17 points per game and this team should have a solid point
guard and three viable scorers (Redd, Mason, # 1 pick).
So who should the Bucks pick # 1 overall? Barring any
major developments, the decision appears to be down to 7-footer
Andrew Bogut
and the super athletic Marvin Williams. The Bucks could certainly use Bogut
to upgrade their frontcourt, which last year featured Joe Smith and Dan Gadzuric. With Ford feeding him the rock, and Redd and Mason on the
perimeter as kick-out options, it is easy to envision Bogut thriving in
Milwaukee. But can the Bucks front-office pass on Williams’s athleticism?
They would still lack quality in the front court, but the ability of Redd,
Mason, and Williams to beat you multiple ways would be a tough matchup for
any opponent.
