NBA East's Central Still A Bastion Of Power
By: Chance Harper
Only three weeks to go until the NBA preseason begins. That of course means there are only six weeks until the NBA regular season hits the hardwood on Halloween.
Which division will people be talking about this season? If we have anything to say about it, then it will be the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The Central has a lot to live up to after sending all five teams to the playoffs last season. Think about it this way: Out of the eight Eastern Conference playoff spots, five of them went to teams from the same division. That’s pretty remarkable as far as we’re concerned.
Despite the large number of playoff teams coming from the Central, it wasn’t too hard to separate the upper echelon from the lower tier in the division last season. When you have the Detroit Pistons post the best record in the league, picking the best team in the division in basically a no-brainer.
The Pistons may have been the best in the league last season, but after their playoff swoon and offseason moves around the Central, they’re not a guarantee to return to the top of the division this year. The Pistons watched Ben Wallace, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, jump ship to Chicago and the player they signed to replace him, Nazr Mohammed, doesn’t fill the void. Sure, Detroit still has Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace and Tayshaun Prince, but the rest of the division has made some offseason moves to try and catch up.
The Cleveland Cavaliers finished second in the Central last season and if you have to be told why, you really don’t know very much about basketball. The Cavaliers extended LeBron James’ contract during the offseason and King James should continue to get better. Remember he’s still only 21 years old. The Cavs also brought David Wesley aboard and, barring another freak finger injury, they should have Larry Hughes at point guard the entire season. The Cavaliers will overtake the Pistons eventually; whether or not that happens this season will depend on James.
The Indiana Pacers were considered a championship contender last season, but the Pacers that tip off on November 1 will look a lot different than the Pacers that started things off last season. Gone are Anthony Johnson, Austin Croshere, Fred Jones and Peja Stojakovic. Indiana hopes they can fill in the gaps with Al Harrington, Marquis Daniels, Darrell Armstrong and draftees Shawn Williams and James White. Of course, Stephen Jackson and Jermaine O’Neal are still around. If they can stay healthy this season don’t count the Pacers out quite yet.
The Chicago Bulls ended up with a .500 record last season and the Milwaukee Bucks had more losses than wins, but both still scratched their way into the postseason.
The Bulls apparently want a much smoother ride into the playoffs this season and picked up Ben Wallace to help them get there. Chicago also brought Tyson Chandler and P.J. Brown into the Windy City and drafted Tyrus Thomas out of LSU. The young Bulls are growing up and the veterans they added during the offseason should help them continue to improve this season.
The Bucks may have had their postseason ticket punched last season, but there’s no guarantee that a sub-.500 record will cut it this season. The Bucks still have Michael Redd, Bobby Simmons and former No. 1 pick Andrew Bogut, and they added a few new pieces to stay with the pack in East this season. Jamaal Magloire and T.J. Ford are both out, while Ruben Patterson and Charlie Villanueva are both in. The departure of Ford also means Mo Williams will now crack the starting lineup. The Bucks may not be able to play with the big boys quite yet, but the rest of the NBA should watch out and not take them for granted this season.
The Central Division props should start turning up soon and based on last year’s results don’t be surprised if the Pistons are once again a big favorite to win the division again. The Pistons are still really good, but they’re not invincible anymore, so make sure you get a good look at the rest of the division and the new additions before casually picking Detroit to win the division and move on.
By: Chance Harper
Only three weeks to go until the NBA preseason begins. That of course means there are only six weeks until the NBA regular season hits the hardwood on Halloween.
Which division will people be talking about this season? If we have anything to say about it, then it will be the Central Division of the Eastern Conference. The Central has a lot to live up to after sending all five teams to the playoffs last season. Think about it this way: Out of the eight Eastern Conference playoff spots, five of them went to teams from the same division. That’s pretty remarkable as far as we’re concerned.
Despite the large number of playoff teams coming from the Central, it wasn’t too hard to separate the upper echelon from the lower tier in the division last season. When you have the Detroit Pistons post the best record in the league, picking the best team in the division in basically a no-brainer.
The Pistons may have been the best in the league last season, but after their playoff swoon and offseason moves around the Central, they’re not a guarantee to return to the top of the division this year. The Pistons watched Ben Wallace, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, jump ship to Chicago and the player they signed to replace him, Nazr Mohammed, doesn’t fill the void. Sure, Detroit still has Chauncey Billups, Richard Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace and Tayshaun Prince, but the rest of the division has made some offseason moves to try and catch up.
The Cleveland Cavaliers finished second in the Central last season and if you have to be told why, you really don’t know very much about basketball. The Cavaliers extended LeBron James’ contract during the offseason and King James should continue to get better. Remember he’s still only 21 years old. The Cavs also brought David Wesley aboard and, barring another freak finger injury, they should have Larry Hughes at point guard the entire season. The Cavaliers will overtake the Pistons eventually; whether or not that happens this season will depend on James.
The Indiana Pacers were considered a championship contender last season, but the Pacers that tip off on November 1 will look a lot different than the Pacers that started things off last season. Gone are Anthony Johnson, Austin Croshere, Fred Jones and Peja Stojakovic. Indiana hopes they can fill in the gaps with Al Harrington, Marquis Daniels, Darrell Armstrong and draftees Shawn Williams and James White. Of course, Stephen Jackson and Jermaine O’Neal are still around. If they can stay healthy this season don’t count the Pacers out quite yet.
The Chicago Bulls ended up with a .500 record last season and the Milwaukee Bucks had more losses than wins, but both still scratched their way into the postseason.
The Bulls apparently want a much smoother ride into the playoffs this season and picked up Ben Wallace to help them get there. Chicago also brought Tyson Chandler and P.J. Brown into the Windy City and drafted Tyrus Thomas out of LSU. The young Bulls are growing up and the veterans they added during the offseason should help them continue to improve this season.
The Bucks may have had their postseason ticket punched last season, but there’s no guarantee that a sub-.500 record will cut it this season. The Bucks still have Michael Redd, Bobby Simmons and former No. 1 pick Andrew Bogut, and they added a few new pieces to stay with the pack in East this season. Jamaal Magloire and T.J. Ford are both out, while Ruben Patterson and Charlie Villanueva are both in. The departure of Ford also means Mo Williams will now crack the starting lineup. The Bucks may not be able to play with the big boys quite yet, but the rest of the NBA should watch out and not take them for granted this season.
The Central Division props should start turning up soon and based on last year’s results don’t be surprised if the Pistons are once again a big favorite to win the division again. The Pistons are still really good, but they’re not invincible anymore, so make sure you get a good look at the rest of the division and the new additions before casually picking Detroit to win the division and move on.