The competition for the Central Division has been tighter in the past two years after a lopsided competition the four years before that. From 2007 to 2011, the division champion has a double-digit lead over the second place team, making the division a one-team domination. But in the last two seasons, the Chicago Bulls (2011-12) and the Indiana Pacers (2012-13) have won the division by a single-digit.
The Central Division is going to be very deep with Chicago and Indiana battling for the division title, Cleveland and Detroit are now ready to make a leap to the playoffs, and Milwaukee will see if their revamped roster can make it back.
2013/2014 NBA Team Preview of the Central Division:
Chicago Bulls
2012-13 SU Record: 45-37
He’s back!
No, not Michael Jordan. Derrick Rose!
Rose is coming back for the upcoming season after sitting out more than a year with a torn ACL. The Chicago Bulls did very well without him, finishing with a 45-37 SU record, 5th in the Eastern Conference and beating the Brooklyn Nets in the first round before being taken out by the eventual champions Miami Heat.
Without Rose, the Bulls relied on team effort on both ends. On offense, they ranked 8th in assists and 10th in turnovers. The downside of their offense is they averaged only 93.2 points-per-game, 29th in the league, but that was compensated by their patented defense, which only allowed 92.9 ppg, 3rd in the League.
Their offense will most likely go up once Rose is back to join the formidable frontcourt trio of, Carlos Boozer, Joakim Noah and Luol Deng. Boozer has his usual numbers. Noah had a career year last season, averaging a double-double while making the All-Star team for the first time. Deng has always been their consistent workhorse while playing a league-leading 38.7 minutes-per-game. Another story last year for the Bulls is the emergence of Jimmy Butler; the former 30th overall pick showed that he is a reliable player, especially on defense.
There are certainly questions for the Bulls going into next season. How will their bench play fare considering they lost Nate Robinson and Marco Belinelli? They hope that Mike Dunleavy Jr. will take the scoring void; Marquis Teague is ready to step up and Taj Gibson will play for a nifty extension after a down year. Is Carlos Boozer going to be amnestied? And most importantly, will Rose be the same player as he was in 2011, when he won the MVP?
All eyes will be on the Bulls quest to title contention once again, as they are prized at +400 to win the East and +900 to win the NBA Championship.
Can the Bulls finally be able to win it all now that Rose is back?
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Indiana Pacers
2012-13 SU Record: 49-32
The Indiana Pacers were a win away from the NBA Finals last season. While they came up short against the Heat, the Pacers have plenty of takeaways from last season’s worthwhile season. They finished with 49-32 SU record, good for 3rd in the Eastern Conference; beat the Hawks in the first round and the end the Knicks’ hopes in the Conference Semifinals before taking the Heat to the limit. Much like the Bulls, the Pacers win by having a well enough on offense (94.7 ppg, 23rd in league), and a superb defense (90.7 opp. ppg, 2nd in league).
[sc:NBA240banner ]The Pacers have officially entered the elite class of teams last season with an elite defense, anchored by their big man, 7-foot-2 Roy Hibbert. He is joined by a great starting five with bruising power-forward David West, who re-signed with the Navy and Gold, providing veteran leadership and consistent low-post-high-post presence. George Hill is a crafty playmaker and Lance Stephenson surprised everyone with his defensive presence and fearlessness on offense. Best of all, Paul George is a revelation. The 2013 Most Improved Player put on a showcase in the Playoffs that elevated his status as among the best players in the world.
The Pacers have one of the best starting five units in the league but they have a very thin bench last year, ranking 28th in bench scoring. They hope to fix their bench with the additions of C.J. Watson, Chris Copeland, Luis Scola and rookie Solomon Hill.
While the rest of the Eastern Conference is focusing on Miami’s three-peat quest, Rose’s comeback and the reloaded Brooklyn Nets, the Pacers are still a team to watch out for, entering this upcoming 2013-2014 season as one of the elite teams in the league. The Blue-Collar-Gold-Swagger team is prized at +600 to win the East and +1,500 to win the NBA Championship.
It has been a progress for the Pacers and their core players. Three years ago, they made the playoffs for the first time. The year after that, they went to the Conference Semifinals. Last year, they played seven games in the Conference Finals. Will the next step be the Pacers going to the Finals and possibly win a championship?
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Detroit Pistons
2012-13 SU Record: 29-53
Speaking of loading up… the Detroit Pistons has made it an intention that they want to make it back to the playoffs and it started with free agency.
The Pistons signed Josh Smith to a big contract and traded for point-guard Brandon Jennings from the Bucks to upgrade their talent pool. They will join the dynamic frontcourt duo of Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond, and a young and developing core that will help bring Motor City basketball back to its old glory days. New head-coach Mo Cheeks must figure out how to properly fit all their talent at the same time.
They also upgraded in the veteran department by signing former Finals MVP from their last championship season of 2004, “Mr. Big Shot” Chauncey Billups.
[sc:NBA490banner ]Their next goal is the playoffs and they will ride on their additions and the development of their young center, Drummond, who possesses an alluring upside. Drummond was the surprise among the rookie class last year. Many thought to be a potential bust due to his raw skills, the 6-foot-10, 270-pound center averaged 13.8 ppg, 13.2 rpg and 2.8 blocks-per-game per-36-minutes, plus a 4.5 win share, all while playing under 21 minutes per game. Talk about huge upside.
With two very talented yet beleaguered new players coming in for a fresh start and a young center still developing his potential, can the Pistons take the next step to the postseason?
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Cleveland Cavaliers
2012-13 SU Record: 24-58
The Cleveland Cavaliers are still recovering from “The Decision”, but they clearly took many steps to relevancy last season due to the stellar play of their first-overall pick Kyrie Irving.
Irving moving fast among the ranks of best point guards in the NBA. With 22.5 ppg and 5.9 assists-per-game while gaining his first All-Star berth last season, he is now primed to move the Cavs to the next level, which is the postseason.
Despite his stellar play, Irving was bug by injuries, just as many players had been bitten by it. The injuries led to their 24-58 SU record.
[sc:NBA240banner ]During their busy offseason, the Cavs made some moves to show they are serious at competing in Eastern Conference. They brought back Mike Brown to coach their young roster and to improve 25th ranked defense. They signed Jarrett Jack to back-up their all-star point guard. They signed oft-injured Andrew Bynum and he has vowed to return healthy and to play more this year. They made an interesting choice by drafting Anthony Bennett, the 6-7 freshmen hybrid forward from UNLV, as the first overall pick.
They are there to help 2011 draftee Tristan Thompson and 2012 draftee Dion Waiters, as both will look to continue their progress. Plus, Anderson Varejao will return after missing more than half of last season due to a serious elbow injury. The Cavs’ roster is making them an exciting team to watch this season.
Finally after years since LeBron left, the Cavs are no longer competing just to get young players experience while collecting a high draft pick after the season. Cleveland enters 2013-14 with serious playoff aspirations.
Will Irving and the Cavaliers return to relevancy this year and possibly make the playoffs?
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Milwaukee Bucks
2012-13 SU Record: 38-44
The Milwaukee Bucks are the typical purgatory team in the NBA. For the last three years, the Bucks have been a run-on-the-mill mediocre team that is not good enough to be an upper-echelon team but not bad enough to get a high-lottery draft pick.
Last year, they finished with a sub-par record, made the playoffs as a number-8 seed before the Miami Heat made a sacrificial lamb out of them.
As a result, Milwaukee went on a roster overhaul. It started with the exodus of their former backcourt duo of Brandon Jennings, who was traded to the Pistons, and Monta Ellis, who signed with the Mavericks. Even the coaching staff was changed with former head coach Jim Boylan and his staff was dismissed.
[sc:NBA240banner ]After the exits, they brought in a lot of faces to make Milwaukee a new brand of basketball. Former Hawks head coach Larry Drew will now take the sidelines for the Bucks. Defensive stalwart Larry Sanders will assume his new responsibility as the new face of the franchise. They brought in young point-guard Brandon Knight, scoring enigma O.J. Mayo, hometown boy and veteran Caron Butler, Argentine forward Carlos Delfino, sharpshooter Gary Neal, big man Zaza Pachulia, and Greek rookie Giannis Antetokounmpo.
With many new players filling their roster, they still have good mainstays, particularly serviceable and versatile forward Ersan Ilyasova and rising prospect John Henson.
The Bucks fans should be happy with Jennings and Ellis gone from chucking up their team’s offense. They should also defense is not bad as they were, 8th in steals, 2nd in forcing turnovers, and 2nd in blocks, with Sanders ranking 2nd in blocks at 2.8-per-game. But the Bucks need help for him defending the paint, as the Bucks ranked 28th in the league in points-in-the-paint allowed.
For the Bucks, they get to begin again with a mix of young, old, and hopefully, more disciplined basketball players. They are now out of a toxic environment and are set on competing for a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Can the renewed Milwaukee Bucks succeed in their fresh start?
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