TSN.ca's 2014-15 NBA Season Preview: Central Division

With the regular season right around the corner, TSN.ca profiles each NBA division before the first tip. TSN Basketball analyst Jack Armstrong also gives his pick for division champ and a player to keep an eye on this season. Today, we look at the Central Division where LeBron James, Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving lead a new Big Three with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Derrick Rose is finally healthy for the Chicago Bulls after two years of injury and the Indiana Pacers without Paul George go from Eastern Conference contenders to fighting for their playoff lives.

Chicago Bulls

Coach: Tom Thibodeau (fifth season)

GM: Gar Forman (sixth season)

Last year: 48-34, second in the Central (fourth in Eastern Conference)

Playoffs: Lost in first round to Wizards

Notable additions: PF Pau Gasol ($22.35M, three-year deal), PG Aaron Brooks ($1.15M, one-year deal), SG E'Twaun Moore ($1.96M, two-year deal) and SF Doug McDermott (acquired from Nuggets)  

Notable subtractions: PF Carlos Boozer (waived, signed with Lakers), C Greg Smith (traded to Mavericks), PG/SG Jimmer Fredette (signed with Pelicans), PG DJ Augustin (signed with Pistons) and PF/C Lou Amundson (waived, signed with Lakers)

 

 

Stop the presses: Derrick Rose is healthy.

The 2011 NBA MVP, Rose has played a grand total of 39 games since claiming the prize given to the NBA’s top player. Two different knee injuries (an ACL tear in the left and a meniscus tear in the right) have kept the man widely considered to be the best point guard in the NBA stuck in a suit on the Bulls’ bench for most of the last two seasons.

Rose featured in the FIBA World Cup in Spain this summer and helped USA Basketball capture a gold medal. Sure, Rose’s participation couldn’t be considered prominent because he never played for more than 23 minutes a game and struggled mightily with his shot at times, but this Rose back against real competition and proof that he’s ready to go.

As Rose goes, so go the Bulls. The Bulls were a respectable team who earned home-court advantage in the playoffs last season without Rose, but with Rose, the Bulls, a defensive juggernaut, bring back a guy who is in the honest-to-goodness conversation for best player in the league and become a threat to every team in the league.

If Rose can stay healthy (and yes, that’s a big if), the ceiling for this Bulls team is an NBA Title.

On top of Rose’s return, the Bulls add Pau Gasol to the equation. The Spaniard is 34 years of age now and no longer the world beater he once was in his prime with the Lakers. Still, Gasol has a chip on his shoulder and a lot to prove with the Bulls. Feeling frozen out by the Lakers and an afterthought over the past few seasons, Gasol believes that he still has a lot left in the tank. Pure skill doesn’t deteriorate with age and Gasol, in a system more suited to his skill set, brings a lot to the table on both sides of the ball. Tom Thibodeau think the Bulls have that very system.

Combine these two pieces with the 2014 NBA Defensive Player in the Year in Joakim Noah, a very dependable Jimmy Butler and the explosive Taj Gibson on the bench and you have the team that will give the Cleveland Cavaliers the best run for their money come playoff time.

The Cavs might possess more pure talent in its Big Three than the Bulls can throw at you, but in terms of smarts and depth, Chicago might be the best the East has to offer. Again, health will have a lot to say about things when it’s all said and done and you might not see the heights this team can hit in the regular season, but look for the Chicago Bulls to be playing in the NBA Finals come June.

Projection: Second in the Central (second in the Eastern Conference)

 

Cleveland Cavaliers

Coach: David Blatt (first season)

GM: David Griffin (second season)

Last year: 33-49, third in the Central (10^th in Eastern Conference)

Playoffs: Did not qualify

Notable additions: SF LeBron James ($42.2M, two-year deal), PF Kevin Love (acquired from Timberwolves), C Brendan Haywood (acquired from Hornets), SF James Jones ($1.45M, one-year deal), SG Mike Miller ($5.59M, two-year deal) and SF Shawn Marion ($1.45M, one-year deal)

Notable subtractions: SF Luol Deng (signed with Heat), SF Anthony Bennett (traded to Timberwolves), C Spencer Hawes (signed with Clippers), PG Jarrett Jack (traded to Nets), SG/SF CJ Miles (signed with Pacers), SG/SF Alonzo Gee (traded to Nuggets), C Tyler Zeller (traded to Celtics) and SG/SF Sergey Karasev (traded to Nets) 

 

Let’s get the obvious out of the way. The big news in Cleveland this season is the return of the Cavs’ navy blue alternate jerseys. They’re really slick and should sell well.

Oh, and they traded for Kevin Love.

And that LeBron guy is back.

The Cleveland Indians last won the World Series in 1948. That was the last time a professional sports franchise won a championship in the town affectionately (?) dubbed “the Mistake by the Lake.” This Cavaliers team assembled by owner Dan Gilbert and general manager David Griffin has the potential to be the best-ever edition of the franchise and to legitimately bring a winner to Cleveland for the first time in 67 years. Now, a lot has to go right for that to happen, but look for the Cavs to have a say when it comes down to who claims gold in June.

The James story is one of redemption. Vilified throughout most of Ohio when he took his talents to South Beach to join up with Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade four seasons ago, James is attempting to prove that you can go home again. Well, judging by how quickly the fans have seemingly forgiven and forgotten, he seems to be onto something. Of course, when you’re the best basketball player on the planet, you’re going to be welcomed with open arms just about anywhere.

Perhaps, it was that James was burnt out in Miami after an NBA Finals loss to the San Antonio Spurs (and four-straight trips to the championship, where he was victorious twice) or maybe the fact that he was still viewed as the league’s biggest heel and there was nothing he was going to do to change that, but there’s a certain reinvigoration about James this season. The belief that he might be on the precipice of actually bringing a title to his long-suffering hometown (Akron isn’t far from Cleveland) is his motivating factor right now and the supporting cast around him, maybe his finest ever, looks to be able to facilitate that wish.

A word on Andrew Wiggins – Andrew Wiggins could end up being an all-world superstar and go down as an all-time NBA great. He very well might. Still, the Cavs would make the trade of Wiggins to the T-Wolves 10 times out of 10. Andrew Wiggins doesn’t give them the chance to win now. Kevin Love, in his prime at 26, does. Wiggins could be great. Love already is one of the best two-way forwards in the game. It’s a no-brainer for the Cavs. As for Love, he must dispel any notion that it’s easy to be a 25-12 guy every night in Minnesota when nobody’s watching and prove that he can thrive under the spotlight that will follow the Cavs everywhere they will go this season.

Now, what could go wrong? Well, David Blatt is an unproven commodity. A legend in Europe, Blatt gets his first-ever crack at coaching in the NBA with the Cavaliers and it’s a helluva maiden voyage to take when you’re expected to win immediately. Blatt is known as a game manager who likes to use as much of his bench in his rotation as possible, but that might not be a possibility in Cleveland. Starting centre Anderson Varejao hasn’t played anything close to a full season in five years with a variety of injuries and after Varejao, Tristan Thompson and Love up front, there are certainly some defensive concerns.

Then, there is the backcourt of Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters. The duo spent most of last season denying rumours that there was discord between the two, but it was obvious that the pair just weren’t on the same page for much of the season. The talent there is obvious, especially with Irving, but the two need to be on the same page. It’s one thing for the two to struggle when you’re on a 25-win team. That’s not the Cavs anymore and the backcourt needs to be ready for prime time.

The Cavs are going to score a ton and be fun to watch. If they can defend, something that Blatt has stressed and stressed in the preseason, then they might be capable of the heights that everybody thinks they can reach. This is a very good, exceptionally talented team. With a lot of moving parts, it’s no guarantee that it’s all going to come together right away for the Cavs. Still, this team will make a run.

Projection: First in Central (first in Eastern Conference)

 

Detroit Pistons

Coach: Stan Van Gundy (first season)

GM: Jeff Bower (first season)

Last year: 29-53, fourth in the Central (11^th in Eastern Conference)

Playoffs: Did not qualify

Notable additions: SG Jodie Meeks ($18.81M, three-year deal), PG DJ Augustin ($6M, two-year deal), SF Caron Butler ($9M, two-year deal), C Aaron Gray ($9M, two-year deal) and C Joel Anthony (acquired from Celtics) 

Notable subtractions: SG/PG Rodney Stuckey (signed with Pacers), PF Charlie Villanueva (signed with Mavericks) and PG Will Bynum (traded to Celtics)  

 

 

Stan Van Gundy has a mess to clean up in the Motor City, but if there’s one thing that he has the reputation for doing as an NBA coach, it’s getting through to his players even when some seem like lost causes.

The Pistons don’t have any lost causes, per se, but they’re a motley crew of guys who haven’t lived up to potential, guys primed to break out and one guy who’s a bit of both and might not be in Detroit next season.

Greg Monroe will be a key figure for the Pistons this year. Whether that’s on the court or as part of a trade remains to be seen. Here’s what we know: Monroe was a restricted free agent this past summer and didn’t field any offer sheets from anywhere. While Chandler Parsons was out looking for a brand new car after getting his bumper new contract with the Mavericks, Monroe was making sure that his phone had reception. Well, the Pistons could have re-signed Monroe to an extension, too, if they so had desired, and that didn’t happen, either. We’re left now with a situation where Monroe is an unrestricted free agent next summer and the Pistons intend to get value for him, but the player can veto any potential trades and the team hasn’t given up on the idea of extending player. It’s a bit of a mess, but conceivably, a mutually beneficial mess. Monroe wants to maximize his value on the open market and the Pistons can benefit from his improved play and either re-sign him or try to convince him to accept a trade that works for them. In any case, Monroe is a player to watch this season.

So is Andre Drummond. Drummond rode the bench, but he was part of USA Basketball’s gold medal-winning team at the FIBA World Cup in Spain. Drummond, in his sophomore season last year, exploded into a 13-13 player and is poised to improve on that this year. A gifted and athletic pivot, the 21-year-old is one of the most creative and quick young centres in the league. The Pistons believe that they might have their franchise cornerstone in the UCONN product.

Van Gundy will find the likes of Josh Smith and Brandon Jennings serviceable and try to do something with his glut of wing players, but this season is very much an audition for Van Gundy. Having the final say on player personnel, Van Gundy will quickly get a feel for who he can and who he can’t work with and will react accordingly. Perhaps, looking at the make-up of the Pistons’ in a year’s time will be a better gauge of Van Gundy’s vision for the squad.

An incomplete work, the Pistons are good enough to be in the conversation for a playoff spot (of course, all but maybe three teams in the are) and can compete on any given night. Still, the transition could be a long one for Van Gundy and this is not an overnight undertaking. The future isn’t now for the Pistons.

Projection: Fourth in the Central (10^th in the Eastern Conference)

 

Indiana Pacers

Coach: Frank Vogel (fourth season)

GM: Kevin Pritchard (third season)

Last year: 56-26, first in the Central (first in Eastern Conference)

Playoffs: Lost in Eastern Conference finals to Heat

Notable additions: SG CJ Miles ($18M, four-year deal), PF Damian Rudez ($2.25M, two-year deal) and PG Rodney Stuckey ($1.2M, one-year deal), 

Notable subtractions: PG Lance Stephenson (signed with Hornets), SG/SF Evan Turner (signed with Celtics), SG/SF Rasual Butler (signed with Wizards) and C Andrew Bynum (unsigned) 

 

 

The days of the Indiana Pacers appearing in the Eastern Conference’s elite are now over in large part to a cruel injury to Paul George in USA Basketball’s summer camp leading up to the FIBA World Cup.

Not only does the leg break mean that George is likely to feature for the Frank Vogel’s team at all this season, it’s going to bring the whole practice of loaning players to their national teams to the forefront. It must be galling for the Pacers that they will be without the services of their best player because he got hurt playing for a team other than them in preparation for a competition that was the NBA season. There are obviously many benefits to the NBA allowing its players to participate in FIBA-sanctioned competitions, but the image of George’s leg break is not one that will be forgotten any time soon and will likely have great bearing on the discussion moving forward in regards to future NBA participation.

Losing George, the team’s leading scorer, was an unforeseen complication. Losing Lance Stephenson happened on the Pacers’ watch.

Swingman Stephenson set career highs in almost every category last season (13.8 PPG, 4.4 APG, .455 FG% and a .714 FT%) and was instrumental in the Pacers’ run to the Eastern Conference finals. Instead of reupping the 24-year-old, the team let him walk and he’s now plying his trade with the Charlotte Hornets. Rodney Stuckey comes over from the Pistons in his stead, but with all due respect to Stuckey, this looks to be an obvious downgrade.

So here you have the Pacers heading into the season without its two best players in what is now a significantly better Central Division. Forget competing for a division crown, the Pacers will be lucky to make the playoffs.

Offensively, the team will look to George Hill to carry a more significant load. Not a hundred per cent heading into the season, Hill took a bit of step back last year, his third with the Pacers. If Hill can, as team president Larry Bird believes, replicate his scoring numbers of two seasons ago (14.2 PPG and 4.7 APG), the absences of George and Stephenson will be at least somewhat alleviated. David West has been a consistent scorer for his entire career and the Pacers will desperately need his contributions again this season. As for Roy Hibbert, he remains one of the best defensive centres in the NBA, but his scoring touch has abandoned him entirely, falling to a career-low 9.3 PPG in this past postseason. The Pacers believe that Hibbert’s offence has already hit its nadir, so it can only go up from here.

Missing the playoffs and getting high draft pick wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world for the Pacers in 2014-14. This isn’t a rebuild. They know that George will be back next season (truth be told, he could probably be ready late into this year, but the Pacers should ignore any thought of rushing him back) and a lottery pick added to the mix would certainly couldn’t hurt. That said, the East is filled with more than a few mediocre teams and a postseason spot isn’t unattainable for a team coming off of back-to-back Central Division titles.

In the end, though, George’s absence will be too much of a burden and the Pacers will look to hit reset in 2015-16.

Projection: Third in Central (ninth in the Eastern Conference) 

 

Milwaukee Bucks

Coach: Jason Kidd (first season)

GM: Kevin Pritchard (seventh season)

Last year: 15-67, fifth in the Central (15^th in Eastern Conference)

Playoffs: Did not qualify

Notable additions: SF Jabari Parker (drafted), SG/SF Jared Dudley (acquired from Clippers), PG Kendall Marshall (claimed from Lakers) and SG Jerryd Bayless ($6M, two-year deal)

Notable subtractions: SG/SF Carlos Delfino (traded to Clippers), C Miroslav Raduljica (traded to Clippers), SF Jeff Adrien (signed with Rockets), PF/C Ekpe Udoh (signed with Clippers) and PG Ramon Sessions (signed with Kings) 

 

 

For whatever reason, the Milwaukee Bucks, owners of the league’s worst record, decided that they really wanted Jason Kidd to coach their team in 2014-15. Okay, but they already had a good coach in Larry Drew and Jason Kidd was under contract to the Brooklyn Nets, a team that Kidd made…better than mediocre. It doesn’t have to make a lot of sense, but that’s what happened and now Jason Kidd is calling the shots in the Milwaukee.

Kidd was one the best point guards of all-time, but nothing about his first year in the NBA coaching ranks made anybody take notice that he might be looking at a Hall-of-Fame management career, too. The second half of Kidd’s maiden bow was better than the first and his adjustments showed signs of a deeper understanding of his role, but Kidd is far from a finished product and will likely experience as many bumps in the road at bench boss as will his young charges on the court.

The Bucks are very young with some very raw talent, led by the second-overall pick in this past June’s NBA Draft in Jabari Parker. Parker is a special player and of the few players from his draft class expected to start right away. Parker is a strong, smart player with deceiving athleticism. He’s got a great head on his shoulders and a fantastic work ethic. The Bucks have a guy who should be a star in this league for years to come, but that’s not going to happen overnight. Parker’s not the greatest defender, he can quickly find himself out of position and isn’t gifted with particular quickness. Parker is a work in progress and it’s difficult to discern what his learning curve is going to be like going up against men every night. The fact that Parker could end up with the most minutes of anybody else drafted this summer makes him a popular pick for Rookie of the Year, though, he’s not simply going to be handed playing time. Yes, the potential to play 30-plus minutes a night is there, but that will be a bridge crossed when the time comes. In any event, this guy is going to be something to watch.

Parker is added to a young core featuring Giannis Antetokounmpo, Larry Sanders and Brandon Knight. Ersan Ilyasova is the old man of the group at 27. There’s not a lot of polish here (the Greek Freak can go from the sublime to the ridiculous on the same play) and some character issues (You don’t have to go out every night, Larry Sanders. Just stay home with a book), but it’s hard not to see the boundless potential present with the Bucks. In all likelihood, the team is going to add another very high lottery pick to the equation next June. The team will just need to take its lumps in the short term.

The Bucks will once again be very bad and finish near the bottom of the Eastern Conference. That’s perfect for a team in their standing right now in the midst of a wholesale rebuild. As bad as they are, they will still be worth keeping an eye on for Parker.

Projection: Fifth in Central (14^th in Eastern Conference)

 

Jack Armstrong's Pick:

Cleveland Cavaliers - There's a new Big Three and lots of hype to go with it. Every night on the shores of Lake Erie will be a major event, but how does the young backcourt of Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters develop? Does new coach David Blatt connect with his team? I think this will work out well.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jack Armstrong's Player to Watch:

Pau Gasol, Chicago Bulls - Gasol can make a significant impact to the Bulls' scoring punch and in interior length and rim protection. But he's not a young guy anymore and minutes will have to be managed properly. If so, then he's a good get and with a healthy Derrick Rose and improved bench, this club is legit.