NBA 2009-10 Season Preview:

Central Division

Team: Cleveland Cavaliers

Last year’s Record: 66-16 (1^st in Central, 1^st in East)

Offensive Rating (last year): 112.4 (4^th)

Defensive Rating (last year): 102.4 (3^rd)

Key Acquisitions: Shaquille O’Neal, Anthony Parker, Leon Powe, Jamario Moon

Key Losses: Ben Wallace, Wally Zzczerbiak, Sasha Pavlovic, Joe Smith

Projected Lineup:

Position	Starter	Bench
PG	Mo Williams	Anthony Parker
SG	Delonte West	Daniel Gibson
SF	LeBron James	Jamario Moon
PF	Anderson Varejao	Leon Powe
C	Shaquille O’Neal	Z. Illgauskas

Season Outlook: After a dominating regular season, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 08-09 season ended in disappointment, as they were eliminated in the Eastern Conference Finals by Dwight Howard and the Orlando Magic. The Cavs were aggressive in the offseason, trading for Shaquille O’Neal on June 25^th in exchange for Ben Wallace, Sasha Pavlovic and 2^nd round pick in the 2010 draft. The hope is that Shaq’s interior presence can help slow down Howard and neutralize the matchup advantages Orlando had last year over the Cavaliers. While Shaq may provide the post defense on Howard that the Cavs lacked last year, he figures to offer little help in the way of pick and roll defense – which Orlando used to pick apart their #3 rated defense last year. The Cavaliers ranked 11^th in the league in front court scoring (61.5) last year, so Shaq adds some scoring up front. Last year he averaged 18 and 8 and he still lead the league in field goal percentage (61%).

The Cavaliers also added Leon Powe and Jamario Moon to boost their frontcourt depth. Powe won’t be ready to contribute until sometime in February, but when healthy, this guy is a monster on the offensive glass and he is particularly adept at drawing fouls on opposing bigs. LeBron figures to play his usual 37+ minutes per game, but Jamario Moon will give them a solid (if unspectacular) backup. Mo Williams and Delonte West will continue to anchor the starting backcourt, but the acquisition of Anthony Parker gives them another sharpshooter from long range off the bench and a good defender whose size allows him to guard either the point or the two-guard.

With a motivated Shaq and added depth up front and in the backcourt, the Cavaliers are virtual locks to return to the Eastern Conference Finals next year. Once again, Boston and Orlando figure to compete with them for the # 1 seed.

2009-10 Prediction: 61-21 (1^st in the Central, 1^st in the East)

Team: Detroit Pistons

Last year’s Record: 39-43 (3^rd in Central, 8^th in East)

Offensive Rating (last year): 107.4 (21^st)

Defensive Rating (last year): 108.0 (16^th)

Key Acquisitions: Ben Gordon, Charlie Villanueva, Chris Wilcox, Ben Wallace

Key Losses: Rasheed Wallace, Allen Iverson, Antonio McDyess

Projected Lineup:

Position	Starter	Bench
PG	Rodney Stuckey	Will Bynum
SG	Richard Hamilton	Ben Gordon
SF	Tayshaun Prince	Austin Daye
PF	Charlie Villanueva	Jason Maxiell
C	Kwame Brown	Chris Wilcox

Season Outlook: Last year, the Detroit Pistons suffered their worst season in nearly a decade, as they finished with just 39 wins after 7 consecutive 50 win seasons and 6 consecutive ECF’s. Joe Dumars rolled the dice just two games into the season by trading team leader and former finals MVP Chauncey Billups to the Denver Nuggets for Allen Iverson. Needless to say, the gambled did not pay off for the 2008-09 season. Iverson couldn’t mesh in with Detroit’s team and defense first philosophy and Curry couldn’t find a consistent lineup, due to erratic play and a rash of injuries to the starters. The year (and an entire era) ended in ugly fashion for the Pistons as they lost 31 of their final 48 regular season games and were swept in the first round by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Pistons promise to be a far more exciting team to watch this year, with the signings of explosive guard Ben Gordon and the versatile four-man, Charlie Villanueva. John Kuester, with over 20 years of NBA coaching experience, should be a huge upgrade over rookie coach Michael Curry. In addition to their free agent signings, the Pistons are expecting contributions out of their draft picks, Austen Daye and DeJuan Summers. Summers has an NBA ready body and can play both positions. Daye has exquisite shooting skills (spot up and off the dribble) but he needs to add a lot more muscle to be able to deal with the rigors that come with NBA level basketball.

The 2009-10 Detroit Pistons should be a high scoring bunch, and they will challenge the 100 PPG threshold for the first time since 2001. Defense may prove to be an issue, but this team is a solid bet to make the postseason.

2009-10 Prediction: 46-36 (2^nd in the Central, 6^th in the East)

Team: Chicago Bulls

Last year’s Record: 41-41 (2^nd in Central, 7^th in East)

Offensive Rating (last year): 108.4 (14^th)

Defensive Rating (last year): 108.7 (18^th)

Key Acquisitions: Jerome James

Key Losses: Ben Gordon

Projected Lineup:

Position	Starter	Bench
PG	Derrick Rose	Lindsey Hunter
SG	John Salmons	Kirk Hinrich
SF	Luol Deng	Tim Thomas
PF	Tyrus Thomas	Brad Miller
C	Joakim Noah	Aaron Gray

Season Outlook: The Chicago Bulls turned many peoples’ heads last year when they pushed the defending NBA champion Celtics to an absolutely breathtaking 7 game series. But will the Bulls be able to build on that playoff showing? The Bulls lost leading scorer and clutch shotmaker Ben Gordon to the division rival Pistons in free agency. They didn’t really do anything in free agency to compensate for that loss. The Bulls only won 41 games last season, but played much better following the acquisition of John Salmons and Brad Miller, posting a 16-10 record post-trade.

The Bulls still lack the front court depth and scoring to really compete. I think they’re banking too much on the health of Luol Deng, and the continued development of Thomas and Noah. Rose is a stud, and will continue to blossom, but the Bulls did not improve their roster over the offseason. They are relying on too many other variables and are a fringe playoff team at best.

2009-10 Prediction: 42-40 (3^rd in the Central, 8^th in the East)

Team: Indiana Pacers

Last year’s Record: 36-46 (4^th in Central, 9^th in East)

Offensive Rating (last year): 108.1 (17^th)

Defensive Rating (last year): 109.2 (19^th)

Key Acquisitions: Dahntay Jones

Key Losses: Marquis Daniels, Rasho Nasterovic

Projected Lineup:

Position	Starter	Bench
PG	T.J. Ford	Earl Watson
SG	Dahntay Jones	Brandon Rush
SF	Danny Granger	Mike Dunleavy
PF	Troy Murphy	Tyler Hansbrough
C	Jeff Foster	Roy Hibbert

Season Outlook: In 2009, the Indiana Pacers suffered their third straight losing campaign and third consecutive year without making the playoffs, following a stretch in which they had made the playoffs in 16 out of 19 years.

The lone bright spot for the Pacers last year was the emergence of small forward Danny Granger, who exploded for 26 points, 5 boards and 3 dimes last year. The spike in offensive production was enough to earn Granger the “Most Improved Player” award. The Pacers featured a running attack, ranking 5^th in points per game, but also among the worst defensive teams in the league (6^th).

The Pacers should continue to be an explosive offensive team next year, with Troy Murphy and Brandon Rush providing the three point shooting threats alongside Granger. Dunleavy is a gifted scorer off the bench who can score in a variety of ways. Dahnty Jones was brought on strictly for defensive purposes. It’s a solid pickup, but nothing to get overly excited about.

The Pacers will rely on the continued development of Roy Hibbert and hope that lottery pick Tyler Hansbrough will do the little things necessary to win games.

2009-10 Prediction: 38-44 (4^th in the Central, 10^th in the East)

Team: Milwaukee Bucks

Last year’s Record: 34-48 (5^th in Central, 12^th in East)

Offensive Rating (last year):106.7 (23^rd)

Defensive Rating (last year): 107.9 (15^th)

Key Acquisitions: Carlos Delfino

Key Losses: Richard Jefferson, Charlie Villanueva

Projected Lineup:

Position	Starter	Bench
PG	Ramon Sessions	Brandon Jennings
SG	Michael Redd	Charlie Bell
SF	L. Mbah a Moute	Carlos Delfino
PF	Hakim Warrick	Joe Alexander
C	Andrew Bogut	Dan Gadzuric

Season Outlook: After a promising start to the 09 season, the Bucks season finished in disappointment, following a rash of major injuries to their starters.

The Bucks roster underwent a major overhaul this summer, losing free agent forward Charlie Villanueva to the (Central Division rival) Pistons and trading star forward Richard Jefferson to the Spurs for Bruce Bowen and Kurt Thomas… who were immediately bought out. The trade was clearly a financial one to clear cap space, which they used to resign Ramon Sessions. With an eye towards the future, the Bucks drafted talented, but volatile point guard Brandon Jennings. Jennings is an athletic specimen, but is still very raw and will take some time to develop his skills.

The Bucks have some talented youth in the backcourt, in addition the multitalented Joe Alexander, who can play the three and four positions up front. The front court is still in issue as Milwaukee lacks the depth and strength inside to really make a serious playoff push. The Bucks are going nowhere soon.

2009-10 Prediction: 24-58 (5^th in Central, 15^th in East)