Over the next week, I'm going to write about my musings about the 2016 NBA off-season and how I see the NBA Draft and free agency shaping these teams in the near future. We're starting today with the Central Division.
A few thoughts about this division - this might be one of the most exciting groups of teams in the league right now. Cleveland's definitely going to coast and stay near or at the top of the conference. Indiana has definitely changed their playing style with the moves. The Pistons and the Bucks have a young core that's prime for improvement. And Dwyane Wade is back home. Compelling shit all around.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Additions: Mike Dunleavy, Kay Felder, Chris Andersen
Losses: Matthew Dellavedova, Timofey Mozgov
Honestly, I have two words about the Cavaliers - status quo. There's a caveat though. The gains and losses on this roster seem insignificant, but given the fact that LeBron can no longer summon Herculean feats on a game-by-game basis, sacrificing depth is a tricky thing. The Dunleavy pickup is actually an interesting depth piece during the season. It affords Lue the luxury of subbing out LeBron early for Dunleavy, and playing the offense around a potentially lethal pick-and-pop scheme with Irving and Love. And then later, against other teams' second units, LeBron can pick apart lesser forwards from the high post, surrounded by Mo Williams, Shumpert, Frye, and Jefferson.
But I want to talk a little about two unsung players on this team. Jordan McRae is dominating Summer League right now, albeit against youngsters, some of whom are six and seven years his junior. But he's shown a consistent three-point shot, and he's a young and athletic wing on a team that needs wing depth. It's prudent for the coaching staff to give McRae some early season reps, so that he can provide some spot minutes as a 3-and-D player in the playoffs if Dunleavy doesn't have much left in the tank. Secondly, buying the draft rights to Kay Felder was a sneaky pick. His killer stepback and NBA range make a great third point guard to have. On top of it all, he has the mid-major, second-round alpha male chip on his shoulder. Cleveland may have just drafted the second coming of Nate Robinson, and he's not a lunatic. Well, he may be.
Detroit Pistons
Additions: Jon Leuer, Ish Smith, Boban Marjanovic, Henry Ellenson, Michael Gbinije
Losses: Anthony Tolliver, Steve Blake
Build a fucking wall! And yes, they built it. The East is up for grabs, and the Pistons can catapult themselves into having home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. The tentative starting lineup for Van Gundy's squad is surrounding the Jackson-Drummond pick-and-roll with three 3-D specialists, who can all develop into Jae Crowders, in KCP, Stanley Johnson, and Tobias Harris. Harris had one of the best last thirds in all of the NBA last year, posting 16 points and 6 boards on 48-38-91 splits in 33 games. KCP and Johnson can both guard three positions and maybe four in the a pinch. This starting lineup is stacked defensively and, given another shooting step forward for Stanley Johnson, can be an offensive machine. Drummond still has to work on his footwork and his free throw shooting. His elimination from the game because of his putrid shooting probably doesn't render the offense too many fewer points per 100 possessions, but the defensive efficiency plunges.
The bench though is the real kicker for this team. Ish Smith is a perfect pick-and-roll point guard for 12 to 15 minutes a game. Throw him around Aron Baynes, with Marcus Morris, Leuer and one of KCP and Johnson, and that lineup can dominate bench lineups. And, of course, the legend of Boban continues. Here's a slow jam for ya.
Indiana Pacers
Additions: Jeff Teague, Thaddeus Young, Al Jefferson, Aaron Brooks, Georges Niang
Losses: George Hill, Ian Mahinmi, Solomon Hill
What will this team even look like? The consensus starting five is Teague and Ellis in the backcourt, with George, Young, and Turner shoring up the paint. And even though George is a stellar off-ball player, Teague and Ellis have shooting deficiencies that necessitate the ball in their hands. The ideal fit for Nate McMillan is to bring Ellis off the bench and add some streaky shooting in the starting lineup in C.J. Miles. But is Ellis really a good fit with the plodding post-up offense the bench mob on this team needs to play?
I should have added Frank Vogel as the biggest loss for this franchise. Frank Vogel is one of the top eight coaches in the league, and Larry Bird, whose adage of "coach only for three years", made a mistake in refusing to resign him. Vogel isn't an offensive genius, but neither is Nate McMillan (sorry, our fellow Eagles still love you!) One thing bodes well for McMillan - Paul George is returning after a terrific season right off a gruesome injury. He might benefit in a more up-tempo playing style, and put up starkly better numbers than last year. If the Pacers figure out a way to win between 48 and 52 games, which is no easy task, George might be a dark horse MVP candidate.
Milwaukee Bucks
Additions: Matthew Dellavedova, Mirza Teletovic, Thon Maker, Malcolm Brogdon
Losses: Jerryd Bayless, O.J. Mayo, Greivis Vasquez
Let's talk about my new obsession in the NBA. Imagine a lineup that renders all pick and rolls moot, can close out quickly to shooters, recover quickly on blow-bys, and if a guard can get to the rim, they have five (count them) players out there with 6'11''-plus wingspans. That's what Jason Kidd is striving towards. A lineup with 7-footer Giannis Antetokuonmpo at the point, Middleton, Parker, and Maker spreading the floor, and Henson packing the paint. Obviously, Kidd is probably going to start Carter-Williams at the point, and Maker is probably going to be benched for a while. But what a time to be alive if you live in the Cream City.
The pickups of Matthew Dellavedova and Mirza Teletovic add some much needed shooting to a lineup that was severely lacking in offense. A closing lineup of Delly guarding the point and playing off-the-ball is probably a plus on both offense and defense. Luckily, MCW's contract is up soon and the Bucks would be smart to not resign.
But I want to spew a little defense for the decisions the Bucks made on draft night. With the tenth pick in a putrid draft, the Bucks, with an already establish young core, decided to pick the one player that had the greatest upside left on the board. The only fits on the board at that moment were either Denzel Valentine or Wade Baldwin, both of whom are redundant on the current roster. The selection of Malcom Brogdon in the second round justifies their risky pick in the first round. Brogdon is ready to play as the fourth guard in the rotation and can backup both MCW and Middleton as a defensive two that has shooting range. I'm looking for a playoff berth for the young Bucks.
Chicago Bulls
Additions: Dwyane Wade, Rajon Rondo, Robin Lopez, Jerian Grant, Denzel Valentine
Losses: Derrick Rose, Aaron Brooks, Pau Gasol, E'Twaun Moore, Joakim Noah, Mike Dunleavy
When the league zigs, you zag. And sometimes zagging leads you to drive straight into a tree and kill your franchise. Pace and space is the name of the game now - force a high number of possessions, spread the floor, and shoot threes. Next year, the Bulls are going to play slow, pass up bad midrange shots for worse midrange shots, and get beaten off the dribble on every other play. Pairing Rondo with Butler in the backcourt was stupid - Butler can run an offense on his own. Adding Wade to the mix? That's a logjam on the perimeter of below average shooters. The drafting of Valentine is solid, a ready to play rookie who can contribute much like Tony Snell. The added bonus for Valentine is his passing ability. But the Bulls had no reason to pay Wade this much money to watch him break down.
Here's the blueprint for the Bulls. Step one: trade Butler to the Celtics for Marcus Smart, Jae Crowder, and Amir Johnson and the third pick. Step two: pick Kris Dunn or Jaylen Brown. Step three: find a suitor for Taj Gibson and maybe gather a future second or a young asset. Step four: grow the young talent together - a core of Smart, Dunn or Brown, Valentine, Mirotic, and McDermott can be groomed into a playoff team in a few years. Clearly, these hypothetical Bulls won't make the playoffs. But they'd have hope for the future. Sadly, these current Bulls won't make the playoffs and they have no future either.
A few thoughts about this division - this might be one of the most exciting groups of teams in the league right now. Cleveland's definitely going to coast and stay near or at the top of the conference. Indiana has definitely changed their playing style with the moves. The Pistons and the Bucks have a young core that's prime for improvement. And Dwyane Wade is back home. Compelling shit all around.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Additions: Mike Dunleavy, Kay Felder, Chris Andersen
Losses: Matthew Dellavedova, Timofey Mozgov
Honestly, I have two words about the Cavaliers - status quo. There's a caveat though. The gains and losses on this roster seem insignificant, but given the fact that LeBron can no longer summon Herculean feats on a game-by-game basis, sacrificing depth is a tricky thing. The Dunleavy pickup is actually an interesting depth piece during the season. It affords Lue the luxury of subbing out LeBron early for Dunleavy, and playing the offense around a potentially lethal pick-and-pop scheme with Irving and Love. And then later, against other teams' second units, LeBron can pick apart lesser forwards from the high post, surrounded by Mo Williams, Shumpert, Frye, and Jefferson.
But I want to talk a little about two unsung players on this team. Jordan McRae is dominating Summer League right now, albeit against youngsters, some of whom are six and seven years his junior. But he's shown a consistent three-point shot, and he's a young and athletic wing on a team that needs wing depth. It's prudent for the coaching staff to give McRae some early season reps, so that he can provide some spot minutes as a 3-and-D player in the playoffs if Dunleavy doesn't have much left in the tank. Secondly, buying the draft rights to Kay Felder was a sneaky pick. His killer stepback and NBA range make a great third point guard to have. On top of it all, he has the mid-major, second-round alpha male chip on his shoulder. Cleveland may have just drafted the second coming of Nate Robinson, and he's not a lunatic. Well, he may be.
Detroit Pistons
Additions: Jon Leuer, Ish Smith, Boban Marjanovic, Henry Ellenson, Michael Gbinije
Losses: Anthony Tolliver, Steve Blake
Build a fucking wall! And yes, they built it. The East is up for grabs, and the Pistons can catapult themselves into having home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. The tentative starting lineup for Van Gundy's squad is surrounding the Jackson-Drummond pick-and-roll with three 3-D specialists, who can all develop into Jae Crowders, in KCP, Stanley Johnson, and Tobias Harris. Harris had one of the best last thirds in all of the NBA last year, posting 16 points and 6 boards on 48-38-91 splits in 33 games. KCP and Johnson can both guard three positions and maybe four in the a pinch. This starting lineup is stacked defensively and, given another shooting step forward for Stanley Johnson, can be an offensive machine. Drummond still has to work on his footwork and his free throw shooting. His elimination from the game because of his putrid shooting probably doesn't render the offense too many fewer points per 100 possessions, but the defensive efficiency plunges.
The bench though is the real kicker for this team. Ish Smith is a perfect pick-and-roll point guard for 12 to 15 minutes a game. Throw him around Aron Baynes, with Marcus Morris, Leuer and one of KCP and Johnson, and that lineup can dominate bench lineups. And, of course, the legend of Boban continues. Here's a slow jam for ya.
Indiana Pacers
Additions: Jeff Teague, Thaddeus Young, Al Jefferson, Aaron Brooks, Georges Niang
Losses: George Hill, Ian Mahinmi, Solomon Hill
What will this team even look like? The consensus starting five is Teague and Ellis in the backcourt, with George, Young, and Turner shoring up the paint. And even though George is a stellar off-ball player, Teague and Ellis have shooting deficiencies that necessitate the ball in their hands. The ideal fit for Nate McMillan is to bring Ellis off the bench and add some streaky shooting in the starting lineup in C.J. Miles. But is Ellis really a good fit with the plodding post-up offense the bench mob on this team needs to play?
I should have added Frank Vogel as the biggest loss for this franchise. Frank Vogel is one of the top eight coaches in the league, and Larry Bird, whose adage of "coach only for three years", made a mistake in refusing to resign him. Vogel isn't an offensive genius, but neither is Nate McMillan (sorry, our fellow Eagles still love you!) One thing bodes well for McMillan - Paul George is returning after a terrific season right off a gruesome injury. He might benefit in a more up-tempo playing style, and put up starkly better numbers than last year. If the Pacers figure out a way to win between 48 and 52 games, which is no easy task, George might be a dark horse MVP candidate.
Milwaukee Bucks
Additions: Matthew Dellavedova, Mirza Teletovic, Thon Maker, Malcolm Brogdon
Losses: Jerryd Bayless, O.J. Mayo, Greivis Vasquez
Let's talk about my new obsession in the NBA. Imagine a lineup that renders all pick and rolls moot, can close out quickly to shooters, recover quickly on blow-bys, and if a guard can get to the rim, they have five (count them) players out there with 6'11''-plus wingspans. That's what Jason Kidd is striving towards. A lineup with 7-footer Giannis Antetokuonmpo at the point, Middleton, Parker, and Maker spreading the floor, and Henson packing the paint. Obviously, Kidd is probably going to start Carter-Williams at the point, and Maker is probably going to be benched for a while. But what a time to be alive if you live in the Cream City.
The pickups of Matthew Dellavedova and Mirza Teletovic add some much needed shooting to a lineup that was severely lacking in offense. A closing lineup of Delly guarding the point and playing off-the-ball is probably a plus on both offense and defense. Luckily, MCW's contract is up soon and the Bucks would be smart to not resign.
But I want to spew a little defense for the decisions the Bucks made on draft night. With the tenth pick in a putrid draft, the Bucks, with an already establish young core, decided to pick the one player that had the greatest upside left on the board. The only fits on the board at that moment were either Denzel Valentine or Wade Baldwin, both of whom are redundant on the current roster. The selection of Malcom Brogdon in the second round justifies their risky pick in the first round. Brogdon is ready to play as the fourth guard in the rotation and can backup both MCW and Middleton as a defensive two that has shooting range. I'm looking for a playoff berth for the young Bucks.
Chicago Bulls
Additions: Dwyane Wade, Rajon Rondo, Robin Lopez, Jerian Grant, Denzel Valentine
Losses: Derrick Rose, Aaron Brooks, Pau Gasol, E'Twaun Moore, Joakim Noah, Mike Dunleavy
When the league zigs, you zag. And sometimes zagging leads you to drive straight into a tree and kill your franchise. Pace and space is the name of the game now - force a high number of possessions, spread the floor, and shoot threes. Next year, the Bulls are going to play slow, pass up bad midrange shots for worse midrange shots, and get beaten off the dribble on every other play. Pairing Rondo with Butler in the backcourt was stupid - Butler can run an offense on his own. Adding Wade to the mix? That's a logjam on the perimeter of below average shooters. The drafting of Valentine is solid, a ready to play rookie who can contribute much like Tony Snell. The added bonus for Valentine is his passing ability. But the Bulls had no reason to pay Wade this much money to watch him break down.
Here's the blueprint for the Bulls. Step one: trade Butler to the Celtics for Marcus Smart, Jae Crowder, and Amir Johnson and the third pick. Step two: pick Kris Dunn or Jaylen Brown. Step three: find a suitor for Taj Gibson and maybe gather a future second or a young asset. Step four: grow the young talent together - a core of Smart, Dunn or Brown, Valentine, Mirotic, and McDermott can be groomed into a playoff team in a few years. Clearly, these hypothetical Bulls won't make the playoffs. But they'd have hope for the future. Sadly, these current Bulls won't make the playoffs and they have no future either.
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