Over the next 6 days, Skyline Sports will be rolling out our in-depth NBA preview for the 2014-2015 season. One division everyday leading up to tip-off.
Detroit Pistons
Waters: Pistons are a really good team to play with in 2K. That’s kind of the furthest thing from a championship. The Pistons have some really nice players that I like a lot, and I think they can be good if they decide to play as a team. Josh Smith is good, but really needs to step up his game if he wants to be considered a superstar. Brandon Jennings is a 2K stud and could be one in real life if he looked to pass more often. Now I love Greg Monroe and Andre Drummond if they develop into the players they can be, I think this team will take a trip back to the days when Rasheed and Ben Wallace roamed the court. Overall think the Pistons make the playoffs, get rocked in the first round.
Joe Mo: With the front court this Pistons team boasts, and Stan Van running the show now, I think this might be the biggest riser of the year not including teams that added LeBron James and Kevin Love. Brandon Jennings and Josh Smith both need to figure it out, but I think Stan Van can help there too. If not, I’d love to see what Rondo could do there. Definitely have the Pistons in my Eastern Conference playoff picture.
Rand: This team is going to give people headaches all season long,and with Stan Van running the show, Detroit is trending up for me. A close to complete roster with a dangerous front court and solid backcourt will have this team turning some heads in the 2014-2015 season. The size they bring to the table is impressive; Greg Monroe 6’11”/250lbs, Andre Drummond 6’11”/279lbs, Joel Anthony 6’9”/245lbs, and Jonas Jerebko 6’10”/231lbs will give them a nice height advantage over some teams in the NBA. Also, having the talented Brandon Jennings on your roster will only help them and with the signing of Jodie Meeks, as well as the hopeful breakout season from Summer League standout Kentavious Caldwell-Pope this backcourt will make them deep and athletic.
Chicago Bulls
Waters: I give Derrick Rose 2, maybe 3 weeks before he is on the shelf again. I do not think he will ever be the same player that he was a few years and a few surgeries ago. Pau Gasol is extremely old and really not that big of an upgrade of Boozer. Butler was good in the playoffs a few years back, but hasn’t shown anything since. I do love Dougie McBuckets, but not even he will be able to stop Bron Bron and co. Bulls will get 3 seed in my opinion and are ripe for an upset. To end Noah is sooo overrated, got dominated in the playoffs by Nene.
Joe Mo: Maybe the team I am most looking forward to watching at the start of the year. Obviously, I want to see what the Cavs look like, but I have been waiting to see Derrick Rose, Jimmy Butler and Joakim Noah all healthy and playing together for way too long. If there’s two things I love in the NBA, its hard work and defense, and the Bulls will bring that every night. Their grit is unmatched and the addition of Pau will give them another set of good hands down low next to Noah opening up all sorts of options. Then, when you need to get defensive, you throw in Taj Gibson at the 4 creating one of the best defensive tandems in the NBA. Obviously health permitting, I think the Bulls are 1 or 2 in my preseason rankings.
Rand: Everyone’s eyes will be on the Bulls as they will, for the first time in awhile, have a healthy Derrick Rose. He sure looked like the D-Rose of old in the preseason; cutting, driving, and dishing just like he did in his MVP season a short time ago. But durability will be an issue for this guy as he has not gone through the grueling NBA schedule in a few years, and it will be interesting to see how he holds up. In a division that also houses the Cleveland Cavaliers, there will be no shortage of opportunities and challenges for this squad. It will be interesting to see where Pau Gasol fits into this whole equation but I do know it will be tough to drive through the lane with Noah and Gasol standing in there. With young gun Jimmy Butler and established veteran Taj Gibson this team will be loaded and ready to go for the start of this season.
Indiana Pacers
Waters: Paul George, who is the superstar of this team, is out for awhile, but he will be back some time this season. The problem is will David West be able to carry the team while George is rehabbing? They couldn’t score last year, and they lost Lance who is still just weird. I think if the Pacers make the playoffs, Frank Vogel will be dubbed as one of the greatest coaches in NBA history. Yeah, you think I’m crazy, but if you have NBA League Pass and want to watch a 60-59 NBA game, tune in on Wednesday night to watch the Pacers play the 76ers.
Joe Mo: Just so sad. Larry Legend doesn’t deserve this. PG13 out for the year, Stephenson to the Hornets, a rift in the locker room, a disgruntled David West, and a total wild card in Roy Hibbert. This was not the way this franchise was supposed to work out. From being possibly the best team in the NBA in the regular season last year gearing up for an epic Eastern Conference championship rematch with the Heat, to a team torn apart (thanks Evan Turner), and finally, to whatever kind of team this is. I could see them trying to move David West if and when their season falls apart, although Larry Bird may not know how to believe a season is over. Offense is going to have to fall from the sky, and Roy Hibbert can only do so much defensively. If one thing’s for sure though, its that Larry Bird is NOT going to throw this year away in hopes of landing a good draft pick. I’d love to see them still steal that 1st overall pick from the Sixers though. Work hard all season, still have a mediocre year and then come out of nowhere to ruin everything in Philly. The Pacers deserve it, but more importantly, the Sixers deserve it.
Rand: On paper, this team looked to be one of the most competitive in the league last year and proved so when they earned another playoff berth. But reality is always a different story and you mix in what was a complete wild card last season in Roy Hibbert, the devastating injury to Paul George and the departure of Lance Stephenson, this team has now been through the ringer. Larry Bird is a fricken competitor and will throw the best possible 5 he can on the court this season. We will also find out what kind of coach Frank Vogel actually is. Anyone can do a good job when you have great athletes on your team but can he turn these players now into overachievers and help them stay relevant in a very tough Central Division? We will see but the fact of the matter, this season will not be an easy one in Indiana.
Anyone want to know what a 2014-15 Pacers practice look like?
Milwaukee Bucks
Waters: This team is awful. They will compete for the number one overall pick again. Jason Kidd is not good at coaching basketball. This team will be in Seattle in the next 5 years that is my prediction. Also, they have zero shot of making the playoffs, and they are in the East that just tells you how bad this team is. I also think Parker doesn’t live up to the hype.
Joe Mo: Some very bold takes there. I say give the Bucks a couple years. They are going to struggle in this great division for a little while, but with guys like Greek Freak, Jabari Parker, Larry Sanders, Ersan Ilyasova, and Brandon Knight, and then Jason Kidd on the bench, I really like the direction in which this team is heading (Seattle?). Especially after another lottery pick next summer. If OJ Mayo could get back to the 2 or 3 years ago version of himself, a starting 5 of Knight, OJ, Giannis, Jabari and Larry Sanders could do some damage in the East.
Rand: Jason Kidd has his second head coaching job in as many years, and this one begins with very different expectations. He is not in Brooklyn surrounded by established veterans and a big money owner spending fat stacks to bring talent to Brooklyn. He is in the humble city of Milwaukee; the lights aren’t as bright, the expectations aren’t as high right now, and the pressure is not nearly at the level it was last season. He is now the leader in a rebuilding process and will look to mold young players like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jabari Parker, Larry Sanders, and Ersan Ilyasova. It will be a fun season for Kidd as I believe the pressure is somewhat off of him, and the young Bucks will benefit from his laid back style. This team’s record will not be as bad as some people think, and they will end this season with a good taste in their mouths as they continue to build for the future.
Cleveland Cavaliers
Waters: Two words: LeBron James. Cavs are immediately favored to win the Chip this year. James will be known as the GOAT when it is all said and done. He will cruise to another MVP year. I love the Cavs role players. Waiters is really good in my opinion and I think he will get 12+ a night on a team that features 3 superstars in James, Love and Kyrie. Kevin still will get his 20 a night and Kyrie will get probably around 15+. Thompson is another guy I like think he will be on the court during crunch time instead of Varejao. Cavs will be your 2014-2015 NBA champs.
Joe Mo: Kyrie Irving – Dion Waiters – LeBron James – Kevin Love – Anderson Varejao and a bunch of solid role players off the bench. Throw in Ray Allen around February, put David Blatt in the driver’s seat and watch the Cavs cruise to 120 a game. Defensively they will struggle, and it will be very interesting to see how they stack up against some of those rough-em-up East teams like the Bulls, Wizards and Raptors. This isn’t a very tough team, they aren’t great defensively outside of LeBron and a couple of those bench guys, and three of their four best players have never played in an 83rd game. I think they will put up video game, record breaking offensive numbers in the regular season and win a whole lot of games, but I just don’t really know how they’re going to stack up in the playoffs when guys start pushing them around. Not to mention I have no idea how Dion Waiters is going to fit into this situation. He looked unbelievable in the preseason with both the starters and leading the bench guys, but I feel like he’s going to have problems meshing with the big 3 and playing 4th fiddle on offense as the season drags on. Plus, he’s already made it clear he isn’t interested in coming off the bench. If he doesn’t embrace his role, could he be dealt after Ray Allen inevitably jumps on board? Lots of question marks with this Cavs team, but also a ton of potential, great TV, and they are absolutely a team built for greatness.
Rand: It will be interesting to see how Kyrie Irving melts with LeBron James, Kevin Love, and others. This team surely has no shortage of talent and a bench that caters to some of the more glaring weaknesses that the starting lineup has. They have great shooting off of the bench, and a mix of guys who work hard and will do well to be around a proven winner like LeBron James. Dave Blatt has already ran through a million and a half scenarios in his head about how to use what where and things of that nature. But, the fact is; he’s gonna learn a heck of a lot about hot to use his team this regular season, and it will be good to see the adjustments he makes to keep LeBron happy and healthy and get the most out of his role players. I agree with Joe Mo, a glaring question is where will Dion Waiters fit in? He is a strong personality that likes to shoot the ball himself, and that will surely conflict with the touches needed for guys like LeBron, Kevin Love, etc. To me, Dion Waiters is not going to last as the allure of cashing in will outweigh the wait for a championship. Anderson Varajeo is an undervalued piece in this whole situation in my mind. A veteran guy that has been solid his entire career and will be a whole lot more valuable this time around for LeBron because now he has guys he can lean on for scoring. Anderson will not be in the immediate spotlight and that will help him flourish. This team, in the end, will be must-see TV and everyone will be eating up the coming home story for some time.
Awards
Most Valuable Player (MVP)
Waters: LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers)
Joe Mo: Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls)
Rand: LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers)
Defensive Player of the Year
Waters: Lebron James (Cleveland Cavaliers)
Joe Mo: Joakim Noah (Chicago Bulls)
Rand: LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers)
Rookie of the Year (RoY)
Waters: Doug McDermott (Chicago Bulls)
Joe Mo: Jabari Parker (Milwaukee Bucks)
Rand: Jabari Parker (Milwaukee Bucks)
Sixth Man of the Year
Waters: Tristan Thompson (Cleveland Cavaliers)
Joe Mo: Taj Gibson (Chicago Bulls)
Rand: Mike Miller (Cleveland Cavaliers
Most Improved Player
Waters: Tristan Thompson (Cleveland Cavaliers)
Joe Mo: Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks)
Rand: Giannis Antetokounmpo (Milwaukee Bucks)
Coach of the Year
Waters: Frank Vogel (Indiana Pacers)
Joe Mo: Tom Thibodeau (Chicago Bulls)
Rand: Stan Van Gundy (Detroit Pistons)
Skyline Sports All-Central Division Team
Point Guard: Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls)
Shooting Guard: Jimmy Butler (Chicago Bulls)
Small Forward: LeBron James (Cleveland Cavaliers)
Power Forward: Kevin Love (Cleveland Cavaliers)
Center: Roy Hibbert (Indiana Pacers)
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