2007 NBA Central Summer Preview
Bulls Need Offense; LeBron James Needs Help
NBA teams will scurry to refurbish and improve their rosters this summer, in hopes of improving next season.
The Central Division was the most competitive one in the Eastern Conference this season, with the top three teams in the East in terms of record battling for the division title. Though these teams probably won't be making major moves, it's a safe bet that each will be tweaking its roster to jockey for advantage against the other two teams.
The Detroit Pistons don't have a whole lot of players they'd be willing to trade. At least none who would draw a whole lot of interest. Chauncey Billups is a free agent and has considered signing with the Miami Heat. However, he's expected to stay with Detroit.
The Cleveland Cavaliers need to get Lebron James some help. They probably missed their best opportunity to deal center Zydrunas Ilgauskas for significant value in return a year or two ago. He's getting past his prime and doesn't really fit with the Cavs style of play anyway. Despite being one of the league's better rebounding teams, the Cavs don't have a lot of interior toughness on the defensive end, other than perhaps Anderson Varejao. In addition, they'll be looking hard to land a point guard so that LeBron James doesn't have so much burden to be the main play maker and ball handler.
The Chicago Bulls have a young talented roster that's very good on the defensive end. Moreover, Luol Deng and Ben Gordon are coming off career seasons and should only get better. That being said, the Bulls really need a low post scorer. They had gone after Paul Gasol of the Memphis Grizzlies, but thought the Grizzlies' were asking for too much in Deng and Gordon. They were right. Still, if Gasol's not the answer, they'll be seeking an alternative. Shareef Abdur-Rahim might be a quick fix, though he's certainly not the answer. Because a lot of the Bulls' talent is young and still on rookie contracts, they'll need to make space in order to ensure their ability to sign Gordon and Deng when their contracts expire. Therefore, Andres Nocioni could be on the trade block.
The Indiana Pacers finished the season horrendously. Jermaine O'Neal could be gone and Jamaal Tinsley probably will be gone as a result. Perhaps the only untouchable player might be forward Danny Granger. Nevertheless, if there's a lot of activity in this division, Indiana may certainly be the cause of it.
The Milwaukee Bucks are another team that faced horrible injuries this past season. They have a lot of talent, but much of it needs to be further developed. Point guard Mo Williams had a career year, but he'll be a free agent this summer and might ask for more than the Bucks are willing to pay. Guard Earl Boykins will likely test the free agent waters, too. Still, Andrew Bogut should steady improvement this season and Charlie Villanueva still has tremendous upside. Michael Redd is emerging into a star and the Bucks will potentially have a top five pick in the upcoming draft. If they beat the odds and land either Greg Oden or Kevin Durant, they could generate a lot of buzz this summer.
Also check out:
2007 NBA Atlantic Summer Preview
2007 NBA Southeast Summer Preview
2007 NBA Southwest Summer Preview
2007 NBA Pacific Summer Preview
2007 NBA Northwest Summer Preview
