NBA Central Team Fixes
What Teams Must Do to Prepare Their Rosters for Next Season
From the Chicago Bulls to the Cleveland Cavaliers, NBA teams in the Central Division have a few months to get things in order for the 2007-2008 NBA season.
Most experts thought the Bulls would have acquired a much-coveted back-to-the-basket type of player by now. The best they could do was Joe Smith, despite having forward Andres Nocioni and the nineth pick overall in the 2007 NBA Draft as trade bait. Nevertheless, teams in the Central Division have made some noise in attempts to improve their rosters for the 2007-2008 NBA season. Here is a snapshot of what teams in the Central Division have done and what they need to do during the remainder of the summer to improve their rosters.
Chicago Bulls
Some fans might not understand why it has been so difficult for the Bulls to land a capable low post scorer who can draw double teams. Keep in mind that top-flight power forwards have large salaries. Kevin Garnett is set to make about $22 million next season, Jermaine O'Neal is set to make about $18 million and Pau Gasol is set to make about $14 million. Now keep in mind that some of the Bulls most tradeable players, such as Ben Gordon, Tyrus Thomas and Luol Deng don't make nearly as much money because they're still on their rookie salary levels. Gordon makes just under $5 million a year, Thomas makes about $3.5 million a year and Deng makes only $3.3 million a year. Therefore, to make a deal work for, say, Jermaine O'Neal, the Bulls would have to trade many young, talented players to make the salaries match, which doesn't make sense from the Bulls' standpoint. From this point on, Chicago needs to continue to try to make a deal for a big man that makes sense, being very careful not to trade away too much. Recently signed forward Andres Nocioni and rookie Joakim Noah are still the team's best options to trade away.
Cleveland Cavaliers
After a great effort to sneak into the 2007 NBA Championships, the Cavs still need a lot of tweaking to put them over the top. They still rely too much on LeBron James. Larry Hughes is an outstanding defender and a solid offensive contributor, but his health is a huge concern and his offensive style isn't necessarily a great fit for that team. The Cavs' efforts to trade Drew Gooden have failed, which means they may lose free agent Anderson Varajeo. The bottom line is that the Cavs don't have much trade bait to entice other teams, which is a big problem. They missed their queue to trade Zydrunas Ilgauskas by about two years. He's a solid big man, but never really fit with the Cavs' system and has never been a very good interior defender despite his size. The Cavs' biggest need is an outside shooter. With Sasha Pavlovic gone, the Cavs will need someone to spread the floor for James. Moreover, they are in constant search for that ever-elusive point guard. Daniel Gibson stepped up big in the playoffs, but can he be consistent throughout an entire season?
Detroit Pistons
Re-signing Chauncey Billups was a must. He's the bread and butter of that team. They should try to get rid of Nazr Mohammed's big contract, though that might not be possible. It makes little sense that they drafted guard Arron Afflalo with the 27th overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft when they drafted Rodney Stuckey with the 15th pick. Afflalo is essentially the same type of player, though not as strong and not as good of a ball handler. Drafting Stuckey was a great move. He could be the surprise of the draft and reminds many of Gilbert Arenas. The Pistons are making good strides toward building for the future, while holding onto important veteran leaders, like Billups and Antonio McDyess. Expect youngsters, like Jason Maxiell, Amir Johnson and Will Blalock to step things up a bit. There isn't a whole lot the Pistons should do, unless the perfect deal is placed at their feet. They might want to nab a shot blocker to help them in the middle.
Indiana Pacers
The Pacers are a mess. Though they have plenty of talent, they seem to lack team chemistry. Larry Bird is right not to trade Jermaine O'Neal for junk, but he should at least be looking in case he can snag some young, coveted prospects. If the Pacers could pull Luol Deng or Ben Gordon from the Bulls and get another prospect or two as well it would be a steal for the Pacers. Though, the Bulls don't seem easily enticed, as indicated in the Pau Gasol to the Bulls rumors. Indiana should seriously consider moving Mike Dunleavy. He's a talented player, but if they're serious about developing Danny Granger, they don't need Dunleavy. They have tradeable players. Now all they have to do is find the right deals.
Milwaukee Bucks
The Bucks have a lot of talent, but they've been making some serious mistakes lately. First, it is commendable for them to draft Yi Jianlian with the sixth overall pick, despite the apparent warnings that he did not want to play for Milwaukee. It's disgusting that players have that much influence in the league, but the truth of the matter is the Bucks could be looking at a bad situation and may ultimately be forced to trade Yi. Also, they paid too much for Mo Williams, a shoot-first point guard who had a break out season last year. Adding Jake Voskuhl wasn't a bad move. They need to surround Andrew Bogut with some toughness, not more soft players like Charlie Villanueva. Adding Desmond Mason was an interesting move, too. If the Bucks can get a bruiser to help in the middle and if they stay healthy, they could be competing for a playoff spot in 2008.
