Keys For Success: Central Division

Keeping this thing going in the Eastern conference with the Central Division, home of wind, cars, and venison! Oh, and the birthplace of basketball.  The past season has held some strange turns for this division, from the injury of star Derrick Rose to the maturing of a powerful Pacers squad.  There are a lot of wild cards and variables this year but I'm going to break it down like James Brown on the most important players this year for each team.

Chicago Bulls
     Kirk Hinrich: I know that Derrick Rose would be the obvious choice, but lets face it, if he is coming back this season, its going to be at the tail end and the Bulls' record will pretty much be cemented at that point.  That means that the starting point, Hinrich, who is returning to his former team, will have to pull some extra weight.  He is a more than capable guard who taught Rose a lot when he was still there, but he is not as fast as he used to be because of injuries, and not Derrick Rose.  But with Nate Robinson coming off the bench, he has a solid back up to solidify the position.

Cleveland Cavaliers     

     Dion Waiters: The Cavaliers haven't been able to build much around Kyrie Irving since he arrived, and his performance is almost guaranteed to be great this season if last year was any indication of his skills.  With Irving at full strength and playing like he does, he will need the rookie Dion Waiters to perform well for the Cavs to move forward.  Their team is not heavy in talent at the guard spot otherwise so it falls on him to make things happen.

Detroit Pistons

     Andre Drummond: The Pistons are looking to make a surge this year in the East, and they started by trading away some of their thirty guards and drafting the under experienced but naturally talented Andre Drummond.  Drummond is big, powerful, and athletic, which is a lethal combination for a forward/center.  If he can develop soon as far as a mid range game and work on posting up, the Greg Monroe/Andre Drummond combo will be potent.

Indiana Pacers

     Paul George:  I've said it before and I'll said it again: Paul George needs to become more of an offensive weapon for the Pacers to be for real.  Come on, Prince George, you have the tools, just put on the crown.

Milwaukee Bucks

     Monta Ellis/ Brandon Jenning: This is my only tag team player combo on the list, and for good reason.  Apart, Ellis is one of the smoothest scorers in the league, and Jennings is aggressive and athletic at point.  Like a chicken bacon ranch pizza and peacock.  Both separate things, both beautiful to look at, but not together.  The key for the Bucks, with a small selection of forwards and centers, is for Ellis and Jennings to achieve a unicorn/rainbow level of harmony.  It could end of being the most exciting back court in basketball, or a tomato sauce covered peacock.  Damn I'm hungry now.

  

Deep Into The Woods

How far can Monta Ellis take the Bucks?

The bucks made headlines last March when they sent oft-injured Australian Big Man, Andrew Bogut and Stephen Jackson to Golden State for All-Star Monta Ellis. 

The move for Ellis can be looked at as the organizations first legitimate attempt at surrounding Brandon Jennings with talent, in the hopes it would persuade him into resigning. Andrew Bogut was considered to be a franchise cornerstone for Milwaukee; they believed he, paired with Jennings, would eventually equate to deep runs in the Playoffs.

Sadly, Bogut hasn't been able to stay on the court long enough to be a real contributor, having gone down with foot, ankle, elbow, wrist, and hand injuries at various times in his 7 seasons with the Bucks.

The Bucks organizations ultimately decided it was in the best interest of their team to move Bogut in order to add some consistency to the starting line-up. Their answer came in the form of sharp-shooter, Monta Ellis; Ellis, who had been in numerous trade rumors for the last couple seasons.

The move has has received mixed reviews. A common criticism is that the Bucks "gave up" on one of the few talented, true centers in te league. It's true that that the loss of Bogut has left a giant hole in the Bucks front court.

While Ellis can be counted on to put 20+ pts on the board night-after-night, he can't stop the like of fellow Central Division big men like Roy Hibbert, Greg Monroe, and Joakim Noah.

It's curious to see if the Buck's talented backcourt can make up for lack of talent inside. Ekpe Udoh was brought back to Milwaukee in the Bogut trade to pair along with possible starting PF Ersan Ilyasova.

It's up in the air if they can control the paint.

Is disgruntled All-Star Josh Smith the answer?

I'm curious to see if the Buck's big men will prove me, and other doubter wrong and show up in 2012-2013. I'm also curious if Brandon Jennings will debute a new haircut. But, joking aside, can the Bucks ever being taken as threat in Eastern Conference to established championship-caliber teams like the Heat and Celtics with their current roster? I have a hard time believing they can. I mean, I'm sure the combination of Ellis and Jennings will be exciting and get them into the playoffs, but how far? I can't see them getting too deep into the woods without adding talent inside. They need a defensive presence down low. Without one, I see them one and done for the foreseeable future.

-Josh