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.

  

Player Spotlight: Paul George

The Pacers have established themselves as an elite team in the NBA.  A combination of youth, elder leadership, and an All Star big man has made them a threat that no team in the Eastern conference can deny.  One key behind their emergence has been the maturation of shooting guard Paul George.

Signed on to the Pacers for his scoring ability and athletic prowess, they were pleasantly surprised to see George immediately fall back into a defensive mindset despite his other gifts.  For a couple years now, George has established himself as a premier defender on the wing, but now he needs to become the total power that he can be.  George has immense potential but the gift that made him appeal to teams has become somewhat of a weakness: His unselfishness.  George gives up open shots to try and create room for other shots from teammates.  Instead of creating his own shot, as he has more than enough talent to do, he passes the ball off into the hands of others.  Although this is not a bad trait with players like Danny Granger and Roy Hibbert on the court, George is holding himself back.
          

                                                          George, the next elite shooting guard.


     Paul George is 6'8" tall at the shooting guard spot, which makes him loom over most other guards in the NBA, he is fast, strong, and has tremendous athleticism.  He can also shoot the ball with the best of them, as is shown in his 38.5% rate from behind the arc last season.  So what is keeping George from becoming the next NBA star?  For the Pacers to enter that next level and potentially play for a championship in the future, they are going to need George to unleash is scorer side and put up the 20+ points per game that he could easily accomplish. For now, he is Prince George, but most NBA fans are hoping he can become the King he truly has the potential to be.

     The Pacers organization cannot complain about how George has played and grown the past couple seasons.  He has shown that he can be an efficient scorer, lock down defender, and high flier.  He has a shooters touch but the power of a forward.  His potential is through the roof.  The only thing the organization can do is roll the dice and hope that he breaks out of his shell and becomes a star instead of a defensive specialist.  And I wouldn't bet against Paul George.