subject: Nba Tickets - Checking In On The Central Division [print this page] Here is a look at the NBA's Central division as of Dec. 8, 2009.
Cleveland Cavaliers (15-5): The Cavs lost their first two games and everyone was ready to panic, but King James and company quickly reasserted themselves as one of the powers in the Eastern Conference. The Shaquisition is not doing a ton for this team so far, but one has to remember that the team earned the top seed in the conference last season without O'Neal. LeBron James has been playing very well, as expected, and is distributing the ball better than ever.
While James is guaranteed to sell NBA tickets wherever the Cavs play, his presence does not guarantee a ring. He knows that he needs help and guys like Shaq and Mo Williams need to be consistent. This team always performs well on defense, but their offense can be stagnant at times. A lot is riding on this season for the franchise. Not only would a title mean a lot of the city of Cleveland, but it could convince James to stick around for the long term.
Milwaukee Bucks (9-10): The Bucks got off to a hot start, but they've come back to earth a bit in recent weeks. Rookie point guard Brandon Jennings started the season on a tear, but has also come back to reality. This is a young team with a lot of nice pieces to move forward with, but I don't see them as a playoff contender this season.
Jennings offers loads of promise at the point guard position, Andrew Bogut is a solid center that is capable of averaging a double-double and Ersan Ilyasova has looked really good this season. It looks like Joe Alexander will never make it as a Buck, and it hurts to miss on a top 10 pick, but landing Jennings more than makes up for that. This team has some promise and can win some games, but I think they still need to grow and accumulate more talent.
Detroit Pistons (8-12): The Pistons have experienced injuries to their two best players, Tayshaun Prince and Rip Hamilton, this season. The additions of Ben Gordon and Charlie Villanueva seemed like borderline panic moves this past offseason and neither player starts on a regular basis. This team is confusing, as I can't tell if they're trying to win now or build for the future.
Chicago Bulls (7-11): Reigning Rookie of the Year Derrick Rose is off to a slow start, but most people think it's due to an ankle injury that he's playing through. Luol Deng, Taj Gibson and Joakim Noah have been bright spots for this team this year. Deng has returned from a couple of injury-plagued campaigns and appears to be having the best season of his career, Gibson seems to have convinced the organization that he's their power forward of the future and Noah has developed into a defensive force and a top-tier rebounder. This team is better than their record suggests and Rose getting healthy could get things going for this unit.
Indiana Pacers (6-12): Indiana is essentially rebuilding. Danny Granger is the cornerstone of this organization, but he'll be out for the next month with an injury. Mike Dunleavy recently returned, and he should really help this team as soon as he's in game shape. This team needs time to grow, but they've got some nice young guys like Roy Hibbert, Tyler Hansbrough and Brandon Rush that could develop into quality players.
