NBA Offseason Power Stinkings (Central Division)

The Central Division could arguably be the all-around most competitive in the NBA, if not for the Pacers.  It's for teams like Indiana that the Power Stinkings were created.  But with them aside, it's easy to predict - or at least fantasize that all others in the division will close out the season with winning records.  The Bucks stand as the favorites, but the Bulls added a couple of quality vets, and it's like who knows what happened to the Cavs last season.  So anything can happen, especially since it seems the Milwaukee failed to really upgrade this offseason.

Since this is the Power Stinkings, we have to start with what looks like the worst team in the division first.  And again, that unflattering honor belongs to:

1.  Indiana Pacers

A decade ago, the Pacers were a contending team with the deepest roster in the league.  Nowadays, they look more confused than the Jazz.  And it says a lot about this braintrust, imo, that they have one of the best centers on their squad but seem unable to trade him.  So it's like are they rebuilding or what?  And then it's also like, who even really cares?

What did say a lot was the Malcolm Brogdon trade.  Ending that disaster of an experiment (and acquiring Haliburton) was supposed to symbolize that the Pacers were now rebuilding.  But maybe not.  So unless they really overachieve, which doesn't seem that likely given the competition, Indiana may be the least-popular team this upcoming season.

2.  Detroit Pistons

There's a couple of reasons I'm leery of the Pistons.  One is that they traded Jerami Grant basically for draft picks, though that move doesn't look so bad now that they got Kemba Walker.  But the way the NBA is these days, I wouldn't be surprised if they try to buy him out.  Everyone is raving about a backcourt consisting of Cunningham - who'll logically get better this season, but to what extent who knows - and Jaden Ivey, an unproven rookie.  I personally don't believe in putting too much faith in rookies, unless maybe it's a Shaq or something.  But how about a backcourt of Cunningham and Walker instead.  How would that fare against others in the NBA?

The Pistons also beefed up downlow with the addition of Nerlens Noel, and Kelly Olynyk is lingering around.  But overall, this looks like a pretty-thin frontline especially, once again, without Grant.

3.  Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cavs pulled arguably the dumbest trade of last season when they swapped Ricky Rubio for Caris LeVert and then went into an almost immediate freefall.  Well actually, calling it the dumbest may be a bit harsh.  For instance, now they have both LeVert and (a healthy) Rubio.  And sometimes, even some of the wiser braintrusts fall for that 'players are only assets' BS, casting them aside like broken car parts even though their presence may be integral to the team's overall success.  So, you can't be too mad at the Cavs.

Colin Sexton is also back, so now, if he sticks around, Cleveland has the deepest guard core in the NBA, on top of one of the best frontlines.  I'm almost tempted to call them contenders.  So now, it's like just wait and see if the execs dumbout this season also.

4.  Milwaukee Bucks

One of the reasons it doesn't matter that the Bucks didn't make any blockbuster upgrades during the offseason is because they already have a damn good team.  It's one of those situations where the biggest potential threat appears to be health issues (and the Heat).  And the Celtics, who beat them in the Playoffs, have in fact upgraded.  So unless Bobby Portis transforms into an indisputable all-star or Giannis turns it up another notch or two (if even possible), then who knows, the Bulls may prove better. 

5. Chicago Bulls

Putting the Bulls at the bottom of this list doesn't necessarily mean I think they'll fare better than the Bucks.  But at least they upgraded.  Dragic, as I'm sure I said somewhere in this blog before, is like the most-underrated PG of the last decade.  And I still can't understand all of the Drummond hate outside of the fact that it's become trendy to devalue traditional bigs (and that he boned Jennette McCurdy?).

The punchline of The Last Dance is that Jerry Krause and them were absolutely, positively wrong, as the Bulls were not able to promptly rebuild after the departure of Jordan and them.  Instead, it took like a decade to become contenders again, and even that was shortlived.  But now, they're one of the very few teams in the NBA that has been steadily progressing towards contendership throughout the last couple of years, even with Lonzo Ball out until who knows when.  (And then take a look at this, wow).  And that's why I had to put them at the top of this list for now.  But for whatever reason, I'm still hesitant to call the Bulls contenders, maybe because LaVine's playing style is too erratic for my liking.

CONCLUSION

I'm just as excited about the Pistons as the next man, but the Bulls are my sentimental favorites in this division.  But I still think, when you factor in experience and overall depth, the Bucks may be better.  I'm also looking forward to watching the Cavs play, but who knows how long Sexton may be around, and I was kinda hoping that Rubio would go to Golden State instead.  And as for Indiana, well, every year there has to be some team to grace the bottom of the NBA barrel.

Where Do We Go From Here? (Detroit Piston Edition)

There this saying that goes "one step forward, two steps backwards".  I know it sounds dope on paper, but hearing someone effectively use it in a conversation is way more powerful.

I learned this awhile back while having a convo with a certain homey, one with a really hard-work ethic, so I had to respect what he was saying.  I can't remember what we were talking about exactly, but I was about to do something, and he said 'that would be like taking one step forward and two steps backwards', and immediately I was forced to rethink.  And since then, that saying does pop up in my mind every once in awhile.  For instance when reports surfaced that the Pistons may go after DeAndre Ayton after already having traded Jerami Grant away, I was thinking to myself like 'damn, that'd be like one step forwards and two steps backwards'.  But after putting initial emotion aside, I realized what it would really be like is taking one step forward and one step backward, you know, like ending up where you started.

I know that this blog strongly advocates that youth is a plus in the NBA, but I think some people are taking that idea too far.  Basketball is not a sport where youngsters can just dominate.  You know what I'm saying?  If you play a group of 20-year-olds vs. 40-year-olds, the 20-years-old would likely win.  But if you play them against 30-year-olds, gusy who are stronger and still have some speed, then they're going to have to rely on more than just youth.  Older guys like that, those who ain't that much older, are able to take younger basketball players out of their game through contact alone.

And concerning the mention of emotion earlier yes, when I learned that the Pistons traded Grant for relative scraps, I was in a state of shock.  As reported, the main rationale was to free up cap space, enough to go after any big fish they want really.  But damn, giving up arguably your best player in the process, when you're not even going through a rebuild?

Then they're saying that Grant, at 28, is so much older than the Pistons core.  Now the off thing about that logic is that this free agent class is kinda unappealing, and there aren't that many quality young dudes on the list to begin with.  I just went through the entire list, and the only two names that popped out who are also young like the Pistons are Mo Bamba and Nic Claxton, the latter who I think would be the fit better (especially after his experience in Brooklyn).  Colin Sexton is also on the list, someone who has been mentioned as a potential target of Detroit, but it's like they just drafted a dude like Sexton, at least according to NBC.  Maybe Mitchell Robinson also, who's name I missed going down the list the first time.  So you're trying to tell me that the Knicks starting center is an unrestricted free agent, and they're rather out there chasing Jalen Brunson?

CONCLUSION

I know that no matter how many articles I read and videos I watch, I'm not an NBA insider.  So trades like Jerami Grant, which don't seem to make particular sense for Detroit to let him go, like who knows the exact reasons they parted ways anyway?

But what I do know or at least expect is this.  The Pistons would be lucky to just make the Playoffs - no matter how good Cade Cunningham may be next season - without any recognizable vet presence, you know, the type they just let go off in Grant.  And just making the Playoffs would be cool, if they're not feening to win a championship.  Detroit would actually be a good destination for an established vet, like KD, if such superstars weren't so obsessed with instant winning.

But right now (according to Sportrac), it's like they have $25mil to spend, more than any other team but not really much in NBA terms.  Or in conclusion, it's like the Pistons need to score two quality players to have actually made progress, unless they're relying primarily on their draft picks to move their roster forward, which is risky.  And I wouldn't be totally surprised if they went after Sexton, since it looks like what they need most may be guard depth, but I think more likely they would have to go after someone who isn't a ball hog.  So who knows?  Maybe they'll be able to get one of the bigmen above and a quality 2-guard.  Scoring a vet starter and a vet rotational player would make losing Grant look way wiser than just getting one player, even Ayton, in return, unless that player is really a superstar.