2024-2025 Offseason Grades (Central Division)

CHICAGO BULLS: B+

I was really hoping that Zach LaVine found his way to LAL.  That didn't happen, but the good thing about Chicago's situation is that now, at least they're a one-alpha team.

LaVine may not be a franchise player in the truest sense of the word, in terms of being able to consistently will a team to victory.  But, he isn't a scrub either.  And the pairing of him and DeRozan was always a questionable strategy, given that the Bulls didn't necessarily surround them with complementary role players, or at least those who were able to stay healthy.

I also like the acquisition of Josh Giddey, because he can fill the role that Lonzo Ball was supposed to.  He may not as good of a defender as Lonzo, but he is a better all-around offensive player.

Also, the way the Bulls' roster is currently made up is such that they can tank without looking like they're intentionally doing so.  You know what I'm saying?  Like they have a respectable roster, but perhaps one not good enough to make the playoffs.

That said, Chicago actually has one of the better braintrusts as far as garbage teams go.  I think what this roster, as is, may need to get to the next level, if they haven't gotten one already, is a speedy, athletic big who focuses primarily on defense and rebounding, not built like Drummond but one you can rationalize starting alongside Vucevic, since he apparently isn't going anywhere anytime soon either.

CLEVELAND CAVALIERS: A-

The Cavs are literally running it back with their same roster from last season and may be the only team in the league doing so.  That type of commitment demands some level of applause in this day and age.  That's more or less how champions were built back in the days.

That said, I agree with pundits who argue or notice that there's compatibility issues between Garland and Mitchell.  Donovan is a 2 who plays more like a 1 and furthermore is ball dominant.  In other words, if he decides to chuck, there's really no need to force him not to.  Forcing Mitchell, against his will, to share the ball with the other Gs and wings may do this roster more harm than good.

One solution is perhaps to bring Darius off the bench and rather start a G alongside Mitchell who's more defense oriented.  But then, the issue will become if Garland is as effective as a sixth man than he is as a starter.

Either way, at this moment there really isn't much reason to believe that Cleveland is on the verge of winning a championship.  But the ex-factor, once again, is Evan Mobley.  He's the type of player who, if Joel Embiid is unable to find his form, no other team in the East possesses.

DETROIT PISTONS: C-

The Pistons seem to have finally forsaken their youth movement by acquiring a handful of vets, most notably Tobias Harris, over the offseason.  I've been arguing for years that more veterans need to go to young teams like this.  However, I was thinking more along the lines of those who can make more of a difference, not only in terms of winning but also like ticket sales.  Meanwhile, Detroit's youth-laden roster from last season was more exciting, on paper, than their current one (even though they kept most of those young guys).

A little progress is better than no progress.  But the question is, has progress actually been made?

The problem with considering Cade Cunningham a franchise player is first of all, the Pistons are now paying him so much money that if they did decide to part ways, he'd be hard to trade.  You know, first it's like what team actually needs his skillset, and then it's like, what would they be willing to give up in return?  I know I may be projecting too far into the future, but that's the kind of issues Detroit, unless it overachieves, is likely to face.

Obviously no perennial all-star, i.e. the type of player they likely need to actually move the needle, is eager to join the Pistons.  So all things considered, it'd probably be better off if they didn't have any max player and engaged in a full rebuild sooner than later.  Or put another way, if Cade isn't a franchise player (which, imo, he has never proven to be, despite the stats), then they're going to look real stupid the longer they hold onto him.

INDIANA PACERS: B

I criticized the Pacers a lot during the playoffs and don't want to go there again.  If certain other teams in the East are healthy, I doubt that Indiana will make the conference finals again.  But that said, logic will dictate that after the success of last season, the right thing would be to run it back, with an upgrade or two.

That upgrade is expected to come in the form of James Wiseman, which isn't a completely bad gamble, since Myles Turner's style of play can be frustrating at times.  Wiseman was drafted onto the Warriors, a team which, as perennial contenders (up until recently), wasn't necessarily the best environment for young, developing, insecure players.  Since then, he's played for the Pistons and never quite panned out to be the phenom some were predicting when he was in high school.

But maybe, things will be different in Indiana.  Unlike Detroit, this is a team that actually wins games.  And unlike Golden State, even though the Pacers are theoretically contenders, there shouldn't be a whole of pressure or expectations unrealistically placed on Wiseman's shoulders, you know, to instantly prove a champion.  It's like either he finally represents in a definitive way, or he doesn't.

MILWAUKEE BUCKS: B-

I enjoy reminding the world that I was the first pundit to suggest the pairing of Giannis + Dame.  The problem is that, due to injuries, we never got to see their full (postseason) potential.  I think it's safe to say that if nothing else, if Giannis was healthy then the Bucks would have gotten past the first round of the playoffs.

I'm sorta a pessimist when it comes to injuries.  Sometimes, players get hurt really bad and make what seem like miraculous comebacks.  Other times, you're expecting them to return to form, and they never do.  Or let me say that my strategy is that, once a star player proves injury-prone, to always have a viable backup plan, just in case.

The Bucks, though they've made some quality additions, do not appear as if they have done so, nor do they necessarily look better than they did last season.  Besides Dame and Giannis, this squad is banking on a handful of aged starters, one of whom has an even worse injury history.  So I don't feel inspired, and obviously neither does any other pundit, since I have yet to see anyone mention Milwaukee as contenders this upcoming season.

But of course, in theory Giannis + Dame can be the best big/small combination in the league.  Maybe what the Bucks should think about doing is going all out and perhaps assembling what looks more like a win-now roster around them.  They're in a tough spot in terms of facing decisions because when you look at their top-six players, they're definitely contenders if healthy (and maybe a bit younger).

CONCLUSION

The Cavs should be the best team in the Central Division and, if they're able to be more innovative, perhaps even contenders.  They're the only team in the East who, as of now, has a starting five that consists of twin towers, not to mention a perennial allstar 2guard.

But of course, you can't sleep on the Pacers after the showing they had last season.  They now should be fully accustomed to the presence of Pascal Siakim.  But after how they performed last playoffs, injuries and all, I'm not convinced.  But, the same thing can be said for the Cavs.

Philly Still the Best Team in the East

The NBA season is going to officially start in three weeks, meaning that between now and then I have to write my 2023-24 predictions.  And I can already tell that this time around, it's going to difficult for a number of reasons.

As it currently stands, I'm sorta leaning towards predicting the Warriors as the 2024 champions.  That's not to say that I actually believe they're the best team in the NBA, and I'm not convinced that Chris Paul will prove as valuable to the Dubs as Jordan Poole did.  But what they do have is Steph Curry and a longer continuity than any other contender.

This past week, there's been a couple of monumental acquisitions in the East.  The Bucks got Dame, and the Celtics acquired Jrue Holiday.  Both of those moves sound really exciting on paper, but the caveat is that neither were acquired as free agents.  Instead, there were players who also had to leave both of those teams to make those acquisitions possible.  So that's why, as exciting as it is to finally have Giannis + Lillard, I'm not getting all gassed up and shit.  The Bucks may now have the best two-man combination in the East, if not the entire NBA, but Philly is deeper, even if the Beard were to bounce.

THE MILWAUKEE BUCKS

Dame is one of only two players, besides LBJ, Steph and sometimes Doncic, who I would say is a viable offense in and of himself.  In other words, you can rationalize constructing a roster around Lillard consisting of like only role and utility players, though with one drawback, that being his inconsistent health.  A couple of those years Dame played with McCollum and Nurkic, the way I see that iteration of the Blazers didn't make the Finals not because they weren't good enough per se but rather they just happened to coexist in the Warriors Dynasty.

Since that combination didn't work out, i.e. Dame alongside another high-scoring G, then what I wanted to see was him rather team up with one who's like all-defense.  I thought it was going to happen when Payton II went to Portland, but it didn't work out that way.  Now that the potential once again existed, for whatever reason the Bucks decided to ship Holiday out, as opposed to, say, Middleton.  Who knows why they did so.  Maybe the owners like Khris better or something like that, or maybe they have their own vision of what Dame + Giannis is supposed to look like.  It's an exciting trade nonetheless, but one that makes you wonder what type of starting five they're going to roll out.

I'm presuming it's going to be something like Dame + Khris + Giannis + Porter + Lopez.  With that backcourt chucking up shots, and the frontcourt focused on rebounding/defense, they could make a case for best starting five in the league.  But then, who's coming off the bench?

Arguably, the best bench player the Bucks currently have, if they use that lineup, would be Jae Crowder, who more ideally would be a starter himself.  I thought Jevon Carter was still around, a G who, in theory, may fit well alongside Dame, but he's now with the Bulls.  They also have Malik Beasley, who isn't a scrub, but.  I guess it would probably make sense, all things considered, the start Crowder and let Porter come off the bench.  Either way, this is an interesting squad up to about the 7th man.  But considering all of the above, I'm not in the rush to jump on the bandwagon and proclaim them the best in the East.

THE BOSTON CELTICS

My heart almost stopped for a second when I learned that the Celtics traded Robert Williams III, furthermore to the Blazers, a team that may now even really need him like that.  I can imagine how some Boston fans may feel.  The other day I was reading an article on NBC which claimed that Holiday + White + Brown + Tatum + Porzingis + Horford is the best six-man combination in the league.  And yes, the Celts really did need a G like Jrue, i.e. a non-chuck who is a +defender and clearly above-average offensive player.  But his effectiveness is likely to minimized by playing alongside Tatum, who's a chuck, as well as Brown, who's developed a chuckin habit also.  And even though Porzingis + Horford is nothing to sneeze at, who are they going to use in games where they're being tortured (inside) by an opposing big?

THE PHILADELPHIA 76ERS

Even if Harden were to be traded, the Sixers arguable have the deepest roster in the East, and like it's not even really that close.  So if he rather sticks around, then they definitely have the deepest roster, even if other teams' starting five may be more formidable.

The simple-minded think that starters win championships.  That's not exactly true, especially in today's age of the tender, load management, mental health, diva NBA player.

By the looks of things, the entire 2023-24 Sixers roster, from 1-12, will have some type of above-average name recognition.  In other words, if you were to look at the rosters of most NBA team, once you get to like the 7th of 8th man, you're not likely to know who dudes are unless you really watch a lot of NBA games.  But Philly has an entire roster of guys that you know can play, i.e. have at least have heard of before.  They have more rotation-level bigs (Embiid + Bamba + Dedmon + Montrezl) than they are likely to have playing time for, and idk if any other team in the association can currently make that claim.  Besides that Tyrese Maxey may be the most-underrated player in the NBA, and Oubre Jr. can play a Harden-like role, i.e. chuck, if the situation demands, so on and so forth.  They obviously have a level of flexibility that neither Boston or Milwaukee can boast of.

For almost like an entire decade now, Philly has had one of the best braintrusts when it comes to roster construction.  Yet this offseason, they still managed to outdo themselves.  But you know, with Lillard and others bouncing around and with the Beard demanding a trade, and all the other headlines it's like no one is recognizing the Sixers' genius.  So now, the onus is really on Nick Nurse to figure out how to beat teams like the Celtics, Bucks or Nuggets who may have a more talented starting lineup.  At least, unlike other coaches, he actually has the pieces to do so.

CONCLUSION

That brings me to my conclusive point, which is my belief that the reason the Sixers have yet to make to the Finals, esp a couple of those seasons when they really should have, is because of image issues.  Look, you already the deepest roster in the East and arguable the best team in the NBA.  So now, the challenge becomes image rehabilitation.  No Joel getting into petty squabbles, talking shit to the media or, you know, coming on the court like a wrestler or some dumb shit.  No more trade demands from the Beard.  And yes, fuck it, he may also consider getting a shave also.  After all, promotion in the world of business, if that's your goal, isn't always only about talent.  If that was solely the case, then I'm sure Philly would've already made it to the Finals a couple of times in the past 5-6 years.

Jordan Poole, the 3rd Splash Brother

I think it's safe to say by this point that Jordan Poole has firmly established himself as the third Splash Brother, someone who it would behoove opposing teams to take just as seriously as Steph and Klay once playoff time rolls around.  I actually thought that D'Angelo Russell had a good chance of fulfilling that role, but he wasn't around long enough to really find out.  And just as the Warriors' luck would have it, out of nowhere Poole is developing into an A-class offensive weapon right around the same time that Steph's decline is truly becoming noticeable.

Right now, it appears that the Warriors' starting five heading into the playoffs will be Steph, Klay, Wiggins, Draymond and Looney, or possibly Wiseman at the 5.  But they may want to find a way to keep Poole up in there also, even if their guard depth coming off the bench will be adversely affected, because the only thing worse than having to defend two Splash Brothers simultaneously is having to worry about three of them.  

There's this dude named Robert Kiyosaki who's like a popular financial guru.  He has this saying that goes, 'I'd rather face the problem of having too much money than having too little'.  But being too rich can be a bad thing also.  And what I mean by that is I don't envy Steve Kerr for being a coach who, once the Mitt also returns, will literally have a roster of 15 players who deserve playing time (if they all stay healthy).  That inevitably means that feelings are going to get hurt, and some dudes are probably going to end up bouncing at the end of the season.  But one thing I will say is that I personally feel Jonathan Kuminga deserves playing time over Otto Porter Jr., which may be a conclusion Kerr has already come to anyway.

CONCLUSION

The Warriors' organization has a consistently-winning culture; Draymond Green makes their defense one of the best in the league; their roster is deeper now than its ever been, so on and so forth.  But the ultimate success of this team lies with the Splash Brothers.  When the Warriors dominate, the reason they do so because it's impossible to defend a team that has not only one but two (or more) players who are able to hit threes all day, even when properly defended.  And even now, it's like every other day one Splash Brother or another is scoring 40 points.

So needless to say, if this team makes it deep into the playoffs, right now Jordan Poole can be considered the X-factor.  Steph and Klay are going to have their moments, but dudes have aged, and not in that Lebron sorta way.  So it's Poole rather who has not only developed a splashing ability but also has the athleticism to outrun defenses.  So keeping in the Splash Brother tradition that has made the Warriors the most-successful squad of the last decade, Jordan can be considered the future face of the franchise moreso than any other of Golden State's numerous promising young players.