With phenoms Greg Oden and Kevin Durant assuredly headed into the NBA’s Northwest division, it bears discussing how the 2007 NBA Draft Lottery has changed the landscape of the NBA. A division-by-division analysis will work best.
Central Division:
Winners: Cleveland
The Cavs have been my #2 team from the moment Jeff McInnis and Drew Gooden were added. Mental capacity aside, I’ve always loved their games and felt that they could flourish in the right situation. Larry Hughes is also one of my guys, despite the fact that I knew his signing wouldn’t work without a real scoring PG next to him. Finally, thanks to SLAM magazine, I didn’t have to feel like a bandwagoner cheering for LeBron since they’d been covering him since he was 14.
That being said, I hate watching them play and this playoff run was an absolute fraud. I have never seen a team where all but two players (Bron and Varejao) have seen their stock drop because of their coach. Mike Brown (or Coach Jeezy as they call him on Fiyastarter.com) is the worst offensive coach since Tony Dungy in his Tampa Bay days. If Greg or Kevin were to put on a Bucks or Bulls jersey, it would have made more sense for Clevelanders to invest in NBA League Pass than Cavs tickets because in three years that’d be the only place they would be able to see him.
As it stands, LeBron looks to be a more marketable version of Allen Iverson: willing his team to new heights while his stubborn coach refuses to open up the offense.
Indifferent: Detroit and Indiana
These two teams seem permanently linked as a result of the 2004 brawl. For everyone who thought Detroit won out because of the suspensions, etc., what do the Pistons have to show for it? Sure, multiple trips to the EC Finals and a loss to the Spurs, but right now the Pistons are looking as tired as Miami and will need to get some serious contribution from its rookies to stay afloat. The Pistons would find a way to beat Chicago with Oden this year, but after that, all bets would be off. This team needs another Rip Hamilton-like steal to keep the future viable. Methinks another former Tar Heel could net the Pistons that player.
Indiana has somehow managed to find itself in the same situation as Minnesota, but does not have the excuse of having lost four draft picks. How Bird has turned Brad Miller, Al Harrington, Ron Artest and Stephen Jackson into this bag of rotten hummus is beyond me. The only direction to go right now is down, having Oden and Durant around would have just sped up the process and elongated the time spent down there.
Losers: Chicago and Milwaukee
Oden was the player Chicago probably had in mind when they negotiated the pick swaps with the Knicks. Essentially a Curry/Chandler hybrid, Oden would have made Chicago a dynastic outfit for the next ten years (as well as a luxury tax mainstay with all of the extensions). Now, the Bulls have to gamble with their pick, depending on whether they feel Tyrus Thomas can develop a low post game or if they feel another defensive big is needed as insurance for Ben Wallace’s gradual decline. I’m thinking they’ll reach for Spencer Hawes, who is just the kind of slightly-above average center that the other young bigs in the East will dominate.
I feel really, really bad for the Bucks. I regained a lot of faith in their franchise after they fired Terry Stotts, and were my popular pick for a major turnaround with or without a top two pick. That being said, they’ve gone from a scary team to pesky one by missing out on these two.
Next up: The Atlantic Division
look for detroit to trade rasheed. and make more moves.
and look for chicago to do everything possible to grab them a kobe. that includes drafting a player the lakers would want.