While the Western Conference has been very competitive, the Eastern Conference has been weak over the past few years. Outside of Cleveland, few can feel confident about their team’s chances of dominating the East this season. Therefore, the door is open for almost every team to win games and qualify for the postseason. Last season, two teams made the playoffs with a record under .500. If you lose more than you win, you should not be eligible for the postseason. Yet, both Boston and Brooklyn qualified, proving any team can make it in the East. The NBA season is right around the corner and us fans are ready for the next chapter of history to be written. Let’s look at the best and worst case scenarios for the NBA Central Division in the Eastern Conference.
Chicago Bulls
Best Case: Derrick Rose returns to Chicago,and while he doesn’t win the MVP, he looks very explosive and back to his old self. New coach Fred Hoiberg helps spread the court well and the offense is one of the best in the league. Chicago has plenty of shooters on the roster in Nikola Mirotic, Mike Dunleavy and Doug McDermott to compliment the backcourt driving abilities of Rose and Jimmy Butler. Add in Pau Gasol down low and this team can play with anybody. The Bulls win the Eastern Conference and are playing for the NBA championship.
Worst Case: With Hoiberg now in charge, the Bulls lose their identity as a defensive-minded team and instead become more offensively focused. The benching of Joakim Noah before the season even starts proves a bad move by Hoiberg. Noah is the leader of this Bulls team, so benching him is a blow to the team chemistry. The feud between Rose and Butler grows throughout the season as it was more than just a rumor. Rose goes down with another injury and is forced to miss more time, officially signaling that Chicago must begin to see a future without him in it. The team finishes as a 6 seed and gets eliminated in the first round.
More Likely: Best Case
Milwaukee Bucks
Best Case: The Bucks continue their ascension, taking the step into the top flight of the Eastern Conference. The Bucks have the best up and coming starting five in the league. Giannis Antetokunmpo wins Most Improved Player of the Year, while new addition Greg Monroe anchors the team’s front court. Jabari Parker is healthy and shows he is worth the No. 2 overall selection in the 2014 NBA Draft. Milwaukee finishes as the three seed in the East with over 50 wins and wins two playoff series before falling in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Worst Case: The management has put together a great core that should contend with the best in the East. However, Monroe has proven to be one of the worst defensive centers over the past few years in the NBA. The Bucks are counting on the return of Parker to add another scoring threat to the team, but ACL injuries can be hard to recover from. The Bucks continue to turn the ball over a ridiculous amount and simply cannot beat the good teams. Milwaukee wins 41 games and is the 8th seed in the playoffs.
More Likely: Best Case
Cleveland Cavaliers
Best Case: Finally healthy, LeBron James and company get Cleveland their first title. James is a man on a mission, winning the MVP and guiding Cleveland to the best record in the NBA as well. Kevin Love gels into his role more, while Kyrie Irving continues to get better. The team is suddenly very deep with Matthew Dellavedova, Tristan Thompson, JR Smith and Iman Shumpert to complement the main three. Nobody challenges Cleveland in the East and the team takes home the NBA title.
Worst Case: 2015-2016 features chemistry issues for James, Irving and Love. All three want touches and unfortunately there just are not enough touches to go around with other players like Thompson and Smith in the mix as well. Love wants to be more than a spot up shooter and panic sets in. Cleveland does not get the top seed in the East and in the postseason gets shocked in the second round by a team like Washington or Miami.
More Likely: Best Case
Indiana Pacers
Best Case: The return of Paul George boosts Indiana back into the postseason. It has been a while since PG has played, but this guy was one of the elite players in the NBA before his devastating injury. The Pacers have no big men, but Myles Turner proves he was worth the first round draft choice as he takes over the starting big spot from Jordan Hill or Solomon Hill. George receives some MVP votes and the Pacers are the eight seed in the East before getting eliminated in the first round. But most importantly, George is healthy once again.
Worst Case: Indiana is one of the worst teams in basketball this season. George is a fraction of what he used to be: not only is he not as good physically, but he also struggles mentally to trust his body again. The Pacers have zero inside presence so they are constantly out-rebounded and teams score easily on them. Indiana has a top three pick in the draft after being embarrassed throughout the year.
More Likely: Worst Case
Detroit Pistons
Best Case: Reggie Jackson proves all his doubters wrong and shows he is worth his $80 million extension he signed this offseason. Andre Drummond continues to excel and does not have to share touches anymore now that Greg Monroe is in Milwaukee. Stanley Johnson wins Rookie of the Year after a dominant season in which he showcases his bright future every night. The development of Jackson and Drummond defines the year for Detroit. While the team comes up short in the playoff hunt, Van Gundy’s rebuilding plan seems to be on track and the fans maintain hope in the team.
Worst Case: As John Wall pointed out, Reggie Jackson is not worth $80 million as he has not even made the All-Star team yet. Detroit did the right thing letting Monroe go, but wasting that money on Jackson was a big mistake. Jackson struggles to produce, taking ill-advised shots and not running the offense the way Van Gundy desires. Stanley Johnson is athletic but does not pan out into the star Detroit so desperately needs him to be.
More Likely: Worst Case
