The NBA Off Season is almost a month old. While there are still plenty of free agents out there, most signings and trades have been finalized and we can start to see what rosters will look like for next season. This is a good time to give my thoughts on each roster, going division by division, with projected order of finish.
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1. Chicago Bulls
Projected Starting Lineup
C - Joakim Noah
PF - Carlos Boozer
SF - Luol Deng
SG - Jimmy Butler
PG - Derrick Rose
Projected Bench
PF/C Taj Gibson
SG/SF Mike Dunleavy Jr.
PG/SG Kirk Hinrich
C Nazr Mohammed
PG Marquis Teague
SG/SF Tony Snell
PF Erik Murphy
So Derrick Rose does not have the mental makeup of a Kobe Bryant or Adrian Peterson. He should be ready to go for the start of the 2013-2014 season, and the Bulls are right back to being a championship contender. The Bulls managed to win 47 games without their MVP, and should be back to the 55+ win mark next year. Gone is Richard Hamilton, with Mike Dunleavy in to take his place. Dunleavy will focus on shooting, and that's about it, for this team. Jimmy Butler looks like he will earn a full time role as the starting shooting guard, but the rest of the starting lineup and bench looks to be the same. The Bulls only have 12 players under contract, meaning they will probably sign a cheap big man and wing player later on in the off season. Tony Snell and Erik Murphy should get roster spots as rookies, but I would not count on them to contribute much, if at all.
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2. Indiana Pacers
Projected Starting Lineup
C - Roy Hibbert
PF - David West
SF - Paul George
SG - Lance Stephenson
PG - George Hill
Projected Bench
SF/PF Danny Granger
SF/PF Chris Copeland
PG CJ Watson
PF/C Ian Mahinmi
SG/SF Gerald Green
SF Solomon Hill
PF/C Miles Plumlee
The Pacers have one of the best starting lineups in the NBA, but their bench was severely lacking. Gerald Green was a flop of a free agent signing. The Pacers brought in Chris Copeland and CJ Watson, who are both lower level type players who can't be counted on for more then 20 minutes of production a night. The health of Danny Granger is key. If he can give Indiana something, he would be able to spell stars Paul George and David West in the front court. George flourished and is the face of the Pacers, and should continue to hold down the starting small forward spot. George Hill is a good scoring guard who might be miscast as a point guard. Lance Stephenson was a revelation during the playoffs and might have worked himself into the Pacers shooting guard of the future, and present.
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3. Cleveland Cavaliers
Projected Starting Lineup
C - Andrew Bynum
PF - Tristan Thompson
SF - Earl Clark
SG - Dion Waiters
PG - Kyrie Irving
Projected Bench
PG/SG Jarrett Jack
PF/C Anderson Varejao
SF/PF Anthony Bennett
SG/SF Alonzo Gee
SG/SF CJ Miles
C Tyler Zeller
SG/SF Sergey Karasev
During the NBA Draft Lottery Dan Gilbert's son said he doesn't want to be there next year, and with the Cavaliers personnel moves, he might not. I think this roster tops out as a 7 or 8 seed, but after years of failure, returning to the playoffs would be a nice step. It all starts with health. Kyrie Irving suffered through an injury plagued season, but the Cavaliers used some of that salary cap space to bring in Jarrett Jack, who is one of the better backup guards in the NBA. Anderson Varejao is another guy who just cannot stay healthy. Hopefully Cleveland can get 82 combined games out of him and Andrew Bynum. Bynum is an ultimate wild card, but if he can stay healthy (a huge, if not impossible, "if") he gives the Cavs a great weapon down low. Anthony Bennett was the first overall draft pick. I cannot say I am a huge fan of that selection but there were slim pickings in the draft this year and Cleveland went with the best player available. He should have no problem beating out the mediocre Tristan Thompson in due time. Earl Clark was a sneaky signing. He played for Mike Brown in Los Angeles, and by played I mean rode the pine. But he had a coming out of sorts last season and looks like he will get the first crack at the starting small forward role, which has been a black hole since LeBron James took his talents to south beach (I bet you're not tired of hearing that phrase referenced yet).
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4. Detroit Pistons
Projected Starting Lineup
C - Andre Drummond
PF - Greg Monroe
SF - Josh Smith
SG - Brandon Knight
PG - Chauncey Billups
Projected Bench
PG/SG Rodney Stuckey
SF/PF Jonas Jerebko
SF Kyle Singler
PG Will Bynum
PF Charlie Villanueva
SG/SF Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
SF Luigi Datome
Joe Dumars hates cap space. For the first time in a few years the Pistons had money to spend on a free agent, and Dumars opted to go with Josh Smith to form a formidable front line with Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe. It will be interesting to see how Mo Cheeks can make those three big men work together. In the back court, the Pistons have a ton of tweeners who aren't really point guards, but someone has to handle the rock. Expect Brandon Knight, Chauncey Billups, Rodney Stuckey and Will Bynum to all get minutes at the point. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was selected over three players who could all play point guard, but he will most likely be buried on the bench behind those afore mentioned guards. Jonas Jerebko and Kyle Singler will round out a pretty solid bench. Like almost every other team in the East, Detroit will be fighting for a seed in the 6 to 8 range in the Eastern Conference Playoffs behind the Heat, Bulls, Pacers, Nets and Knicks.
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5. Milwaukee Bucks
Projected Starting Lineup
C - Larry Sanders
PF - Ersan Ilyasova
SF - Carlos Delfino
SG - OJ Mayo
PG - Brandon Jennings
Projected Bench
PG/SG Luke Ridnour
PF/C Ekpe Udoh
PF/C John Henson
PF/C ZaZa Pachulia
PF/C Gustavo Ayon
PG Ish Smith
SF Giannis Antetokounmpo
Brandon Jennings has not been able to land a big time contract this off season as a restricted free agent, and the Bucks were not able to land a point guard to replace him, so the two will probably be married one more season before an inevitable divorce. Milwaukee has some talent, but I just do not think they are good enough to win more then 35 games. This is a team that really needed to tank and land a superstar like Andrew Wiggins or Jabari Parker, because free agents are not lining up to play in Milwaukee. The Bucks did land OJ Mayo, who could approach 20 points per game with little scoring talent on the roster. The Bucks back court will continue to chuck up shots, and the front court will be left fighting for scraps. Larry Sanders, John Henson and Ekpe Udoh are all solid defensive big men. Other then Mayo and back up point guard Luke Ridnour, the only real addition was Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is the exact definition of a project.
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1. Chicago Bulls
Projected Starting Lineup
C - Joakim Noah
PF - Carlos Boozer
SF - Luol Deng
SG - Jimmy Butler
PG - Derrick Rose
Projected Bench
PF/C Taj Gibson
SG/SF Mike Dunleavy Jr.
PG/SG Kirk Hinrich
C Nazr Mohammed
PG Marquis Teague
SG/SF Tony Snell
PF Erik Murphy
So Derrick Rose does not have the mental makeup of a Kobe Bryant or Adrian Peterson. He should be ready to go for the start of the 2013-2014 season, and the Bulls are right back to being a championship contender. The Bulls managed to win 47 games without their MVP, and should be back to the 55+ win mark next year. Gone is Richard Hamilton, with Mike Dunleavy in to take his place. Dunleavy will focus on shooting, and that's about it, for this team. Jimmy Butler looks like he will earn a full time role as the starting shooting guard, but the rest of the starting lineup and bench looks to be the same. The Bulls only have 12 players under contract, meaning they will probably sign a cheap big man and wing player later on in the off season. Tony Snell and Erik Murphy should get roster spots as rookies, but I would not count on them to contribute much, if at all.
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2. Indiana Pacers
Projected Starting Lineup
C - Roy Hibbert
PF - David West
SF - Paul George
SG - Lance Stephenson
PG - George Hill
Projected Bench
SF/PF Danny Granger
SF/PF Chris Copeland
PG CJ Watson
PF/C Ian Mahinmi
SG/SF Gerald Green
SF Solomon Hill
PF/C Miles Plumlee
The Pacers have one of the best starting lineups in the NBA, but their bench was severely lacking. Gerald Green was a flop of a free agent signing. The Pacers brought in Chris Copeland and CJ Watson, who are both lower level type players who can't be counted on for more then 20 minutes of production a night. The health of Danny Granger is key. If he can give Indiana something, he would be able to spell stars Paul George and David West in the front court. George flourished and is the face of the Pacers, and should continue to hold down the starting small forward spot. George Hill is a good scoring guard who might be miscast as a point guard. Lance Stephenson was a revelation during the playoffs and might have worked himself into the Pacers shooting guard of the future, and present.
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3. Cleveland Cavaliers
Projected Starting Lineup
C - Andrew Bynum
PF - Tristan Thompson
SF - Earl Clark
SG - Dion Waiters
PG - Kyrie Irving
Projected Bench
PG/SG Jarrett Jack
PF/C Anderson Varejao
SF/PF Anthony Bennett
SG/SF Alonzo Gee
SG/SF CJ Miles
C Tyler Zeller
SG/SF Sergey Karasev
During the NBA Draft Lottery Dan Gilbert's son said he doesn't want to be there next year, and with the Cavaliers personnel moves, he might not. I think this roster tops out as a 7 or 8 seed, but after years of failure, returning to the playoffs would be a nice step. It all starts with health. Kyrie Irving suffered through an injury plagued season, but the Cavaliers used some of that salary cap space to bring in Jarrett Jack, who is one of the better backup guards in the NBA. Anderson Varejao is another guy who just cannot stay healthy. Hopefully Cleveland can get 82 combined games out of him and Andrew Bynum. Bynum is an ultimate wild card, but if he can stay healthy (a huge, if not impossible, "if") he gives the Cavs a great weapon down low. Anthony Bennett was the first overall draft pick. I cannot say I am a huge fan of that selection but there were slim pickings in the draft this year and Cleveland went with the best player available. He should have no problem beating out the mediocre Tristan Thompson in due time. Earl Clark was a sneaky signing. He played for Mike Brown in Los Angeles, and by played I mean rode the pine. But he had a coming out of sorts last season and looks like he will get the first crack at the starting small forward role, which has been a black hole since LeBron James took his talents to south beach (I bet you're not tired of hearing that phrase referenced yet).
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4. Detroit Pistons
Projected Starting Lineup
C - Andre Drummond
PF - Greg Monroe
SF - Josh Smith
SG - Brandon Knight
PG - Chauncey Billups
Projected Bench
PG/SG Rodney Stuckey
SF/PF Jonas Jerebko
SF Kyle Singler
PG Will Bynum
PF Charlie Villanueva
SG/SF Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
SF Luigi Datome
Joe Dumars hates cap space. For the first time in a few years the Pistons had money to spend on a free agent, and Dumars opted to go with Josh Smith to form a formidable front line with Andre Drummond and Greg Monroe. It will be interesting to see how Mo Cheeks can make those three big men work together. In the back court, the Pistons have a ton of tweeners who aren't really point guards, but someone has to handle the rock. Expect Brandon Knight, Chauncey Billups, Rodney Stuckey and Will Bynum to all get minutes at the point. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope was selected over three players who could all play point guard, but he will most likely be buried on the bench behind those afore mentioned guards. Jonas Jerebko and Kyle Singler will round out a pretty solid bench. Like almost every other team in the East, Detroit will be fighting for a seed in the 6 to 8 range in the Eastern Conference Playoffs behind the Heat, Bulls, Pacers, Nets and Knicks.
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5. Milwaukee Bucks
Projected Starting Lineup
C - Larry Sanders
PF - Ersan Ilyasova
SF - Carlos Delfino
SG - OJ Mayo
PG - Brandon Jennings
Projected Bench
PG/SG Luke Ridnour
PF/C Ekpe Udoh
PF/C John Henson
PF/C ZaZa Pachulia
PF/C Gustavo Ayon
PG Ish Smith
SF Giannis Antetokounmpo
Brandon Jennings has not been able to land a big time contract this off season as a restricted free agent, and the Bucks were not able to land a point guard to replace him, so the two will probably be married one more season before an inevitable divorce. Milwaukee has some talent, but I just do not think they are good enough to win more then 35 games. This is a team that really needed to tank and land a superstar like Andrew Wiggins or Jabari Parker, because free agents are not lining up to play in Milwaukee. The Bucks did land OJ Mayo, who could approach 20 points per game with little scoring talent on the roster. The Bucks back court will continue to chuck up shots, and the front court will be left fighting for scraps. Larry Sanders, John Henson and Ekpe Udoh are all solid defensive big men. Other then Mayo and back up point guard Luke Ridnour, the only real addition was Giannis Antetokounmpo, who is the exact definition of a project.
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