- Chicago Bulls -

The Chicago Bulls were major underachievers last season.  Many had them going deep into the playoffs after a strong 2006-07 season, but the team crashed and burned early on.  Head coach Scott Skiles was fired  midway through the season; the team partook in a huge deadline deal that sent Ben Wallace  and Joe Smith to Cleveland for Larry Hughes and Drew Gooden; and the Bulls finished miserably with only 33 wins.

NBA Draft Picks:  Derrick Rose (No. 1), Omer Asik (No. 36, traded from Portland)

Key Additions: Darius Washington (Free Agent ? San Antonio), Elton Brown (FA), Roger Powell (FA)

Key Losses: Chris Duhon (FA ? New York), Shannon Brown (FA ? Charlotte), JamesOn Curry (waived)

The best part about finishing the season with 49 losses was that the Bulls were stuck in the NBA Draft Lottery ? and despite having only the ninth best odds to win it, they ended up with the top pick on Draft Night.  The Bulls have been missing an inside scoring presence for basically forever, and they decided to pass on an ultra-talented combo forward in favor of yet another point guard.  The Bulls tabbed Memphis star Derrick Rose with the top pick in the 2008 Draft and will add him to a very guard-heavy roster.  The Bulls didn?t really make any moves aside from letting the maligned Chris Duhon walk in free agency to the Knicks, and now enter the season with a big man rotation of Drew Gooden, Joakim Noah, Tyrus Thomas, Aaron Gray, and Cedric Simmons.  Wow, that?s bad.  On the flip side, they have plenty of talent in the backcourt and on the wing.  Kirk Hinrich and Larry Hughes should get the nod at the guard spots while the newly-rich Luol Deng starts at small forward.  The Bulls go a solid two-deep at these three spots with Rose, the disgruntled Ben Gordon, and Andres Nocioni serving as the primary backups.  Throw in a little Thabo Sefolosha and Demetris Nichols, and there you have your 2008-09 Chicago Bulls.

Burning Questions

- When will Rose take the starting PG spot?
- Will Drew Gooden provide enough scoring down low?
- Will Ty Thomas finally live up to that No. 4 overall selection?
- Will Ben Gordon have a career year now that he is going to be an unrestricted free agent next summer?
- Is Joakim Noah still acting like he?s under 10 years old?

Person on the Hot Seat: Kirk Hinrich

Now that D-Rose is lurking in the shadows, Hinrich must know his days are numbered.  Rose is a gifted athlete that has the size and explosiveness of a small forward, but the vision and intelligence of a true point.  He is a rare talent at the position and his first battle against CP3 should be a joy to watch how he handles one of the game?s best.  But what does this mean for Hinrich?  He had an off year last season and many believe he should have been shown the door for a serious big man presence.  While the fans of Chicago are angry that the Bulls passed on Mike Beasley, they will be even more angry if Rose is stuck sitting behind the same-old Hinrich.

Team Outlook

The Bulls won their final two games last season to avoid losing 50 games.  This year, with the same team and all their hopes centered around a rookie point guard in a much improved Eastern Conference, it doesn?t seem like they have made much of a step forward.  Expect more of the same from this year?s Bulls, with an absolute ceiling up around 40 wins.

- Cleveland Cavaliers -

This Cavs team just gets better and better.  Man, if they keep adding the right pieces, its going to be pretty hard for anyone to stop LeBron on his quest for an NBA title.  Two years ago, LeBron James led this Cavs team to the Finals, but they were dismantled handily by the seasoned veteran Spurs.  Last year, LeBron almost murdered Kevin Garnett on a violent dunk in the waning moments of a second round game, but the Cavs just couldn?t close the door on the Celtics in Game 7.  This year, they are back with the same improved core that they acquired late last year, but this time they are together for an entire season, and this time they have added a playmaking point guard in Mo Williams and another scrapper down low in J.J. Hickson.  

NBA Draft Picks: J.J. Hickson (No. 19), Darnell Jackson (No. 52, traded from Miami)

Key Additions: Maurice Williams (trade ? Milwaukee), Lorenzen Wright (FA ? Sacramento), Tarence Kinsey (FA ? Memphis), Jawad Williams (FA)

Key Losses: Joe Smith (trade ? Oklahoma City), Damon Jones (trade ? Milwaukee), Dwayne Jones (FA ? Orlando)

This was a crucial offseason for the Cavs.  Wow.  They essentially got Hickson and Williams for Joe Smith and Damon Jones!  How is that even possible?  Mo Williams gives LeBron a person he can trust to handle the ball, distribute, and break down the defense.  Most importantly, he represents the first real Robin-esque partner that LeBatman has ever had since entering the NBA ? a guy who can create his own shot and score on his own.  Sasha Pavlovic and Daniel Gibson are coming back to the lineup healthy, Delonte West now becomes a defensive scrapper off the bench, and Wally Szczerbiak is not only another valuable three-point threat off the bench, but also a very valuable trade chip come deadline time since his $13M contract expires after the season.  Add all of that to their frontline of Big Z, Big Ben, Anderson Varejao, J.J. Hickson, and wow ? this team is solid.

Burning Questions

- Will LeBron finally add an MVP award to his trophy case?
- Will Wally find a way to bust out in a contract year?
- Will Ben Wallace?s back bother him all season?
- How will Delonte West handle his role coming off the bench?
- Will Varejao teach Hickson how to be a nuisance in the paint?

Person on the Hot Seat: Ben Wallace

Big Ben just turned 34, and for a guy who relies on making the hustle play to earn his dollars in this league, that is old.  Throw in the fact that he will make just a tad more money than LeBron James this season, and that the team used their first round pick on a spry young powerful power forward built in a similar mold, and it appears Wallace?s minutes may drop under 30 per game for the first time since 1999-2000, when he was 26 years old with the Orlando Magic.

Team Outlook

This is the best team LeBron has had around him, and they?ve got $20M in expiring contracts to dangle come trade deadline time (Wally, Snow), so in theory, they could even get significantly better on the low block.  With plenty of perfect role players, the ultimate mega-star of the game, and now another reliable scoring option, the Cavs have their sights set on one thing ? the NBA title.  Anything less, and we might be seeing LeBron wearing an Eli Manning jersey in public.

- Detroit Pistons -

The Pistons.  Ahhh, the Detroit Pistons.  Everyone loves the Detroit Pistons.  Always making it to the Eastern Conference Finals.  Never changing up the roster in the offseason.  Always putting blame on the coach.  Never thinking Chauncey Billups is overrated.  Same old story, different season.  Or is it?  This year the Pistons will hand control of the team over to new head coach Michael Curry.  Curry is the perfect fit to get this Piston team back to the Finals because he is a young coach that will bring fire and excitement to this older team that seems to get bored with the game.  Curry just turned 40 years old this summer, so he?s basically younger than Antonio McDyess.  But the best thing for Piston fans is that Curry isn?t afraid to rock the boat with his newly formed core of ultra-talented youngsters.  He?s willing to shake things up and start Amir Johnson over Dyess.  He?s willing to run with Rodney Stucky in a three-guard lineup whenever Tayshaun needs a breather.  He?s more than happy putting ballhawks Arron Afflalo and Jason Maxiell on the floor to rattle the opposing offense in crunch time.  He has guts, which is just what this Piston team has needed over the last three ECF exits.

NBA Draft Picks: Walter Sharpe (No. 32, traded from Oklahoma City), Trent Plaisted (No. 46, traded from Oklahoma City), Deron Washington (No. 59)

Key Additions: Kwame Brown (FA ? Memphis), Will Bynum (FA ? Isreal)

Key Losses: Jarvis Hayes (FA ? New Jersey), Theo Ratliff (FA ? Philadelphia), Juan Dixon (FA ? Washington)

For the umpteenth year, the Pistons didn?t really do much over the summer.  GM Joe Dumars blasted out of the season roaring like a hungry lion, claiming he was preparing for a massive roster overhaul, but instead went golfing.  He took the Suns approach at the Draft by dealing away the contract-guaranteed 29th pick to the Thunder, and in turn came away with a couple of picks that one of which will head overseas.  He took a flyer on Kwame Brown, and gave him a two-year deal hoping that he still ? yes, still, even after seven years in the league ? hasn?t played his best basketball.  And he let minor parts Jarvis Hayes, Theo Ratliff, and Juan Dixon leave the team better off than had they stayed.  All in all, a somewhat quiet offseason for the Stones, especially given how loudly Dumars entered the summer.

Burning Questions

- Do McDyess? legs still work?
- Are the Pistons the first team in history to have two guys named Walter battling it out for the backup small forward position?
- Will Chauncey Billups supplant Shelden Williams for the guy with the sweetest nickname that doesn?t actually live up to it?
- When will Curry add Stuckman to the starting five?
- What will the Stones do with Sheed?s expiring contract this year?  
- Is this the year Cheikh Samb sets the NBDL record for blocked shots?

Person on the Hot Seat: Antonio McDyess

Not only has his starting spot been stripped and given to young riser and future beast, Amir Johnson, but the signing of Kwame Brown and the emergence of Jason Maxiell have to be making old man Dyess sweat like he?s trapped in a steam room.  While some Piston fans will argue that McDyess was their most important big man in last year?s postseason run, his time as a 20 minute man is nearing a close.  Last year, he averaged 29.3 minutes per game, his highest since 2000-01 when he was putting up 20.8 points and 12.0 rebounds for the Nuggets.  Those creaky knees must be feeling the wrath of those extra 8-10 minutes, especially with the dearth of talent Detroit has in the big man department.  

Team Outlook

There is no reason to think that the Pistons won?t be a top 3 team in the East.  They have The Core Four back again (unfortunately), and have four extremely talented young guys who make this one of the most solid rotations in the NBA.  Add in McDyess and newcomer Brown, and they have the weapons needed to get back to the Finals and take home the title.  Will the new inexperienced head coach be the thing that gets them to The Promised Land?  Or the thing that keeps them from it?

- Indiana Pacers -

The Pacers came on strong in the second half of last year and nearly forged their way past Atlanta for the final playoff spot ? but came up one win short.  Indiana felt like a team in flux last year, once again sitting around and waiting for the health of Jermaine O?Neal and Jamaal Tinsley to bounce back to bring the team back to respectability.  But that never really happened.  So what?d they do?  They decided it was time to go in a different direction.  Gone is JO.  Almost gone ? that?s the sound of Pacer Nation crossing their fingers ? is Tinsley.  And into their spots come plenty of fresh faces excited about their opportunity to play scrabble on road trips with Jeff Foster.

NBA Draft Picks: Brandon Rush (No. 13, traded from Portland), Roy Hibbert (No. 17, traded from Toronto)

Key Additions: T.J. Ford (trade ? Toronto), Jarrett Jack (trade ? Portland), Eddie Jones (trade ? Dallas), Rasho Nesterovic (trade ? Toronto), Maceo Baston (trade ? Toronto), Josh McRoberts (trade ? Portland)

Key Losses: Jermaine O?Neal (trade ? Toronto), Shawne Williams (trade ? Dallas), Ike Diogu (trade ? Portland), Kareem Rush (FA ? Philadelphia), Flip Murray (FA ? Atlanta), Andre Owens (FA ? Serbia), Jerryd Bayless (No. 11, traded to Portland), Nathan Jawai (No. 41, traded to Toronto)

The Pacers spent the summer wheeling and dealing for a new cast of characters and might be one of the more improved teams in the conference.  Immediately they are better at point guard with T.J. Ford and Jarrett Jack instead of Travis Diener and X.  They added national champion Brandon Rush in a deal with Portland that also landed Larry Bird?s token white guy and Indiana high school legend, Josh McRoberts.  They told JO to pack his bags for Canada along with 41st pick, Nathan Jawai, in exchange for Ford, another white stiff in Rasho Nesterovic, and the pick that grabbed the gentle-footed big man from Georgetown, Roy Hibbert.   They even got rid of another problem child when they sent Shawne Williams to the Mavs for the ancient, yet effective, Eddie Jones.  Jones can become a valuable mentor in the development of Brandon Rush, since they decided to break up the family and let Brandon?s brother, Kareem Rush, go to Philadelphia via free agency.

Burning Questions

- Will Mike Dunleavy continue to build upon his 2007-08 career year?
- Will Roy Hibbert supplant Jeff Foster as the starting center by midseason?
- Is Danny Granger an All Star this year?
- Will Ford stay healthy?
- Will JO?s return to Indy be awkward in the red Raptors uniform?
- Will we ever see on the floor: Travis Diener, Dunleavy, Troy Murphy, Jeff Forster, and Rasho?  Please?
- Is Indiana legend McRoberts destined for the NBDL again this season?

Person on the Hot Seat: Jamaal Tinsley

It?s entirely possible that Tinsley could be gone by the time you read this article, but we doubt that because who would be willing to take on his contract that pays him an average of over $7M annually for the next three seasons?  But think about it.  Tinsley probably hates life now in Indiana.  He was once the young up and coming point guard of the team that Reggie Miller built.  Now at 30 years old and seemingly always hurt and getting into trouble with authorities, he?s now slowly having his boys removed from the roster in favor of Larry?s ?choice? guys.  First, Ron Artest was shipped to Sactown for Peja.  Then, Stephen Jackson and Al Harrington were sent to the Bay Area for Mike Dunleavy and Troy Murphy?  And now Jermaine was sent to Canada for a package of guys including Nesterovic? I can?t make this stuff up.  Even worse, not only did Bird bring back Diener at the point, but he also added Ford and Jack which basically means he?s done for good in Indy.

Team Outlook

This team has so many new faces that they will be a tough one to figure out at the onset of the season.  They have plenty of talent and trenches of depth.  But can they all get on the same page and restore pride in Pacerland?  They began to pick up steam late last year, and should be much improved in the new look Eastern Conference.

- Milwaukee Bucks -

Almost every year, everyone is always talking about how the Bucks made some great offseason moves and should be on the brink of once again becoming a contender ? but it never seems to happen.  Again last year, they were among the worst teams in the league, winning only a mere 26 games and often looking terribly out of sync.  However, this year should be different.  They made a few tweaks to the roster here and there and should be ? wait, am I having d?j? vu? ? much improved this year.  Let me explain why?

NBA Draft: Joe Alexander (No. 8), Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (No. 37)

Key Additions: Richard Jefferson (trade ? New Jersey), Luke Ridnour (trade ? Oklahoma City), Damon Jones (trade ? Cleveland), Adrian Griffin (trade ? Oklahoma City), Tyronn Lue (FA ? Dallas), Malik Allen (FA ? Dallas), Francisco Elson (FA ? Milwaukee)

Key Losses: Maurice Williams (trade ? Cleveland), Desmond Mason (trade ? Oklahoma City), Yi Jianlian (trade ? New Jersey), Bobby Simmons (trade ? New Jersey), Royal Ivey (FA ? Philadelphia)

Perhaps the best decision the Bucks have made in the past decade was the hiring of John Hammond over Bill Simmons for the GM vacancy.  The former Piston assistant stepped in and has done a remarkable job with this lingering franchise.  First, he brought in a real coach in Scott Skiles.  Then he brought in the hard-working, knowledgeable, and talented Jon Horst as Director of Basketball Operations.  In his first move regarding player personnel, he basically sent the two most hated guys on the roster ? Yi because he hated when the Bucks drafted him, and Bobby Simmons because he commanded a monster deal and has done absolutely nothing to earn it ever since ? to New Jersey for perennial All Star and ideal team player, Richard Jefferson.  Shockingly, the police couldn?t find any evidence of any wrongdoing in the New Jersey front office after this trade was made.   He selected arguably the most athletically-gifted player in the Draft in Joe Alexander, an impressive guy who was just seeping with confidence and swagger when I talked to him at Draft Media Day.  And even trading the talented Mo Williams to the Cavs and Desmond Mason to the Thunder was a smart move because it landed them a Damon Jones? expiring deal and a cerebral distributing point guard who will be a better fit for this team full of scorers than the slashing shoot-first Williams, who was tied up with a long term deal himself.  Bravo, John Hammond, Bravo!

Burning Questions

- Does Mike Redd now feel like he has a prayer of making the postseason?
- Will Joe Alexander get meaningful minutes in November or even March?
- Will Andrew Bogut continue to increase his shot-blocking numbers?
- Is Skiles the right coach for these players?
- Will the addition of Jefferson put this team over the hump?
- Will Ramon Sessions beat out Tyronn Lue for the spot behind Ridnour at the point?

Person on the Hot Seat: Charlie Villanueva

There really aren?t many candidates for the Hot Seat this year in Milwaukee, but Villanueva may have the toughest time adjusting to Life Under Skiles.  Villanueva has been a streaky player for the Bucks, but his defense will be somewhat under the microscope this season.  With Redd and Jefferson guaranteed the two and three spots, and Bogut nearly guaranteed the center role ? that leaves only the power forward position available for top talent Joe Alexander to crack into the lineup.  Both Villanueva and Alexander have long last names and the ability to play both forward positions, while Villanueva likes to hang out on the three-point line, similar to Rasheed Wallace.  Villanueva will have to bust his butt this year in order to keep Alexander off his heels for valuable minutes on the floor.

Team Outlook

Once again, the Bucks almost have to be a much improved team this year.  There is no way they will fail to better the 26 wins from a year ago.  The only question is ? how will this squad handle the change in philosophy that Skiles will bring to the huddle?  The young Chicago Bulls refused to listen to him and they crashed and burned.  But with veteran presence like Jefferson and Ridnour added to the crew, we could be looking at a much improved team up in Wisconsin.

Feel free to contact Jason M. Williams with your thoughts. He can be reached at Jason.Williams@RealGM.com for comments or questions.