8/27 ESPN Insider - Grading the Central Division

[Mandyahl]

We Know What You Did This Summer:
Central Division
By Chad Ford
NBA Insider
Send an Email to Chad Ford Monday, August 25
Updated: August 27
9:50 AM ET

It's been a slow, slow summer for the folks in the Central Division. The only real infusion of talent came when LeBron James, Darko Milicic and Chris Bosh heard their names called on draft night.

Everyone else is looking at just incremental improvements or, in the case of the Bucks, a major downgrade from last year's team.

The Pacers lost their all-star center. The Bulls lost their blue chip point guard. The Hornets and Raptors fiddled around with fringe players. The Hawks dumped their leading scorer for a guy set to retire. And the Bucks? Well, they lost just about everything.

Today, Insider grades the Central Division. On Thursday, we'll tackle the Midwest.

Also see: Atlantic Grades

Detroit Pistons
Key Additions: Darko Milicic, Elden Campbell, Bob Sura
Key Subtractions: Clifford Robinson, Jon Barry
Roster breakdown: Pistons Depth Chart | Free Agent Watch

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The Skinny: The Pistons hit the jackpot this summer by landing the No. 2 pick in the draft despite having the best record in the East. (A 1997 trade with the Grizzlies in which they gave up Otis Thorpe put them in the driver's seat.) Praise the Lakers all you want for getting two future Hall of Famers. Both guys are short-term fixes. The Pistons added talent to their team and a guy who has the potential to be an all-star for the next 15 years. Add in Campbell. Subtract Cliff Robinson's contract off the books and the Pistons are rolling again. The only thing left? Find someone to take Chucky Atkins off their hands. If they do, Joe D's looking at another $8 million in cap room next summer.

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Grade: A-


Cleveland Cavaliers
Key Additions: LeBron James, Kevin Ollie, Ira Newble, J.R. Bremer
Key Subtractions: Jumaine Jones
Roster breakdown: Cavs Depth Chart | Free Agent Watch

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The Skinny: It's tough to give an "A" to a team that improved based on two criteria -- being the worst team in the league last year and sheer luck in the lottery. But the truth is that LeBron is everything the Cavs need to usher in a basketball renaissance in Cleveland. You hate to saddle so much baggage on an 18-year-old kid, but he is the savior of the Cavs. If he develops into the star most project he will be, the Cavs will dramatically improve this year. How much? The playoffs are probably out of reach, but respectability is right around the corner. So why give the Cavs a "B" for the summer? Because it didn't take GM Jim Paxson long to revert back to his old ways -- giving Ollie and Newble ridiculous five-year contracts and taking Jason Kapono over more worthy players in round two.

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Grade: B


Chicago Bulls
Key Additions: Scottie Pippen, Kirk Hinrich, Kendall Gill
Key Subtractions: Fred Hoiberg, Rick Brunson
Roster breakdown: Bulls Depth Chart | Free Agent Watch

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The Skinny: Losing Jay Williams was a huge blow to the Bulls. Credit new GM John Paxson for acting boldly in the draft and taking a guy, Hinrich, who could turn into his eventual replacement. The Bulls wanted to get a solid veteran presence on the team this summer. Trades fell through when Williams went down and the Bulls struck out on several of their top choices in the free-agent market. Paxson, however, recovered, nabbing Pippen, a guy Jerry Krause claimed would never return to Chicago. If Pippen's healthy, he should be the piece that helps them into the playoffs this spring.

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Grade: B-


Indiana Pacers
Key Additions: Scot Pollard, Anthony Johnson, James Jones
Key Subtractions: Brad Miller, Ron Mercer, Erick Strickland
Roster breakdown: Pacers Depth Chart | Free Agent Watch

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The Skinny: Grading the Pacers depends upon your point of view. On one hand, they took care of their most important business this summer -- re-signing Jermaine O'Neal. On the other hand, O'Neal's signing put them in danger of paying the luxury tax, forcing the team to ship off Miller, an all-star in the East. Pollard won't give the team the offensive punch Miller did, but he's a better defender and comes with a much cheaper price tag. The Pacers still have some unfinished business. Larry Bird doesn't seem sold on Jamaal Tinsley at the point. Will the Pacers make another deal?

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Grade: C+


New Orleans Hornets
Key Additions: Darrell Armstrong, David West, Sean Rooks
Key Subtractions: Kenny Anderson, Jerome Moiso
Roster breakdown: Hornets Depth Chart | Free Agent Watch

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The Skinny: They made a smart move in re-signing veteran power forward P. J. Brown. He was irreplaceable on the open market. They also picked up a nice piece in Armstrong. That's balanced out by a terrible draft that saw the Hornets reach for West with better players like Brian Cook, Maciej Lampe and Alexsandar Pavlovic still on the board. They get an "B" for free agency and a "D" for the draft, which averages out to a . . .

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Grade: C


Toronto Raptors
Key Additions: Chris Bosh, Milt Palacio, Jerome Moiso
Key Subtractions: Eric Montross
Roster breakdown: Raptors Depth Chart | Free Agent Watch

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The Skinny: The Raptors made the right move drafting Bosh with the No. 4 pick in the draft. In two or three years, he could become their answer in the paint. The rest of the summer was a disaster, however. Vince Carter needs a talented side kick to take some of the scoring burden off his shoulders. Palacio and Moiso just aren't going to get the job done.

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Grade: C-


Atlanta Hawks
Key Additions: Boris Diaw, Travis Hansen, Terrell Brandon
Key Subtractions: Glenn Robinson, Ira Newble
Roster breakdown: Hawks Depth Chart | Free Agent Watch

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The Skinny: Give the Hawks credit for finding someone to take Robinson off their hands. However, the team has done little else. Diaw was a nice draft pick and will give the Hawks some flexibility when they want to play Jason Terry at the two. That is, if they ever get around to re-siging Terry. The team has yet to make its best young player an offer. The Hawks haven't done much else this summer as the team remains in limbo until it's finally sold to new owner David McDavid. If the Hawks eventually get to work and start slashing payroll, their grade will go up. If they stick with what they have, it's going to be another depressing year in Atlanta.

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Grade: C-


Milwaukee Bucks
Key Additions: T.J. Ford, Joe Smith, Erick Stickland, Brian Skinner
Key Subtractions: Gary Payton, Sam Cassell, Ervin Johnson
Roster breakdown: Bucks Depth Chart | Free Agent Watch

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The Skinny: It's been a tough year for Bucks fans. The team has essentially lost Glenn Robinson, Ray Allen, Gary Payton, Sam Cassell and George Karl and has just Toni Kukoc, Smith, Ford and a lighter payroll to show for it. Clearly the Bucks are in rebuilding mode. But they're going to be bad for a few more years. The cost-cutting maneuvers got them under the luxury-tax threshold, but they're still over the cap for the next two seasons, meaning that it's going to be at least three years before Bucks fans get even a whiff of the playoffs. The good news? The team does have some nice young talent in Ford, Michael Redd, Desmond Mason and Marcus Haislip. If those kids develop, there's hope. Someday.

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Grade: D+


Around the League

Now that Lamar Odom has a home, the best free agent still on the board is Jason Terry. In fact, he's the only free agent left who has any sort of large value left. What's going on? "I can't say that I'm shocked or amazed," Hawks general manager Billy Knight told the Atlanta Journal Constitution. "It's not a reflection on him --- and it's not a [sign] that we don't want him, either. . . . There is no set [timetable] for when players of his caliber sign contracts."

Jason Terry
Guard
Atlanta Hawks
Profile


2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
81 17.2 3.4 7.4 .428 .887



Sure, Billy. But no one likes to be the last guy picked. Especially when Terry has yet to find the light at the end of the tunnel. For weeks, the talk was that Terry would get an offer sheet from the Jazz. However, Terry thought the offer was too low. The Clippers and the Nuggets are the only other teams with enough cap room to re-sign Terry.

Could an offer from the Clippers be coming? "Maybe," one league source told Insider. "Losing Odom changes the dynamic there. I think they were comfortable with [Marko] Jaric and [Keyon] Dooling running the point as long as Odom was there. Without him, things get trickier. Terry would be a nice addition to the Clips back court, especially with two taller guards, Jaric and Dooling, able to play the point."

Even if Terry does get an offer from the Clips, there's a good chance that the Hawks will match it. "My impression is that they want him back," the source told Insider. "They are just waiting for the market to set his price."

"It's the same thing with every deal," Knight said. "It comes down to the final, bottom line [salary] number. We are not at a number we can agree upon. . . . I'd like to get him signed long term. And, I'd like things to be handled soon."

The Eddie Jones rumors are in full swing now that the Heat have Lamar Odom in the fold.

Eddie Jones
Shooting Guard
Miami Heat
Profile


2002-2003 SEASON STATISTICS
GM PPG RPG APG FG% FT%
47 18.5 4.8 3.7 .423 .822



Who's interested? The Sun-Sentinel fingers the Jazz, who have lots of cap room and dearth of talented players. The Miami Herald thinks the Grizzlies are a real possibility. That's unlikely unless the team finds a taker for Michael ****erson and gets its hands on a big man first. The paper also claims that the T-Wolves still have interest in Jones, though that should've probably waned now that Latrell Sprewell is there.

Several readers wrote in on Tuesday claiming that the Rockets may be a great fit. Some combo of Cuttino Mobley and Kelvin Cato or Mo Taylor works under the cap. But Pat Riley wouldn't be getting the cap flexibility he's looking for with that deal.

Jones hears the talk but doesn't seem too worried. He shouldn't be considering the four years, $55.8 million left on his deal.

"I don't make decisions. Everything's out of my hands. I can't control anything," Jones told the Sun Sentinel. "Let's get people to camp and see where we are. Nobody's bigger than a trade. My attitude is if I'm here, I'm here. If not, I understand. I know it's business."

The Raptors announced the retirement of Eric Montross on Tuesday. Montross has been battling a painful foot injury for the past 17 months. "(The injury) is in the absolute worst place you can have it," he told the Toronto Star. "And the likelihood of me getting back on the court (has been) quoted to me as a `less than a flip-of-a-coin chance.'"

The Raptors' insurance will pick up the remainder of his contract. His contract will come off the books (for salary-cap purposes) on April 10th. That means the Raptors won't have to pay a luxury-tax fine for his contract this season. The Raptors will get an extra $3.2 million in cap room next season because of the retirement.