Draft Fallout: Central Division
The toughest division in the East just got... more of the same. Much like the Atlantic division, the Central squads all added players but didn't exactly fill needs. After draft night, not much has changed in the Middle America. Going from worst to best, the division ranks:
5. Indiana Pacers: They didn't have a pick and didn't trade Jermaine O'Neal. It's time to rebuild but I'm not sure anyone in the front office is willing to admit that yet.
4. Milwaukee Bucks: If Milwaukee is casting the villains of the next Bond movie, they're doing a great job: Yi, Charlie Villain, Bogut all look the part. In terms of basketball, they are a pretty terrible mix since none of them can play defense. Making matters worse is the fact that Yi Jianlian doesn't want to play in Milwaukee. Rolling the dice on Yi being good is one thing, rolling the dice on him even showing up is an absolute disaster. Yi doesn't fit and doesn't want to fit. With Corey Brewer or Julian Wright on the board, the Jianlian selection was simply a mistake. Ramon Sessions at 56 might pan out but is hardly the answer at point guard.
3. Chicago Bulls: The Bulls add defense and youth to a team that needs a reliable post presence. Joakim Noah was a solid pick because Ben Wallace isn't getting any younger and, perhaps more importantly, Noah was a player that the Grizzlies were intererested in. Best case scenario, Noah is a trade asset that could bring Pau Gasol to Chicago. Aaron Gray can score in the low post... in college. He should make the team but might not ever get in. If the rumors of a Chris Duhon trade are true, it might have made more sense to grab Taurean Green or Zabian Dowdell than the short scoring guard JamesOn Curry. And while it's still early in their careers, Ty Thomas and Jo Noah don't seem like the King's Ransom that people thought the Bulls were getting for Eddy Curry.
2. Cleveland Cavaliers: The Cavs didn't have any picks.
1. Detroit Pistons: Judging from their picks, the Pistons believe that Amir Johnson and Jason Maxiell will be able to start filling in more for the Pistons aging frontcourt of Rasheed Wallace, Antonio McDyess, and Antonio McDyess. Johnson especially needs to pan out as a potential starter if the 'Stones playoff tour is going to continue without a hitch. Rodney Stuckey could be the next Microwave and should be a solid backup guard. Aaron Afflalo seems like a reach, especially over the likes of Marcus Williams or Derrick Byars, who seems like the perfect fit for the defensive-minded Bad Boys. Sammy Mejia is a player with good size I'm not sure if he's a better choice than Zabian Dowdell, another defensive minded player who could have helped backup Chauncey Billips.
The Bucks and Bulls had the best chances to make the right move to get them to the top of the division but neither team was able to pull anything off. The Bulls still could make a big trade but the Bucks are looking at the prospect of being forced to trade their draft pick, ala Steve Francis demanding a trade from Vancouver. The difference is that, in this case, the trade options are limited to a handful of teams which could hurt the chances of the Bucks getting equal value back. With or without Yi, if the Bucks don't re-sign Mo Williams, they could find themselves sitting at the basement of the division.
