Post by TimPig on Apr 23, 2018 21:18:45 GMT
Atlanta HawksCurrent Record: 27-18; 1st in the Central
Key Pieces: Benji Hammon, Scoonie Saperstein, Isaac Bonga
Current Outlook: After losing Elvis Della Donne in free agency, this team appeared slated to take a major step backwards. Fortunately for the Hawks, they’re in a relatively weak division that seemed to focus heavily on the future during the creation draft. Fortunately JHB found a nice hidden gem in Isaac Bonga who, at only 21, is averaging over 20 points and 7 rebounds per game. Benji Hammon is one of the league’s better point guards at 31 and has broken out nicely now that he doesn’t have to share the spotlight with Della Donne. Overall I think this team has a nice backcourt but Reagan, Maggette, and Saperstein aren’t giving them enough up front.
Future Outlook: The aforementioned Bonga needs to pan out for the Hawks and a nice TC for Nassir Little would be huge for them. Hammon is already on the other side of his 30s and this isn’t a team that looks like it has any chance to win right now. If I’m the GM of the Hawks, I might look into trading Hammon to a contender that needs a point guard to push them over the top. The Hawks’ three bigs are all around 30 so we likely know exactly what we’re getting out of all three. To be honest, there isn’t a ton that excites me here. Perhaps the best thing going for the Hawks is that they’re going to be clearing about $30mil off of their books in two years.
Projection: Looks to sell high on players like Hammon and Saperstein, gets a lotto pick or two, then makes a splash in free agency in a couple of years.
Charlotte HornetsCurrent Record: 10-34; 8th in the Central
Key Pieces: R.J. Barrett, Austin Wiley, Jared Terrell
Current Outlook: One word: bleak. Fecta keeps trying to make R.J. Barrett happen, which is coming at the detriment of the one player who looked promising in year one in Jared Terrell. As the team’s #3 option, Terrell is averaging about 10 points fewer than he did last season despite increased efficiency. To Fecta’s credit, Barrett has improved significantly and a good TC could turn him into a decent player. I actually like his bigs in Wiley and O’Neal, though both clearly need some investment in The Lab. Trevon Duval hasn’t taken a three-pointer this season and is shooting 42% from the field, so it may be time to try something else at the point. Without looking, Drazen Petrovic may be the worst lottery pick from the 2001 rookie draft.
Future Outlook: The Hornets’ future looks just as bad as their present. Barrett is on the books for this year and two more at $12.5mil per season after Fecta famously amnestied Brian Bowen instead. He does have Wiley locked up nicely for a few more years, but that won’t do him any good if he continues missing in the draft. If there’s one person who should be up in arms about the unweighted lotto, it should probably be Fecta. I’m not sure there’s a team currently in a worse situation that needs more help through the draft.
Projection: The Hornets hope Barrett continues to improve and build around him and Wiley. Better luck in the next couple of lottos has the Hornets in the playoff hunt three years from now.
Chicago Bulls Current Record: 20-24; 4th in the Central
Key Pieces: Romeo Langford, Jim Halpert, Mohamed Bamba, Brad Daugherty
Current Outlook: After a rough start to the season that involved some depth chart tweaking, the Bulls are starting to come together and look to have a good shot at the coveted eight seed. Rookie sensation Romeo Langford struggled early in the season but is quickly turning things around. Although undersized for a small forward, Jim Halpert is a good rebounder whose volume should get better with a little bit more time in The Lab. Up front, Bamba and Daugherty are both interesting prospects but need work on their efficiency and defense/rebounding, respectively. The obvious hole is at point guard, where Devon Hall has not panned out as hoped. His volume is low despite good efficiency and his rebounding is not as good as one would hope for a 6’5 point guard.
Future Outlook: This is a team that, if everything works out, could blossom together very nicely with four youngsters who have great potential. Of course, potential is just that -- potential -- which makes the future hard to read for this young team. With the way their salary cap is structured, it’s difficult to see the Bulls making any big splashes in free agency. Unlike the Hornets, this is one team that could benefit mightily from the unweighted lotto as they’re not likely to finish in the bottom 5 anytime soon, but should be hovering right around that 8 seed.
Projection: The Bulls continue to look for a point guard via trade or the draft and hope at least a couple of their youngsters pan out. Could be contending in three years or in total rebuild mode.
Cleveland Cavaliers Current Record: 15-22; 5th in the Central
Key Pieces: Arvydas Sabonis, Benji Wilson, Sidney Deane
Current Outlook: The GM-less Cavs obviously don’t look great, but with a more present GM could probably build around guys like Sabonis and Wilson. Deane provides outstanding rebounding from the point guard position, but that’s about it. A little bit of investment in these three guys could go a long way, but with Deane already at age 33, the move may be to try and deal him to a team looking for some rebounding help in their backcourt. Mikal Bridges is a bit of a sleeper who could also turn into a decent starting wing.
Future Outlook: The future is dark in Cleveland as the team is being run by an uninterested general manager. Here’s to hoping that Shaun is able to come back sooner rather than later and turn Sabonis into the player that he looks like he’s capable of becoming. The smart move would be to try and trade Deane and probably Wilson for assets to try and start this thing over.
Projection: There really isn’t one as they don’t have an active GM, so their roster will probably be filled out with guys on minimum contracts in the next couple of seasons.
Detroit PistonsCurrent Record: 19-22; 3rd in the Central
Key Pieces: Shamorie Ponds, Jackie Moon, Luke Maye
Current Outlook: What happened to Jackie Moon’s efficiency? He went from over 50% last season to 44% this season, and as he’ll be 30 next year, it’s probably not smart to bank on him bouncing back for more than a season or two. Fortunately for Dump, he’s got Shamorie Ponds at the point, who looks like one of the league’s best up-and-coming floor generals. His efficiency has left much to be desired early on, but he still has +18 remaining that should probably be pumped into his inside as his TOs already aren’t bad and his handling should improve naturally since he’s only 22. This team’s backcourt looks solid, but the frontcourt is severely lacking. I’m not sold on Mark Alarie yet.
Future Outlook: Ponds and Maye look like this team’s building blocks as they’re both young and producing well already. Maye looks pretty similar to Moon across the board, so Dump might look at trading Moon to improve his bigs. If he does deal Moon, that frees up $10mil in cap space, and with a few bigs expiring this offseason the Pistons could be a player in free agency. Dump hasn’t expressed any interest in moving on from Moon, however, so he, like the Bulls, may also hope to land somewhere right around the eight seed and get lucky in the lotto.
Projection: The Pistons stand pat and hope that they can find a big in the draft, setting themselves up to be a contender for the division title in a couple seasons just as Moon is nearing the end of his good years.
Indiana PacersCurrent Record: 23-15; 2nd in the Central
Key Pieces: Keita Bates-Diop, Daniel Taurasi, Donta Hall, Karim Shabazz
Current Outlook: The Pacers made one of the best moves in free agency, snagging Bates-Diop on an outrageous contract at $7.5mil over six years. I am not, however, a fan of signing Shabazz to a six year deal at $12.5mil per year. That did settle up the Pacers frontcourt, where Shabazz is joined by Bama stud Donta Hall. There’s lots of room for growth among the team’s core players as Bates-Diop still has +14, Hall has +10, and Taurasi has +20. We’ll see if Heebs tries to bump Taurasi’s handling to get him PG eligible, but that’s risky as the listed combo guard would have to maintain B+ handles in order to start. Killian Tillie, Jan Michael Vincent, and Bobby Wanzer provide some good depth, but Stockston having to start at PG while shooting 39% from the field and attempting 0 3s on the season are really holding this team back.
Future Outlook: Pretty obvious what Heebs needs to do here. He’s always been a good GM who doesn’t get too attached to players, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see him make a splash to acquire a better point guard. With some good aforementioned depth pieces, it wouldn’t surprise me to see him package a couple of those guys or even move on from one of his starters in order to improve at PG. He likely won’t be in the lotto anytime soon, so getting creative when it comes to finding a point guard will be crucial.
Projection: The Pacers go out and find a willing trade partner, putting together a package that includes a future pick or two, to get a decent starting PG and jump the Hawks as the team to beat in the Central.
Milwaukee BucksCurrent Record: 17-24; 6th in the Central
Key Pieces: DeAndre Ayton, Tacko Fall
Current Outlook: This team’s present and future are all about DeAndre Ayton, who could establish himself as the best big in the league in the next season or two. He’s got some help up front in the form of Tacko Fall, who should be a 20/10 guy for the next six or seven years. Despite a poor rookie training camp, Ron Harper is showing excellent efficiency and could become a third nice piece for this franchise. They’re not getting much production from their backcourt, where both their starting SG (Shavon Shields) and PG (Tony Pierce) are shooting right around 44%. They provide nice rebounding, but it might make sense to give Jevon Carter a shot in the PG1 role.
Future Outlook: Ayton, Fall, and maybe Harper give this team a foundation to build around. If I’m Trofie, I’m experimenting with my depth chart a little bit to see if any of these other guys are worth a damn. This team will be banking on a guard falling to them in the lottery that can star alongside Ayton. If that happens, both Fall and Harper make up a nice supporting cast that could have this team fighting for the division crown.
Projection: The Bucks remain in the lotto for the next two seasons, grabbing guards in both drafts. If at least one turns out nicely, this team becomes very good very quickly.
Toronto RaptorsCurrent Record: 12-25
Key Pieces: Miles Bridges, Nick Richards, Dennis Rodman
Current Outlook: Bridges looks like a piece to build around, but there are lots of question marks outside of him. Rodman’s efficiency isn’t bad, but his rebounding needs some help. With his potential jumping up to a B during training camp, he has a chance to become a solid D/R power forward. Nick Richards is just the opposite, as he looks like he could be a good offensive center but his defense is severely lacking. Unfortunately, Trevon Blueitt busted hard for this team with his non-existent volume and awful efficiency. Carsen Edwards, who was moved to PG before the season started, is an intriguing prospect at the point. This is a team that has a surprising amount of PG depth with Sim Dump, Jon Elmore, and Edwards.
Future Outlook: This team will do everything they can to build around Bridges and hope to add one more stud in the draft. You don’t want to bank around guys who are question marks, but they have to hope that one of Richards, Rodman, or Carsen Edwards pans out. Either way, just having Bridges around should be enough to keep this team out of the league basement. In two years they’ll potentially have quite a bit of cap room to find Bridges some help outside of the draft.
Projection: The Raptors do everything they can to hang on to Bridges and build around him. Breauxcaine starts caring more once he feels like the team is his own and in three or four years they start moving up in the standings.
