The Hoops Nerd gives MIP Awards to the most intriguing player in each team during the NBA pre-season. Today, we finish the Eastern Conference by handing out the awards in the Central Dvision. It should be one of the strongest, most competitive and definitely one of the most interesting division in the league. Chicago and Indiana should fight for alpha, Cleveland and Detroit should fight for a spot in the playoffs and Milwakee...that's a story we might address sometime in the future. Without further ado...
CHICAGO BULLS
FINALLY! Now that you're back, Derrick Rose, I'd like to speak for all the fans and mention that we forgive you, that we understand you took a year off and that we hope you can still pull those crazy, self-esteem crushing moves we love you for. This is one of the biggest storylines of the training camp. With the emergence of Jimmy Butler, the return of Luol Deng and the comeback form the dead of Derrick Rose, what will happen with the Bulls?Will they become a force to be reckoned with again? Whether the answer to this question is yes or no, I will be happy is Rose can just drive to the basket with that psycho-maniac energy that made his renown.
CLEVELAND CAVALIERS
I know, I know. It's such a cliché to call Andrew Bynum intriguing. But I have to admit I cheated a little bit and watched the Cavs first pre-season game against Milwakee. My observations : Kyrie is awesome, Dion Waiters can shoot, Tristan Thompson plays with even more authority, Anthony Bennett takes stupid shots but can play off-ball and Jarrett Jack is still Jarrett Jack. What I mean is that they looked awfully good. They looked like a team that could do the playoffs with Andrew Bynum on the low block. Something about their energy reminds me of the Golden Stats Warriors of last year. I know these words don't quite add up in a sentence, but this year could be a lot of fun in Cleveland.
DETROIT PISTONS
I love stories like this. The press painted a big ''L'' on Andre Drummond's forehead before the 2012 Draft, called him a ''project player'' (which often is an omen of doom), called him ''raw'' and ''unpolished'' and ''a bust'', made fun of Detroit for picking him, but then, Drummond started to play. He blocked shots like he was Ben Wallace, picked Dwyane Wade's pocket twice in 45 seconds like nobody's business, threw down dunks from hell and racked up amazing numbers in limited minutes and the press colletively shut up. Now we all root for Drummond. We want him to become that guy, this season. Projected that the Pistons will have shooting issues, his presence on the low block will be critical, this year.
INDIANA PACERS
There is not much intrigue in Indiana, this year. Larry Legend built his team as a paragon of stability. Roy Hibbert will continue to be the best rim protector in the game, Paul George will keep improving and David West will keep driving the other teams' bigs away from the basket, we know all that. We also pretty much pulled the plug on Danny Granger. The underrated move the Pacers did this off-season is to trade scraps for Luis Scola. Here's a player who always been in terrible situations, who has been generally unloved and yet, always played hard and produced. He will be given a low-pressure role in Indiana's rotation and a chance to be a clinching factor late in games. It'll be very interesting to follow his progression with his new team.
MILWAUKEE BUCKS
God, this team is a mess. When the logical solution was to bottom out and try to get a budding superstar from next year's draft, The Bucks did several lateral moves that didn't make sense and it resulted in a ridiculous line-up, full of piece that don't fit together. Not that it wasn't a mess last year, mind you. Giannis Antetokounmpo was the most intriguing player last NBA draft and his showing against the Cavaliers this week was...intriguing! He showed that he can shoot and that he wasn't intimidated of going in and mixing it up with the big boys. He's got three blocks!!! He's also way too thin and easy to move around. He'll have to be handled with care, but he could be something special. I almost gave the award to John Henson and I feel like I'm kind of robbing him of it, but the big man is a lot less of an X factor, patrolling the paint with LARRY SANDERS! Giannis could really pull the Bucks out of a morose year.
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