2010-2011 NBA Central Division Preview, Predictions Picks & Odds | Sportsbookbuzz.com

2010-2011 NBA Central Division Preview, Predictions Picks & Odds

2010 NBA Central Division Preview Welcome to the best and most complete 2010 NBA Central Division Season Preview available online. The teams that make up our 2010-2011 NBA Central Season Preview are the are the Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers, Detroit Pistons, Indiana Pacers and Milwaukee Bucks.

The house that LeBron built with its division winning 61 wins is no longer, and without James, the Cavs will be lucky if they make the playoffs as an 8th seed as Mo Williams and Antawn Jamison are just not enough to get Cleveland into contention as a top seed playoff contender. Meanwhile, the Bulls and the Bucks are the two teams that could be fighting for the division crown. Chicago made some pretty big moves this offseason adding to its young core of Joakim Noah and Derrick Rose. Carlos Boozer gives the Bulls a scoring big man they’ve lacked in the past, and Kyle Korver is a terrific shooter. Milwaukee made a solid first-round playoff series run, but couldn’t get it done without injured center Andrew Bogut on the floor. If everyone stays healthy, this team can win 50 games. Detroit and Indiana are still in the midst of a rebuilding process.

2010 Chicago Bulls Season Preview

For a couple of years now, Chicago has been on the verge of joining the elite teams in the Eastern Conference, but they’ve yet to make that jump. Last season, the Bulls finished 41-41, and they needed a late 10-4 run to get to that. Subsequently they were promptly ejected from the playoffs in five games by Cleveland. Chicago only ranked 23rd in FG shooting at 45% and 28th from 3-point land at just 33%, but third in FG defense and ninth in rebounding at +1.9 per game, which helped them go 42-38 ATS. The Bulls also went 34-46 on the totals, as their games averaged 197 points, eighth-fewest in the league. This offseason, Chicago thought they had a chance at landing LeBron, but missed out, settling for F Carlos Boozer instead. He and G Derrick Rose, F Luol Deng, C Joakim Noah, plus a couple of other newcomers make the Bulls contenders in the Central Division this season. They’re working under yet another new head coach, longtime NBA assistant Tom Thibodeau, so with some new faces, a rookie head coach and his new system, this team may go through a period of getting acquainted with the situation.

Chicago Bulls Odds: +2000 to win the NBA Championship at BetUS

Chicago Bulls 2010 Season Preview – Chicago Bulls 2010 Season Schedule

2010 Cleveland Cavaliers Season Preview

Cleveland entered last season as the favorite to win the NBA championship, and they posted the best record in the league during the regular season, but it all came tumbling down against Boston in the conference semifinals, which led to the departures of F LeBron James and centers Shaquille O’Neal and Zydrunas Ilgauskas. On top of that, despite winning 60-plus games the last two seasons, the Cavs canned Coach Brown. This team very quickly has fallen from the ranks of the league’s elite to one in full rebuilding mode. Cleveland went 37-43 ATS last year, and just 16-25 ATS at home, but that was as a favorite almost every time out, and that won’t be the case this season. The Cavs now forge ahead with new coach Byron Scott, who’s had success at his two previous coaching stops, but he’ll need some time with this outfit. Cleveland has a few pieces in place with F Antawn Jamison (19 ppg/8 rpg last year), F Anderson Varejao and G Mo Williams (16 ppg). They might still have enough to make a run at the playoffs. But that will probably be about it.

Cleveland Cavaliers Odds: +20000 to win the NBA Championship at BetUS

Cleveland Cavaliers 2010 Season Previews – Cleveland Cavaliers 2010 Season Schedule

2010 Detroit Pistons Season Preview

Detroit lost 100 games to injuries to its top four scorers last season, and endured losing streaks of six, seven, 11 and 13 games on its way to going 27-55, missing the playoffs for the first time in a decade. The Pistons ranked 27th in FG shooting at 44.5% and 26th in FG defense at a too-generous 48%, all in going 34-45 ATS. Detroit also went 41-40 on the totals, even though their games averaged just 193 points, fourth-fewest in the league. The Pistons still have a couple of holdovers from better times, like G Richard Hamilton (18 ppg) and F Tayshaun Prince (14 ppg/5 rpg); some young talent like G Rodney Stuckey (17 ppg); and they rightly expect better things from G Ben Gordon (14 ppg on 42% shooting) and F Charlie Villanueva. They also added Tracy McGrady, although he’s been limited to 65 games the past two seasons combined, and drafted 6-foot-11 C Greg Monroe, a good rebounder and passer, at No. 7 overall. So now in their second season under Coach Kuester, it’s hoped that this outfit can bounce back and contend for a playoff spot.

Detroit Pistons Odds: +10000 to win the NBA Championship at BetUS

Detroit Pistons 2010 Season Preview – Detroit Pistons 2010 Season Schedule

2010 Indiana Pacers Season Preview

Indiana got clipped by some injuries to some key people last year, finished 32-50 and missed the playoffs for the fourth straight season. Leading scorer Danny Granger (24 ppg). PG TJ Ford and Fs Mike Dunleavy and Tyler Hansbrough combined to miss 120 games, and the Pacers stumbled through a 17-43 stretch through the middle of the season. Indiana ranked 28th in shooting at 44%, 13th in FG defense at 45% but a lowly 29th in rebounding at -5.1 per game. They did manage, though, to go 40-40 ATS. While Pacers games averaged 205 points, ninth-most in the league, they went 37-45 on the totals because their O/Us were often among the higher on the boards. This offseason, Indiana traded its second-leading scorer and leading rebounder in F Troy Murphy, but filled a hole at point guard when they brought in Darren Collison; and they got 6-foot-8 G/F Paul George with the 10th pick in the draft. The Pacers are now 104-142 in three seasons under Coach O’Brien, but if they could stay healthy, especially Granger and Hansbrough, and get improvement from C Roy Hibbert (12 ppg/6 rpg), Indiana could contend for one of the last few playoff spots in the East.

Indiana Pacers Odds: +20000 to win the NBA Championship at BetUS

Indiana Pacers 2010 Season Preview – Indiana Pacers 2010 Season Schedule

2010 Milwaukee Bucks Season Preview

Not much was expected out of Milwaukee last year, but the Bucks turned out to be one of the most
pleasantly surprising teams in the league. Sparked by rookie PG Brandon Jennings, Milwaukee won 46 games and made the playoffs for the first time in four years. They then took Atlanta to seven games in a first-round series loss without C Andrew Bogut, who missed the final part of last season with a serious arm injury. The Bucks only ranked 29th in FG shooting at under 44%, but 10th in FG defense at 45%. They also went a league-best 53-28 ATS and 28-12 ATS on the road, as they allowed four PPG fewer than the season previous. The Bucks have made great strides in their two seasons under Coach Skiles, and look to have an even brighter future. Milwaukee also added several new faces this offseason, including Forwards Drew Gooden and Corey Maggette and G Chris Douglas-Roberts, and they managed
to retain F John Salmons (20 ppg). While the Bucks should contend for the division title this year, expectations can be a bitch, so they have to stay hungry.