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Message: <blockquote data-quote="eranda444" data-source="post: 11519497" data-attributes="member: 34580"><img src="http://i.cdn.turner.com/nba/nba/news/features/2011-central-preview/CD-preview-608.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />Central Division: Bulls still looking down from the topThe last time the NBA came out of a lockout, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and their supporting cast were essentially gone from Chicago and the Bulls plummeted from 62 victories and the franchise's sixth NBA championship to a doormat that won 13 games out of 50 and missed the playoffs for the next six years.Don't expect a similar drop this time. The Bulls exit the lockout as 62-game winners again, but they might win 13 by the end of January. Unlike Jordan, the 1998 NBA MVP, Derrick Rose is back to defend his crown. So is Tom Thibodeau as the league's Coach of the Year (Phil Jackson was replaced by Tim Floyd after the 1998-99 lockout). A playoff berth is a must, with Rose, Thibodeau and the rest focused more on the big boys of the Eastern Conference -- Miami, Boston -- than their rivals scattered about the Great Lakes.Once you got beyond Chicago last season, this division went from Park Avenue penthouse to Zuccotti Park tent city. The Pacers, Bucks, Pistons and Cavaliers combined for a .369 winning percentage, finishing a collective 207 games under .500. The Bulls won the Central by the league's widest gap, 25 games in the standings, although things cinched up nicely when the Pacers pushed back in the playoffs' first round.Indiana has even higher hopes this season. Milwaukee would like to find the game and intangibles that helped it win 22 of 30 down the stretch in 2009-10. Detroit has new ownership and a new head coach, two reasons it might forget (if not forgive) last season's player insubordination. Then there's Cleveland, which has a prize rookie -- and a remarkably good chance at landing another one by the time 2011-12 is logged into the books.<img src="http://i.cdn.turner.com/nba/nba/news/features/2011-central-preview/chi_pm.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />2010-11 record: 62-20Finish: First in Central DivisionPlayoffs: Defeated Indiana in Eastern Conference first round (4-1), defeated Atlanta in Eastern Conference semifinals (4-2), lost to Miami in Eastern Conference finals (4-1)Strengths: Derrick Rose, the youngest MVP in NBA history, presumably is getting better (and definitely getting wealthier via new "Derrick Rose" rule for contract extensions). And the Bulls have two other commodities that should prove valuable in this hurry-up, shortened season: Continuity and defense. Most of the players from their 62-victory squad will be back, so they won't face the "Hi! My Name Is..." learning curve of other teams. And offense is where teams struggled coming out of the 1998-99 lockout -- which will be right up the Bulls' and Thibodeau's alley.Challenges: Chicago beat the odds in a couple of ways last season while compiling the NBA's best record. First, Rose didn't get broken on one of his risky drives to the hoop. Second, it got unexpectedly stellar backup work up front from Kurt Thomas and Taj Gibson, easing the injury absences of Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer. Change is needed on both fronts. Rose needs more help offensively and Noah and Boozer need to produce big, for their own reputations but more so for what the Bulls need. They were lackluster, and that won't be good enough again.Outlook: With a schedule likely weighted toward in-division games, the Bulls would benefit from frequent clashes with their Central rivals. The focus in the East remains on Miami, Boston and perhaps New York now, so Thibodeau will still be able to pound the underdog drum. But they won't win 62.This could make a difference: Finding that backcourt mate for Rose would be huge, though he might not be out there this month. Jason Richardson? Jamal Crawford? Arron Aflalo would be a terrific fit but he's a restricted free agent and the Nuggets could block.<img src="http://i.cdn.turner.com/nba/nba/news/features/2011-central-preview/ind_pm.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" />2010-11 record: 37-45Finish: Second in Central DivisionPlayoffs: Lost to Chicago in Eastern Conference first round (4-1)Strengths: A core of young talent took a major stride in the playoff series against Chicago, Indiana's first taste of the postseason in five years. It responded to then-interim coach Frank Vogel, who is back now with a strong staff of assistants (Brian Shaw, Jim Boylen, Dan Burke). They have added Indianapolis native point guard George Hill and are said to be interested in free agent power forward David West, a piece that was missing last spring. The Pacers' cap space also could facilitate a three-way trade.Challenges: Indiana ranked 28th in assists and 25th in field-goal percentage, both attributable in part to former coach Jim O'Brien's devotion to 3-pointers. But they still need to move the ball more and not settle. Center Roy Hibbert was a preseason candidate for Most Improved Player based on his offseason in 2010 but wound up highly inconsistent and largely unchanged.Outlook: The Pacers won't be happy slinking into the playoffs as a sub-.500 No. 8 seed this time. They're set up to take a giant step this season, at least into the 43-48 victory range. Point guard Darren Collison should be better with more familiarity with Vogel and with Hill as competition/sidekick. Oh, and Paul George is going to draw more Scottie Pippen comparisons this season -- he's a versatile gem and still only 21.This could make a difference: This team needs a leader as much as it needs positional or strategic help on the floor. Danny Granger tried to show some of that at the end against Chicago and might do more this season, but it doesn't come naturally to him.</blockquote>

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