Central Division

1. CLEVELAND CAVALIERS — The Cavs boasted the league’s best record last year at 66-16. Before the season has even started, their eyes are already on the playoffs and competing for a championship title. Mo Williams will be looking to prove himself as a real All-Star, while LeBron will be looking to prove himself as the greatest athlete to ever step foot on a basketball court. If Delonte West could find his better half, he is a legitimate basketball player. Shaq won NBA titles with Kobe Bryant and Dwayne Wade, so why won’t he be able to bring the King a ring?

2. CHICAGO BULLS — Look for Derrick Rose, one of the league’s premier point guards, to improve on his rookie season and have his team fighting for a playoff spot. For this to happen, though, someone will need to step up in crunch time and hit the clutch shots that former Bull, Ben Gordon, once hit. Luol Deng, Kirk Hinrich, Brad Miller, John Salmons and Tyrus Thomas are all highly talented individuals, but they will have to overcome injury and consistency issues if they plan on leaving the first round of the playoffs.

3. DETROIT PISTONS — Ben Wallace will rejoin his former teammates Rip Hamilton and Tayshaun Prince this season, but do not expect this team to return to its 2004 form. The past two seasons have witnessed Joe Dumars dismantle his previous championship-caliber team in order to retool and make a run once again. While the additions of Ben Gordon, Charlie Villanueva and Austin Daye will have some immediate impact, one wonders, if Iverson couldn’t work with Hamilton, how can Gordon? On a brighter note, apparently Kwame Brown is finally looking like an NBA-ready first overall pick, so kudos to him.

4. INDIANA PACERS — Danny Granger is one of the best all-around players in the league. The additions of Tyler Hansbrough and Dahntay Jones bring the Pacers a real competitor and a solid defensive stopper, respectively. Mike Dunleavy and Troy Murphy are incredibly valuable players if they can stay healthy, but that is a big if. T.J. Ford is a speedy and talented point guard, but the Pacers will surely miss the backcourt depth the team had before Jarett Jack went to Toronto. Look for the Pacers’ success to mimic the progress of their new starting center, sophomore Roy Hibbert: an improvement from last season but still nothing special.

5. MILWAUKEE BUCKS — This team has got so much talent; look for them to spend the majority of this season testing out combinations in search of a lineup for the 2010-11 season. The incredibly speedy, poor-shooting Brandon Jennings will be competing with veteran Luke Ridnour for time at the point position. At the shooting guard position, Michael Redd has the nicest lefty stroke in the league if he can stay healthy. Meanwhile, Charlie Bell has proven himself to be a spark off the bench, while Jodie Meeks showed everyone at Kentucky that he is a truly prolific scorer himself. The frontcourt is relatively more stable hosting a committee of Luc Mbah a Moute and Ersan Ilyasova at power forward and Kurt Thomas and Andrew Bogut at center, but do not be surprised if you see Warrick playing a little power forward as well.