On to the Central division, where the Chicago Bulls won’t be as dominant as in previous seasons as long as Derrick Rose is out injured. There are some talented guards (Rose, Monta Ellis, Brandon Jennings, Kyrie Irving, Paul George) and a long list of above average and potentially better big men like Roy Hibbert, Greg Monroe, Joakim Noah and Anderson Varejao.
The power forward position is probably the weakest in the division, with both Carlos Boozer and David West not player we’d like to have in our starting five, so we went with the two centers, twin tower combination.
Point Guard – Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls)
When he’s healthy, and hopefully he’ll be pretty soon (the Bulls certainly hope), he might be the best point guard in the NBA. Not a classic floor general, and a much better scorer than he is a passer, but with him, the Bulls were the best team in the NBA during the regular season. He missed nearly half the season in his post-MVP campaign, averaging 21.8 points and 7.9 assists per game in what was an adapting and changing year for Rose, trying to be more of a traditional PG. He’ll probably change a bit more of his game once he returns from injury.
Shooting Guard – Monta Ellis (Milwaukee Bucks)
Not exactly a classic shooting guard. Just a guy who wants the ball as much as possible in his hands, and usually scores in bunches when he’s not injured. Ellis averaged 20.4 points per game last season, traded from the Golden State Warriors to the Milwuakee Bucks. He does from quite an exciting partnership with Brandon Jennings in the backcourt, and they even have a decent crew to back them up, but it’s hard seeing them being more than just fun to see due to a weakness in the frontcourt.
Small Forward – Luol Deng (Chicago Bulls)
Deng didn’t put up his biggest numbers last season, but he did make his first All-Star game and made a step up in leadership and maybe even his defense, which was mentioned in the All-NBA second defensive team. He averaged 15.3 points and 6.5 rebounds, but he’s going to have to give a lot more when it comes to numbers until Derrick Rose returns. He even gave Great Britain something to cheer about during the Olympics when it comes to basketball, carrying a team of mostly nobodies on his back.
Big Man I – Roy Hibbert (Indiana Pacers)
A division without a clear frontrunner when it comes to the frontline, but Hibbert is probably the best of ’em, making quite a stride forward during the last couple of seasons, averaging career highs in points, rebounds and blocks while still not making it past the 30 minutes per game mark. Now that he’s making the big bucks, it’s also about time to see him a lot more on the floor.
Big Man II – Greg Monroe (Detroit Pistons)
A center, but no one said we can’t have two. Monroe is only going into his third NBA season, but it seems that the Pistons did very good when they took the Georgetown center as the 7th pick in the 2010 NBA Draft. After a hesitative rookie season, Monroe really stepped up last year, averaging 15.4 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. His defense and ability to do more than just post up in the paint needs some improvement, but Monroe is already one of the 10 best centers in the NBA, and a nice piece to build around for the Pistons.