1. Indiana Pacers
Added depth with a stacked starting five will strengthen them.
2. Chicago Bulls
A healthy Derrick Rose puts them back in contention.
3. Cleveland Cavaliers
A familiar head coach returns along with a winning formula.
4. Detroit Pistons
One free agent splash and trade positions them to win now.
5. Milwaukee Bucks
Their rebuilding to keep players that want to stay in Milwaukee.
Head Coach: Frank Vogel
Key Position: Small Forward – Paul George is clearly the best player on the team and a solid second is their center Roy Hibbert. However, Danny Granger was once the best player and he is still around albeit a bit banged up. It will be interesting how the Pacers dole out the minutes with a healthy Granger available.
Key Acquisitions: F Luis Scola, G C.J. Watson
Key to Win the Finals: Defense wins championships.
Head Coach: Tom Thibodeau
Key Position: Point Guard – This is still the same team that fought and clawed their way through a season in which there were so many questions about when Derrick Rose would return. He is back and fully recovered from a knee injury. How far the Bulls go towards contending for a title rests on their talented point guard.
Key Acquisitions: G Mike Dunleavy
Key to Win the Finals: A fully healthy Derrick Rose.
Head Coach: Mike Brown
Key Position: Center – There is no doubt who is the face of this franchise, but if Andrew Bynum returns anywhere near his stats from 2011-12 then the Cavaliers will have gotten a steal in free agency giving him a 2-year incentive laden deal. Time will tell if he’s motivated with a familiar head coach from that season.
Key Acquisitions: C Andrew Bynum, G Jarrett Jack
Key to Win the Finals: Establish an identity with Kyrie Irving as the face of the franchise.
Head Coach: Maurice Cheeks
Key Position: Small Forward – They made a splash by being the team to sign Josh Smith right from the beginning with hardly any competition. Now that he’s on board it will be interesting to see how the rotation works with Kyle Singler and Jonas Jerebko seeing significant minutes last year.
Key Acquisitions: G Chauncey Billups, G Brandon Jennings, F Josh Smith
Key to Win the Finals: Follow the model of the Indiana Pacers.
Head Coach: Larry Drew
Key Position: Shooting Guard – Both Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings did not want to stay long term unless they were paid top dollar. Milwaukee let Ellis go and traded away Jennings. Signing O.J. Mayo is a bit of a reach, but for the Bucks it makes sense. They hope he and Brandon Knight can replace what Ellis and Jennings brought to the Bucks.
Key Acquisitions: F Caron Butler, G Brandon Knight, G O.J. Mayo, C Zaza Pachulia
Key to Win the Finals: Build a winner for many years.
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