Projected Starting Lineups: Central Division

Indiana are not starting Turner and Jefferson, Jefferson has stated himself about his role off the bench.

C. Turner
PF. Young
SF. George
SG. Ellis
PG. Teague

 Good job. 

I would bring Jefferson off the bench and start Young as well. Turner can only play PF in certain situations. Jefferson needs his minutes to be limited to stay healthy. He will compete for sixth man in this role.

Thon Maker will be a part of the rotation this year that is clear to me. I think he is ready to play a similar role as Bobby Portis. It may take some time but he will work his way into the lineup and deserves mention.

 I know it makes next to no difference to the way Detroit plays as they switch so much, but nominally, Morris will be the SF and Harris the PF. 

 Bro Mirotic is coming off the Bench.. Bobby Portis is starting and poised for a breakout season

I like how the Bucks are trying some unique strategies, but I really think Greg Monroe needs to be traded. 

How can MCW, Greek Freak, Parker etc be effective when he’s in there clogging the paint and refusing to leave?

Plus hes a defensive liability.

I realise demand for space-eating bigs like Monroe, Okafor and Al Jeff is at an all-time low, but they don’t need an All-Star replacement. Henson and Plumlee are worthy of solid minutes, and bring Maker off the bench. Add another big who can play some Defense and knock down a 15 footer and they’re dangerous again. 

I’d take a future first rounder for Monroe in a heartbeat, even if it was top-10 protected. 

 Agree that Thon Maker will definitely be in rotation even if his minutes are limited to begin with.

The Pacers have nice depth too and Jefferson could be a very good bench scorer for them if he plays that role. I wonder if they may see Monta as a possible 6th man in due course, he’d be a good scoring asset to have in the 2nd unit.

Chicago have had a total overhaul so it will be interesting to see how the team goes. D-Wade and Butler will both be playing with a real pass first PG for the first time in their careers, so it will be interesting to see how this dynamic works. D-Wade played with "The Glove" Gary Payton (happy 48th birthday on 23rd) for a couple of years in Miami but Gary was mainly a bench player then.

 Quick takes:

– Wouldn’t be surprised to see the disfunctional Bulls coaching staff plug Taj Gibson in the lineup to create the most spacing-challenged team in NBA history

– Watched alot of Kay Felder in Oakland and SL and he is a more athletic Isaiah Thomas.  He will surprise the league with his combination of skills and athleticism. Good fit for a solid backup PG to Kyrie

– Pacers on paper look like a 2nd seed in the East, but could also dissapoint like the 2013 Brooklyn Nets squad did and end up anywhere between 2-7.

– I love the idea of placing Dellavedova in the Bucks starting lineup to help open the floor for Giannis, but I have a feeling they might end up starting MCW

 God I hate Chicago’s roster. I know it’ll never happen, but if I were Hoiberg, I would just accept that Rondo has no place on this team and start Wade at the point. Rondo as a starter denies this team any sort of identity.

I would go. PG: Wade, SG: Butler, SF: McDermott, PF: Gibson C: Lopez. This roster would be a defensive juggernaut, a rebounding machine and would give the hope of scoring at least 90 points a night.