Cavs. Vs. Bucks

Last season the Central division was one of the strongest in the NBA, don’t look for that to change this year. The Pistons, Bulls and Pacers all made the playoffs with the Cavs barely missing. They, along with the Bucks, will make an extremely hard push for the playoffs next year as well. Even with the relatively successful off-seasons that both teams have had they won’t be moving ahead of any of the first three teams, but they will be extremely competitive. A lot of people would assume that the Cavs are a lock for that spot in the fourth place spot in the division, but the Bucks may legitimately be better than them. Here’s a side-by-side comparison of the two teams that will likely occupy the bottom two spots in the central and maybe in the playoffs.


→Point Guard
Eric Snow (Cavs) vs. TJ Ford (Bucks)

Ford was once thought to be a potential top tier point guard. He could still be after recovering from his spinal injury and surgery, but probably not this season. That being said, he’ll still run circles around Eric Snow. Snow’s a very good defensive presence and is capable of running a team, but at this point in his career is more likely a solid backup than a starter. The Cavs realize this and are trying to find someone to replace him as a starter. One option is to trade Drew Gooden but there are still plenty of good point guards available that, paired with Snow, could make for a decent representation of the position. Marko Jaric and Chris Duhon are both options at this spot but if the Cavs want one of those guys they’ll have to act quickly. That being said, nobody available will be as good as TJ Ford even with the struggles he’ll face coming back. Well, nobody except maybe Jay Williams. That would make for an interesting scenario, but one that at this point, seems unlikely, as he would be more of a long-term player and not provide the Cavs with the help they need at that spot right away.
Edge: Bucks

→Shooting Guard
Larry Hughes (Cavs) vs. Michael Redd (Bucks)

This is an interesting match up because these to guys are opposites in a lot of ways. Hughes is a killer defender. Last season, he led the league in steals per game. Redd defends about as well as Hughes shoots the ball: streaky at best. But Redd shoots the ball the way Hughes defends. Confused yet? You should be. They confuse the guys who guard them. Both these guys can create their own shots. Hughes can take it inside and has a great handle. He can pass a bit too. His 4.7 apg last year weren’t too shabby numbers for a 2. Redd can get off a jump shot from anywhere in any arena faster than you can say booyeah. Seriously. He just sunk 7 of them. Redd’s numbers on the glass and with the pass weren’t nearly as good as Hughes, but he shot much better. His passing numbers will likely improve this year as he has a few more options when he’s passing the ball. He won’t be the passer Hughes is, but he won’t be too bad. The bottom line is both teams are pretty evenly matched here. The Cavs seem to have a slight edge though because, as they say, defense wins championships.
Edge: Cavs

→Small Forward
Lebron James (Cavs) vs. Bobby Simmons (Bucks)

Remember all those things I just said about Hughes? That goes doubly for Lebron. Well, except the defensive stuff. He plays defense a lot like Redd does. But he can pass the ball as well as anyone on either team, is great on the glass and can get to the rack without any problems. He’s not quite unstoppable yet, but he’s getting there. The biggest problem with James is that he’s young. He’s still learning the game, still learning to shoot the ball and to defend. He could be the next Jordan, but he’s not there yet. James put up massive numbers on a team that, without him, would have lost probably 15-20 more games last season. Sans James the Cavs of last year weren’t Hawks bad, but they were Raptors or Blazers bad. This year he gets some help so don’t expect much of a rise in his numbers, except for in the wins column.
While this match-up clearly favors the Cavs, Bobby Simmons is no slouch. He was the second best player on a team that, if it were in the eastern conference, would have finished with a playoff spot. He had decent offensive numbers and was a great defensive presence for the Clippers. His numbers are only going to improve this season because he doesn’t have to play as the Bucks third scoring option this year. He was the main option after Brand and Magette for the Clippers. Simmons is perfectly capable of scoring from anywhere on the floor and can create his own shot. He’s going to be a great partner for Redd. He’s not as good as the future face of the NBA, but he’s definitely good enough to hold his own against James. That being said, I’d take Simmons over Hughes.
Edge: Cavs


→Power Forward
Donyell Marshall (Cavs) vs. Joe Smith (Bucks)

When it comes to these two guys everything is about hype. Everyone loves Marshall everyone hates Smith. The fact is that last season these two put up relatively similar numbers. Actually their numbers were almost identical. Marshall wasn’t a starter for the Raptors, but was a key player for their team. Smith was a starter, but was forced to play anchor to one of the weakest frontcourts in the game. The help he’ll see this year will make him a much more effective player. Look for these guys to put up very similar numbers again. I think they’ll both see their averages increase a little bit, but just a little; Marshall because of fewer minutes and Smith because of a more specialized role. This is as even a match-up as there is between these two teams.
Edge: Even

→Center
Zydrunas Ilgauskas (Cavs) vs. Andrew Bogut (Bucks)

This is an interesting match-up. While Z is an all-star in the midst of the best years of his career, there’s a lot not to like about him. His numbers on the glass, 8.6 rpg, are not great for a guy his size especially when you consider that Cleveland was a relatively average rebounding team. They’ll need more up front to be serious contenders. That’s why trading Gooden for a point guard is such a win-loose trade. You loose a lot of your frontcourt power, but they need a serious point guard. Andrew Bogut has been drawing comparisons to Brad Miller and a young Vlade Divac. Time will tell how accurate those are, but if they are, watch out. Someone who can draw and then pass out of a double team, and he will, on the Bucks is dangerous. Even if his offensive numbers aren’t in the same class as Z’s nearly 18 a game, he’s going to make life a lot easier for Simmons and Redd. In the end, Bogut is younger and faster than Z. Z is also one foul step away from handing his starting job to whomever the Cavs get to back him up.
Edge: Bucks.

→Bench
→Cavs Key Players--Drew Gooden--Anderson Varejao--Ira Newble
→Bucks Key Players--Desmond Mason -- Jiri Welsch--Dan Gadzuric--Zaza Pachulia (FA)

The Bucks are still waiting to resign Pachulia, but that seems to be fairly likely at this point. Even if they don’t retain him, the Bucks still have a solid frontcourt. The same cannot be said for the Cavs. Drew Gooden and Donyell Marshall are similar players except that Gooden doesn’t shoot as well. And he may become a point-guard at some point in the next few weeks. That leaves Varejao as the only legit backup at the 4-5 spot and he’s really more of a 4. He has a knack for rebounding the ball and should see some good minutes next season. The Cavs need a fourth big man to play the role that Tractor Traylor played last season. If they can find one by trading Gooden and still get a point-guard then they’ve found an ideal situation. The Bucks have the best player of either bench in Desmond Mason. He’s a freakish athlete who can dunk with the best of them. He’s not a bad shooter, but not a great one either. At the end of the day though, he’s a great sixth man because he brings a huge spark off the bench on both ends. Jiri Welsch is the X factor on the Bucks. Over his career various general managers have proclaimed him to be a future great player, but none of them seem to have felt strongly enough about him to keep him around. We’ll see if the Bucks can find a place for him. He’s a different enough player from Mason that you can play them both at the same time in either the 1-2 or 2-3 positions. At the end of the day the Bucks just have a much more explosive bench and sizable bench.
Edge: Bucks

Final Analysis of the Bucks:
The Bucks will be an extremely solid team. Look for them to be a lot more like the team of two years ago that surprised everyone with their hard work and team play and a lot less like the team of last year. They’ve made all of the roster moves that they could to improve their team for the better. And while Bogut and Smith aren’t going to be as imposing in the paint as a pair of Wallace’s or Eddy Curry and Tyson Chandler, they’re certainly going to be able to bang with a lot of front courts in the east. That said, a lot, if not all of the Bucks season hinges on their draft pick, Andrew Bogut. The Bucks don’t need him to come in and take over, but they need him to be consistent. If Bogut proves to as good as most #1’s, the Bucks should be in great shape.

Final Analysis of the Cavs:
Cleveland is in good shape, but being in good shape is a far cry from being in great shape. Although they boast an all-star center, he’s the toughest player they have in the frontcourt. He doesn’t seem to have a mean streak. Neither does anyone else up front. They’re all good players, but they’re not the kind of guys that are going to get into the paint and bang with any of the other players in the Central. Marshall is a very good player and needs to be a starter, even if they keep Gooden, as he might be as good as any shooter in the starting lineup. With that in mind you can expect him to see a lot more action away from the basket. You could even see some lineups where he and Gooden play the 3-4. Both players have spent some time at the 3 and could play spot minutes at the position. That being said historically, teams need a tough frontcourt to succeed. They also need better players at the point. If the Cavs can figure a way to address these needs either through trade or what’s left of free agency, they could be in better shape. They’ve got a lot of potential for the future as long as they have Lebron, but they’re still a long way away from being in title contention. They should be happy to grab one of the bottom playoff spots as that’s something that they have yet to do in the Lebron James era.

These two teams are both evenly matched but the Bucks appear to have a slight edge. Although neither team is a lock to be better than the other as much of the Bucks season depends on Bogut and much of the Cavs on the next few weeks of free agency. Either way, this should create an extremely exciting match-up in the east and hopefully establish a rivalry between the two teams for years to come.