Quite possibly, neither of them.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are set to begin the slow, painful process of rebuilding after seven years without LeBron James, and they'll be lucky to match even half of last season's 61 victories, let alone win the Central.
The Chicago Bulls, who failed to land LeBron, failed with Dwyane Wade and failed with Chris Bosh, merely added Carlos Boozer and a handful of smaller pieces to the fringe playoff team they assembled last season. And yet they still have their sights set on a big leap, from 41 wins last year to perhaps 50 and a high playoff seed. Chicago is abuzz with possibility — the Bulls have added a $75 million free agent, and all the supporting guys around him will only get better as they near their primes. Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah and Luol Deng have that ship steered in the right direction.
These two teams have garnered all the attention this summer — the Cavs because of their dramatic fall from grace and their owner's Comic Sans-laden tirade, and the Bulls because they're a rising power in a muddled Eastern Conference. But don't be alarmed if neither one of them sniffs a division crown this season.
No one's talking about the Milwaukee Bucks, but the stars could be aligned for the boys from the Brew City to win their first division title in a decade. From under the radar to atop the Central? Stranger things have happened.
There's nothing sexy about the Bucks. They don't put up huge numbers, they don't produce multiple All-Stars, and Drew Gooden has been bald since the fourth grade. But regardless, they're set to make a run at a division title. Now's their time — they're all out of excuses.
They can't blame health. Andrew Bogut is on the mend from the elbow injury that ended his season back in April, and he's expected back in camp. That's a huge boon to the Bucks' hopes of a big season. And even Michael Redd (remember him?) may recover from his knee operation and make an impact in Milwaukee in the second half.
They can't blame inexperience. No longer are they saddled with a rookie point guard — Brandon Jennings has a year of wisdom in him entering the 2010-11 season, and wisdom plus his extraordinary athletic talent equals an All-Star in the making. If he keeps growing, look out. He's one of the league's top point guards.
They can't blame lack of depth. This summer they added Gooden, Corey Maggette, Jon Brockman, Keyon Dooling, Chris Douglas-Roberts and a trio of rookies via the draft. Scott Skiles has plenty of guys on hand to share the workload.
There's no longer a thing stopping the Bucks from making a run at winning the Central Division.
Last time they did it, they were led by Ray Allen, Sam Cassell and Glenn "Big Dog" Robinson. Those guys aren't walking through that door, but the Bucks still have more than enough manpower to get the job done.
The Cavs and Bulls have made all the headlines this summer because of the guys they've lost. The Bucks can steal the spotlight next spring by winning.
NESN.com will analyze 25 key NBA questions this September.
Sept. 20: Who wins the Southwest Division?
Sept. 22: Who wins the Southeast Division?
