The 2017 NBA Offseason Playlist rolls along into week 2. This time around, we’ll be looking at the Central Divison and all that has changed since the teams last suited up. Per usual, I will call on various artists in various genres of music to describe the summer for the five teams in the division.

Miss the first segment? No worries, click below.

Recap:

• Atlantic Division, led by the voice of Drizzy Drake

As a brand new feature, every song used in the Offseason Playlist is on an actual Spotify playlist now and will be updated as the series continues!

This edition of the Offseason Playlist features some tunes that I really love. Two tracks contain Chance the Rapper, one is a hit from laid-back acoustic legend Jack Johnson, and another is a beat by one of the best rap groups of all time. Let’s dive into the second of six total segments of the Offseason Playlist!

Central Division

Three superstars from three different franchises were dealt out of the Central Divison this summer, leaving unknown expectations and uncertain futures. Meanwhile, one team virtually stayed the same, while another tweaked their roster to better suit their needs. We’ll begin in the Land.

Cleveland Cavaliers: Tap Dance (Octave Minds)

“One foot in the door, one foot in the grave
One stepped on the floor, Two stepped out the way”

Notable Moves

In: Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Derrick Rose, Jose Calderon, Jeff Green

Out: Kyrie Irving, Deron Williams

You may recognize this catchy tune from a 1800 Tequila commercial featuring Chance the Rapper. The full 3 minutes and 49 seconds of the song, which actually came out two years ago, is just as appetizing as the 30-second or so preview used in the advertisement. It also happens to serve as a great metaphor for what the Cavaliers went through this summer.

For starters, the song kicks off with Chance saying “one foot in the door, one foot in the grave.” The Cavs have one foot in the door of contention, and one in the grave of rebuilding. By trading Kyrie Irving and putting emphasis on receiving young assets or draft picks in return, the Cavs began preparing for their long-term future – a future that may not include LeBron James. With Kyrie gone, it seems much more likely that the King may want to leave town next summer. Dealing the All-Star point guard in a trade centered around a draft pick indicates that the Cavs’ expiration date may be approaching – they have one foot in the grave.

Yet, they are still built to be legitimate title contenders again this year. They received Isaiah Thomas and Jae Crowder, guys who will help keep one foot in the door for them – at least for one more season. Plus, as long as LeBron is in town, they will always be in the conversation for title contention.

On a bigger picture, “Tap Dance” symbolizes the struggle for Kyrie to work in sync alongside the King. Throughout the track, Chance illustrates a tap dancer’s two feet and their battle to attain synchronicity. Lines in the first verse such as “One stepped on the floor, Two stepped out the way” and “One-two one-one trip, something’s in the way” demonstrate the inability of One to efficiently function with Two. For Cleveland, of course, One and Two are LeBron and Kyrie. See the connection?

Sure, the great duo won a championship together and each scored at least 30 points in the same game more times than any other pair in the NBA over the last three years. The story this summer though is how Kyrie was done playing second fiddle. Wonder if this is when he knew for sure?

Indiana Pacers: Reset (OutKast)

“Good doesn’t come without pain

Start over again”

Notable Moves

In: Victor Oladipo, Darren Collison, T.J. Leaf, Domantas Sabonis, Bojan Bogdanovic, Cory Joseph

Out: Paul George, C.J. Miles, Jeff Teague, Monta Ellis

Indiana has enjoyed the services of their franchise player Paul George since he entered the league in 2010. They’ve always been a solid team when he was healthy, but they have been trying to build a true contender around George during his entire career in Indy. These efforts were made clear last summer when the Pacers went to the “Thrift Shop” and brought on cheap talent with Jeff Teague, Thaddeus Young, and Al Jefferson. That last shot at contention didn’t pan out, so the Pacers hit the reset button.

Of course, that reset button meant parting ways with George, their four-time All-Star. They could’ve made no other transactions this summer, and they still would be considered starting from scratch. That’s how much PG13 meant to the franchise. With rumors swirling that George would take his talents out west to Los Angeles, Indiana felt like the time was now to reshuffle their assets and go back to square one.

The departures of Jeff Teague, Monta Ellis, and C.J. Miles further cement this theme of resetting. The new young pieces coming in like Oladipo, Leaf, Sabonis, and Ike Anigbogu, along with their current building block Myles Turner, is a nice little foundation. With that being said, it will take time to build back to where they were since they are, in a way, starting back from the beginning. OutKast says it all: Good doesn’t come without pain; Start over again. No matter how you slice it, dealing George means a reset for the Pacers franchise and will bring some painful times as they start over. 

Detroit Pistons: By Design (Kid Cudi)

“When I eternally have faith

In the choices you made, it’s all by design”

Notable Moves

In: Avery Bradley, Luke Kennard, Langston Galloway

Out: Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Marcus Morris, Aron Baynes

Look at the moves that the Pistons made this summer. Selecting Duke guard Luke Kennard in the draft, perhaps the best pure shooter in the entire draft class. Trading Marcus Morris for Avery Bradley, a better defensive guard who shoots the three more effectively. Then they also added Galloway, while letting Caldwell-Pope walk. What do all of these acquisitions have in common? They heavily favor three-point shooting.

The Pistons were 28th in the league in three-point percentage during the 2016-17 season. Their two new guys, Bradley and Galloway shot 39% from deep last year, while KCP and Morris both hovered around 35%. Plus, Kennard will instantly come in and be a sharpshooter for Motor City. So, it is clear that these moves were all by design…but it goes even further than that.

When Stan Van Gundy was hired as the Piston’s head coach and president of basketball operations in 2014, he was handed a strong and dominant 21-year-old center to work with in Andre Drummond. Flash back to 2007, when Van Gundy was hired for the Orlando Magic. During his first year in that new position, he coached a strong and dominant 22-year-old center named Dwight Howard. See the similarities so far? Well, Van Gundy’s strategy was to load the floor with skilled shooters to complement the attention that Howard required from defenders in the paint. He utilized guys like J.J. Redick, Ryan Anderson, Hedo Türkoğlu (back when he was a thing), and Rashad Lewis to spread the floor, leave room for Howard to operate, and make defenders chose between helping out down low or tightly covering shooters. It worked out well.

Now, Van Gundy is replicating the same thing. He’s loading up with shooters on the perimeter to open up the game for Drummond down low. These moves weren’t just shake-ups. The choices Van Gundy made were all by design *long Kid Cudi hum*.

Chicago Bulls: Upside Down (Jack Johnson)

“I can feel a change in everything…

I want to turn the whole thing upside down”  

Notable Moves

In: Kris Dunn, Zach LaVine, Lauri Markkanen, Quincy Pondexter

Out: Jimmy Butler, Rajon Rondo, Isaiah Canaan, (Dwyane Wade?), (Nikola Mirotic?)

Well, Chicago’s offseason isn’t quite done just yet. Nikola Mirotic’s free agency talks have stalled out of control, and I am fully expecting DWade to be bought out and suit up for a different team come opening night. Therefore, I am proceeding under the assumption that Wade and Mirotic will not be returning. Plus, even if Mirotic figures out a deal with Chicago, it wouldn’t change my song choice for this franchise that is completely flipping their roster.

So yeah, I feel that it’s safe to say that Chicago turned the whole thing upside down this summer. Jimmy Butler, Rajon Rondo, and (most probably) Dwyane Wade are no more, and in their place are unproven, untapped youngsters. Their former big three – if you can even justify calling them that – had an average age of 31 and a combined 19 All-Star appearances between them. Replacing them are 22-year-old Zach LaVine, sophomore Kris Dunn, and rookie Lauri Markkanen. This new trio’s average age is under 22. Undoubtedly a big switch-up for CHI Town.

I don’t think this switch-up is a bad thing for Chicago. While I do believe that they should’ve (and could’ve) received a more superior package for Butler this offseason, it’s good that they finally picked a clear route of action rather than stay hovering in between rebuild mode and compete mode. A huge part of rebuilding is knowing when exactly to turn the page on the current status of the team. They have an overwhelming amount of confidence in their new point guard out of Providence, Kris Dunn. They were extremely curious to see Dunn in their system and as Jack Johnson mentions, “there’s no stopping curiosity!” The Bulls turned their whole roster upside down this offseason, and it will be fun to see how their rebuild starts off this season.

Milwaukee Bucks: Just Wait (Donnie Trumpet and SoX)

“Good things come to those that wait”

Notable Moves

In: D.J. Wilson

Out: Jason Terry, Michael Beasley

I had to pull another song out of the colorful “Surf” album. Last season, I used an upbeat “Wanna Be Cool” track to describe the Spurs’ devotion to staying true to themselves and not trying to be a flashy team. Once again, I’m turning to Chance the Rapper, Donnie Trumpet, and the Social Experiment (SoX) to portray how the Bucks spent this summer just waiting.

Milwaukee has a garden filled with planted seeds. They are generously caring to them with water and nutrients, waiting for them to grow. One freakish seed has already sprouted quite a ways. All they can do is continue waiting for their development, and this offseason exemplifies this. Just look at their notable moves – they virtually retained their whole roster and added a mid-first-round draft pick, D.J. Wilson. They aren’t adding pieces, but rather letting their current young pieces like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Malcolm Brogdon, Thon Maker, and hopefully Jabari Parker (if he is healthy) advance their games.

So, similar to this jazzy tune’s long intro, you have to sit back and just wait for it to pick up. Patience is a virtue, and the Bucks exercised their ability to stand put and let their roster develop as is. It could pay off or it could implode, only time will tell. It was their strategy this offseason nonetheless.

On Deck: Southeast Division

What songs would you pick out to describe these teams’ offseasons? @ me on Twitter or throw them in the comments!

-Erik

Follow Erik Johnson on Twitter: @erikjohnson32

Cropped photo of Bradley, Thomas, and Oladipo via Flickr/BigThreeSports artwork

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