Last game: Jan 20, Orlando Magic 109 – Indiana Pacers 98
Next game: @ Detroit Pistons, Jan 22 8:00pm ET

Indiana is off to another hot start this season, but after last season i have to see them play at this level longer before im a believer.  Danny Granger is a flat out stud however.

What do you guys think?

The Pacers did a lot to improve the defense in the offseason, the Pacers must improve their rebounding this season. TJ Ford is still one of the quicker point guards when healthy but his lack of size hurts them on the defensive end. The loss of Jarrett Jack and Marquis Daniels leaves a void on the offensive end that will be hard for them to fill with Mike Dunleavy still not able to contribute. Roy Hibbert has looked impressive in preseason and if he continues his strong play during the regular season the Pacers will have a shot at making the playoffs.

Key Additions: Dahntay Jones, Tyler Hansbrough, Earl Watson, A.J. Price, Luther Head

Key Subtractions: Jamaal Tinsley, Jarrett Jack, Marquis Daniels, Maceo Baston, Rasho Nesterovic

Projected Starting Lineup: TJ Ford/ Dahntay Jones/ Danny Granger/ Troy Murphy/ Roy Hibbert

Key Reserves: Brandon Rush, Mike Dunleavy, Jeff Foster, Josh McRoberts, Earl Watson, Tyler Hansbrough

-Bennice

Last season, point guards Jarrett Jack and T.J. Ford got into a little fight/argument or whatever you want to call it during halftime of game that the Pacers went on to win. Everyone knew a decision had to be made as far as which guard will the Pacers keep and which guard the Pacers will let walk. The verdict is in and Ford will remain in Indiana while Jack is on his way to Ford’s former team, the Toronto Raptors. Jack averaged a career high 13.1 PPG last season with the Pacers and will be taking that average to Toronto where he’ll more than likely play the back-up role behind Jose Calderon. With Jack heading out of town, this move leaves the back-up role to be decided between veteran’s Jammal Tinsley, Travis Diener and rookie A.J. Price, unless of course the Pacers opt to sign another guard.

Indiana hasn’t been too active this off-season. They turned heads by drafting Tyler Hansbrough with the 13th overall pick. At one point between the Finals and Draft, Hansbrough was projected to be a late first/early second round pick, but after working out and meeting with other scouts, his stock began to rise and the All-American forward from UNC found himself being a lottery pick after all. He’s one of the only true post-presences that the Pacers have and because of that, the rookie will probably see significant playing time right away.

After going 36-46 in the 2008-09 season, the Indiana Pacers find themselves close to atleast being able to get back to the post-season. However, that’ll all most likely come down to what kind of off-season the Pacers end up having. First and foremost, Indiana needs to have a successful draft and the Pacers have been rumored to have plans on selecting a big point guard and a power forward with the 13th and 52nd picks. Because of Jarret Jack and T.J. Ford being on the roster, one would have to assume that selecting  a forward would be their top priority. A guy like Earl Clark out of Louisville would not only give them an athletic forward, he is versatile and can play either forward position and that’s something the Pacers cannot afford to pass up on.

Most Improved Player of the Year, Danny Granger, believes that his Pacers teammates need to stay on the same page. He’s coming off his best season as a pro and has publicly let it known that he’s not okay with the amount of close games the Pacers lost last season. There is a lot that goes into winning close games down the stretch and one of the most important components is trust within the guys on the floor. When there is trust within the other teammates on the floor, there isn’t a need for one player to think he can win the game by himself. As a leader Granger recognizes and understands that and that’s what he’s trying to get his teammates to buy into.

By: Dustin Chapman

Transactions

• Selected Jerryd Bayless 11th overall and traded his rights along with Ike Diogu to Portland for Jarrett Jack, Josh McRoberts, and the rights to Brandon Rush (13th overall).

• Toronto selected Roy Hibbert 17th overall for Indiana, as a product of this draft pick being involved in the aforementioned Pacers-Raptors deal.

• Selected Nathan Jawai 41st overall for Toronto, which will also be included in the Pacers-Raptors deal.

Indiana has been wheelin’ n’ dealin’, and as a product of it, they had a terrific draft (assuming both deals go through).

First off, the reported deal with Toronto will bring T.J. Ford, Rasho Nesterovic, Maceo Baston, and the rights to the 17th overall pick (Roy Hibbert) in exchange for Jermaine O’Neal and the rights to the 41st overall pick (Nathan Jawai). That brings Indiana a true playmaking point guard who is built for the up-tempo game in Ford, Nesterovic’s big expiring contract, an athletic bench player in Baston, and a polished young center in Roy Hibbert. When considering the fact that they’re getting that entire package for a declining, overpaid big man in Jermaine O’Neal, that’s outstanding value.

As for Brandon Rush, he can fit in any system. He’s a Mr. Do-It-All that can shoot the ball, run the floor, defend the perimeter, play both wing positions, and has solid athletic ability. Rush is hands down one of the most complete players in this draft class, and still even has room to grow. Pairing him with Danny Granger out on the perimeter in the future would give Indiana an extremely versatile wing duo that can contribute on both ends of the floor.

Roy Hibbert may not be the most athletic player in the world, and his stock surely has taken a hit since he decided to pull out of the 2007 draft pool, but the fact of the matter is that this guy can play. He’s as fundamentally sound as any player in this draft, he’s got a high basketball IQ, he can block shots, he’s a great passer for a center, he’s got four years of experience at a top-notch program at Georgetown, and he is 7’2’’. “You can’t teach size” has become cliché, but this size has skill along with it.

Nabbing Jarrett Jack from Portland was also an excellent pickup, as Jack is indisputably one of the better backup guards in the entire league and is a great complement to T.J. Ford on account of his size. Josh McRoberts also has a chance to become a solid role player, as well. For a power forward, his athleticism is terrific, as is his vision.

Needless to say, the Indiana Pacers have finally taken steps in the right direction. They’ve finally began a rebuilding movement and they’re finally regaining hope. The best part about it? They aren’t finished dealing, friends. They’ve still got a baggage-filled point guard in Jamaal Tinsley to move. Stay tuned, but so far so good.

Grade: A-

The Indiana Pacers own the 11th and 41st overall picks in this month’s NBA Draft, and the organization has been undergoing the eventful pre-draft workout process. Pacers.com has provided fans with excellent coverage following each day of workouts, as they’ve put together a terrific Draft Central section consisting of player interviews, videos, and articles. Here’s a look at the action from Thursday and Friday’s strenuous sessions:

6/4: D.J. Augustin Interview

6/4: Stanley Burrell Interview

6:4: Jamar Butler Interview

6/4: Sasha Kaun Interview

6/4: Ty Lawson Interview

6/4: Aleks Maric Interview

6/4 Videos

6/5: Wayne Ellington Interview

6/5: Richard Hendrix Interview

6/5: Rob Kurz Interview

6/5: Courtney Lee Interview

6/5 Videos

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Posted By: Dustin Chapman

By: Dustin Chapman

Andrew Perna of RealGM.com reports that the Indiana Pacers do not anticipate forward Jermaine O’Neal to opt out of his contract this summer.

The Pacers have no reason to believe that franchise forward/center Jermaine O’Neal will exercise the early-termination option in his contract this summer.

“Jermaine hasn’t given us any indication that he will opt out,” David Morway, Indiana’s new General Manager, told RealGM in an exclusive interview on Tuesday night.

“We don’t anticipate that he will, but we also feel as though he’d give us notice. It would have a huge impact on what we do in free agency, if only because of the amount of money that would be freed up.”

O’Neal is owed nearly $20 million next season.

O’Neal, a 12-year NBA veteran, did not put together a strong season in his injury plagued 2007-2008 campaign. The five-time All-Star appeared in just 42 of Indiana’s 81 games, a product of a severe left knee injury he has battled for over a year’s time. In just under 29 minutes per game, O’Neal held underwhelming averages of 13.6 points and 6.7 rebounds per outing, marking his lowest numbers since becoming a Pacer in the summer of 2000.

At this stage of his career, which appears to be initiating its downfall, it may be borderline insane for O’Neal to turn down the approximate $44.4 million that is owed to him over the course of the next two years. The unreliable soon-to-be 30-year-old inevitably will not find a franchise willing to match those figures. Finding a team willing to match even 50% of that salary would be brutally astonishing.

Indiana’s front office should not be feeling anything short of a convincing aura of regret regarding the Jermaine O’Neal situation. Executive Director of Basketball Operations Larry Bird has annually been reluctant to part ways with his 6′11” star via trade, and it looks as though he has waited far too long. Instead of shipping O’Neal to another organization and bringing in pieces necessary to begin a much-needed rebuilding operation, Bird and Donnie Walsh, who recently left Indiana for New York, has remained loyal to a fault and it has come back to haunt them. Here we are, beginning the offseason of 2008, with a banged up Jermaine O’Neal who possesses trade value diminished to the point where it may be a waste of time to shop him altogether.

A notion of additional patience with the O’Neal situation was never fathomed in the past, but it may be the intelligent route to take at this stage. As previously mentioned, his value in the trade market is as low as it has ever been throughout his career, meaning that the next time he might be an attractive option will be when his contract is in the midst of its expiration. That expiration follows the 2009-2010 season, which is conveniently the same year that guard Jamaal Tinsley’s deal comes off the books.

At that point, the Pacers may finally be in the driver’s seat during trade discussions. Indiana needs to choose a direction as soon as possible, but it may come down to yet another apathetic year of waiting for Pacers fans. As tough as this may sound, it’s well-worth the wait.

By: Dustin Chapman

Similar to the Milwaukee Bucks, the Indiana Pacers are in the deep end of mediocrity. Throughout the past three seasons, they’ve made the postseason just once, in which they were eliminated in the first round by the New Jersey Nets. The last two years have been as apathetic as can be, as the club has combined those two seasons with a 71-93 overall record. They’ve inherited an array of long, unwarranted contracts to go along with annual health issues, a coaching change, and some off-court drama (in which they’ve attempted to clean up on). They have not been a truly competitive basketball team since 2004, and their young talent isn’t exactly the cream of the crop. Danny Granger shows a great deal of promise, but the word “mediocrity” sums up the rest of the bunch as well.

For the past few years, Larry Bird and Donnie Walsh, who recently jumped ship for New York, have failed to put together a plan. They are virtually directionles. They’ve waited far too long on the Jermaine O’Neal situation, and have kept him in town long enough to destroy the trade value he once had.

It’s time for Larry Bird and company to man up, choose a direction, and stick with a plan in order to revive this franchise. With their lack of tradeable assets, it’s nearly inevitable that they must put together a “fire sale” and start from scratch.

Whether they will decide to go that route or not is up in the air, but they’ve stalled long enough. It’s time to form a plan ASAP. Not next year, not “we’ll see how this works out.” None of that. Big decisions must be made right now.

If management fails to provide a turning point as quickly as this summer, maybe it’s time to reevaluate the orchestrator. God blessed Larry Bird as a basketball player and a basketball mind, but for whatever reason, he has not gotten it done as a President of Basketball Operations. “Larry Legend” has always noted that his goal is to deliver a championship to the state of Indiana. It may not be berserk to suggest that the way to go about doing that might be to simply step down.

 Well, the Pacers won last night, but I really won’t get into that. It’s preseason, and as we all know, it really doesn’t mean anything. It was nice to see the Pacers get their first win in about 7 months however. But for today, I am going to do a preview of the Central Division, the toughest division in my opinion. To make it easy, I will start with the team that I feel with finish 5th, and work my way up. Easy enough?

5.) Milwaukee Bucks – In order for this team to do well, Michael Redd has to play in all 82 games, something he failed to do last year. And to add to that, he needs to keep improving. Maurice Williams had a solid season last year, and he needs to repeat that. Bogut still has room for improvement, and Charlie V. needs to prove he’s not injury prone. All Yi has to do is work on not getting dunked on anymore. It also wouldn’t hurt him to put on some weight, he’s actually skinnier than Prince and Garnett.

4.) Indiana Pacers – To me, it’s important for the Pacers to finish no worse than 4th in the division. But in order for that to happen, Jermaine needs to have another career year, Tinsley needs to have a breakout year, Murph and Dunleavy need to step up, and Granger needs to keep improving. Basically, a lot needs to happen.

3.) Cleveland Cavaliers – I think the Cavs are going to drop from where they were last year, they will not be a 50 win team. And for several reasons. The Cavs did nothing to improve their point guard situation. Gibson has yet to prove he can compete at a consistent level, and Snow might be the worst PG in the NBA. To add to that, Larry Hughes has missed a big amount of games in his two years in Cleveland, Big Z is getting older, and Anderson V. has yet to resign. King James can’t carry this team to the ECF again.

2.) Detroit Pistons – It is hard to put them at number two, because they always seem to be in the title picture. But soon enough, age will start to catch up to this team. Chris Webber, Rasheed Wallace, Chauncey Billups, Antonio McDyess, these aren’t young guns anymore. They did very well in the draft however, so it is hard to pinpoint this team. They have a solid mixture of youth and veterans, which I feel is key.

1.) That leaves the Baby Bulls, who will eventually lose the nickname. They still have all their gems from last year, Hinrich, Gordon and Deng, Tyrus will keep improving, Wallace will still rebound, and they added another solid draft pick to their team. Noah will not put up huge numbers, nor will be be on anyone’s fantasy team, but this is a kid who knows a little something about winning Championships. Yeah, there is a big difference from winning an NCAA Championship and an NBA Championship, but this is yet another hustle player added to a young hustle team. The only question is their 4 spot. I think they could have done a little better than Joe Smith.

 So there you have it. Bulls take the division, the Pistons finally have to settle for second, the Cavs falter, the Pacers don’t come in last, and the Bucks, well, it won’t be a great year for them.

D.S.

 You know how to reach me.