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marcusfizer21The Pacers were one of the sleepers to make a run at the playoffs in the unpredictable Eastern Conference. Sure, they don’t have enough stars to rely on except for Danny Granger. They lost Jermaine O’Neal to the Raptors but they got a couple of guys that can step up and fill in the big shoes left by the often-injured all-star. They got Rasho Nesterovic and rookie Roy Hibbert that can play the 5 spot. The Pacers have lacked that player that can gain interest all over the nation that is why they never really made any noise this past season. Mike Dunleavy played a few games before resting his back, Jarrett Jack was a solid player, Brandon Rush, Marquis Daniels and Stephen Graham did contribute a little bit and there was Troy Murphy who can hit perimeter shots. Jeff Foster was the one who does the dirty work and TJ Ford was solid when healthy. The Jamaal Tinsley saga never ended and thus hurting the team’s cap for the rest of the year. The Pacers were inconsistent all through out the 2008-09 season. They would win a game then lose the next three. They would lose two games then win the next four. You can say that the team has had a rollercoaster ride and it never ended. They missed the playoffs by a few games and thus, lottery bound again in the 2009 Draft. The season wasn’t bad at all though for the team whom Larry Bird has been “rebuilding” for the last 2 years. Coming up near but short for a playoff spot is already a great sign of things to come for this rebuilding franchise. Danny Granger was having a sensational year and had his 1st All-Star appearance and I don’t think it’d be the last, too. Things are smooth for the Pacers and the fans are excited about it as they are waiting patiently for this team to reach its full potential by 2011.
The 2009 NBA Draft was one of the most unpredictable draft in recent years. The Pacers were one of those that put unpredictability to a new level by drafting UNC stalwart and champ, Tyler Hansbrough. Many felt that Psycho T should have landed at 19th-26th but the Pacers took no such risk and instead took Hansbrough who is going to be a solid power forward in the league. Though, he will never be a star, he can give the team as high as 9 points and 7 rebounds per game. Many felt that Jeff Teague, Earl Clark and James Johnson would have fit in with the Pacers but they stood on T. That depends upon the exposure given to him by Jim O’Brien. AJ Price was a good pick up at the second round who can provide a serviceable back up for TJ Ford at the point. The Pacers are slowly surrounding Granger with solid but not great talents. 2010 Free Agency would be a good target in taking in a player that can help Indiana contend once again.
Probably the biggest offseason move the Pacers made was not a trade, not a free agent acquisition but a waivers on long time point guard Jamaal Tinsley who has been hobbled by injuries this past year. Letting Jarret Jack go without any deal could probably be a blessing in disguise as they would make their cap as flexible as it should be in the future. The signings of Dahntay Jones and Earl Watson are OK and should be able to help the team coming off the bench. They may not make the fans wagging for a title but they are as decent as it could be. Larry Bird is taking this process slowly and patiently. The team hopes that Dunleavy will be back 100% healthy, since he is the other go-to guy that the Pacers are relying on heavily. Will Jim O’Brien lead this team to a playoff spot this time around? Can Danny Granger have another encore from his last season’s performance? Will Mike Dunleavy bounce back and remain healthy? It’s tough for the Pacers looking at their present situations where other teams have gotten stronger because of their acquisitions of the Shaqs, Rasheeds and Hedos. Pacers fans are still hoping for a long shot, nevertheless, a shot at the playoffs. That has been their dream for awhile now.
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Quickpost this image to Myspace, Digg, Facebook, and others!NBA Draft Grade: C
NBA Offseason Grade: B-
Predicted W-L: 34-48
That’s just a writer’s opinion… Anyone care to comment, I am open for it^^
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