[festar35Participant]

One heck of a season from my boys in Indiana & although tough to lose a game 7, I am really excited about our future.

Oladipo has taken a huge leap to becoming a superstar, but he still got work left to do and given the fact he already contacted his trainer he knows it. We have our future front-court as far as I’m concerned with Turner and Sabonis. Sabonis plays so much like K-love in his first couple of seasons and their per 36 numbers are near identical, he could become a legit big man scorer, taking the pressure off Turner to be a rare 3&D big man. (I’ve always said Msdvus Camby with a 3 ball)

I like Collison & Bogdanovic, but one of them needs upgraded even if Sabonis and Turner take another step forward.
My first thought is try get Kemba Walker who would still allow Sabonis to truly grow and immediately be another creator to play with Oladipo as well as play off the ball. If we can’t get him I like Jabari Parker who can step into that SF spot and likely be 20ppg, but I don’t think he fits as well with Oladipo, Sabonis and Turner given his ball dominance and youth.

Either way thank you Indiana for an awesome season, Oladipo is truly a star I think this team deserves.

[festar35Participant]

I’m so excited about Sabonis, he could be an absolute beast.

Domantas Sabonis per36 numbers: (yr2)
17.1ppg-11.5rpg-3apg 51%fg-35%3pt

Kevin Love per36 numbers: (yr2)
17.8ppg-13.5rpg-2.9apg 45%fg-33%3pt

He could be a helluva PF for us.

[r377Participant]

 

I am not sure if he will be as good as Kevin love 3 point shooting, but Love is a bit injury prone and a bit soft mentally and physically.  Sabonis has a better inside game and is tougher both mentally and physically.

 

[r377Participant]

 

With dipo handling a lot of the ball they don’t’ really need a quality PG, collision will do.  Kemba would be nice but he would be hard to get….Maybe Pat Beverly, Napier or Rozier might be more realistic.

 

Maybe another 3 point shooter – I would be targeting Korkmaz, Hezonja and J Lamb in the offseason.  Myles turner is a bit injury prone, that why I think he dropped in the draft.  I would target another PF/C.  Willie Hernagomez, Zubac Zizic or even Julius Randle

 

[festar35Participant]

Yeah I think Walker would be a hard get, but we could easily absorb MKG or Williams contract saving them $14-15mil by sending them Jeffersons team option of $10mil as well as young talent in TJ Leaf and the 23rd pick in this upcoming draft. 2 young prospects and an expiring deal isn’t a bad get considering he only got a year left on his contract.

I am 100% on board the Hezonja train as well, would love to get hold of that kid.

 

 

[cohenbc1Participant]

 Decisions to make: Thad Young has a player option for next year; at 13.5 million I’m guessing he’ll opt in. Unless he’s willing to do a Dirk and opt out, then resign with the Pacers for a long-term deal at a reduced salary. No idea if he’s that kind of dude. I can’t believe he’s only 29; it seems like he’s been around forever!

Pacers have a team option on Lance Stephenson — he seems like a steal at 4.5 million for next year, unless he annoys his teammates and coaches as much as he does LeBron.

The big decisions come in summer of 2019 when Collison, Bogdanovic, Stephenson and Young will all be unrestricted.

 

 

 

 

[festar35Participant]

Thing is of Collison and Bogdanovic’s contracts only $2.5mil of the $20.5mil is guaranteed, so they can shed that salary very easily if they want.

I think Joseph opts out and goes elsewhere and Thad is a difficult one, he may opt out in hopes of a long-term deal. If he truly likes Indiana ad much as he says and he (as well as the wife) are over moving maybe he takes 3-4yrs at $10mil annually with it guaranteed he could stick around long-term. 

[OhCanada-Participant]

 Collison is one of the most underrated players in the league and probably the best "bang for your buck" for a non-rookie contract player. Hes a smart player that allows others to get into there flow but will be aggressive if he sees a matchup advantage. He hits big shots and is poise.  Plays good defence as well despite being small and is quick. Collison has been put in some bad situations throughout his career and never really has been in a role where he can be appreciated like being shipped out of New Orleans to Indiana with too high expectations and most recently being stuck in Sacramento. 

[festar35Participant]

Double post, my bad

[high floorParticipant]

Some may say he’s already there…. but I reserve the term for only 6-7 players in the league. He’s in consideration for All-NBA, which is just remarkable considering how much this team was hammered for the Paul George trade.

I watched Oladipo for 3 years in Orlando. And what makes me intrigued with both his own & the pacers future is Victor’s ability to now hit three pointers off the dribble. That has opened up his game so much. Indiana’s coaching staff also coached him to assist his shooters for corner 3’s alot….. and that too has led to efficient scoring opportunities. Combine that with his blazing speed & improved finishing ability, I think Indiana’s floor will be a mid 40’s winning team, with upside to get into the lower 50’s if they add a good free agent signing.

Do we need to consider the surprise factor a little though? The entire league thought Indiana was not going to be good this year. They were +17 games on their Vegas over/under, and now teams will be a bit more ready for them. But the flip side is that they are still a young squad, and that they’ll likely improve to offset that surprise component. Plus they took the Cleveland James’ to 7 games this round…. no small feat. I look forward to Indiana consistently making the playoffs in the coming years & seeing how good Oladipo can be

[whiteflashParticipant]

 Indiana should’ve won this series, but inexperience, some questionable plays and ref favoritism towards LBJ held them back. With that, they have a great young core moving forward and Oladipo might be the best young 2-guard in the game. If both teams remain intact and stay healthy we may be looking at a Indy/Philly rivalry for the next few years.

[whiteflashParticipant]

 I literally forgot about the Celtics when posting that. I’m an idiot, but still think Indy has a bright future. 

[kobyzParticipant]

 they could use Marcus Smart as a free agent signing, he’s as much of a bulldog as Lance and then some but with more pg skills and floor general ability, so he’s like Lance Stephenson meets Devin Harris…

[TRC1991Participant]

 You are aware that you don’t have to make a comparison every single time you post, right?

[SubZeroParticipant]

I really miss Oladipo and Sabonis and it’s bittersweet to see them doing so well but I’m happy that they are while finding the perfect fanbases for them. They’ll definitely be one of my favorite non-OKC teams for as long as they’re there, and I can see them, Philly, and Boston being good for a while and having great matchups in the playoffs

[IndianaBasketballParticipant]

I haven’t been this excited to be a Pacers fan since the Reggie Miller days. 

It was a breath of fresh air to watch a team who played for each other. Played hard every night. Pushed and shared the ball. Just a positive group right here. No pouting. No complaining to the officials or b*tching to the media. No egos. Just a humble group of guys playing the game the right way. Other than Lance Stephenson sometimes, they don’t even say stupid sh*t.

And it all starts with Oladipo. He just gets it. He has it all figured out . . . Mentally. No matter how well he does, he credits his teammates and consistently talks about growth. Talk about a REAL leader. He leads both vocally and by example both on and off of the court. The Pacers lucked up getting him!

I’m excited to see what they do going forward. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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