Last season we ran a feature called Sweatin’ Bullets in which I provided  observations, theories, and general points about the latest game. We got a lot of good feedback like, “You’re not as funny as you think you are” and “What are you, drunk?” So for tonight’s matchup with the Mavericks, we’re bringing it back. Enjoy.

• If side-by-side televisions were in your living room and one of them was airing this game while the other was airing Danny Granger and Dirk Nowitzki playing one-on-one, which one do you think you’d stare at more?

• Lance Stephenson was just a little 10-year-old when Vince Carter won the Slam Dunk Contest. Stephenson was probably more of a Gerald Green-era Dunk Contest type of guy.

• There seem to be some big guys in the NBA that are “fake tough” in the words of Kevin Durant. I wouldn’t include Elton Brand or David West on that list.

• One year of Chris Kaman for $8 million or four years of Roy Hibbert for $58 million? I’m not commenting either way, I’m just asking. Friday’s stats? Kaman: 8 points, 10 rebounds. Hibbert: 14 points, 8 rebounds.

• I had the pleasure of talking to Dahntay Jones last Wednesday before the Mavericks played the Washington Wizards. I took the liberty of speaking for all of you when I told him how much he was loved in Indiana. His response: ”I think they appreciated that I gave my heart and soul and played hard every night.I tried to do the right thing, on and off the court. The people were really supportive and we did some special things together.”

• If Bernard James keeps playing well as a reserve big man then the Mavericks might be able to flip him to the Pacers for a starting-caliber point guard and a defensive specialist in a year or two. He’ll need to start committing more fouls though.

• It would surprise me if Nowitzki’s return solved the Mavericks’ rebounding problems (19th in the NBA).

• It would surprise me if Granger’s return solved the Pacers’ passing problem (29th in assists, tied for 4th most turnovers per game).

• Jae Crowder kind of seems like the remixed version of Hansbrough. Or maybe they just both hustle. Yeah, that’s probably the only similarity.

• Defense and rebounding are supposed to be the reasons that Paul George is more of a commodity than O.J. Mayo. Are they enough to make up for eight more points per game scored by Mayo? On Friday Mayo had 19 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists. George had 11 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists.

• Mavericks’ announcer Mark Followill tells a story of Lance Stephenson challenging O.J. Mayo to a game of one-on-one back in their AAU days. Apparently Mayo claims that he “handled his business.” No matter what the truth is, Stephenson’s side of the story would definitely be interesting.

• The Mavs’ Troy Murphy/Vince Carter/Roddy Beaubois/Bernard James/OJ Mayo lineup is not exactly a defensive juggernaut.

• Beaubois splits defenders just like Dwyane Wade, except he usually falls down and injures himself in the process.

• Mavericks played a ton of one-on-one in the second half.

• Hibbert straight murked Troy Murphy in the fourth quarter. NBA big men, you have been put on notice …

• In the first head-to-head matchup between Collison and George Hill these are the results. Hill: 15 points off of 5-for-7 shooting, seven assists, and five rebounds in a win. Collison: 10 points off of 2-for-10 shooting and four assists in a loss. Advantage Hill.

• This looked more like a game that Dallas stopped trying to win than a game that Indiana earned, but you still have to credit the Pacers’ defense. And don’t think that scoring 103 points won’t help this team’s confidence.

• Most promising sign to me: Lance Stephenson. The guy looked confident, which is no surprise. But he delivered against the Mavericks. He was efficient while avoiding bad shots and was great in transition. Scoring 12 points won’t exactly make headlines, but he kept the Dallas defense honest. Basically he did exactly what the Mavericks want from Vince Carter, but rarely get.

“He’s done this in other stops. I don’t know how many games he started in Indiana, but he played well there as a starter. Then they made the switch, then they made the trade. They decided to go with Hill.” – Rick Carlisle on Darren Collison

The early-season struggles of the Pacers obviously have a whole lot to do with the absence of Danny Granger. I am in no way trying to downplay anyone’s claim that the team would be playing better with Granger in the lineup. However, let us not forget that Granger is not the only member of last year’s Pacers who is not on the floor for them.

By playoff time last year it seemed apparent that at some point in the offseason the Pacers would choose between either Darren Collison or George Hill. Hill was a free agent who might demand a decent pay raise and neither player seemed to thrive while having to split minutes. At times, it felt like Pacer fans had to be a part of either Team Hill or Team Collison and they had to be willing to defend their stance.

And as you all know, the Pacers went with Hill. They gave him a $40 million contract and shipped Collison to Dallas (along with Dahntay Jones for backup center Ian Mahinmi).

The problem with Collison in Indiana seemed to be inconsistency and sometimes an inability to stay involved. He gave good effort and seemingly had a good attitude, but sometimes he just didn’t have a huge impact on the game. He was a capable scorer, but when he tried to play the role of facilitator he looked more like a bystander. Fellow 8p9s writer Tim Donahue mentioned that this was always the case for Collison in Indiana. He said that when Jim O’Brien was around, his coaching schemes were blamed, but it remained the same under Frank Vogel.

Rick Carlisle is not having the same problems with Collison, however. Of course, we are still working with a small sample size, but so far Collison is thriving in Dallas.

Before the Mavericks played the Raptors Wednesday night, Carlisle talked about what he has seen from Collison since he’s been a member of the Mavericks. “(He’s) even-tempered. He’s been aggressive. He’s made good decisions. He’s developing a feel for attacking and being aggressive offensively.”

The feeling around those watching Collison this year is beginning to be that the point guard is playing well because the leash is finally off. Whether that leash was from restrictive aspects of Vogel’s offense or simply the threat of having his starting job taken away is not exactly certain. Ironically, Jim O’Brien is now an assistant coach under Carlisle in Dallas.

Either way, Collison is the man for the Mavericks and he has been orchestrating an offense that has been surprisingly efficient without Dirk Nowitzki.

So the question is, how has Collison looked thus far in the season compared to Hill? (see chart)

2012-13 Statistics
Darren Collison		George Hill
33	MPG	36
16.2	PPG	13.8
56%	FG%	40%
57%	3PT%	31%
7.2	APG	4.8
1.2	TO/G	2.2
2.4	RPG	4.2

In addition to out-producing Hill in every major statistical category except rebounds, Collison also has had two straight double doubles (points and assists). He had three all of last year for the Pacers. Hill has recorded one such double double in his five years in the NBA (and that was back in 2009). It was the only double-digit assist game of his career.

While Collison logs heavy minutes for the Mavericks, Carlisle made it clear that, at least until Nowitzki returns, the Mavs would get out and run as much as possible. With Collison leading the break, the Mavs have scored the sixth most fast-break points
in the NBA (as of yesterday). The Pacers,
on the other hand, rank 17th in that category.

Even more impressive, within this run-and-gun offense, Collison is currently ranked third in the NBA in terms of assist/turnover ratio.

After the Mavericks defeated the Raptors, Carlisle said that he expects constant energy and aggressiveness from Collison. In fact, he explained that at one point in the second half, Collison looked like he had tuned back a little bit of his aggression, especially on defense, and he pulled him out of the game. He said that he put him back in it was “no longer a problem.”

This type of freedom given to Collison has clearly allowed the Mavericks to take advantage of his full skill set. Don’t get me wrong, I do like George Hill as a basketball player and I don’t mean to disparage him. And I understand that we are not far into the NBA season and plenty of trends will change in the coming weeks and months. But I would advise you to keep an eye on Darren Collison moving forward. He doesn’t look like the same old Collison that Pacer fans are used to — and it doesn’t feel like a coincidence.

While it is a luxury for all Eastern contenders to be able to rid themselves of Howard’s presence, it does not mean that the conference is now void of a dominant big man. As you well know by now, Andrew Bynum was traded to the Philadelphia 76ers in the same deal.

From a national perspective I have already heard the words “instantly becomes the best center in the Eastern conference” said about Bynum a number of times. With all due to respect to Mr. Bynum, I believe Roy Hibbert deserves the chance to throw his hat in the ring this season.

While Howard was part of the Eastern Conference it was unfair to compare him to Hibbert. Howard’s talents, resume and statistics speak for themselves. That’s no disrespect to Hibbert, Howard is just that good. But I wouldn’t make that same claim about Bynum. I’ll admit that Bynum, who has been in the league three years longer than Hibbert, has shown, at times, a higher level of dominance, but that gap is narrowing. While most people talk about Bynum’s potential to match Howard, I believe that Hibbert is closer in value to Bynum than Bynum is to Howard.

With Bynum being a member of the Sixers, the Pacers will see much more of him, especially considering Philadelphia is an up-and-coming contender in the East much like Indiana. You may remember that while the Pacers were playing the Heat to a six game series, the Sixers was pushing the Celtics to the limit in a seven-game series.

Bynum and Hibbert will surely be the focus points of any Sixers/Pacers match-ups. Taking a look at Bynum and Hibbert’s head-to-head match-ups (which can be found at Basketball-reference.com) gives us a little insight to their history.

The sample size is small, the two have only faced off against each other six times. As one might have guessed Bynum holds the statistical advantage.

Points Per Game
Bynum: 16.5
Hibbert:12.7

Field Goal %
Bynum: .684
Hibbert: .538

Rebounds Per Game
Bynum: 7.8
Hibbert: 4.8

Blocks Per Game
Bynum: 0.3
Hibbert: 1.3

Bynum proved to be the better offensive player in head-to-head matchups, which correlates with Bynum’s better offensive statistics for his career.

It should be noted, however, that five of their six match-ups took place in 2010 or earlier and the only recent match-up between the two players had different results.

On January 22, 2012, the two players faced off and Hibbert recorded 18 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists compared to Bynum’s 16 points, 8 rebounds and 1 assist. Hibbert’s efforts led to a Pacers’ victory over the Lakers. This game came during a season in which both players were unquestionably having the best seasons of their careers and both played in the All-Star Game.

While Bynum and Hibbert have similarities as players, they come across quite differently off the court. Hibbert has done a great job of presenting himself as a likable and respected member of the Indiana community and the NBA as a whole. Check his Twitter (@Hoya2Pacer) right now and you are likely to find evidence of him interacting with his fans or reiterating his gratefulness to be a Pacer.

I wouldn’t go so far as to say Andrew Bynum is a bad guy, but eccentric might be a fair term. There was the time he was kicked out of a playoff game for elbowing J.J. Barea and subsequently took his jersey off. There are his random sound bites that seemingly channel his inner Metta World Peace. There was his insistance on shooting three-point shots in a close game. Heck, he landed in Philly for his press conference in Lakers gear.

Two top centers with clashing personalities on young, up-and-coming playoff teams? Sounds like the recipe for a potential rivalry. With Hibbert signing a five-year extension in Indiana and Bynum leaning towards an extension with Philadelphia himself, these two could be battling for “best center in the East” for quite some time.

Their first match-up comes Friday, December 14, in Indina.

Funny thing about success, though, is that once you get it you’re going to start expecting it. I hate to be the negative person in any situation, and I really hate to be the Debbie Downer that starts her engines before everyone else. But I’m going to go ahead and forecast the mentality of radio hosts, newspaper columnists, many fans, and maybe even ESPN-affiliated, Pacer-based blogs come next season. That mentality is: After a team has a year like last season, they are supposed to get better, not worse.

I am not predicting that the Pacers will be worse next season, but obviously, that’s up to the players. Indiana has been blessed with a number of high-character players with small egos who are hard to criticize harshly. That’s the way it should be. But if you want to give a fickle-fan some ammunition to talk down about an athlete there is one sure-fire way: give that athlete a big, fat contract.

Roy Hibbert signed a four-year, max contract worth nearly $60 million. To be clear, I support the move by the Pacers, but it will still be up to Roy to live up to that number.

More surprisingly, George Hill received a five-year, $40 million contract. Hill was certainly solid in his year in Indiana, but I wouldn’t go as far as to say he was $4o million solid. He will have to prove to be an impact point guard over the next couple seasons. Not only that, but he will have to prove to be better than Darren Collison, who was traded away this summer. There are many different opinions on this, but factoring in both last season and the playoffs for both players, I actually would rate Collison’s performance better than Hill’s. Collison is expected to be the starting point guard for the Dallas Mavericks next season for the price of $2.3 million.

My math skills barely qualify me to tell you that the Pacer’s just locked in $100 million to two players. Whether you agree or disagree with the signings, they did (likely) prevent the Pacers from signing any marquee (or just-below-marquee) free agents.

Chris Kaman and O.J. Mayo were both free agents that many people hoped might land with the Pacers. Both seemed relatively realistic options. But the money simply wasn’t there. The Dallas Mavericks snatched up both players. They cleared the cap space to sign them by electing not to re-sign Ian Mahinmi. Not only did they not re-sign him, but they flipped him for Darren Collison and Dahntay Jones. The men on both sides of these negotiations are smarter than I am, but from my perspective the Mavericks seemingly hustled the Pacers.

If the Mavericks end up getting a lot out of Mayo, Kaman, Collison and Jones then the Pacers’ front office better hope Indiana is putting up some Ws or there will be a lot of finger pointing.

So while Hibbert is trying to prove he is worth $60 million, his backup, Mahinmi, will be trying to prove he is worth $16 million. And what may end up being Hibbert’s backup’s backup, Miles Plumlee, will be trying to prove that he was worth the 26th pick in the draft.

And perhaps the best player on the team, Danny Granger. will have to continue to prove that he is a leader. Is that really a fair criticism? Probably not, but it is the burden of a talented player. Dirk Nowitzki had to deal with it for years. Lebron James got it much worse. Carmelo Anthony is hearing it now. And all those players perform at a considerably higher level than Granger. Not to mention he is in the midst of his own $60 million contract.

And then there’s Paul George. Last year it was all about potential. The word that will make a fan giddy about a player. But the problem is that potential has to turn into results quickly. We sports fans are not a patient bunch. If Paul George is going to become an elite shooting guard, he will start having to do what elite shooting guards do pretty soon: play at an elite level.

I really am not trying to criticize a bunch of players that I actually like, respect and, for the most part, believe in. I am simply trying to point out that the cards will be dealt differently this year. Pacers’ management has made moves that will put a lot of players in a position where they have to perform or they will be judged quite harshly. We haven’t even mentioned the signings of Gerald Green and D.J. Augustin. The pressure will be on both of them to prove that they, respectively, belong in this league and run a second-string offense at least as well as Darren Collison.

The honeymoon’s over.

With success comes expectations. And next season, the the mentality from many Pacers supporters will begin to shift away from last year’s “Do your best and make us proud” and more towards “Do the best or get out of town.”

(Don’t be fooled, these are two different players)

The last thing I want to do in my writing career is reinforce stereotypes, especially ones that have to do with race. With that being said, it’s commonly known that there are two types of white Duke basketball players: the ones who struggle in the NBA and the ones who don’t play in the NBA. If you’re strongest arguments against that point are Mike Dunleavy, Jr. and J.J. Redick then you’re already running in place.

I’ll admit that, as someone who grew up a University of North Carolina fan, I have a little bit of bias against former Blue Devils. They have to work just a little bit harder in the NBA to earn any props from me. I’m proud to say that over the years I have developed moderate respect for Shane Battier, Elton Brand and Carlos Boozer. I like Kyrie Irving, and I agree with most that a 2002 motorcycle accident robbed us of what could have been a great career for Jay Williams.

Whenever a huge portion of a fan base becomes angry with a draft pick, I tend to start to feel sorry for the kid and get on the “C’mon, let’s give this him a chance” bandwagon. And part of me does feel bad about the backlash towards the Pacers’ 26th draft pick, Miles Plumlee. But I won’t go so far as to say that I agree with the pick.

One of my biggest concerns is the fact that for three years the Pacers had a very similar player and it did not exactly turn out that well. During the 2008 draft, the Pacers made a five-player trade with the Portland Trailblazers. One of the recipients of that trade was former Blue Devil big man Josh McRoberts.

It may not be fair to compare McRoberts and Plumlee simply because they are both white. (Although look at those pictures: which one is which?) But they have other similarities and they did play similar roles at Duke. They are both 6’10″. McRoberts weighs 230 pounds and Plumlee weighs 245. They both played power forward/center combo in college, and they are both originally from the state of Indiana. See, it’s not just the white thing.

McRoberts only played at Duke through his sophomore season, but by then he was averaging 13 points per game, 8 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.5 blocks all while shooting 50% from the field.

Plumlee, on the other hand, was a freshman the year after McRoberts left and one could say replaced McRoberts at Duke. He stayed all four years, and in his most productive season (his senior year) he averaged 6.6 points per game, 7.1 rebounds, 0.5 assists and 0.9 blocks while shooting an impressive 61% from the field.

It’s hard to argue against the fact that while both played nearly an identical role in Coach K’s system, McRoberts was a more productive college player than Plumlee. That would be all well and good if McRoberts were having an impressive NBA career. In five seasons he has averaged just over 15 minutes per game and only played more than 50 games in a season once. His most productive season was with the Pacers in 2010-11 when he averaged 7.4 points and 5.3 rebounds.

McRoberts is, at best, an energy bench player. The disconcerting thing is that one could certainly argue that McRoberts came into the NBA with much more potential than Plumlee is coming into the league with. I certainly do not think many people would have criticized the  Pacers for drafting Perry Jones III at 26, injury possibility or not. Plumlee is considered a great hustle player. He’ll have to hustle his butt off to make up for the potential of Jones III.

In addition, coach Vogel used phrases like, “blue collar,” “dirty work player,” and “hustle oriented” to describe Plumlee. Do any one of those terms not apply to Tyler Hansbrough? Do you need more than one of those type of players? What might this mean for Psycho T?

Perhaps Plumlee will prove me and a number of doubters wrong by making an immediate impact. But to me he is looking quite familiar, and not just in appearance. I didn’t think “familiar” is something the Pacers were going for.

With the NBA Draft today, the Pacers have a chance to further solidify an already promising future. In a deep draft, Indiana should be able to find an impact player even with the 26th pick in the draft. But Kevin Pritchard has famously been a fan of moving up to make a big splash on draft day. And there may be a very good reason to try to swing a major deal today that nets them a top ten pick: Syracuse sophomore, Dion Waiters.

Waiters is one of the more polarizing players in the draft. No one seems to be able to agree on where he should be drafted. The Cavs have reportedly expressed some interest at taking Waiters as high as fourth overall. Since DraftExpress has him going to Golden State at #7, that seems like a reach. Then again, the Cavs took Tristan Thompson last year at #4 in what many considered a reach, so I wouldn’t put it past them to surprise some people again.

Regardless, it’s safe to say that Waiters will still be on the board at pick #4, definitely gone before the lottery ends and likely gone by pick #10.

However, he does have a lot of the attributes that lead to a player slipping in the draft. For starters, I would bet my vintage #37 Nick Van Exel Warriors jersey that Jay Bilas uses the word “tweener” when describing him. At 6’4, it is tough for scouts to pencil him in as either a point guard or a shooting guard. He has rarely played any point guard in his career, but 6’4 is a little short for the prototypical shooting guard according to some scouts (you know, because it hasn’t been working out for Dwyane Wade or anything).

Another red flag for some teams is that he is only a sophomore and he came off of the bench last season. While Jim Boeheim brought him off the bench in order keep a balanced lineup, the point is that he is not the most experienced player on the board. The other big deterrent for some teams is that his ceiling seems relatively low compared to some other players in the draft. He doesn’t exactly scream All-NBA First Team. The most common NBA comparison used for him is DeShawn Stevenson.

But all those things are for if you want to focus on the negatives.

The positive attributes about Waiters are just as apparent. While some may have issues with his height, he comes into the league with NBA-strength and he will only get stronger. He showed flashes of great defense in college and if he commits himself to the craft he could make a name for himself as great perimeter defender.

He is a very solid spot-up shooter and most believe that his shot will only improve. He also showed a nice stroke off the dribble in college so he would not be helpless in one-on-one situations. More importantly, he is has a constant motor and is always looking to run in transition. His strength and desire to take it to the rim in the fast-break are a great qualities that should at least allow him to draw fouls on a consistent basis.

And when we compare him to DeShawn Stevenson we are not claiming that he will get a five dollar bill tattooed on his neck, put an ATM in his kitchen, or get arrested for public intoxication. We’re talking about the Stevenson who has carved out a twelve-year career (and counting) and brought toughness and tenacity to a Dallas Mavericks’ championship team.

Waiters has the opportunity to be a high-energy player that will not back down to big moments or high-profile opponents. He is the type of player that the Pacers could have used against the Heat in the playoffs this year. I’m not trying to say he would get huge playoff minutes as a rookie, but he could contribute and that is what’s most important right now for an Indiana team that wants to take another step forward next season: immediate contribution.

Waiters is not shy on confidence either. He has always been quick to point out his skill set and the talents of his teammates. By coming off the bench for an incredibly talented Syracuse team he proved to have that rare combination of confidence and willingness to do what is needed to help the team. He is ultra-competitive and he seems to be a willing student of the game.

If the Pacers are hoping to keep the bulk of their team together moving forward (a very sensible plan in its own right) then small moves like adding Waiters in a trade that may cost them an older player who will become more expensive sooner (like, say, Darren Collison) can make all the difference. Ironically, I could see Waiters having a similar rookie impact as Kawhi Leonard, whose draft rights the Pacers traded to the Spurs a year ago.

Waiters may not come in and win Rookie of the Year, but he could be a huge spark for the Pacers if given the opportunity.

In a recent column on Grantland Bill Simmons and Chad Ford went back and forth creating a mock draft in order to preview tonight’s big event.

When New Orleans’ number 10 pick came up (the team’s second pick of the draft), it was Ford’s turn to make a selection. In this scenario Ford recommended the Hornets deal the 10th pick to the Pacers for Darren Collison and the 26th pick. He then advised/predicted the Pacers to draft Austin Rivers at the 10th spot.

Ford’s logic is as follows:

The thinking: Indiana wants another shooter and a guy who can get to the basket at will. Kevin Pritchard won’t care too much about chemistry … he’ll want talent. I thought about Terrence Ross here, but now I’m thinking Austin Rivers is a Kevin Pritchard type of pick. An alpha dog for a team without an alpha dog. I’m not in love with Rivers, but he might be a good fit here on a veteran team that can keep him in line. As for the Hornets, they need a good point guard to pair with Anthony Davis. I’m just not feeling Jarrett Jack. They could go with Kendall Marshall here — he’s an elite passer who sees the floor as well as anyone in the draft. But I think he’s going to get killed defensively. Killed. They had a lot of luck with Darren Collison when he played there; since the Pacers have replaced Collison with George Hill as their starter, he’s expendable.

Giving up a quality talent in Collison and another potential talent in the 26th pick might seem like a bit of a reach for Rivers who critics might claim has the ceiling of about … well … Daren Collison. But perhaps there is something to Ford’s “alpha dog” point.

I do consider it important to note that I am not dismissing the potential of Paul George nor   do I wish him anything but success on the Pacers or any other franchise because for a 22-year old NBA player with the world in front of him, he certainly seems to have a good head on his shoulders.

But the word “potential” has shielded him from criticism on a fairly consistent basis. It’s fair to say that his scoring has not been consistent, his offensive assertiveness has been lackluster at times and his offensive game plan does not always compliment his natural athleticism, however, I will admit his defensive ability is quite valuable.

Basically what I am getting at is the concept of “selling high.” Paul George certainly has potential that may lead many of us to believe that he will improve in leaps and bounds. However, he has not shown us enough to be able to say vast improvement is lock by any means. The whole league would agree that “there might be something about this Paul George kid.” Which means that if Paul George does not make a huge improvement this season then his stock will probably never be higher than it is right now.

As I was taking a look at Tim Donahue’s excellent post about the Pacer’s offseason possibilities (really a must read) I talked myself into everything Donahue presented. I can see the logic behind it all. But I got to thinking about “what if these things just don’t happen.” Perhaps just due to bad luck. Donahue points out that Eric Gordan may demand a max contract, which would be a huge risk. Irsan Elyasova seems like a great fit, but another team might bid high for him forcing the Pacers to over pay. And I absolutely love the thought of Steve Nash on the Indiana Pacers, but financial reasoning aside it just might not happen because, you know, what franchise wouldn’t absolutely love the idea of Steve Nash on their team? Who knows what exactly Steve wants.

And perhaps that leaves the Pacers with re-signing Hibbert (and probably Hill) and attempting to retain the same basic core. In that situation their best chance of becoming a better team would lie in the player who is the most likely candidate for strong improvement: Paul George (perhaps along with Hibbert). Which allows you to see how much stake is truly put into Paul George. And at that point one might may want to look at one of their best assets as just that: an asset.

So I think it is fair to say that Paul George (at a very affordable price) could bring in significant talent to the Pacers who already have significant talent surrounding him. So I have provided a few examples of possible (and financially plausible) trades that are just meant to show the kind of potential that might be brought in if the Pacers were to move George. Obviously I have no idea if both sides of these trades would agree to the terms nor do I have the ability to know if they would truly make the Pacers better.

Paul George to the Philadelphia 76ers for Thaddeus Young

This would be a conservative trade. This would be the type of trade that the Pacers would make if they did have an inclination that Paul George’s ceiling is a little bit lower than most people think. In his fifth year in the league, Young is a little bit more likely to be getting close to the player that he is going to be in the future.

The stats between Young and George are quite similar. In fact, George’s playoff scoring and rebounding statistics were better than Young’s. But Young also came off of the bench and scored more efficiently and took higher percentage shots (leading to a higher field goal percentage). Young is also a very versatile player who has shot 50% over his career and can slide back and forth from small forward to power forward while playing good defense at either position. He would not be a big name, but he would likely fit seamlessly into the Pacers rotation as a player who does not have to start nor does he take many shots away from teammates.

Paul George to the Denver Nuggets for Kenneth Faried and Jordan Hamilton

Perhaps this trade makes less sense because you would be trading potential for different potential. But part of me believes that the potential that Faried has to offer is significantly harder to find. The guy wasn’t supposed to be a factor in his rookie season, but he ended up playing significant minutes in playoff wins. He could very well be Hansbrough 2.0. He has a relentless motor, incredible strength and he’s got enough offensive skills to be more than just an energy guy. Plus his nickname is the Manimal and he dunks the ball really hard.

Jordan Hamilton was also just a rookie last season and he received very limited minutes. But his size and position allow him the potential to possibly be as good as Paul George is right now sometime down the road. He did not get much playing time for a deep Nuggets squad, but he averaged nearly 20 points per game as a sophomore at Texas.

This trade would bring in two second year players at a very cheap price. One of which would make an immediate impact on the floor. This trade would also be made with the idea that Paul George may very well demand a lot of money down the line if he does make a fair amount of improvement. Being able to acquire young quality players before then is a possible strategy.

Paul George to the Houston Rockets for Kyle Lowry 

Kyle Lowry is coming off of a breakout season. More recently, he is coming off of a trade demand-in-the-making. Apparently he does not believe that he can play under coach, Kevin Mchale next season. While I do not know enough to take sides in their dispute, I will admit that I am completely on the Kyle Lowry bandwagon as far as his future as a player in the NBA.

I do not mean to make a grand overstatement when I say that the difference between “potential” and “results” is the difference between Paul George and Kyle Lowry. All I mean is that I think that Lowry had a significantly bigger stake in winning games for the Houston Rockets than George did for the Pacers. Lowry is a triple-double threat who scores, rebounds, passes, plays excellent off-ball and on-ball defense and makes his teammates play at a high level.

Of course Lowry is a point guard which would mean that more changes would have to come. Either the Pacers would have to choose not to resign George Hill or to trade Darren Collison. I think both of these players have bright futures in this league; I just think that Lowry is a better player than both. With the absence of George the Pacers would have a very small back court, which means they would have to address this with some sort of low-key signing or look towards the draft for a bigger guard.

Paul George’s Future

It is probably very unlikely that any of these exact trades happen and if the Pacers choose to keep Paul George then they likely have a lot to look forward to with his presence. In fact, you wouldn’t hear me complain. But I do feel that the Indiana front office is in a position where they have to consider the idea.

In our last Post-Game Grades of the season Tim Donahue gave George a C+. Donahue wrote, “No way around it, Paul George spent most of the series and most of this game as a disaster offensively, and we could spend days discussing his travails running the fast break. But, he’s young, and he’s a good kid. Bizarrely, if you want encouragement, watch him guarding Wade from tonight’s game. It will make you feel better about Paul, and also make you appreciate just how ungodly unstoppable Wade was.”

Very well said. It leaves Indiana with a little bit of a dilemma: Do you wait for potential or do you milk that word for everything it’s worth?

• The Heat came into a potential series clinching game with three players suited up that can be considered either a power forward or center: Ronny Turiaf, Juwan Howard and Joel Anthony.

• It absolutely seemed like Ronny Turiaf should have gotten a technical for bumping George in the first quarter.

• Jeff Van Gundy clearly has never had a small soft ball for an ankle…

• I usually tend to get tired of hearing people question Lebron’s heart. BUT if Lebron James had the mentality and heart of David West how man NBA Championships would he already have? I’ll set the over/under at seven.

• I believe that it is the job of Tyler Hansbrough and Louis Admunson to be hated by their opponents’ fans. I don’t think we have to poll South Beach to find out if they are succeeding. Unfortunately they just weren’t competent enough to get heavy minutes.

• The Tyler Hansbrough/Leandro Barbosa/Paul George/Dahntay Jones/Darren Collison lineup doesn’t seem to really fly in an elimination game .

• If I have had one consistent sentiment all season concerning the Pacers it’s FEED THE BIG MAN. Hibbet has flaws, but what he’s good at and what he opens up for his teammates is enough for him to be a center piece of the offense.

• Every time a Heat player not named Lebron James or Dwyane Wade shot the ball it felt like Christmas.

• “…Wanted to dunk it, but he was too far away!” I’ll take quotes about Joel Anthony’s offensive skills for 500.

• “I don’t know how they drive so fast without crashing.” Good point about NASCAR Jeff Van Gundy. I sometimes wonder how basketball players jump so high without tripping.

• In the 2006 NBA Finals a legend was created and Dwyane Wade reached another level. That Dwyane Wade showed up to Game 6.

• Double teaming Dwyane Wade is crucial. Mike Miller runners are ideal. And when Lebron James forgets to cut then he becomes a jump shooter out of Wade’s double team. When executed well it minimized the effectiveness of both Wade and James. (Pretty much just agreeing with JVG and the rest of the Twitter universe).

• Dwyane Wade hits the kind of daggers that make a team want to give up.

• How in the world did Wade score only five points in Game 3?

• All season Pacer fans have been criticized for their poor attendance. Two nights ago Larry Bird criticized the team for being S-O-F-T. Both criticisms were fair, but the crowd and the team came out for Game 6 and didn’t leave anything on the table. Despite the outcome, both responded in my mind.

• The Miami Heat had one more Lebron James and one more Dwyane Wade than the Pacers did and that is why they won. Those two men have a demeanor that may make them difficult to cheer for, but they are truly amazing basketball players.

• Is having George Hill and Darren Collison like having two quarters when you really need a dollar? I really like both of them as point guards, but does Indiana really get as much out of Darren Collison as they should. Is that going to be the most obvious roster change?

• Was that the last time we see Roy Hibbert in a Pacer uniform?

• A great season. A truly great season. I’ve been known to be able to think of a poetic sentiment or two when I really put my mind to it, but I’m just going to wrap this one up with a quote from the crowd at Bankers Life Fieldhouse: “Thank you, Pacers.”

After four games the Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat are dead even. Now the Pacers have to attempt to brush off historic performances from Lebron James and Dwyane Wade and travel to Miami for Game 5.

Along with every other sports outlet in the country, we have analyzed this series by looking at both teams offensive and defensive play calls and nitpicked every type of statistic. But maybe it’s time to take a step back. Maybe it’s time to take a look at the larger narrative.

November 19th, 2004. The infamous Malice in the Palace. Some people claim that is the day professional basketball died in Indiana. Those people were perhaps being over-dramatic. But things did change that day. An organization lost its respectability. “Basketball Paradise” lost its context in regard to the Pacers and they turned into just another small market team.

July 8th, 2010. The Decision. Some people claim that this was the day that professional basketball died everywhere. Those people were definitely being over-dramatic. I think the Dallas Mavericks proved that last year. But Lebron James changed the game. Whether it’s fair or unfair, the Miami Heat became the bad guys. I’m assuming that you remember this. It’s no that coincidence that it strongly resembles this. The Heat are probably the most covered team in sports of the past twenty years. They also might be the most hated.

For a few brief moments in June when Dirk Nowitzki hoisted that trophy over his head, it felt like the Heat experiment was a failure. But like most box office movies where the bad guy loses in the end, he will come back stronger in the sequel. And coming into this NBA season nearly every pundit predicted that the Miami Heat would walk away champions.

On July 8th, 201o, the Miami Heat found the magic seeds to get a championship. Throw them in the ground and watch them grow instantly. Keep hydrated with an Udonis Haslem or two, maybe a Mario Chalmers, and make sure you hire an Erik Spoelstra to watch over them, and you will get your desired results in 12 to 24 months.

Meanwhile, Larry Bird had been staring at what felt like a demolition site, plowed over by a flying drink and whatever thoughts fly around in the mind of the man known in those days as Ron Artest. Larry Legend went with the only option in front of him: he started rebuilding, brick by brick, draft pick by draft pick. Grab a Danny Granger for a foundation, draft a Roy Hibbert for support. Acquire a Darren Collison or George Hill to tie the place together. Maybe even add a Barbosa to provide a little flair. And sure enough it started to look right.

The Indiana Pacers have an excellent team. But hardly anyone knows it. They get approximately zero national coverage. The Miami Heat, on the other hand, can’t make a ham sandwich without breaking national news.

And unfortunately we have to talk about the attendance. The Miami Heat have sold out a fair amount of games. But according to my (perhaps biased) eyes, they are sold out by a lot of late arrivals and early departures. Indiana, though, had the second-worst attendance in the NBA this season. While that has improved mightily for the playoffs — which have feature commendable raucous sold-out crowds at The Fieldhouse — it certainly merits a little bit of criticism. But perhaps, the Indiana faithful were just a little gun-shy the past couple years. It’s nice to have a team full of talented, high-character guys, but would it amount to much? Danny Granger isn’t Reggie Miller so what’s the point? It seems like the team has great chemistry, but are they tough enough to exceed expectations?

Maybe because of November 19th, 2004 — and all the police blotter coverage that followed — the fans were hurt. Hurt in the most unique way. Maybe they just were in need of a little motivation. Maybe they needed a push. Maybe they needed a reminder that these are not the Pacers of the 90s, but they are also not the Pacers of the mid-2000s. They are simply the 2012 Pacers.

If anything could assure everyone in Pacer Nation of that thought it would be a Game 6 in Indiana with a chance at eliminating the Heat. If the Pacers can win Game 5 in Miami, Bankers Life Fieldhouse will have an air to it for Game 6 that can’t be described with words — only through goosebumps.

The Pacers will not be playing the Knicks. John Starks won’t be in attendance. Eight points will not be scored in nine seconds. But the Miami Heat will be there. One of the most talented athletes in the history of sports will be there. Whether you hate Lebron James or not, he will be spectacular. And Dwyane Wade will be relentless.

And it’s only fitting that the smug smirk of Pat Riley will likely be somewhere in attendance. One can only hope that the game is on TNT and Reggie Miller is calling it, just to even out the karma. Can anyone else picture Roy Hibbert playing the toughest game of his life? Is anyone else dying to see Lebron James shoot two fourth-quarter free throws for the tie in front of 18,000 screaming Pacer fans? Is anyone else anxious to see if there is a Pacer player willing and able to step up and put the final dagger into the bad guys Heat?

I know I’m looking ahead. But I can’t help it. I know that there is a game tonight. And there are still plenty of stats and offensive schemes to analyze. But right now I can’t seem to focus on PER or true shooting percentages; I’m too focused on the possibility of great basketball drama.

If basketball is not already completely back in Indiana then it will be if the Pacers can win tonight. If you’re a basketball fan and you “miss the old days” (and I know you do) then cancel all plans that would prevent you from watching Game 6 on Thursday.

Because win or lose, it is going to be special.