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.

Person, as Pacers fans have experienced first-hand, was one of the premier shooters of his generation, and so it is no wonder that when he was brought in last season as a special assistant, he did not disappoint. The beginning of his Laker tenure, however, is an interesting study in interpersonal relations.

Person knew that as a newcomer last season, he couldn’t simply walk in and tell players what they needed to work on. So at first he would simply observe during practice. Then, when he thought he could help, he would gently ask permission to voice his opinion.

Person carried himself this way at the advice of former Pacers President Donnie Walsh.

“I told him, ‘Chuck, I’ll tell you what you do. You go in there and don’t tell them anything as to what they should do because they just won the championship. You should just sit there and watch these guys for a while, because they’re really good. … You learn from them and then once you feel comfortable, you can add what you know,’” Walsh said.

In such a fashion, he made sure to not, in the words of fellow Laker assistant Brian Shaw, “overstep any of his boundaries.” Slowly but surely, Person was able to endear himself to the team, and as time passed, Jackson began to entrust more and more duties to him. This progression eventually culminated with the Lakers hiring him for the entire 2009-2010 season. Quite a turnaround for someone who was initially brought in to work just during training camp.

His biggest contribution to the team began in December 2009 after Bryant fractured his right index finger. Bryant had started to trust Person, and so when he offered pointers on how to adapt his shooting form due to the injury, he fully embraced Person’s advice.

Out of this came a one-on-one partnership with Bryant to improve his mechanics. The results were successful. By the end of the season, Kobe had increased his free-throw percentage to a career-high 88% — despite what should have been a devastating impediment to his shooting ability.

Bryant has relished their time working together.

“He has the same kind of attention to detail that I have. I enjoy being around that. I enjoy talking to him about it. I spend a considerable amount of time shooting with him and working on different things and just strategically how he sees the whole puzzle, not just pieces of the puzzle; he sees the whole thing as I do. It’s important for me to have another set of eyes that I can communicate with and kind of work on things with.

“He’s just a great Southern dude, man.”

All this being said, Person’s coaching skills are not restricted to just offense; he also aides players in improving their game on the defensive end of the court — even power forwards and centers. Last season, for instance, Person was one of the coaches who assisted pivot man Andrew Bynum develop as a player.

This has earned him the praise of Jackson.

“Chuck has an analytical eye,” said Jackson. “He’s always seeking answers and looking for reasons, so that blends in well with the kind of process we like to go through. I can give him something we need to work on defensively and he’ll come in with some exercises and things we have to do, and he works really well with our post players even though Chuck was one of the great outside shooters in the game.”

Furthermore, Person’s coaching success is not only a function of his basketball knowledge, but his ability to communicate well with today’s NBA players. Unlike some coaches and players, Person is very upfront, not hesitating to tell players what they need to do to improve.

Because of this, Portland Trailblazers Head Coach Nate McMillan has long-known that Chuck would make a good coach.

“I thought he was a coach when he played and I had the opportunity to work with him then … I just feel that the things that he brought to the floor, his communication skills with players not only players but the stars, he will approach any guy and work with him. You saw times last year when he and Kobe were communicating during the playoffs. Chuck is just that type of guy that will pull a guy to the side, star or best player [included], and talk to them about what they need to do and won’t be afraid or intimidated by that player.”

Even more remarkable, however, is the fact that Person has managed to stay humble despite his coaching success. With regards to his feat of helping improve the game of one of the the best players in NBA history, he notes with an air of humility that, “Kobe was a great player before I came and he’s going to be a great player after I leave.” Likewise, he hesitates to even take credit for what he has taught the star, adding that “all the things I told Kobe are things Jerry West told me.”

Indeed, such is this former Pacer — brilliant on the court, but just as inspiring as a teacher and as a person.

Jay Ganatra is a contributor to 8 Points, 9 Seconds who is currently studying accounting at the University of Florida. You can reach Jay at jay.ganatra@ufl.edu.