Given that the Pacers have officially signed Lance Stephenson, who they think can run the offense, and there are reports that the front office still can’t find any takers for TJ Ford, Indiana’s desperate need for a point guard may not be as great today as it was back when Earl Watson was leaving in free agency and AJ Price was fracturing his patella playing charity basketball.
And since they have 14 players under contract already and might give Magnum Rolle the final roster spot, there may have to be a trade before the Pacers even have room to bolster the PG spot through free agency.
White Chocalate (who has sweet negative sideburns)
Bobby Brown
Chris Quinn
Earl Boykins
Mustaka Shakur
Acie Law
Antonio Daniels
Travis Diener
Eddie House
Jamaal Tinsley
Marcus Williams
Rafer Alston
Brevin Knight
Jason Hart
Lester Hudson
Tweety Carter
Sherron Collins
Patty Mills
Mike James
Marko Jaric
Šarūnas Jasikevičius
John Lucas III
Jerome Randle
John Scheyer
First of all, the Pacers pathetic PG situation is best summed up by the fact that this list includes a full five players who have received paychecks from the team in the past few years (and, of course, one who is still receiving them. Don’t spend it all in one place, Jamaal.). It also includes one guy that I’m pretty sure Sham made up (no way Tweety Carter is an actual, living human being), one guy who has never before dribbled a basketball (Eddie House only catches and shoots … he also signed with Miami), one guy who I’m pretty sure is dead (Brevin Knight) and several guys who will likely never play more than 20 games in the NBA.
So … Presuming the team wouldn’t bring back Earl Watson, I’m not sure any of these guys are worth the time. Acie Law, Earl Boykins and maybe Rafer (I like the guy for God knows what reason) are the only three names that inspire even a half-hearted “meh.” The rest are straight “no thanks.” (Rafer is too, really, since it would pretty much be acquiring another TJ Ford.) Sherron Collins might be worth a look, I guess.
Memphis Grizzlies @ Indiana Pacers
Wednesday, December 30
7:00 PM EST
Conseco Fieldhouse
Indianapolis, Indiana
Pacers
vs.
Grizzlies
9-21 (13th)
Overall Record
14-16 (10th)
6-8
Home / Road Records
4-11
2-8
Record Last 10 Games
6-4
Lost 7
Current Streak
Won 1
6-4
Last 10 Head-to-Head
4-6
-5.47 (27th)
Avg Scoring Margin
-1.77 (18th)
96.6 (23rd)
Points Per Game
102.8 (8th)
99.8 (26th)
Offensive Rating
108.9 (9th)
42.9% (29th)
FG%
47.7 (6th)
46.8% (26th)
eFG%
49.8% (14th)
102.1 (22nd)
Opponent's PPG
104.5 (25th)
105.4 (15th)
Defensive Rating
110.8 (28th)
44.9% (12th)
Opponent's FG%
48.1% (29th)
48.3% (9th)
Opponent's eFG%
52.2% (28th)
96.9 (2nd)
Pace
93.4 (10th)
Off Rating: pts / 100 possessions Def Rating: pts allowed / 100 possessions eFG%: FG% accounting for 3PA being worth more Pace: avg possessions per game
Indy closes out their two-game season series with the Grizzlies tonight — and this time Jamaal Tinsley will be coming back to Conseco Fieldhouse with his new team. Jamaal hasn’t played a game in Indiana since he last played for the Pacers against the Knicks on February 5, 2008, and this marks only the second game he has played against the Pacers since … well … ever.
So that should be a good backdrop for the game.
But the real story is that the Pacers need a win in a very bad way after dropping their past 7 in a row. And despite the butt-kicking the Grizz handed out when these two teams matched up last time (Indy lost by 13 and was outscored 58-36 in the second half) and despite the fact that Memphis is playing rather well of late (8-4 in December), the Pacers have a good shot at ending the agony tonight — at least temporarily — because the Grizzlies are so bad defensively.
With the Spurs, Bucks, Celtics and Hawks being their next four opponents, it could be the last good chance for a win until after Santa has already come and gone.
Sorta like thinking you might be pregnant, this is one of those times when being right sucks.
Fortunately, the next four Pacer opponents following tonight’s game are the Wolves, Knicks, Magic and Wolves. So regardless of what happens tonight, I’m pretty confident that Indy can squeak out at least one win in the next four.
Still, may as well just break the losing streak this evening, no? It’s worth a try.
Five Other Things
(1) Zach Randolph is playing out of his goddamn mind right now. He’s averaging 23.3 ppg and 14.3 rpg on 51.4% shooting in December and those ridiculous totals don’t even do justice to the insanity he has put up in his last five games, during which he has dropped a 23/19, 27/14, 33/18, 32/24 and 26/16. Wow. Just. Wow. The Pacers are going to have to stop this soon-to-be Western Conference Player of the Month if they want to win.
(2) Statistically, the Grizzlies may actually be the perfect elixir for Indiana right now. The Pacers are the 2nd worst shooting team in the league at 42.9% from the field and the Grizz are the 2nd worst defensive team from a FG% standpoint, allowing opponents to shoot 48.1% against them for the year. What this means is that if the Pacers can’t at least crack 45% tonight of all nights, then this team is even worse than I thought it was. (For the record, Indy shoot a gross 40.7% when they last met two weeks ago.)
(3) OJ Mayo, a member of one of the worst NBA franchises in existence, said this about tonight’s game: “We’ve got to win the games we’re supposed to win, if we want to get to where we want to get to.” What does that say about Indy? Go Pacers.
(4) From the Pacers.com preview: “In the last six games, the Pacers’ starting wings, Mike Dunleavy and Dahntay Jones, have been outscored 166-67 by opposing starters”
(5) Troy Murphy left last night’s game with a sprained ankle. No official word yet, but he’s “doubtful” and I’d be shocked if he played. Tyler Hansbrough sat out last night as well (ear infection) and is listed as “doubtful” again tonight.
In the true spirit of Season Preview Season, the TrueHoop Network has come together like Voltron. With Henry Abbott and Kevin Arnovitz at the helm, all of the TrueHoop Network bloggers have joined forces for a 150ish-page NBA season preview book that will be available in full very soon. I’ll update this post and include the link to the piece in its entirely as soon as it becomes available, but in the meantime, be sure to peruse the other blogs in the network for other team outlooks. And stay tuned to TrueHoop for more updates from Henry and Kevin.
I haven’t read the preview in its entirety yet, but in addition to breakdowns of all 30 teams, I’m really looking forward to seeing Kevin’s chat with Blake Griffin, The Painted Area’s forward-looking “10 NBA Questions for the 2010s” and the thrilling conclusion of Henry’s ongoing series on Wayne Winston, the Indiana University professor who has has been the Dallas Mavericks’ stat guru for the past nine year and authored the book “Mathletics.”
As for me, I naturally did the Pacers preview. (In related news, I did a different, yet similarly toned Pacers preview for Heels on Hardwood.) And aside from informing you that this post consists of nine separate sections, each of which is explained under the heading, there’s not a lot else that needs saying.
So here it is: Your TrueHoop Network 2009-10 Pacers Season Preview. Enjoy.
Crowd Says / Blogger Says
The consensus win total prediction of the TrueHoop Network bloggers …
and the best hopes of the blogger who covers the team.
Yes We Can!
The sun is out. The seas have parted. The basketball gods are shining upon us.
The Pacers franchise is in tumult. So much has changed since Ron Artest charged into the stands. The roster has been torn down. The playoffs have become merely a fond memory. The stands have emptied. The owners have hemorrhaged millions.
To stem the tide, the Pacers need a jolt of positivity. And on-court success is likely the only thing that will reinvigorate the fan base and re-brand the Pacers as something other than a punch line. This upcoming season may not exactly be playoffs or bust, but it’s hard to believe that anything short of the postseason will remove the dark cloud over Conseco.
Given all this, it would be great to pretend that there is a nuanced range of factors that will determine how successful the 2009-10 season will be. But that’s just not the case. Ultimately, it will come down to one thing: Dunleavy’s knee.
Currently, we know very little about how healthy Junior is. Although the self-assessments on Mike’s aptly titled blog “You, Me and My Knee” have been optimistic, guys like Gilbert Arenas have previously predicted ahead-of-schedule returns only to suffer setbacks. And Pacers fans know all too well how Jermaine O’Neal’s continual confidence worked out.
But we shouldn’t presume the worst. The original prognosis was for a Christmas return, so anything that accelerates Mike’s comeback is positive news. Until Dunleavy returns to the court, however, the Pacers roster will likely look as rudderless as it has since the last time he was healthy.
Danny Granger’s emergence as one of the most promising, fundamentally sound players in the league buoyed the franchise last season. By early December, Granger displayed a dynamic, multi-faceted game that few of even his largest supporters knew existed. Troy Murphy’s newfound proficiency was even less expected, and I’m not sure even his relatives foresaw gaudy stats like 14.3 ppg and 11.8 rpg on 45 percent shooting from 3-point range.
If Dunleavy can round out that trio, the Pacers should end their three-year playoff drought next April. Many will scoff at a surrounding cast of TJ Ford, Brandon Rush, Jeff Foster, Roy Hibbert, Tyler Hansbrough, Dahntay Jones and Earl Watson. Don’t listen to those skeptics. Larry Bird may not have discovered an array of future All-Stars, but he has assembled a cast of capable role players.
The development and integration of these secondary players will make for an interesting story this year regardless of anything else. With everything that has happened since the Malice in the Palace, however, interesting stories no longer resonate in Indianapolis. This team needs a playoff appearance. Realities on and off the court demand organizational progress.
Will it happen? If Mike Dunleavy plays 70 games, it should. And if he doesn’t? Well, at least the Pacers will have one more lottery pick to build around.
No You Don’t
A rousing dissent from a rival blogger.
“Listen, Mr. Legend. Larry Bird is not walking through that door – no matter how many times you try to find the next Larry Bird.”
140-characters of insight into the soul of the team.
On the Record
Single best quote concerning the team during the last 12 months.
“The last three or four years have been disasters, and generally speaking, you can almost pinpoint it from the [brawl] game in Detroit. Not only has our fan base deteriorated but our financial condition has, too.”
If Jim O’Brien is coaching a team, there will be threes — and with good reason. Since O’Brien took over, the Pacers have shot 37.8% and 37.4% from behind the arc the past two seasons, good for eighth-best in the league both years. While those numbers are decent, what is more impressive is how his spread offensive system has been able to improve his key players’ long-range accuracy. Here are some numbers showing how four Pacer players have benefited from “The O’Brien Bump” after they started playing for the coach with the Paulie Walnuts hair.
The Play
With the Pacers down one and 9.2 seconds to play…
Troy Murphy inbounds to Mike Dunleavy, who jab-steps, pump-fakes and then leans right before ripping the ball across his body to dribble left along the perimeter. Danny Granger moves towards Mike, takes a dribble hand-off and drives hard towards the top of the key. The defenders switch and the guy guarding Mike jumps in front of Granger. Danny catches him off-balance, crosses the ball back over to his left and steps back. He pulls up, elevates and releases the ball at the top of his jump shot. All net.
(Although if there’s only 0.9 seconds left, I suggest they just go with this play again.)
The People’s Choice
The fan favorite the crowd will be chanting for to see some action.
Tyler Hansbrough will be a rotation fixture, but fans will always want to see more of his relentless hustle and frenetic tenacity. And why not? Floor burns, black eyes and tip-ins will always trump blown rotations, missed assignments and sloppy close-outs in the popular vote.
If You’re Watching the Bottom Line, You’re Watching This
The single biggest financial issue hanging over the team.
Between the onerous contracts the front office acquired to unload Stephen Jackson (a burden otherwise known as the “Murphleavy Compromise”) and the go-away money spent to make Jamaal Tinsley disappear, the Pacers salary situation has become an organizational millstone. But there is now a light at the end of the tunnel. The Tinsley buyout and the deals of Troy Murphy, Mike Dunleavy and TJ Ford all come off the cap in the summer of 2011, at which point Indy’s management can once again start making personnel decisions based on talent rather than affordability.
