by The GM on December 10 at 11:07AM
Finals are over and I finally have some time to think. Since I last posted on the Pacers, they have played four games. They went 2 - 2 in those games. The two loses should have been wins, losing in Seattle by 2 and at home to Phoenix by 4. With a fourth of the season over, the Pacers sit at 10 - 10 and 2nd in their division, behind Detroit. I particularly like this quote from Mark Stein on this week's ESPN Power Rankings:
Guards - This group was a pretty big question mark going into the season. Would Jamal Tinsley be able to lead this team the way Jim O'Brien wants? Is Marquis Daniels going to fit into this system? Is Mike Dunleavy capable of putting up the numbers needed? So far, the collective answer is YES. Tinsley has been the leader that JOB needs in this offense. Averaging 15 points, 9 assists, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals a game, Tinsley has been a pleasant surprise to start the season. Dunleavy has improved his shooting and is knocking his shots down at a 47% clip right now, he is also shooting 41% from three point range, a seven percent improvement over his career average. Marquis Daniels has had some health issues which caused Indiana to stagger his play every other game, but now that he is healthy, he has been a great spark off the bench. He has scored in double figures in 7 of the 16 games he has played in so far. The rest of the guard rotation consists of Travis Diener, Kareem Rush, and little used hometown product, Andre Owens. Diener and Rush have yet to find their three point stroke, shooting 23% and 30% repectively. Owens really doesn't play many minutes, but that could change if Diener continues to struggle with his shot. Owens is better at defending and since Diener isn't giving the offensive production expected. Grade: B +
Forwards - This group is the teams strength. The rotation consists of Danny Granger, Shawne Williams, Troy Murphy, and Ike Diogu (when healthy). Coming into the season the big question mark was how much did Danny Granger improve his game? So far, he has been the leader on offense, averaging 18 points a game. He has scored 20 or more 10 times so far this season, compared to only 12 times all of last season. Troy Murphy is a bit of an enigma to me. One game he will be on fire, the next, ice cold. He is only shooting 39% from the field so far this season and 37% from three point land. He needs to be a bigger part of the inside game, but he just wants to camp out on the perimeter. Diogu was averaging 14 points a game at the beginning of the season before tearing his calf muscle in practice. He is just a couple weeks away from returning now, but he will definitely help out on the boards and help increase the scoring in the paint. The surprise of this group has been the play of Shawne Williams. After sitting out the first three games due to a suspension, he has scored double figures in 9 of the 17 games he has played. He and Marquis Daniels lead the scoring attack off the bench. Stephen Graham also fits in the rotation, but rarely plays, as he is averaging just 1 minute of play when he gets in. Grade: A
Centers - Jermaine O'Neal, Jeff Foster, and David Harrison are supposed to be the big men inside, but I guess Jermaine did not get that message. He consistently takes 15 foot fade aways and is only shooting 41% from the field because of it. He has stepped up his game the last four games though, averaging 19 points and 10 boards. Jeff Foster continues to be one of the best at getting on the glass. He is averaging 9.5 boards in 27 minutes a game. Coming into the season, the big key of this group's success was going to be the play of David Harrison off the bench. He still hasn't shown that he can stay out of foul trouble. Harrison is averaging 15 minutes and 4 fouls per game....not too impressive. He shows his flashes of brilliance and then immediately trips or commits a foul, or bobbles a pass. Grade: C
There is plenty more season to be played and improvements can be made. I am anxious to see how the next 20 games go. The first game is tomorrow night at Cleveland, who is struggling lately. Indiana needs to attack and stay on top of them early.
The Pacers follow up a heartbreaking home defeat to Phoenix with a stirring victory in Orlando. More justification that Indy, at the season's quarter pole, is a clear-cut No. 1 in the Showing Us Up rankings.
Guards - This group was a pretty big question mark going into the season. Would Jamal Tinsley be able to lead this team the way Jim O'Brien wants? Is Marquis Daniels going to fit into this system? Is Mike Dunleavy capable of putting up the numbers needed? So far, the collective answer is YES. Tinsley has been the leader that JOB needs in this offense. Averaging 15 points, 9 assists, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals a game, Tinsley has been a pleasant surprise to start the season. Dunleavy has improved his shooting and is knocking his shots down at a 47% clip right now, he is also shooting 41% from three point range, a seven percent improvement over his career average. Marquis Daniels has had some health issues which caused Indiana to stagger his play every other game, but now that he is healthy, he has been a great spark off the bench. He has scored in double figures in 7 of the 16 games he has played in so far. The rest of the guard rotation consists of Travis Diener, Kareem Rush, and little used hometown product, Andre Owens. Diener and Rush have yet to find their three point stroke, shooting 23% and 30% repectively. Owens really doesn't play many minutes, but that could change if Diener continues to struggle with his shot. Owens is better at defending and since Diener isn't giving the offensive production expected. Grade: B +
Forwards - This group is the teams strength. The rotation consists of Danny Granger, Shawne Williams, Troy Murphy, and Ike Diogu (when healthy). Coming into the season the big question mark was how much did Danny Granger improve his game? So far, he has been the leader on offense, averaging 18 points a game. He has scored 20 or more 10 times so far this season, compared to only 12 times all of last season. Troy Murphy is a bit of an enigma to me. One game he will be on fire, the next, ice cold. He is only shooting 39% from the field so far this season and 37% from three point land. He needs to be a bigger part of the inside game, but he just wants to camp out on the perimeter. Diogu was averaging 14 points a game at the beginning of the season before tearing his calf muscle in practice. He is just a couple weeks away from returning now, but he will definitely help out on the boards and help increase the scoring in the paint. The surprise of this group has been the play of Shawne Williams. After sitting out the first three games due to a suspension, he has scored double figures in 9 of the 17 games he has played. He and Marquis Daniels lead the scoring attack off the bench. Stephen Graham also fits in the rotation, but rarely plays, as he is averaging just 1 minute of play when he gets in. Grade: A
Centers - Jermaine O'Neal, Jeff Foster, and David Harrison are supposed to be the big men inside, but I guess Jermaine did not get that message. He consistently takes 15 foot fade aways and is only shooting 41% from the field because of it. He has stepped up his game the last four games though, averaging 19 points and 10 boards. Jeff Foster continues to be one of the best at getting on the glass. He is averaging 9.5 boards in 27 minutes a game. Coming into the season, the big key of this group's success was going to be the play of David Harrison off the bench. He still hasn't shown that he can stay out of foul trouble. Harrison is averaging 15 minutes and 4 fouls per game....not too impressive. He shows his flashes of brilliance and then immediately trips or commits a foul, or bobbles a pass. Grade: C
There is plenty more season to be played and improvements can be made. I am anxious to see how the next 20 games go. The first game is tomorrow night at Cleveland, who is struggling lately. Indiana needs to attack and stay on top of them early.
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