As the regular season winds down for the NBA, some teams are gearing up for the playoffs and some are making vacation plans. The Pacers don't look like they are putting up much of a fight and are going toward the direction of planning for the lottery and for the off-season. There are a lot of questions that will be answered over the course of the summer. Will Jermaine O'Neal opt out of his contract? If he doesn't, will he be traded? Will he even be healthy enough to trade? Will Jamal Tinsley be traded? What pick are the Pacers going to have? What direction will they go with that pick? Will they be able to sign any free agents? These are just a few of the many questions that flood my brain, and I'm just a fan. I can't imagine working for the team right now, they must be in semi-panic mode. If they aren't, they should be.
The biggest piece of the puzzle is Jermaine O'Neal. If he opts out of his contract, the Pacers get nothing, except to be free and clear of his contract. If he stays, then Indiana will try to trade him as quick as possible to get something in return for him and to free up some kind of cap space. However, with his injury problems, he will probably won't opt out, because he won't be getting anywhere near $20mil a year.
The second part of the puzzle is what to do with Jamal Tinsley. If Indiana can find a taker for him, then the team can focus on finding a replacement for him via free agency or the draft. There are several solid point guards that will be available deep in the draft, so grabbing one in the first round won't be a requirement.
Speaking of the draft, Indiana really is in a position to draft the best player available. If there is a small forward available, then Indiana should take him. If there is a dominant big man available, then Indiana should take him. As of right now, Indiana would have the 9th pick in the draft (sorted by win percentage), if everything stayed the same. With that pick, someone like Chase Budinger from Arizona, OJ Mayo, or even DJ Augustin could be available (if they all came out). That would be a vast improvement on the perimeter right away. With their second round pick, players like Courtney Lee, Tyler Hansborough, Bill Walker, or Richard Hendrix could be available. So, if they Pacers don't go big in the first round, they could in the second. If they don't go small in the first round, they could in the second. The players are out there, the team just needs to figure out who is going to be best when it is time to pick them. Obviously the best case scenario would be to get the first pick and then take Michael Beasley.
I said a few days ago that last week would determine what direction the Pacers would head in and they lost three of the last four games, so it looks like the lottery is going to be the final destination. I'd still like to see the Pacers showcase their younger players a bit more. That way they can get some experience and their trade value can go up if the team decides not to keep them.
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Comments
I like Hibbert, but I'm not sure where he will slide into this draft class. Plus, if the team continues this "running style" that they want to assemble, then Hibbert falls out of the pick.
Look on the bright side, they already topped my prediction for them.
Just stay away from Kevin Love. He's Sixers' property (unless Budinger falls to us).
True they did get over the 20 win mark, barely. They were 14-12 at one point in the season! Of course, they also started out 3-0. I also like Kevin Love's game and the fact that he can step out and hit some perimeter shots is very attractive. You can have Budinger if I can have Beasley or Bayless!
I think I had them at 25 wins....I think I might be spot on with that one.
Here's something that scares the crap out of me. With the Sixers cap space, it would work out almost perfectly cap-wise if they traded Andre Miller for Jermaine O'Neal. I hope the Sixers don't see him as their answer as a low post presence, but he does fit the bill if healthy. Thoughts? Would you do that if you were Indy? What if you had to include your first round pick?
Roy Hibbert, Georgetown