With 53 games down and 29 to go, Indiana is in a tough spot. On one hand, they are currently 21-32 and are in 11th place in the Eastern Conference, which leaves them 1 1/2 games out of 8th place and only 4 games out of 6th place. On the other hand, they currently are the ninth worst team in the NBA, going by winning percentage. That puts them in the lottery for the upcoming draft, but there are no guarantees to what kind of player they could get after the first few picks (Beasley, Rose, Mayo). Indiana is still looking to go with an uptempo style team, so a wing or athletic big man would be required to continue this plan.
I feel that the Pacers should look to their future and run with the guys that can help the team down the road. I would go with a starting lineup of Marquis Daniels (Tinsley if he is ever healthy), Mike Dunleavy, Shawne Williams, Danny Granger, and Ike Diogu (Jermaine O'Neal if he decides to play this season). That leaves guys like Troy Murphy, Jeff Foster, Kareem Rush to come off the bench, which would be a decent second unit.
The two players on this team that are the "building blocks" of this team are Danny Granger and Shawne Williams. Williams is looked to as being the teams starting shooting guard in the future. Granger is currently the starting small forward, but should be moved into the power forward slot (ala Shawn Marion) when/if Larry Bird decides to create a roster that supports the "vision."
Indiana starts the second "half" of the season tonight against the Cleveland Cavaliers. They will then have a home and home with the new look New Jersey Nets on Friday and Saturday. These three games will determine which direction they are headed for the rest of the season....lottery....playoffs....hmmmm
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Well, it won't happen before the trade deadline because of JO's "injury" status.
If they do make that trade during the summer, I could see Tinsley/Shawne Williams/Troy Murphy being shipped out of town as well...if they can find willing takers
If the trade did happen this year, the lineup would be:
Small Lineup
Tinsley/Daniels
Carter/Rush
Dunleavy/Williams
Granger/Diogu
Murphy/Foster
Big Lineup
Tinsley/Daniels
Carter/Dunleavy
Granger/Williams
Murphy/Diogu
Foster/Harrison
I heard on ESPNRadio 1070 out of Indy yesterday that there were two trade options for JO....one where he goes to NJ for Carter and one where he goes to Golden State for Pietrus, Al Harrington and another dude.
I also had heard those two trade possibilities...I would LOVE to get Pietrus and Harrington, but everything I've read today has said that Indiana doesn't like any of the deals out there and that all the calls were for Granger, Shawne Williams, and Dunleavy. They also couldn't get any takers for Tinsley...go figure!
What do the Pacers do if they trade JO to the Nets for Vinsanity?