Training camp is officially underway for the Indiana Pacers and a lot of questions will be answered in the next few weeks.  I will be pretty anxious to find out the answers to my top 5 questions of preseason.

1)  With all the new players on the roster, can this team come together before the season starts?  With almost a month of practices and exhibition games, I believe that they can gel in time for the start of the season, but it isn't going to be easy for everyone to learn new offensive and defensive sets.

2)  Who will be starting around Danny Granger and Mike Dunleavy?  I think it will be T.J. Ford as the main point guard, with Jarrett Jack filling against some of the bigger point guards, Dunleavy, Granger, Troy Murphy, and Jeff Foster filling out the rotation.

3)  Will Dunleavy's tendonitis heal in time for the season?  After a summer filled with hoops in California, Dunleavy's knee is on the fritz.  This isn't a good thing for the Pacers, since Dunleavy played such a big part of the offense last season and Jim O'Brien plans on him being an equally big part this season. 

4)  Will Austin Croshere earn a roster spot during camp?  Croshere is a Larry Bird favorite and he needs to beat out a couple players during camp.  I could see him jumping over a few of the younger players and earning that spot.

5)  How good will Brandon Rush and Roy Hibbert be?  Rush's perimeter defense was above average in college, so I hope that translates into the pro-style game.  Hibbert was a tough defender and a beast on the blocks, so again, if he can get that to translate into the pro game, then these two rookies could prove to be great investments.

In other news, John Hollinger released his season outlook on the Pacers.  He was a bit more kind than last season and predicted Indiana to go 41-41 and earning the 7th seed in the East.  I think that is a fair assesment of this team's abilities, but I will think that IF this team can stay healthy, then 45 to 47 wins are not of out the question. 

Marc Stein released his Training Camp Power Rankings and has Indiana ranked at 25.  His main reasoning:

Maybe we should be higher on a team that finished one game shy of the playoffs. Just can't shake the feeling that Indy (a) came up way short on the O'Neal deal and (b) still lacks the right mix to play Obie's way.

I will go ahead and disagree with Mr. Stein on this one.  If Indiana is at 25, then that means they will be one of the worst teams in the league this season and I really don't see that happening.  I know that it is only a training camp preview and things could turn around in his eyes, but just looking at the rosters of the teams in the NBA, I don't see Indiana near the bottom, just based on talent alone.