by The GM on November 1 at 3:34PM
Indiana locked up their franchise player, Danny Granger, with a 5 year deal worth around $60 million, but could be around $65 million after incentives. My thoughts on this....GOOD! The team got rid of the bad image that had clouded it for the past few seasons, traded away Jermaine O'Neal's ridiculously large contract, acquired two capable point guards to run the team, drafted two rookies that will fit nicely in the rotation, and now they have secured Granger for the next five seasons. I am pretty pumped up now. I was excited for this "new" team, but even more so now with the latest news.
I actually feel like maybe Granger gave the Pacers a bit of a break on the deal, because if he had become a restricted free agent at the end of the season, then Indiana would have had to match any offers he would have received. I'm not sure how the money is divided over the seasons, but it averages around 13 million a year if he completes all the incentives.
With Granger locked up, the Pacers can look to the future now. With Jamal Tinsley still on the books for the next three seasons, Indiana is still looking to get rid of his contract. If they can do that, then that is $21 million over that time span that they can save. On top of that, Indiana has seven other players in the last season of their current contracts:
Moving on, the Pacers are ready for their home opener tonight against the Boston Celtics. According to Pacers Sports & Entertainment, the starters look like this:
Pacers
G - #5 Ford
G - #6 Daniels
F - #33 Granger
F - #3 Murphy
C - #8 Nesterovic
Celtics
G - #9 Rondo
G - #20 Allen
F - #34 Pierce
F - #5 Garnett
C - #43 Perkins
It looks like Mike Dunleavy is going to sit out this game as well, unless they decide he can go before the game.
The key matchup tonight, in my opinion, is going to be TJ Ford vs Rajon Rondo. Rondo is very quick on defense, so TJ has to be aware of him and run the offense at an efficient rate. If Ford can neutralize Rondo's penetration on offense, then Indiana has a nice shot at winning this game. Of course, Indiana still has to worry about Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett too, but if Indiana can stop the supporting cast, then they will get the win.
I actually feel like maybe Granger gave the Pacers a bit of a break on the deal, because if he had become a restricted free agent at the end of the season, then Indiana would have had to match any offers he would have received. I'm not sure how the money is divided over the seasons, but it averages around 13 million a year if he completes all the incentives.
With Granger locked up, the Pacers can look to the future now. With Jamal Tinsley still on the books for the next three seasons, Indiana is still looking to get rid of his contract. If they can do that, then that is $21 million over that time span that they can save. On top of that, Indiana has seven other players in the last season of their current contracts:
- Rasho Nesterovic - 8.4 million
- Marquis Daniels - 6.9 million
- Maceo Baston - 2.3 million
- Jarrett Jack - 2 million
- Travis Diener - 1.6 million
- Stephen Graham - 827K
- Josh McRoberts - 712K
Moving on, the Pacers are ready for their home opener tonight against the Boston Celtics. According to Pacers Sports & Entertainment, the starters look like this:
Pacers
G - #5 Ford
G - #6 Daniels
F - #33 Granger
F - #3 Murphy
C - #8 Nesterovic
Celtics
G - #9 Rondo
G - #20 Allen
F - #34 Pierce
F - #5 Garnett
C - #43 Perkins
It looks like Mike Dunleavy is going to sit out this game as well, unless they decide he can go before the game.
The key matchup tonight, in my opinion, is going to be TJ Ford vs Rajon Rondo. Rondo is very quick on defense, so TJ has to be aware of him and run the offense at an efficient rate. If Ford can neutralize Rondo's penetration on offense, then Indiana has a nice shot at winning this game. Of course, Indiana still has to worry about Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett too, but if Indiana can stop the supporting cast, then they will get the win.
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