Pacers: Pieces and Parts

An article by reidcrandall    No Comments

I didn’t have high hopes when the season began, but suffice it to say that 21 games into the season, the Pacers have found a way to come up short of even low expectations. Have they had injuries? Yes. Are they young at many positions? Yes. But that still doesn’t excuse the complete lack of consistency across the board, and more glaringly, in the area of effort. How does a team play well for stretches, beat teams like the Celtics and look like they belong in the league, and then follow-up with equally long or longer streaks where one wonders if they will ever be able to win another game this season.

The Pacers are 8-13, one loss out of last in the Central. They should be 7-14, but were bailed out by a last second foul last night in Washington, which allowed Mike Dunleavy to hit two free throws with 0.1 seconds remaining. This after leading by 21 points in the first half. Anyone who watched the game will probably agree that they had no business winning after the way they played in the second half. But what is this inconsistency a function of?

Let’s consider what we have to work with:

Dahntay Jones – Probably the best acquisition the Pacers have made in a while. At $2.5m, he’s a relative steal in today’s NBA. I like the leadership and intensity that he brings. He brings great defense, and, unexpectedly, a solid scoring game as well. In Denver, he was never really asked to score, and he seems to have come alive in Indiana. He is a solid building block, and the team needs to keep this guy in the mix.

Roy Hibbert – Roy is developing well in my opinion. I will admit that I was not a fan of the pick when they made it last year. In the middle of rebuilding the team with the intention of becoming fast, up-tempo team, they draft a guy that moves like a 50-year-old man at the age of 22. But it seems that Roy has worked hard on his body, and seems much more spry this season. He has been able to reduce his number of fouls, and stay on the floor, showing results in all areas: Scoring, Rebounding and Blocks. He still has work to do, but he is young, and if he continues to show the work ethic and joy for the game, he should develop into a solid center.

Tyler Hansbrough – I wasn’t the only one who groaned when they announced this pick. I was even more skeptical when he was shut down with his shin problems this summer. But he’s really starting to grow on me. He plays hard, and seems to be developing a decent mid-range jumper. He needs to bring up the shooting percentage, and will probably never be a ‘star’ in the NBA, but he is a guy that can be a solid contributor, and the type of player that any contender needs.

Danny Granger – Sometimes I love him, sometimes I don’t. How can you not get behind a guy who smashes his front teeth, and plays through to carry his team to a win over the defending champs? But sometimes his body language is downright disturbing. Is he really a leader? People came into the season saying that he needed a Robin to his Batman, but I am afraid that he is the sidekick, and the team needs to be looking for its leader. Don’t get me wrong, he has great skills, but I don’t know if he can carry a team.

Mike Dunleavy – I think he is overpaid, especially considering his injury problems over the past few years, but I like him. He is smart. He doesn’t need the ball to be effective, and that is something that fits in well with any team. He just knows the game. He can just play. I know that everyone is looking forward to the expiration of his contract, but I hope that he can get healthy and the team can find a way to keep him. But with the crazy money that some teams throw around, we need to hope that he can be kept reasonably.

Troy Murphy – Highest paid player on the team? Give me a break. He is solid, and even perhaps a great role player. I’d love the Pacers to have him coming off of the bench behind a really great PF. The guy is in the same salary range as Carlos Boozer, Chauncey Billups, Chris Paul and Monta Ellis. Who would you rather have on your team? But in a league of bloated contracts, what do you expect. At least he makes less than Erick Dampier.

T.J. Ford – I want to like him, but I just can’t. He is just too inconsistent. I loved him coming out of Texas, but I’m afraid that his early-career injury problems will keep him from the potential that he once showed.

Brandon Rush – Brandon is the perfect embodiment of this team. Sometimes his shot looks great. Sometimes I wonder how he is in the league. At least the guy we traded for him, Jerryd Bayless isn’t producing at a much higher level. He may have more upside though, still being 19. Rush is said to have a pretty fragile psyche, and loses confidence very easily. That does not bode well.

Spare Parts:

Jeff Foster – You always know what you’re going to get from him, but his career is winding down. Josh McRoberts – Not someone they can build the team around. Looks comfortable upon pine. AJ Price – It remains to be seen what he can contribute. May end up being a solid backup. Luther Head – I was excited about the signing, and he looked great in pre-season, but has lost his shot. Could be a solid role player if he sticks with the team. Solomon Jones – I now understand his lack of playing time in Atlanta. He is still young, and big guys tend to take longer to develop. Earl Watson – Probably won’t be here after this year. Has seemingly left his attitude problems somewhere else. Let’s hope it continues.

Coaching:

Here’s hoping that this is Jim O’Brien’s last year. He seems to be a good man, and seems to work hard, but I don’t see him bringing this team together. He can’t seem to lead these young men into a cohesive unit. And when you see such consistency in effort from a team with so many young players, it usually points to lack of leadership. He obviously can’t communicate with or develop Rush, and we don’t know that someone else can, but the kid has too much potential to hope that something magically changes in the current makeup. And, as always, you can change the coach a lot easier than you can the players.

Front Office:

I admit it, I like Larry Bird based on  pure nostalgia. I have hated some of his draft picks during the draft, but as mentioned above, I have come to like a couple of them. Rush is still up in the air. It’s undeniable that he has talent, but something must be done to put him in a place to succeed. It’s hard to tell at this point if he’s truly shooting himself in the foot or not. Her has made a couple of decent moves, like the Dahntay Jones signing, and he was able to move Jermaine O’Neal, and his mammoth contract. We all recognized that O’Neal would never carry this team, and the team would never be able to rebuild with his contract around their neck. On the downside, he seems to be all too loyal to Coach O’Brein, who is a great assistant, but not a leader of men. At this point, I am still willing to give him some slack. Hopefully he doesn’t hang us all with it.

What do they need?

That’s the question. Looking at the parts, you have to think that there is some hope. Unfortunately, our heavy contracts won’t expire in time for next year’s crop of free agents. We can probably look forward to much the same roster next season. Murphy and Dunleavy will expire after next season, and should only return at the right price. Ford, Foster and Tinsley will come off then as well. As of right now, they only have about $23m committed. But who can they sign? Here is a list of free agents after the 2011 season.

Looking at the list, there isn’t much to get excited about. Dwayne Wade, LeBron James and Chris Bosh will all opt out of their contracts after this season, and most likely not be available. Don’t be surprised to see Wade and Bosh in Miami. Al Horford could be interesting, but he will be restricted. Most likely, we’re going to have to look at the draft. It would be nice to get a young PF like Ed Davis out of UNC or Derrick Favors out of Georgia Tech in 2010, and then perhaps a PG like Kemba Walker in 2011. But the NBA draft can be a crap shoot even when you’re not a year or two away.

But hey, we have to look forward to something, don’t we? I don’t look for things to turn around this season. I merely hope to see development of the young guys. Granger being injured may be a blessing in disguise, putting some of the young guys on the floor, and giving everyone an opportunity to develop. Hopefully true basketball fans in Indiana can enjoy this team once again. But like the economy, this one is going to take some time. Here’s hoping we make it to the other side.