If I could pick (almost) any player...(current NBA version)

[Miller4ever]

That's the big thing. With all of the promising young players in Oden, Durant, Rose, we still have no idea if they have the leadership needed to actually help a team get beyond making the playoffs and then sinking. Sometimes, a team just lacks a bench and is injured (see Rockets) but barring injuries, the most important thing is having a center, an anchor to the team.

[Bucky O'Hare]

I'm fairly certain T.J. Ford will be a stud for us, and I'm happy with our swingman rotation, so that leaves a big man as the most logical choice.

The vets are interesting. Dirk, Brand, Boozer, etc., but I'd be looking to add a talented younger player to grow with the team and give us a decade plus of contribution.

My top-3 would be Greg Oden, Al Jefferson, and Andrew Bynum.

Oden has the hype, the potential and is the home-town guy, which is a nice added bonus. Bynum looks like he can be just as good as people are expecting Oden to be, with even better offensive potential. And Al Jefferson is quietly turning into a monster out in Minnesota, even becoming a good shot blocker.

If it weren't for injuries, I'd be torn between Oden and Bynum, but the way it stands now, I might be leaning towards Big Al Jefferson.

[23artest23]

Reggie Miller also was a "Finals loser". I dont really think the teams around Dirk have been supremely talented either. Dampier, Josh Howard, Stackhouse, and Harris around him isnt really that great. Kidd this past half year is a bigger name boost than anything...he doesnt fit in well with that team. There was one year I think he had Howard, Jamison, Stackhouse, and maybe Quis (I cant remember and dont care enough to look it up, lol)...but that team was dysfunctional.

The main thing I disagree with you on is Igoudala. I just dont think hes that good. He's not a very good outside shooter, which you kind of shrugged off, but thats a big deal in our current system. Iggy may have been the top player on Philly last year...but they overachieved. The East had 6 worthy playoff teams...and then Philly and Atlanta made it by default. Brand is now the number one option there, which is smart, because you wont get past the first round with Andre Igoudala as your best player. Besides, he is not a lockdown defender. He's good, and a definite upgrade over Dunleavy, but not great.

As far as young players go, I'd take Oden, Durant, and Rose over Beasley. His blase attitude scares me. If Beasley ever wins an MVP (like Dirk did), I'd be extremely surprised. I have little doubt that he will probably average 28+ ppg/season in his career, but his defense is atrocious. It might get better if he put some effort into it, but he just doesnt care at this point. Really, I just hate his attitude/immaturity. I have a suspicion that he will be a Carmelo Anthony-type in the NBA. Not a bad thing by any means, but he is pretty much all offense (I actually think Beasley will be better than Melo) and isnt really the type of guy who wins you titles. All-Star games? Sure. Big numbers? Absolutely. A guy that leads a team to a title? Ehh...

Reggie was a finals loser. The difference was the quality of teams each had through the years and as a Pacer fan, Reggie was anything but blessed with a lot of good teams. Jamison, Stackhouse, Finley, Howard, Kidd, Harris, Quis, Terry, and some other players of quality that I am forgetting were all teammates to Dirk at one time or another. When Detroit and San Antonio were winning, I cannot find a good reason that the Mavs were not able to beat them with the lineups they had year in and year out. I don't want to even mention Miami but that was a complete embarrassment to lose that series. The things that sticks out in the center of it all is the inside play...where is it? As the best big man, he does not provide it and doubt he ever will. I don't want that in a Pacer uniform.

I don't have the time for a full response now but I'll probably get back to it.

The outside shot of Iggy is a question mark but with the previous considerations I have mentioned, I feel he will improve in that area. We also have other players who can shoot the 3 and with that, I don't see any reason not to shrug it off as you say. I don't understand your logic that he is not a lockdown defender. Have you seen him play? He is one of the best all around defensive guards in the league, easily. He is not at that level Ron reached but he is not too far from it. I consider that lockdown in a league catering to guards and filled with guys from the 1-3 that could not guard a chair missing a leg.

I don't know where you get the questions on the attitude of Beasley either. He seems to have a good attitude to me and I wouldn't want to change it. The guy knows he is good, knows what he is about, knows what he is capable of, and knows he does not have to be silent on his abilities. I'll take that attitude because it is the attitude of a go-getter. He is poor on the defensive end at this point but keep in mind that he played one year of college ball and has yet to take the floor in a regular season game. In other words, he has a ton of room to grow defensively. He has the tools to do so as well and I see no reason to think he would not improve on that end. While I like Oden, Durant, and Rose as well, the only guy who looks like a 100% sure bet of the group is Durant. I see Kevin's position in the long term as a SF and therefore could not go with him as we have Danny at the position. Oden may never pan out...we are yet to see what kind of effects the season ending injury will have. I hope none, I am a fan but realistically speaking, it could have quite the impact on his career. Rose has baffled me and I'm not sure what to think. With that though, I lean toward Beasley because of the group. I feel he has the best chance to be a great player and solves the needs of the Pacers better than the other youngsters. I also feel he may very well be better than Carmello (I think he is overrated) but don't agree with your other thoughts on that. It seems as though you were questioning his ability to lead and I find that to be a poor argument. Kansas State was horrible outside of himself and Bill Walker (who spent most of the season recovering from I believe it was an ACL). He still managed to lead them into the NCAA tourney and past the USC Trojans, a far superior team. I like some of your arguments but I still have to lean towards Beasley.

[greenway84]

Taking age and off court traits into consideration. I would either go with Bynum or Aldridge.

[count55]

I've given this a good deal of thought. I actually looked down the list of all the teams picked players I might want, then kind of eliminated them as I went.

In looking at this team, as constructed now, it's really difficult to pick one guy to come in and help us. I'm somewhat resistant to projects, so I want somebody who can and will contribute immediately, but I don't want a band-aid who will be in decline before the team can be beefed up around him.

I'm going to break this down by position:

Center - Right now, we probably have as solid of a center rotation as we've had since the Brad Miller/Jeff Foster days. That's not saying it's great, by any stretch of the imagination, but Jeff Foster and Rasho Nesterovic are both solid vets, and Roy Hibbert could be a promising pro. However, you could always stand an upgrade at the position. The three guys that come to mind are Yao Ming, Andrew Bynum, and Greg Oden. All three of them have suffered major injuries. Yao is the surest thing, in terms of a proven product, but I don't like the injuries (86 games lost over last three seasons), and I don't like China's insistence on his playing on their National teams (I don't like Pacers playing other than on the Pacers...personal quirk.) Bynum has shown some pretty impressive flashes, but he's also turned into a pumpkin after January in the last two years. Oden has proven nothing really and is coming off microfracture surgery, so he's a huge risk. However, if I were to pick a Center, I'd probably go with Oden because of his long term potential and local ties.

Power Forwards - While Murphy may be overpaid (somewhat grossly), he's probably about middle of the pack or better among starting PF's in the league. (Admittedly, I'd have to go through them all, but the gist is that he's not as bad as people tend to think.) However, he doesn't provide the physical presence, defense, or post up potential you'd like to see out of this position. In looking through the players available, there are a number of power forwards who either bring what we'd like, or just have a great deal of talent and would be an upgrade. On this list, I'd include Dirk Nowitzki, LaMarcus Aldridge, Michael Beasley, and Carlos Boozer. (I will comment on the notable absence of Josh Smith. I think he's a fantastic athlete, but I'm not a fan of his game. I just think he's a guy who's better suited as a third or fourth option, primarily as a defender/rebounder/garbage player who's about to get paid as a 1st or 2nd option. It's a personal preference.) Of the Power Forwards, which does seem to be the most pressing need, I would pick either Carlos Boozer or LaMarcus Aldridge.

Wings - There are a number of talented wings out there: Joe Johnson, Monta Ellis, Andre Iguodala, Kevin martin. However, we have Granger and Dunleavy at the wings, and I and think Brandon Rush is going to be a good pro, as well. Of the guys mentioned, I'd probably choose Andre Iguodala because of his defense and the way he stepped up after Iverson left.

Point Guard - This has always been my personal favorite position. The one I emphasize over all others. However, with Chris Paul, Deron Williams, and Chris Paul not available to me, is there any one PG out there that would be a big enough upgrade over TJ Ford/Jarrett Jack combo that would make me forsake the other players I've mentioned? The candidates would be Derrick Rose, Jose Calderon, Mike Conley, and Tony Parker. I'd probably immediately eliminate Conley (may not be as good as Ford), and Parker (similar, stylistically, but not a quantum leap upgrade). Jose Calderon fits my "pass-first" PG tastes, but there's considerable division on the Toronto board over Calderon vs. Ford. I've seen both play, but don't see a huge difference between Calderon and Ford, in terms of quality of play. Of this group, I'd probably pick Derrick Rose because of the size and physicality he could bring.

So, now, I need to choose from my list:

Oden
Boozer
Aldridge
Iguodala
Rose

All five of these guys would be great long term prospects for the Pacers, with Boozer being the oldest of the bunch at 27 this coming November. Boozer, Aldridge, and Iguodala would certainly help now, while Oden and Rose could probably make significant contributions by later in the year. All are upgrades at their positions, so the question is what does this team need most?

Inside post offense and a good fit for the team? Carlos Boozer. Youth, Athleticism, size inside, with a defensive presence? Oden or Aldridge. A strong perimeter defender with the ability to score? Iggy. A big bullish point guard to lead the team into the future? Rose.

What this team needs more than anything else is "the man". They need the guy who they can coalesce around. The guy that will be the foundation for the franchise for the next decade. I love Danny, but I'm not entirely convinced he's that guy. I'm willing to take the chance this year, but, since I get a free pick, I'm going to grab one of the guys from my list who I'm sure can fill that role...

Except the guy I'm picking isn't on my list.

I know we're stacked at the wing, but I'm going to go with Brandon Roy. Why? Because I think, for all the talent added and moves made in Portland, Roy is the guy that makes that team go. Oden and/or Bayless and/or could be great, but Brandon Roy is the guy who helped that team improve last year despite the loss of the #1 pick in the draft. As that team rises in the West, I expect him to be the leader and most important player on that team, which is exactly what I think the Pacers need.

[Pacersike]

If I could pick any guy (besides the list), I'd probably pick Roy or Martin Kevin.
Both good character guys, both very efficient players and one a great shooter and one a true team leader. So that might slide the edge towards Roy.

But if we could pick anyone, we could definitely contend for the playoffs and in that matter the player I think this team could use the most right now: David West. Or maybe Aldridge if we are looking for the near future. I really liked what this guy has shown last year. He is a good character guy, he has a good midranger, can play defense. He would be a good fit next to Hibbert.

[Grang33r]

Pau Gasol. The guy is amazingly good. A true PF. Good speed, great hands, great passion for the game. His defense is above average and solid rebounding. Gasol would make the Pacers instant contenders for the title imo.