Experts like Pacers' offseason moves so far
Though Larry Bird isn't done tweaking the roster, his moves thus far have earned kudos from NBA analysts.
In the draft, Bird added Hansbrough at No. 13 and may have found a keeper deep in the second round with No. 52 pick Price, a point guard from UConn who looked solid in summer-league play.
He followed up by signing Jones, an elite defender who will strengthen the backcourt rotation at all three perimeter positions.
"I like the strategy Larry Bird and David Morway are employing in Indiana," writes ESPN Insider Chad Ford. "They aren't swinging for the fences with their transactions. Instead, they are going for singles and doubles and they've been converting over the past two years.
"No, Hansbrough isn't a sexy addition, but he should be in the league for 10 years, maybe even as a starter. And he brings the toughness and energy that the Pacers really need. Adding Jones on the perimeter delivers another tough, no nonsense player who can guard multiple positions."
Another positive review came from RealGM.com's Andrew Perna, who graded the team's moves far a B-plus.
"Jones isn’t the type of player that is going to stuff that stat sheet, but he will help complete a team," wrote Perna. "The Pacers aren’t whole yet, but the front office has continued to keep their eyes on the plan. Drafting Tyler Hansbrough was the first phase this offseason, but Jones is far from the last."
Over on our Internet Mothership, longtime NBA analyst Fran Blinebury offered his thumbs-up.
"In a matter of days, the Pacers got significantly tougher with the signing of first-round draft pick Tyler Hansbrough and the free agent Jones," wrote Blinebury. "While most of Jones' notoriety last spring with the Nuggets came for his tripping of Kobe Bryant, he's a rugged, solid defender whose offensive skills might be underrated.
"There are few who expect Hansbrough to be a star at the NBA level, but he should give Jim O'Brien and Larry Bird solid minutes as a hard-nosed competitor. If Dunleavy can return to form and join Danny Granger as a gun in the lineup, the Pacers are making steady steps toward improvement and have the potential to surprise in the East."
Locally, former Pacers beat writer Mark Montieth compared Jones to a younger Bruce Bowen in his blog for 1070thefan.com.
"Jones is Bowen, Part II, a 6-6 swingman who can defend three positions," wrote Montieth. "A semi-dirty player who irritates opponents and inspires teammates with his defensive mindset. A player who doesn’t score much (5.1 career average) but somehow has a knack for hitting three-pointers (11-of-17 last season). A mature, intelligent, unspoiled player who, despite having a Duke pedigree, came up the hard way in the NBA. "
Personally, I like the moves that we've made. While I would've loved to keep Jarrett Jack, financially it was sorta out of the question, without us being able to pull off some other significant moves. Toronto overpaid for JJ, and that's a pretty widely accepted fact from everything that I've read by sports writers. I have no crazy thoughts of Tyler of Dahntay making us a dominant team, but they're going to help out majorly in a department we've been lacking in for a long time... HEART & TOUGHNESS. I think with those 2 adding onto the continuing progress of Danny and B.Rush, it brings our teams toughness level to a spot that it hasn't been at in years.
...but my stance remains "wait and see." What Bird is doing makes sense to me given the payroll circumstances the Pacers are under. Still, it remains to be seen how well he has drafted, and it also remains to be seen what, if anything, he can do with some of those bad contracts when they become expirings, or what he can do with the financial flexibility he'll have if he lets them expire.
