Blake Ahearn, Sam Young, Sundiata Gaines Sign

Post #1 » by **Jake0890** » Sat Sep 1, 2012 10:34 pm

According to the Salt Lake Tribune, former Utah poiint guard Blake Ahearn is expected to sign with the Pacers.

Why Ahearn over Flynn? Thoughts?

Edited title to include Sundiata Gaines and Sam Young- Scoot McGroot

SuperReggie31 · Post #2 » by **SuperReggie31** » Sun Sep 2, 2012 3:19 am

Report: Pacers to Sign Blake Ahearn
September 1, 2012

Free agent guard Blake Ahearn and the Indiana Pacers have agreed to a deal. Ahearn, mostly known as a shooter, finished the 2011-12 season with the Jazz after getting called up from the D-League."

via HoopsHype

I'm not sure if I'm going to read into this that much. He could just be coming in on a non-guaranteed deal for camp until another option presents itself. Ahearn seems like a smart player and a decent player.

http://www.basketball-reference.com/pla ... rbl01.html

D-League Stats: http://www.basketball-reference.com/nbd ... bl01d.html

Post #3 » by **Jake0890** » Sun Sep 2, 2012 12:59 pm

It was partially guarenteed I believe. I doubt their looking to unload him after signing him this close to the start of the season.

jowglenn · Post #4 » by **jowglenn** » Sun Sep 2, 2012 4:15 pm

Sounds like a competent 3rd point guard journeyman type who has bounced around, but puts together respectable performances everywhere he goes.

We needed an emergency point guard, and they probably see this guy as having a better chance at being a consistent 8-10 mpg every once in a while guy at some point in his career than, say, jonny flynn.

I mean, he's basically injury insurance for our point guard spot. Which is smart.

Ultra cheap, why not? Guy is apparently an extremely good shooter, so who knows, he could become useful in spots.

JeffFosters · Post #5 » by **JeffFosters** » Tue Sep 4, 2012 12:56 am

I'm thrilled with the signing. Not because I'm a massive Ahearn fan, but because a signing like this means a lot of other things have gone right.

This is the type of player that a team looks at when they think they're ready to compete. I couldn't care less if he makes the roster or not.

Also, he did lead the NDBL in scoring last season, along with 6 or so assists per game. He can play some.

Post #6 » by **Scoot McGroot** » Thu Sep 6, 2012 10:11 pm

http://www.nba.com/pacers/news/pacers-s ... ata-gaines

Gotta say, wow. Any of these 3 guys could make the roster. Could be tough for Orlando and Lance in camp this year. I'd like to see a big man signed as well to really compete with Hansbrough and Pendergraph.

Crowman · Post #7 » by **Crowman** » Thu Sep 6, 2012 11:22 pm

Sam Young is a class signing we have an opening for a wing role player position.

jowglenn · Post #8 » by **jowglenn** » Thu Sep 6, 2012 11:47 pm

Damn. Pacers have the deepest garbage bench in the league after Houston. Lance, Plumlee, Pendergraph, Ahearn, Gaines, Young...

The hope is that you can run a competent winning team with your hill/augustin/george/green/granger/west/hansbrough/hibbert/mahinmi while still having those other guys behind.

If 2 of them manage to live up to something, you can strike gold by packaging them with hansbrough and leveling up, or keeping a guy and making him a super cheap 8th man. who knows.

SuperReggie31 · Post #9 » by **SuperReggie31** » Fri Sep 7, 2012 4:12 am

Is the roster set then?

PG: Hill, Augustin, Gaines/Ahern

SG: George, Stephenson, O. Johnson

SF: Granger, Green, Young

PF: West, Hansbrough, Pendergraph

C: Hibbert, Mahinimi, Plumlee

I think that is a pretty good roster. Very deep with a lot of potential .

chube · Post #10 » by **chube** » Fri Sep 7, 2012 4:44 am

I've liked Sam Young for a while. He hasn't gotten a ton of run in the league, in part because he's always been on good teams already stacked on the wing (Memphis had Rudy Gay, O.J. Mayo, Shane Battier, and Tony Allen, while Philly had Iguodala, Thaddeus Young, Evan Turner, etc.) But by all accounts, he's a hard worker, LOVES the game and is a good locker room guy. He's a big beefy wing who could come in handy during small-ball, yet keeping the physicality of the lineup.

Sam Young - that's a Larry Bird-esque signing.

I really hope that if we keep Young on the regular season roster. That would put us at 14. If we sign Gaines or Ahearn, fine. I just want Young in a Pacers uni. Gaines or Ahearn, no preference at the moment. I've seen more of Gaines though. Solid, productive in spurts when healthy.

jowglenn · Post #11 » by **jowglenn** » Fri Sep 7, 2012 9:25 am

I'm still kind of blown away that we managed to nab these guys. We needed guard depth, and now we suddenly have it.

Sam Young? Played plenty in his first 2 seasons in Memphis, then got lost a bit. I still think the guy can be a rotation player.

Sundiata Gaines? Love it. Guy hit that one big shot in Utah and has been living off it, fair enough, but he's clearly a guy who can give you 10 mpg when necessary and hold his own.

Ahearn? Veteran guy at this point.

What I love is that we now have a surfeit of youngish semiveteran guards backing up the hill/augustin/george/stephenson backcourt, which we needed.

We've got a solid 9-man rotation, super duper solid, AND we have like 6 guys after that, any of whom have a chance of becoming the 10th/11th/12th man. Great feeling.

Heck of an offseason by Pritchard, just crazy.

Have the Pacers EVER signed this many FAs in an offseason?

Wizop · Post #12 » by **Wizop** » Fri Sep 7, 2012 11:05 am

SuperReggie31 wrote:Is the roster set then?

it can't be as you have 16 in your list and I expect a few more names to get camp invitations. there will be decisions to be made in October.

Post #13 » by **Scoot McGroot** » Fri Sep 7, 2012 12:56 pm

Wizop wrote:
SuperReggie31 wrote:Is the roster set then?

it can't be as you have 16 in your list and I expect a few more names to get camp invitations. there will be decisions to be made in October.

Also, there's no guarantee we go with a full 15 man roster. Many teams leave a spot open to fill throughout the season if there's a rash of injuries at a particular position, or for roster flexibility in any possible trades.

Wizop · Post #14 » by **Wizop** » Fri Sep 7, 2012 1:54 pm

also, last year there was a rule allowing more than 12 players to dress early in the season. it was said that the rule might be continued in the future but I've seen nothing on that this year. I hope they do allow everyone to dress early so that we can give the bottom of the bench a chance to show what they can do when the games count.

Post #15 » by **Grang33r** » Thu Sep 27, 2012 3:36 am

Love Sundiata Gaines and i'm really glad we are giving him a look in training camp. A player who, let's face it, does lack much skills, he just has barley enough to make it in NBA as a try-out each summer, but this guy has a Reggie Miller type heart and desire to succeed.

After his buzzer beater vs. the Cavs on TNT few seasons ago, TNT got so many calls about him they did a feature on Inside the NBA few weeks later, a behind the scenes story of the kid. Nothing but hard work and class.

He may not make our roster, but he will def push the 15 guys who do make it to the brink.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yawMyj4zQU[/youtube]

Post #16 » by **PR07** » Fri Sep 28, 2012 1:58 am

I like Young's chances to make the team as a defensive wing off the bench a la in Dahntay Jones's role last season.

Post #17 » by **Jake0890** » Fri Sep 28, 2012 8:46 pm

Yeah, I'd say Young is a lock. It remains to be seen whether the Pacers will choose Gaines or Ahearn, as well as how they will handle the new additions this offseason.