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ust weeks ago, the Pacers (19-18) were a team on a roll, well above .500 and seemingly ascending. But a stretch of tough opponents combined with offensive woes and the unexpected absence of Victor Oladipo (sore right knee) has knocked Indiana down the standings in the Eastern Conference. After losing four consecutive games, the Pacers are searching for answers as they try to find the winning formula that sustained them for the first third of the season.

During their New Year's Eve loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, all of the Pacers' problems of late came to the forefront — slow starts, stale ball movement, and a lack of a go-to scorer for offense when nothing else is working.

Greg Rappaport
http://www.nba.com/pacers/preview-pacers-bucks-180103

Keep feeding Sabonis. He's the best Pacer after Dipo.

CoJo and Sabonis have been playing great tonight. They need to be in instead of DC and Thad. They haven't given us enough, especially on the defensive end of the court.

Without Oladipo, this team is as bad as everybody's worst fears about how bad
it was gonna be before the season began.

Fair statement?

Looks like Thad Young has gotten a hair cut. Looks better.

No Victor if we win this one it's gonna be a steal.

boomershadow wrote:Without Oladipo, this team is as bad as everybody's worst fears about how bad
it was gonna be before the season began.

Fair statement?

Yep. This is basically what we thought we were getting before Dipo's emergence.

Yeah, without Oladipo this team gets a top 3 pick easily. Anyone have more info on this "sore right knee?"

Nuntius wrote:

boomershadow wrote:Without Oladipo, this team is as bad as everybody's worst fears about how bad
it was gonna be before the season began.

Fair statement?

Yep. This is basically what we thought we were getting before Dipo's emergence.

Without Vic this team is a bottom 5 team. They look lost and up that proverbial unsanitary tributary without Vic.

Let's hope he's not hurt too bad. I think the team is being cautious with him. But the way he's be throwing his body around this first half of the season he needs to be in full pads.

I said in another thread that if they end up with a top 5 pick and he's there I love the kid from Oklahoma named Trae Young. Him and Victor would be a dynamic duo.

MUpacersSIC wrote:Yeah, without Oladipo this team gets a top 3 pick easily. Anyone have more info on this "sore right knee?"

Let's focus on the positives Nate's suit is a great looking suit! Lance is playing pretty well. Thad's haircut is an improvement.

It's about time to stick the fork in this one!

Thad has been struggling mightily ever since the Detroit game. I think that we have to start Domas over him.

Nuntius wrote:Thad has been struggling mightily ever since the Detroit game. I think that we have to start Domas over him.

What do you think about trading Thad for a guy like Meyers Leonard and a #1 pick top 14 protected. Leonard has this year and 2 more at about $10 million per. He can play PF and Center. I was also looking at Washington a Mahinmi for Thad and the Pacers get a #1.

Either would allow Sabonis to start at PF and they'd have a back up center and a pick.

I don't know how long Vic is out but the longer he's out the worse the team looks.

basketballwacko2 wrote:

Nuntius wrote:Thad has been struggling mightily ever since the Detroit game. I think that we have to start Domas over him.

What do you think about trading Thad for a guy like Meyers Leonard and a #1 pick top 14 protected. Leonard has this year and 2 more at about $10 million per. He can play PF and Center. I was also looking at Washington a Mahinmi for Thad and the Pacers get a #1.

Either would allow Sabonis to start at PF and they'd have a back up center and a pick.

I don't know how long Vic is out but the longer he's out the worse the team looks.

I'm not sure about Leonard's contract, to be honest. It limits our cap flexibility a bit and we'd essentially be paying 10 mil for a back-up (granted, a good back-up).

Everything depends on if Thad is able to get off his defensive funk. If he is able to do it and gets back to the level he was defending before then he is valuable for us. If he doesn't then I'd absolutely do this trade.

Competed quite well in the 2nd quarter but I just got the sense they quit as soon as the 2nd half had begun

boomershadow wrote:Without Oladipo, this team is as bad as everybody's worst fears about how bad
it was gonna be before the season began.

Fair statement?

Yes and no.

Yes, because he was playing at a top-10 level, so, losing a guy like that would obviously hurt you and Pacers havn't won a game since he went out injured so it would be tough to argue the opposite, but no because i think this was coming. They are 3-8 in last 11. Prior to the current losing streak, we barely beat the Nets after a huge second half comeback, we got smoked by Detroit, didn't look good vs OKC. They were relying on these great comebacks, but everyone knew that wasn't sustainable. The poor starts like 0-17 or whatever they started off in Minnesota, wasn't sustainable when they were pulling them off a few weeks ago.

We score only 3 three point shots... it is so sad to watch this team without Dipo... with Dipo we are PO team, without him the worst team in league...

What we need to be mindful of now is he we cope with Victor back. Other teams know he's the only factor we have unless Myles starts getting more shots or Bogey can get back to his best shooting touch.

To me it's more than just Dipo being out. Other players were playing better early in the season as well and we were already short on our wings because of the injuried 3.

Scary coach is to blame as well, because they never have the balls to keep playing a 10 players rotation to think about the longterm rather than winning games in the short term. We had the losing stretch coming, with or without Dipo IMO

At least we might see some changes now.

And it shows everyone why trading for a player like Oladipo was always a good trade, even if we only got Orlando Magic Oladipo.
Every teams needs creators and 2 way players. Bojan and Darren were available for the Pacers for very good reasons.

Better defenders is what this team needs, together with our young players improving offensively.
Defense is what great teams rely on when their offense is sputtering. Without Dipo and 3, we don't have the players to defend the perimeter adequately and if 1 line of the fortress falls down, the other lines suffer more damage too. Myles Turner will be a pretty darn good defender if the team can help him enough.

Let's not forget that Victor makes the other Pacers better. It's not just what he does.