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Well...more of the same...I like JO a lot, but sometimes he's just white noise.

Ah, JO. Neither the cause of our probems nor the solution.

That's probably a good way of putting it M4e.

I believe Groundhog Day would be the better cinematic comparison.

JO sit long time, Pacers get nice lottery pick. This plan mizzoupacers likes.

JO returns to play in meaningless games...this plan not so good.



Gee, from his comments, sounds like maybe O'Neal has been fantasizing a bit about playing for a team that isn't all farked up!

If he wanted to return, i'll let him. Play him til the deadline and make a possible trade. If no deals happen, shut O'Neal down for the year and play for the higher pick. Simple as that.

I'm telling ya'll, JO is still a great player. I don't understand why no one believes that anymore.

JO will be a Pacer to begin next season... By the trading deadline, that is a different story. I think that shutting JO down for the season is the best thing for him, and the organization given the circumstances. I know that most of you are not in the "lets tank crowd," but that seems the best way to improve the Pacers at this point...

I am in the tank crowd. We don't have any player another year on is going to be a big difference to us negatively.

bballpacen wrote:JO will be a Pacer to begin next season... By the trading deadline, that is a different story. I think that shutting JO down for the season is the best thing for him, and the organization given the circumstances. I know that most of you are not in the "lets tank crowd," but that seems the best way to improve the Pacers at this point...

If we can somehow end up with another 1st round pick this year, i think the plan may switch to keeping Jermaine O'Neal in town. If we don't, then i don't know, i think teams are willing to trade so much at the draft that Larry Bird may end up pulling a deal.

This is a very big draft class (as in 2009) and i think trying to win today and next year is wrong, when if we play our cards right, we can build a successful team for the next 10 years.

I've always believed in Larry Bird and i tried looking for the thread earlier in the year but most of the people who believed in him said this was his make or break year. If we go into next season with only key addition of 1 first round player, i think i would lose all my faith in Bird. He needs to start making some deals, getting some youth in here and getting rid of players such as Jeff Foster who have value now but probably won't get much more value in the future.

DGrangeRx33 wrote:I'm telling ya'll, JO is still a great player. I don't understand why no one believes that anymore.

Because he hasn't been healthy for at least 5 years. When is the last game that JO played and didn't have some "nagging injury". He plays 15 games, misses 10, plays 20, misses 15. I'm just sick of it. Get healthy or sit out. I've given up trying to follow his injuries. He probably needs surgery. Maybe our training staff just sucks. Whatever it is I just don't care anymore. I wish he was someone else's part-time employee so we could rebuild.

I think I'd rather just have him shut it down and get a star from the draft to pair with him come next season and see how it goes.

PacersRule07 wrote:I think I'd rather just have him shut it down and get a star from the draft to pair with him come next season and see how it goes.

I think they key should be getting 2 first round picks this year to keep O'Neal back. Whats the sense of just adding 1 first round pick to our roster and having him, O'Neal, Granger and Dunleavy go and get the 10th seed in the east? And we'd then lose O'Neal for FREE and have a mid-round pick and then our 2008 draftee would be all alone and lonly.

If we don't get lucky and get a 2nd first round pick, we gotta unload O'Neal by the draft. I really think that may be our last hope. Worst case senerio is we struggle again, like Portland did, after picking up Brendon Roy then getting another high pick like they did and get Oden.

We need to be as active as Portland if we want to turn this ship around.

I think harding156 brings up a very vaild point and I think that is a lot of the reson people want to part ways with JO along with his contract. Even JO's biggest supporters would have to agree he has not come close to earning the money he is making.

I think that everyone is on board that JO would be considered "avaliable" as well. The question then becomes what do we want and/or expect from him? I would fall into the category that if we traded JO we shouldn't expect ANYTHING more than what Memphis got for Gasol. Gasol puts up similar numbers, is around the same age and is a lot healthier than JO has been.

So the question becomes do you want to trade JO for a few expiring contracts and a mid level prospect or draft pick? As much as it pains me to say this I think you do. I do thnk JO has taken an unfair share of the blame around here, but I guess that comes with the territory when you have a max level contract. With the Pacers attendance struggeling so much, and talks of the Pacers asking the city for help, I would think that dumping salary on a player that never seems healthy would be a fiscally responsible move. Not only that, but it would give the Pacers leverage in the free agent market.

Jermaine does look rather dapper in a nice suit, so he's got that going for him.

I hope JO comes back so we can trade him before the deadline.

Still, a soon to be 36 year old Shaq (aging and worn tires) was able to get Shawn Marion, so it is up in the air just how much we could net for JO. Either way we have to get him healthy if we want to have any real success in the future because he makes up too big of our payroll to be a sitting duck.

we are going to have to wait until next year to get anything reasonable for JO. hold him out of every single game till the end of the year. run with what we have. Diener starting. Trade Tinsley for anything. Get a decent pick. use it.

PacersRule07 wrote:Still, a soon to be 36 year old Shaq (aging and worn tires) was able to get Shawn Marion, so it is up in the air just how much we could net for JO. Either way we have to get him healthy if we want to have any real success in the future because he makes up too big of our payroll to be a sitting duck.

Yeah, but he's Shaq. It's just accepted that he's one of the greatest players of all time. Many, me not included, consider him the greatest center of all time. His mere presence sells seats. None of that can be said about Jermaine. Phoenix traded for the rights to Shaq and for the ability to make a ton of money off of him.

joew8302 wrote: Gasol puts up similar numbers, is around the same age and is a lot healthier than JO has been.

Eh, check out Gasol's games played over the last 3-5 years. It's remarkably similar to JO.