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

[count55]

Ok, the idea behind this is that you have a free pick of (almost) any player in the NBA to add to the current Pacer roster in order to most enhance the team's future (short-term, long-term, or both), who would it be?

Before you go arguing over LeBron vs. Kobe vs. CP3, I'm going to put a limitation on it. You may not pick a player from the list below:

LeBron James
Kobe Bryant
Chris Paul
Deron Williams
Dwayne Wade
Chris Bosh
Kevin Garnett
Steve Nash
Amare Stoudemire
Dwight Howard
Tim Duncan
Carmelo Anthony

As I said, I'm not looking for the best player in the league. I'm also not looking for the a huge star. I'm wondering who each of you would pick from the rest of the NBA to make the biggest impact on the current roster. It could be a Center...it could be a point guard.

Tell us why you like the guy, and how he will fit in the team. How does he make the team and his teammates better? Are you thinking short-term or long-term? It's a different thought process, but give it a try.

[APerna]

This is tough, Count is right in that I'd take either a point guard or center at this point.

That leaves Chris Paul or Dwight Howard are my top picks.

Because I was a point, I'll go with Paul. He'd make everyone better more than Howard. Although, obviously Dwight dominates.

Paul is young and already established, a rarity. He's fit in well with us because he has a motor, and would (I think) gel nicely with Danny and Mike. I'd love to have him long-term, but he could help Ford ease in a full starters role once again...although it's an odd combination because Ford is older.

[basketballwacko2]

My first pick would be Greg Oden. Local guy has huge upside, one issue is his health, will he be what we expected following his missing his rookie season, I'd be willing to take a risk.

My 2nd pick is Carlos Boozer, he'd give us a tough rebounder and scorer at pf.

[basketballwacko2]

This is tough, Count is right in that I'd take either a point guard or center at this point.

That leaves Chris Paul or Dwight Howard are my top picks.

Because I was a point, I'll go with Paul. He'd make everyone better more than Howard. Although, obviously Dwight dominates.

Paul is young and already established, a rarity. He's fit in well with us because he has a motor, and would (I think) gel nicely with Danny and Mike. I'd love to have him long-term, but he could help Ford ease in a full starters role once again...although it's an odd combination because Ford is older.

PP aren't we suppose to exclude the guys count listed?

[count55]

This is tough, Count is right in that I'd take either a point guard or center at this point.

That leaves Chris Paul or Dwight Howard are my top picks.

Because I was a point, I'll go with Paul. He'd make everyone better more than Howard. Although, obviously Dwight dominates.

Paul is young and already established, a rarity. He's fit in well with us because he has a motor, and would (I think) gel nicely with Danny and Mike. I'd love to have him long-term, but he could help Ford ease in a full starters role once again...although it's an odd combination because Ford is older.

wacko's right...you can't have anybody on that list.

BTW...I was just throwing out PG or Center...it's not limited to that. There are PF, SG, and Wings that I might pick. I thought this would be an interesting way to see what people think this team needs, and I wanted to make it a little harder than just saying "Chris Paul" or "LeBron James".

I haven't fully decided, but Carlos Boozer was the guy I was thinking about. I wanted to look around the league a little more before I made my case.

[cdash]

Brand, Boozer, Nowitzki, or Ginobili.

[fienX420]

oden is tempting, but i'm going to go with nowitzki. honorable mention to lamar odom.

[count55]

Why?

[23artest23]

I'm stuck between Iggy, Kevin Martin, and Beasley.

Iggy would bring the lockdown defense, athleticism, scoring ability, and tone that would be great for the Pacers. Iggy brings the whole package to table. We could then not have a 2nd thought on dealing Dunleavy for a up and coming PF.

Kevin Martin would bring that shooting ability that is somewhat Reggie-esque along with a good attitude. I think he is wildly underrated in not just overall ability but individual abilities. This would also open up the door to trade Dunleavy for a PF.

Michael Beasly looks to be very good now and eventually dominant in years to come. He would answer our needs at PF with the ability to bang inside or step out and is a superior athlete for a PF, all things I feel to be important in the ideal Pacer PF. This would open the door to allow Murphy to do what he is meant to do...be an extremely overpaid good option at the 4 and 5 off of the bench.

I really don't know which I feel to be the best fit as a Pacer. They all have benefits to them that I find to be quite Pacer-friendly and all are young, surefire bets to be successful NBA players in my mind. Right now, I guess that I would lean toward Beasley since a star quality big man seems to be hard to find these days and we did just draft Brandon Rush to be our future SG along with Mike. If I were to lean toward Iggy/Martin, it would make Mike expendable for a PF but when trading small to big, you tend to not get the same quality value since a good big is a near rarity these days. With that said, I lean toward Beasley in the narrowest of ways.

[Grangerous]

Nowitzki is in my mind just because right now our main position of need is pf. and he would be very good in our system. There's also Gilbert Arenas just because he is such a great scorer.

[23artest23]

While I respect your opinion, I think Dirk will go down as one of those players with great numbers that never gets any farther than he already has...loser in the finals. The teams Dallas has had built around Dirk for years have been debatable to have been the best in the league atleast a few times yet achieving a ring has still alluded him. To put it in black and white, I feel he is a stat padder.

I do like Gilbert and I could give the same argument for him, I feel his supporting cast has been far weaker than that of Dirks. In my mind, Jamison is just as bad of a stat padder as Dirk and that leaves Caron Butler. Caron I feel to be under valued but as we have seen through the years, it normally takes atleast 2 stars and a solid to good bench to win the championship. Washington has seemed to have one of their stars misaligned every year to go along with a poor bench but that may just be me. That falls back on Gilbert though as to why I do not feel the same argument used for Dirk should be used for Arenas. I think Gilbert would fit in well and I was considering him as well.

[Miller4ever]

How about the greatest player in the world, Paul Pierce? He is undoubtedly the greatest man in basketball right now, and his championship last year only proves it. He has been winning an incredible amount of games with Boston for a long time now, and they only recently won the championship because he decided to start trying. He can obviously flourish without need of a supporting cast.

[fienX420]

i had to go with a big man because i think that is our biggest need. if we filled any other position, we'd still have a significant deficiency in our line-up. sure, you could try to make a trade, but it is pretty hard to trade small for big. i chose dirk because he is a proven player in his prime and fits into an up-tempo style. lamar odom got my honorable mention because, again, he fills a position of need (i'd say he is now proven at the power forward spot and could really excel back east). also, he is a good fit for both our offense and defense.

[cdash]

While I respect your opinion, I think Dirk will go down as one of those players with great numbers that never gets any farther than he already has...loser in the finals. The teams Dallas has had built around Dirk for years have been debatable to have been the best in the league atleast a few times yet achieving a ring has still alluded him. To put it in black and white, I feel he is a stat padder.

I do like Gilbert and I could give the same argument for him, I feel his supporting cast has been far weaker than that of Dirks. In my mind, Jamison is just as bad of a stat padder as Dirk and that leaves Caron Butler. Caron I feel to be under valued but as we have seen through the years, it normally takes atleast 2 stars and a solid to good bench to win the championship. Washington has seemed to have one of their stars misaligned every year to go along with a poor bench but that may just be me. That falls back on Gilbert though as to why I do not feel the same argument used for Dirk should be used for Arenas. I think Gilbert would fit in well and I was considering him as well.

You would rather have Andre Igoudala and Michael Beasley over Dirk? On this team? I think a Murphy to Nowitzki upgrade is far greater than a Dunleavy for Igoudala "upgrade".

[23artest23]

You would rather have Andre Igoudala and Michael Beasley over Dirk? On this team? I think a Murphy to Nowitzki upgrade is far greater than a Dunleavy for Igoudala "upgrade".

Very much so. Dirk would be a tremendous upgrade to Murphy but that is not saying much IMO. Dirk has had supremely talented teams around him for years and has never managed better than a Finals appearance. I do not find this to be coincidence as the Mavericks have not had a legit low post big with any scoring or to put it bluntly, to make up what the normal player at Dirks position would be doing. If going for a big, I would want a player that sticks to the inside but has capability to step out mid range. Dirk is anything but that and while yes, a 3 point happy PF would be a nice compliment to a good inside scoring C, the Pacers are not in that situation. Mavs have not been either hence why I feel he does not have a ring. Dirk has had some very, very talented teams around him and as the leader, still failed...I find there to be some real merit to that and in my opinion, it goes back to the fact he is not a real inside presence and god knows they have had no C to provide that presence that Dirk does not. The Pacers would not change that.

I think you may undervalue how big of an upgrade Iggy would be to Dunleavy as well. Outside of shooting, Iggy does everything better than Mike while also being the focal point of a team to stop. Mike has played 2nd or 3rd fiddle on a non playoff team to get his numbers while Iggy does it on a playoff team as the number 1 player. On a team where Iggy is not the one prime player to stop, I think he will approach Mike on the shooting as well. I actually expect that this year now that they have Elton. Adding Andre would also make our perimeter D absolute lockdown quality and that cannot be underestimated since the new rules with guards as the beneficiaries have been unveiled.

With that said, I would rather go with an inside-out banger like Beasley. Give him a couple years and I think he would eat Dirk alive. I know that many are expecting big things from Michael but I have this sneaking suspicion he will have his fair share of games this season where he embarrasses some very established big men. I see him as that good already and in a few years, possibly the best PF in the game. Only time will tell but I'd put my wager on him as an Allstar sooner rather than later.

[Orlock78]

For me I'd go with Elton Brand if it were for this year. And if its for the future it would be Greg Oden. Although I am very intrigued by both Jose Calderon and Brandon Roy.

[Scoot McGroot]

Very interesting question.


I would be heavily tempted to go for a younger PF with a low post game, or a young game changer at the PG spot that can grow with this team. If you take out the franchise players like in the original post, I'm left looking at PG's like Tony Parker, Derrick Rose, Jose Calderon, or possibly Devin Harris, or PF's like Elton Brand, Carlos Boozer, Michael Beasley, Al Jefferson, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Chris Bosh, or possibly at young center's like Greg Oden, Andrew Bynum, Chris Kaman, or possibly an Andris Biedrins (though he'd be near the end of my list, but that could change by the end of next year).


I'd look heavily at Parker or Calderon, with an eye for Rose in the future, or Beasley, Bosh, or Oden as our young-ish big man to grow with us.

[basketballwacko2]

i'm sticking with Oden as the man for this team, my 2nd pick would be Parker or Boozer.

[cdash]

You would rather have Andre Igoudala and Michael Beasley over Dirk? On this team? I think a Murphy to Nowitzki upgrade is far greater than a Dunleavy for Igoudala "upgrade".

Very much so. Dirk would be a tremendous upgrade to Murphy but that is not saying much IMO. Dirk has had supremely talented teams around him for years and has never managed better than a Finals appearance. I do not find this to be coincidence as the Mavericks have not had a legit low post big with any scoring or to put it bluntly, to make up what the normal player at Dirks position would be doing. If going for a big, I would want a player that sticks to the inside but has capability to step out mid range. Dirk is anything but that and while yes, a 3 point happy PF would be a nice compliment to a good inside scoring C, the Pacers are not in that situation. Mavs have not been either hence why I feel he does not have a ring. Dirk has had some very, very talented teams around him and as the leader, still failed...I find there to be some real merit to that and in my opinion, it goes back to the fact he is not a real inside presence and god knows they have had no C to provide that presence that Dirk does not. The Pacers would not change that.

I think you may undervalue how big of an upgrade Iggy would be to Dunleavy as well. Outside of shooting, Iggy does everything better than Mike while also being the focal point of a team to stop. Mike has played 2nd or 3rd fiddle on a non playoff team to get his numbers while Iggy does it on a playoff team as the number 1 player. On a team where Iggy is not the one prime player to stop, I think he will approach Mike on the shooting as well. I actually expect that this year now that they have Elton. Adding Andre would also make our perimeter D absolute lockdown quality and that cannot be underestimated since the new rules with guards as the beneficiaries have been unveiled.

With that said, I would rather go with an inside-out banger like Beasley. Give him a couple years and I think he would eat Dirk alive. I know that many are expecting big things from Michael but I have this sneaking suspicion he will have his fair share of games this season where he embarrasses some very established big men. I see him as that good already and in a few years, possibly the best PF in the game. Only time will tell but I'd put my wager on him as an Allstar sooner rather than later.

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...

[Gremz]

I'm leaning towards Josh Smith right now, no i'm not crazy, hear me out. Young, athletic, doesn't need to be a ball hog to contribute, would work extremely well in an up tempo offense, no where near his potential and is only 23. His energy would provide a new gear for a running team, plus he can really effect games on the defensive end. He and TJ would link up quite well i think, and can provide back up minutes for the SF spot, i really think he is a contender.