Quality Players. Long-term Flexibility. Bright Future.

[greenway84]

Ignite the Passion. Restore the Pride.
Quality Players.
Long-term Flexibility.
Bright Future.


By David Morway | Pacers General Manager
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Most trades are generally made for one of two reasons:

1. To improve a team’s personnel, or

2. To improve a team’s financial or salary cap position.
Though very difficult to accomplish both at once, Larry Bird and I believe we were able to do just that this off season with our two trades with Toronto and Portland....

Entire article here, and a great read I think. Not too often teams publically talk about finances.
http://www.nba.com/pacers/news/column_morway_080823.html

[Gremz]

We've done extremely well to release the stranglehold on the cap. With the expirings this off season, and Murph & Dun in 3 years, we should have apt move to make the required trades to get this team back into contention.

[mizzoupacers]

My enthusiasm is somewhat guarded. Don't get me wrong, I think the moves this summer are a step in the right direction--potentially a big step. At the very least we can now actually afford to keep the guys we want to keep--after this upcoming season that could apply first to Granger and Jarrett Jack.

Also, the core group has become a lot more interesting. We don't really know yet how good Granger, Rush, Hibbert, or even Ford are capable of becoming. We do know, though, that if the Pacers want to, they will still have all four of them under contract three or four years from now.

If all goes well, those guys are the core of a pretty competitive team. That's the good news. The bad news, though, is that I'm not sure that's a good enough talent base to compete for championships, and it's going to be difficult to add the sorts of primo talents needed to put the team over the top while Murphy and maybe Tinsley are still sucking up a bunch of cap space. We also don't look like a team likely to have a high lottery pick anytime soon. So while I like where the Pacers are as compared to where they have been the past year or two, I'm still not sure where the home-run ball is going to come from, at least not for a few more years. Unless the front office turns some expiring contracts into a Pau Gasol-like trade while still finding a way to show Danny the money...

[NashvilleKat]

We have two high quality point guards, two high quality shooting guards (Rush and Dun) a high quality small forward in Granger, with both Dun and Rush able to rotate there as needed, and a good core of big men at center. All we need is a "strong" power forward, (backed up by Baston and Williams) to be a contender again. It's possible a trade package that includes Tinsley, Daniels, Williams, and Graham might secure us a moderately good power forward like Haslem or Wilcox plus a top 12-lottery pick next year where we can draft another strong young power forward. After seeing what Bird and Pacers pulled off this summer, why not expect another masterful move....?